2008 Playoffs

[stevdock]

Yes it is time to start thinking about those playoffs, at least for the Western half of the country. Since all 4 seeds were from the West and none made it to the Championship game, will that impact next year's seedings? I know money talks but I'm interested to know if this has happened in previous years.

[AZGrizFan]

I doubt that'll impact next year's seeding. Just depends on how next year's regular season flushes out...

[smallcollegefbfan]

Don't we need to wait another week before we talk about this? We haven't even finished this year's yet. Plus, there is going to be a lot of changes to rosters before next August.

Since you bring it up, money has always had a major part in it since they stopped seeding the teams 1-16.

[UNHWildCats]

Yes it is time to start thinking about those playoffs, at least for the Western half of the country. Since all 4 seeds were from the West and none made it to the Championship game, will that impact next year's seedings? I know money talks but I'm interested to know if this has happened in previous years.
Even with the top 4 seeds all losing before Chattanooga, they all earned their seeds.

[TheValleyRaider]

Money doesn't matter for the seeds. Seeding is really the only part of the postseason where money doesn't matter.

Anyone who goes Undefeated from the autobid conferences will get a seed, after that, we'll see...

[WrenFGun]

I can't offer much impression for every other conference, but...from the CAA, I think everything is really up in the air. In the north, UMass is always go, but Coen loses literally all of his offensive threats. UNH loses Levan and Santos, along with Pammer and Karim. Hofstra loses Huggins. I would think UMass would again be the favorite, with Coen, though if Toman fills in as well as he filled in last season, he's got a shot to propel them, again. I don't think URI or NU are anywhere close, though if Maine's young frosh continues to play well, they might be in the mix..

In the South, JMU is the clear favorite, IMO. Landers and Hollomon return, and they should win that division. UD loses Flacco and Cuff, and UR loses Hightower, so those two losses could really hurt. With Schaeffer coming back for Towson, Villanova being very good and and W&M probably getting better, second best is probably up for grabs.

If I had to choose, I would think UMass, UNH, JMU and Villanova, with potentially Richmond over UNH or UMass, would be the best bet for the playoffs. Granted, I'm a huge homer, so there's that. :)

[Bettina90]

I can't offer much impression for every other conference, but...from the CAA, I think everything is really up in the air. In the north, UMass is always go, but Coen loses literally all of his offensive threats. UNH loses Levan and Santos, along with Pammer and Karim. Hofstra loses Huggins. I would think UMass would again be the favorite, with Coen, though if Toman fills in as well as he filled in last season, he's got a shot to propel them, again. I don't think URI or NU are anywhere close, though if Maine's young frosh continues to play well, they might be in the mix..

In the South, JMU is the clear favorite, IMO. Landers and Hollomon return, and they should win that division. UD loses Flacco and Cuff, and UR loses Hightower, so those two losses could really hurt. With Schaeffer coming back for Towson, Villanova being very good and and W&M probably getting better, second best is probably up for grabs.

If I had to choose, I would think UMass, UNH, JMU and Villanova, with potentially Richmond over UNH or UMass, would be the best bet for the playoffs. Granted, I'm a huge homer, so there's that. :)



The Hightower loss won't hurt a bit, Welcome to center stage, Mr. Vaughn. Richmond will be the favorite in the south and the CAA as a whole.

[appfan2008]

I think the east's suprememecy will continue... no not really i just felt like sayiing that... obviously there are plenty of quality teams out west but some of us are still focused on this year

[WrenFGun]

The Hightower loss won't hurt a bit, Welcome to center stage, Mr. Vaughn. Richmond will be the favorite in the south and the CAA as a whole.

I have a hard time believing that the loss of one of the most dominant running backs in the CAA won't hurt at least a little next season. With that said, looks like Ward has really developed beyond what I saw in the fourth game of the season, so that could surely make up a lot of the difference.

[JMU-MRD-DAD]

I could see Richmond being the favorite next year with their young team.

Delaware would probably drop a notch with the departure of Cuff and Flacco.

Nova will be improved.

UMASS will probably remain a force in the North...UNH will miss Santos.

JMU......should be a contender.

