SoCon Pick 'em - Week 5

[The Cats]

With one month now in the record books, it's time to look at week five in the Southern Conference. All 9 teams are playing this week, only one out of conference game as the Owls travel to Greenville.


Saturday, October 1

Chattanooga at ETSU
Wofford at Samford
Mercer at VMI
Kennesaw State at Furman
The Citadel at Western Carolina



This week's power rankings

1. Chattanooga - they keep getting the job done
2. The Citadel - Didn't play, and didn't drop
3. Wofford - looking better each week
4. Mercer - didn't play, moved up
5. ETSU - if they keep losing, they will keep falling
6. Western Carolina - didn't play
7. VMI - two road wins move you up in standings
8. Samford - big loss to the Mocs
9. Furman - four straight losses

[walliver]

1) Chatty - They're here until someone beats them
2) The Citadel - they have yet to impress me this year, but they are yet to lose.
3-4) Wofford or Samford - we'll know after this weekend. SAmmy hasn't impressed much the last few weeks, but Wofford is running out of QB's.
5) Mercer - here by default
6) VMI - no good wins yet, but they have won a few
7) ETSU - much better than last year, but still a second year program.
8) Western Carolina - schizoid - could likely shock any team in the SoCon, or lose badly - if not both at the same time
9) Furman - they need to win to move up. They need to run the table to have any shot at the playoffs.

This week:
Chatty at ETSU - The Mocs have too much talent on both sides of the ball and this one gets ugly fast - Chatty 63-0
Wofford at Samford - Sammy has had issues, but their strength plays to the T-Dogs weakness although pass defense is much improved. The visitor has won the last two meeting, and the homer in me makes it three in a row : Terriers win 35-31
Mercer at VMI - A must-win game for the cubbies if they have any chance at the playoffs. The Macon seniors keep their hopes alive with a 31-21 victory.
Kennesaw State at Furman - Owls were surprisingly competitive in the Big South last year, but are 0-1 against the SoCon this year. They fall to 0-2 when the horsey people finally win a game.
The Citadel at Western Carolina - Could be a Citadel blow-out, or Western could win a close one. Which Cants show up for the game? The Chucktown Pups had been consistent so far this year ... and slow and steady wins the race. Citadel 28-20.

[ETSUfan1]

Chattanooga at ETSU UTC 45-10
Wofford at Samford Wofford 28-20
Mercer at VMI Mercer 35-20
Kennesaw State at Furman Furman 26-24
The Citadel at Western Carolina The Citadel 42-21


1. Chattanooga
2. The Citadel
3. Wofford
4. Samford
5. Mercer
6. Furman
7. ETSU
8. Western Carolina
9. VMI

[Milktruck74]

Chattanooga by 35
Samford by 3
Mercer by 14
Furman by 6
Citadel by 21

1.Mocs
2. Citadel
3. Samford
4. Furman
5. Wofford
6. Western
7.- 9. Mercer/ETSU/VMI (whatever order you want)

[woffordgrad94]

1. Chattanooga- another impressive victory to stay on top
2. The Citadel- can't drop them until they lose
3. Wofford- boasts the #1 ranked defense in FCS
4. Samford- losing a little bit of ground
5. Furman- still think they're a decent team...murderous schedule
6. Mercer- continues to build their young program
7. ETSU- farther along than we thought they'd be
8. WCU- a chance to bounce back in a big way vs. The Citadel
9. VMI- have won out of conference, but their reputation precedes them for now

Chattanooga 42, ETSU 7- Mocs too much for young Bucs
Wofford 20, Samford 10- Terriers show they're a contender
Furman 24, Kennesaw State 7- Paladins get first win
Mercer 38, VMI 28- Bears win shootout
The Citadel 28, Western Carolina 17- Bulldogs get road victory to keep pace with top

[kdinva]

1. UTC
2. The Citadel
3. Wofford-
4. Samford-
5- Mercer
6- Furman
7- VMI
t8- ETSU
t8- WCU



UTC 46, ETSU 13
Wofford 28, Samford 26
Furman 24, Kennesaw St 21
VMI 31, Mercer 23
The Citadel 34, WCU 23

[ElCid]

Power Rankings:
1) Chattanooga - dominating performance
2) The Citadel - came back and beat Bye in the 4th
3) Wofford - may be the true darkhorse this year
4) Samford - has lots of talent and is dangerous, but there is just something wrong
5) Mercer - quietly biding its time
6) VMI - gets a promotion for stringing together 2 roads wins in consecutive games
7) Western - still licking its wounds
8) Furman - mistakes galore
9) ETSU - turned into a pumkin in Spartanburg

Predictions:
The Citadel at W Carolina - With WCU having defense problems, Dogs win in the mountains - 34-24
Chattanooga at ETSU - Mocs roll again - 45-3
Kennesaw at Furman - Can Furman pull it all together? Probably - 24-10
Mercer at VMI - Can the Keydets string 3 together? Probably not and Mercer will want some revenge for last year - 28-17
Wofford at Samford - Explosive running against explosive passing, give the Dogs the edge at home - 31-24

These are my initial look at the games. This week should reveal a lot.

[catamount man]

UTC over ETSU
Wofford over Samford
Citadel over my Cats (Hope WCU rises up on this one)
KSU over Furman
Mercer over VMI

[ElCid]

UTC over ETSU
Wofford over Samford
Citadel over my Cats (Hope WCU rises up on this one)
KSU over Furman
Mercer over VMI

Welcome to the party Thomas. I sure hope they don't rise too far. I am headed to the game. Beautiful trip up and setting for a fall game. I still can't figure out Western. Your new QB seems to have it together. Our D is pretty good though. Our O has sputtered a little bit, but I think we are slowly getting it together. I saw all sorts of improvements last game. All depends on how your D fares. They seem to have sputtered as well.

[MUfan]

Chattanooga45- ETSU 10
Samford 34- Wofford 27
KSU 17- Furman 16
Citadel 28- WCU 24
Mercer 35- VMI 24

[OL FU]

I'll pick tomorrow and will pick furman last. Hard not to with 0-4. But in my opinion it is very possible and highly likely that at least 4 Nd maybe six teams in the conference would have exactly the same record against the same schedule. Still it is what it is. The Ccu was the first really disappointing one (except the diehard furman fans still have high expectations ). The Ccu game was simply a nightmare in special teams.

[bonarae]

Chattanooga at ETSU
Wofford at Samford
Mercer at VMI
Kennesaw State at Furman
The Citadel at Western Carolina

[CID1990]

I'll pick tomorrow and will pick furman last. Hard not to with 0-4. But in my opinion it is very possible and highly likely that at least 4 Nd maybe six teams in the conference would have exactly the same record against the same schedule. Still it is what it is. The Ccu was the first really disappointing one (except the diehard furman fans still have high expectations ). The Ccu game was simply a nightmare in special teams.

I'm going to kick you while you're down and say

Furmen sux


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VictoryViking]

Chattanooga - ETSU
Samford - Wofford
KSU - Furman
Citadel - WCU
Mercer - VMI

[OL FU]

Chattanooga at ETSU
Wofford at Samford
Mercer at VMI
Kennesaw State at Furman
The Citadel at Western Carolina

glad you didn't disappoint:p

[PaladinFan]

I'll pick tomorrow and will pick furman last. Hard not to with 0-4. But in my opinion it is very possible and highly likely that at least 4 Nd maybe six teams in the conference would have exactly the same record against the same schedule. Still it is what it is. The Ccu was the first really disappointing one (except the diehard furman fans still have high expectations ). The Ccu game was simply a nightmare in special teams.

Coastal is superb on special teams.

