STATS 2018 Preseason Top 25 [Archive]

Professor Chaos

August 6th, 2018, 01:06 PM

http://www.fcs.football/cfb/story.asp?i=20180806123135199748904

Credit to tony on Bisonville for the table since I just stole it from his post there:

Rank

School

Votes

Prev

1

North Dakota State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0309) (0-0)

3919 (151)

1

2

James Madison (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0196) (0-0)

3764 (6)

2

3

South Dakota State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0312) (0-0)

3470

3

4

Sam Houston State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0184) (0-0)

3228

4

5

Kennesaw State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=2610) (0-0)

3120

8

6

Jacksonville State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0247) (0-0)

3041

9

7

New Hampshire (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0205) (0-0)

2873

12

8

Weber State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0119) (0-0)

2815

5

9

Eastern Washington (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0113) (0-0)

2541

21

10

Wofford (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0267) (0-0)

2087

6

11

Samford (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0218) (0-0)

2003

18

12

Elon (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0350) (0-0)

1812

20

13

UNI (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0123) (0-0)

1612

17

14

North Carolina A&T (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0148) (0-0)

1480

7

15

Delaware (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0195) (0-0)

1470

NR

16

Central Arkansas (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0268) (0-0)

1383

10

17

McNeese (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0180) (0-0)

1133

22

18

Nicholls (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0181) (0-0)

1056

25

19

Villanova (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0199) (0-0)

920

NR

20

Stony Brook (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0629) (0-0)

798

11

21

Illinois State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0121) (0-0)

795

NR

22

Austin Peay (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0150) (0-0)

709

NR

23

Furman (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0174) (0-0)

685

19

24

Montana (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0116) (0-0)

626

NR

25

Youngstown State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0225) (0-0)

541

NR

Others: South Dakota (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0311) (496) , Western Illinois (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0126) (401) , Southern Utah (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0111) (357) , Northern Arizona (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0118) (312) , Grambling State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0189) (289) ,Idaho (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0114) (287) , Yale (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0134) (252) , Sacramento State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0110) (208) , San Diego (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0169)(202) , Richmond (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0198) (91) , Monmouth (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0216) (53) , Colgate (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0160) (45) , Lehigh (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0164)(27) , Central Connecticut State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0209) (23) , North Dakota (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0308) (13) , UC Davis (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0263) (12) , Western Carolina (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0179) (10) , Bethune-Cookman (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0143) (9) ,Montana State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0117) (8) , Stephen F. Austin (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0186) (7) , Eastern Illinois (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0120) (6) ,Mercer (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=2597) (6) , Southern Illinois (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0124) (4) , Harvard (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0131) (4) , Howard (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0146) (4) ,Columbia (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0128) (3) , Dartmouth (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0130) (3) , Duquesne (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0136) (3) , North Carolina Central (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0621) (3) , Citadel (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0172) (2) , Alcorn State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0188) (2) , UT Martin (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0156) (1) ,Southeastern Louisiana (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=2234) (1)

Professor Chaos

August 6th, 2018, 01:12 PM

Surprised they were as high on Delaware as they are this year considering how badly they had them underrated pretty much all of last year. A lot of Southland love also… SHSU at #4, McNeese at #17, and Nicholls at #18. 4 SLC teams in the top 20, only the CAA has more.

And their ORV section is also always good for some chuckles. 13 points for UND (and that can't even be attributed to someone mistaking them for NDSU) and 7 points for SFA are probably the most egregious.

F'N Hawks

August 6th, 2018, 02:25 PM

BisonFan02

August 6th, 2018, 02:28 PM

Really worried about those ORVs huh? Pretty sure UND is going to finish higher than 40th this year so not so egregious.

Didn't notice through your hate that Southern Illinois is below Bethune Cookman?

You must not understand how polls work, but let me help you. Having 13 points means someone, in the media, thought highly enough to put UND in their top 25. There is no 40th, and like you, would be awarded no points.....*insert meme here*

F'N Hawks

August 6th, 2018, 02:30 PM

You must not understand how polls work, but let me help you. Having 13 points means someone, in the media, thought highly enough to put UND in their top 25. There is no 40th, and like you, would be awarded no points.....*insert meme here*

Thanks Ace. They are 40th on the list so I used that for context. Kind of like how the Top 25 are placed by total points. See the parallel?

Professor Chaos

August 6th, 2018, 02:44 PM

Really worried about those ORVs huh? Pretty sure UND is going to finish higher than 40th this year so not so egregious.

Didn't notice through your hate that Southern Illinois is below Bethune Cookman?
I'm not worried about them, I just think it's funny because STATS always has a team or three in their ORV who you know was either a mistake or a voter who gives less than zero ****s about who they're voting for. In UND's case I would guess it was a mistake. Perhaps it was a single voter who had them at #13 when they meant to put North Carolina A&T (or maybe UNI) there? Regardless, with 157 voters those kind of things are bound to happen if they don't vet the ballots and ask voters to elaborate or correct themselves. The good thing about 157 ballots is a few screw ups or cooky votes don't make a big difference in the overall rankings especially once they get into the top 30 or so.

Oh, and both SIU and B-CU won more than 3 games last year.

F'N Hawks

August 6th, 2018, 02:49 PM

I'm not worried about them, I just think it's funny because STATS always has a team or three in their ORV who you know was either a mistake or a voter who gives less than zero ****s about who they're voting for. In UND's case I would guess it was a mistake. Perhaps it was a single voter who had them at #13 when they meant to put North Carolina A&T (or maybe UNI) there? Regardless with 157 voters those kind of things are bound to happen if they don't vet the ballots and ask voters to elaborate or correct themselves. The good thing about 157 ballots is a few screw ups or cooky votes don't make a big different in the overall rankings especially once they get into the top 30 or so.

Why would it be a mistake - because of last year's record? So egregious for a couple people to put them at the end of a poll.

Professor Chaos

August 6th, 2018, 02:54 PM

Why would it be a mistake - because of last year's record? So egregious for a couple people to put them at the end of a poll.
Because I wouldn't guess many people at all would expect a 3-8 team from last year to move into the top 25 this year. With only 13 points it's seems more likely to me that one voter ****ed up and put them at #13 than that 4 or 5 voters put them in the #20-#25 range (because if you put them any higher than that you're really living in la-la land). If you disagree that's fine. Everyone is 0-0 right now (well, except Drake) so everyone still has a chance to be right no matter how crazy they want to get.

katss07

August 6th, 2018, 02:57 PM

Who’s **** is Jacksonville State sucking?

TheKingpin28

August 6th, 2018, 03:00 PM

Just looking purely at the T25, this is what I see:

Way Too High
-JSU
-Elon
-NCAT (I've made my point multiple times for multiple seasons as to why)
-Villanova

Too High
-APSU
-YSU
-ISUr

Too Low
-Stony Brook
-Samford

Way Too Low
-Furman (yes I know they suck)

Completely missed the mark for the T25:
-WIU
-CCSU (only 23pts for 157 votes? I'm not saying everyone needs to vote for them, but getting maybe 10-15 voters to go for them is just pathetic.)

Can someone explain why JMU got 6 first place votes? That one is just lazy voting or complete homerism.

