2013 Southern Conference Power Rankings/Predictions - Week One.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

Some of the games went as expected, some not so much. This season, GSU and ASU will be included in the rankings since they are in the SoCon. Props go out to Samford for collecting one of the first FBS scalps for this season. After one week, this is where I have them.

1) Georgia Southern (ineligible) - burninated Savannah State to kick off their SoCon swan song.
2) Samford - only other team to win this week ends up here
3) Appalachian State (ineligible) - no excuse for their performance, maybe if they hired Sean Elliott they could have done better
4) UT-Chattanooga - this was supposed to be their year yet they lose to UT-Martin (8-3 last year)
5) Wofford - got burninated by Baylor in their season opener
6) Western Carolina - lost to a bowl-eligible MTSU team last season and did not go down without a fight
7) The Citadel - lost to a Charleston Southern team that won five games last season (Chuck South is coached by former ETSU QB Jamey Chadwell)
8) Furman - lost to a Gardner-Webb outfit that won three games last season
9) Elon - burninated by Georgia Tech in their season opener

Predictions
Western Carolina @ Virginia Tech - no rest for the weary as Catamounts travel to Blacksburg to notch another loss
Chattanooga @ Georgia State (Upset of the week) - Mocs had better win this one
St. Francis (PA) @ Georgia Southern - St. Francis provides a better match-up for the Eagles
Furman @ Coastal Carolina - Paladins head to Conway to face a playoff contender in the Chanticleers
North Carolina A&T @ Appalachian State - Mountaineers open up home slate with win against decent North Carolina A&T team
West Virginia Wesleyan @ Elon - Phoenix better win this one or else.
Wofford @ The Citadel (Game of the week) - Bulldogs shake last week's loss off as they open the SoCon schedule with the Terriers.
Samford @ Arkansas - Samford may be good, but they are not capable of knocking off an SEC team yet.

[IBleedYellow]

I actually will laugh hard with UTC loses to Ga State.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

1. Georgia Southern - team looks rusty and not like the one we brought to Fargo. Pass coverage still seems suspect, but pass rush should improve getting back the linebackers we lost for the season last year. IF we can ever get all of the offense healthy watch out.

2. Samford - This team will go as far as Summerlin, Truss, Cephus, and Pope can carry them on offense

3. UTC - Giving them the benefit of the doubt somewhat because of injuries

4. App. State - Jackson does not look comfortable at all with his offense. Could get better as the season goes on but right now they don't look great.

5. Western Carolina - Nutty as it may seem, Western may at least have an offense that can put them in the middle of the pack.

6. Wofford - didn't even put up a decent showing against Baylor

7. The Citadel - biggest shocker of the week ... don't know what the heck happened there

8. Furman - Not a whole lot worse than what we were expecting, but still worse

9. Elon - Pitiful showing against a mid-level ACC team. Good luck playing defense in this conference.

SoCon takes losses to Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and Coastal. Gets wins over St. Francis, A&T, WVW, and Georgia State.
El Cid finally breaks the losing streak against Wofford.

[blueballs]

GSU and Samford are the only conference member to remotely meet expectations in week one....

St. Francis had better be praying to St Francis, because GSU is loaded and will show no mercy, we saw that without question yesterday.

[ASU_Fanatic]

Georgia Southern
Samford
App
Chatty
Wofford
WCU
Citadel
Furman
Elon

[Reign of Terrier]

GSU
Samford
Chatty
App
Citadel
Wofford
Furman
WCU
Elon

Predictions:
Virginia Tech over Western (no commentary needed)
Chattanooga over GSU (I just don't see them losing to GSU)
GSU over St. Francis (no commentary needed)
Coastal over Furman- It looks like it will be a long year for the Paladins...they lost to Gardner Webb? Seriously? Coastal is definitely a bubble team and they will be firmly on the bubble if they win this game.
App over NC A&T (no commentary needed)
Elon over West Virginia Wesleyian (who the hell is that?)
Arkansas over Samford (no commentary needed)

