Let’s see now. UAB was picked last in ‘17 and finished 2nd with a 46-43 loss to UNT at Apogee.
We were picked 130th out of all fbs teams and finished the regular season 8-4
In ‘18 we were picked 3rd and finished first with a conference championship.
In ‘19 we are picked 4th.
Heck, in 2014 we were picked last and finished 4-4/6-6 with Bill Clark as our head coach.
It will be interesting to see if UAB continues to exceed expectations.
I think 4th in the West is a worst case type prediction. That is where the coaches voted us.
I guess you can’t vote for your own team. The other coaches have been very bad prognosticators on UAB prospects. We shall see if it continues.
(07-31-2019 08:08 AM)wh49er Wrote: East: FIU
West: NT
Champ: NT
East Sleeper: Charlotte (Is predicting a 6-6 record consider a sleeper?)
West Sleeper: Nobody
Other Predictions: ODU fires Wilder at the end of the season. Marshall's defense takes a step back because of Brad Lambert.
If we take a step back it wont be because of Lambert. It will because we lost so much talent and starters from last year. Honestly I do think our D will take a step back. But I feel our offense will have the ability to bail us out.
This a QB driven league and these are the two best. Serviceable defenses get them to the title game. I know Marshall is the trendy pick in the east, but I predict Morgan has a monster year, and becomes a high draft pick (e.g. 2nd rd).
Sleeper: Even though my actual prediction for MT is a 4 or 5 win season, there's a chance for this team to surprise. MT will most likely (barring injuries) have the second best defense in the league behind USM. Kind of hoping for the post Manning era phenomenon to play out here when Tee Martin led UT to the national title the next season. There's a chance this Randall Johnson kid could be something and if he can manage the game without making too many mistakes there is depth at running back and return the nation's active receptions leader. And whether Johnson or Ohara wins the job MT will be have a true dual threat. The offense will have a lot more spread option/RPO looks this year. Not all the pieces are there to repeat in the east, and the schedule is brutal. But that's why this category is called sleeper.
BTW, last time Tony Franklin and an MT dual threat QB stepped on the field this happened. Sorry USM fans for the bad memories:
(This post was last modified: 08-02-2019 07:21 AM by ThreeifbyLightning.)
(08-02-2019 07:11 AM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote: Champ: FIU over North Texas
This a QB driven league and these are the two best. Serviceable defenses get them to the title game. I know Marshall is the trendy pick in the east, but I predict Morgan has a monster year, and becomes a high draft pick (e.g. 2nd rd).
Sleeper: Even though my actual prediction for MT is a 4 or 5 win season, there's a chance for this team to surprise. MT will most likely (barring injuries) have the second best defense in the league behind USM. Kind of hoping for the post Manning era phenomenon to play out here when Tee Martin led UT to the national title the next season. There's a chance this Randall Johnson kid could be something and if he can manage the game without making too many mistakes there is depth at running back and return the nation's active receptions leader. And whether Johnson or Ohara wins the job MT will be have a true dual threat. The offense will have a lot more spread option/RPO looks this year. Not all the pieces are there to repeat in the east, and the schedule is brutal. But that's why this category is called sleeper.
BTW, last time Tony Franklin and an MT dual threat QB stepped on the field this happened. Sorry USM fans for the bad memories:
Believe me, To- Ba-for- was a nightmare no USM fan will easily forget. I still remember our corners giving 10 yard cushions on EVERY 3rd and 2.
(08-02-2019 07:11 AM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote: Champ: FIU over North Texas
This a QB driven league and these are the two best. Serviceable defenses get them to the title game. I know Marshall is the trendy pick in the east, but I predict Morgan has a monster year, and becomes a high draft pick (e.g. 2nd rd).
Sleeper: Even though my actual prediction for MT is a 4 or 5 win season, there's a chance for this team to surprise. MT will most likely (barring injuries) have the second best defense in the league behind USM. Kind of hoping for the post Manning era phenomenon to play out here when Tee Martin led UT to the national title the next season. There's a chance this Randall Johnson kid could be something and if he can manage the game without making too many mistakes there is depth at running back and return the nation's active receptions leader. And whether Johnson or Ohara wins the job MT will be have a true dual threat. The offense will have a lot more spread option/RPO looks this year. Not all the pieces are there to repeat in the east, and the schedule is brutal. But that's why this category is called sleeper.
BTW, last time Tony Franklin and an MT dual threat QB stepped on the field this happened. Sorry USM fans for the bad memories:
Believe me, To- Ba-for- was a nightmare no USM fan will easily forget. I still remember our corners giving 10 yard cushions on EVERY 3rd and 2.
