bjtheflamesfan
July 13th, 2013, 09:51 AM
I already posted where I see each team finishing record wise, I thought Id break down why I have everyone finishing where they do
1. Liberty
The Flames come in with one of the longest conference home winning streaks in the nation at 18 games. They get Coastal, VMI and Presbyterian at home. LU ran the Chants out of the building the last two times they came to Lynchburg. I don't expect a similar result in 2013, but Liberty has shown that to win the Big South, you must, to borrow a phrase from Under Armor "Protect This House". If Liberty can win all three games at home, finishing the season with a 21 game winning streak at home in conference, add to that the amount of experience returning on defense, plus some help coming in on offense, and Liberty will finally break through for their first FCS playoff berth in 2013
2. Coastal Carolina
The Chants started the Joe Moglia era off with a bang down in Conway, winning 7 games and earning at least a share of the Big South title and the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs, where they earned the first playoff win in school history over Bethune Cookman. They do lose triggerman Aramis Hillary and all conference tight end David Duran among others, but they bring back all three starting WR in Matt Hazel (first team all conference), South Carolina transfer DeMario Bennett, and all conference kick returner Niccolo Mastromatteo. They also return QB Alex Ross, who backed up Hillary last year and had a breakout game against Gardner-Webb with over 400 yards of offense including nearly 350 through the air. The Chants also bring in transfer Brian Kass from Wofford who will likely serve as Ross' backup.
CCU will have to travel to Lynchburg where they have not won since 2005, getting outscored 158-64 in their last three trips), but Moglia had the boys in teal ready to play in hostile environs in 2012, getting a triple overtime win over Furman from the SoCon and over the aforementioned Bethune Cookman before hanging tough with the CAA's ODU (beginning the transition to FBS and moving all sports to Conference USA starting this season) before the Monarchs pulled away down in Norfolk. Of the five other teams in the conference this year, CCU is probably the only one that could potentially end the Flames' home winning streak this season.
3. Presbyterian
The Blue Hose have not had an easy go of things since transitioning their football program into the Big South in 2007. There have been some moments where they have looked like they would move up into the upper tier of the conference (including an upset win over Liberty in 2008), but they have not quite broken through. They lose top running back Lance Byrd and top WR Anderico Bailey but they do bring back both their QBs and some experience at the skill positions. The area that most will dictate PC's success this season will be the play of the O-line. (Tamyn) Garrick and (Kaleb) Griffin (which sounds like it could be the name of an accounting firm) were sacked a combined 22 times in 2012 and if they have a similar or higher number in 2013, PC could drop as low as 5th come the end of 2013.
4. Charleston Southern
The Bucs welcome Jamey Chadwell as their new head coach this season, after stints at North Greenville and Delta State at the Division II level. The former CSU assistant is no stranger to success, after helping the Bucs to the 2005 Big South title and 14 straight wins (a streak that was ended by Liberty 34-20 in 2006), he went to North Greenville and led the Crusaders to their first DII playoff berth, where they lost to the next school on Chadwell's coaching journey, Delta State, where he served for 1 season before being named CSU's third head coach in school history.
The Bucs made major strides in 2012, winning 5 games the year after going winless in 2011, joining Northern Colorado at 0-11. They do return starting QB Malcolm Dixon and RB Teddy Allen and top two wideouts Nathan Perera, coming off an injury and sophomore Larry Jones III, who exploded onto the scene after Perera went down and earning second team all conference laurels. The Bucs have a chance to garner some wins and gain confidence under their first year head coach, but they may only finish third at most despite getting both Coastal and Liberty at home.
5. VMI
VMI enters their final season in the Big South before returning home to the SoCon in 2014. VMI returns QB Eric Kordenbrock among others, but the problem that I have observed with the Keydets over the years, is simply put, they can't seem to get out of their own way. Untimely turnovers and empty drives have been an issue throughout, especially against the top teams in the conference: Liberty, Coastal and CAA bound Stony Brook. Sparky Woods goes into his fifth season at the helm in Lexington, One would think that with the SoCon move coming, that his seat may be starting to warm up a bit after seasons with 2 wins, 3 wins, 2 wins and 2 wins in his first four seasons, three of which have featured a pro-style offense as opposed to the triple option that had been a hallmark at the school for many years. IMO another two or three win season will probably elicit some serious evaluation from the administration there following 2013 so Woods will need to offer some sign of improvement on the field as well as off.
6. Gardner-Webb
The Running Bulldogs are on their third coach in four seasons as Carroll McCray takes over on the sidelines in 2013 following the departure of Ron Dickerson Jr after just two seasons. Like Chadwell at CSU, McCray spent time at North Greenville, serving as the Crusaders' head coach in 2012. He is familiar with one of the coaches in the conference as he served as a graduate assistant under current VMI head coach Sparky Woods at Appalachian State in the mid 1980s.
The Runnin Bulldogs certainly will get a chance to do that this year, returning the second and third leading rushers on the team in Juanne Blount and JJ Hubbard, who also was named to the College Football Performance Awards watch list for all purpose players. Lucas Beatty will return after putting on quite a show in 2012, but 2011 starter Chandler Browning returns to the offensive side and will be pushing Beatty for the #1 spot. There will be quite a few growing pains despite having some very good players returning (including Preston Pemasa, who is on the CFPA watch list for defensive line) but hopefully the pups can learn this year and GWU can move back toward being one of the big dogs in the conference in the coming years.