[WrenFGun]

I feel like it's hard for JMU not to be the favorite, as Landers looks like he is the best returning player in the CAA South. The guy is a beast, and I couldn't be happier that UNH is going to spend two years losing to W&M instead of JMU. It appears I underestimated Richmond, so you'll have to expect them back up there again. There will not be an easy game in the CAA south next season...W&M, Towson and Villanova should all be as good, as better, and JMU and UR return a lot of players. Then there's UD, in the NC game. Should be a dogfight.

I think the CAA North is far, far, weaker. I don't expect much from Hofstra, URI or NU next season, though I think Maine is a WC with the way they played in the second half. If Toman can continue to perform, UNH should put up a threat, though that's a question mark, too. UMass looks like a clear favorite, there, though they also lose a lot of people and have a tough, tough schedule.

[WrenFGun]

I'm very excited to see what teams like Elon, Wofford and EWU will do next season, too. All three could be pretty good. WIU and YSU, as well. It was lousy to see so many good conferences get so few bids, though the CAA was just that good last season. Hopefully we'll see Furman rebound, as well.

[appfan2008]

I believe the socon will be very good once again from top to bottom... look for app to be at the top again... we will take some losses but we still have a few pretty good athletes returning...

[Check_YOSEF]

I believe the socon will be very good once again from top to bottom... look for app to be at the top again... we will take some losses but we still have a few pretty good athletes returning...

Yeah...that Edwards kid might have a breakthrough next year! xnodx xnodx

[Umass74]

I can't speak for other teams, but the 2008 UMass defense should be very good. We lose a DE and two LB's from a defense that led the CAA in most defensive statistics. Those three are the only losses in the two deep on defense. Rumour also has it that we have a FSC DT transfer coming in.

On offense we have more losses. We lose three OL, the top three WR's and Matt Lawrence. We did recruit four offensive linemen in "07 so they will be coming off a redshirt year. We also have a Notre Dame transfer at OL.

Replacing Matt Lawrence will be Tony Nelson a former Rivals three star TB.

We have several WR's who did not get much playing time due to the three seniors. Have not seen them play, so I can't comment on how good they are.

We need more bodies at TB, FB and WR. Coen is back and hopefully he will be healthy in 2008.

[slostang]

Look for Cal Poly to be real good in 2008.

They return 10 starters (only gaurd Daniel Bradley graduates) on an offense that was number one in yards a game (487. 1 yard/game) and 6th in scoring (39.3 pts/game) in 2007. They have the top returning QB in terms of paser rating in Jonathan Dally (196.7 rating -threw for 2,238 yards and 29 TDs with only 5 INTs and ran for 763 yards and 12 TDs). Cal Poly also returns the second leading WR in Ramses Barden (57 receptions for 1,467 yards and 18 TDs), and two outstanding RB in James Noble and Ryan Mole. 6'2" 240 FB Jon Hall returns after averaging 5.3 tough yards a carry up the middle.

Cal Poly was young on defense in 2007, but they return 8 starters on that side of the ball in 2008. I expect the defense will be the type of defense people have come to expect from Cal Poly. In other words, one that is one of the top defenses in the FCS.

If Cal Poly can stay healthy in 2008, I think they have a team that can makes some noise in the 2008 playoffs.

[Eight Legger]

As for the seedings next year, well, I suspect we will see roughly the same thing that happened this year. . . a couple of the seeds will come from weak conferences and will have put up undefeated seasons by playing no one, then they'll lose in the first round.

Meanwhile, teams who play in tough leagues and suffer one or two losses will have no hope at seeds and will have to earn their way to the championship game by playing some unnecessary road games.

And of course App State will play every game at home!

[MountaineerGuy]

As for the seedings next year, well, I suspect we will see roughly the same thing that happened this year. . . a couple of the seeds will come from weak conferences and will have put up undefeated seasons by playing no one, then they'll lose in the first round.

Meanwhile, teams who play in tough leagues and suffer one or two losses will have no hope at seeds and will have to earn their way to the championship game by playing some unnecessary road games.

And of course App State will play every game at home!

Well at least the system gets something right...
xthumbsupx

We lose 3 OL's, but two of them were injured at some point this season, and their replacements proved they can work in our offense. Dexter Jackson and Hans Batichon leave, but our receiving corps I feel will still get the job done. Armanti Edwards, nuff sed. Devon Moore will make a fine replacement for Kevin Richardson.

Our DL and LB's are young. Our biggest losses I think will be in our DB's, including Corey Lynch, Justin Woazeah, and Jerome Touchstone.



Unless the SoCon gets some nasty receivers and cannon-armed, laser-precision QB's, I think ASU will be at the top again. So long as we don't sustain any injuries like we did at the beginning of this season, I don't think there's much reason to think we won't win the SoCon and garner a seed, if not 1st overall.

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

How many starters does JMU lose to graduation?

I think we lose 2 on offense and 3 on defense.

[Tribe4SF]

Richmond will be the favorite in the CAA South, with JMU and Villanova right behind. Delaware will be an unkown offensively, and we'll see if Sean Scanlon becomes the first recruited high school QB to start for the Hens in many years. W&M will be potent again offensively, and if the D is finally competitive, they could surprise.

The CAA North should belong to UMass, but they will have to play UR, JMU and UD from the South, as will Hofstra. I think the South will be dominant next year, and it wouldn't surprise me if no North team makes the playoffs.

A seed from the CAA will be a long shot. Still too many good teams. Same with the SoCon.

[hapapp]

Well at least the system gets something right...
xthumbsupx

We lose 3 OL's, but two of them were injured at some point this season, and their replacements proved they can work in our offense. Dexter Jackson and Hans Batichon leave, but our receiving corps I feel will still get the job done. Armanti Edwards, nuff sed. Devon Moore will make a fine replacement for Kevin Richardson.

Our DL and LB's are young. Our biggest losses I think will be in our DB's, including Corey Lynch, Justin Woazeah, and Jerome Touchstone.



Unless the SoCon gets some nasty receivers and cannon-armed, laser-precision QB's, I think ASU will be at the top again. So long as we don't sustain any injuries like we did at the beginning of this season, I don't think there's much reason to think we won't win the SoCon and garner a seed, if not 1st overall.

I think ASU will still be a force in the SoCon and beyond but some of those folks departing won't be easy to replace. KR is the all-time rushing leader and is clearly an inspiration to the team. Corey's leadership and knack for the big play will certainly be missed.

Last year we were bemoaning the loss of the DL, but we felt we had ample replacements. I think most folks realize that the youth and inexperience that we have there have been a liability at times this season. They have improved as the year has progressed and we are playing in the final in part because they have played well the last two weekends. But, the point is, you can't just plug in people and assume you won't miss a beat.

[McTailGator]

Yes it is time to start thinking about those playoffs, at least for the Western half of the country. Since all 4 seeds were from the West and none made it to the Championship game, will that impact next year's seedings? I know money talks but I'm interested to know if this has happened in previous years.



NO,

And it's dumb to think it would...


EVERY team will be different, and every team will have a different schedule.

McNeese will have 2 of it's injured All Americans back that missed the season this past year. But that means NOTHING, if they are injured, quit, or their back-ups get hurt.

REGARDING MONEY...

SICK OF HEARING ABOUT THIS TOO...


MONEY DOES NOT TALK...

HAS ZERO TO DO WITH SEEDINGS. NEVER HAS NEVER WILL...


THE WESTERN PLAYOFF SELECTION COMMITTEE GUY TOLD McNEESE THAT WE WERE THE No. 2 SEED, TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE SEASON ENDED. THEY WHERE GONG ON OUR MARGIN OF VICTORY, VS MONTANA'S CLOSE WINS OVER A SIMULAR SCHEDULE.


Let's talk about the NC game, and recruiting, because this is a mute point.

[WrenFGun]

UNH has a pretty easy schedule and could find themselves winning the north because of it. Their road games are Northeastern, URI, Maine, 'Nova, Army and Dartmouth. They'll be favored in four of their six road games, and are probably on equal ground with 'Nova. Army is not the epitome of FBS success either. They'll get Albany, Hofstra, W&M, Towson and Mass @ home, and should be favored in four of those five, as well.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

UNH has a pretty easy schedule and could find themselves winning the north because of it. Their road games are Northeastern, URI, Maine, 'Nova, Army and Dartmouth. They'll be favored in four of their six road games, and are probably on equal ground with 'Nova. Army is not the epitome of FBS success either. They'll get Albany, Hofstra, W&M, Towson and Mass @ home, and should be favored in four of those five, as well.

Calm down there Grasshopper! Perhaps you've missed how the W&M Green and Gold seem to become the Green Bay Packers whenever they play UNH! And have you examined the recent UNH performances at Parson's Field? Shoot, it wasn't too good versus the Huskies in Durham this year!! Albany will be gunning for their AE conference mates big time to try and make a statement. The Black Bears in Orono in late November is always a dicey proposition. Over the years games at Villanova have not been real successful for UNH and no doubt they will be gunning for our Wildcats after the playoff selection this year. And UNH only beat UMass once with Ricky at the helm (2005).

Life in the CAA is NEVER easy!! And replacing Ricky Santos as well as Jeff Pammer will be a major undertaking.

How about we not get too overconfident about next season before the recruiting season and Spring Practice have even occurred. xpeacex

[thmst30]

App is gonna be hurting more than some of you think. We lose our ENTIRE secondary which includes the defensive team captain and the best overall defensive player to ever dawn the A (yes Lynch is better than Coakley as an all around great college football player), a damn good o-line, the most clutch kicker probably in Apps history, our all-time leading rusher, and a solid experienced receiving duo. I know we have plenty of younger players to step in, BUT they are younger with little playing time and little experience. Its not a rebuilding year or anything, but next year will probably get tough a few times. PLUS so far we only have one just ONE recruit. Thats not a good way to start replacing players. Unless Jerry has something hidden up his sleeve, it looks like a VERY weak class coming in next year.xthumbsdownx Thats why I REALLY REALLY want this third title, because it may be awhile before we see another. So PLEASE get this one. Plus I want to see Kevin and especially Corey go out on top, they both deserve it so much.

[Tribe4SF]

Calm down there Grasshopper! Perhaps you've missed how the W&M Green and Gold seem to become the Green Bay Packers whenever they play UNH! And have you examined the recent UNH performances at Parson's Field? Shoot, it wasn't too good versus the Huskies in Durham this year!! Albany will be gunning for their AE conference mates big time to try and make a statement. The Black Bears in Orono in late November is always a dicey proposition. Over the years games at Villanova have not been real successful for UNH and no doubt they will be gunning for our Wildcats after the playoff selection this year. And UNH only beat UMass once with Ricky at the helm (2005).

Life in the CAA is NEVER easy!! And replacing Ricky Santos as well as Jeff Pammer will be a major undertaking.

How about we not get too overconfident about next season before the recruiting season and Spring Practice have even occurred. xpeacex

Amen to that, my friend.xnodx

I'll be doing my best to make it to Durham for UNH/W&M. I'll expect the grand tour!xthumbsupx

[roysboi12]

App is gonna be hurting more than some of you think. We lose our ENTIRE secondary which includes the defensive team captain and the best overall defensive player to ever dawn the A (yes Lynch is better than Coakley as an all around great college football player), a damn good o-line, the most clutch kicker probably in Apps history, our all-time leading rusher, and a solid experienced receiving duo. I know we have plenty of younger players to step in, BUT they are younger with little playing time and little experience. Its not a rebuilding year or anything, but next year will probably get tough a few times. PLUS so far we only have one just ONE recruit. Thats not a good way to start replacing players. Unless Jerry has something hidden up his sleeve, it looks like a VERY weak class coming in next year.xthumbsdownx Thats why I REALLY REALLY want this third title, because it may be awhile before we see another. So PLEASE get this one. Plus I want to see Kevin and especially Corey go out on top, they both deserve it so much.

How many recruits did we have signed the past two years at this stage? Not taking anything away from what you said, I am just wondering.

[Tribe4SF]

How many recruits did we have signed the past two years at this stage? Not taking anything away from what you said, I am just wondering.

Well, you didn't have any, and don't this year. He's talking verbal commits, which in FCS mean very little at this stage.

I would expect ASU will get its share of talent again.

