SoCon 2022 Predictions and Power Rankings - Week 4

[FUBeAR]

Thursday, September 22, 2022


Away
Home
Time
Who gonna win by what digits?


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_chatta_91.png?width=30Chattanooga (http://www.gomocs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Illinois-Block.png?width=30Illinois (http://www.fightingillini.com/)
8:30P




Saturday, September 24, 2022


Away
Home
Time
Who gonna win by what digits?


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_furman.png?width=30Furman (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Charleston_Southern.png?width=30Charleston Southern (http://www.csusports.com/)
12P



https://soconsports.com/images/2020/1/2/etsu_logo.png?width=30ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Robert-Morris.png?width=30Robert Morris (http://www.rmucolonials.com/)
12P




https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wcu.png?width=30Western Carolina (https://catamountsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_samford.png?width=30Samford (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
3P



https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wofford.png?width=30Wofford (http://woffordterriers.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Kennesaw.png?width=30Kennesaw State (http://www.ksuowls.com/)
6P



https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Gardner-Webb-University.png?width=30Gardner-Webb (http://www.gwusports.com/)
6P




FUBeAR’s POWER RANKINGS

TopTeams win, as winners are wont to do. ETSU’s stumbles continue. Are the HillsideHarpoonists already eliminated? FUBeAR thinks so. Chatt looking solid. Sustainable or illusory? Sammy finding ways to win instead of to lose - are we in the Upside Down? Cats lurking; ready to strike? bellhops fail to answer it this week and fall off the luggage cart. Mr. Mojo has checked out of LexVegas. WoeFraught Football needs youth in Asia.

1t. Furman (1-0, 2-1)
1t. Mercer (1-0, 2-1)
3. Chattanooga (1-0, 3-0)
4t. Samford (0-0, 2-1)
4t. WCU (0-0, 2-1)
6. CIT (1-1, 1-2)
7. ETSU (0-2, 1-2)
8. VMI (0-0, 1-2)
UNR. Wofford (0-1, 0-3)

[The Cats]

Thursday, September 22, 2022
Chattanooga at Illinois

Saturday, September 24, 2022
Furman at Charleston Southern
ETSU at Robert Morris
Western Carolina at Samford
Wofford at Kennesaw State
Mercer at Gardner-Webb



2022 SoCon Football Power Rankings (https://catamountsportsblog.blogspot.com/2022/09/2022-socon-football-power-rankings_19.html)

[ElCid]

Thursday, September 22, 2022
Chattanooga at Illinois

Saturday, September 24, 2022
Furman at Charleston Southern
ETSU at Robert Morris
Western Carolina at Samford
Wofford at Kennesaw State
Mercer at Gardner-Webb

Just don't see Wofford winning that. Everything is good except maybe WCU/Samford. Toss up right now with very slight edge to home team. Not sure why they struggled yesterday.

[kdinva]

1] UTC
t2] Furman
t2] mercer
4] Samford
t5] WCU
t5] ETSU
7] the Citadel
8] VMI
9] Woffy

[Reign of Terrier]

Why would anyone thing Wofford could beat Kennesaw after KSU has a bye and Wofford is the lowest scoring team in NCAA football, if not all of college football?

[The Cats]

Why would anyone thing Wofford could beat Kennesaw after KSU has a bye and Wofford is the lowest scoring team in NCAA football, if not all of college football?

I guess I just have a little faith in the pride of the players. It would be a big turnaround, against another winless team.

[bonarae]

UTC - scalp time!
Furman
ETSU
Samford
Kennesaw
Mercer

[The Cats]

What will a win by WCU over Samford (in Birmingham) do to increase the Catamounts respectability? You know it's coming...

[FUBeAR]

What WOULD a win by WCU over Samford (in Birmingham) do to increase the Catamounts respectability?
Completely depends on the score, the score differential, and how each Team’s Defense looks. If WCU wins something like 69-65, FUBeAR thinks most SoCondanistas will say ‘sounds about right’ and leave both Teams as question marks in the SoCon mid-tier.

Alternative outcomes will yield more or less measures of the highly sought, yet elusive quality of respectability.

Also…FYP.

[gofurman]

1] UTC
t2] Furman
t2] mercer
4] Samford
t5] WCU
t5] ETSU
7] the Citadel
8] VMI
9] Woffy

looks about right.

[ElCid]

1] UTC
t2] Furman
t2] mercer
4] Samford
t5] WCU
t5] ETSU
7] the Citadel
8] VMI
9] Woffy


looks about right.


I like it.

[Catamount87]

Predictions
Chattanooga at Illinois: Fightin' Ills create a pandemic and the Mocs go ah choo choo
Furman at Charleston Southern: Dins ding up and ring up the bucs
ETSU at Robert Morris: Bucs make a pillage run to the moon township
Western Carolina at Samford: SoCon GOTW with lots of questions to be answered - It's a toss up, he who plays defense wins.
Wofford at Kennesaw State: Lots of hooting happening in hotlanta and whining in sparkle city
Mercer at Gardner-Webb: things get to boiling and dogs have a surprise bite


Power Rankings
1. Chattanooga
2. Furman
3. Mercer
4t. Samford
4t. WCU
4t. ETSU
7. CIT
8. VMI
.
.
.
.
.
9. aka in the dog house. Wofford

[FUBeAR]

Predictions
Chattanooga at Illinois: Fightin' Ills create a pandemic and the Mocs go ah choo choo
Furman at Charleston Southern: Dins ding up and ring up the bucs
ETSU at Robert Morris: Bucs make a pillage run to the moon township
Western Carolina at Samford: SoCon GOTW with lots of questions to be answered - It's a toss up, he who plays defense wins.
Wofford at Kennesaw State: Lots of hooting happening in hotlanta and whining in sparkle city
Mercer at Gardner-Webb: things get to boiling and dogs have a surprise bite


Power Rankings
1. Chattanooga
2. Furman
3. Mercer
4t. Samford
4t. WCU
4t. ETSU
7. CIT
8. VMI
.
.
.
.
.
9. aka in the dog house. WoffordYou rank Mercer #3, but project the Bears to lose to Gardner-Webb…whose only victory is over Limestone? Well, Limestone did just beat Carson-Newman, so that pick makes some sense…NOT!

[ElCid]

You rank Mercer #3, but project the Bears to lose to Gardner-Webb…whose only victory is over Limestone? Well, Limestone did just beat Carson-Newman, so that pick makes some sense…NOT!

They also took CCU and Elon to the wire. That's a 3-0 CCU who beat Army by more than it beat G-W. An Army who just destroyed Nova BTW. And a CCU who beat Buffalo by more than it did G-W. And Elon will probably crack the top 25 this week. I still don't think I will take G-W this week, but it certainly isn't that much of a stretch, at home. It's not a bad upset call. And it would be an upset. They may have something going up there in Boiling Springs this season.

[FUBeAR]

They also took CCU and Elon to the wire. That's a 3-0 CCU who beat Army by more than it beat G-W. An Army who just destroyed Nova BTW. And a CCU who beat Buffalo by more than it did G-W. And Elon will probably crack the top 25 this week. I still don't think I will take G-W this week, but it certainly isn't that much of a stretch, at home. It's not a bad upset call. And it would be an upset. They may have something going up there in Boiling Springs this season.
All that info…and you didn’t even mention the “Lamb Family Factor” that is certainly a HUGE part of the storyline for this matchup. Much bigger than Limestone’s or Army’s relevance.


Dang. That’s the reason FUBeAR ‘called out’ 87 for the pick…tryin’ to set y’all up to look knowledgeable and insightful, but…

[Milktruck74]

Mocs by a bunch of $$$ but a little short on the point side!

