SoCon Coaches / Media Polls

[chattanoogamocs]

Coaches, no real surprises...

1. Furman (6) 48
2. Georgia Southern (2) 44
3. Appalachian State 35
4. Western Carolina 29
4. Wofford 29
6. Chattanooga 17
7. The Citadel 12
8. Elon 10

Media, interesting to see Wofford get 3 (??) first place votes...

Team (1st place votes) Points
1. Furman (26) 297
2. Georgia Southern (9) 277
3. Appalachian State (1) 229
4. Wofford (3) 188
5. Western Carolina 162
6. Chattanooga 110
7. The Citadel 81
8. Elon 60

[OL FU]

Also, interesting to see the coaches placed Wofford in a tie for fourth with Western and did not give Chattanooga alot of props for moving up. Some but not much. Glad they picked the Paladins for number one, but I don't think they are giving enough credit to playing THE GAME at Paulson.

[SoCon48]

Based on ASU's chances of finding an heir apparent for DaVon Fowlkes and the defense maturing significantly (not to mention a dependable running back stepping up), it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Mountaineers spotted anywhere from 6th up to 2nd. If App can accomplish all three, they could surprise a ton of folks. If not, even 6th would be a nice gift.

Interesting to see Wofford at a more realistic slot. Could it be Danny Boy's residuals have faded or is it simply a full fledged re-building job is underway?

Western Carolina, if they fill in just a few weak spots, could surprise all of us.

[blueballs]

I want to know who voted for Wofford as the #1 team in the conference. Nothing against Wofford's team but to envision them winning the SoCon this year is a real big stretch and strains the credibility of the voting members who tabbed them as such.

These polls are a joke. Did anybody notice the pre-season all conference picks? GSU's Travlis Sims is 2nd team on the o-line even as he is 2nd team on GSU's depth chart!!!

[blueballs]

Also, interesting to see the coaches placed Wofford in a tie for fourth with Western and did not give Chattanooga alot of props for moving up. Some but not much. Glad they picked the Paladins for number one, but I don't think they are giving enough credit to playing THE GAME at Paulson.

Or for the fact that GSU's new starters on the d-line and at QB will have 9 games worth of seasoning by the time we meet in November. If FU and GSU were playing the first game of the season I would favor FU by 10 even though the game is at Paulson, but by November who knows?

[youwouldno]

Western impressed me even in their fairly substantial loss to the Paladins last year. Especially on defense they were athletic and played aggressively... really their offense hung their D out to dry by not putting together sustained drives. If their offense becomes more disciplined and effective, the whole team could be better and really do some damage.

Some of the player picks were pretty weird, but that has its own thread. In any case I think the coach's poll is pretty good, media not so much.

[WCU LawCat]

The offensive problems should be gone with the old OC gone. The QB controversy should also be gone as the challenger to Justin Clark (The Comeback Kid!) is believed to be ineligible. We are waitng on the 05 roster and media guide to be posted because the football staff has been hush hush this offseason. Mainly because of Briggs health.

[Mr. C]

I want to know who voted for Wofford as the #1 team in the conference. Nothing against Wofford's team but to envision them winning the SoCon this year is a real big stretch and strains the credibility of the voting members who tabbed them as such.

These polls are a joke. Did anybody notice the pre-season all conference picks? GSU's Travlis Sims is 2nd team on the o-line even as he is 2nd team on GSU's depth chart!!!
A little birdy in Spartanburg told me the Wofford first place votes were laced with a little home cooking, if you get my drift.

The coaches, not the media, voted on the preseason all-conference team, so maybe they know something we don't. Sims wouldn't have been on the all-conference team in all likelyhood if Coach Sewak hadn't signed off on it. Either Sewak is trying to light a fire under a player, or he plans on adjusting the depth chart.

[Mr. C]

The offensive problems should be gone with the old OC gone. The QB controversy should also be gone as the challenger to Justin Clark (The Comeback Kid!) is believed to be ineligible. We are waitng on the 05 roster and media guide to be posted because the football staff has been hush hush this offseason. Mainly because of Briggs health.
Clark is indeed the starter from what WCU's assistant said today at the rouser. He made no mention of Russell Hemby, but did talk about a freshman backup.