Game of the Week: Wofford @ The Citadel

I'm picking Wofford in this one. Obviously, I'm a homer, but let's get a few things straight, the Citadel hasn't beaten Wofford in 14 tries, and Wofford traditionally plays the Citadel better in Charleston than they do in Spartanburg. Both teams severely under-preformed in the first week of the season. Wofford has always played badly against FBS teams in week one, even since we've been on the run we've had (EG 2003: 41-0 loss to Air Force, 2009 South Florida 40-7, Ohio 33-10, and now Baylor 69-3). The difference is that Baylor was by far the best of those teams and the one with an offense that's specifically meant to score a lot of points and make matchup issues for us. Baylor is a good team, they will compete for a Big 12 championship. They had like 4 or more receivers running 4.4 40s or lower and a really really good tailback.

It was the perfect storm for Wofford, but I'm very much confident that we aren't going to see a combination of that sort of talent and speed for a while this season (App State is the only one who comes close, and they don't have that sort of speed), and we aren't going to see it in the 6 weeks between playing 2 option teams, 2 Big South Teams, Western Carolina, and Elon.

We really don't know much more about Wofford than we did going in, the QB battle is still somewhat raging and they all run the offense with the same amount of efficiency (they executed pitches better than any Wofford team I've seen as of late, and I seriously think our offense will perform much better next week).

The short answer to all this is that everyone expected Wofford to get manhandled against Baylor, and I really don't think we under-performed from that expectation.
The Citadel is a different story in that they were expected to beat the Bucs pretty bad and that didn't materialize. Perhaps CSU is on the upswing and no one saw it coming, but I still think a team that's picked to compete for the Socon title should at least beat a team like CSU.

(I didn't watch the game and I'm obviously a Wofford homer so my analysis of Wofford will be more in depth and favorable).

I think Wofford wins this game, no score prediction, but I think they win. Both teams will want to come out the gates swinging.

[PaladinFan]

No question, Furman was awful last night. It does bear mentioning that Furman's starting QB did not play, and the Paladins were again forced to rely on a true freshman under center. Truly frustrating as a fan to see poor recruiting and a few transfers basically kill all depth at the most crucial position on the field. Our offense was as bad as I can ever remember seeing us. I mean, not to take away from GWU, because they came out ready to play, but I'd be dissapointed in the offense if that was UGA on the other sideline. Just pitiful.

I can only hope that was an aberration. Our team simply cannot be that bad. It might be the case, but I would have expected more out of a high school team out there. We're not national title contenders, but we are darn sure better than that. I guess I can take some solace in the fact that Furman was truly awful last night, and still could have won the game.

Coastal is undoubtedly the favorite, but if Hannon is able to go, the Paladins will give them a game (like they did last year). If not, it'll be a long night in Conway.

[The Cats]

Georgia Southern
Samford
App
Chatty
WCU
Wofford
Citadel
Furman
Elon



Western Carolina @Virginia Tech
Chattanooga @ Georgia State
St. Francis (PA) @ Georgia Southern
Furman @ Coastal Carolina
North Carolina A&T @ Appalachian State
West Virginia Wesleyan @ Elon
Wofford @ The Citadel
Samford @ Arkansas

[atlfcsfan]

GA SOUTHERN
SAMFORD
APP STATE
WOFFORD
CITADEL
CHATTANOOGA
FURMAN
W CAROLINA
ELON

[longtimemocfan]

Georgia Southern
Samford
App
WCU
Wofford
Citadel
Chattanooga
Furman
Elon

I hope we do pick it up this week. It's really going to depend on how many we get back from suspensions and injuries. Right now on defense we are down 8 on the 2 deep chart. T-Rob and Marlon Anthony 2 of our better receivers never saw the field last week.