1. Liberty
The Flames come in with one of the longest conference home winning streaks in the nation at 18 games. They get Coastal, VMI and Presbyterian at home. LU ran the Chants out of the building the last two times they came to Lynchburg. I don't expect a similar result in 2013, but Liberty has shown that to win the Big South, you must, to borrow a phrase from Under Armor "Protect This House". If Liberty can win all three games at home, finishing the season with a 21 game winning streak at home in conference, add to that the amount of experience returning on defense, plus some help coming in on offense, and Liberty will finally break through for their first FCS playoff berth in 2013
2. Coastal Carolina
The Chants started the Joe Moglia era off with a bang down in Conway, winning 7 games and earning at least a share of the Big South title and the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs, where they earned the first playoff win in school history over Bethune Cookman. They do lose triggerman Aramis Hillary and all conference tight end David Duran among others, but they bring back all three starting WR in Matt Hazel (first team all conference), South Carolina transfer DeMario Bennett, and all conference kick returner Niccolo Mastromatteo. They also return QB Alex Ross, who backed up Hillary last year and had a breakout game against Gardner-Webb with over 400 yards of offense including nearly 350 through the air. The Chants also bring in transfer Brian Kass from Wofford who will likely serve as Ross' backup.
CCU will have to travel to Lynchburg where they have not won since 2005, getting outscored 158-64 in their last three trips), but Moglia had the boys in teal ready to play in hostile environs in 2012, getting a triple overtime win over Furman from the SoCon and over the aforementioned Bethune Cookman before hanging tough with the CAA's ODU (beginning the transition to FBS and moving all sports to Conference USA starting this season) before the Monarchs pulled away down in Norfolk. Of the five other teams in the conference this year, CCU is probably the only one that could potentially end the Flames' home winning streak this season.
3. Presbyterian
The Blue Hose have not had an easy go of things since transitioning their football program into the Big South in 2007. There have been some moments where they have looked like they would move up into the upper tier of the conference (including an upset win over Liberty in 2008), but they have not quite broken through. They lose top running back Lance Byrd and top WR Anderico Bailey but they do bring back both their QBs and some experience at the skill positions. The area that most will dictate PC's success this season will be the play of the O-line. (Tamyn) Garrick and (Kaleb) Griffin (which sounds like it could be the name of an accounting firm) were sacked a combined 22 times in 2012 and if they have a similar or higher number in 2013, PC could drop as low as 5th come the end of 2013.
4. Charleston Southern
The Bucs welcome Jamey Chadwell as their new head coach this season, after stints at North Greenville and Delta State at the Division II level. The former CSU assistant is no stranger to success, after helping the Bucs to the 2005 Big South title and 14 straight wins (a streak that was ended by Liberty 34-20 in 2006), he went to North Greenville and led the Crusaders to their first DII playoff berth, where they lost to the next school on Chadwell's coaching journey, Delta State, where he served for 1 season before being named CSU's third head coach in school history.
The Bucs made major strides in 2012, winning 5 games the year after going winless in 2011, joining Northern Colorado at 0-11. They do return starting QB Malcolm Dixon and RB Teddy Allen and top two wideouts Nathan Perera, coming off an injury and sophomore Larry Jones III, who exploded onto the scene after Perera went down and earning second team all conference laurels. The Bucs have a chance to garner some wins and gain confidence under their first year head coach, but they may only finish third at most despite getting both Coastal and Liberty at home.
5. VMI
VMI enters their final season in the Big South before returning home to the SoCon in 2014. VMI returns QB Eric Kordenbrock among others, but the problem that I have observed with the Keydets over the years, is simply put, they can't seem to get out of their own way. Untimely turnovers and empty drives have been an issue throughout, especially against the top teams in the conference: Liberty, Coastal and CAA bound Stony Brook. Sparky Woods goes into his fifth season at the helm in Lexington, One would think that with the SoCon move coming, that his seat may be starting to warm up a bit after seasons with 2 wins, 3 wins, 2 wins and 2 wins in his first four seasons, three of which have featured a pro-style offense as opposed to the triple option that had been a hallmark at the school for many years. IMO another two or three win season will probably elicit some serious evaluation from the administration there following 2013 so Woods will need to offer some sign of improvement on the field as well as off.
6. Gardner-Webb
The Running Bulldogs are on their third coach in four seasons as Carroll McCray takes over on the sidelines in 2013 following the departure of Ron Dickerson Jr after just two seasons. Like Chadwell at CSU, McCray spent time at North Greenville, serving as the Crusaders' head coach in 2012. He is familiar with one of the coaches in the conference as he served as a graduate assistant under current VMI head coach Sparky Woods at Appalachian State in the mid 1980s.
The Runnin Bulldogs certainly will get a chance to do that this year, returning the second and third leading rushers on the team in Juanne Blount and JJ Hubbard, who also was named to the College Football Performance Awards watch list for all purpose players. Lucas Beatty will return after putting on quite a show in 2012, but 2011 starter Chandler Browning returns to the offensive side and will be pushing Beatty for the #1 spot. There will be quite a few growing pains despite having some very good players returning (including Preston Pemasa, who is on the CFPA watch list for defensive line) but hopefully the pups can learn this year and GWU can move back toward being one of the big dogs in the conference in the coming years.