Question: Will it be harder for any one team in the league to maintain a ranking or get the NY6 bowl with the league being as strong as most of us think it will be?
I used to kind of downplay the difference between a wimpy non-P5 schedule with 1 or 2 mid-level P5s versus having those same P5s with a real conference grind but I now think that actually matters more than I thought. There's no doubt in my mind the Sun Belt going forward is going to be significantly better than the WAC leagues Boise State was in. That 2010 Nevada team that messed up Boise's chances of being a BCS buster was pretty good by G5 standards but are they really better than the top SBC teams of the past few years? Not IMO.
My Answer: There's some truth to this. That's why we need to kick arse in non-conference games and get P5 wins when we can. IMO, it's huge that we can have teams like 2019 App and 2020 Louisiana finish the season ranked in the AP and CFP with a conference loss. Normally a non-P5 team has to get into the top 10 before they could take a conference loss and hope to stay ranked.
I agree there is some truth to it. It didn't stop Cincinnati or UCF though. This will be a good league, but it doesn't mean every team will be equally as good. Every few years a "top dog" will likely emerge, and carry the banner, if I had to guess.
(08-04-2022 01:24 PM)TroyFootball05 Wrote: [ -> ]I agree there is some truth to it. It didn't stop Cincinnati or UCF though. This will be a good league, but it doesn't mean every team will be equally as good. Every few years a "top dog" will likely emerge, and carry the banner, if I had to guess.
Yeah there should be years where the issue takes care of itself with just the natural cycle of some programs having down years. If and when we get the occasional year where pretty much everyone is up in one division though then we better whoop ass out of conference. Could be a statement year for how strong we are top to bottom, or could be a year where we beat each other up and all end up really underrated.
I do not think there is any way to not have it happen where one team knocks off another that may have a chance at a NY6. Sometimes teams get lucky and sometimes they don't. If the strength of the league continues to improve we wont have to worry as much about this because we will have multiple teams in the hunt.
(08-04-2022 01:48 PM)KickItToScotty Wrote: [ -> ] (08-04-2022 01:24 PM)TroyFootball05 Wrote: [ -> ]I agree there is some truth to it. It didn't stop Cincinnati or UCF though. This will be a good league, but it doesn't mean every team will be equally as good. Every few years a "top dog" will likely emerge, and carry the banner, if I had to guess.
Yeah there should be years where the issue takes care of itself with just the natural cycle of some programs having down years. If and when we get the occasional year where pretty much everyone is up in one division though then we better whoop ass out of conference. Could be a statement year for how strong we are top to bottom, or could be a year where we beat each other up and all end up really underrated.
Agreed
Lol did my post really get deleted?
(08-04-2022 01:52 PM)Complacent Cajun Wrote: [ -> ]Lol did my post really get deleted?
Deleted? No. Hidden so we don't have this same argument that we've already had 10,478 other times before derail another thread? Yes. Let's let this thread have a chance please.
(08-04-2022 01:54 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote: [ -> ] (08-04-2022 01:52 PM)Complacent Cajun Wrote: [ -> ]Lol did my post really get deleted?
Deleted? No. Hidden so we don't have this same argument that we've already had 10,478 other times before derail another thread? Yes. Let's let this thread have a chance please.
10-4. I thought it was absolutely relevant to the question posed in the OP.
The difference is now an undefeated (or maybe even 1 loss) SBC will be in the running for the NY6 against an undefeated or one loss MW or AAC team. Before, even an undefeated Belt champion would miss out to a 1 loss AAC squad. Those days should be over. We may knock each other out of the conversation more, but at least we will be in the conversation.
(08-04-2022 01:24 PM)TroyFootball05 Wrote: [ -> ]I agree there is some truth to it. It didn't stop Cincinnati or UCF though. This will be a good league, but it doesn't mean every team will be equally as good. Every few years a "top dog" will likely emerge, and carry the banner, if I had to guess.
That's true. There are some non-major conference teams that get into major bowl games like 2009 Boise and 2017 UCF that are just on another level.
The question is more if some of the other teams from non-major conferences that get into major bowl games. Could 2006 Boise, 2012 NIU, 2013 UCF, 2014 Boise, 2016 WMU, and 2019 Cinci go undefeated in the present-day Sun Belt? A lot less clear.
(08-04-2022 01:24 PM)TroyFootball05 Wrote: [ -> ]I agree there is some truth to it. It didn't stop Cincinnati or UCF though. This will be a good league, but it doesn't mean every team will be equally as good. Every few years a "top dog" will likely emerge, and carry the banner, if I had to guess.
I do think it takes care of itself most years. What shouldn't get lost is that while the current AAC and future SBC will have multiple NY6 contending programs, they don't all peak at the same time. App St, Louisiana, and Marshall may all come into the same year with strong teams but sooner or later one might separate themselves as a 12 win type team while the other 2 turn out to be 9 or 10 win type teams that year.
Teams go up and down. App has had a continued period of success but it’ll pass and eventually others will take their place and carry the banner for the Sun Belt as others have said.
In 2013-2018 a one loss SBC team wasnt even looked at by voting members of the polls. 2019 and beyond (especially now) has been different. At least App (and I think CCU?) has either remained or regain rank after an SBC loss.
An 11-1 Marshall with that 1 being App or GaSo or JMU or GaSt (damn they're sneaky) would command a rank.
Its all about OOC and conference SOS.
Since 2018/2019 the conference has won more than half the ooc games against peers and done well against the P5 beating a ranked Iowa St, a LSU, UScU, UNC, Kansas, etc. wins. Do that and a damaged champion is still ranked.
Yep, it all depends on who you're losing to. If the SBC has more schools in the Top 40-50, a loss or two is less of a blow.
I'm now lost by this thread...