[ElCid]

1- Georgia Southern (not a real player)
2 - Samford - in the drivers seat
3 - App St (not a real player, sad they are not 1 or 2)
4 - Chatty - still living on potential
5 - Wofford - still living on reputation
6 - WCU - upstart of the week
7 - Citadel - sinking
8 - Furman - sinking
9 - Elon - sunk already


Western Carolina @ Virginia Tech - I was not surprised at how well Western did last week. Yes they lost, but they did ok (371 yards against a bottom rung FBS). It will not be the same this week. Va Tech is smarting and needs a boost - 55-10


Chattanooga @ Georgia State - The Mocs let me down last week. I was not surprised that Ga St gave Samford fits though, they are a bit better. Mocs need a win bad after last week - 24-17


North Carolina A&T @ Appalachian State - App St is going though transition issues for sure (coach, FBS mindset, no playoffs, etc.). Their talent will shine through against NC A&T though - 56-7


St. Francis @ Georgia Southern - While a bit better than Sav St., St. Francis will still feel the full force of Southern - 56-3


Furman @ Coastal Carolina - Furman got nailed last week, and while Coastal won, they did not exactly shine against a hapless SC St., look for a close loss - 27-24


West Virginia Wesleyan @ Elon - CAA can have them, but they do pull this one out in order to not totally embarrass the SOCON - 38-17


Wofford @ The Citadel - OK just to set the record straight, the world has not ended in Charleston after last week. We were victims of a perfect storm that included some bad coaching calls, some bad presumptions by players and a general lack of will. But that all changes this week. I called the Wofford game pretty well last week (it got ugly very early), they have issues. Add this to the Bulldog hunger and general pissed off mood after this past week and you get a Bulldog victory-if not, the dogs will implode and be lucky to go .500. Bulldogs in a close one - 21-20


Samford @ Arkansas - Samford does not get cocky after a (albeit cheap) FBS victory, but they are no match for Arkansas - 51-16

[walliver]

Power rankings:
1) Samford
2) GSU - probably the strongest team, but beating SSU (and St Francis) does not get a #1 vote in my book
3) WCU - respectable loss, unlike all the ones below
4) ASU - I expected the home team to win a close one, but ASU really underperformed.
5) Chattanooga - When the best thing you can say is UTM ain't that bad, it is bad - I suspect UTM is somewhat under-rated.
6) Furman - losing to GWU can not be spun in any meaningful way
7) Citadel - from the "shock at the rock" to the "upchuck in Chucktown"- losing to CSU is inexcusable
8) Wofford - the only good things to take from this game are 1) No injuries, and 2) We scored 3 more points than Elon
9) Elon - What was the CAA thinking?

Mercer beat mighty Reinhardt, so they probably would come in near the top
VMI is still VMI
ETSU at least has the honor of not embarrassing themselves last week

This week
Virginia Tech over WCU by a lot.
UTC beats Ga State by 3. If mini-Huesman plays like he did last week, the Mocs will start 0-2, though.
App State will beat NCA&T by 21
Georgia Southern rolls over St Francis and the Sisters of the Poor.
Furman pulls out a close one over the mini-chickens 24-21
Elon wins easily over WV Wesleyan
Wofford makes it 15 in a row as Mike Ayers finds a way to win.
Arkansas beats Samford by 14, but the game is close well into the 4th quarter.

[chattanoogamocs]

Power rankings:
If mini-Huesman plays like he did last week, the Mocs will start 0-2, though.

Mini-Huesman needs the bread to his butter on the field, Terrell Robinson (easily the best athlete, playmaker, receiver and some would argue quarterback on the team). Hopefully that will be Saturday.

That, or they are going to have to get someone else to step up and contribute more. Huesman's numbers, weren't bad (200+ yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT and almost 100 yards of rushing)...but everyone on the Martin sideline (and everyone in the stadium) knew that all they had to do was keep the pressure on him, because the rest of the offense sucked (and they still haven't devised a way for Jacob to throw it to himself ;) )

Quite frankly, he is doing all he can with what he has been given (there were a number of catchable balls that receivers didn't come up with...including the INT which went off the hands of All-SoCon TE Faysal Shafaat)

[SU DOG]

Walliver, you must not have seen the Razorbacks - ULL game. I will be the happiest losing fan in the country if we play Arkansas within 14. Nice thought but NO WAY. I really don't know what we have yet, because I can't figure out if GA State is even decent or not. I have no feel for them vs UTC, but will be following that game with interest. Besides that, there were several areas that I was disappointed in, particularly our running game and our pass defense.

