UMass football team easy pick to win CAA North Division

[saint0917]

Success breeds high expectations. Just ask the University of Massachusetts football team.

The Minutemen are an overwhelming favorite to win the Colonial Athletic Association's North Division, taking 17 of the 19 first-place votes in the preseason poll released Wednesday at the CAA Media Day at Baltimore, Md.

UMass placed five players on the preseason all-conference team, including preseason offensive player of the year Liam Coen.

If the high expectations bother the senior signal-caller from Providence, R.I., he isn't letting it show.

"We've been getting used to winning so as a team it got to the point where we'd win some games and if it wasn't as clean as it should have been we'd be disappointed," Coen said.

The Minutemen are 23-5 over the last two seasons, including 15-1 in the CAA and back-to-back conference titles, and 14-0 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. UMass reached the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals in 2007 and the National Championship game in 2006.

Umass Football (http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2008/07/umass_football_team_easy_pick.html)

[WrenFGun]

I sound like a broken record, but I'll be very impressed if UMass wins the CAA North. In addition to a likely loss at Texas Tech, if UMass wants to be considered a playoff team, they'll have to have no more than two (maybe three, if they're playing twelve games) losses against teams like UD, JMU, Richmond and UNH. I mean, it's surely possible, and they'd have to avoid a slipup against anyone else, too.

Assuming they beat Albany, Bryant, Rhode Island, Northeastern and Maine, which is no cakewalk, as we saw last year, they have to go to Texas Tech, to James Madison and to UNH, and they need to get Richmond and Delaware at home. They also go to a good Holy Cross team, and close with a Hofstra team that was pretty good last season.

That is a load of a schedule. If they can get to 9-3 (or even 8-4) with that schedule, I will be VERY impressed. Surely a deserving playoff team. I'm just confused how so many think they will be the champ with that schedule.

Good luck to UMass this season. The game in Durham is one I greatly look forward to.

[GeeWiz]

I sound like a broken record, but I'll be very impressed if UMass wins the CAA North. In addition to a likely loss at Texas Tech, if UMass wants to be considered a playoff team, they'll have to have no more than two (maybe three, if they're playing twelve games) losses against teams like UD, JMU, Richmond and UNH. I mean, it's surely possible, and they'd have to avoid a slipup against anyone else, too.

Assuming they beat Albany, Bryant, Rhode Island, Northeastern and Maine, which is no cakewalk, as we saw last year, they have to go to Texas Tech, to James Madison and to UNH, and they need to get Richmond and Delaware at home. They also go to a good Holy Cross team, and close with a Hofstra team that was pretty good last season.

That is a load of a schedule. If they can get to 9-3 (or even 8-4) with that schedule, I will be VERY impressed. Surely a deserving playoff team. I'm just confused how so many think they will be the champ with that schedule.

Good luck to UMass this season. The game in Durham is one I greatly look forward to.

I agree WrenFGun, UMass winning the North isn't the layup everyone thinks it will be with that schedule ...

[bluehenbillk]

I agree with the reply sentiments that UMass is gonna struggle to win the North. Simply put, they have to play the power teams of the CAA South and UNH doesn't, plus they play in Durham.

The game in Lubbock will be interesting, 3 all-league DB's against the most frightening air attack in college football.

[WrenFGun]

If they win the North, they certainly deserve it with that schedule. Sometimes I just think these researchers are awfully lazy.

[KAUMASS]

It's all fluff at this point gentlemen. The attention is nice, but we havn't played one game yet. Early Indications:

Looking at the CAA schedules for the first 3 weeks, there are some teams we will know right off the bat what they have. In the north, Hofstra opens up with UConn. Northeastern with Ball State, New Hampshire at Army. Maine at Iowa. In the south, Villanova at West Virginia, W&M at NC State, Richmond at Elon & Virginia, Delaware at Maryland, JMU at Duke & Towson at Navy.

By the third week, most CAA teams will have played 1 conference game and we should have a good barometer of who has what. There will still be upsets no doubt. 'Gotta love JMU and App. State going at it again this year!!

Villanova is my darkhorse this year. They lost a great TE in Sherry, but they have just about everyone back. BOL to all CAA teams this year.