JSUSoutherner

August 6th, 2018, 03:12 PM

Who’s **** is Jacksonville State sucking?
Bofa's

BadlandsGrizFan

August 6th, 2018, 04:49 PM

Im surprised a EWU team that missed the playoffs last year is in the top 10. Im also surprised by Montana being in the top 25. We honestly dont know much about what we have this year. Bobby Hauck should at least be good for a top 25 poll I guess.

Fun fact, during his previous 92 week tenure at Montana, the Griz were never ranked lower than 14th in the polls.

dewey

August 6th, 2018, 04:57 PM

Here is Dom Izzo's, Local Fargo Sportd TV & FCS guru, STATS top 25 poll.

https://www.bisonmediazone.com/doms-2018-preseason-fcs-top-25-poll/

FOOTBALL
Dom’s 2018 Preseason FCS Top 25 Poll

DOM IZZO AUGUST 6, 2018
Preseason poll time is in full swing as prognosticators around the country are trying to project what’s going to happen for the 2018 season. I am privileged again to be a voter for the FCS Stats Media poll and will once again, post my vote each week. This is a really interesting year for the FCS, coming off a season where it was clear there three really good teams and then everyone else. Will that happen again in 2018? Hard to say, many know that NDSU and JMU are still the best teams in the division, but who’s going to bubble up this season? Kennesaw State was that team last year, reaching the quarterfinals. Can they go a round further? New Hampshire is everyone’s hot pick, along with Samford. Each have returning quarterbacks. There are questions for me around Montana and Austin Peay, one with a new coach trying to recapture past glory, the other trying to build on one of the best year’s in program history.

Let it sink folks. Then Digest, Debate and Discuss.

North Dakota State
James Madison
Eastern Washington
Kennesaw State
South Dakota State
New Hampshire
Sam Houston State
Jacksonville State
Weber State
Elon
Villanova
Samford
Delaware
Youngstown State
Nicholls
Illinois State
Wofford
North Carolina A&T
Northern Iowa
Furman
McNeese
Montana
Austin Peay
Central Arkansas
Stony Brook

Dewey

smallcollegefbfan

August 6th, 2018, 06:18 PM

http://www.fcs.football/cfb/story.asp?i=20180806123135199748904

Credit to tony on Bisonville for the table since I just stole it from his post there:

Rank
School
Votes
Prev

1
North Dakota State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0309) (0-0)
3919 (151)
1

2
James Madison (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0196) (0-0)
3764 (6)
2

3
South Dakota State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0312) (0-0)
3470
3

4
Sam Houston State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0184) (0-0)
3228
4

5
Kennesaw State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=2610) (0-0)
3120
8

6
Jacksonville State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0247) (0-0)
3041
9

7
New Hampshire (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0205) (0-0)
2873
12

8
Weber State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0119) (0-0)
2815
5

9
Eastern Washington (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0113) (0-0)
2541
21

10
Wofford (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0267) (0-0)
2087
6

11
Samford (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0218) (0-0)
2003
18

12
Elon (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0350) (0-0)
1812
20

13
UNI (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0123) (0-0)
1612
17

14
North Carolina A&T (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0148) (0-0)
1480
7

15
Delaware (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0195) (0-0)
1470
NR

16
Central Arkansas (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0268) (0-0)
1383
10

17
McNeese (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0180) (0-0)
1133
22

18
Nicholls (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0181) (0-0)
1056
25

19
Villanova (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0199) (0-0)
920
NR

20
Stony Brook (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0629) (0-0)
798
11

21
Illinois State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0121) (0-0)
795
NR

22
Austin Peay (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0150) (0-0)
709
NR

23
Furman (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0174) (0-0)
685
19

24
Montana (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0116) (0-0)
626
NR

25
Youngstown State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0225) (0-0)
541
NR

Others: South Dakota (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0311) (496) , Western Illinois (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0126) (401) , Southern Utah (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0111) (357) , Northern Arizona (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0118) (312) , Grambling State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0189) (289) ,Idaho (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0114) (287) , Yale (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0134) (252) , Sacramento State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0110) (208) , San Diego (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0169)(202) , Richmond (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0198) (91) , Monmouth (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0216) (53) , Colgate (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0160) (45) , Lehigh (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0164)(27) , Central Connecticut State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0209) (23) , North Dakota (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0308) (13) , UC Davis (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0263) (12) , Western Carolina (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0179) (10) , Bethune-Cookman (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0143) (9) ,Montana State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0117) (8) , Stephen F. Austin (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0186) (7) , Eastern Illinois (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0120) (6) ,Mercer (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=2597) (6) , Southern Illinois (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0124) (4) , Harvard (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0131) (4) , Howard (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0146) (4) ,Columbia (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0128) (3) , Dartmouth (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0130) (3) , Duquesne (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0136) (3) , North Carolina Central (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0621) (3) , Citadel (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0172) (2) , Alcorn State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0188) (2) , UT Martin (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0156) (1) ,Southeastern Louisiana (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=2234) (1)

2 easy fixes to those teams listed that look bad.

1. Only list teams as ORV with 20 points or more.
2. Any time a team looks like it could be a mistake, reaching out to make sure the voter meant to do that and get a reason why just so you know they aren't just throwing out a favor to that school or being a complete homer.

When I look at this list I see several teams who have no business getting a vote right now and there should never be more than 10-12 teams listed outside of the top 25. If they cut it off at 20 points then you would likely never see a team listed that makes everyone laugh. It would mean that someone would have to vote them in the top 5 or several voters would have to put them in the 20-25 range just to get them listed.

VandalBasher

August 6th, 2018, 06:23 PM

Idaho is going to have to prove a lot of people wrong, or right this season. Until then, I don't know where to put the Vandals.

youcanbankit

August 6th, 2018, 06:27 PM

I like the fact Wofford is picked highest in the Southern Conference due to their winning it last year. They are not as strong this year, but its good they are up there. Furman and Western Carolina are about 5 spots too low in my opinion as well. Both have strong casts returning. Add Samford and I think these 4 teams make the playoffs this year. That conference is gaining year over year.

http://www.fcs.football/cfb/story.asp?i=20180806123135199748904

Credit to tony on Bisonville for the table since I just stole it from his post there:

