USA Today Sports Weekly FCS Top 25

[smallcollegefbfan]

This was done by Eric from fcsfootball.com

1. Richmond
2. App State
3. Montana
4. Villanova
5. Northern Iowa
6. New Hampshire
7. Southern Illinois
8. James Madison
9. Weber State
10. Wofford
11. Cal Poly
12. Grambling St
13. Elon
14. William & Mary
15. UMass
16. Central Arkansas
17. Montana State
18. McNeese State
19. Maine
20. Colgate
21. Harvard
22. South Carolina St
23. Eastern Washington
24. Texas State
25. Prairie View A&M

[smallcollegefbfan]

What do you guys think?

[McNeese72]

1. Richmond
2. App State
3. Montana
4. Villanova
5. Northern Iowa
6. New Hampshire
7. Southern Illinois
8. James Madison
9. Weber State
10. Wofford
11. Cal Poly
12. Grambling St
13. Elon
14. William & Mary
15. UMass
16. Central Arkansas
17. Montana State
18. McNeese State
19. Maine
20. Colgate
21. Harvard
22. South Carolina St
23. Eastern Washington
24. Texas State
25. Prairie View A&M

Grambling No. 12???

And I think Texas St. should be higher and McNeese lower with Texas St in front of McNeese. I think McNeese should have to prove themselves this year to move up in the Top 25 and in the Southland Conference.

Just my opinion.

As far as the other FCS schools and conferences, I have kept track close enough to offer an informed opinion.

[Gringer1]

No South Dakota, North Dakota, Furman, or Georgia Southern, but Grambling State is all the way up at #12? What kind of dart board were they throwing at to come up with this?

[elcid83]

1. Richmond
2. App State
3. Montana
4. Villanova
5. Northern Iowa
6. New Hampshire
7. Southern Illinois
8. James Madison
9. Weber State
10. Wofford
11. Cal Poly
12. Grambling St
13. Elon
14. William & Mary
15. UMass
16. Central Arkansas
17. Montana State
18. McNeese State
19. Maine
20. Colgate
21. Harvard
22. South Carolina St
23. Eastern Washington
24. Texas State
25. Prairie View A&M

I guess Gardner-Webb was picked to finish 27th?http://www.anygivensaturday.com/forum/images/smilies/smiley_wink.gif

Go Runnin' Bulldogs!

[SideLine Shooter]

It is a freaking poll. Settle it on the field, The FCS Way!

[GOKATS]

It's preseason, but looking at primarily the west I'd say Montana is a bit too high, Weber St. is about right, Cal Poly is too high, Montana St. is about right, and Eastern Washington is too low (but the Eagles are really hard to figure out this year with the post season ban, etc.). JMO

[NSUDemon98]

This was done by Eric from fcsfootball.com

1. Richmond
2. App State
3. Montana
4. Villanova
5. Northern Iowa
6. New Hampshire
7. Southern Illinois
8. James Madison
9. Weber State
10. Wofford
11. Cal Poly
12. Grambling St
13. Elon
14. William & Mary
15. UMass
16. Central Arkansas
17. Montana State
18. McNeese State
19. Maine
20. Colgate
21. Harvard
22. South Carolina St
23. Eastern Washington
24. Texas State
25. Prairie View A&M

Grambling #12? Well, if the Demons are able to leave Grambling with a W that should help us out.

[TexasTerror]

On Grambling...they finished the year at #40 in GPI and all their wins were 60+ in GPI. They finished at #24 in two polls - Sports Network and Coaches. None else. They are favored to win the SWAC, but I guess their season in terms of national credibility comes down to games against South Carolina State and Northwestern State.


It is a freaking poll. Settle it on the field, The FCS Way!

It's not even poll! It's a single "ballot" by one of the more well-liked guys in the FCS community. ;)


And I think Texas St. should be higher and McNeese lower with Texas St in front of McNeese. I think McNeese should have to prove themselves this year to move up in the Top 25 and in the Southland Conference.

Agreed. Would have put the Bobcats ahead of McNeese, though kept them behind UCA (since the Bears have beat them every time and I'm getting really hyped on that defense of theirs).

[furman94]

It is a freaking poll. Settle it on the field, The FCS Way!

Agreed!

[GannonFan]

Eh, granted, it's only a preseason poll, but other than the strange nod towards Grambling, it's not really much different than last year's end of the season poll. Not a lot of prediction other than the Grambling oddity.

[CatFan22]

What's the infatuation with EWU? I would like to hear some explanations/insight on why people have them where they do.

[bpcats]

To me EWU is a sleeping giant this year in the Big Sky. They are led by an experienced QB in Nichols who was a former Walter Payton candidate and return a nice set of receivers in Boyce, Brown, and TE Overbay. Their offensive line last year was made up mostly freshmen and they held their own. On offense, this team can hold its own versus anybody in the Big Sky.

Last year they played Texas Tech closer than Oklahoma State, Kansas State, UMass, SMU, and Kansas, and should have beat Colorado. They also closed out the year beating Weber State. Where they ran into trouble last year under their coaching change was on their transition from a 3-3-5 defense to a base 4-3. That along with their young offensive line in the early going kept them out of the playoff off hunt.

This years big question marks revolve around where is their head at regarding the post season ban, and I believe that they will be starting quite a few new players on defense which could lead to some early season troubles. They are definitely cannot be taken lightly.

They have owned the Bobcats the last few years. I expect a different outcome this season as the Cats have a veteran team in all three phases of the game, and the new players on EWU's defense will struggle a little bit throughout the year.

[bluehenbillk]

Looks like very little research done on what's changed from last year....

[ncbears]

No South Dakota, North Dakota, Furman, or Georgia Southern, but Grambling State is all the way up at #12? What kind of dart board were they throwing at to come up with this?

I think you mean South Dakota State and North Dakota State. Both should be considered in the top 25, not South Dakota and North Dakota.

[ncbears]

To me EWU is a sleeping giant this year in the Big Sky. They are led by an experienced QB in Nichols who was a former Walter Payton candidate and return a nice set of receivers in Boyce, Brown, and TE Overbay. Their offensive line last year was made up mostly freshmen and they held their own. On offense, this team can hold its own versus anybody in the Big Sky.

Last year they played Texas Tech closer than Oklahoma State, Kansas State, UMass, SMU, and Kansas, and should have beat Colorado. They also closed out the year beating Weber State. Where they ran into trouble last year under their coaching change was on their transition from a 3-3-5 defense to a base 4-3. That along with their young offensive line in the early going kept them out of the playoff off hunt.

This years big question marks revolve around where is their head at regarding the post season ban, and I believe that they will be starting quite a few new players on defense which could lead to some early season troubles. They are definitely cannot be taken lightly.

They have owned the Bobcats the last few years. I expect a different outcome this season as the Cats have a veteran team in all three phases of the game, and the new players on EWU's defense will struggle a little bit throughout the year.

I can see that.

[smallcollegefbfan]

I think you mean South Dakota State and North Dakota State. Both should be considered in the top 25, not South Dakota and North Dakota.

I was thinking the same thing. USD has a very good QB and DT on their team but I don't see them or UND as a top 25 this year.

[andy7171]

Prairie View over Delaware. What a slap in the face!








:p

[PaladinFan]

Not to be obtuse, but why is Gardner-Webb getting a bunch of top 25ish ranking. Weren't they under .500 the past two seasons?

[andy7171]

Not to be obtuse, but why is Gardner-Webb getting a bunch of top 25ish ranking. Weren't they under .500 the past two seasons?

Pretty sure they are returning everyone.

[Panther88]

Prairie View over Delaware. What a slap in the face!

:p

xnodx
Not only a slap in the face, but we're pissing on them and telling them it's actually raining. lol Lets put both on the field of play and see who comes away w/ the loss. :D

Won't be us, for sure-for sure. All talk, zero action(s) to make it occur but continue your inner debate(s). :D

[PaladinFan]

Pretty sure they are returning everyone.

So the fact that they return a lot of players on a sub .500 team from a weak non-bid conference makes them a top 25 calibre team?

Not trying to bash the Bulldogs (I love me some Cleveland County), just trying to figure out if they all the sudden got ridiculously good.

[Uncle Buck]

So the fact that they return a lot of players on a sub .500 team from a weak non-bid conference makes them a top 25 calibre team?

Not trying to bash the Bulldogs (I love me some Cleveland County), just trying to figure out if they all the sudden got ridiculously good.

Gotta agree with that. Hofstra returns a heck of a lot and they're predicted to nothing but lose, lose, and lose some more (though i think we will surprise some people).

I had a chance to see G-Webb at Stony Brook last year, they didn't really look impressive to warrant chatter about preseason top 25 votes. Then again, it is just a preseason poll.

[andy7171]

So the fact that they return a lot of players on a sub .500 team from a weak non-bid conference makes them a top 25 calibre team?

Not trying to bash the Bulldogs (I love me some Cleveland County), just trying to figure out if they all the sudden got ridiculously good.

I dont know anything about GW. But I seem to remember hearing they picked up a handful of transfers.

[Uncle Buck]

Preseason polls are just fodder for smack.

Should be interesting to see what the polls look like when you compare them to late October.

[terrierbob]

Looks like very little research done on what's changed from last year....

agreed--for them to miss Forcier's impact at Furman is a glaring omission.

Wofford seems a little high.

[jmufan999]

as far as the list, who knows at this point.... we're all just guessing and most of us only see the teams in our conference so none of us REALLY KNOW anything, don't understand why people get so upset. and whether it's a "poll" or a "ranking".... who cares? yes, i know what the difference is.... whether it's one guy's opinion or more than one guy's opinion, why do many of you get your panties all in a bunch about it? MANY, MANY (if not most) people on this board will complain whether it's a ranking or a poll if your team isn't where you want them, anyway. you just bicker about it being a poll or a ranking to hide the fact that you just don't agree with whatever the opinion is. it's pretty freaking hilarious.

[PaladinFan]

agreed--for them to miss Forcier's impact at Furman is a glaring omission.

Wofford seems a little high.

I'll be the first to tell you that Furman doesn't warrant a high ranking. However, I have a hard time believing that Furman should be ranked behind Holy Cross, Harvard, Grambling, San Diego, Gardner Webb, etc and others that I've seen in a few publications.

Nevertheless, all is decided on the field.

[Gringer1]

I think you mean South Dakota State and North Dakota State. Both should be considered in the top 25, not South Dakota and North Dakota.

I certainly did mean SDSU and NDSU. I know these polls are meaningless and all of the pollsters are just trying to be hip and and appear insightful by including underdogs, but it's a huge omission to completely ignore great teams.

[smallcollegefbfan]

Preseason polls are just fodder for smack.

Should be interesting to see what the polls look like when you compare them to late October.

Yeah it will. As I mentioned before in another thread Steele picked Hofstra and while it seems weird, he was the most accurate of any preseason top 25 last year and he always has 2-3 teams that people laugh at. He usually gets 1-2 of those teams right but does tend to miss on 1 or sometimes 2 of 3 of those type picks.

[datruth4u]

Grambling #12? Well, if the Demons are able to leave Grambling with a W that should help us out.

LOL.....Wouldn't count that W too soon....Grambling may hang 35 on yall

[catbob]

I honestly am a bit suprirsed to see the Cats in the top 25 in a couple different polls now. We return both QBs from an anemic passing game last year, and lost the best RB we've had since 2002 by a wide margin in Demetrius Crawford. Yea we have some help coming in at WR and our RBs should be able to replace Crawfowd well enough, but our passing game needs a boost in the arm big time.

Our defense should be solid as usual, but our passing game scares me. :P

[McNeese75]

LOL.....Wouldn't count that W too soon....Grambling may hang 35 on yall

You taking bets on that :D

[datruth4u]

You taking bets on that :D

Sure am.....Its nothing to get a pay pal account set up...LOL

[AlphaSigMD]

So the fact that they return a lot of players on a sub .500 team from a weak non-bid conference makes them a top 25 calibre team?

Not trying to bash the Bulldogs (I love me some Cleveland County), just trying to figure out if they all the sudden got ridiculously good.

Agreed. I will never understand the tendency of college football and college basketball "experts" to value the return of core members on a sub-par team higher than teams with better overall players and consistent success. A ***** sandwich still tastes bad no matter how long the ingredients have been together.

[crossfire07]

LOL.....Wouldn't count that W too soon....Grambling may hang 35 on yall


75, I want in on some of that action too!

[mikebigg]

Grambling returns 10 offensive starters and 7 or 8 defensive starters (not including a 2007 starter who was out last season). Plus we have a proven winner in Coach Rod Broadway and staff.

This is the opposite (especially offensively) from last season when we only had 2 returning offensive starters from the previous season.

[datruth4u]

Add one of the best kept secrets to that stable of RB's for Grambling this year...What other starter returns this season? You talking about Johnson? Don't forget about B.Patterson....

[TexasTerror]

Until Grambling wins a significant OOC game, there is no validity to them being a top 15 program. They have lost seven straight OOC games against Div I teams, with their last Div I win outside of SWAC opposition (as yes, they did play SWAC foes OOC) coming against Savannah St in 2004.

Was viewing their history and unless I overlooked it, their last win against a Div I PWC came in 1985 against Oregon State - back when Eddie Robinson still had more than a decade left in his coaching career. That's a long time, regardless of how few and far between those foes are.

[PhoenixPhan06]

Lucky #13 hopefully will bring us atleast 13 wins this year!

[McNeese75]

Sure am.....Its nothing to get a pay pal account set up...LOL

xlolx

[ngineer]

Prairie View over Delaware. What a slap in the face!








:p

And remember not long ago PV was the laughingstock of the nation with a humongous losing streak? Great to see a program turnaround like that.

[mikebigg]

Until Grambling wins a significant OOC game, there is no validity to them being a top 15 program. They have lost seven straight OOC games against Div I teams, with their last Div I win outside of SWAC opposition (as yes, they did play SWAC foes OOC) coming against Savannah St in 2004.

Was viewing their history and unless I overlooked it, their last win against a Div I PWC came in 1985 against Oregon State - back when Eddie Robinson still had more than a decade left in his coaching career. That's a long time, regardless of how few and far between those foes are.

That's your opinion, but to bring you up to date with your facts, we defeated Nichols and Portland State in our undefeated 2001 season.

You mentioned our "history" in regard to 7 ooc losses but you tend to dismiss our history whenever we mention our past legacy of winning. Be consistent...

Oh and let's not forget that included in those 7 ooc losses are games against FBS Division teams, Pittsburg, Nevada, ULM, San Jose State, Hampton (who was a power in 2006). The teams we lost too were no slouches...

[TexasTerror]

That's your opinion, but to bring you up to date with your facts, we defeated Nichols and Portland State in our undefeated 2001 season.

You are correct. Seems as if I overlooked that year. I said that I may have overlooked and yep, I made a mistake...

http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/southwestern/grambling_state/yearly_results.php?year=2000

[mikebigg]

TT you mentioned that we've lost our last 7 OOC games... As you knew the exact number of games, I also think you knew the exact names of the teams played. