2012 Southern Conference Power Rankings/Predictions - Week 2.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I started out the season 6-2 and after having crow for dinner last night with leftovers for breakfast this morning.

1. Georgia Southern - Manhandled Jacksonville convincingly.
2. Appalachian State - Showed some promise in defeat to ECU
3. Wofford - Great victory vs. Gardner-Webb
4. Chattanooga - Showed some promise against USF
5. The Citadel - Beat the daylights out of Charleston Southern after halftime.
6. Samford - Shocked Furman again.
7. Furman - So FurmanWins, how does that crow taste?
8. Elon - Is the blowout loss to UNC a sign of things to come?
9. Western Carolina - They beat Mars Hill, what can I say?

Predictions:
No brainers of the week
West Alabama @ Samford
Lincoln (MO) @ Wofford
Western Carolina @ Marshall - This isn't Mars Hill the Catamounts are playing.

Not so much
Coastal Carolina @ Furman - Can Furman shake it off?
Georgia Southern @ The Citadel - Bulldogs find out difference between Georgia Southern and Charleston Southern is night and day.

Games of the week
Montana @ Appalachian State - Montana heads down south again for the second time in two years.
Chattanooga @ Jacksonville State - Mocs return to JSU for the rubber match.

Upset of the week
NC Central @ Elon - Not convinced Elon will be lucky this time.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

1. GSU - Offense looks promising, D gets a shutout against a team not named Savannah State. Some issues to work on but the team can be really rolling mid season.
2. Wofford - Kass is ready to take over the offense, won't be much of a drop off from last year.
3. App. State - Some very talented guys at receiver but problems in the running game and kick/punt coverage keep me from putting them at 2.
4. The Citadel - Going to be tough for anyone to beat them in Charleston this year
5. Chatty - doesn't look overly impressive at USF
6. Samford - win over Furman bumps them up
7. Furman - loss bumps them down. May not have the QB to get into the top of the SoCon
8. Elon - No defense, no running game to speak of. Mellete may be the best player in the SoCon but he can't do it alone.
9. Western - seems to be on the right track, but still last.

Samford, Wofford, and Marshall win without much trouble.
GSU over El Cid in a low-scoring, close game.
With no running game to speak of App. struggles to move the ball against Montana, loses in a close and low-scoring game.
Chatty over JSU in a close one.
Furman by 14.

[Reign of Terrier]

Okay, couple notes on Wofford, just while I'm here.

Right now, I don't know what to say about "how great we are" in the sense that the first half of the game yesterday was played in a down-pour. The only thing I didn't like about our offense was that we didn't pitch a lot, but again I think that's because of the weather. EB had over 200 yards rushing and became the second all-time leading rusher at Wofford. We had 402 yards rushing and played A LOT of freshmen and redshirt freshmen at running back. we're more talented and deeper at running back this year than last year, Kass is a better passer than Allen was last year and seemingly an adequate runner as well. Our defense played stellar, holding GW to 12 yards rushing, which is a pretty good accomplishment I would think. We let up 235 yards passing, but it didn't feel like it and 60something of that came on one play. Overall our experience showed on defense.

Oh yeah, and we didn't play our 2 best players defensively either yesterday, so that's good as well.

As of now, I would say that Wofford's schedule shapes up quite well, we have basically a bye week against Lincoln, then we play Western at home before another bye. I don't think we'll lose to Western, despite the coaching change because we don't really have a team to look forward to afterwards seeing as there is a bye, add that to the fact that it's a home game and we have pretty much a bye this week, and I think it's safe to say we'll win.

I am not going to rag on Elon until we beat them. Elon has a great offense, the problem is turnovers. UNC is a really talented team and had all offseason to prepare against the air-raid in practice (with a head coach who runs a similar offense), so naturally it was a recipe for disaster. With that said, they should have scored at least once, and played defense.

Samford beating Furman isn't much of a surprise I don't think....Furman returns 8 starters on defense this year but their best players from last year are gone, and I think the same can be said at QB.

We don't know much about App, and GSU's win was good, even if it was against Jacksonville. We don't know much about Western, the citadel, or Chattanooga either.

I think wofford has a 90% chance to start 3-0 and a very good chance to start 5-0. Our schedule really works out well for us I think. If Wofford starts out 6-0 or 6-1, I really like our chances to make the playoffs. The beef of the season comes against App and GSU at the rock and Paulson in consecutive weeks. Call me crazy, but I think we can win one of those games. Historically, GSU seems more likely but again I wouldn't count on it solely for that purpose.

Wofford is going to be competitive this year, and perhaps a little better, I'm easing off the confident "we'll do this, that, and the other" because of the whole any given saturday thing.

[kdinva]

Ga. Southern 37, The Citadel 18
Marshall 48; WCU 13
App. St. 26, Montana 20
Furman 26, CCU 17.
Samford 31, W. Alabama 15
Wofford 49, Lincoln 6
UTC 21, Jacksonville St. 14
Elon 20; NC Cent., 3

[GATA_Eagles]

Definitely not nearly as nervous about the quarterback situation after last nights game. Defense was also solid. Sign of good things to come.

Georgia Southern @ The Citadel - This should be close. El Cid always plays us tough - especially in Charleston. I still see us coming away with the victory.
WCU @ Marshall - Marshall will be too much for the Cats.
Montana @ Appalachian State - Appy will hold on in a close match. Game of the week.
Coastal Carolina @ Furman - Furman should take this one.
West Alabama @ Samford - Samford will have a blowout here.
Lincoln @ Wofford - Another SoCon blowout.
Chattanooga @ Jacksonville State - Chatty's defense takes this one for the Mocs.
NC Central @ Elon - Elon rebounds after the embarrassing loss to UNC.

[chattownmocs]

Chattanooga is going to beat Jax State down. Look for Chattanooga to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides and win big.

[Boots]

Jax State played ok against Arkansas & scored 24 in the first 3 qtrs. Their performance was more impressive than Mocs' against USF. I always pull for Socon teams first, and hope Chatty wins, BUT...not sure here...

[Boots]

Would love to be at game between Ap State & Montana. Ga Southern v Citadel should be a great game. I think overall speed & depth goes to Southern & their defense looked stout even though JU was much weaker than expected. Impressed with 49-pt performance by Citadel. Last years choke at end should be pretty motivating for the Bulldogs, but I'm picking Eagles in this one.

[The Cats]

1. Georgia Southern
2. Wofford
3. Appalachian State
4. Chattanooga
5. Furman
6. The Citadel
7. Samford
7. Western Carolina
8. Elon

Predictions:

West Alabama @ Samford
Lincoln (MO) @ Wofford
Western Carolina @ Marshall
Coastal Carolina @ Furman
Georgia Southern @ The Citadel
Montana @ Appalachian State
Chattanooga @ Jacksonville State

[md64179]

Samford- 38 W. Alabama-6
Wofford-45 Lincoln-0
Marshall-37 WCU-9
Furman-30 Costal-28
GSU-41 El Cid-20
ASU-24 Montana-21
JSU-28 UTC-27
Elon-24 NC Central-17


1.GSU
2.ASU
3.Wofoard
4.Samford
5.Furman
6.UTC
7.El Cid
8.Elon
9.WCU

[Jiggs]

1. Georgia Southern
2. Wofford
3. Appalachian State
4. Chattanooga
5. Furman
6. The Citadel
7. Samford
7. Western Carolina
8. Elon [/B]

How are you ranking Furman above Samford?

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

How are you ranking Furman above Samford?

I wouldn't bet against Furman finishing ahead of Samford in the final standings. Still too early to tell anything.

[Apphole]

1. Georgia Southern
2. Appalachian State
3. Wofford
4. Chattanooga
5. Samford
6. The Citadel
7. Furman
8. Elon
9. Western Carolina

Predictions:

West Alabama @ Samford 34-17
Lincoln (MO) @ Wofford 42-12
Western Carolina @ Marshall 56-10
Coastal Carolina @ Furman 27-17
Georgia Southern @ The Citadel 35-24
Montana @ Appalachian State 35-17
Chattanooga @ Jacksonville State 34-24

[GlassOnion]

1. Georgia Southern - Solid showing, stay at the top spot.
2. Appalachian State - Very much improved offensively, outgained ECU, did not give up a sack, big holes for the running backs, and great play by the defense. Negatives, 11 penalties.
3. Wofford - Solid showing. Contender as long as Breitenstein stays healthy.
4. Chattanooga - Abysmal offensive line play yet again, only put up 2.8 yards per play, and only gained around 170 yards. Looked good on defense as expected, but not as dominant as theyve been painted. 11 penalties also.

5. Samford - Solid win for week #1, needs some more D to overtake Chatty on the list.
6. The Citadel - Mr. Fumble-itis, needs some fine tuning defensively, but strong offense.
7. Furman - Furmandoesntwin!
8. Western Carolina - Nice win over Mars Hill gets them a few steps out of the basement. Looked like a Socon team this week.
9. Elon - Ugly ugly ugly.

[chattownmocs]

East Carolina isn't close to South Florida from either a talent or coaching stand point. It is amazing how ignorant some people can be. App state didn't look that good. East carolina was that bad.

[ASU_Fanatic]

Ga. Southern 41 The Citadel 28
Marshall 41 WCU 14
App. St. 27 Montana 26 (classic)
Furman 32 CCU 21
Samford 31 W. Alabama 7
Wofford 56 Lincoln 13
UTC 20 Jacksonville St 9
Elon 21 NC Cent. 14

[Saint3333]

East Carolina isn't close to South Florida from either a talent or coaching stand point. It is amazing how ignorant some people can be. App state didn't look that good. East carolina was that bad.

So did you DVR the App game and watch the UTC game or are you talking out of your butt again?

[Apphole]

So did you DVR the App game and watch the UTC game or are you talking out of your butt again?

Was thinking the same thing. Doubt he knows much more than the final score of the ECU/App game.

[GlassOnion]

Wow. Being called ignorant by the posterboy for ignorant!

[chattownmocs]

Hmmm one game was at 12 the other was at 7. One game was on sportssouth the other online at ESPN3.Not much of a conflict. East carolina looked awful. South florida looked like a team with a ton of starters back ready to compete for a big east championship. Daniels is a very gifted three year starter at qb. South florida has one of the best ten or fifteen defensive lines in the country. Chattanooga easily covered the spread and somewhat hung around all night. In apps case its not that hard to outgainn someone when your offense and special teams give up so many big plays that the other teams offense doesn't even get on the field.

[The Cats]

How are you ranking Furman above Samford?

IMO, Furman is the stronger team. SU won by a late 4th quarter field goal, after several FU mishaps that put Samford in the position to win. Furman is the stronger team, and the final rankings will bear that out. JMO.

[The Cats]

8. Western Carolina - Nice win over Mars Hill gets them a few steps out of the basement. Looked like a Socon team this week.

One step at a time. We'll get there.

[GlassOnion]

One step at a time. We'll get there.

Yep, Im saving a place for the Catamounts just ahead of Chatty on my power poll!

[GlassOnion]

Hmmm one game was at 12 the other was at 7. One game was on sportssouth the other online at ESPN3.Not much of a conflict. East carolina looked awful. South florida looked like a team with a ton of starters back ready to compete for a big east championship. Daniels is a very gifted three year starter at qb. South florida has one of the best ten or fifteen defensive lines in the country. Chattanooga easily covered the spread and somewhat hung around all night. In apps case its not that hard to outgainn someone when your offense and special teams give up so many big plays that the other teams offense doesn't even get on the field.

Last year you whined about App beating Chatty because of special teams. This year, App smacked a team in the mouth for 3 quarters and lost because of special teams. By your standard ECU had no business winning the game.

App moved the ball on ECU better than the Bulls moved the ball on UTC. UTC was gifted the ball at their own half yard line after fumbling it, because a ref blew the play dead in mid tackle. App had 2 fumbles that werent really fumbles. App played an 83 scholarship team in 110 degree heat. UTC played at night when depth is hardly an issue. App put up twice the rushing yardage and 3x the passing yardage of UTC. Asu also did not give up a sack, while UTC gave up 6. Yes, App State looked like the better team between the two.

[chattownmocs]

App played an inferior opponent and lost by more points. Thats all we really need to know. Chattanooga will have their way with the mountaineers in a few weeks.

[ASU_Fanatic]

I've been saying it for a while, WCU is going to have a pretty big upset this year. I could see them beating someone like Chattanooga. I hope to be attending the game against ASU in Cullowhee this year because I'm definitely applying there (WCU) next summer. I want to see what the campus is like, if I want to get tickets how long can I wait WCU fans?

[Milktruck74]

Ga. Southern 41, The Citadel 21
marshall 3; WCU 55 - I'm willing to sacrifice this one just to avoid picking Marshall... reverse the score.
App. St. 31, Montana 28
Furman 21, CCU 13.
Samford 24, W. Alabama 7
Wofford 49, Lincoln 6
CHATTANOOGA 28, Jacksonville St. 10
Elon 14; NC Cent., 13

Its gonna be a good week for the SoCon, and as much as I hate the big green thundering turds......I wish WCU could do something crazy.

[GlassOnion]

App played an inferior opponent and lost by more points. Thats all we really need to know. Chattanooga will have their way with the mountaineers in a few weeks.

Point, not points. And the bad calls more than cover that point. I'll take doubling up yardage on an FBS team by the half as opposed to being in negative yardage for most of the half like UTC

Remember that season when you disappeared after the UTC loss. That was nice.

[T-Dog]

Georgia Southern @ The Citadel - 45-31. El Cit plays GSU tough but falls in the end.
WCU @ Marshall - 48-7. Reality for the Cats.
Montana @ Appalachian State - No prediction.
Coastal Carolina @ Furman - 24-17. Furmies in a close one.
West Alabama @ Samford - 35-7. Sammy easily.
Lincoln @ Wofford - 42-0. Wofford runs up and down the field.
Chattanooga @ Jacksonville State - 21-3. UTC defense looks good.
NC Central @ Elon - 31-17. Elon struggles but wins.

[PaladinFan]

IMO, Furman is the stronger team. SU won by a late 4th quarter field goal, after several FU mishaps that put Samford in the position to win. Furman is the stronger team, and the final rankings will bear that out. JMO.

I wish the results of the game would have born that out.

Furman has a heckuva time with Samford. I was shocked to see that Furman's all time record against the Bulldogs is 8-7. Even the most stalwart Samford fan will admit that, historically, Furman has had a superior program. Still, that record indicates that even really good Furman teams have struggled to beat Samford over the years.

The Paladins managed to fire repeated rounds into their foot on Saturday. The offense didn't not come together, though the offensive line (which was a concern) played well, and the running game was there. Defense was stout, and really kept the game close given how many times Samford started a series in favorable field position.

Furman gets another tough game with Coastal coming into town. I hate calling games "must wins", but I'd say this is about as close as one can have in week 2. Kind of wish FU had a "tune up" game this year, but fire only hardens steel. Beat Coastal and get things back on the right track.

[ASU_Fanatic]

For those of you that will be in Boone this weekend, it's looking absolutely beautiful temperature wise.... high of 73 and probably around 68 at kickoff. If the rain holds off, that is perfect football weather. I'm planning my tailgate festivities now, here's to hoping this 4 day week goes by fast! xbeerchugx Gonna be a great one!

[SU DOG]

IMO, Furman is the stronger team. SU won by a late 4th quarter field goal, after several FU mishaps that put Samford in the position to win. Furman is the stronger team, and the final rankings will bear that out. JMO.

Fabian Truss had 197 all-purpose yards. New QB Andy Summerlin was 23 of 37 with NO int. and NO sacks. The Samford defense had 3 sacks, 3 interceptions(one at the end not relevant) and held FU to 3-13 3rd down conversions. It's not like the Dogs did nothing to win this game, and this is TWO in a row over Furman. Having said that, I think the Furman defense is really tough and I do expect the Paladins to have a good year and upset some teams down the road. I guess that when we win in the SoCon it will be because Samford is extremely lucky OR the opponent just has a BAD game. I don't suppose it could ever be that maybe Samford is pretty solid?

[seantaylor]

Ga. Southern 50, The Citadel 10- GSU builds on the momentum and buries El Chit early. Speed advantages are massive
WCU 8, Marshall 49- WCU struggles continue
Montana 24, Appy 26- Last second field goal wins it.
CCU 31, Furman 34- Furman wins at home.
West Alabama 15, Samford 30- Sammy wins fairly easily.
Lincoln 3, Woffie 55- Embarrassment of a game.
UTC 21, Jacksonville St. 30- Jax State pulls away late 4th.
NC Central 17, Elon 21- Elon is bad.

[fc97]

my prediction, i dont predict on other, its stupid. you people talk like you watch any of the other games enough to be able to talk conclusively. no offense, but the fact that most are ranking app at 2 is what im talking about. sorry, but its a power poll, not a gut feeling on how the season will go


elon loses to central by 3-10 points. the defense cant tackle. the team is a coddled team. they can't play. they cant tackle. the line cant block. the qb cant throw. and there is no running game. that 62-0 drubbing set the tone for the season. and its done. elon finishes the year with 1 win.

then hopefully swepson will be fired

[Apphole]

my prediction, i dont predict on other, its stupid. you people talk like you watch any of the other games enough to be able to talk conclusively. no offense, but the fact that most are ranking app at 2 is what im talking about. sorry, but its a power poll, not a gut feeling on how the season will go


elon loses to central by 3-10 points. the defense cant tackle. the team is a coddled team. they can't play. they cant tackle. the line cant block. the qb cant throw. and there is no running game. that 62-0 drubbing set the tone for the season. and its done. elon finishes the year with 1 win.

then hopefully swepson will be fired

So I suppose you watched the App game then?

[SpeedkingATL]

Georgia Southern @ The Citadel - GaSo just a little too good on both sides of the ball. Citadel must eliminate the fumbles to compete. GaSo by 14.
WCU @ Marshall - Marshall not that good but still 35 points better than Whee.
Montana @ Appalachian State - App has to eliminate all the special teams issues. This one goes to the wire. App by 1.
Coastal Carolina @ Furman - Furman looking for revenge and pissed about the Sammy loss. Furple by 13
West Alabama @ Samford - Sammy by 30.
Lincoln @ Wofford - Blowout. Good thing Ayers is a nice guy or this could be really ugly.
Chattanooga @ Jacksonville State - Time for UTC to do something in a big game. UTC by 3.
NC Central @ Elon - How bad is Elon; hopefully not THAT bad. Elon by 10.

1-GaSo
2-Wofford
3-App
4-UTC
5-Sammy
6-Furple
7-Citdogs
8-Elon
9-Whee

[SU DOG]

GSU - The Citadel defense will not be able to stop that attack.
Marshall - Too much for an improved Catamount Team.
App State - I did watch, and this Mountaineer Team is better than I expected.
Furman - Will soundly beat CCU. Paladin defense is really good.
Samford - WARNING. Unfortunately, this may not be the blowout folks are thinking. The #8 D2 team in the nation is pretty darn good, and UWA would LOVE to win this in-state game.
Wofford - Easy.
UTC - Interesting match-up that should be a great game.
Elon - Surely they won't lose to NC Cent.

[fc97]

So I suppose you watched the App game then?

i did watch both the app and elon game, yes, why

explaining things to you is like explaining them to mplsbison.

if you rank opposition from last week:
unc (27)
south florida (43)
east carolina (76)
furman
samford
gardner-webb
jacksonville
mars hill (D-II)
charleston southern

the number in paranthesis is the sagarin rank, you can subsitute massey or others to get a look.

by that, the team getting railed on for being obliterated lost to by far the best team by 62. the next team utc lost by 20 to a team nearly double as better as east carolina in position. and app lost by 22 to a team not nearly as good as south florida. All three were a loss. app is given a pass, utc is middle of the pack and elon is nearly next to last. measurement criteria for the poll is flawed by the posters.

if you are going to rank week 1 sos:
1 elon
2 utc
3 app
4 samford
5 furman
6 wofford
7 western carolina
8 georgia southern
9 the citadel

if you go by beating the dealing with the point spread
1 samford
2 utc
3 the citadel
4 wofford
5 western carolina
6 georgia southern
7 app
8 elon
9 furman

if you look at offensive production, then you get results similar to score. if you look at defensive capability, again, near to the opposing score.

no where in any data set should app be labels 2 or 3 in the conference if you are judging purely off one game, unbiased and given the stats and performance of each team.

and that is why this power poll is just silly. there is no power involved in the voting criteria. it is simply a poll of where people want there team to be; not where the truly are based on power so far in the season.

[asumike83]

Fabian Truss had 197 all-purpose yards. New QB Andy Summerlin was 23 of 37 with NO int. and NO sacks. The Samford defense had 3 sacks, 3 interceptions(one at the end not relevant) and held FU to 3-13 3rd down conversions. It's not like the Dogs did nothing to win this game, and this is TWO in a row over Furman. Having said that, I think the Furman defense is really tough and I do expect the Paladins to have a good year and upset some teams down the road. I guess that when we win in the SoCon it will be because Samford is extremely lucky OR the opponent just has a BAD game. I don't suppose it could ever be that maybe Samford is pretty solid?

I'm with you, got to give due credit. Holding down your home field against a solid conference opponent is commendable. Truss is the real deal and although I'm not ready to label them a playoff team, Samford is going to win some ball games this year. I know Appalachian will not be looking past the game in Birmingham.

[Apphole]

i did watch both the app and elon game, yes, why

Good. Seemed silly to assert that commenting on team you haven't seen play is stupid and follow it up with a critique on Apps ranking if you didn't seen us play. Totally valid since you watched our game though.

I still feel like your inner Elon is keeping you from being objective in putting us sub #2. I though we looked damn good Saturday and, baring the injuries and suspensions hurting us too bad, I feel great about the upcoming season.

[asumike83]

Week 2 Rankings:

1. Georgia Southern - Convincing win, hold on to the top spot.
2. Wofford - GWU not a powerhouse but a big win on the road puts them ahead of Appalachian for the time being.
3. Appalachian State - Tough loss in the opener, much more competitive than the final indicates. Two key injuries suffered hurt us in the game and could continue to be a factor going forward.
4. Chattanooga - Offense was overmatched against USF but the defense held their own for the most part. Big test this weekend.
5. Samford - Impressive opening win against Furman, they should be a tough out all season.
6. Furman - Took a tough L on the road but I still like this defense a lot.
7. The Citadel - Good to open with a win but I'll need to see them face tougher competition to move them up much.
8. Elon - Really took one on the chin in Chapel Hill but they have a chance to get off the mat this weekend. If they drop this one, they will go in the cellar but I think they have too much talent on offense.
9. Western Carolina - Great debut for Coach Spier but they may be on the other side of a lopsided game this weekend. Jury is still out on how much they've improved.

Predictions:

West Alabama @ Samford
Lincoln (MO) @ Wofford
Western Carolina @ Marshall
Coastal Carolina @ Furman
Georgia Southern @ The Citadel
Montana @ Appalachian State
Chattanooga @ Jacksonville State

Samford and Wofford should win convincingly, while Western will likely be taken to the woodshed by Marshall. Otherwise, I expect all the other games to be very, very competitive. Appalachian/Montana and Chattanooga/Jacksonville State should both be excellent games. I picked the SoCon to win in both but I wouldn't be surprised if things went the other way.

[fc97]

Good. Seemed silly to assert that commenting on team you haven't seen play is stupid and follow it up with a critique on Apps ranking if you didn't seen us play. Totally valid since you watched our game though.

I still feel like your inner Elon is keeping you from being objective in putting us sub #2. I though we looked damn good Saturday and, baring the injuries and suspensions hurting us too bad, I feel great about the upcoming season.

im not saying app is a bad team, but to be completely objective in a power ranking should put them at 3 or 4; not 2. after montana, that changes, but thats the nature of rankings

[Jiggs]

SU won by a late 4th quarter field goal, after several FU mishaps that put Samford in the position to win.

How about the "mishap" when Samford scored a touchdown and the official blew the call?

[caribbeanhen]

I am going with Jacksonville State over SoCo in this one

[ElCid]

Week 2 Rank:

1. GA So. - We will see if they deserve this come Saturday
2. Wofford/App St. - Too close to call. App had some holes but can make a statement this week
4. Samford – By far the most underrated team
5. Chatt – Probably a bit over rated lately
6. Citadel – will easily go over 500 this year if they can hold onto the ball & complete a couple more passes
7. Furman – Furmanwins … for having the most conference losses so far
8. Western Carolina – out of the cellar for this week with much needed win
9. Elon – could be a long season


Week 2 Predictions:

Coastal Carolina at Furman - 31-20 - Will not be a repeat of last year
Montana at App St - 28-24 - Have to give App the slight advantage at home
Lincoln at Wofford - 51-3 - Another warm up week
West Alabama at Samford - 41-17 - Should be easy
Chattanooga at Jacksonville St. - 28-27 - Mocs go down and I just can’t resist this score
Ga So at Citadel - 28-20 - I hate to even think this, but being realistic. Will be closer than Eagles would like
Western Carolina at Marshall - 52-13 - Western has a ways to go, plus Marshall is smarting after last week
NC Central at Elon - 30-17 - A little bounce back after last week’s thrashing

[OL FU]

How about the "mishap" when Samford scored a touchdown and the official blew the call?

Hey Jiggs, some advice that you can ignore. Don't sweat it. Your guys played well and without mistakes (at least any important ones). It is a long season, the question most people probably have is ok, so two teams picked in the middle of the pack played a real close game and Samford won. What does that mean Plenty of time to change people's opinion.