[thmst30]

How many recruits did we have signed the past two years at this stage? Not taking anything away from what you said, I am just wondering.
I honestly don't know, all I know is that we have gone after a ton of guys and they all have shyed away for whatever reason and pretty much decided to go somewhere else.

[thmst30]

Well, you didn't have any, and don't this year. He's talking verbal commits, which in FCS mean very little at this stage.

I would expect ASU will get its share of talent again.
I hope you're right, I just know that this is the time of year that many recruits choose their destination, and we seem to be sitting back and watching them go.

[Tribe4SF]

I hope you're right, I just know that this is the time of year that many recruits choose their destination, and we seem to be sitting back and watching them go.

Recruits can't sign until the first week in February. Most that go to FCS schools wait until late December, or January to make a decision. You won't find many FCS schools with more than a few commitments this early.

[thmst30]

Recruits can't sign until the first week in February. Most that go to FCS schools wait until late December, or January to make a decision. You won't find many FCS schools with more than a few commitments this early.

Good to know, I guess I was just a little too hopeful we might be able to claim some of these guys who are going to 1-A schools already.

[B&G]

There is no way ASU has a weak recruiting year with as much exposure as we have gotten through the Michigan win and three straight championship game appearances... and hopefully three straight national titles. We will probably have a lot of guys calling to inquire about transferring too. Whether we actually take any transfers is another matter.

You are right though... we do lose A LOT this year. Here is what I would project next year's starters to be in '08 even if no freshmen were to come through:

QB Armanti Edwards JR. - Best in FCS?
RB Devon Moore JR. - A poor man's K-Rich
WR TJ Courman SR. - Experienced and crafty
WR CoCo Hillary SO. - May become the new go-to guy
WR Josh Johnson JR. - Any number of guys could start though
TE Trey Hennessee SR. - Watch out for SO. Ben Jorden though
OL Mario Acitelli JR. - Experience starting at LT
OL Brad Coley SR. - Looked good at LT after Acitelli got hurt
OL Jonathan Bieschke SR. - Strong run blocker
OL Brett Irvin SO. - Can play multiple positions
OL Corbett Harris SO. - Very athletic

DL Gary Tharrington JR. - Could dominate if he gets over nagging injuries
DL Tony Robertson JR. - Top sack artist in '07
DL Anthony Williams JR. - Can stuff run and rush passer
DL Tim Washington SR. - Ditto
LB DJ Smith SO. - Has breakout star potential
LB Pierre Banks SR. - Should step up as a defensive leader
LB Jacque Roman JR. - Tackling machine
DB Cortez Gilbert JR. - Filled in well as a nickel/sub in '07
DB Leonard Love SR. - Finally gets chance to start
DB Mark LeGree SO. - Ballhawk
DB ??? (Corey Lynch's brother, Calan, maybe?)

Expect heavy recruitment at DB. D-Line, LB and OL are all very deep. App has a lot of good OL that haven't had the chance to play. I'm not sure who is going to step up to be the speed receiver to try to replace Dexter Jackson. I know James Hill and Tavaris Washington both have some jets. The X-factor is the amount of leadership we're losing with Lynch, Jackson, Richardson, K. Brown, Elder and Cardwell all graduating.

[WrenFGun]

Calm down there Grasshopper! Perhaps you've missed how the W&M Green and Gold seem to become the Green Bay Packers whenever they play UNH! And have you examined the recent UNH performances at Parson's Field? Shoot, it wasn't too good versus the Huskies in Durham this year!! Albany will be gunning for their AE conference mates big time to try and make a statement. The Black Bears in Orono in late November is always a dicey proposition. Over the years games at Villanova have not been real successful for UNH and no doubt they will be gunning for our Wildcats after the playoff selection this year. And UNH only beat UMass once with Ricky at the helm (2005).

Life in the CAA is NEVER easy!! And replacing Ricky Santos as well as Jeff Pammer will be a major undertaking.

How about we not get too overconfident about next season before the recruiting season and Spring Practice have even occurred. xpeacex

For sure...Karim as well. I don't thik we'll win all of the games I said we're favored to win (like W&M, ugh)...but I was noting that we should be favored in most of our games. We have the kind of schedule that could potentially make up for some young growing pains.