Furple by 21

ETSU by 31
WCU simply because they have one more possession and score last...Basketball score 69-64!

Wofford scores but not enough to beat Kenny. 24-14

Mercer by at least 3 scores.

[Catamount87]

You rank Mercer #3, but project the Bears to lose to Gardner-Webb…whose only victory is over Limestone? Well, Limestone did just beat Carson-Newman, so that pick makes some sense…NOT!

Honestly, I failed to add to that, upset pick of the week. I do believe GW is better than their record and it feels like Mercer might be on a slight struggle string. So, if it's that perfect storm an upset. That said, if Mercer beat the snot out of the dogs I wouldn't be surprised either. I do hope Mercer does win going away, gotta cheer for SoCon brethren to get the OOC wins.

[BearDownMU]

Honestly, I failed to add to that, upset pick of the week. I do believe GW is better than their record and it feels like Mercer might be on a slight struggle string. So, if it's that perfect storm an upset. That said, if Mercer beat the snot out of the dogs I wouldn't be surprised either. I do hope Mercer does win going away, gotta cheer for SoCon brethren to get the OOC wins.

I hope our defense struggles like it did last week.

[wcugrad95]

In my opinion Furman should already be ranked in all of the polls. Samford moved up in what I think many would consider not a good showing against TTU, and if Western could find a way to win in my opinion we would deserve to be ranked at 3-1. But at this stage Samford has a signature win and Western doesn’t, so that is why they are getting love right now.


1- UTC - stays here until they lose
2 - Furman - I expected ETSU to play well coming off the loss and they couldn’t really do anything against the ‘Dins D
3 - Mercer - shutdown Citadel and look to be a physical team
t4 - Samford and WCU - we’ll find out Saturday who should be ranked higher
6 - ETSU - I know they lost to Citadel, but still think the Bucs are better
7 - Citadel - played Mercer tough but will struggle in games they fall behind
8 - VMI - surprised by the Cornell game, but expect them to play better
9 - Wofford - finally scored; they will probably sneak-up on somebody

[FUBeAR]

1- UTC - stays here until they loseWhat if they lose, but imagine that they won? Do they stay #1 or nah?

Doesn’t really matter. If they drop from #1 after an an ACTUAL loss, they’ll just imagine they are still #1, in addition to imagining they didn’t lose the game.

FUBeAR wishes Mrs. FUBeAR’s mind, vis a vis FUBeAR, worked the same way as Chatt’s Coaches, Players, and mostly their fans’ minds regarding their Mocks. It does not. It definitely does not.

[OrangeAndBlack]

My power ranks:

1. UTC
2. Mercer
3. Furman
4. Samford
5. WCU
6. Citadel
7. ETSU
8. VMI
9. Wofford

UTC 13 @ Illinois 35 -- Illinois looks good enough to handle any FCS team. I hope everything falls perfectly for the Mocs though.
Furman 34 @ Charleston Southern 17 -- FU needs to take care of business.
ETSU 30 @ Robert Morris 20 -- RMU lost to non scholly Dayton. If ETSU loses here I'd be shocked.
WCU 42 @ Samford 45 -- Going with the home field here.
Wofford 3 @ Kennesaw St 49 -- Wofford is averaging 2.33 points per game, and I'm giving them a slight bump on that average.
Mercer 28 @ Gardner Webb 16 -- I think Mercer wins a tough one against a team that most would overlook by their name alone.

[Mocs123]

Chattanooga - 10
Illinois -35 – Could the Mocs be looking for the upset? - No way against a quality P5 team and a short week.

Furman – 41 – The Paladins continue to roll
Charleston Southern -17

ETSU -28 – ETSU needs to stop the bleeding and Bob Morris is just what the doctor ordered.
Robert Morris - 10

Western Carolina – 41 – Game of the Week – To be honest, I could see this game going either way, but with the Bulldogs struggling with TTU last week, I’m hoping on the Catamount bandwagon.
Samford - 40

Wofford - 7
Kennesaw State – 17 – I’d love to be wrong here, but I don’t see the Terriers being able to go on the road and get a win this week.

Mercer – 35 – This could be a game that sneaks up on the Bears as I think GWU is better than most give them credit for, but in the end Mercer take care of business on the road.
Gardner Webb - 21

Power Rankings
1.Chattanooga

2.Mercer

3.Furman



4.ETSU

5.Samford

6.Western Carolina



7.The Citadel

8.VMI



9.Wofford

[FUBeAR]

Somebody said something that FUBeAR didn’t think sounded quite right, so he did a quick study to find out what “right” really was. It was not what this Catamount Fan (just happened to be a Cantamount…coulda been a bellhop or a kangaroo. Right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of the preferred mascot) was saying it was.


Thought y’all might be interested in & maybe interested in discussing the results of the ‘study.’…

2021 FCS Rank Football Avg Attendance - https://herosports.com/2021-fcs-attend ... ders-bzbz/ (https://herosports.com/2021-fcs-attendance-leaders-bzbz/)
21 Citadel 9,982
23 WCU 9,824
25 Furman 9,577
26 ETSU 9,508
28 Mercer 8,908
43 Chattanooga 7,482
72 VMI 5,217
86 Wofford 4,686
95 Samford 3,949

School Undergraduate Enrollment - https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa- ... nrollment/ (https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa-conferences/southern-conference/enrollment/)
ETSU 10,705
WCU 10,517
Chattanooga 10,341
Mercer 4,911
Samford 3,576
Citadel 2,858
Furman 2,345
Wofford 1,764
VMI 1,698

SoCon Attendance/Enrollment Ratios
1. Furman 4.05
2. Citadel 3.49
3. VMI 3.07
4. Wofford 2.66
5. Mercer 1.81
6. Samford 1.10
7. WCU 0.93
8. ETSU 0.89
9. Chattanooga 0.72

[The Cats]

Somebody said something that FUBeAR didn’t think sounded quite right, so he did a quick study to find out what “right” really was. It was not what this Catamount Fan (just happened to be a Cantamount…coulda been a bellhop or a kangaroo. Right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of the preferred mascot) was saying it was.


Thought y’all might be interested in & maybe interested in discussing the results of the ‘study.’…

2021 FCS Rank Football Avg Attendance - https://herosports.com/2021-fcs-attend ... ders-bzbz/ (https://herosports.com/2021-fcs-attendance-leaders-bzbz/)
21 Citadel 9,982
23 WCU 9,824
25 Furman 9,577
26 ETSU 9,508
28 Mercer 8,908
43 Chattanooga 7,482
72 VMI 5,217
86 Wofford 4,686
95 Samford 3,949

School Undergraduate Enrollment - https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa- ... nrollment/ (https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa-conferences/southern-conference/enrollment/)
ETSU 10,705
WCU 10,517
Chattanooga 10,341
Mercer 4,911
Samford 3,576
Citadel 2,858
Furman 2,345
Wofford 1,764
VMI 1,698

SoCon Attendance/Enrollment Ratios
1. Furman 4.05
2. Citadel 3.49
3. VMI 3.07
4. Wofford 2.66
5. Mercer 1.81
6. Samford 1.10
7. WCU 0.93
8. ETSU 0.89
9. Chattanooga 0.72

Sorry, but I don't see your point. Ratios mean nothing, it "butts in seats" that makes money for the athletic department...

[caribbeanhen]

ETSU has fallen and they can’t get up

[BearDownMU]

Sorry, but I don't see your point. Ratios mean nothing, it "butts in seats" that makes money for the athletic department...

You don't see the point? I think what FUBeAR is showing is that one would think schools with larger student populations (and also, hence, larger alumni bases) should equal larger crowds. But, as we can see, the schools with the biggest "buyer pools" don't appear to be doing a great job of selling. It's doesn't have anything to do with "butt in seats". It's an observation. And it's interesting.