Rank
School
Votes
Prev

1
North Dakota State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0309) (0-0)
3919 (151)
1

2
James Madison (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0196) (0-0)
3764 (6)
2

3
South Dakota State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0312) (0-0)
3470
3

4
Sam Houston State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0184) (0-0)
3228
4

5
Kennesaw State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=2610) (0-0)
3120
8

6
Jacksonville State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0247) (0-0)
3041
9

7
New Hampshire (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0205) (0-0)
2873
12

8
Weber State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0119) (0-0)
2815
5

9
Eastern Washington (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0113) (0-0)
2541
21

10
Wofford (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0267) (0-0)
2087
6

11
Samford (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0218) (0-0)
2003
18

12
Elon (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0350) (0-0)
1812
20

13
UNI (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0123) (0-0)
1612
17

14
North Carolina A&T (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0148) (0-0)
1480
7

15
Delaware (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0195) (0-0)
1470
NR

16
Central Arkansas (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0268) (0-0)
1383
10

17
McNeese (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0180) (0-0)
1133
22

18
Nicholls (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0181) (0-0)
1056
25

19
Villanova (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0199) (0-0)
920
NR

20
Stony Brook (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0629) (0-0)
798
11

21
Illinois State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0121) (0-0)
795
NR

22
Austin Peay (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0150) (0-0)
709
NR

23
Furman (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0174) (0-0)
685
19

24
Montana (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0116) (0-0)
626
NR

25
Youngstown State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0225) (0-0)
541
NR

Others: South Dakota (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0311) (496) , Western Illinois (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0126) (401) , Southern Utah (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0111) (357) , Northern Arizona (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0118) (312) , Grambling State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0189) (289) ,Idaho (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0114) (287) , Yale (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0134) (252) , Sacramento State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0110) (208) , San Diego (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0169)(202) , Richmond (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0198) (91) , Monmouth (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0216) (53) , Colgate (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0160) (45) , Lehigh (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0164)(27) , Central Connecticut State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0209) (23) , North Dakota (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0308) (13) , UC Davis (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0263) (12) , Western Carolina (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0179) (10) , Bethune-Cookman (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0143) (9) ,Montana State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0117) (8) , Stephen F. Austin (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0186) (7) , Eastern Illinois (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0120) (6) ,Mercer (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=2597) (6) , Southern Illinois (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0124) (4) , Harvard (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0131) (4) , Howard (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0146) (4) ,Columbia (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0128) (3) , Dartmouth (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0130) (3) , Duquesne (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0136) (3) , North Carolina Central (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0621) (3) , Citadel (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0172) (2) , Alcorn State (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0188) (2) , UT Martin (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0156) (1) ,Southeastern Louisiana (http://www.fcs.football/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=2234) (1)

RootinFerDukes

August 6th, 2018, 06:32 PM

As much crap as I gave the AGS poll (all in love of course), it is light years better than this poll.
How many straight 1 and dones does JSU have to suffer before they drop out the top 10?

RootinFerDukes

August 6th, 2018, 06:37 PM

Who’s **** is Jacksonville State sucking?

From the point total, apparently all the voters’.

RootinFerDukes

August 6th, 2018, 06:39 PM

Idaho is going to have to prove a lot of people wrong, or right this season. Until then, I don't know where to put the Vandals.

I didn’t rank them in my AGS poll. The FBS label means nothing to me and you all will have to prove it on the field. Win enough games and I’ll rank the vandals.

Herder

August 6th, 2018, 07:01 PM

So, if Western IL was in the OVC and Jacksonville St was in a he MVFC . . . Would Western IL be ranked 6 and Jacksonville St be unranked? Yes, yes they would.

These polls are a mess. If we were talking FBS, UCF would be ranked 4, and Penn St would be ranked 20 . . . That how out of wack these FCS polls are with regard to Conf strength.

JSUSoutherner

August 6th, 2018, 09:24 PM

xlolx

FUBeAR

August 6th, 2018, 10:42 PM

Western Carolina...about 5 spots too low in my opinion as well....strong casts returning WCU is returning a somewhat fragile / slight-of-build QB (who has missed large parts of several games due to injuries. etc.) a Safety, a Punter, and 2 veteran OLmen who have previously rec'd some measure of post-season recognition. Other than those 5 (4 'regular') Players...and another veteran OLman, who was 1 of about 20 OLmen named Preseason All-SoCon...JUST WHO is in this "strong cast" you speak of?

They may be better than the '76 Pittsburgh Steelers, but WE REALLY DON'T KNOW..as they will have all new Skill Players on O and ALL NEW PLAYERS, except the Safety on D.

If you are counting on that QB to almost single-handedly win 5 SoCon games for them (as they will need to do to make the Playoffs...and we know y'all aren't expecting them to beat Sammy nor Furman), as PaladinFan seems to believe he can do, then I bet the Players from Wofford, The Citadel, Chattanooga, Mercer, and even from ETSU would be willing to take bets on that NOT happening...if they could...y'know...but they can't...because NCAA...but....if they could...

PaladinFan

August 7th, 2018, 06:24 AM

WCU is returning a somewhat fragile / slight-of-build QB (who has missed large parts of several games due to injuries. etc.) a Safety, a Punter, and 2 veteran OLmen who have previously rec'd some measure of post-season recognition. Other than those 5 (4 'regular') Players...and another veteran OLman, who was 1 of about 20 OLmen named Preseason All-SoCon...JUST WHO is in this "strong cast" you speak of?

They may be better than the '76 Pittsburgh Steelers, but WE REALLY DON'T KNOW..as they will have all new Skill Players on O and ALL NEW PLAYERS, except the Safety on D.

If you are counting on that QB to almost single-handedly win 5 SoCon games for them (as they will need to do to make the Playoffs...and we know y'all aren't expecting them to beat Sammy nor Furman), as PaladinFan seems to believe he can do, then I bet the Players from Wofford, The Citadel, Chattanooga, Mercer, and even from ETSU would be willing to take bets on that NOT happening...if they could...y'know...but they can't...because NCAA...but....if they could...

For the record, last season WCU beat Samford and Tyrie Adams had 477 yards of offense (312 passing/165 rushing). He didn't "single-handedly" beat Samford, but he just about did.

Incidentally, the box score of that game is a conundrum. The teams combined for 176 offensive plays and 1200+ yards and still managed to punt a combined 15 times. Also, Detrez Newsome was credited with 21 yards receiving but no receptions.

FUBeAR

August 7th, 2018, 06:56 AM

For the record, last season WCU beat Samford and Tyrie Adams had 477 yards of offense (312 passing/165 rushing). He didn't "single-handedly" beat Samford, but he just about did.

Incidentally, the box score of that game is a conundrum. The teams combined for 176 offensive plays and 1200+ yards and still managed to punt a combined 15 times. Also, Detrez Newsome was credited with 21 yards receiving but no receptions.That’s great. He also had 53 yards & 116 yards of total offense against Furman & UNC, respectively, before checking out for the rest of the day. Against Woffy, he had under under 100 rushing & under 200 passing with 3 INT’s. Great Player, but he has been somewhat fragile, understandably with his slightness of stature, and he has not demonstrated he can go a season without injuries or other issues keeping him out of ballgames. He also won’t have the ‘cast’ of a GREAT (NFL-quality) RB & 2 outstanding WR’s around him that he has in the past. Those 3 caught over 60% of his passes & gained about 70% of the passing yards for which he was credited.

You just can’t, with any degree of credibility, question Mercer’s Offense because they only lost their #2 & #3 WR’s...who had about 1/2 of the production of the 2 that WCU lost, and, at the same time express great confidence in WCU’s ability to win at least 5 SoCon games with, mostly, a cast of unknowns.

Bison56

August 7th, 2018, 07:33 AM

xlolx

The exact same reaction I had when I saw JSUs ranking.

tenNesseeCat

August 7th, 2018, 08:08 AM

That’s great. He also had 53 yards & 116 yards of total offense against Furman & UNC, respectively, before checking out for the rest of the day. Against Woffy, he had under under 100 rushing & under 200 passing with 3 INT’s. Great Player, but he has been somewhat fragile, understandably with his slightness of stature, and he has not demonstrated he can go a season without injuries or other issues keeping him out of ballgames. He also won’t have the ‘cast’ of a GREAT (NFL-quality) RB & 2 outstanding WR’s around him that he has in the past. Those 3 caught over 60% of his passes & gained about 70% of the passing yards for which he was credited.