May not be overselling that this is one of the most important games of Bruce Fowler's career. Furman's played a tough schedule. I think Furman fans don't particularly care about that right now. If Fowler won a bunch, maybe you could look past the bad start and point to the schedule. At some point, though, you just have to win some football games.

Furman should be favored against Kennesaw. If the Paladins drop this one at home, I do fear the wheels will start coming off.

[tenNesseeCat]

Chattanooga - ETSU - with a Trump HUGE! hand gesture and all.
Samford - Wofford - by 3
KSU - Furman - by 7
Citadel - WCU - by 10. I think our D does enough, and our O is clicking.
Mercer - VMI - by 3

Power:
UTC
The Citadel
Wofford
Samford
ETSU
WCU
VMI
Mercer
Furman - I don't think they are that bad, just winless.

[OL FU]

Coastal is superb on special teams.

May not be overselling that this is one of the most important games of Bruce Fowler's career. Furman's played a tough schedule. I think Furman fans don't particularly care about that right now. If Fowler won a bunch, maybe you could look past the bad start and point to the schedule. At some point, though, you just have to win some football games.

Furman should be favored against Kennesaw. If the Paladins drop this one at home, I do fear the wheels will start coming off.

I sincerely believe that this game is dependent upon the players getting past an 0-4 start and playing football without letting September get in their heads.

[OL FU]

1. Chattanooga.
2. The Citadel
3. Wofford
4. Samford
5. Mercer
6. Western Carolina
7. VMI
8. ETSU
9. Furman

Realizing ETSU beat WCU, still believe that is a more accurate picture from a power ranking standpoint. As mentioned earlier, I don't necessarily think Furman is last, but you gotta win some to not be placed there. Also, could flip some without worrying about it too much.

Chattanooga at ETSU
Wofford at Samford
Mercer at VMI
Kennesaw State at Furman
The Citadel at Western Carolina

[SU DOG]

Chattanooga - ETSU
Samford - Wofford
KSU - Furman
Citadel - WCU
Mercer - VMI

Sad to see these picks from a poster that has been very pro-Samford. I have to agree with The Citadel poster, however, that something is wrong with my Dogs. Get it fixed and beat Wofford, or look for a dismal season that was supposed to be so promising. I'm not sure we are up to that task, so I reluctantly also go with these picks.

[eiu1999]

Chattanooga at ETSU
Wofford at Samford
Mercer at VMI
Kennesaw State at Furman
The Citadel at Western Carolina

[OrangeAndBlack]

My current power ranks:

1. UTC -- Obvious choice.
2. The Citadel -- Obvious #2 until they prove otherwise.
3. Wofford -- Very impressive so far, especially on defense. That 25 point loss to Ole Miss is looking better by the day. Many FCS teams would lose by 50+ to them.
4. Samford -- Took a big step back by being non-competitive with UTC. I need one more game from them to determine which direction they're headed.
5. Mercer -- A 1 point loss to The Citadel is all that separates this team from the perfect start. The Tennessee Tech score is misleading with the worst call anyone has ever witnessed.
6. Furman -- Many people are fooled by their record, but I am not. Furman is still a team to take seriously. 4 losses to highly respected teams.
7. VMI -- I was defending VMI in the preseason to my friends, but I can't do that anymore. Almost losing to Morehead State and Bucknell is telling me that neither one were flukes.
8. ETSU -- They are growing and got thrown into the fire. Big congrats for beating WCU. However, the loss to Wofford 31-0 is the harsh reality. Our other evidence is from last year when they played another SoCon game and lost 52-0 to Mercer. Just like VMI, 2 is a pattern. Will their pattern this year be blowout losses in the SoCon, or competitive games?
9. Western Carolina -- They are on the fringe of being written off this season. A loss to ETSU is inexcusable. It's going to take a lot to climb back up.


Week 5 picks:

UTC 77, ETSU 0
Wofford 30, Samford 28
Mercer 35, VMI 17
Kennesaw 9, Furman 28
The Citadel 42, WCU 20

[PaladinFan]

My current power ranks:

1. UTC -- Obvious choice.
2. The Citadel -- Obvious #2 until they prove otherwise.
3. Wofford -- Very impressive so far, especially on defense. That 25 point loss to Ole Miss is looking better by the day. Many FCS teams would lose by 50+ to them.
4. Samford -- Took a big step back by being non-competitive with UTC. I need one more game from them to determine which direction they're headed.
5. Mercer -- A 1 point loss to The Citadel is all that separates this team from the perfect start. The Tennessee Tech score is misleading with the worst call anyone has ever witnessed.
6. Furman -- Many people are fooled by their record, but I am not. Furman is still a team to take seriously. 4 losses to highly respected teams.
7. VMI -- I was defending VMI in the preseason to my friends, but I can't do that anymore. Almost losing to Morehead State and Bucknell is telling me that neither one were flukes.
8. ETSU -- They are growing and got thrown into the fire. Big congrats for beating WCU. However, the loss to Wofford 31-0 is the harsh reality. Our other evidence is from last year when they played another SoCon game and lost 52-0 to Mercer. Just like VMI, 2 is a pattern. Will their pattern this year be blowout losses in the SoCon, or competitive games?
9. Western Carolina -- They are on the fringe of being written off this season. A loss to ETSU is inexcusable. It's going to take a lot to climb back up.


Week 5 picks:

UTC 77, ETSU 0
Wofford 30, Samford 28
Mercer 35, VMI 17
Kennesaw 9, Furman 28
The Citadel 42, WCU 20

I imagine Furman is in a tenuous place mentally. I think we've lost nine of their last ten. They aren't getting blown out by any stretch, but losing close game after close game has got to be mentally taxing on everyone.

I think it is hard to turn the corner and convince yourself that you should be winning games. The schedule is brutal, but at some point you just have to rally and decide to hold the line. Maybe this Saturday will get us going. Get some confidence. Get some players back from injury. See what happens.

[OrangeAndBlack]

I imagine Furman is in a tenuous place mentally. I think we've lost nine of their last ten. They aren't getting blown out by any stretch, but losing close game after close game has got to be mentally taxing on everyone.

I think it is hard to turn the corner and convince yourself that you should be winning games. The schedule is brutal, but at some point you just have to rally and decide to hold the line. Maybe this Saturday will get us going. Get some confidence. Get some players back from injury. See what happens.

Kennesaw State is the perfect opponent to get back on track against. Furman should have no trouble.

[PaladinFan]

Kennesaw State is the perfect opponent to get back on track against. Furman should have no trouble.

This is a team Furman of fiften years ago would beat by 34. No promises with this bunch.

I cannot remember the last time we really put it on a team.

[Toby]

The current Massey FCS Composite Rankings (26 rankings):
1. UTC (2)
2. Citadel (12)
3. Wofford (20)
4. Samford (21)
5. Mercer (45)
6. WCU (47)
7. Furman (51)
8. VMI (66)
9. ETSU (81)

The SoCon is the second highest ranked conference.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I was 3-1 last week. It appears I doubted VMI. Here's where I see it after this week:

1) Chattanooga - Now 4-0 with two conference wins
2) The Citadel - Prepping for Western Carolina this week
3) Wofford - Brings ETSU back down to earth
4) Samford - Gets hammered on the road
5) ETSU - Strength of schedule to this point places them here
6) VMI - Now sports a two-game win streak
7) Mercer - Preparing for VMI this week
8) Western Carolina - Preparing for The Citadel this week
9) Furman - the only team yet to win a game so far :(

Predictions
Chattanooga @ ETSU (Beatdown of the Week) - Mocs avenge beatdown laid on them in 2003 with a beatdown of their own
Mercer @ VMI - Keydets extend their win streak
Wofford @ Samford (Game of the Week) - Bulldogs find a way to win
Kennesaw State @ Furman - Paladins finally win one (they better or else)
The Citadel @ Western Carolina - Bulldogs put on a show in Cullowhee

[brock20]

Interested to see how Furman does against Kennesaw. This will give a better idea of how ETSU has done so far.

