4/17 SoCon Pick'em and Power Ranking Thread

[Mocs123]

Mercer
Samford

The Citadel
VMI

[Mocs123]

It all comes down to this folks. If VMI wins on Saturday they get the AQ. If VMI loses and Mercer wins they get the AQ. If VMI loses and Mercer loses who the heck knows what happens!

[kdinva]

It all comes down to this folks. ....If VMI loses and Mercer loses who the heck knows what happens!

VMI would get AQ, 5-2 over mercer's 5-3..

[ElCid]

VMI would get AQ, 5-2 over mercer's 5-3..

Then I hope you both lose 👍

[OhioHen]

VMI and Mercer both win

[FUBeAR]

VMI would get AQ, 5-2 over mercer's 5-3..
Ooooh....so close, it would actually be “over ETSU’s 4-2” - .667 > .625

[FUBeAR]

Then I hope you both lose GO BULLDOGS!!

THE CITADEL IS JUST THE MOST AWESOME-EST!! HUR-RAH!!!

[FUBeAR]

Let’s lay this out once & for all

4 scenarios...(going to ignore ChattaQuitta as I’m going to believe they have truly quit & it’s up to the SoCon if they want to cheapen the effort & accomplishments of 150 or so (with co-champs...dunno the exact number) deserving SoCon Champions of prior years by granting them such or even allowing the Mocks to call themselves “SoCon Champions” (if VMI loses). Sure hope they wouldn’t allow their foolishness to tarnish FUBeAR’s 5 SoCon Championship rings!)

A) Mercer wins & VMI loses

1) Mercer 6-2 .750 - SoCon Champions & AQ for the SoCon
2) VMI 5-2 .714 - 2nd in SoCon - in contention for a possible (but doubtful...losing your last 2 doesn’t impress the committee much) At-Large Playoff bid
3) ETSU 4-2 .667 - 3rd in the SoCon - No way SoCon gets 3 Teams in. Yeah, they beat VMI H2H, but VMI would get nod from committee, IMO - close call, if either would even be considered.

B) Mercer wins & VMI wins

1) VMI 6-1 .857 - SoCon Champs & AQ for the SoCon
2) Mercer 6-2 .750 - 2nd in the SoCon - VERY long shot for an At-Large bid...a good whipping of Samford would help their case & A LOT would have to break right in other games
3) ETSU 4-2 .667 - 3rd in the SoCon - No way SoCon gets 3 Teams in & in this scenario, if Mercer’s not in, ETSU surely is not

C) Mercer loses & VMI wins

1) VMI 6-1 .857 - SoCon Champs & AQ for the SoCon
2) ETSU 4-2 .667 - 2nd in the SoCon - best shot for At-Large, but still doubtful
3) Mercer 5-3 .625 - 3rd in SoCon & turning in equipment until Fall

D) Mercer loses & VMI loses

1) VMI 5-2 .714 - SoCon Champs & AQ for the SoCon
2) ETSU 4-2 .667 - win over VMI looks ‘lesser’ & chances of At-Large are almost nil
3) Mercer - 5-3 .625 - 3rd in SoCon & turning in equipment until Fall


Any dissenters?

[bonarae]

Mercer
VMI

Too bad SoCon doesn't have a conference championship game? xsmhx

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

If the SoCon went the way of the SWAC, Chattaquitta would finish the season at 3-5 and Wofford would finish 1-7. That would mean VMI would be 6-1 going into this weekend while ETSU finishes at 6-2 (second six-win conference season in three years, when was the last time that happened under the same coach at ETSU, I'll wait). Samford comes in at 4-3 going into this weekend while Furman and Western Carolina wrap up their seasons at 4-4 and 3-5. I know the S is for sucks to be ETSU and Furman but it's unfortunate. If there any schools I would gives props to, it would be The Citadel and Mercer since they are the only schools to play everybody on the conference slate. Especially to The Citadel since they played a few games in the fall and managed to make it through considered all what happened behind the scenes.