[WCU LawCat]

Clark is indeed the starter from what WCU's assistant said today at the rouser. He made no mention of Russell Hemby, but did talk about a freshman backup.
The Asheville Citizen Times just put out the article stating that Hemby is ineligible. The back up is probably going to be incoming freshman McQueeney. He had a good High School resume.

[Baldy]

The coaches, not the media, voted on the preseason all-conference team, so maybe they know something we don't. Sims wouldn't have been on the all-conference team in all likelyhood if Coach Sewak hadn't signed off on it. Either Sewak is trying to light a fire under a player, or he plans on adjusting the depth chart.

Could be both. The guy who is listed above Sims was supposed to be the starter last season but was sidelined by injury. Sims will have his work cut out for him if he plans to get his job back. Estrada is a MAN.

[SoCon48]

Now, Mr C, surely you aren't implying that Woffie voted for themselves are you? :eek: :eek: Those Einsteins at Wofford should be smart enough to trade off their vote in order to get one rather than voting for themselves.

Maybe not.

[OL FU]

Now, Mr C, surely you aren't implying that Woffie voted for themselves are you? :eek: :eek: Those Einsteins at Wofford should be smart enough to trade off their vote in order to get one rather than voting for themselves.

Maybe not.

The votes they received are in the media poll, not the coaches.

[thirdgendin]

Now, Mr C, surely you aren't implying that Woffie voted for themselves are you? :eek: :eek: Those Einsteins at Wofford should be smart enough to trade off their vote in order to get one rather than voting for themselves.

Maybe not.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the Wofford media (probably radio guys being their "media") voted for Wofford.

[blueballs]

Could be both. The guy who is listed above Sims was supposed to be the starter last season but was sidelined by injury. Sims will have his work cut out for him if he plans to get his job back. Estrada is a MAN.

Good observations by both Mr. C and Baldy. That indeed could be the case. Having seen Estrada though he is a certified badass. GSU has a nice middle of the o-line with Wayne, Motte, Sims and Estrada. If these guys stay healthy you can look for Austin and Andrews to put up some pretty big #'s.

[Mr. C]

After spending quite a bit of quality time with coach Sewak in Spartanburg, I can tell you he is REAL jazzed about his offensive line and his depth there. We talked about Motte being probably the favorite right now for the Jacobs Award as the best blocker in the Southern Conference and he thinks that Lance Wayne will win one of those before he is through at GSU, too. Sims is listed No. 1 right now on the depth chart in the Southern Conference media guide (which was released this week), with Estrada listed as No. 2. Mike hinted that he would probably use a lot of guys on the offensive line, so both will probably play significant roles. He also spoke glowingly of receiver Tim Camp, who he thinks could develop into another Teddy Craft-type player this season. The problem will be finding someone to throw them the ball. Sewak also hinted that the race for starting QB is far from settled, that either Jayson Foster, or Darius Smiley could win the job in camp, or during the first few games of the season. Sewak was really pleased that 80 players stayed around Statesboro to work together this summer and he is itching to get going with practice. Even with the inexperience at places, I think the Eagles are going to have a very strong year. I see a 10-1, or 9-2 regular season and the Eagles playing deep into the playoffs this year.

[blueballs]

After spending quite a bit of quality time with coach Sewak in Spartanburg, I can tell you he is REAL jazzed about his offensive line and his depth there. We talked about Motte being probably the favorite right now for the Jacobs Award as the best blocker in the Southern Conference and he thinks that Lance Wayne will win one of those before he is through at GSU, too. Sims is listed No. 1 right now on the depth chart in the Southern Conference media guide (which was released this week), with Estrada listed as No. 2. Mike hinted that he would probably use a lot of guys on the offensive line, so both will probably play significant roles. He also spoke glowingly of receiver Tim Camp, who he thinks could develop into another Teddy Craft-type player this season. The problem will be finding someone to throw them the ball. Sewak also hinted that the race for starting QB is far from settled, that either Jayson Foster, or Darius Smiley could win the job in camp, or during the first few games of the season. Sewak was really pleased that 80 players stayed around Statesboro to work together this summer and he is itching to get going with practice. Even with the inexperience at places, I think the Eagles are going to have a very strong year. I see a 10-1, or 9-2 regular season and the Eagles playing deep into the playoffs this year.

Thanks for the info, Mr. C.

This situation in some ways reminds me of the situation in 2002, where GSU had lost JR Revere and had Chaz Williams and Trey Hunter competing for the QB spot. Jayson Foster, like Chaz, is considered the more athletically gifted of the two and Darius Smiley, like Trey, is considered the smoother operator. It will be a very interesting competition.

Personally, I'm much more concerned with the d-line situation at GSU. GSU lost all the starters from the 2004 team and had one of the top subs flunk out and another suffer a season ending injury in the spring. If any further injuries occur the situation could become dire.

I'd be interested to hear what Sewak had to say about the d-line situation.

[Baldy]

I'd be interested to hear what Sewak had to say about the d-line situation.

I'll tell you what Pate said, the D-Line situation isn't as dire as many believe. TJ Watkins should be fine and will probably be playing by the Wofford game. From the sounds of it, this injury has really motivated him to stay in better shape, and his rehab is going much better than anyone thought. Jack Sherman is also doing great. I'll paraphrase what Pate said, don't shed a tear for the Defensive Line. He has the utmost confidence in those young men.

We could be a little green on the line to begin with, but with the great core of LB's and the best defensive secondary in the SoCon, the "learning curve" for the line will be greatly reduced.

[GSUAlumniEagle]

I think Jayson will take over the starting spot very quickly. I like the comparison to the Chaz/Trey situation, but Jayson Foster is even more athletic than Chaz was.

[Mr. C]

Sewak thinks the d-line is the biggest concern going into the season. In particular, he wonders how much pressure they will be able to put on the QB. He is cautiously optimistic. He thinks if guys step up like they should, the defense will be fine, if they don't, there could be a problem.

But the Eagles have the best secondary the SoCon has seen in many years, maybe the best since 1995 Appalachian State (All-American cornerback Matt Stevens with eight years in the NFL and a Super Bowl ring; cornerback Jamie Coleman, who nearly started for the Vikings as a rookie; free safety Clarence Sutton, a track star at ASU and a player who went to camp with the Chicago Bears; and solid strong safety Tony Perry). The GSU secondary will make any d-line problems a little easier to fix.

[Baldy]

Jayson Foster is even more athletic than Chaz was.

By a wide margin...IMO

[eaglesrthe1]

No matter which one takes the starting spot, the other one had better be ready to step in at any time. The Eagle QB's take about 50 hits/game, so GSU really needs two starters on hand.

Think Williams/Hunter- or Hill/Revere.

Now Foster/Smiley, or the other way around. Either way, I like it. :)

Foster reminds me most of Greg Hill.

[SoCon48]

The votes they received are in the media poll, not the coaches.

Ol FU, I didn't notice which poll. Hell the media folks will vote SOMEWHAT based on which team they will be covering most. Now if Wofford had received several media votes, it would be highly suspicious.
I always trust the coaches votes more than other types.

[OL FU]

Ol FU, I didn't notice which poll. Hell the media folks will vote SOMEWHAT based on which team they will be covering most. Now if Wofford had received several media votes, it would be highly suspicious.
I always trust the coaches votes more than other types.

It was media and you are right, HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS.

[blueballs]

But the Eagles have the best secondary the SoCon has seen in many years, maybe the best since 1995 Appalachian State .

Wow! You really think so? That's very high praise.

I'll be happy as a GSU supporter if they are as good as the 1999 GSU secondary which featured Earthwind Moreland and Kiwaukee Thomas at the corners, David Young at strong safety and Arkee Thompson at free safety.

Thomas, Moreland and Young all played or are currently active in the NFL and Thomas was an all american in 99 before being dismissed from the team- he is currently in the AFL.

[EagleCrusade]

It was media and you are right, HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS.

Do you suspect blackmail, in the form of a scary kung-fu ninja?

[OL FU]

Do you suspect blackmail, in the form of a scary kung-fu ninja?


:) :) :)

No, but I suspect laziness or homerism. Fortunately there are enough voters to reduce the impact.