You just can’t, with any degree of credibility, question Mercer’s Offense because they only lost their #2 & #3 WR’s...who had about 1/2 of the production of the 2 that WCU lost, and, at the same time express great confidence in WCU’s ability to win at least 5 SoCon games with, mostly, a cast of unknowns.

Newsome had some injuries last year, as well as Adams...it's football. Don't worry if Adams goes down at some point this year. (i hope not, but he runs a lot, so it's possible) We have a back up, that is virtually unknown, that is turning some heads from what i hear. I also remember people questioning our WR's preseason last year, that were unknown, who turned out to be some of the best in the SoCon. While Newsome is gone, we have some very capable backs to fill the void. Matter-o-fact, they already did for some games last year. Holloway had 105 and 2 TD's vs UTC, and Spencer went for 139 and 3 TD's vs ETSU. Don't forget Young, I'm pretty sure he's moving back to RB from WR. From my understanding, he moved to WR because we had a stable of talent at RB, but they wanted to get him on the field somewhere. The O-line will be probably the biggest and most experienced we've had in Cullowhee in a long time, 5 SR's avg 300 lbs. The D will be young, at spots, but I think they will be better than last years group. We have some voids to fill on D, but there are some capable returners that played reserve rolls last year. Link and Palao on the DL, Williams and Chancey at LB, Brannon III, Cortner, and Elliot at DB just to name a few. Add Tillman and White on the back side, and i'm excited to see our D this year. We have a 300 lbs + DL grad transfer and some promising new faces that can add to this unit. I'm not ready to make the call for sure just yet, but I think this years D will be better than last, due to more time in the new system under coach Wiley.

FUBeAR

August 7th, 2018, 08:49 AM

Newsome had some injuries last year, as well as Adams...it's football. Don't worry if Adams goes down at some point this year. (i hope not, but he runs a lot, so it's possible) We have a back up, that is virtually unknown, that is turning some heads from what i hear. I also remember people questioning our WR's preseason last year, that were unknown, who turned out to be some of the best in the SoCon. While Newsome is gone, we have some very capable backs to fill the void. Matter-o-fact, they already did for some games last year. Holloway had 105 and 2 TD's vs UTC, and Spencer went for 139 and 3 TD's vs ETSU. Don't forget Young, I'm pretty sure he's moving back to RB from WR. From my understanding, he moved to WR because we had a stable of talent at RB, but they wanted to get him on the field somewhere. The O-line will be probably the biggest and most experienced we've had in Cullowhee in a long time, 5 SR's avg 300 lbs. The D will be young, at spots, but I think they will be better than last years group. We have some voids to fill on D, but there are some capable returners that played reserve rolls last year. Link and Palao on the DL, Williams and Chancey at LB, Brannon III, Cortner, and Elliot at DB just to name a few. Add Tillman and White on the back side, and i'm excited to see our D this year. We have a 300 lbs + DL grad transfer and some promising new faces that can add to this unit. I'm not ready to make the call for sure just yet, but I think this years D will be better than last, due to more time in the new system under coach Wiley.
I have also heard about that R-FR QB and I’m looking forward to him playing QB with Adams playing slot & Wildcat QB, as I hear may be cookin’ up in Cullowhee. Chatt did the same thing with Jacob Huesman & Terrell Robinson in 2012 and it lifted them to 5-6. Hoping the Catamounts have equal success in revolutionizing the game of Football!

Terryon Robinson had 31 starts at WR for WCU prior to 2017. He was a 1st Team All-SoCon selection by the media (postseason) in 2016 & a consensus 2017 Preseason All SoCon WR. Steffon Hill had started 6 games and played in 28. He was WCU’s #2 WR in 2015, before being injured and redshirting in 2016.

Except for Jordan Mathis, who has a TOTAL of 8 Starts in his 3 year career (so far) at WCU, there is 1 Start among the other 12 WR’s on the roster. The production from those 12 last year amounted to 1 Player catching 2 passes for 12 yards and 0 TD’s.

Now your’re trying to sell us that the WR situation at WCU in the 2018 pre-season looks about the same as it did pre-season 2017. As the kids say...GTFOH wit dat ish!

The situation at RB is a bit better with 3 guys Returning who combined for 152 carries & 829 yards in 2017. Newsome was returning in 2017 with about the same number of carries, but over 1000 yards. Maybe 1 of those 3 guys will emerge and be the next Newsome (doubtful, he really was/is a special Player) or maybe the RB-by-Committee will serve to provide enough of a threat to take some pressure off of Adams, but...and this is my point...that ALL remains to be seen.

And the D, despite your optimism, can ONLY be viewed as a complete and HUGE question mark.

AND...C’mon...you’re going to trumpet the impact of a 300 LB Grad Transfer on WCU’s D...when the only previous playing time he’s garnered has been as a ‘wide-body’ OLman on the FG/XP Team as a R-FR in 2015 at a D2 school? If you’re counting on that type of resume to bolster the Cats D, they may be in more trouble than I thought!

VandalBasher

August 7th, 2018, 08:54 AM

I didn’t rank them in my AGS poll. The FBS label means nothing to me and you all will have to prove it on the field. Win enough games and I’ll rank the vandals.

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/images/SeamusLight/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by VandalBasher http://www.anygivensaturday.com/images/SeamusLight/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?p=2653634#post2653634)
Idaho is going to have to prove a lot of people wrong, or right this season. Until then, I don't know where to put the Vandals.

Interesting. I can't recall using the "FBS label" in this post. I might have been subconsciously projecting. Don't know. I am pretty sure I said exactly what you said.

katss07

August 7th, 2018, 09:04 AM

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/images/SeamusLight/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by VandalBasher http://www.anygivensaturday.com/images/SeamusLight/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?p=2653634#post2653634)
Idaho is going to have to prove a lot of people wrong, or right this season. Until then, I don't know where to put the Vandals.

Interesting. I can't recall using the "FBS label" in this post. I might have been subconsciously projecting. Don't know. I am pretty sure I said exactly what you said.
You’ll learn which fanbases to avoid pretty quickly.

Professor

August 7th, 2018, 09:47 AM

Polls schmolls....... Honestly this poll means nothing other than what order a team is gonna lose to NDSU. Until they lose consistently , it just doesn't really matter imo.

Their domination is on the Alabama level

tenNesseeCat

August 7th, 2018, 10:21 AM

I have also heard about that R-FR QB and I’m looking forward to him playing QB with Adams playing slot & Wildcat QB, as I hear may be cookin’ up in Cullowhee. Chatt did the same thing with Jacob Huesman & Terrell Robinson in 2012 and it lifted them to 5-6. Hoping the Catamounts have equal success in revolutionizing the game of Football!

Terryon Robinson had 31 starts at WR for WCU prior to 2017. He was a 1st Team All-SoCon selection by the media (postseason) in 2016 & a consensus 2017 Preseason All SoCon WR. Steffon Hill had started 6 games and played in 28. He was WCU’s #2 WR in 2015, before being injured and redshirting in 2016.

Except for Jordan Mathis, who has a TOTAL of 8 Starts in his 3 year career (so far) at WCU, there is 1 Start among the other 12 WR’s on the roster. The production from those 12 last year amounted to 1 Player catching 2 passes for 12 yards and 0 TD’s.

Now your’re trying to sell us that the WR situation at WCU in the 2018 pre-season looks about the same as it did pre-season 2017. As the kids say...GTFOH wit dat ish!

The situation at RB is a bit better with 3 guys Returning who combined for 152 carries & 829 yards in 2017. Newsome was returning in 2017 with about the same number of carries, but over 1000 yards. Maybe 1 of those 3 guys will emerge and be the next Newsome (doubtful, he really was/is a special Player) or maybe the RB-by-Committee will serve to provide enough of a threat to take some pressure off of Adams, but...and this is my point...that ALL remains to be seen.

And the D, despite your optimism, can ONLY be viewed as a complete and HUGE question mark.

AND...C’mon...you’re going to trumpet the impact of a 300 LB Grad Transfer on WCU’s D...when the only previous playing time he’s garnered has been as a ‘wide-body’ on the FG/XP Team as a R-FR at a D2 school? If you’re counting on that type of resume to bolster the Cats D, they may be in more trouble than I thought!

There's no question that we are a bit of an unknown on D. What I'm saying...we don't return a mob of starters on D, but we will have players out there that have game experience. I wasn't touting the grad transfer as a starter, but maybe a bit of added depth. I listed a few examples of "unknown" players that have made plays in the past for us, therefore they aren't completely unknown. I'm sure the ETSU QB knows who Brannon III is, since he picked off two of his passes and returned them for nearly 100 yards, a TD, and the other set up a score. I wasn't saying that our D is gonna be lights out, just improved...possibly. last year was the first year in a new system under a new DC, and we saw some improvement over the year before. I'm stating that i think we will see a similar improvement over last year...being the 2nd year in the new system with guys that are more familiar with the system. I don't think our WR situation is the same as preseason last year, but somewhat similar. Just because a player like Abel hasn't put up numbers yet due in part to injury, doesn't mean a 6'4" 3 star outta high school WR can't go make plays this year. Who knows, you might still see Young line up at WR even though he's listed as a RB. You're right, Newsome was a very special player, but I think Holloway is pretty dang good too. I don't think he's quite as fast as Newsome, but I think he may run with a little more power. If he stays healthy, I could see him going for 800+ on the year. Especially behind our big/experienced OL. You walk people's comments out past their intended meaning fairly often, (see the reference to the '76 Steelers) but overlook the fact that you've been selling MU for some years now, and all we see is an 11-19 SoCon record. Remember the whole Reinhardt debate? I guess it comes down to, here in AGS world, a player isn't any good untill fubear says so. Sorry our slight of stature, SoCon high jump champ, Walter Payton watch list QB doesn't impress you. I'm just hear to tell you that he ain't gonna have to do it single handed, as you stated. We have some good players that, God forbid, fubear hasn't fallen in love with yet.

FUBeAR

August 7th, 2018, 11:40 AM

There's no question that we are a bit of an unknown on D. What I'm saying...we don't return a mob of starters on D, but we will have players out there that have game experience. I wasn't touting the grad transfer as a starter, but maybe a bit of added depth. I listed a few examples of "unknown" players that have made plays in the past for us, therefore they aren't completely unknown. I'm sure the ETSU QB knows who Brannon III is, since he picked off two of his passes and returned them for nearly 100 yards, a TD, and the other set up a score. I wasn't saying that our D is gonna be lights out, just improved...possibly. last year was the first year in a new system under a new DC, and we saw some improvement over the year before. I'm stating that i think we will see a similar improvement over last year...being the 2nd year in the new system with guys that are more familiar with the system. I don't think our WR situation is the same as preseason last year, but somewhat similar. Just because a player like Abel hasn't put up numbers yet due in part to injury, doesn't mean a 6'4" 3 star outta high school WR can't go make plays this year. Who knows, you might still see Young line up at WR even though he's listed as a RB. You're right, Newsome was a very special player, but I think Holloway is pretty dang good too. I don't think he's quite as fast as Newsome, but I think he may run with a little more power. If he stays healthy, I could see him going for 800+ on the year. Especially behind our big/experienced OL. You walk people's comments out past their intended meaning fairly often, (see the reference to the '76 Steelers) but overlook the fact that you've been selling MU for some years now, and all we see is an 11-19 SoCon record. Remember the whole Reinhardt debate? I guess it comes down to, here in AGS world, a player isn't any good untill fubear says so. Sorry our slight of stature, SoCon high jump champ, Walter Payton watch list QB doesn't impress you. I'm just hear to tell you that he ain't gonna have to do it single handed, as you stated. We have some good players that, God forbid, fubear hasn't fallen in love with yet.Interesting response.

I think Adams is a Special Player too (probably should have said that), but history is the best, though not infallible, predictor of the future. And history shows he has been injured and failed to finish games due to those injuries. As I ‘project’ WCU for 2018, I certainly must consider his special talent, but it also would be foolish to ignore his injury history.

Beyond that, I know Tillman will play quite well & the Punting will be solid. And I know Adams will be playing behind a Veteran O-Line. Oh, and there appears to be 3 competent RB’s on the roster. But that’s ALL I know. And, that’s just not enough for me to project WCU as a Playoff Team. In all sincerity, they MAY turn out to be better than those ‘76 Steelers, but we don’t KNOW that and we don’t have any evidence to tell us that. As a WCU Fan & an astute follower of the game, YOU may know that they will be LIGHTS OUT this year, but I don’t.

Trying to make the argument that they are by comparing the return of Mathis this season to that of Robinson & Hill in 2017 or citing the transfer that you did just doesn’t play well. I don’t know about others, but it makes me cast a doubtful eye on the rest of the evaluations in your comments.

BTW - I’m not sure of your point, but Reinhardt played for the NAIA National Championship in 2017. That doesn’t happen in the 5th year of program’s existence unless they were strong out of the gate in Year 1 & 2. Massey says they only lose to your Cats by 11 in Waleska.

BTW2 - What we do see with Mercer is that they are 2-0 vs. WCU since the Bears became primarily a scholarship-based program and that they had a whole lot to ‘say’ last season while WCU fans were trying to figure out who they were going to play in the 1st round of the Playoffs.

tenNesseeCat

August 7th, 2018, 02:24 PM

Interesting response.

I think Adams is a Special Player too (probably should have said that), but history is the best, though not infallible, predictor of the future. And history shows he has been injured and failed to finish games due to those injuries. As I ‘project’ WCU for 2018, I certainly must consider his special talent, but it also would be foolish to ignore his injury history.

Beyond that, I know Tillman will play quite well & the Punting will be solid. And I know Adams will be playing behind a Veteran O-Line. Oh, and there appears to be 3 competent RB’s on the roster. But that’s ALL I know. And, that’s just not enough for me to project WCU as a Playoff Team. In all sincerity, they MAY turn out to be better than those ‘76 Steelers, but we don’t KNOW that and we don’t have any evidence to tell us that. As a WCU Fan & an astute follower of the game, YOU may know that they will be LIGHTS OUT this year, but I don’t.