[Apphole]

3. UTC

4. App. State


Chatty
App
Put down the crack pipe.



3) WCU
4) ASU
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[Reign of Terrier]

Put down the crack pipe.


xrotatehxxrotatehxxrotatehxxrotatehxxrotatehxxrota tehxxrotatehxxrotatehxxrotatehxxrotatehx

It's week one. We're all on crack.

[The Cats]

bump

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

It's week one. We're all on crack.

Honestly, it seems like a crapshoot at this point even more so than usual. A lot of us are up against teams that have first year coaches (SSU, Chuck South, GWU), you have App. playing Montana who honestly could be 5-6 or 10-1 this year and we have teams with key injuries (GSU, Furman, UTC).

You might count out the Citadal, but they always have at least one game a year where they look awful just like they have at least one game a year where they play out of their minds.

About the only thing I think I can say with confidence is I expect Western Carolina to be a decent team this year with an improved offense.

[ElCid]

Honestly, it seems like a crapshoot at this point even more so than usual. A lot of us are up against teams that have first year coaches (SSU, Chuck South, GWU), you have App. playing Montana who honestly could be 5-6 or 10-1 this year and we have teams with key injuries (GSU, Furman, UTC).

You might count out the Citadel, but they always have at least one game a year where they look awful just like they have at least one game a year where they play out of their minds.

About the only thing I think I can say with confidence is I expect Western Carolina to be a decent team this year with an improved offense.

I think the SOCON got lazy as a whole. The whole transition thing with APP and GSU had everyone looking too far ahead. At least The Citadel, Chatty, and even Furman. Even Samford stumbled initially before they came out of their funk in time to win. Western had nowhere to go but up and they did it well right out of the gate. They could easily ruin any of the so-called "contenders" day.

[eaglewraith]

I think the SOCON got lazy as a whole. The whole transition thing with APP and GSU had everyone looking too far ahead. At least The Citadel, Chatty, and even Furman. Even Samford stumbled initially before they came out of their funk in time to win. Western had nowhere to go but up and they did it well right out of the gate. They could easily ruin any of the so-called "contenders" day.

I think part of the problem with Samford is they didn't know what GaSt was going to do on offense. They were looking at Indiana State film to prepare, but it seems like they were doing more like what BC did in 2007. After halftime they shut GaSt down (I don't count the TD in trash time), and looked like what I expected them to do on defense. On offense, they looked rusty with a 6th year QB missing throws (AND OMG WHY RUN A ZONE READ WITH HIM EVER????) and running straight ahead into some big dudes on the opposing DL. When they attacked the perimeter and actually completed passes they drove all over the field.

Samford is going to be the team to beat of the eligible teams.

[Reign of Terrier]

I think the SOCON got lazy as a whole. The whole transition thing with APP and GSU had everyone looking too far ahead. At least The Citadel, Chatty, and even Furman. Even Samford stumbled initially before they came out of their funk in time to win. Western had nowhere to go but up and they did it well right out of the gate. They could easily ruin any of the so-called "contenders" day.

The thing that sets Wofford, App State, and GSU (since they brought back the option) apart from the rest of the conference is that said teams play consistently well within and out of conference during the regular season.

Wofford, since 2007 (unofficial beginning of our current run), take away 2009 (anomaly of a year for us given that we were so injured), has not lost to an OOC FCS opponent during the regular season (7-0) and we have a very good record against the rest of the conference that isn't GSU or App. Again, not counting 2009, and we haven't lost to Chatty, Western, or the Citadel and have a combined record of 11-3 against Furman, Samford, and Elon.

So that's a composite record of 33-3 (again, discarding 2009) for Wofford against FCS OOC and the Socon during the regular season(minus App State and GSU). Put that over a 5 year span, and your chances of making the playoffs are pretty good.

(I would bring up App and GSU's stats, but my internet is sucking royal ass right now and collegefootballwarehouse.com is not pulling up fast if at all)

My point is, out the gate in 2013, Furman, Citadel, and Chattanooga don't have the consistency to be called a "top team." The only consistent trend they've had is inconsistency.

Do they have the talent? yes. Could any of these teams win the Socon this year? yes. Could any of these teams go on a run and just prove the games they've lost as flukes? Definitely!

But until they do so, I'm feeling good about Wofford's chances of winning the socon this year or next year because the one thing we've proven to have is consistency, and that in itself is a rarity among the eligible teams for the conference crown this year. Now, I could be wrong and these trends prove to be wrong, but I think the one thing I'm right about is that the Wofford-Citadel game has pretty big implications for the conference race this year.

[ElCid]

Now, I could be wrong and these trends prove to be wrong, but I think the one thing I'm right about is that the Wofford-Citadel game has pretty big implications for the conference race this year.

Maybe, but here is my take. If Citadel beats Wofford, Wofford is toast. But even if Citadel Wins, it will remain a tall order for them. Samford and Chatty loom for both and nobody can afford a loss from the other of these 4 teams. I have a hunch there will be lots of tie breaking going on come November. I am not enthusiastic about our chances after last week, but I will be there all the same. Right now it is a coin flip. In any event I have a feeling that this year in the SOCON will be one major cluster and be remembered for years to come.

[T-Dog]

Read the things I wrote. (http://www.yosefscabin.com/the-perils-_f-everyweek-existence-gr_wing-pains-_ffensive-pr_blems-and-br_adway-r_d/)


Western Carolina @ Virginia Tech - VT scores alot, but WCU gets their points.
Chattanooga @ Georgia State - Little Huesman is not the answer to anything.
St. Francis (PA) @ Georgia Southern - GSU pads their stats and misses more field goals.
Furman @ Coastal Carolina - Fowler rebounds in a game not many will pick them to win.
North Carolina A&T @ Appalachian State - No prediction
West Virginia Wesleyan @ Elon - Should be academic.
Wofford @ The Citadel - The Terriers find a way in a low-scoring game.
Samford @ Arkansas - SEC is SEC.

[walliver]

I think the SOCON got lazy as a whole. The whole transition thing with APP and GSU had everyone looking too far ahead. At least The Citadel, Chatty, and even Furman. Even Samford stumbled initially before they came out of their funk in time to win. Western had nowhere to go but up and they did it well right out of the gate. They could easily ruin any of the so-called "contenders" day.

I doubt the ASU-GSU transition really affected anything. (It's Elon everyone is worried about:D).

My reasons for bad performance last weekend:
I think Citadel was looking toward week2.
Wofford looking at week3 and to a close extent week2.
Chatty has lost 3 of it last 4 early season OVC games.
ASU barely beat Montana at home last year, and Montana has their QB back from his legal issues.
Sammy stepped up, WCU performed as expected.
Elon is too good for us and is biding its time for the CAA.
GSU opens the year with 2 scrimmages, so I don't know how to rank them.

[md64179]

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

VT 52 - WCU13
Georgia St 28 - UTC 24
GSU 63 - SF 6
CCU 34 - Furman 21
APP 41 - NCA&T 17
ELON 31 - WVW 10
WOFFORD 27 - El Cid 24
ARKANSAS 45 - Samford 20

[AppChicago]

1. GSU- SSU told us pretty much nothing, in terms of how Stink matches up against a decent team, but I think the eaglets will continue to soar over much better competition as the season wears on.
2. Samford- Winning counts, even against the fake GSU.
---BIG GAP--- (for now)
3. App- I had a hard time knowing where to put the 'neers after what can only be described as a piss-poor showing. They probably should be ranked lower based on week one alone, but I predict an upward trajectory through the season as the disparate parts start to click into place.
4. Wofford
5. Western
6. Chatty
7. Furman
8. El Cid
9. Elon

The above notwithstanding, all home teams win this week. Even Ga State.