[ElCid]

Somebody said something that FUBeAR didn’t think sounded quite right, so he did a quick study to find out what “right” really was. It was not what this Catamount Fan (just happened to be a Cantamount…coulda been a bellhop or a kangaroo. Right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of the preferred mascot) was saying it was.


Thought y’all might be interested in & maybe interested in discussing the results of the ‘study.’…

2021 FCS Rank Football Avg Attendance - https://herosports.com/2021-fcs-attend ... ders-bzbz/ (https://herosports.com/2021-fcs-attendance-leaders-bzbz/)
21 Citadel 9,982
23 WCU 9,824
25 Furman 9,577
26 ETSU 9,508
28 Mercer 8,908
43 Chattanooga 7,482
72 VMI 5,217
86 Wofford 4,686
95 Samford 3,949

School Undergraduate Enrollment - https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa- ... nrollment/ (https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa-conferences/southern-conference/enrollment/)
ETSU 10,705
WCU 10,517
Chattanooga 10,341
Mercer 4,911
Samford 3,576
Citadel 2,858
Furman 2,345
Wofford 1,764
VMI 1,698

SoCon Attendance/Enrollment Ratios
1. Furman 4.05
2. Citadel 3.49
3. VMI 3.07
4. Wofford 2.66
5. Mercer 1.81
6. Samford 1.10
7. WCU 0.93
8. ETSU 0.89
9. Chattanooga 0.72

Furman had been sucking for enrollment lately hasn't it? Though you guys used to be in the 3500 range. But just a caveat to those data points. We only have about 2300 or so in the Corps (normal traditional day students). But, on the other hand, we also have mandatory attendence for the Corps as well. So we got a good 1800-2K spotted for attendence, depending on other activities/sports.

[SCPALADIN]

Furman had been sucking for enrollment lately hasn't it? Though you guys used to be in the 3500 range. But just a caveat to those data points. We only have about 2300 or so in the Corps (normal traditional day students). But, on the other hand, we also have mandatory attendence for the Corps as well. So we got a good 1800-2K spotted for attendence, depending on other activities/sports.

We've never been over 2600/2700 in undergrad enrollment. We typically have 200-250 grad students.

[SU DOG]

These figures can, in many cases, only provide a relative idea of attendance. Sometimes you can look around stadiums and see mass sections of empty seats and wonder how they arrived at the stated number. Different schools also have different criteria for arriving at their attendance figures. Last year I complained about the Samford attendance figures. I was told by an Assistant AD (no longer here thankfully) that "Oh we don't count comps, recruits, or recruit's families". WHAT? Now I know that even with those included that Samford's numbers are still embarrassingly low. There are probably other areas though that SU doesn't include in the total. We have new blood in charge this year, and if we can make a SoCon run, I promise that the 2021 number will be far surpassed.

[Milktruck74]

Somebody said something that FUBeAR didn’t think sounded quite right, so he did a quick study to find out what “right” really was. It was not what this Catamount Fan (just happened to be a Cantamount…coulda been a bellhop or a kangaroo. Right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of the preferred mascot) was saying it was.


Thought y’all might be interested in & maybe interested in discussing the results of the ‘study.’…

2021 FCS Rank Football Avg Attendance - https://herosports.com/2021-fcs-attend ... ders-bzbz/ (https://herosports.com/2021-fcs-attendance-leaders-bzbz/)
21 Citadel 9,982
23 WCU 9,824
25 Furman 9,577
26 ETSU 9,508
28 Mercer 8,908
43 Chattanooga 7,482
72 VMI 5,217
86 Wofford 4,686
95 Samford 3,949

School Undergraduate Enrollment - https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa- ... nrollment/ (https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa-conferences/southern-conference/enrollment/)
ETSU 10,705
WCU 10,517
Chattanooga 10,341
Mercer 4,911
Samford 3,576
Citadel 2,858
Furman 2,345
Wofford 1,764
VMI 1,698

SoCon Attendance/Enrollment Ratios
1. Furman 4.05
2. Citadel 3.49
3. VMI 3.07
4. Wofford 2.66
5. Mercer 1.81
6. Samford 1.10
7. WCU 0.93
8. ETSU 0.89
9. Chattanooga 0.72


I appreciate this...as I have two in college at this point and I harp on being a "part of campus".. Number one went to a HS with 2800 and was a little aprehensive about going to a college with only 2200 b/c it was "Smaller than HS"...but all 2200 have to reside on campus, so it feels much bigger....and after 3 years she is still meeting new people,,,,so I think you have to consider the number of beds on campus...when I went to UTC they had about 1800 beds, and about 600 of those were occupied by athletes... the enrollment number doesn't consider the commuters that may be 36 years old with three kids that are taking night classes and are just trying to survive working and taking classes and not attending a weekend FB game....on campus means you are a kid.....just a thought!!!

[bonarae]

ETSU has fallen and they can’t get up

Is Quarles coaching the guys wrongly? Or isn't he fit for college?

[PaladinNation]

Is Quarles coaching the guys wrongly? Or isn't he fit for college?

Quarles made a pretty big offensive system change. ETSU was running a Pro-base offense, ran a lot of power stuff, and had a very good offensive line.
Under Quarles ETSU is running more of a spread offense and they lost one lineman to LSU and a TE to SC. The ETSU DC is the same and the BUCS D in my opinion looks about the same as it has in the last couple of years.

I think they'll be trouble for the leading pack of teams—glad the DINS got'em early.

It's funny how moves like this work out—ETSU gets a whole bunch of new coaching on one side of the ball, as does Furman. ETSU appears to struggle at times with the new system and its personnel. The commentators on the game (BUC's lean) commented a lot about the ETSU receivers not coming back to help Riddell when he was under pressure.

Under Quarles–I think there was a little dynamic under the surface as Clay wanted Furman to run the ball and Quarles being a bit more pass oriented. Along comes Furman's new OC Justin Roper and Clay gives him complete control to put in his system.

At this point I'd give Roper an A for implementing an offense that fits the Paladin personnel very well. As well as the vision for moving Wayne Anderson from being the no 3 running back into a dangerous starter at slot receiver.

[wcugrad95]

Maybe if Quarles had Huff as his QB last year the narrative on him as an OC might be different. I was surprised to see he is the Paladin’s leading rusher, and you guys have attempted 40 passes in each of the last 2 games - didn’t expect that out of a Clay Hendrix team.

ETSU lost those lineman and also lost their O-line coach (to surprise - Furman). But let’s also not forget they lost Quay Holmes. They still have Saylors, but losing those couple of stud lineman and that 1-2 punch in the backfield to go along with the scheme change was going to have an impact on the Bucs. Let’s also not forget how many close games ETSU has won over the last 3 or 4 years. The breaks seemed to pretty much always go their way, and eventuallly the ball bounces in favor of the other team to straighten things out.

All that being said, I thought ETSU looked horrible on offense. Furman’s D certainly had something to do with that, but it was hard to tell what ETSU was even trying to do. I agree that the Bucs still have a good D, and I won’t be surprised at all to see them win 4 of the 6 conference games they have left if they settle down on O.

[FUBeAR]

Let’s also not forget how many close games ETSU has won over the last 3 or 4 years. The breaks seemed to pretty much always go their way, and eventuallly the ball bounces in favor of the other team to straighten things out.
Exactly the point FUBeAR was a-gonna make. ETSU didn’t ‘zactly dominate the SoCon last year.

Chattanooga, Mercer, and Furman were all no more than a gnats hindquarters worse than #7 seed ETSU…if at all.