[FUBeAR]

The current Massey FCS Composite Rankings: The SoCon is the second highest ranked conference.



Team
# of Teams
Record / Win%
Rating Rank / Composite Rating
Power Rank / Composite Rating
Off Rank / Composite Rating
Def Rank / Composite Rating
SoS Played
SoS Played+Future
Home Field Advantage


Missouri Valley (MVFC)
10
19-11
1
1
1
1
1
1
2.44


Rating


0.633
1.16
36.28
46.24
17.67
31.99
35.49






Southern (SoCon)
9
12-6
2
2
3
3
3
3
2.35


Rating

0.667
0.92
28.34
40.87
15.09
28.11
28.53















Big Sky
13
16-19
3
3
2
6
2
2
2.63


Rating


0.457
0.90
28.15
44.04
11.68
30.95
29.53















Colonial (CAA)
12
18-15
4
5
7
4
4
4
1.70


Rating

0.545
0.83
25.73
38.45
14.89
27.96
26.75















Big South
7
11-14
5
4
8
2
6
6
2.09


Rating


0.440
0.82
26.20
38.24
15.65
27.18
24.70















Southland (SLC)
11
5-13
6
6
4
7
5
5
1.56


Rating

0.278
0.73
23.60
39.87
11.31
27.34
25.21















Ivy League
8
6-6
7
7
9
5
8
9
0.78


Rating


0.500
0.72
23.05
37.42
13.36
21.74
22.04















Patriot League (PL)
7
11-14
8
8
6
8
9
8
1.12


Rating

0.440
0.66
21.19
38.57
10.25
21.7
22.13















OH Valley (OVC)
9
10-15
9
9
5
9
7
7
2.02


Rating


0.400
0.65
20.63
38.62
9.63
24.59
23.76















Northeast (NEC)
7
12-13
10
10
11
10
11
10
2.03


Rating

0.480
0.38
12.54
32.1
8.04
12.99
14.30















Pioneer (PFL)
11
14-16
12
11
13
11
15
12
2.23


Rating


0.467
0.17
5.97
29.01
4.58
6.04
6.49















Mid-Eastern AC (MEAC)
11
4-24
13
13
14
12
10
11
1.71


Rating

0.143
0.13
4.14
28.57
3.24
20.48
10.19















Southwestern AC (SWAC)
10
1-12
14
14
12
14
13
14
-0.16


Rating


0.077
0.01
0.85
29.32
-0.91
7.06
4.80





I'd say Mr. Massey does his homework. Hopefully, the NCAA FCS Playoff Selection Committee will do theirs (this year)!

[OrangeAndBlack]

I can't believe people are placing Furman at the bottom of power ranks, and picking Kennesaw to beat them. The schedule that FU played might be the toughest in all of FCS so far. Not only that, but they were competitive. If anyone is sleeping on Furman I think they'll get a rude awakening.

[Mocs123]

Chattanooga- 38 - ETSU is better than most of us thought, but the Mocs continue to roll.
ETSU- 6

Wofford - 28- Game of the Week - Samford has an explosive offense, and in past years Wofford has struggled against the pass, but they seem to have that remedied. I am picking Wofford in a close one.
Samford- 24

Mercer- 27 - Mercer still has playoff aspirations and they travel up to Lexington and take care of business.
VMI -17

Kennesaw State-17
Furman-24 - This is a must win game for Furman, and I think they get it done, and get an OOC win for the SoCon.

The Citadel- 41 - WCU has an explosive offense, and they will ruin somebody’s season, but they have issues on defense, and The Citadel is really good and after a week to prepare, it won’t take a 4th quarter comeback.
Western Carolina- 28

Rankings -
1.) Chattanooga - Got a great win against #22 Samford.
2.) The Citadel - Beat bye with a comeback late in the 4th quarter.
3.) Wofford - The Terriers are quietly having a solid season.
4.) Mercer - Had a week off to get ready for VMI.
5.) Samford - The Bulldogs got knocked down by Chattanooga, how do they respond this week?
6.) Furman - TOUGH Schedule - It’s hard for me to put an 0-4 team this high, but their schedule has been brutal, and I think this is a pretty good team. Lose this week, and I will have to drop them significantly.
7.) ETSU - Better than everyone thought.
8.) VMI - The Keydets get another OOC win for the SoCon and move up a spot.
9. Western Carolina - I never saw this coming. This team is too talented to be #9 but I am not sure where else to put them. If this team can get it together, they have top tier talent.

[OL FU]

I can't believe people are placing Furman at the bottom of power ranks, and picking Kennesaw to beat them. The schedule that FU played might be the toughest in all of FCS so far. Not only that, but they were competitive. If anyone is sleeping on Furman I think they'll get a rude awakening.

i put fu there. Not sure we should be but winning matters. Yes it has been a tough schedule but when we win I'll move us up

[ElCid]

i put fu there. Not sure we should be but winning matters. Yes it has been a tough schedule but when we win I'll move us up

I actually had ETSU on the bottom. They were exposed, maybe WCU as well, but they might have just had an off game. I actually think they are better than that game showed. I think they were playing down to ETSU and it got away from them. Furman will handle Kennesaw all right. I think VMI is not getting enough love as well. Yes they squeaked the last two games out, but more importantly, they are learning how to win again. Takes time but it makes them more dangerous as well.

[OL FU]

I actually had ETSU on the bottom. They were exposed, maybe WCU as well, but they might have just had an off game. I actually think they are better than that game showed. I think they were playing down to ETSU and it got away from them. Furman will handle Kennesaw all right. I think VMI is not getting enough love as well. Yes they squeaked the last two games out, but more importantly, they are learning how to win again. Takes time but it makes them more dangerous as well.

While I hoped otherwise I expected to be 0-4 at this point. On uffp I predicted 5-6 which means I thought we would win 5 of the next 7. Still think that is possible but this weekend is a must . Lose that one and we are done physically and mentally. It does not need to be in doubt at the end of the game

[woffordgrad94]

This is a team Furman of fiften years ago would beat by 34. No promises with this bunch.

I cannot remember the last time we really put it on a team.
Well it was probably against Wofford. I can definitely remember a couple of times Furman really put it on us. You guys will get it together and be back...too much historical success not to.

[Milktruck74]

Sad to see these picks from a poster that has been very pro-Samford. I have to agree with The Citadel poster, however, that something is wrong with my Dogs. Get it fixed and beat Wofford, or look for a dismal season that was supposed to be so promising. I'm not sure we are up to that task, so I reluctantly also go with these picks.

Why so hard on your team? Samford is still a good football team, not great, but good (Hatcher is capable of building a good team, but a great team requires defense...which he doesn't do!!!) Samford beat a very solid UCA team, which will end up in the top 15-20 by the end of the season. They were able to put up 21 points on arguably the best defense in the country. I know your crazy fans thought you were going to march into Finley and spank the number 3/5 team in the country at their place, but it didn't happen. So, quit complaining and go beat Wofford and accept the soCon's 3rd spot (2nd if you beat Cit) in this years playoffs.

