https://athlonsports.com/college-footbal...eek-2-2021

(09-14-2021 06:23 PM)Purple Wrote:  https://athlonsports.com/college-footbal...eek-2-2021

SHSU should be 1 until proven otherwise. Montana has the best win so far followed by SDSU. 2-5 can be any mix of NDSU SDSU Montana and JMU and I'd be fine with that

I don’t pay much attention to this stuff or predictions. When they go out on the field and take care of business every week they’ll end up where they belong and the only one that matters is that final poll.

(09-15-2021 08:59 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  I don’t pay much attention to this stuff or predictions. When they go out on the field and take care of business every week they’ll end up where they belong and the only one that matters is that final poll.

Agree

(09-15-2021 05:57 AM)fishingduke12 Wrote:  

(09-14-2021 06:23 PM)Purple Wrote:  https://athlonsports.com/college-footbal...eek-2-2021

SHSU should be 1 until proven otherwise. Montana has the best win so far followed by SDSU. 2-5 can be any mix of NDSU SDSU Montana and JMU and I'd be fine with that

I agree on Montana/SDSU, definitely don't agree on SHSU. They won a championship with an asterisk and now will beat up on a bunch of cupcakes even by FCS standards until the playoffs come around. Others beating FBS teams and/or pummeling a full schedule of MVFC/CAA/Big Sky teams should jump them by the end of the season.

(09-15-2021 12:09 PM)KickItToScotty Wrote:  

(09-15-2021 05:57 AM)fishingduke12 Wrote:  

(09-14-2021 06:23 PM)Purple Wrote:  https://athlonsports.com/college-footbal...eek-2-2021

SHSU should be 1 until proven otherwise. Montana has the best win so far followed by SDSU. 2-5 can be any mix of NDSU SDSU Montana and JMU and I'd be fine with that

I agree on Montana/SDSU, definitely don't agree on SHSU. They won a championship with an asterisk and now will beat up on a bunch of cupcakes even by FCS standards until the playoffs come around. Others beating FBS teams and/or pummeling a full schedule of MVFC/CAA/Big Sky teams should jump them by the end of the season.

As much as I hate SHSU, I wouldn't call their win an asterick. They beat us, NDSU, and SDSU fair and square. That was a well deserved championship being that they went through arguably the top 3 best teams in FCS football

Huge asterisk in my book, do they get past JMU if it's a normal season where JMU plays a full and normal schedule with normal camp/practices and doesn't lose a couple transfers because of a spring season? If it's in December instead of sending us to Texas in May with no locker rooms? Even if so, no way they win it over NDSU if it's a normal season unless Trey Lance ended up injured. The unusual season helped close the gap between the top programs and everybody else imo, and especially kept Trey Lance and NDSU from stomping everyone they came across.

(09-15-2021 04:31 PM)KickItToScotty Wrote:  Huge asterisk in my book, do they get past JMU if it's a normal season where JMU plays a full and normal schedule with normal camp/practices and doesn't lose a couple transfers because of a spring season? If it's in December instead of sending us to Texas in May with no locker rooms? Even if so, no way they win it over NDSU if it's a normal season unless Trey Lance ended up injured. The unusual season helped close the gap between the top programs and everybody else imo, and especially kept Trey Lance and NDSU from stomping everyone they came across.

That's a lot of ifs. Every team played through adversity last season. And the tents they put the visiting team in had AC while SHSU own changing room did not so lets stop with that too

We 100% imploded that game and the pandemic had nothing to do with it

(09-16-2021 06:00 AM)fishingduke12 Wrote:  

(09-15-2021 04:31 PM)KickItToScotty Wrote:  Huge asterisk in my book, do they get past JMU if it's a normal season where JMU plays a full and normal schedule with normal camp/practices and doesn't lose a couple transfers because of a spring season? If it's in December instead of sending us to Texas in May with no locker rooms? Even if so, no way they win it over NDSU if it's a normal season unless Trey Lance ended up injured. The unusual season helped close the gap between the top programs and everybody else imo, and especially kept Trey Lance and NDSU from stomping everyone they came across.

That's a lot of ifs. Every team played through adversity last season. And the tents they put the visiting team in had AC while SHSU own changing room did not so lets stop with that too

We 100% imploded that game and the pandemic had nothing to do with it

This is why the Dukes lost. And it wasn't the game it was basically a five minute or so stretch of game clock. It was unbelievable as it unfolded.

(09-15-2021 04:06 PM)James Madison Wrote:  

(09-15-2021 12:09 PM)KickItToScotty Wrote:  They won a championship with an asterisk and now will beat up on a bunch of cupcakes even by FCS standards until the playoffs come around. Others beating FBS teams and/or pummeling a full schedule of MVFC/CAA/Big Sky teams should jump them by the end of the season.

As much as I hate SHSU, I wouldn't call their win an asterick. They beat us, NDSU, and SDSU fair and square. That was a well deserved championship being that they went through arguably the top 3 best teams in FCS football

Agreed. No doubt had JMU not totally imploded and won the title we’d be shooting holes through any theories of an asterisk due to the unorthodox season.

I agree with a lot of the points here, but here is where I disagree....

I am not talking about last year or asterisk seasons or anything else unrelated to the thread title.

I am talking about TODAY! Knowing what I know about all of the top FCS teams, and evaluating as objectively as my purple shades will allow, I believe that JMU's performance has been so strong to date that I DO NOT disagree with Athlon's ranking.