Personally, FUBeAR thinks all 3 of those Teams were better than ETSU, but the Bucs won 2 of those 3 incredibly tight (both wins came down to last 10 seconds) matchups, so they were granted the privilege of a 1st round bye, defeating Kennesaw in Round 2, and playing a relatively tight game vs. NDSU in the FargoDome (where the Bison do not lose in the Playoffs) in the Quarterfinals. Any of those 3 other SoCon Teams could have equaled or bettered ETSU’s 2021 Playoff Performance…and certainly could have bettered it with different ‘draws’ than taking on NDSU in the FargoDome.

Instead…The other 3 Playoff-worthy SoCon Teams in 2021 got a swift kick from the Playoff Selection Committee…again.

It is an absolute travesty that anyone even ever dares to speak/type the phrase, “The SoCon is a 1 bid league.”

[Sir William]

Exactly the point FUBeAR was a-gonna make. ETSU didn’t ‘zactly dominate the SoCon last year.

Chattanooga, Mercer, and Furman were all no more than a gnats hindquarters worse than #7 seed ETSU…if at all.

Personally, FUBeAR thinks all 3 of those Teams were better than ETSU, but the Bucs won 2 of those 3 incredibly tight (both wins came down to last 10 seconds) matchups, so they were granted the privilege of a 1st round bye, defeating Kennesaw in Round 2, and playing a relatively tight game vs. NDSU in the FargoDome (where the Bison do not lose in the Playoffs) in the Quarterfinals. Any of those 3 other SoCon Teams could have equaled or bettered ETSU’s 2021 Playoff Performance…and certainly could have bettered it with different ‘draws’ than taking on NDSU in the FargoDome.

Instead…The other 3 Playoff-worthy SoCon Teams in 2021 got a swift kick from the Playoff Selection Committee…again.

It is an absolute travesty that anyone even ever dares to speak/type the phrase, “The SoCon is a 1 bid league.”

Right on point. Especially that last sentence.

[kdinva]

UTC 21 at Illinois 38

Furman 44 at Charleston Southern 21
ETSU 34 at Robert Morris 20
Western Carolina 48 at Samford 42
Wofford 13 at Kennesaw State 27
Mercer 38 at Gardner-Webb 20

[FUBeAR]

Thursday, September 22, 2022


Away
Home
Time
FUBeAR KNOWS!


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_chatta_91.png?width=30Chattanooga (http://www.gomocs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Illinois-Block.png?width=30Illinois (http://www.fightingillini.com/)
8:30P
FUBeAR was gonna pick the Mocs in this one, but the one of his Research Team advised that Illinois was off last Saturday - so, short week for Mocs & long prep for Illini. C’mon Mocs, you’re supposed to set it up the other way around. B1G Team knows they were in a fight and Chatt gets a lot of love from the national press…but…

Final Score: Illinois 28 - Chattanooga 23 … (dammit!)


Saturday, September 24, 2022


Away
Home
Time
FUBeAR KNOWS!


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_furman.png?width=30Furman (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Charleston_Southern.png?width=30Charleston Southern (http://www.csusports.com/)
12P
The finely-tuned O/D/ST machine that is the 2022 Paladin Football Team resembles a Cigarette 59 TIRRANNA as the purple & white craft runs circles around another set of WaterCriminals. Tyler Huff added to Payton Watch List next week.

Final Score: Furman 52 - Charlestion Southern 10


https://soconsports.com/images/2020/1/2/etsu_logo.png?width=30ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Robert-Morris.png?width=30Robert Morris (http://www.rmucolonials.com/)
12P
ETSU is a wounded Football Team. After last week, the MountainPirates have to be thinking Wofford might be the only win left on their schedule…that’s after this week. Buccaneers channel the spirit of Chico Escuela and bat for the cycle on Bobby Garrett Morris

Final Score: ETSU 31 - Robert Morris 14


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wcu.png?width=30Western Carolina (https://catamountsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_samford.png?width=30Samford (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
3P
SoCon GOTW - Hopefully the power grid in Homewood is up for the challenge as the scoreboard just might look like a whole bank of Vegas slots on Saturday afternoon. BUT - WCU’s bellcow was last seen with his wing in a sling. No need to sling a shoulder that isn’t separated/sprained. That’s ligament damage boys & girls - best case is 2 weeks, most likely case is 4-6 weeks. So, will WCU’s starting QB play or will it be one (or more) of the many Freshman All-American 5 stars QB’s they have squirreled away in Cullowhee? Gotta go with the uncertainty here and the fact that we still really haven’t seen WCU play much D. Samford has.

Final Score: Samford 45 - WCU 31


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wofford.png?width=30Wofford (http://woffordterriers.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Kennesaw.png?width=30Kennesaw State (http://www.ksuowls.com/)
6P
The 0-fer Bowl OTP, GA brought to you by Hubris Unlimited and Karma’s Bee Yacht.

Can we hope for just a minute and fool ourselves into believing that Kennesaw has fallen farther and faster that WoeFraught? Nah…

Final Score: Kennesaw 28 - Wofford 7 (dammit!)


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Gardner-Webb-University.png?width=30Gardner-Webb (http://www.gwusports.com/)
6P
So much familiarity and crossover among Coaches AND Players in this game. Could almost be 1 Team of Runnin’ BearDogs scrimmaging themselves. But, despite what we read here from time to time, Mercer is a very talented Top 15 Football Team. G-W has 0 D1 wins and was 4-7 last year.

Final Score: Mercer 35 - Gardner-Webb 14

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I was 5-2 this past week. I spotted a number of ETSU and VMI fans at Crow-Fil-A after the game. I saw the last play pf the App State-Troy game on my phone and channeled the late Larry Munson much to the derision of a number of sorority women from Troy who thought their team won (I saw them on video later on Twitter). Here's where I have at so far:

1) Chattanooga - doing mighty well for themselves
2) Furman - will this be a renaissance for them after the game at Cape Greene
3) Mercer - made their opponent sit in timeout the whole game
4) The Citadel - saw their streak of luck come to an end
5) Western Carolina - burninated the Blue Hose
6) Samford - had an underwhelming performance
7) ETSU - may be 0-2 in conference play but could easily be 3-0 if certain breaks went their way
8) VMI - crapped the bed against an Ivy League opponent
9) Wofford - well would you look at that, they held an ACC opponent to 27 points

Predictions
Chattanooga @ Illinois - Mocs can't run with the big boys
ETSU @ Robert Morris - Bucs win in convincing fashion
Furman @ Charleston Southern - Paladins take North Chuckytown by force
Western Carolina @ Samford (Game of the Week) - Catamounts take pivotal next step
Wofford @ Kennesaw State - Terriers fall prey to the HootyHoos
Mercer @ Gardner-Webb - Bears make these dogs sit in timeout too

[FUBeAR]

Looks like we have 2x as many SoCon experts here projecting Western Carolina to go into enemy territory and snatch a victory as we do the few that think Samford is going to DEFEND their house.

Surprising to FUBeAR, who has visioned a Bulldog victory. Well, CatBackers need to remember the wise and prescient words of Coach Woodland…

https://www.brainyquote.com/photos_tr/en/g/garywoodland/1025995/garywoodland1.jpg

[FUBeAR]

Welp…unless you think Illinois is a lot better than Clemson and Georgia, some of y’all may wanna rethink your PowerRankings.

[gofurman]

Furman had been sucking for enrollment lately hasn't it? Though you guys used to be in the 3500 range. But just a caveat to those data points. We only have about 2300 or so in the Corps (normal traditional day students). But, on the other hand, we also have mandatory attendence for the Corps as well. So we got a good 1800-2K spotted for attendence, depending on other activities/sports.

Huh??? weird comment

That's (FUBeAR comment) the enrollment we have basically ALWAYS had. We have always had about 2300-2400 undergrad. Never the 3500 you mention.