[tenNesseeCat]

WCU has an explosive offense, and they will ruin somebody’s season, but they have issues on defense[/B]

I personally think that not having Riddle for the last two games has surely been a hurdle for our D. No excuses for the sloppy/poor play we've seen from them at times. They just have to learn to play a whole game. They were on par with what The Citadel did with GW. Pretty well lights out for about 2-1/2 quarters, and gave up 10 less points than The Citadel, and 7 less than FBS Ohio. Then you look at the ETSU game. They played good up until our fumble right before the half. 21-3 at that point, and it was looking more like 28-3. The momentum changed then, and I think frustration set in for the D. Hence the flags that sustained ETSU drives more than once. I don't think we are in as bad a shape as everyone thinks, but the D does need to get their act together. Hopefully we've made some corrections and refocused in our off week.

[Catamount87]

Really defense isn't our biggest issue, discipline in our biggest issue. We have committed 29 penalties for 222 yards; that's 10 penalties a game for 74 yards. We are the most penalized team in the SoCon. The average for all SoCon teams is 6 for 56. A majority of our penalties are discipline related, 15 false starts and 3 personal fouls. So, that's 18 of our 29 penalties or 62%. To add salt to the wound, quite a few have come at horrible times. That is, they gave opponents 1st downs, very short yardage situations or did the opposite, negated a 1st down for us or put us in long yardage situations. Yep, we are beating ourselves.

Power Ranking


1. Chattanooga - Solid defensive effort to stop a strong Samford offense back to sole possession of #1
2. The Citadel - Getting it done even if by the skin of their teeth
3. Wofford - Solid defense and ball control offense means methodically moving down the field and up the charts
4. Samford - Defense was good but not good enough to keep up with the Mocs
5. ETSU - Solid play but some holes might be starting to show
8. (Tie) Mercer - Off week might have been a good thing to get them regrouped and refocused
VMI - 2 road wins but will the defense keep them competitive?
WCU - Like Mercer, an off week to address issues, regroup and refocus
9. Furman - Here only because they are 0-4. The brutal early schedule is over. Still, they can't be overlooked.

Predictions


Chattanooga at ETSU - Bucs hang tough for a while but it'll be ugly in the end
Wofford at Samford - Terriers by a nose because of a strong defense and ball control offense
Mercer at VMI - Evenly match offenses but Mercer is a bit better on defense
Kennesaw State at Furman - The Paladins get it together after a BRUTAL Sept.
The Citadel at Western Carolina - Disciplined play will ultimate decide the winner

[FUBeAR]

So, quit complaining and go beat Wofford and accept the soCon's 3rd spot (2nd if you beat Cit) in this years playoffs.

So, I'm guessing that you think Mercer and Wofford will be fighting it our for the SoCon's 4th Playoff spot this season. Right?

I can see that. I can also see FU rallying to grab that spot...and you really can't count out VMI, ETSU, or WCU at this point in the season. Hey, maybe, as the SoCon is clearly the 2nd strongest FCS Conference, we should start talking about that 5th Playoff spot as well.

[Milktruck74]

Yep. I do think that the planets have to align to get 4 SoCon slots. Not saying the SoCon doesn't deserve 4, but we are going to have to take one away from the MVFC, they are sitting on six.....if they only get 5, maybe we get 4....

[ElCid]

This weeks preview of SOCON games on The FCS Wedge

http://thefcswedge.com/socon/socon-week-5-preview/


The Southern Conference cranks up a full slate of conference play with 4 games scheduled this week. Furman plays Kennesaw St from the Big South in the lone out of conference game. The Paladins are looking for their first win after a cruel September schedule left them 0-4. One of the biggest games is Wofford at Samford where the Bulldogs hope to bounce back in the conference title run after being handled last week by Chattanooga....

[woffordgrad94]

This weeks preview of SOCON games on The FCS Wedge

http://thefcswedge.com/socon/socon-week-5-preview/

Samford by at least 10? Oh well. Opinions are like butts; everybody has one.

[ElCid]

Samford by at least 10? Oh well. Opinions are like butts; everybody has one.


Don't forget they also STINK!

[woffordgrad94]

Don't forget they also STINK!
Yep. Opinions are like butts. Everybody has one, but some stink more than others. xthumbsupx

[Mocs123]

I would be totally shocked if we get 4 playoff spots.

ETSU is probably already out with 2 non D1 games. Technically they would have 8 D1 wins if they win out but would have to beat UTC, the Citadel, Wofford, Samford, Mercer, VMI and Furman and how likely is that.

Furman has to win out but it "looks" like they have already played the two hardest conference foes. "If" they both win this week next weeks game vs Samford would be huge for both programs. So while its possible for the Paladins to grab a spot, the odds are are against them.

WCU could still drop one FCS game and still get in but with all of the SoCon to negotiate through (save ETSU) the odds are stacked against them too.

VMI is still in the picture which is more than they have been able to say for a long time. They could drop two and get in but have yet to play a single SoCon game.

Mercer is still in it. They can drop one more game and get in and they already have played the citadel.

Wofford can drop one more game and have quietly had a good season thus far. This week will tell us a lot about whether Wofford is a real contender for the playoffs.

Samford has the best OOC win in the SoCon which may help them get an at large berth. They do have to win out to get 8 D1 wins though so each week will be do or die.

Chattanooga and The Ciadel still can drop a game and get to the magic number of 8 D1 wins. They both hurt themselves by playing a non D1 this year. This makes their matchup in Charleston very interesting.

Of course a team with only 7 D1 wins can still get in but will definitely be on the bubble. We have a real chance to be 12-1 against FCS OOC foes (come on Furman and Mercer- finish it out) but when you look at who we beat - the only win against a team anywhere near the top 25 is Samfords against Central Arkansas.

[FUBeAR]

the magic number of 8 D1 wins

Magic? 8 Wins? Almost 40% of the the At-Large Teams in 2015 had less than 8 wins.

If a team with 7 wins and ZERO OOC wins playing in a Conference currently ranked as the 8th strongest of 10 that participate in the Playoffs can make it in with only 7 wins, I sure don't see 8 as the 'magic' number for Teams playing in the TOUGH SoCon. Heck, a Team with only 6 wins made it last year playing in the only conference that is rated stronger than the SoCon, with their only OOC win over a Team in the 8th ranked Playoff Conference; a team that had 0 wins outside of that 8th ranked Conference. xrotatehx

Any team that can emerge from the SoCon with 7 wins should be almost an 'automatic' At-Large Playoff Team. Heck if a SoCon Team has only 5 wins and can, somehow, steal an SEC scalp at the end of the year to get to 6 wins, they should be 'automatic' as well.

2015 At-Large Playoff Teams with < 8 Wins
* New Hampshire (7-4) (CAA) (Finished somewhere between 4th & 6th in CAA, depending on how/if they do tiebreakers) (0 FBS Wins, 2 OOC FCS Wins (PL, NEC))

* Montana (7-4) (BigSky) (3rd Place in Big Sky) (0 FBS Wins, 1 OOC Win (MVFC))

* UNI (7-4) (MVFC) (Finished somewhere between 3rd & 5th Place in MVFC depending on how/if they do tiebreakers) (0 FBS Wins, 2 OOC FCS Wins (BigSky))

* Eastern Ill. (7-4) (OVC) (Finished 2nd in OVC) (0 FBS Wins, 0 OOC Wins)

* Western Ill. (6-5) (MVFC) (Finished somewhere between 3rd & 5th Place in MVFC depending on how/if they do tiebreakers) (0 FBS Wins, 1 OOC FCS Win (OVC)

[walliver]

...
ETSU is probably already out with 2 non D1 games. Technically they would have 8 D1 wins if they win out but would have to beat UTC, the Citadel, Wofford, Samford, Mercer, VMI and Furman and how likely is that.

...

They've already lost one of those. Of course if they win out they would possibly get the autobid (the only team that could beat them in that scenario would be Wofford). Of course that is about as likely as finding out that Chelsea is Hillary and Donald's lovechild.