Told you you could ignore itxcoffeex:)

[Apphole]

Anyone seen FurmanLoses since Furman lost?

Might wanna put that dude on suicide watch

[PaladinFan]

Hey Jiggs, some advice that you can ignore. Don't sweat it. Your guys played well and without mistakes (at least any important ones). It is a long season, the question most people probably have is ok, so two teams picked in the middle of the pack played a real close game and Samford won. What does that mean Plenty of time to change people's opinion.

Told you you could ignore itxcoffeex:)

At the end of the day, Samford outplayed Furman and won the football game. Furman had opportunities to win, and Samford made that difficult. I think an objective observer could conclude that many of Furman's errors were of the "unforced" variety (throwing behind or over open receivers was a big one).

You are right, both teams were thought to be pretty even, and Samford won a game in the final minute. Good football game, but both teams have a lot more bait to cut this season.

[chattownmocs]

Fc97 is right. If Chattanooga is the 4th or 5th best team in the conference and app is 1st or 2nd how was chattanooga dissapointing and app state.really great. I get that the app game was closer but south florida would kill east carolina. If everything else was equal between the 2 south floridas qb alone would make them a 3 td favorite over ecu.

[Mountaineer]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Pretty much.

[AppChicago]

It's funny. I never thought I'd be happy to read anything that Chattownmocs ever posted, but after listening to the crap coming out of the UNCC fans in the off-season, it's refreshing to read baseless boosterism coming from a fan of a school that actually has a football team.

But I digress.

Rankings:
1) GaSo: I didn't see any of their game this past weekend, and their opponent was hardly a powerhouse, but their dominance in that game, such as it was, combined with their recent history of power gives them the 1 spot in my book until they prove unworthy.
2) I'll go Wofford here. Again, they've got a W and a legacy. We'll know more in a few weeks.
3) App. Again, I think they could finish the season higher, but still a lot of question marks.
4) Samford. Furman's no joke, and they did what they needed to do.
5) Chatty. Plenty of skill. If they can put it together into a decent 4 quarters of football consistently, we'll all be in trouble.
6) Furman. A loss is a loss.
7) El Cid. If the win against Baptist College had been more convincing from the start, I'd put them at 6 or even 5.
8) Western. Hard to give you guys the benefit of the doubt, even after a win.
9) Elon. You got punched in the mouth, Christians. I don't think you're the worst team in the SoCon, but you sure look bloodied up at the moment. Dead last for now.

Predictions: Wofford and Samford win by a lot.
GaSo and Elon win by less, but still decisively.
Furman wins (barely).
Chatty loses (barely).
Western gets catamounted, big time.

And I'll give you my prediction on Montana/App sometime Saturday night. :)

[Eaglesrus]

Ga So at Citadel - 28-20 - I hate to even think this, but being realistic. Will be closer than Eagles would like

Again

[asumike83]

If everything else was equal between the 2 south floridas qb alone would make them a 3 td favorite over ecu.

Man, I wish you made the odds in Vegas. I'd be a millionaire.

[Reign of Terrier]

Bold prediction: Wofford scores a lot of points this week.

I say that as a "bold prediction" because historically speaking, scoring more than 50 on our part is a rarity. We've only scored 30 or so on NAIA teams recently, a lot to do with holding back.

With that said, we are loaded with young talent and very deep at running back, we passed the ball well against GWU and we held a team that was decent at running the ball last year to minus 16 yards rushing going into the third quarter, without 2 of our best defenders playing at all. Our pass defense seems to be stellar, along with the rest of the defense.

Granted, we played in the rain for the first half and that contributed to defensive success on both sides, but both teams were run oriented teams essentially and we held them at bay.

There was a comment that said we would do fine as long as EB is fine, and I actually disagree in the fact that we are deep at RB. Losing EB would be huge, no question, but I don't think it would be a season killer.

We're just SO deep at seemingly every position but QB, and it's probably due to injuries last year (we quietly were very banged up).

I won't go much bold with the predictions other than an if/than syllogism, but I really like our chances to go 5-0 going into week 7. We have a lot more to prove and accomplish before thinking that though.

[Saint3333]

im not saying app is a bad team, but to be completely objective in a power ranking should put them at 3 or 4; not 2. after montana, that changes, but thats the nature of rankings

If anyone knew about App's question marks on dline and oline headed into Saturday's games and watched the first three quarters vs. ECU they could objectively rank App as #2 in the SoCon.

I'm not saying that's where I'd have them in week 2, but I certainly wouldn't say it is out of the realm of possibilities. Right now I could argue that 4 teams could be #2.

[Smitty]

Ga. Southern : The Citadel
Marshall : WCU
App. St. : Montana
Furman : CCU
Samford : W. Alabama
Wofford : Lincoln 6
UTC : Jacksonville St.
Elon : NC Cent.

[fc97]

If anyone knew about App's question marks on dline and oline headed into Saturday's games and watched the first three quarters vs. ECU they could objectively rank App as #2 in the SoCon.