ANd BEAR has a great point - regardless me as a Furman fan...

If we have less than 2500 students and get 9000+ to come to game... and some schools have 10,000 or so just in students(!!) and get the same number to attend a game as Furman with 7K less students?? That says a lot. After 10 years of graduates (so age 22-32, young) - A school of 10,000 has 25 thousand recent alumni!! Furman after a decade has just over 6000 new alumni. 25,000 FAR GREATER THAN SIX THOUSAND. Money, boosters, "Hey I went to ETSU son, why don't you go there, etc. etc. etc
* NO WAY should we compete in terms of attendance with bigger state schools like UTC and ETSU for attendance.

[Milktruck74]

I completely agree that Furple is a much smaller school than the larger state schools and is doing awesome at pulling in fans and selling tickets...However, I think there is a factor that must be considered in these numbers. Chattanooga and ETSU (and other large state schools) are often chosen by students for convenience. There may be 10,000 enrolled, but many students at those state schools are commuters or part timers or kids living at home that wanted to go somewhere else, but can save money and stay home. Not that JC is a huge booming metropolis, but there are plenty more people in the "student pool" than there is in Travlers Rest. Kids at Furple are mostly living on campus, thus participating in the daily activities and that bolsters school pride. Chattanooga has spent 20 years trying to pull in kids and keep them on campus on the weekends. When I was there in the 90s, we had about 9k students and about 20% lived on campus...and on saturday night, about 500 kids would actually stay in the dorms. My point is while state schools have 10,000 kids, the core fanbase to draw from is MUCH smaller.... The smaller privates do a great job instilling pride in the school and therefore alumni and students want to participate....This is a big reason I have two kids in private colleges right now...I believe the undergrad experience is as important as the education, and I think that experience is always going to be superior at a small private RESIDENTIAL college!!!

[FUBeAR]

I think that experience is always going to be superior at a small private RESIDENTIAL college!!!
*Football

…and shouldn’t you be sleeping off a sorrow hangover this morning?

FUBeAR is looking forward to “The Good” you gonna find in that stinkeroo show last night.

Will there be anything other than the paycheck and Coach Wright’s halftime quotes (per the B1G Network sideline reporter) that Chatt was just beating themselves. That was a ‘good’ one, huh? Very rich.


Matchup Chatt ILL
1st Downs 7 21
3rd down efficiency 4-14 7-15
4th down efficiency 0-0 0-2
Total Yards 142 502
Passing 49 335
Comp-Att 6-19 25-34
Yards per pass 2.6 9.9
Interceptions thrown 2 0
Rushing 93 167
Rushing Attempts 33 37
Yards per rush 2.8 4.5
Penalties 1-15 2-25
Turnovers 2 1
Fumbles lost 0 1
Interceptions thrown 2 0
Possession 28:13 31:47

[MR. CHICKEN]

....SAY BYE BYE...TA DUH #11 SPOT........MOCS DROPPED DEY'RE SOCKS AN' GRABBED DEY'RE _____PITIFUL DISPLAY.....DEY'LL BE ROLLIN' & TUMBLIN'....IN MAH POLL SUNDAY MORNIN'...xsighxxsighxxsighx..DOODLE-DOO!

[bonarae]

....SAY BYE BYE...TA DUH #11 SPOT........MOCS DROPPED DEY'RE SOCKS AN' GRABBED DEY'RE _____PITIFUL DISPLAY.....DEY'LL BE ROLLIN' & TUMBLIN'....IN MAH POLL SUNDAY MORNIN'...xsighxxsighxxsighx..DOODLE-DOO!

To the 20s? Or out of the 25? xchinscratchx

Looks like Furple will take over the top spot of the SoCon PR next week... or maybe Samford. xcoffeex

[Milktruck74]

Drop them if you will...but I'm not terribly upset. Figure Sunday was a treatment day, Monday practice, Tuesday Practice, Wednesday travel...Thursday Gameday...So the Mocs took on a B1G team with two days of preparation...you can't really expect much from that...everyone seemed to get out healthy...collect the check and move on!

[kdinva]

Drop them if you will...but I'm not terribly upset. Figure Sunday was a treatment day, Monday practice, Tuesday Practice, Wednesday travel...Thursday Gameday...So the Mocs took on a B1G team with two days of preparation...you can't really expect much from that...everyone seemed to get out healthy...collect the check and move on!

FWIW: Illinois handled UVa almost as bad.....

[ElCid]

Huh??? weird comment

That's (FUBeAR comment) the enrollment we have basically ALWAYS had. We have always had about 2300-2400 undergrad. Never the 3500 you mention.

ANd BEAR has a great point - regardless me as a Furman fan...

If we have less than 2500 students and get 9000+ to come to game... and some schools have 10,000 or so just in students(!!) and get the same number to attend a game as Furman with 7K less students?? That says a lot. After 10 years of graduates (so age 22-32, young) - A school of 10,000 has 25 thousand recent alumni!! Furman after a decade has just over 6000 new alumni. 25,000 FAR GREATER THAN SIX THOUSAND. Money, boosters, "Hey I went to ETSU son, why don't you go there, etc. etc. etc
* NO WAY should we compete in terms of attendance with bigger state schools like UTC and ETSU for attendance.

I guess I was mistaken. I said I "thought" you had that many. I may have looked at a total figure (grads/undergrads) or something. If it is just 2400 or so then yeah that's good. Like us. We only have about 25K living alum (Corps) at any given time. I don't really see the housewife going at night to get a degree as a potential fan. Unfortunately our attendance has dropped big time since the early 90s when we 20K a game on a regular basis. And we've all seen the various causes for the decline.

[ElCid]

Drop them if you will...but I'm not terribly upset. Figure Sunday was a treatment day, Monday practice, Tuesday Practice, Wednesday travel...Thursday Gameday...So the Mocs took on a B1G team with two days of preparation...you can't really expect much from that...everyone seemed to get out healthy...collect the check and move on!

Well I know a couple other top 15 schools that got stomped the last couple weeks by mid range FBS who were not dropped that much. It isn't that bad of a loss. FBS games are sometimes weird. I'm sure Ill was ready for a good FCS and wasn't going to be embarrassed on TV.

[FUBeAR]

FWIW: Illinois handled UVa almost as bad.....
Nah…Double digit more point differential and more than doubled the yardage differential.

Illini beat the Wahoos, but they curb-stomped the Mocs…unless you wanna buy yet another imaginary tale…that Chatt beat themselves.

[Sir William]

Saturday, September 24, 2022
Furman at Charleston Southern
ETSU at Robert Morris
Western Carolina at Samford
Wofford at Kennesaw State
Mercer at Gardner-Webb

Forgot to pick Thursday night's game in time, but heck, would have picked Illinois anyway (though I thought it would have been closer).

[SCPALADIN]

I guess I was mistaken. I said I "thought" you had that many. I may have looked at a total figure (grads/undergrads) or something. If it is just 2400 or so then yeah that's good. Like us. We only have about 25K living alum (Corps) at any given time. I don't really see the housewife going at night to get a degree as a potential fan. Unfortunately our attendance has dropped big time since the early 90s when we 20K a game on a regular basis. And we've all seen the various causes for the decline.

Whatever you were looking at is way off as we've never had more than ~150 grad students. Our four graduate programs are VERY small.

[wcugrad95]

No doubt UTC's loss was ugly, but I would say it was very similar to Samford's loss to UGA (basically the same margin, Samford actually got fewer first downs and less yardage than UTC, etc.). The difference is that Georgia was #1 in the country and I think some people thought UTC had a puncher's chance to hang around last night. Samford did not get dinged much for losing to Georgia, but I expect Chattanooga will for their loss last night.