My wife and I were there along with 20,000+ MT Fans. It was the seminal moment in MT's FB History capping our greatest FBS era season. Hope we experience that feeling once more. I thought we were close to it last year before UAB and Appy State smashed the dream. We can only hope!
(08-02-2019 08:11 PM)herdfan129 Wrote: Marshall is handicapped by a terrible coach. If we win a championship it will be despite of him.
So Marshall stole Mack Brown away from North Carolina?
What's wrong with Mack Brown?
Since the day he arrived in Austin, I never cared for Mack Brown. He was a great recruiter, but a poor developer of talent. In my opinion, Vince Young was the greatest college football talent ever, but was never forced to grow as a player. Mack allowed Vince to get by on his talent. Brown and his staff never addressed Young's throwing mechanics issues. In my opinion. Texas won the 2005 National Title largely on Young's pure athleticism, and the overall talent of the roster. In my opinion, Brown's coaching wasn't all that.
(08-02-2019 08:11 PM)herdfan129 Wrote: Marshall is handicapped by a terrible coach. If we win a championship it will be despite of him.
So Marshall stole Mack Brown away from North Carolina?
What's wrong with Mack Brown?
Since the day he arrived in Austin, I never cared for Mack Brown. He was a great recruiter, but a poor developer of talent. In my opinion, Vince Young was the greatest college football talent ever, but was never forced to grow as a player. Mack allowed Vince to get by on his talent. Brown and his staff never addressed Young's throwing mechanics issues. In my opinion. Texas won the 2005 National Title largely on Young's pure athleticism, and the overall talent of the roster. In my opinion, Brown's coaching wasn't all that.
Interesting. Your reply made me wanna do some research because I just hadn't really thought about it much, and never really followed the Longhorns either. I found that Vince Young has a lot of bitterness toward Jeff Fisher as a coach. But here's what Vince Young said about Mack Brown...
Read somewhere else that he was good at changing the positions his guys played to make them more successful. And Darrel Royal, whom their stadium is named after, is the only guy who has coached at Texas longer than Mack, and the only guy who has a higher winning percentage at Texas than Mack. His record is pretty impressive. I'm sure there are some legitimate criticisms, but no one's perfect, and the man has won 4 different Coach of the Year awards, plus the Bear Bryant Award, so it would seem his strengths far outweigh his shortcomings.
(This post was last modified: 08-03-2019 12:02 AM by Volkmar.)
(08-02-2019 08:11 PM)herdfan129 Wrote: Marshall is handicapped by a terrible coach. If we win a championship it will be despite of him.
So Marshall stole Mack Brown away from North Carolina?
What's wrong with Mack Brown?
Since the day he arrived in Austin, I never cared for Mack Brown. He was a great recruiter, but a poor developer of talent. In my opinion, Vince Young was the greatest college football talent ever, but was never forced to grow as a player. Mack allowed Vince to get by on his talent. Brown and his staff never addressed Young's throwing mechanics issues. In my opinion. Texas won the 2005 National Title largely on Young's pure athleticism, and the overall talent of the roster. In my opinion, Brown's coaching wasn't all that.
Interesting. Your reply made me wanna do some research because I just hadn't really thought about it much, and never really followed the Longhorns either. I found that Vince Young has a lot of bitterness toward Jeff Fisher as a coach. But here's what Vince Young said about Mack Brown...
Read somewhere else that he was good at changing the positions his guys played to make them more successful. And Darrel Royal, whom their stadium is named after, is the only guy who has coached at Texas longer than Mack, and the only guy who has a higher winning percentage at Texas than Mack. His record is pretty impressive. I'm sure there are some legitimate criticisms, but no one's perfect, and the man has won 4 different Coach of the Year awards, plus the Bear Bryant Award, so it would seem his strengths far outweigh his shortcomings.
This quote from the article sums up my problems with Mack Brown...
"The defining moment of my career as a quarterback for the Texas Longhorns was a meeting between myself, Coach Brown, and Greg Davis. I insisted that I could not be just a pocket passer. I argued that I needed to be more mobile. During that confrontation we disagreed, spoke frankly, and they took me seriously. They didn’t have to, but they showed me the kind of openness and respect that, to this day, I remember and try to show others. It does not surprise me that, when he was asked to explain my success as a quarterback, his answer was characteristically humble: “We quit bugging him,” he said. I am sure there are other coaches out there who would have felt compelled to exert their authority"
It isn't about authority. It is about wanting to be better, and doing what is best for the team. When Mack gave up on Young, he sealed his fate as an NFL bust.