I'm not saying that's where I'd have them in week 2, but I certainly wouldn't say it is out of the realm of possibilities. Right now I could argue that 4 teams could be #2.

excuses and benefit of the doubt. thats not what a power poll is supposed to be. i can come up with spin that puts any number of schools different than the opinions of fans here.

massey ratings are out.
1 - gsu
2 - wofford
3 - utc
4 - samford
5 - furman
6 - app
7 - citadel
8 - elon
9 - western

can someone tell me why the unbiased computer ranking for one week shows the power so much differently the some fans?

[Saint3333]

fc97 enjoy nitpicking a 2nd week power ranking all you want. Why are you so upset that fans rank different teams higher than others after one weekend?

Do you really believe the rankings of massey and willing to stand behind them? App at 6, that is too funny. I'll trust my eyes over these rankings right now.

[GlassOnion]

can someone tell me why the unbiased computer ranking for one week shows the power so much differently the some fans?

Can you tell me the last time that App State ranked 6th in the Socon? I'll wait.

[Apphole]

Putting Furple, UTC or Sammy above App is asinine. Did you spill some coffee on that computer?

[fc97]

well, are they power rankings or not? you cant have your cake and eat it too.

either utc is higher for the reasons mentioned or elon is higher for the same reasons to put app higher.

if the criteria isnt used evenly, then whats the point other than you guys holding each other's jocks saying how big you think each other's junk is?

[GlassOnion]

well, are they power rankings or not? you cant have your cake and eat it too.

either utc is higher for the reasons mentioned or elon is higher for the same reasons to put app higher.

if the criteria isnt used evenly, then whats the point other than you guys holding each other's jocks saying how big you think each other's junk is?

Fortunately, WE, as opposed to the computer program, were blessed with the ability to reason.

If App has finished no worse than 4th in the past 2 decades, and that only happening once, why the hell would I rank them 6th? I thought polls were supposed to be as accurate as possible? The poll you cite cannot take program strength and external factors into account. We can.

[Saint3333]

It is week two chill out fc97. You're likely a little pissed that your expections for the season were crushed in week one and now you're trying to pick a fight that isn't worth it. Elon isn't as bad as the score last week would suggest, it will get better.

This will work itself out.

[NJLincolnLion]

I started out the season 6-2 and after having crow for dinner last night with leftovers for breakfast this morning.

1. Georgia Southern - Manhandled Jacksonville convincingly.
2. Appalachian State - Showed some promise in defeat to ECU
3. Wofford - Great victory vs. Gardner-Webb
4. Chattanooga - Showed some promise against USF
5. The Citadel - Beat the daylights out of Charleston Southern after halftime.
6. Samford - Shocked Furman again.
7. Furman - So FurmanWins, how does that crow taste?
8. Elon - Is the blowout loss to UNC a sign of things to come?
9. Western Carolina - They beat Mars Hill, what can I say?

Predictions:
No brainers of the week
West Alabama @ Samford
Lincoln (MO) @ Wofford
Western Carolina @ Marshall - This isn't Mars Hill the Catamounts are playing.

Not so much
Coastal Carolina @ Furman - Can Furman shake it off?
Georgia Southern @ The Citadel - Bulldogs find out difference between Georgia Southern and Charleston Southern is night and day.

Games of the week
Montana @ Appalachian State - Montana heads down south again for the second time in two years.
Chattanooga @ Jacksonville State - Mocs return to JSU for the rubber match.

Upset of the week
NC Central @ Elon - Not convinced Elon will be lucky this time.

Point of clarification, Lincoln (PA) not MO will be visiting Wofford for week 2, not that it makes that much of a difference. The Lincoln Lions of PA only had one more win than the Blue Tigers of MO. I just hope the Terriers don't embarass us too much and we leave healthy, intact and with a check.

[fc97]

Fortunately, WE, as opposed to the computer program, were blessed with the ability to reason.

If App has finished no worse than 4th in the past 2 decades, and that only happening once, why the hell would I rank them 6th? I thought polls were supposed to be as accurate as possible? The poll you cite cannot take program strength and external factors into account. We can.

so, it is an opinion poll and not a performance poll. thank you for at least admitting it. meaning, despite other factors, historical performance has as much to do with where you place your team than anything else.

[NJLincolnLion]

Georgia Southern @ The Citadel - GaSo just a little too good on both sides of the ball. Citadel must eliminate the fumbles to compete. GaSo by 14.
WCU @ Marshall - Marshall not that good but still 35 points better than Whee.
Montana @ Appalachian State - App has to eliminate all the special teams issues. This one goes to the wire. App by 1.
Coastal Carolina @ Furman - Furman looking for revenge and pissed about the Sammy loss. Furple by 13
West Alabama @ Samford - Sammy by 30.
Lincoln @ Wofford - Blowout. Good thing Ayers is a nice guy or this could be really ugly.
Chattanooga @ Jacksonville State - Time for UTC to do something in a big game. UTC by 3.
NC Central @ Elon - How bad is Elon; hopefully not THAT bad. Elon by 10.

1-GaSo
2-Wofford
3-App
4-UTC
5-Sammy
6-Furple
7-Citdogs
8-Elon
9-Whee

I'm glad to hear Coach Ayers is a nice guy and hopefully does not embarass us too much. I also appreciate Wofford scheduling us to allow our players from South Carolina and southern N.C. to see their sons play, and of course we appreciate the check! :)

[GlassOnion]

so, it is an opinion poll and not a performance poll. thank you for at least admitting it. meaning, despite other factors, historical performance has as much to do with where you place your team than anything else.