As for the whole conversation about attendance and school enrollment, I have tried to just ignore it in the 4 or 5 boards that FUBeAR has posted it in. There is certainly nothing wrong with the math being done, and I would wholeheartedly agree that Furman's crowds for a school that size are excellent. The SoCon typically has 3-5 teams that average up close to 9-10k per game pre-pandemic and that is awesome when I look around at the crowds of some of the other FCS teams. At the same time, I remember when Furman used to get 12k+ fans in the stands when they were winning conference championships and making deep playoff runs. Winning plays a big part, and that is hard to argue against. Most schools across the country would have empty stands if they had WCU's football history, so I am also very proud of Western for generally being at the top of the attendance standings every year. All the SoCon teams could do better, but kudos to all of the schools who are getting 5k or more to games given all the distractions and the current student's attention span.

And as somebody else posted in one of the boards, Furman's 4 football game attendees per enrolled student would also mean Furman is equal to or better than places like Clemson, UGA, Ohio State, etc. So the numbers can be looked at in many ways.

[Milktruck74]

No doubt UTC's loss was ugly, but I would say it was very similar to Samford's loss to UGA (basically the same margin, Samford actually got fewer first downs and less yardage than UTC, etc.). The difference is that Georgia was #1 in the country and I think some people thought UTC had a puncher's chance to hang around last night. Samford did not get dinged much for losing to Georgia, but I expect Chattanooga will for their loss last night.

As for the whole conversation about attendance and school enrollment, I have tried to just ignore it in the 4 or 5 boards that FUBeAR has posted it in. There is certainly nothing wrong with the math being done, and I would wholeheartedly agree that Furman's crowds for a school that size are excellent. The SoCon typically has 3-5 teams that average up close to 9-10k per game pre-pandemic and that is awesome when I look around at the crowds of some of the other FCS teams. At the same time, I remember when Furman used to get 12k+ fans in the stands when they were winning conference championships and making deep playoff runs. Winning plays a big part, and that is hard to argue against. Most schools across the country would have empty stands if they had WCU's football history, so I am also very proud of Western for generally being at the top of the attendance standings every year. All the SoCon teams could do better, but kudos to all of the schools who are getting 5k or more to games given all the distractions and the current student's attention span.

And as somebody else posted in one of the boards, Furman's 4 football game attendees per enrolled student would also mean Furman is equal to or better than places like Clemson, UGA, Ohio State, etc. So the numbers can be looked at in many ways.

Western has about the same enrollment as UTC and ETSU, but about half of their 10k undergrads live on campus...that helps foster involvement in campus activities...While Western has had a rough history (basically the same history as my Mocs until this past decade), they have always had a group of fans that are tried and true WCU CATS!!!

[FUBeAR]

Furman is equal to or better than places like Clemson, UGA, Ohio State, etc.Yes

[FUBeAR]

Samford did not get dinged much for losing to Georgia, but I expect Chattanooga will for their loss last night.

Massey only dropped the Mocs 2 slots - from #10 to #12.

Massey also now has Furman runnin’ the table, going 8-0 in the SoCon.

[ElCid]

Saturday, September 24, 2022
Furman at Charleston Southern
ETSU at Robert Morris
Western Carolina at Samford
Wofford at Kennesaw State
Mercer at Gardner-Webb

Forgot to pick Thursday night's game in time, but heck, would have picked Illinois anyway (though I thought it would have been closer).

I like this. Ditto. Pretty easy week except the WCU/Samford game. But I like the home team and the better D.

[caribbeanhen]

Massey only dropped the Mocs 2 slots - from #10 to #12.

Massey also now has Furman runnin’ the table, going 8-0 in the SoCon.

ohhhhh
Suddenly
Massey has new meaning to me

[FUBeAR]

ohhhhh
Suddenly
Massey has new meaning to meDoes it mean that you think you’ll see your (Massey-projected 8-3 Regular Season) CeruleanChickens in Travelers Rest, SC in December in the Semis vs. the more highly seeded (10-1 with their only loss to Top 5 FBS P5 ACC Clemson) Paladins?

[BearDownMU]

Furman's 4 football game attendees per enrolled student would also mean Furman is equal to or better than places like Clemson, UGA, Ohio State, etc. So the numbers can be looked at in many ways.

Not to nitpick, but I just don't like false analogies. Each of those programs sell out their stadiums every single weekend. And I could probably make a really good argument that if you could figure out how to add 100,000 seats to each of those stadiums, those would be sold as well. So as far as FUBeAR original assessment, and the intention of it, I don't know that that is a apt comparison.

[BearDownMU]

What's the Vaseline budget at Chuck South? Pretty sure it's on all the footballs.

[BearDownMU]

Five 1st quarter turnovers? Yikes.

[BearDownMU]

I just watched the new Jeffrey Dahmer show on Netflix and it was less gross than this game between Furman and ChaSou.

[caribbeanhen]

I just watched the new Jeffrey Dahmer show on Netflix and it was less gross than this game between Furman and ChaSou.

Yea, The Furman QB looked like he broke his arm... ugly

[FUBeAR]

Yea, The Furman QB looked like he broke his arm... ugly
Saw it live; thought same.

Didn’t want to watch replay (FUBeAR is soft when it comes to joint/bone injury observations).

Then FUBeAR Jr., who dislocated his elbow against FU in 2014, texted and said it looked just like his dislocated elbow.
https://i.postimg.cc/LsyYZ6fk/70-D949-F4-D299-4-ED0-AC02-07666051-D98-B.jpg
See the left arm of 67 bending the wrong way? Did like what he did to the All-American DE from Furman on the play … before the injury happened. :)

Announcers said Huff dislocated his shoulder, but that was an arm injury; not a shoulder.

So…think it’s his elbow. Think it’s dislocated. FUBeAR Jr. missed 2 games. With it being his non-throwing elbow, he could be back in a similar time frame, but FUBeAR would bet he’s out 3-4 weeks, at least. FUBeAR Jr. is a fast-healer - broke his foot in ‘15, had surgery, played 6 weeks later.

Wilson is good. Huff will return. Wilson’s back-up will, most likely, be a highly heralded true FR…but he’s a true FR…so, you, of course, hope you don’t have to ‘go there.’

[Milktruck74]

Crazy day in the SoCon...SoCon gonna SoCon so far!!!! ETSUx performed as expected.... Furple was a play away from going down to a REALLY BAD 0-3 Chuck South...and WCU/Sammy is a defensive ballgame....30 points through 46 mins of play!!! To keep the craziness going can Woffy get their first win vs Kenny? Hope so....

[kdinva]

WCU gets 456 yards of offense, a +10 in T O P, but Samford uses big plays to win 35-12. WCU not good in the red zone; settled for four short FGs. 3 TOs hurt, too

[FUBeAR]

Furple was a play away from going downWow … so now we’re extending the Mocs Imaginary Wins franchise to include imaginary losses for other Teams?

Y’all should open a move studio and start producing fantasy content - maybe call it Imagine Entertainment…something like that.

[wcugrad95]

Not sure I would have believed it, but Samford out-coached WCU. We had 460 yards of offense and scored 12 points. Even Kerwin Bell lost his cool and got a 15-yard penalty late. Samford is better than I even thought they were (and I thought they were pretty good). The game was closer than the final score, but the team with the better plan and cooler heads prevailed.

[Milktruck74]

Wow … so now we’re extending the Mocs Imaginary Wins franchise to include imaginary losses for other Teams?

Y’all should open a move studio or something and start producing fantasy content - maybe call it Imagine Entertainment…something like that.

Two or three plays and the Big South has a Quality win over the SoCon!!!!