Of course, those who believe that Sam Houston is better than JMU because of a five-minute stretch of a game last year where JMU did everything it could to lose aren't seeing clearly. It bugs me to no end when a lazy pundit pins a #1 ranking on the previous year's champion because that is the safe and easy way and simple to justify logically. I much prefer Athlon's approach, actually evaluating the teams on their performance in THIS season so far.

I might have to take a closer look at Montana and their impressive win over a ranked FBS team, but I'm sure the pundits took that into consideration and, who knows, maybe they see Washington as being a paper tiger that was mis-ranked, maybe they have injuries or other circumstances that indicate that they are not a very good FBS team.

The fact is, after a quick look at Washington's body of work thus far this season, they are not at all a good FBS football team. They led the Griz 7-3 until the fourth quarter. Three interceptions and a total lack of rush offense on Washington's part, and Montana gets the win 13-7. The following week, an as yet unproven Michigan team ran them out of the stadium 31-10.

Thus, I do not disagree with Athlon's ranking at all. It shows that they put some effort and research into their work instead of lazily saying, "Well, Sam Houston won the Natty last year, so right now they are the very best, the most powerful team in FCS."

Bullsh!t.

If we had won I'd say that deserved an asterisk too because a spring season meant the best player in FCS sat it out. Not as big an asterisk as Sam Houston though because that'd be a top program staying at the top rather than an unusual season closing the gap and the champion being a team that always gets completely stomped as soon as they run in to anyone good.

Yeah everyone dealt with adversity and good for them for coming out on top, congratulations to them on the championship. It doesn't really change how I see their program overall though. If they play a close game with NDSU, JMU, maybe even SDSU in a normal season then I'll think they deserve a little more benefit of doubt in the rankings/seedings. They don't even have to win, just don't get blown out. Until then, they're a program that beats up cupcakes even by FCS standards all year and then gets smoked in the playoffs every year.

I also definitely agree with Purple that rankings should be more about what you've done this year. Last year's results and returning players can make a good starting point, but I definitely don't agree with the "they're the champs so they're #1 until they lose" mentality.

(09-16-2021 06:18 AM)DWING Wrote:  

(09-16-2021 06:00 AM)fishingduke12 Wrote:  

(09-15-2021 04:31 PM)KickItToScotty Wrote:  Huge asterisk in my book, do they get past JMU if it's a normal season where JMU plays a full and normal schedule with normal camp/practices and doesn't lose a couple transfers because of a spring season? If it's in December instead of sending us to Texas in May with no locker rooms? Even if so, no way they win it over NDSU if it's a normal season unless Trey Lance ended up injured. The unusual season helped close the gap between the top programs and everybody else imo, and especially kept Trey Lance and NDSU from stomping everyone they came across.

That's a lot of ifs. Every team played through adversity last season. And the tents they put the visiting team in had AC while SHSU own changing room did not so lets stop with that too

We 100% imploded that game and the pandemic had nothing to do with it

This is why the Dukes lost. And it wasn't the game it was basically a five minute or so stretch of game clock. It was unbelievable as it unfolded.

Lol I was graduating grad school during that game. I was streaming it on my phone and had it propped up on the seat in front of me. I was so hype at how it was going and was confident we were going to frisco. Then I got up to walk across the stage and left my phone at my seat. When I came back I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the score

(09-16-2021 08:07 AM)KickItToScotty Wrote:  If we had won I'd say that deserved an asterisk too because a spring season meant the best player in FCS sat it out. Not as big an asterisk as Sam Houston though because that'd be a top program staying at the top rather than an unusual season closing the gap and the champion being a team that always gets completely stomped as soon as they run in to anyone good.

Yeah everyone dealt with adversity and good for them for coming out on top, congratulations to them on the championship. It doesn't really change how I see their program overall though. If they play a close game with NDSU, JMU, maybe even SDSU in a normal season then I'll think they deserve a little more benefit of doubt in the rankings/seedings. They don't even have to win, just don't get blown out. Until then, they're a program that beats up cupcakes even by FCS standards all year and then gets smoked in the playoffs every year.

I also definitely agree with Purple that rankings should be more about what you've done this year. Last year's results and returning players can make a good starting point, but I definitely don't agree with the "they're the champs so they're #1 until they lose" mentality.

I don't get the *. They lined up 11 on 11 and won the NC. There is no *, teams have to play their schedule with the players available on those dates. Any season, any game, any half has variables regarding which players are on the field and which ones aren't.

SHSU beat NDSU, JMU, and SDSU to win the NC last season. It is what it is.

Now we can say all day long that JMU beat themselves, but that wouldn't even be totally accurate. The punt return was talent (SHSU) along with poor execution of the JMU punt team, the botched kick off was bad luck/good luck for them (crazy bounces happen in football sometimes), the interception was again one of those bounces. In either of the latter two, the Defense could have stopped them from scoring (although they were in a bad spot on the kick off) and didn't.

SHSU won the NC last season. Its ok to say that, here's to the Dukes holding up the trophy this season.

Just gonna throw in SP+ in here because I find it interesting.

This will sort itself out a bit over the next month.

still in disbelief we gave up 4-5 touchdowns unanswered to SHSU last year - and this year, once again, their schedule is beyond laughable