I have a student that asked me to teach him how to throw a football. He was a back-up receiver on the 7th grade B team. I told him okay, but said he would have to meet me in the mornings at 7am. Well, the kid showed up. On the first day he couldn't throw a ball 20 yards and all his passes were ducks. It was pretty bad. In class I made him throw his trash at the trash can (throwing items in my room is against the rules). There were 3 trash cans in my old room, and he had to throw it at the can furthest from his seat. When he needed to throw away trash, he would let me know, I would have the entire class watch, and he would throw away his trash using his left hand (he is right handed). He learned to focus and block out distractions. He learned to overcome adversity. He learned to shack off mistakes and refocus. After months of correcting his mechanics and implementing an exercise plan, he was throwing 50 yard dimes. In 8th grade he was the starting QB on the A team. As a freshman, he led his team to 6 straight wins to start the season, and a district championship, before he was moved up to the varsity team. As a teacher, I had to help him develop. Anything less would have been a disservice.
My students know never to ask me if something is "good enough". As teachers we are expected to challenge our students and help them grow as learners. If we truly care about our students, good enough should never be good enough. I think somewhere along the way Mack Brown forgot that, and Vince Young and other former Texas players suffered for it.
(This post was last modified: 08-03-2019 08:23 AM by Side Show Joe.)
(08-02-2019 09:05 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote: So Marshall stole Mack Brown away from North Carolina?
What's wrong with Mack Brown?
Since the day he arrived in Austin, I never cared for Mack Brown. He was a great recruiter, but a poor developer of talent. In my opinion, Vince Young was the greatest college football talent ever, but was never forced to grow as a player. Mack allowed Vince to get by on his talent. Brown and his staff never addressed Young's throwing mechanics issues. In my opinion. Texas won the 2005 National Title largely on Young's pure athleticism, and the overall talent of the roster. In my opinion, Brown's coaching wasn't all that.
Interesting. Your reply made me wanna do some research because I just hadn't really thought about it much, and never really followed the Longhorns either. I found that Vince Young has a lot of bitterness toward Jeff Fisher as a coach. But here's what Vince Young said about Mack Brown...
Read somewhere else that he was good at changing the positions his guys played to make them more successful. And Darrel Royal, whom their stadium is named after, is the only guy who has coached at Texas longer than Mack, and the only guy who has a higher winning percentage at Texas than Mack. His record is pretty impressive. I'm sure there are some legitimate criticisms, but no one's perfect, and the man has won 4 different Coach of the Year awards, plus the Bear Bryant Award, so it would seem his strengths far outweigh his shortcomings.
This quote from the article sums up my problems with Mack Brown...
"The defining moment of my career as a quarterback for the Texas Longhorns was a meeting between myself, Coach Brown, and Greg Davis. I insisted that I could not be just a pocket passer. I argued that I needed to be more mobile. During that confrontation we disagreed, spoke frankly, and they took me seriously. They didn’t have to, but they showed me the kind of openness and respect that, to this day, I remember and try to show others. It does not surprise me that, when he was asked to explain my success as a quarterback, his answer was characteristically humble: “We quit bugging him,” he said. I am sure there are other coaches out there who would have felt compelled to exert their authority"
It isn't about authority. It is about wanting to be better, and doing what is best for the team. When Mack gave up on Young, he sealed his fate as an NFL bust.
I have a student that asked me to teach him how to throw a football. He was a back-up receiver on the 7th grade B team. I told him okay, but said he would have to meet me in the mornings at 7am. Well, the kid showed up. On the first day he couldn't throw a ball 20 yards and all his passes were ducks. It was pretty bad. In class I made him throw his trash at the trash can (throwing items in my room is against the rules). There were 3 trash cans in my old room, and he had to throw it at the can furthest from his seat. When he needed to throw away trash, he would let me know, I would have the entire class watch, and he would throw away his trash using his left hand (he is right handed). He learned to focus and block out distractions. He learned to overcome adversity. He learned to shack off mistakes and refocus. After months of correcting his mechanics and implementing an exercise plan, he was throwing 50 yard dimes. In 8th grade he was the starting QB on the A team. As a freshman, he led his team to 6 straight wins to start the season, and a district championship, before he was moved up to the varsity team. As a teacher, I had to help him develop. Anything less would have been a disservice.
My students know never to ask me if something is "good enough". As teachers we are expected to challenge our students and help them grow as learners. If we truly care about our students, good enough should never be good enough. I think somewhere along the way Mack Brown forgot that, and Vince Young and other former Texas players suffered for it.
Mack Brown’s brother coached at both Rice and UAB, which is why I predict those two teams will meet in the championship. Except that we’re in the same division, so that can’t happen until they change the rules like Big XII does and like the ACC wanted. Two conferences where Mack coached or will coach.
East: Marshall
West: Southern Miss
Champ: #19 Southern Miss defeats #22 Marshall 28-17 to win CUSA I front of a packed 36k rocking USM fans and a national TV audience.