[FUBeAR]

Two or three plays and the Big South has a Quality win over the SoCon!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ4Ym9Xiw3w

[Milktruck74]

Obviously you aren't watching the same games I am....

[Milktruck74]

FuBear!!!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ8mlC3mWW4

[JSUSoutherner]

Dammit Wofford you had one job

[Milktruck74]

and as bad as they are....almost pulled it off!!! Hooty?

[JSUSoutherner]

and as bad as they are....almost pulled it off!!! Hooty?

Who knows. I figure he'll show back up if they beat us next week.

[FUBeAR]

FuBear!!!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ8mlC3mWW4
Are you a permanent resident of the Upside Down?

Furman won … no matter how much you want to try to characterize their win as a loss.

Chattanooga lost, in a devastating dumpster fire way, no matter how much you want to pretend that they didn’t.

[PaladinNation]

No excuses for Furman, ugly game for sure.
Chuck South came to play with urgency, Furman didn't get off the bus till Huff goes out with an injury and Jace Wilson comes in to led the DINS to their first lead of the game.

Furman started the game without four starters, included center, middle linebacker, and corner. Add a fifth starter when Huff goes out of the game early. Furman has now had back to back games with teams ETSU/CSU stacking the box for the run. Thank goodness we're not as stubborn as years past and just keep running the ball up the middle against a wall of defenders.

I doubt Huff plays against Samford—we don't know the extent of his elbow injury. Huff struggled to get into a rhythm. He did take a hit late in the game against ETSU and could have been less than 100 percent. I don't think Furman looses much with Jace starting. Jace has a vibe about him that seems to infect the offense when he's in the game. A question for next week, does true freshman QB Carson Jones get some PT against Samford?

[Milktruck74]

Massey only dropped the Mocs 2 slots - from #10 to #12.

Massey also now has Furman runnin’ the table, going 8-0 in the SoCon.

What does Massey look like this morning....apparently the computers saw Furple's game about the same as I did...

I guess you are back to not caring for Massey now that it doesn't support your version of reality.

[FUBeAR]

A question for next week, does true freshman QB Carson Jones get some PT against Samford?The answer to this question is, “Hopefully NOT!”

Nothing against young Mr. Jones, but the only scenario FUBeAR can envision in which he enters the game is a Samford blowout of Furman in Paladin Stadium. I saw that happen in 2014 https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/400558163 and would prefer never to witness such again!

[FUBeAR]

What does Massey look like this morning....apparently the computers saw Furple's game about the same as I did...

I guess you are back to not caring for Massey now that it doesn't support your version of reality.FUBeAR is pleased to see Mr. Massey has the Paladins ranked #11, moving +3, this morning. Hopefully human voters will soon recognize the strength of Massey’s ranking system…and while there, they can play with the just-for-fun matchup tool also.

[JSUSoutherner]

FUBeAR is pleased to see Mr. Massey has the Paladins ranked #11, moving +3, this morning. Hopefully human voters will soon recognize the strength of Massey’s ranking system…and while there, they can play with the just-for-fun matchup tool also.
Almost losing to Chuck South boosts your Massey rating 3 spots?

Fascinating.

[Reign of Terrier]

My diagnoses of Wofford, as succinctly as possible: We are (obviously) a flaws team. But our defense is better than it was last year, and our offense is slowly gaining a degree of competence. I think our offensive line is critically flawed (evident that we can't run the ball) - which is expected when you have a running back coach coaching OL.

I think we will win a game or two this year. I like our chances against The Citadel, VMI, and *maybe* ETSU, given their struggles on offense and *maybe* Western given their struggles on defense.

Our defense, in short, is good enough to keep us in those games, but our offense has progressed from "awful" to "a coin flip on any play" which is still bad, but an improvement.

I do expect to lose the next two though. Mercer is on a mission, and Samford is at their best since Hodges suited up for them. Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if we beat Samford, just because that would be on brand for Hatch.

[FUBeAR]

Remaining undefeated in FCS, with your only loss coming in a game that you outplayed a Top 5 P5 FBS Team, boosts your Massey rating 3 spots?

Fascinating.
FYP

[JSUSoutherner]

FYP
Nothing screams "outplayed" like a good ole three score loss.

Honestly it's funny because the argument could be made that staying within 3 scores of Clemson is by far the most impressive thing Furman has done this year.

And maybe "impressive" is the wrong wording. Let's try "least embarrassing."

[caribbeanhen]

Saw it live; thought same.

Didn’t want to watch replay (FUBeAR is soft when it comes to joint/bone injury observations).

Then FUBeAR Jr., who dislocated his elbow against FU in 2014, texted and said it looked just like his dislocated elbow.
https://i.postimg.cc/LsyYZ6fk/70-D949-F4-D299-4-ED0-AC02-07666051-D98-B.jpg
See the left arm of 67 bending the wrong way? Did like what he did to the All-American DE from Furman on the play … before the injury happened. :)

Announcers said Huff dislocated his shoulder, but that was an arm injury; not a shoulder.

So…think it’s his elbow. Think it’s dislocated. FUBeAR Jr. missed 2 games. With it being his non-throwing elbow, he could be back in a similar time frame, but FUBeAR would bet he’s out 3-4 weeks, at least. FUBeAR Jr. is a fast-healer - broke his foot in ‘15, had surgery, played 6 weeks later.

Wilson is good. Huff will return. Wilson’s back-up will, most likely, be a highly heralded true FR…but he’s a true FR…so, you, of course, hope you don’t have to ‘go there.’

I definitely don’t watch replays on players like that... big wimp

From my view it seemed like his arm bent between the wrist and the elbow

Hopefully he’ll come back

[FUBeAR]

Nothing screams "outplayed" like…


Matchup
https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/231.png&h=100&w=100
https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/228.png&h=100&w=100


3rd down efficiency
10-18
5-10


Total Yards
384
376


Passing
256
229


Comp-Att
30-39
22-31


Rushing
128
147


Possession
34:45
25:15

[The Cats]

Looks like it's back to the drawing board for the Catamounts.

0 for 6 touchdowns in the red zone is not good. While Carlos' stats were better than the Samford qb, the final score was terrible. Cats led in rushing, passing, time of possession, but couldn't put the ball over the goal line.

[JSUSoutherner]

Matchup
https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/231.png&h=100&w=100
https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/228.png&h=100&w=100


3rd down efficiency
10-18
5-10


Total Yards
384
376


Passing
256
229


Comp-Att
30-39
22-31


Rushing
128
147


Possession
34:45
25:15



That's a cool little moral victory you got there.

But then again, considering your only other high notes are beating North Greenville, not losing to Chuck South, and beating maybe the worst team ETSU has put on the field since their revival, what else does Furman really have to get behind?

[SU DOG]

My diagnoses of Wofford, as succinctly as possible: We are (obviously) a flaws team. But our defense is better than it was last year, and our offense is slowly gaining a degree of competence. I think our offensive line is critically flawed (evident that we can't run the ball) - which is expected when you have a running back coach coaching OL.

I think we will win a game or two this year. I like our chances against The Citadel, VMI, and *maybe* ETSU, given their struggles on offense and *maybe* Western given their struggles on defense.

Our defense, in short, is good enough to keep us in those games, but our offense has progressed from "awful" to "a coin flip on any play" which is still bad, but an improvement.

I do expect to lose the next two though. Mercer is on a mission, and Samford is at their best since Hodges suited up for them. Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if we beat Samford, just because that would be on brand for Hatch.

What about "on brand" for Wofford? Your last defeat of Samford was when?

[FUBeAR]

That's a cool little moral victory you got there.No such thing as a “moral victory.” A loss is a loss. Outplaying, but not outscoring; however, is a thing.

[SU DOG]

Looks like it's back to the drawing board for the Catamounts.