Rankings
1) VMI - back on top of the SoCon perch
2) Mercer - took care of business against ETSU
3) ETSU - fumbled away their chances of making the playoffs
4) Samford - had nothing to be ashamed of so far
5) Furman - performance since the ETSU game made the ETSU win a fluke after all
6) The Citadel - get some props and looks to be a player this fall
7) Western Carolina - shame they got rid of their coach
8) Chattaquitta - strikes me as a paper tiger coming into this fall
9) Wofford - probably has a case of buyer's remorse

Had Chattaquitta and Wofford not opted out this week, I still would have picked ETSU and Furman to win.
The Citadel @ VMI - Keydets win their first SoCon title in it's been awhile.
Mercer @ Samford - Bears are the real deal and will contend for the SoCon title in the near future.

[walliver]

El Cid started very badly, but is on a roll and upsets VMI.
Samford pulls out a win over Mercer.

[ElCid]

El Cid started very badly, but is on a roll and upsets VMI.
Samford pulls out a win over Mercer.

Tossups, both.

[FUBeAR]

El Cid started very badly, but is on a roll and upsets VMI.
Samford pulls out a win over Mercer.
We are allowing SoCon schools that have shuttered their Football Programs to continue to post here. Thanks for participating. Maybe this will start a trend & we’ll have some UNCG fans post here also.

[kdinva]

Samford 41; Mercer 38


VMI 28; The Citadel 17

[Mocs123]

We are allowing SoCon schools that have shuttered their Football Programs to continue to post here. Thanks for participating. Maybe this will start a trend & we’ll have some UNCG fans post here also.

UNCG has fans?

[FUBeAR]

UNCG has fans?
I’ll assume they do.

As 1 of the 3 SoCon Schools that do not have or recently dropped their Football programs, I would think they could really laser focus their efforts on building the hoops fanbase - as the the schools in Spartanburg & Chattanooga have recently decided to do.

[CID1990]

Samford 41; Mercer 38


VMI 28; The Citadel 17

I hope you guys kept the Shako shined up for us!

[bigred]

Citadel players put Ketchup on their hotdogs!!!!

[FUBeAR]

PICKS

Mercer @ Samford - Mercer is on a roll & wants this game very badly. A win could mean their 1st SoCon Championship and does at least mean they’ll be ‘in the Playoffs conversation’ in a Last Team in / 1st Team out kinda way. A win also means at least a ‘Silver Medalist’ SoCon finish & HUGE momentum heading into Portal Recruiting Season & the Fall. Samford hasn’t played in 3 weeks & hasn’t beaten Mercer in 4 years. They are motivated by the latter of those & could be either rested or rusty by the former. It will be quite a challenge for the very-young Bears to find a way to slow down Samford’s one-of-the-best-in-FCS Offenses, but FUBeAR thinks they find a way & find a way to put up a few point of their own. Bears win 30-24.

The Citadel @ VMI - The Bulldogs are clearly in full resurgent mode. Are the clocks about to strike midnight in LexVegas as that glass slipper was only was meant to fit Mr. Udinski’s now-sidelined foot? FUBeAR thinks 12 bells chime late Saturday afternoon. Keydets limp back to evil stepmother-land as the Bulldogs pull out the win, 24-20.


PowerRanking

1) Mercer - moved from #2 to #1 after knocking off FUBeAR’s #1 from last week
2) ETSU - Bucs fall, but they don’t fall far; good Team that owns recent H2H over #3
3) VMI - No change during off-week; Morgan is good, but so many ‘little’ less obvious things that Udinski excelled at are not yet there yet in the youngster. Not the same Army without their Field General...and we’ll see Sat. if the D word (DOUBT) arrived in LexVegas
4) Samford - Very talented Team that should be competing for the Championship & a Playoff berth on Sat. instead of only hoping to spoil the Bears putting on their glass slippers
5) The Citadel - No quit in these warriors. Took my Paladins to the woodshed last week. Will fire all mortars to bring the Silver Shako back to ChuckTown.
6) Furman - “Still better than Western” isn’t much of a tagline, but the Paladins will regroup & be ready to conquer in the Fall. Also, way better than ANY QUITTERS
7) WCU - Catamounts lookin’ for new TopCat. A surprising move that they really did need to make.