[Mocs123]

Wrong or not the SoCon doesn't have the proceved strength of the MVFC or caa.

I know UTC was left out in the cold in 2013 as tied for #1 and WCU was left out in 2014 or 2015.

[moc n tn1991]

Chattanooga over ETSU, 41 - 3. Chattanooga will come in focused to start the game.
Samford over Wofford, 31 - 28. Samford feels like they have to win, and will be home.
Mercer over VMI, 30 -13. Mercer is much stronger than VMI
Furman over Kennesaw St, 35-10. Furman will get their offense on track for this game.
Western Carolina over The Citadel, 24 - 21. I don't know why, but I get a feeling about this game. (But it may be gas)

[Toby]

They've already lost one of those. Of course if they win out they would possibly get the autobid (the only team that could beat them in that scenario would be Wofford). Of course that is about as likely as finding out that Chelsea is Hillary and Donald's lovechild.

Well maybe not Donald's but.........

[FUBeAR]

Wrong or not the SoCon doesn't have the proceved strength of the MVFC or caa.

Whose perception? I've already shown MasseyRatings.
Below are the current Sagarin Rankings.

Their models use iterative processes to compare all games and mathematically determine strength of a Team and/or a Conference. For an individual Team, I can understand people placing more value in the 'eye-test' than a computer model, but when it comes to evaluating the strength of a 12 Team Conference vs. the strength of a 9 Team Conference on the other side of the country, this type of statistical modeling is CLEARLY more accurate than the anecdotal, "Oh yeah, well Whatsamatta U only lost to Bemidji State by 3 points and Bemidji beat Faber by a touchdown. Besides Faber's linemen are all 6-6 325!"



RANK
CONFERENCE
CENTRAL MEAN
SIMPLE AVERAGE
TEAMS
WIN50%


1
MISSOURI VALLEY (MVFC)
57.24
57.00
10
57.03


2
SOUTHERN (SoCon)
47.72
47.59
9
47.67


3
COLONIAL (CAA)
47.53
46.98
12
47.42


4
BIG SKY
46.44
47.05
13
46.78


5
OHIO VALLEY (OVC)
44.81
44.57
9
44.65


6
BIG SOUTH
41.56
42.18
6
41.88


7
PATRIOT (PL)
40.34
40.53
7
40.46


8
SOUTHLAND (SLC)
40.20
40.38
11
40.35


9
NORTHEAST (NEC)
34.84
34.51
7
34.60


10
PIONEER (PFL)
20.51
20.72
11
20.59

[chattownmocs]

I see no reason why wofford can't dominate samford at the line of scrimmage and come away with a win.

[woffordgrad94]

I see no reason why wofford can't dominate samford at the line of scrimmage and come away with a win.
That's the best post you've ever made here. xthumbsupx:D

[CID1990]

I don't know what some of you are smoking but the SoCon is not going to get 4 teams in under any circumstances. 3 is a stretch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[woffordgrad94]

I think we can get three in this year, but four is doubtful. Someone might get "woofed"...just hope it isn't Wofford

[PaladinFan]

Good grief.

Coastal Carolina scored 41 points against Furman. 21 of those points came with Furman's defense on the sideline (Coastal had a interception, blocked FG, and punt returned for touchdowns).

Furman's defense surrendered 10 points on two drives that started deep inside Furman territory after a fumble and a long kick return. Only twice did Coastal drive the ball for points over 50 yards (field goal and touchdown).

This kind of stuff is backbreaking and systemic of today's Furman football. Coastal scored 31 of 41 points on 36 yards of total offense. Furman has a good to potentially really good defense that cannot help win games because our offense and special teams are just unbelievably bad.

[ElCid]

Good grief.

Coastal Carolina scored 41 points against Furman. 21 of those points came with Furman's defense on the sideline (Coastal had a interception, blocked FG, and punt returned for touchdowns).

Furman's defense surrendered 10 points on two drives that started deep inside Furman territory after a fumble and a long kick return. Only twice did Coastal drive the ball for points over 50 yards (field goal and touchdown).

This kind of stuff is backbreaking and systemic of today's Furman football. Coastal scored 31 of 41 points on 36 yards of total offense. Furman has a good to potentially really good defense that cannot help win games because our offense and special teams are just unbelievably bad.

Yeah, I listened to much of the game., Sucked to be a Paladin on Saturday. I really thought you would recover after the half, but it is so hard after Murphy rears his ugly head, so many times. After years in the desert, we Bulldog fans know. Who is stating this week at QB?

[Mocs123]

Yeah I saw where 21 points were not scored against the Furman D. I had to check out the box score because I couldn't imagine a team putting up 41 points against that D, which I thought was really good.

It's a shame that a D that good can't get the supporting cast around them. I remember back in the Kirkpatrick days we had some really good offenses but never could get a defense to go with it. We would score 40 points and lose. Whew, as a Moc fan I sat through some terrible football before Huesman was hired.

[PaladinFan]

Yeah I saw where 21 points were not scored against the Furman D. I had to check out the box score because I couldn't imagine a team putting up 41 points against that D, which I thought was really good.

It's a shame that a D that good can't get the supporting cast around them. I remember back in the Kirkpatrick days we had some really good offenses but never could get a defense to go with it. We would score 40 points and lose. Whew, as a Moc fan I sat through some terrible football before Huesman was hired.

To this point, I think only Michigan State has managed more than 21 against Furman's defense. Not a good day when your offense and special teams surrender more than your defense.

What is annoying is that I firmly believe that Furman's game plan should be similar to what they did against UTC. Try to move the ball and punt the other team deep. I think we stand a much better chance scoring by forcing a turnover midfield than actually trying to drive the ball 80 yards.

[PaladinFan]

Yeah, I listened to much of the game., Sucked to be a Paladin on Saturday. I really thought you would recover after the half, but it is so hard after Murphy rears his ugly head, so many times. After years in the desert, we Bulldog fans know. Who is stating this week at QB?

The depth chart lists Hannon, but the depth chart rarely means much to Bruce Fowler.

Hannon is a good player, but Furman rarely threatens much in the running game, so it is fairly easy for defenses to key on the pass.

I'm firmly in the camp that Furman needs to run the ball 50 times and see what happens. Our coaches talk about being a running team, and then abandon it at the first sign of trouble, which invariably just leads to a bigger hole with turnovers and stalled drives.

[FUBeAR]

I think we can get three in this year, but four is doubtful. Someone might get "woofed"...just hope it isn't Wofford

...shouldn't be...

The FCS Football Championship Committee includes athletic directors...

Brian Hutchinson, Chairman (Morehead State) (PFL)
Paul Schlickmann (Central Connecticut) (NEC)
Nathan Pine (Holy Cross) (Patriot League)
Brad Teague (Central Arkansas) (Southland)
Jeff Tingey (Idaho State) (Big Sky)
Richard Johnson (Wofford) (SoCon)
Greg Seitz (Jacksonville State) (OVC)
Marty Scarano (New Hampshire) (CAA)
Kyle Moats (Missouri State) (MVFC)
Chuck Burch (Gardner-Webb) (Big South)

[ElCid]

...shouldn't be...

The FCS Football Championship Committee includes athletic directors...