0 for 6 touchdowns in the red zone is not good. While Carlos' stats were better than the Samford qb, the final score was terrible. Cats led in rushing, passing, time of possession, but couldn't put the ball over the goal line.

My question is this. How are the stat discrepancies vs Samford that much different than those against Georgia Tech? WCU led Tech in first downs, 26-15, passing yardage 271-100, and total yardage 390-343. The final score was also similar to yesterday's 35-12 numbers (Georgia Tech-35, Cats- 17).

My opinion is that any SoCon Team facing the Catamounts this season had better strap in on tight. That offense is certainly one of the best in the conference. Their defense is also talented and plays hard. Samford was fortunate to get the margin of victory so large. I never felt comfortable until the final TD. Having said that, however, I am very proud of the way the Bulldogs played. I think this Samford Team is definitely in the upper tier of the SoCon.

[FUBeAR]

I think this Samford Team is definitely in the upper tier of the SoCon.
Yep - Top 4 in the SoCon & Top 15 in FCS…or SHOULD BE!

[MUMD]

Somebody said something that FUBeAR didn’t think sounded quite right, so he did a quick study to find out what “right” really was. It was not what this Catamount Fan (just happened to be a Cantamount…coulda been a bellhop or a kangaroo. Right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of the preferred mascot) was saying it was.


Thought y’all might be interested in & maybe interested in discussing the results of the ‘study.’…

2021 FCS Rank Football Avg Attendance - https://herosports.com/2021-fcs-attend ... ders-bzbz/ (https://herosports.com/2021-fcs-attendance-leaders-bzbz/)
21 Citadel 9,982
23 WCU 9,824
25 Furman 9,577
26 ETSU 9,508
28 Mercer 8,908
43 Chattanooga 7,482
72 VMI 5,217
86 Wofford 4,686
95 Samford 3,949

School Undergraduate Enrollment - https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa- ... nrollment/ (https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa-conferences/southern-conference/enrollment/)
ETSU 10,705
WCU 10,517
Chattanooga 10,341
Mercer 4,911
Samford 3,576
Citadel 2,858
Furman 2,345
Wofford 1,764
VMI 1,698

SoCon Attendance/Enrollment Ratios
1. Furman 4.05
2. Citadel 3.49
3. VMI 3.07
4. Wofford 2.66
5. Mercer 1.81
6. Samford 1.10
7. WCU 0.93
8. ETSU 0.89
9. Chattanooga 0.72


FuBeAR keep in mind that Mercer has undergraduates in several locations, not just Macon. Last spring out of 1193 bachelors degrees granted only 732 (61.3%) were in Macon, with more than half of the rest at the Atlanta campus. If you use only the Macon numbers the "ratio" improves significantly. I couldn't find specific undergraduate enrollment numbers for just the Macon campus. Other schools may have similar situations, IDK. https://www.mercer.edu/about-mercer/facts-and-figures/

[MUMD]

Right on point. Especially that last sentence.

IMHO the ONLY way the SoCon will shed the 1-bid league mantle is to schedule and beat good OOC FCS schools. Someone besides the Big South, which is a total joke now that KSU is down and out.

[FUBeAR]

Thursday, September 22, 2022


Away
Home
Actual Winner/Score
FUBeAR KNOWS!


Chatt (http://www.gomocs.com/)
Illinois (http://www.fightingillini.com/)
ILL 31-0
Final Score: Illinois 28 - Chattanooga 23 … (dammit!)


Saturday, September 24, 2022


Away
Home
Actual Winner/Score
FUBeAR KNOWS!


Furman (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/)
C (http://www.csusports.com/)SU
Furman 24-19
Final Score: Furman 52 - Charleston Southern 10


ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/)
R (http://www.rmucolonials.com/)MU
ETSU 45-3
Final Score: ETSU 31 - Robert Morris 14


W (https://catamountsports.com/)CU
Samford (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
Samford 35-12
Final Score: Samford 45 - WCU 31


Wofford (http://woffordterriers.com/)
K (http://www.ksuowls.com/)SU
KSU 24-22
Final Score: Kennesaw 28 - Wofford 7 (dammit!)


Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
G (http://www.gwusports.com/)WU
Mercer 45-14
Final Score: Mercer 35 - Gardner-Webb 14


Not bad.

Picked all the winners
Overestimated Chatt’s O
Underestimated FU’s ability to have a letdown road game after 2 tough road games…but W..big ol’ W.
Close enough on the rest

[ElCid]

Matchup
https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/231.png&h=100&w=100
https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/228.png&h=100&w=100


3rd down efficiency
10-18
5-10


Total Yards
384
376


Passing
256
229


Comp-Att
30-39
22-31


Rushing
128
147


Possession
34:45
25:15



Me thinks you had better reread, or reconsider, your quote by Brent Thompson in your own signature box....LOL.

[JSUSoutherner]

No such thing as a “moral victory.” A loss is a loss. Outplaying, but not outscoring; however, is a thing.
Outplaying. Moral Victory. Potato potahto.

[FUBeAR]

Outplaying. Moral Victory. Potato potahto.
Potato Sasquatch

Talking outPLAYING in a Football game, not Trombone practice. What you know ‘bout it?

[FUBeAR]

Me thinks you had better reread, or reconsider, your quote by Brent Thompson in your own signature box....LOL.
Figured you would say that. Please direct me to where FUBeAR said anything about Furman winning anything vs. Clemson. Outplaying is not winning & contrary to Coach Thompson’s odd vehement rant which included this memorable quote - there is no “winning” in outplaying your opponent in 1 or even “every single statistical category.”

[JSUSoutherner]

Potato Sasquatch

Talking outPLAYING in a Football game, not Trombone practice. What you know ‘bout it?
Well if you outplayed them then why did you lose by three scores?

[FUBeAR]

Well if you outplayed them then why did you lose by three scores?
Here ya go. Will look forward to your full report.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q844wHvLifc

[ElCid]

Figured you would say that. Please direct me to where FUBeAR said anything about Furman winning anything vs. Clemson. Outplaying is not winning & contrary to Coach Thompson’s odd vehement rant which included this memorable quote - there is no “winning” in outplaying your opponent in 1 or even “every single statistical category.”

Potato, potAto. Spin away my man.

[gofurman]

No excuses for Furman, ugly game for sure.
Chuck South came to play with urgency, Furman didn't get off the bus till Huff goes out with an injury and Jace Wilson comes in to led the DINS to their first lead of the game.

Furman started the game without four starters, included center, middle linebacker, and corner. Add a fifth starter when Huff goes out of the game early. Furman has now had back to back games with teams ETSU/CSU stacking the box for the run. Thank goodness we're not as stubborn as years past and just keep running the ball up the middle against a wall of defenders.

I doubt Huff plays against Samford—we don't know the extent of his elbow injury. Huff struggled to get into a rhythm. He did take a hit late in the game against ETSU and could have been less than 100 percent. I don't think Furman looses much with Jace starting. Jace has a vibe about him that seems to infect the offense when he's in the game. A question for next week, does true freshman QB Carson Jones get some PT against Samford?

who was the 4th guy we are missing.??? Prior to Huff our starting QB going out.

1. Blackshear at CB. 2. Jumper at Center. 3. Achina at LB. who was the other missing guy as you said 4 missing before all everything Huff left at QB?

thanks for reply !!!

[PaladinNation]

who was the 4th guy we are missing.??? Prior to Huff our starting QB going out.

1. Blackshear at CB. 2. Jumper at Center. 3. Achina at LB. who was the other missing guy as you said 4 missing before all everything Huff left at QB?

thanks for reply !!!

1. Jumper - C
2. Achina - Spur
3. Blackshear - CB
4. McCormick - MLB