Any human decision is based on opinion. Everybody thinks in a different way. Your Massey Poll was built with "opinions." It is also unreliable, especially with little information to feed into it. It is uncapable of understanding weather conditions, injuries, rivalries, bad referees, coaching errors and so on. And programs do operate on different levels. That is a fact.

Look at the AGS poll, its based on opinion, and ends up being pretty darn accurate as the season goes on.

[ASUMountaineer]

excuses and benefit of the doubt. thats not what a power poll is supposed to be. i can come up with spin that puts any number of schools different than the opinions of fans here.

massey ratings are out.
1 - gsu
2 - wofford
3 - utc
4 - samford
5 - furman
6 - app
7 - citadel
8 - elon
9 - western

can someone tell me why the unbiased computer ranking for one week shows the power so much differently the some fans?

So, you prefer the BCS method?

Why do people take crap on an anonymous message board so seriously. Get a grip, bro. Say "Who gives a fok" to yourself 10 times and then breathe. At that point you should realize that your ranting is a waste of time.

ASUMountaineer cares, and is only trying to help. xnodx

[ASUMountaineer]

App played an inferior opponent and lost by more points. Thats all we really need to know.

No need for in-depth analysis here folks, Chattown has spoken. So, by his logic, ASU was clearly better than Chatty last year as ASU won.


Chattanooga will have their way with the mountaineers in a few weeks.

If you keep saying it, one year it may come true.

14-12.

[ASUMountaineer]

Chattanooga is going to beat Jax State down. Look for Chattanooga to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides and win big.

^^^^^This. Poor Jax State has no idea what's coming!

[CID1990]

No need for in-depth analysis here folks, Chattown has spoken. So, by his logic, ASU was clearly better than Chatty last year as ASU won.



If you keep saying it, one year it may come true.

14-12.

That also means The Citadel > UTC last year. 28-27.

[ASUMountaineer]

East Carolina isn't close to South Florida from either a talent or coaching stand point. It is amazing how ignorant some people can be. App state didn't look that good. East carolina was that bad.

Spot.On.

UTC is clearly better than ASU. xthumbsupx

[ASUMountaineer]

IMO, Furman is the stronger team. SU won by a late 4th quarter field goal, after several FU mishaps that put Samford in the position to win. Furman is the stronger team, and the final rankings will bear that out. JMO.

Isn't this supposed to be a week-by-week power ranking, not a prediction for the end of the season? If so, I would think you'd put Samford ahead of FUrman for this week.

[gofurman]

IMO, Furman is the stronger team. SU won by a late 4th quarter field goal, after several FU mishaps that put Samford in the position to win. Furman is the stronger team, and the final rankings will bear that out. JMO.

agree - one game does not a season make. Just bc Samford beat FU AT SAMFORD with a late FG (4 turnovers for FU, 0 for Samford) doesnt really indicate to me that Samford will be on top of FU at the end of the year.

I would say Furman finishes between 4th and 6th this year in the SoCon. Hope we win versus CCU.,

FU should win Coastal, PC, Citadel (we always get them in Gville), Chatt, WCU and probably one other to get 5 or 6 wins this year. We arent top notch this year but Fowler will get us back on top in a few years.

[CID1990]

agree - one game does not a season make. Just bc Samford beat FU AT SAMFORD with a late FG (4 turnovers for FU, 0 for Samford) doesnt really indicate to me that Samford will be on top of FU at the end of the year.

I would say Furman finishes between 4th and 6th this year in the SoCon. Hope we win versus CCU.,

FU should win Coastal, PC, Citadel (we always get them in Gville), Chatt, WCU and probably one other to get 5 or 6 wins this year. We arent top notch this year but Fowler will get us back on top in a few years.

El CID wins in Traveler's Rest this year.

[ElCid]

El CID wins in Traveler's Rest this year.

I sure hope so. We have not won in Greenville since 98.

[SU DOG]

agree - one game does not a season make. Just bc Samford beat FU AT SAMFORD with a late FG (4 turnovers for FU, 0 for Samford) doesnt really indicate to me that Samford will be on top of FU at the end of the year.

I would say Furman finishes between 4th and 6th this year in the SoCon. Hope we win versus CCU.,

FU should win Coastal, PC, Citadel (we always get them in Gville), Chatt, WCU and probably one other to get 5 or 6 wins this year. We arent top notch this year but Fowler will get us back on top in a few years.

Actually ONE lost fumble. One of the 3 interceptions was on the last play and not relevant. Interceptions? Just bad breaks for FU OR nice work by Samford's defense? Two ways to look at that huh? Did Samford play perfect with NO bad breaks? Of course NOT. Questionable call on a TD not allowed, helmet infraction call giving Furman needed yardage, a dropped pick-six interception, etc. etc. etc.

If, however, you feel for the sake of your ego, you need to belittle Samford's beating your butts TWO YEARS IN A ROW, then have at it. We are actually kinda used to that. LOL

[GlassOnion]

Im with Samford on this.

You might get away with the excuses if it was a first loss to the Bulldogs, but 2 years in a row, you got beat.