QUITTERS only below this line
_____________________________




















9T) ChattaQuitta Mocks - afraid to face 4 SoCon Teams, so they QUIT
9T) Wof-Fraud Teary-ers - afraid to face 3 SoCon Teams, so they QUIT

[CID1990]

ETSU - Mercer: I think this game is a tossup. But- the one thing that sticks in my head is that ETSU did beat VMI, and I think it is a bit of a trap to think the Keydets were greatly weakened by the loss of their starting QB. That rat QB came in and completed in the neighborhood of 70% of his passes.. so he is no slouch. I’d say without their starting QB they were still at 90-95% .. and they still had that stud receiver. That was my impression from watching that game. So the ETSU win was still impressive to me.

ETSU 31 Mercer 28

The Citadel - VMI: Either team can win this game, and that isn’t just true of this year - it is true every year.. no matter how good or bad we both are, all bets are off when these two schools play. I think that this year’s game will hinge on two things. First, we need Eubanks back. All the other pieces are in place. But we will need a Eubanks-style performance in the middle of our D. If Eubanks suits up, that will be a huge boost in our favor.

Second, we need to avoid 3-and-outs. The best way to neutralize the VMI offense is to keep them off the field. To do that we have to minimize mistakes and turnovers. We did that against Furman and our ability to stay on the field last week was a big part of the win.

My most favored scenario would be for Mercer to lose and The Citadel to win. We get the Shako and VMI wins the SoCon. That’s a win-win for the military schools. But, I really think this is VMI’s year and I’d love to see them in a deep playoff run. (Because next year The Citadel will be in that spot!)

VMI 28 The Citadel 17


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[FUBeAR]

ETSU - Mercer: I think this game is a tossup. But- the one thing that sticks in my head is that ETSU did beat VMI, and I think it is a bit of a trap to think the Keydets were greatly weakened by the loss of their starting QB. That rat QB came in and completed in the neighborhood of 70% of his passes.. so he is no slouch. I’d say without their starting QB they were still at 90-95% .. and they still had that stud receiver. That was my impression from watching that game. So the ETSU win was still impressive to me.

ETSU 31 Mercer 28
Who wants to tell him?

[ElCid]

ETSU - Mercer: I think this game is a tossup. But- the one thing that sticks in my head is that ETSU did beat VMI, and I think it is a bit of a trap to think the Keydets were greatly weakened by the loss of their starting QB. That rat QB came in and completed in the neighborhood of 70% of his passes.. so he is no slouch. I’d say without their starting QB they were still at 90-95% .. and they still had that stud receiver. That was my impression from watching that game. So the ETSU win was still impressive to me.

ETSU 31 Mercer 28

The Citadel - VMI: Either team can win this game, and that isn’t just true of this year - it is true every year.. no matter how good or bad we both are, all bets are off when these two schools play. I think that this year’s game will hinge on two things. First, we need Eubanks back. All the other pieces are in place. But we will need a Eubanks-style performance in the middle of our D. If Eubanks suits up, that will be a huge boost in our favor.

Second, we need to avoid 3-and-outs. The best way to neutralize the VMI offense is to keep them off the field. To do that we have to minimize mistakes and turnovers. We did that against Furman and our ability to stay on the field last week was a big part of the win.

My most favored scenario would be for Mercer to lose and The Citadel to win. We get the Shako and VMI wins the SoCon. That’s a win-win for the military schools. But, I really think this is VMI’s year and I’d love to see them in a deep playoff run. (Because next year The Citadel will be in that spot!)

VMI 28 The Citadel 17


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Might want to relook at schedule.

[FUBeAR]

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO THE KEYDETS FROM THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE!!

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS (no asterisks!)

GO ROOS!! KICK A$$ IN THE PLAYOFFS!!





Great season for the rest of the SoCon Teams, all dealing with & overcoming adversity & representing all that is right with College Football...except for....

..the ChattaQuitta Mocks & Wof-Fraud Teary-ers. They are candy-a$$ female parts for QUITTING.

[Mocs123]

Agreed - Big Congrats to the Keydets on winning the SoCon and the silver corn dog looking thing today!