[Black and Gold Express]

Dexter Jackson and Hans Batichon leave, but our receiving corps I feel will still get the job done. Armanti Edwards, nuff sed. Devon Moore will make a fine replacement for Kevin Richardson.

Our DL and LB's are young. Our biggest losses I think will be in our DB's, including Corey Lynch, Justin Woazeah, and Jerome Touchstone.


Starting wideouts in 2008 should be Courman, Hillary, and Johnson. If he ended up haing a productive redshirt season, Brian Quick could be a dominant force. 6-5 and fast, he's just really raw in experience. I'm glad they tagged the redshrit on him after the Michigan game, he's got a lot of promise but also a long ways to go. Also Blake Elder should get a lot of snaps as well.

[Tribe4SF]

For sure...Karim as well. I don't thik we'll win all of the games I said we're favored to win (like W&M, ugh)...but I was noting that we should be favored in most of our games. We have the kind of schedule that could potentially make up for some young growing pains.

It's way early to speculate about who any of us will be favored against. We all thought Richmond would be an also-ran this year, and that Villanova was a lower tier team. Few saw Hofstra having the kind of year they did either, and most thought Towson was a contender.

I know how you feel about W&M. We hope our history holds true with both UNH and Northeastern. Our fear is having URI back on the schedule. They've given us fits in recent years! On the whole we've got to be relieved facing those three this year. We're 28-6 against them combined, but against the other three North teams we are only 12-12.

[bluehenbillk]

Richmond will be the favorite in the CAA South, no question. They could be better than they were this year & play their key games at home. JMU, UD & VU will all be good. Look for Keeler to make a decision in the spring if UD has QB who's ready or if he goes the transfer route again. W&M & TU will be no-factors.

In the North it'll be UMass & UNH. Hofstra will be weaker, Northeastern may not exist anymore & Maine & URI might be better off going that route as well.

[Tribe4SF]

Richmond will be the favorite in the CAA South, no question. They could be better than they were this year & play their key games at home. JMU, UD & VU will all be good. Look for Keeler to make a decision in the spring if UD has QB who's ready or if he goes the transfer route again. W&M & TU will be no-factors.

In the North it'll be UMass & UNH. Hofstra will be weaker, Northeastern may not exist anymore & Maine & URI might be better off going that route as well.

xlolx I love it when people think they have the CAA all figured out!xlolx

[GannonFan]

Agreed - Richmond is easily the pick for best team in the conference next year. The South is stacked as the next 3 teams will all be pretty good. Agreed that W&M and Towson look to be in a little trouble again next year. What happens in the North depends on how UNH can fill the hole that Santos will leave - I think the backup looked pretty good. And UNH gets UMass's easy schedule next year while UMass will have to run the gauntlet of Richmond/JMU/UD next year. And Hofstra is in that boat as well. I actually like Maine to be a darkhorse next year - they got better later in the year and now Cosgrove will be there for awhile.

[DTSpider]

I seem to remember everyone saying that in the CAA South this year that Towson was the breakout team, with JMU as the favorite & UD battling for 3rd with Nova. UR & W&M were picked to be bottom of the barrel.

[JMU2K_DukeDawg]

The biggest losses happen on the defensive side of the ball for JMU. Losing Tony LeZotte is huge. Simply irreplaceable. We could get another great safety, but the man will be gone, and his intangibles are just as big for the team as the tackles and quarterbacking on the field. Also, JMU is very thin at LB. JMU was lucky not to get any injuries here. Justin Barnes will be missed, just like Akeem Jordan was missed this year.

Our O-line, D-line and skill players will almost all be returning, so this team will indeed be very strong next year.

App St. @ JMU will once again be the game of the year. Hopefully a different result with a different location.

[WrenFGun]

I don't think Hofstra is very good, really, and losing Huggins and Villante won't help, either. I think Maine is easily the third best team in the CAA North, even though they struggled some last season. They finally have their QB situation settled and should be able to ride the defense a bit. UMass has the most talent returning, but they have UNH's brutal schedule. I don't see any problem considering the CAA for next season, though I do see problems in writing off W&M, Towson and Maine, as all three should be tough challenges.