Brian Hutchinson, Chairman (Morehead State) (PFL)
Paul Schlickmann (Central Connecticut) (NEC)
Nathan Pine (Holy Cross) (Patriot League)
Brad Teague (Central Arkansas) (Southland)
Jeff Tingey (Idaho State) (Big Sky)
Richard Johnson (Wofford) (SoCon)
Greg Seitz (Jacksonville State) (OVC)
Marty Scarano (New Hampshire) (CAA)
Kyle Moats (Missouri State) (MVFC)
Chuck Burch (Gardner-Webb) (Big South)


I guess that means NH gets in again even if they have a 6-5 record.xlolx

[kdinva]

You gotta appreciate this piece on VMI's DE JC Garvin, the medical "scare" he had recently:

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/colleges/vmi-football-senior-went-through-open-heart-surgery-now-back/article_3a145225-4027-5f31-b0b8-c57af323f7a8.html

[chattanoogamocs]

I wonder when the last time a top 5 college football team played in a high school stadium? I would assume that is a relatively rare occurrence? Not meant as smack, serious question.

[ChattaHatta]

Chattanooga over ETSU | Mocs get going early and often as they sink the Bucs.
Wofford over Samford | Bulldogs can't handle the ankle-biter's as Wofford's defense learns from UTC's tape and shuts down Samford's offense.
Mercer over VMI | Close game, but Mercer works some magic to win this one late.
Furman over Kennesaw St | Furman's defense makes up for their offense as they handle KSU in the second half.
The Citadel over WCU | The Citadel runs over a reeling WCU team.

[Milktruck74]

I wonder when the last time a top 5 college football team played in a high school stadium? I would assume that is a relatively rare occurrence? Not meant as smack, serious question.

It has been a number of years since I made a trip around the SoCon, but I can assure you SHHS stadium is nicer than 1/2 of the SoCon Stadiums...so Based on that....well GSU, APP ST, Furman, Wofford......all had to play in Charleston, Cullawhee, Chattanooga (in Chamberlain), and Furman was winning National Championships and Playing their home games in a stadium not as nice as SH.

[chattanoogamocs]

It has been a number of years since I made a trip around the SoCon, but I can assure you SHHS stadium is nicer than 1/2 of the SoCon Stadiums...so Based on that....well GSU, APP ST, Furman, Wofford......all had to play in Charleston, Cullawhee, Chattanooga (in Chamberlain), and Furman was winning National Championships and Playing their home games in a stadium not as nice as SH.


I wasn't downing Science Hill, which has a nice stadium...hell, compared to these 60 and 70 million dollar high school stadiums they are building in Texas, most FCS and G5 stadiums would not be up to snuff...but my question remains the same, I wonder when the last time a top 5 college football team played a game in a high school stadium? That has to be a rare occurrence.


(on a side note, NC State's women's basketball team played their home games in a high school gym last year while they renovated Reynolds Coliseum)

[ChattaHatta]

I wasn't downing Science Hill, which has a nice stadium...hell, compared to these 60 and 70 million dollar high school stadiums they are building in Texas, most FCS and G5 stadiums would not be up to snuff...but my question remains the same, I wonder when the last time a top 5 college football team played a game in a high school stadium? That has to be a rare occurrence.


(on a side note, NC State's women's basketball team played their home games in a high school gym last year while they renovated Reynolds Coliseum)

I believe TCU's Men's and Women's basketball teams played in a high school gym while their arena was being renovated as well.

[ElCid]

I wasn't downing Science Hill, which has a nice stadium...hell, compared to these 60 and 70 million dollar high school stadiums they are building in Texas, most FCS and G5 stadiums would not be up to snuff...but my question remains the same, I wonder when the last time a top 5 college football team played a game in a high school stadium? That has to be a rare occurrence.


(on a side note, NC State's women's basketball team played their home games in a high school gym last year while they renovated Reynolds Coliseum)

Interesting question but I am not sure if its that big of a deal. Heck, Charleston Southern finished #7 last year and theirs is on par with a HS stadium. Considering South Carolina, it is below many HS stadiums.

[chattanoogamocs]

Interesting question but I am not sure if its that big of a deal. Heck, Charleston Southern finished #7 last year and theirs is on par with a HS stadium. Considering South Carolina, it is below many HS stadiums.

I don't think it is a big deal either...just an interesting anomaly.

The last time I went to a high school stadium, I was in high school. ;)

[MR. CHICKEN]

CHATTANOOGA
SAMFORD
MERCER
FURMAN
WESTERN CAROLINA

[ElCid]

Wow, one thing I did not realize is how good WCU has been at home the last two years. They are 5-1 in 2014 and 5-0 last year. Granted that was with 3 Div II wins over that time, but they are 6-1 in SOCON play at home with that one loss coming against UTC. Pretty good considering that SOCON home teams went 13-15 last year in conference play. Should be a great game Saturday against my Bulldogs.

[chattanoogamocs]

Wow, one thing I did not realize is how good WCU has been at home the last two years. They are 5-1 in 2014 and 5-0 last year. Granted that was with 3 Div II wins over that time, but they are 6-1 in SOCON play at home with that one loss coming against UTC. Pretty good considering that SOCON home teams went 13-15 last year in conference play. Should be a great game Saturday against my Bulldogs.

2014 / 2015
SoCon Home Games

7-0 Chattanooga
6-1 Western Carolina (L CHA)
5-2 The Citadel (L CHA, L SAM)
4-3 Wofford
3-4 Samford
2-5 Furman
1-6 Mercer
1-6 VMI

(I did this quickly, I think it is correct)

[catamount man]

Wow, one thing I did not realize is how good WCU has been at home the last two years. They are 5-1 in 2014 and 5-0 last year. Granted that was with 3 Div II wins over that time, but they are 6-1 in SOCON play at home with that one loss coming against UTC. Pretty good considering that SOCON home teams went 13-15 last year in conference play. Should be a great game Saturday against my Bulldogs.

Certainly hope the home mojo keeps going but you guys are just rolling. I hope we keep it close. Hope you got my PM. I'm leaving SC early. Plan to be at Tuck's Tap and Grille about noon to watch Miami-Ga Tech b4 heading to the stadium. Drive careful, GO CATS!

[catamount man]

week 5 picks
El Cid.....ouch. Hope WCU's defense shows up.
Wofford over Sammy
Chatt over the Bucs
VMI over Mercer. Yep, they are due.
Furman over Kennesaw

[ElCid]

Certainly hope the home mojo keeps going but you guys are just rolling. I hope we keep it close. Hope you got my PM. I'm leaving SC early. Plan to be at Tuck's Tap and Grille about noon to watch Miami-Ga Tech b4 heading to the stadium. Drive careful, GO CATS!

Got it. I will try and make it to the grill. How long you staying there before heading over?

[longtimemocfan]

Chattanooga @ ETSU- Mocs may have a little bit of a let down after big win, but get rolling when it counts. Mocs 35-10.
Wofford @ Samford- (Game of the week) Good test for both teams. Samford has a talented QB and receiving core. Wofford good defense and can run the ball well. Samford in toss up game 28-24.
Mecer @ VMI - AL Cobb likes playing against Mercer as he has thrown for 322 and 391 in their 2 meetings. Hard to get a read for this game as the visiting team has won both games. Another toss up game. VMI at home 27-24.
The Citadel @ WCU- Western plays well at home, but not sure they have found their way yet. Think it will be relatively close game in El Cid's favor 31-21.
Kennesaw State @ Furman- Paladins probably best 0-4 team in the country. Need to put it together and think they will. Furman 24-14.

Chattanooga
The Citadel
Wofford
Samford
Mercer
Furman
VMI
WCU
ETSU

[CID1990]

This WCU game concerns me. We have not yet played well enough to beat the WCU team that throttled GW. If that team shows up (and they usually do at home) we will not win.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[catamount man]

Got it. I will try and make it to the grill. How long you staying there before heading over?