Below link to CAA Schedule.

http://www.caasports.com/fls/8500/supportfiles/pdf/08FBGuide/Back.pdf?SPSID=48484&SPID=4660&DB_OEM_ID=8500

[jstclmet]

[QUOTE=KAUMASS;1032562]It's all fluff at this point gentlemen. The attention is nice, but we havn't played one game yet. Early Indications:

Looking at the CAA schedules for the first 3 weeks, there are some teams we will know right off the bat what the have. In the north, Hofstra opens up with UConn. Northeastern with Ball State, New Hampshire at Army. Maine at Iowa. In the south, Villanova at West Virginia, W&M at NC State, Richmond at Elon & Virginia, Delaware at Maryland, JMU at Duke & Towson at Navy.

By the third week, most CAA teams will have played 1 conference game and we should have a good barometer of who has what. There will still be upsets no doubt. 'Gotta love JMU and App. State going at it again this year!!

Villanova is my darkhorse this year. They lost a great TE in Sherry, but they have just about everyone back. BOL to all CAA teams this year.

I actually agree with the UMass ranking and also predicted UMass will go 3 - 0 vs the South. Below is my prediction of how UMass will fare this fall that I posted in CAAZONE back in early March;

http://www.caazone.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=76486

Information Schedule Forecast - UMass
by jstclmet on March 03, 2008, 08:51:29 PM

UMass incoming class with transfers has been discussed at length. Nothing new here. To borrow from Denny Green, "You knew who they were when you played them" or words to that effect. Regardless of how they came to UMass, they did come loaded for bear. You need to bring your "A" game when you go to Amherst or they come to you. They're big up front and run right at you, and they can stretch the field. One glaring achilles heel on this team is lack of discipline. But, that may be in large part due to a lot of people learning the system in a short time. On to the schedule;

8/30 vs. Albany W 31 - 10. Home game vs the lil guy, UMass wants to win this one big to start the season off right and shake out the cobwebs.

9/6 @ Holy Cross W 35 - 17. Another convincing win over the lil guys. HC puts up the good fight in front of the home fans through Half time before being run over and run past by the Minutemen.

9/13 @ JMU W 24 - 17. See JMU forecast. First tough game for UMass, but too big and strong up front for JMU.

9/20 @ Texas Tech L 42 - 21. If it' s even that close. My first thought was 56 - 17, but then I thought I was giving TT too much credit. Nonetheless, the third of 3 road games with each one getting progressively tougher than the last. UMass will be out of their element here. TT will redefine speed & power. For UMass sake, they come away with little or no injuries.

9/27 a much needed bye

10/4 vs. Delaware W 17 - 10. See UD forecast. UMass is still recovering from their trip to Texas, so they will be a little sluggish here against UD, but put up enough of a game to win at home.

10/11 @ Northeastern W 31 - 13. UMass buries NE early enroute to another playoff spot and possible seed.

10/18 vs. Richmond W 28 - 24. In a nip & tuck game, UMass scores last to win at home.

10/25 vs. Bryant W 42 - 7. Do you like how they have these convenient games between tough games. Ya gotta admire the scheduling done by the AD here.

11/1 @ Rhode Island (Trap Game) W 17 - 14. One of those games that UMass comes out flat taking URI for granted, and barely hangs on to win.

11/8 vs. Maine W 31 - 17. After the rude awakening by URI, UMass brings it's "A" game against Maine.

11/15 @ New Hampshire L 20 - 22. Mistakes catch up with UMass. Hopefully for them, this loss does not cost them a seed.

11/22 vs. Hofstra W 28 - 0. See HU forecast.

Overall 10 - 2, CAA 7 - 1

[Jackman]

I'd be pretty damn happy with that season, other than the part where we let UNH up off the mat. Maybe we can lose to JMU instead.

[GannonFan]

UMass is still only returning 4 offensive starters. I understand that they have new guys coming in that they hope fill the gaps, but considering Coen was banged up a lot last year and he's lost a lot of his offensive line, receivers, and running backs, UMass slipping up a little this year, especially with their schedule, isn't a crazy idea. Heck, I'll go on record right now saying that UMass losing to Holy Cross on the road this year wouldn't be a shocker, especially coming so early in the year.

[Hoyadestroya85]

If they don't win the North.. they're a disgrace

[WrenFGun]

Right, because it's not possible that Hofstra or UNH (a couple of 7-4 teams) can offer viable competition?