[FUBeAR]

FUBeAR’s Final SoCon PowerRanking (Real Talk this time)

1) VMI - Earned it! Won close games. Overcame the loss of their STAR player & only skipped a small beat vs. ETSU
2) SAMFORD - Yep - shoulda been competing for SoCon Championship instead of playing ‘spoiler’ today. Talent is, by far, best in SoCon. Will they ever learn how to win a Championship?
3) MERCER - Hyper-young Team that does not have all the necessary pieces in place just yet. Overachievement this season projects to ACHIEVEMENTS going forward.
4) ETSU - If they would have learned to NEVER PASS, they could have won the SoCon
5) THE CITADEL - No quit in these warriors. Not a lot of talent, but overachieving is a way of life for this squad.
6) FURMAN - “Still better than Western” isn’t much of a tagline, but the Paladins will regroup & be ready to conquer in the Fall. Also, way better than ANY QUITTERS
7) WCU - Catamounts lookin’ for new TopCat. A surprising move that they really did need to make.

* IF ChattaQuitta & Wof-Fraud decide to opt-in for the Fall, FUBeAR will consider ranking them. Until then, they are dead to the SoCon Football rankings.

[kdinva]

I was in Lexington, VMI getting in front 14-0 was huge, but the Bulldogs left it all on the field, actually outplaying VMI in the 2nd half, IMO, but VMI's defense bent but didn't break after The Citadel closed the gap to 24-17, ElCid with three 3 and outs, and Adams got sacked 3 times on Citadel's last possession into VMI territory. He's gonna be a good one, and Eubanks was a monster at LB.

[CID1990]

Who wants to tell him?

Yeah I literally thought you guys were playing ETSU right up until I started checking scores yesterday.

And in hindsight maybe it would have been better if you HAD played ETSU


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[CID1990]

I was in Lexington, VMI getting in front 14-0 was huge, but the Bulldogs left it all on the field, actually outplaying VMI in the 2nd half, IMO, but VMI's defense bent but didn't break after The Citadel closed the gap to 24-17, ElCid with three 3 and outs, and Adams got sacked 3 times on Citadel's last possession into VMI territory. He's gonna be a good one, and Eubanks was a monster at LB.

I should have given you a holler - I rode down from DC with a VMI 03 guy on the scoots. Stood down by the track right amongst where all the Rats were doing pushups the whole game. They did a lot of pushups.

That freshman QB is a stud. You guys are set on offense for the next couple years. I was talking to a few VMI 80 grads at a cookout before the game and we were speculating that if we can work out a couple kinks, both VMI and The Citadel could be in the hunt this fall. Not far fetched to think we could actually be the top 2.


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[SU DOG]

I want to offer my congratulations to VMI. Good luck in Playoffs. We know for sure that these guys will give it their all and represent the SoCon well.

[FUBeAR]

Yeah I literally thought you guys were playing ETSU right up until I started checking scores yesterday.

And in hindsight maybe it would have been better if you HAD played ETSU


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkFunny...I was thinking it would have been better to watch Mercer ring up nearly half a hundred on the Shako-less bellhops again.

[The Cats]

Congratulations to VMI, SoCon Champions.

[ElCid]

Go Keydets! Make waves! Love to see you knock off the Dukes in a Shenandoah showdown.

[Mocs123]

I just saw where Mercer QB Robert Riddle has entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. I would say that is a big loss to Mercer, but I'm not sure Riddle really fit in with the new offense anyways.

[FUBeAR]

I just saw where Mercer QB Robert Riddle has entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. I would say that is a big loss to Mercer, but I'm not sure Riddle really fit in with the new offense anyways.
Gee - can you think of an Offense where he might fit well...maybe somewhere close to home for him?

Would hate to see him go somewhere that seems like they might be dropping their Football program though.

[Mocs123]

I know you say it in jest, but prior to hiring Russ Huesman in 2009 and him turning things around there was talk of dropping the football program and focusing on basketball like ETSU (you see how well that worked for them). We'd been so bad for so long it was easy to think the program had no potential.