Trying to make the argument that they are by comparing the return of Mathis this season to that of Robinson & Hill in 2017 or citing the transfer that you did just doesn’t play well. I don’t know about others, but it makes me cast a doubtful eye on the rest of the evaluations in your comments.

BTW - I’m not sure of your point, but Reinhardt played for the NAIA National Championship in 2017. That doesn’t happen in the 5th year of program’s existence unless they were strong out of the gate in Year 1 & 2. Massey says they only lose to your Cats by 11 in Waleska.

BTW2 - What we do see with Mercer is that they are 2-0 vs. WCU since the Bears became primarily a scholarship-based program and that they had a whole lot to ‘say’ last season while WCU fans were trying to figure out who they were going to play in the 1st round of the Playoffs.

There is a lot of things we don't KNOW as of yet...Is Hodges gonna suffer a season ending injury in the early part of the season, and derail Samfords chances at a playoff run, or is he gonna have his best season yet, and take Samford the the NC? No one KNOWS yet. Is Wofford gonna pull a UTC and stink it up this year, or are they not gonna miss a beat under the new guy? Who KNOWS? Will Furman continue it's upward trend, or will the lack of a proven QB cause them some issues? Who KNOWS? My point is, you don't know either. It's all guess work at this point, with some reasoning mixed in. My issue is that you discredit most of the WCU roster, because they don't have X number of starts or awards. For our D, i'm putting some weight on the fact that this years D is more experienced in the new system than last years D. We've got some guys coming back who have shown some flashes even though they were behind some pretty talented players. I respect the fact that others are unsure of some of our unproven players, and I expect that. I just have confidence in our coaches to recruit solid players. I think most of our success in recent history proves that. I just don't see the loss of Newsome as the factor that makes the WCU run game near null and void. Just as the loss of Mitchell didn't make our QB future bleek. Just as if Adams goes down from an injury, we won't be without at highly competitive player at that position, or any other position for that matter. Oh, and good job to your MU boys for the win vs WCU last year, even though they still finished lower in the final standings. ;)

Reign of Terrier

August 7th, 2018, 02:32 PM

Wofford is too high. We could be a top 10 team, but with the lack of information and uncertainty we have here, I put us in the 10-20 range as of now.

youcanbankit

August 7th, 2018, 02:40 PM

Wofford is too high. We could be a top 10 team, but with the lack of information and uncertainty we have here, I put us in the 10-20 range as of now.

I like the respect given to Wofford in this poll. You guys have earned it the past few years. Granted its preseason, but Wofford always fields a competitive team, though they may be down a bit, lost a legend and young this year. Wofford Football is still Wofford Football unless someone goes in and tries to create a whole new system or approach. We project them in the playoffs this year.

Go Lehigh TU owl

August 7th, 2018, 02:43 PM

I like the respect given to Wofford in this poll. You guys have earned it the past few years. Granted its preseason, but Wofford always fields a competitive team, though they may be down a bit, lost a legend and young this year. Wofford Football is still Wofford Football unless someone goes in and tries to create a whole new system or approach. We project them in the playoffs this year.

Heard the same thing about Villanova last year and they struggled mightily.

youcanbankit

August 7th, 2018, 02:45 PM

There is a lot of things we don't KNOW as of yet...Is Hodges gonna suffer a season ending injury in the early part of the season, and derail Samfords chances at a playoff run, or is he gonna have his best season yet, and take Samford the the NC? No one KNOWS yet. Is Wofford gonna pull a UTC and stink it up this year, or are they not gonna miss a beat under the new guy? Who KNOWS? Will Furman continue it's upward trend, or will the lack of a proven QB cause them some issues? Who KNOWS? My point is, you don't know either. It's all guess work at this point, with some reasoning mixed in. My issue is that you discredit most of the WCU roster, because they don't have X number of starts or awards. For our D, i'm putting some weight on the fact that this years D is more experienced in the new system than last years D. We've got some guys coming back who have shown some flashes even though they were behind some pretty talented players. I respect the fact that others are unsure of some of our unproven players, and I expect that. I just have confidence in our coaches to recruit solid players. I think most of our success in recent history proves that. I just don't see the loss of Newsome as the factor that makes the WCU run game near null and void. Just as the loss of Mitchell didn't make our QB future bleek. Just as if Adams goes down from an injury, we won't be without at highly competitive player at that position, or any other position for that matter. Oh, and good job to your MU boys for the win vs WCU last year, even though they still finished lower in the final standings. ;)

No season ending injuries for Samfords QB Hodges. He will have a record setting year. Samfords back up QB is really good, needs some snaps under his belt, but very good. Past him not much at QB for the foreseeable future. Samford will continue to burn the house down in 2018 and 2019 by their previous standards.

https://youtu.be/ozbnTScWups?t=41s

youcanbankit

August 7th, 2018, 02:47 PM

Heard the same thing about Villanova last year and they struggled mightily.

True. Its possible. Dont think they are Villanova for 2018.

tenNesseeCat

August 7th, 2018, 02:58 PM

No season ending injuries for Samfords QB Hodges. He will have a record setting year. Samfords back up QB is really good, needs some snaps under his belt, but very good. Past him not much at QB for the foreseeable future. Samford will continue to burn the house down in 2018 and 2019 by their previous standards.

https://youtu.be/ozbnTScWups?t=41s

So where did you buy your crystal ball?

youcanbankit

August 7th, 2018, 03:14 PM

So where did you buy your crystal ball?

First off, just using the data and the probabilities. The kid plays/has played way to many snaps up and too this year... no injuries. Second baring injuries to their Oline, it will be the best they have had for many years when it comes to pass protection. This offense is set to get rid of the ball quickly. The list continues. Fourth the kid behind him can sling it. So both would need to be injured. Not likely or probable. Just the facts man. If he gets injured it will be because their strength guy has pushed everyone too hard prior to the season starting. They are working it for that title.

https://youtu.be/ozbnTScWups?t=41s

PaladinFan

August 7th, 2018, 04:02 PM

First off, just using the data and the probabilities. The kid plays/has played way to many snaps up and too this year... no injuries. Second baring injuries to their Oline, it will be the best they have had for many years when it comes to pass protection. This offense is set to get rid of the ball quickly. The list continues. Fourth the kid behind him can sling it. So both would need to be injured. Not likely or probable. Just the facts man. If he gets injured it will be because their strength guy has pushed everyone too hard prior to the season starting. They are working it for that title.

https://youtu.be/ozbnTScWups?t=41s

I think the biggest question mark for Samford is on the defense. Everyone knows what Hodges & Co. can do.

A lot is made of the Bulldog offense, but they didn't really turn games into track meets last year as you might expect from an air raid high tempo team. Samford won largely on the back of their defense, which was vastly improved over prior iterations. The Dogs lost a good chunk of their players off that unit and will be looking for some new faces to step up.

