(06-21-2017 01:05 PM)JmuDukes4Life Wrote: 5dimes.com just came out with the lines for JMU vs ECU
JMU - 3 1/2
Many incredulous ECU fans are shocked JMU has been listed as an initial favorite. The ECU fans who are most incredulous have written comments that read very similar to the condescending comments posted by SMU fans...before we took SMU's lunch money and hung a stinging loss on them.
It's very common that an unsophisticated fan of programs like ECU may think that labels like "FBS" are magic talismans that automatically give their team protection and an insurmountable advantage against a "FCS" team, even if the FCS program happens to be the defending FCS NC. Part of the joy of being a fan of a FCS team is playing the role of an underdog when competing against a FBS program, however, in this case for the ECU fans who refuse to understand how any rational gambler could make a FCS program a favorite over a FBS team, well, you are in for one rude awakening.
I particularly get a laugh out of the ECU fans who think that JMU's playing in front of a large, loud and hostile crowd is something that the JMU players haven't experienced and won't be able to handle, and/or that the ECU fans are somehow "louder" or more intimidating than other stadium crowds the current JMU roster has faced. I chalk those mistaken notions up to the FBS-centric myopia that clouds most FBS fans vision of FCS. That's a mistaken notion that's hard to dispel, even when you have examples like App St. beating Michigan or JMU beating VT that clearly demonstrate the "big crowd" idea as an intimidating factor is total BS, at least when it comes to top FCS programs.
I look forward to a great game, and I expect JMU will win...and possibly by as much as 14 points. No, I won't give 14 points to anyone, but I expect a win.
PS...to the ECU fan who posted some disparaging remarks about Coach Houston...go wash your mouth out. From what I can tell about ECU's coaching staff, and after JMU beats the pirates and repeats as NC, coach Houston could very likely be your next HC.