2:30. Tuck's is right on campus. game is at 3:30

[FUBeAR]

3-1 last week - Rather proud of myself...
* Almost nailed the Woffy-ETSU score (31-3 vs. 31-0 (actual) - underestimated how terrier-torial woffy's D was going to be, I guess)
* Hit the 'number' on Sammy-Chatt (48-28 vs. 41-21 (actual) - I blame the clock operator!)
* Reasonably close on VMI-LesserBison (27-24 vs. 23-17 (actual) - 5 total scoreless possessions from the 25 yard line in 3 OT's threw me off, I think)
* Didn't factor in that the BeachCheekin's were gonna almost bat for the cycle in the return game vs. FU; so that one, um, sucked...a lot!

16-8 - hitting .667 for the season - I'll take it.

* Chattanooga at ETSU (SDN) - 12:00 p.m. 42-7 - Mercer almost beat the Mocs in their 1st game in Chatt back in '14 & I'm pulling hard for the Bucs to pull it off. Alas, they have no chance in this one. Coach Huesman calls off the snakes/shoes/trains/birds early (#2 of 4 in the new kids SoCon slide after upsetting the BigSouth Hooters and the Cantamounts)

* Mercer at VMI (ESPN3) - 1:30 p.m. - Bears are getting #13 back this week; so let's use that. Mercer 31 - Kanga 17 (I suck at math, BTW)

* Kennesaw State at Furman (ESPN3) - 3:00 p.m. - Calling for that PalDog Breakout game again this week - FU 35 - Emu's (they don't fly, right?) 10

* Wofford at Samford (ESPN3) - 3:00 p.m. - Good vs. Evil in my Offensive Football Philosophy Moral Code - Pulling for EVIL, but I think the good gets 'em - Woffy 24 - Sammy 21

* The Citadel at Western Carolina (ESPN3) - 3:30 p.m - If I was EVER going to be a fan of the KullowheeKittyKats, it would be this week, but I think their D is coughing up fur balls right now. LuggageSchleppers win big 42-17

Power rankings
1. Chattanooga - dominated the boys from Homewood - gotta keep the Mocs #1 in my PowerRanking & Chattttttttttown #1 in my heart!

2, The Citadel - I really hate putting them here every week. C'MON CATS!!!!!!

3, Wofford - Wow! - 6th to 3rd after a Home win over a 2nd year program. C'MON SAMMY - Do that voodoo that you do!

4. Mercer - still clinging on to that 4th SoCon Playoff spot. Bears Beat TTU (and their striped-shirted friends) worse than the score showed in their last outing. How big is that 1-point that El Cid beat the Bears by? It's HUGE! TCB in VA and then the Bears will have a chance to truly recover from that El Cid loss when they play the following week up in The Scenic City.

5. Samford - I warned them last week. Lose bad to Chatt & you gotta fall down...just outta that 4th Playoff spot the SoCon is going to get this year. Can they recover?

6. Furman - Still believe that they 'Dins will right the ship - got ALL of the bad-ness out in 1 game at the Beach. We've all been BAD at the Beach before, right? Expect them to move up.

7. VMI - Had the chance to see a good bit of them on video this week. They do not look nearly as good this year as they did last season. Maybe Akron, MoreHead, and Bucknell are JUST THAT GOOD!....guess we'll find out tomorrow

8. ETSU - Bucs, last week, lost the 1st of 4 in a row that they will lose. Thought they would be more competitive vs. Woffy - but Woffy is REALLY good on both sides of the LOS. Don't see ETSU moving up above this ranking this season. They could slide down 1 position though.

9. Western Carolina - Leaving you CATS down here in the wet, musty, awful-smelling basement as a motivational tool. Now, BEAT THE BELLHOPS!!!!

[ETSUfan1]

WTF is Furman doing?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Milktruck74]

Just when you thought we might need to send someone to FuBear's place to talk him down off the ledge.....what a finish to salvage part of his week. I doubt Furple will be coming back.

[FUBeAR]

Just when you thought we might need to send someone to FuBear's place to talk him down off the ledge.....what a finish to salvage part of his week. I doubt Furple will be coming back.

LOL - close!

SoCon Refs make themselves the STARS of the game again; including a bad call on VMI (see, I'm objective) to give Mercer a chance to tie/win a game that would have been won long before except for their awful calls.

Even worse, they screwed up my score prediction. If they don't call back a long Mercer TD pass, calling OPI on a player running BY HIMSELF down the middle of the field, I think my prediction was going to be spot on.

FU just scored by the way - Greatest comeback in history on deck?

[chattownmocs]

Are they really going to give fowler the full year? How can he not be removed right now?

[OrangeAndBlack]

Kennesaw State is the perfect opponent to get back on track against. Furman should have no trouble.

Is it too late to take back all my Furman praise? xeyebrowx

[ElCid]

Catamount Man with his head hung low. We had a good time together. I had a little better day than he did.


http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=23637&stc=1

[Milktruck74]

Are they really going to give fowler the full year? How can he not be removed right now?

What do they gain by dropping him mid season? I've never understood that. Let him finish the season, unless you are ready to name a coach. You won't gain on recruiting by getting rid of him now, he just gives up on the process entirely.....the new guy has to start from square one, regardless of if he follows an interim coach or the former head coach.

[chattownmocs]

What do they gain by dropping him mid season? I've never understood that. Let him finish the season, unless you are ready to name a coach. You won't gain on recruiting by getting rid of him now, he just gives up on the process entirely.....the new guy has to start from square one, regardless of if he follows an interim coach or the former head coach.

What are you talking about? You save face and make a statement that this is unacceptable. When someone is doing a terrible job you fire them. What do they have to gain by keeping him?

[catamount man]

Catamount Man with his head hung low. We had a good time together. I had a little better day than he did.


http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=23637&stc=1

Yeah but how bout that 4th quarter. LOL! I did tell everybody that WCU would drop a step back this year with all of the losses on defense, including damn near the entire defensive coaching staff, plus breaking in a RS-FR QB. Still think we can beat Furman and VMI. Not gonna panic. Still a Cat and it is what it is. BTW, REALLY enjoyed the fellowship today. You're good people in my book. Heck all of the Citadel contingent in the Whee today were nice. Good luck winning out in the SoCon.

[catamount man]

WTF is Furman doing?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Unreal. Saw the score when I got home. Un-freaking-real.

[PaladinFan]

What do they gain by dropping him mid season? I've never understood that. Let him finish the season, unless you are ready to name a coach. You won't gain on recruiting by getting rid of him now, he just gives up on the process entirely.....the new guy has to start from square one, regardless of if he follows an interim coach or the former head coach.

It's a fine question. I said earlier this week that this contest with KSU was critical for Bruce Fowler. Furman had some respectable games against good teams, looked bad against Coastal, and really needed to get some momentum at home against a (should have been) lesser opponent. Remember, Furman hasn't won a game since Halloween last year.

The game was an unmitigated disaster.

I believe the coaching staff has lost the players. I think they certainly have now lost the fans. Even I was willing to come off the ledge a bit with a good win against KSU. Furman's played a tough schedule. They are struggling with injuries (again - which is a whole other problem that manifests itself every season). But they are playing like they don't even care to be out there. Fans can abide losing (at least I can), but it is hard to abide just not showing up.

What's bizarre is that Furman's athletics, on the whole, are on the up and up. Furman won every fall sport championship last year but football. Men's soccer is a top 25 program. Basketball should have a respectable shot at a conference title this year. Baseball is looking stronger and just announced Leo Mazzone as a guest instructor. Lots to get excited about. The football teams is literally the sole exception to that.

I don't know what administration is going to do. What is currently going on cannot continue. You start losing the fan base (a very patient fan base, I might add), and the program has no where else to go. Even winning out the rest of the season (highly unlikely) wouldn't and I believe shouldn't save the jobs of the coaching staff right now.

[OL FU]

It's a fine question. I said earlier this week that this contest with KSU was critical for Bruce Fowler. Furman had some respectable games against good teams, looked bad against Coastal, and really needed to get some momentum at home against a (should have been) lesser opponent. Remember, Furman hasn't won a game since Halloween last year.

The game was an unmitigated disaster.

I believe the coaching staff has lost the players. I think they certainly have now lost the fans. Even I was willing to come off the ledge a bit with a good win against KSU. Furman's played a tough schedule. They are struggling with injuries (again - which is a whole other problem that manifests itself every season). But they are playing like they don't even care to be out there. Fans can abide losing (at least I can), but it is hard to abide just not showing up.

What's bizarre is that Furman's athletics, on the whole, are on the up and up. Furman won every fall sport championship last year but football. Men's soccer is a top 25 program. Basketball should have a respectable shot at a conference title this year. Baseball is looking stronger and just announced Leo Mazzone as a guest instructor. Lots to get excited about. The football teams is literally the sole exception to that.

I don't know what administration is going to do. What is currently going on cannot continue. You start losing the fan base (a very patient fan base, I might add), and the program has no where else to go. Even winning out the rest of the season (highly unlikely) wouldn't and I believe shouldn't save the jobs of the coaching staff right now.

As I mentioned on the uffp, I have been quiet about the coaching staff mainly because I prefer to watch football and talk coaches later, but I think after this one we all know what will happen at the end of the season. Not a knock on KSU, they played well, but even if we were supposed to lose this one, that first half was simply unforgiveable and probably the most depressing half of football I have seen in 40 years of being a fan.

[Milktruck74]

It's a fine question. I said earlier this week that this contest with KSU was critical for Bruce Fowler. Furman had some respectable games against good teams, looked bad against Coastal, and really needed to get some momentum at home against a (should have been) lesser opponent. Remember, Furman hasn't won a game since Halloween last year.

The game was an unmitigated disaster.

I believe the coaching staff has lost the players. I think they certainly have now lost the fans. Even I was willing to come off the ledge a bit with a good win against KSU. Furman's played a tough schedule. They are struggling with injuries (again - which is a whole other problem that manifests itself every season). But they are playing like they don't even care to be out there. Fans can abide losing (at least I can), but it is hard to abide just not showing up.

What's bizarre is that Furman's athletics, on the whole, are on the up and up. Furman won every fall sport championship last year but football. Men's soccer is a top 25 program. Basketball should have a respectable shot at a conference title this year. Baseball is looking stronger and just announced Leo Mazzone as a guest instructor. Lots to get excited about. The football teams is literally the sole exception to that.

I don't know what administration is going to do. What is currently going on cannot continue. You start losing the fan base (a very patient fan base, I might add), and the program has no where else to go. Even winning out the rest of the season (highly unlikely) wouldn't and I believe shouldn't save the jobs of the coaching staff right now.

I played for a very Talented team that didn't win games. Coaching plays a big part, but it is only a part of the issue. My experience tells me there is something else going on. I know one of your Staff, and he is beyond an exceptional coach....he is an exceptional Man!!! When the Mocs were having so much issue, The coaching staff was bad, but the players didn't like each other, there was NO TEAM. No Unified Front. No Hanging out. Academics became a huge issue. and UTC's APR dropped to the point they were banned from post season play (like it mattered...you only won 3 games, you're banned from the playoffs). So I say all this, just to ask the question, Is it deeper? And to warn that a culture shift can happen quickly....Losing is a tradition same as wining, but it is much harder to change that culture of losing than to lose the culture of winning. Good luck Furple, right the ship!!!

[PaladinFan]

I played for a very Talented team that didn't win games. Coaching plays a big part, but it is only a part of the issue. My experience tells me there is something else going on. I know one of your Staff, and he is beyond an exceptional coach....he is an exceptional Man!!! When the Mocs were having so much issue, The coaching staff was bad, but the players didn't like each other, there was NO TEAM. No Unified Front. No Hanging out. Academics became a huge issue. and UTC's APR dropped to the point they were banned from post season play (like it mattered...you only won 3 games, you're banned from the playoffs). So I say all this, just to ask the question, Is it deeper? And to warn that a culture shift can happen quickly....Losing is a tradition same as wining, but it is much harder to change that culture of losing than to lose the culture of winning. Good luck Furple, right the ship!!!

Just my take, but when you start getting whipped out there and losing ugly games, it has a lot to do with coaching and preparation.

Furman has lost football games before. We've lost some excruciating games. We've had poor and disappointing seasons. I think the fan base can understand that this is football and that happens.

What is inexcusable, in my view, is games like Saturday, and the Coastal game. UTC, WCU, and Citadel games last year. Samford the year before that. Just not showing up and playing like they don't care. It's an embarrassment to the university, frankly.

Furman has talented players. They played well against Michigan State. They played well at the Citadel. Played well against UTC. They are not completely out-talented out there. They show up and times and give good teams all they want. When you see that, and then turn around and see games like Saturday, you just cannot help but wonder what is going on from the coaching staff.

Look, no one is expecting undefeated seasons. Even when Furman was a top five program no one expected undefeated seasons. I do expect you to go out and play your butts off. I do expect that you can manage more than 69 rushing yards against a 2nd year program or not give up 31 points on 36 yards of offense last week. Those are just horrific numbers.

[Mocs123]

Furmans defense was top notch so I am not sure how you let anyone drop 50 points on that D. The offense needed some work but was not untalented.

I am not sure what is going on at Furman but I hope they get it back together next year (just not against UTC :) ).

[Milktruck74]

Furmans defense was top notch so I am not sure how you let anyone drop 50 points on that D. The offense needed some work but was not untalented.

I am not sure what is going on at Furman but I hope they get it back together next year (just not against UTC :) ).

This bring up another good question and kind of plays into PaladinFans pervious point. The Offense looked pretty bad for 3 qtrs against the Mocs, but the D was tight.....Fast Forward....and KSU hangs 50+ on the D??? THe o was bad for 2 qtrs....then they were lights out and the D stuffed KSU in the second half? Seems like a team that has glimmers of talent on both sides of the ball.....I think they get the right coach and look out!!!! Obviously this year is shot, Next year will be putting in a new system....2018?

- - - Updated - - -

This convo has veered and probably needs it's own Thread. I'll start one.

[CID1990]

It's a fine question. I said earlier this week that this contest with KSU was critical for Bruce Fowler. Furman had some respectable games against good teams, looked bad against Coastal, and really needed to get some momentum at home against a (should have been) lesser opponent. Remember, Furman hasn't won a game since Halloween last year.

The game was an unmitigated disaster.

I believe the coaching staff has lost the players. I think they certainly have now lost the fans. Even I was willing to come off the ledge a bit with a good win against KSU. Furman's played a tough schedule. They are struggling with injuries (again - which is a whole other problem that manifests itself every season). But they are playing like they don't even care to be out there. Fans can abide losing (at least I can), but it is hard to abide just not showing up.

What's bizarre is that Furman's athletics, on the whole, are on the up and up. Furman won every fall sport championship last year but football. Men's soccer is a top 25 program. Basketball should have a respectable shot at a conference title this year. Baseball is looking stronger and just announced Leo Mazzone as a guest instructor. Lots to get excited about. The football teams is literally the sole exception to that.

I don't know what administration is going to do. What is currently going on cannot continue. You start losing the fan base (a very patient fan base, I might add), and the program has no where else to go. Even winning out the rest of the season (highly unlikely) wouldn't and I believe shouldn't save the jobs of the coaching staff right now.

They should poach Mercer's coach.

He only seems to know how to beat The Citadel when he's coaching fermin


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