FUBeAR

August 7th, 2018, 05:05 PM

There is a lot of things we don't KNOW as of yet...Is Hodges gonna suffer a season ending injury in the early part of the season, and derail Samfords chances at a playoff run, or is he gonna have his best season yet, and take Samford the the NC? No one KNOWS yet. Is Wofford gonna pull a UTC and stink it up this year, or are they not gonna miss a beat under the new guy? Who KNOWS? Will Furman continue it's upward trend, or will the lack of a proven QB cause them some issues? Who KNOWS? My point is, you don't know either. It's all guess work at this point, with some reasoning mixed in. My issue is that you discredit most of the WCU roster, because they don't have X number of starts or awards. For our D, i'm putting some weight on the fact that this years D is more experienced in the new system than last years D. We've got some guys coming back who have shown some flashes even though they were behind some pretty talented players. I respect the fact that others are unsure of some of our unproven players, and I expect that. I just have confidence in our coaches to recruit solid players. I think most of our success in recent history proves that. I just don't see the loss of Newsome as the factor that makes the WCU run game near null and void. Just as the loss of Mitchell didn't make our QB future bleek. Just as if Adams goes down from an injury, we won't be without at highly competitive player at that position, or any other position for that matter. Oh, and good job to your MU boys for the win vs WCU last year, even though they still finished lower in the final standings. ;)OK, you’re a die-hard fan. Cool. Me too. And I study this stuff pretty hard...BUT I don’t come near studying it hard enough to know the quality of most back-ups on the other 7 SoCon Teams of which I am not a fan. To be honest, I don’t know as much about Furman’s & Mercer’s backups as you, apparently, know about WCU’s. If you have that depth of knowledge about them, that’s great - say it loud & say it proud - WCU WILL make the Playoffs in 2018! Here’s how far I will go in ‘crowing’ about my Teams. I expect Furman to make the Playoffs. I think Mercer clearly has the talent to make the Playoffs & I hope they will, but I don’t know. Once I can assess the performance of their new OC, I’ll have a better idea.

And...yes, though Mercer has had to look up at WCU’s butt in the standings since last season, they have had the pleasure of knowing they spanked that CatA$$ when it counted last year AND also that they have played in the exact same number of Playoff games as WCU has in the past 35 years. https://wlos.com/sports/beyond-the-scoreboard/34-year-playoff-drought-could-end-for-western-carolina-football

FUBeAR

August 7th, 2018, 05:11 PM

Samfords back up QB is really good, needs some snaps under his belt, but very good.

https://samfordsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6251

Yep - he had a strong career in HS. Catchy name too!

Professor Chaos

August 7th, 2018, 07:52 PM

https://samfordsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6251

Yep - he had a strong career in HS. Catchy name too!
Get that boy a cheeseburger and some stilts!

Mike296

August 7th, 2018, 07:55 PM

Our place is just about right. Why tf are JSU so damn high in this poll I’ll never know. They deserve to be 10-15 and we barely deserve to be in the poll at all. The OVC is such a weak conference right now that you could honestly say whoever wins the conference isn’t making it out of the 1st round of the playoffs as JSU has shown recently(discounting 2015 when they played against NDSU in the title game)

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tenNesseeCat

August 8th, 2018, 08:46 AM

WCU WILL make the Playoffs in 2018!

there you go again...I never said they WILL make the playoff in '18. I think they have the talent to get there, along with a good portion of the rest of the SoCon teams. This back and forth started because a sammy guy thought we might be a little underrated...you took issues (some for good reason) with nearly the entire WCU roster. Claiming that our, not up to your liking stature, QB would have to carry the rest of the team on his back. I don't study anyone's roster, but I do know a little about ours. So, I thought I might enlighten you to the fact that we DO have some other good players with experience on the team. I never claimed playoffs, or a steelers type D, or that mathis is the robinson of '18...that's all you. Again, you walk comments out past the intent, or just make stuff up, to try and justify why you think it's wrong. You admit to not knowing much about the WCU roster, I'm just trying to help correct your ignorance.

oh, and I don't know about a 2 point win being a spanking, we had like 150 more yards of O, and 11 more first downs...or that the game was all that important to MU...it was known they were gonna be staying home by that time anyway.

FUBeAR

August 8th, 2018, 10:05 AM

there you go again...I never said they WILL make the playoff in '18. I think they have the talent to get there, along with a good portion of the rest of the SoCon teams. This back and forth started because a sammy guy thought we might be a little underrated...you took issues (some for good reason) with nearly the entire WCU roster. Claiming that our, not up to your liking stature, QB would have to carry the rest of the team on his back. I don't study anyone's roster, but I do know a little about ours. So, I thought I might enlighten you to the fact that we DO have some other good players with experience on the team. I never claimed playoffs, or a steelers type D, or that mathis is the robinson of '18...that's all you. Again, you walk comments out past the intent, or just make stuff up, to try and justify why you think it's wrong. You admit to not knowing much about the WCU roster, I'm just trying to help correct your ignorance.

oh, and I don't know about a 2 point win being a spanking, we had like 150 more yards of O, and 11 more first downs...or that the game was all that important to MU...it was known they were gonna be staying home by that time anyway.
Jeez...I don’t really know where to begin. I would have thought it was too early to be hittin’ the ‘shine, but I guess not for real mountain folk.

Let’s work backward...that seems to fit...

”that the game was all that important to MU...it was known they were gonna be staying home by that time anyway” - This whole statement is just WHACK! ALL games are (or should be) important to every Team, particularly a Conference game and the opportunity to knock any Conference rival out of the Playoffs by WHIPPING them in their house in front of their Fans, who were there ready to celebrate the end of their 3 and 1/2 decade Playoff drought, just makes it that much sweeter. Were you able to catch any of the 1st round games? I would imagine that after 35 consecutive years of doing that, you would know which watering holes in the area had the most games on their TV sets.

“you...just make stuff up” - Please cite anything that I have posted in this exchange that is not factual. I’ll be very, very surprised if you can find any instances of that. On the other hand, you throw out vague assertions such as, “I also remember people questioning our WR's preseason last year, that were unknown, who turned out to be some of the best in the SoCon,” which are completely false and seem to become rather disturbed when such claims are shown to be untrue by the citing of, y’know, facts. Or, you make allusions to something that sounds impressive, such as, “i'm excited to see our D this year. We have a 300 lbs + DL grad transfer,” but, quite obviously, do not like it at all when the, um, facts, around that misleading statement are brought to light.

“I'm just trying to help correct your ignorance.” - My wife has been trying to do the same thing for almost 30 years. Y’all should probably just go ahead and put me into your “hopeless cases” files.

“So, I thought I might enlighten you to the fact that we DO have some other good players with experience on the team.” - well, if I can’t be un-ignorant-ed, I doubt I can become enlightened either. That said, based upon your lack of knowledge or lack of candor (not sure which) regarding the aforementioned ‘18 vs ’17 WR comparisons & the DL Grad Transfer reference, I appreciate your effort, but I think I’ll seek my WCU roster knowledge elsewhere...if that’s OK.

“Claiming that our, not up to your liking stature, QB would have to carry the rest of the team on his back.” - Again, so WHACK. It doesn’t matter one little bit if I like his stature or not and, btw, I never said I didn’t. The fact is the cat is thin and the other fact is that he was ‘knocked out’ EARLY in at least 2 ballgames last year...which both ended up as lopsided losses for WCU. I don’t believe I said anything like he would have to carry the Team...because I don’t believe any QB can do that. PaladinFan has said that he believes a QB at the FCS level can do that and I may have been quoting him. Assuming Adams is not injured or otherwise prevented from playing in almost 20% of WCU’s games (as he was last year), he will be a huge asset for the Catamounts, but IF (make sure you see that little IF there), they don’t have a very solid supporting cast around him, they will not win enough SoCon games to make the Playoffs.

That’s enough parsing...I’m bored with this convo.

Hey, I think most reasonably intelligent people understand that EVERYTHING stated at this time of year is pure conjecture. Given that, I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect anyone to preface or qualify every comment with that caveat. We’re all just talking out of a non-mouth orifice really.

So...go ahead...if you PROJECT that WCU will make the Playoffs this Year, just say it....LOUD & PROUD.

Otherwise, I have to assume that you’re agreeing with my PROJECTION that they won’t...for the 36th consecutive year.

JSUSoutherner

August 8th, 2018, 10:14 AM

Mike296

August 8th, 2018, 10:15 AM

You get to question JSU after you guys earn the right to call us something other than "daddy”.

Lol you’re hilarious, someday your streak in the OVC will end.

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PaladinFan

August 8th, 2018, 10:21 AM

You get to question JSU after you guys earn the right to call us something other than "daddy”.

As the team that beat JSU three straight seasons, let me say that I'm glad to see the Gamecocks actually having more than 1 game on their schedule they could feasibly lose.

Thumper 76

August 8th, 2018, 10:31 AM

Jeez...I don’t really know where to begin. I would have thought it was too early to be hittin’ the ‘shine, but I guess not for real mountain folk.

Let’s work backward...that seems to fit...

”that the game was all that important to MU...it was known they were gonna be staying home by that time anyway” - This whole statement is just WHACK! ALL games are (or should be) important to every Team, particularly a Conference game and the opportunity to knock any Conference rival out of the Playoffs by WHIPPING them in their house in front of their Fans, who were there ready to celebrate the end of their 3 and 1/2 decade Playoff drought, just makes it that much sweeter. Were you able to catch any of the 1st round games? I would imagine that after 35 consecutive years of doing that, you would know which watering holes in the area had the most games on their TV sets.

Where are you getting this “we whooped their asses” from? Y’all won by two points, TOP was almost identical, and you had to hang on by the skin of your teeth to win this game. The more you bag on them being bad the more it seems like you are just upset about having Mercer be in the same conversation as a WCU program you view as beneath your program. For all of Mercer’s close games you sure don’t have much to show for it. I’ve got a new slogan for you, Mercer, the best team at almost winning.

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tenNesseeCat

August 8th, 2018, 10:55 AM

WCU is returning a somewhat fragile...QB

as they will have all new Skill Players on O and ALL NEW PLAYERS, except the Safety on D.

If you are counting on that QB to almost single-handedly win 5 SoCon games for them

I believe the furman guy stated that wasn't what he was trying to say.

Our QB is fragile because he was injured a couple times? I never saw you label Newsome as fragile, and he was out multiple games last year from injury. Lot's of players get injured, I don't think that makes them fragile. Especially a running QB. Look at some of the hits he took last year, where he popped right up, and tell me he's fragile. He's not a heavy weight, but that doesn't make him fragile. Is chandler curtis fragile because he's missed a whole bunch of games?

A SR RB who has scored 13 TD's in his time on the roster at WCU is "all new"? A JR with WR/RB with 7 career TD's is "all new"?

A JR DL that had 55 tackles, 2 sack, 1 PD, 1 FF, and 2 FR last year, and played in all 12 games, is "ALL NEW"? (with the added capital emphasis) A JR DB that made 6 starts last year and played in all 12 games is "ALL NEW"? Our other safety started 8 games, played in all 12, and made 67 tackles last year is "ALL NEW"? A JR DB with 10 career starts, 56 tackles, 3 int is "ALL NEW"

You proved your ignorance about the WCU roster, so you made up a false statement and walked a comment out past it's intent all in one post. I didn't have to look very far. If you are gonna go make statements like above, at least take quick 5 min look at our online roster first.

FUBeAR

August 8th, 2018, 12:05 PM

”we whooped their asses”

Y’all won by two points
Mercer, the best team at almost winning.

Who are you quoting?

These 2 statements make sense together how?

FUBeAR

August 8th, 2018, 12:51 PM

I believe the furman guy stated that wasn't what he was trying to say.

Our QB is fragile because he was injured a couple times? I never saw you label Newsome as fragile, and he was out multiple games last year from injury. Lot's of players get injured, I don't think that makes them fragile. Especially a running QB. Look at some of the hits he took last year, where he popped right up, and tell me he's fragile. He's not a heavy weight, but that doesn't make him fragile. Is chandler curtis fragile because he's missed a whole bunch of games?

A SR RB who has scored 13 TD's in his time on the roster at WCU is "all new"? A JR with WR/RB with 7 career TD's is "all new"?

A JR DL that had 55 tackles, 2 sack, 1 PD, 1 FF, and 2 FR last year, and played in all 12 games, is "ALL NEW"? (with the added capital emphasis) A JR DB that made 6 starts last year and played in all 12 games is "ALL NEW"? Our other safety started 8 games, played in all 12, and made 67 tackles last year is "ALL NEW"? A JR DB with 10 career starts, 56 tackles, 3 int is "ALL NEW"

You proved your ignorance about the WCU roster, so you made up a false statement and walked a comment out past it's intent all in one post. I didn't have to look very far. If you are gonna go make statements like above, at least take quick 5 min look at our online roster first.I said I was bored with this, right? So, I’ll keep it brief...for me.

* “Fragile” is not the best word. I think I used “high-risk” later. That’s probably a better description. Please apologize to Mr. Adams, his family, and his friends on my behalf. I did not intend the meaning of that term to be taken so perjoratively.
* QB & RB are different positions. Losing a QB for almost 2 full games, especially one with Adams’ capabilities, has much more of an impact on a Team than losing a RB, even one of Newsome’s ability. Comparing their average salaries in the NFL is a good metric to support that fact.
* Yes - I have heard more than 1 person refer to the former Mercer WR as “Chandelier” Curtis for the exact reason you mentioned
* the definition of “new” is rather subjective in this context. We seem to disagree on the definition.
* the stats you cite, if accurate, belie the “keeper” data OR, perhaps, the WCU game notes 2-deep and ‘Season Starts’ (if available) data I would have reviewed for WCU. As I’m weary of this discussion, I’ll not confirm your info and will stipulate that WCU has a little more experience returning on D than I had thought. Instead of only 1 Starter Returning; they, apparently, have 1 Starter & 2 Part-Time Starters returning, which remains, relatively, a very low level of returning experience on Defense AND at also the skills positions on Offense, except QB.
* I make a distinction between a “made up false statement” and a relatively small error based upon incomplete or erroneous data sources. Perhaps you don’t. OK.
* Reviewing & compiling each Players’ statistics, particularly non-Starters, on an online roster takes much longer than 5 minutes. To do that for 9 Teams would take several hours, at a minimum. I do not intend to invest that amount of time to satisfy your ‘demand’ for 100% accuracy when assessing ‘your’ Team in the preseason. And I certainly wouldn’t even consider trying to do it on a Team’s website that is as jacked-up as WCU’s site is at present. Do you expect that to be fixed before WCU Football plays in their next Playoff game...or nah?

Speaking of making the Playoff’s...Do you PROJECT that WCU will make the Playoffs in 2018 or are you joining me in PROJECTING that they will not?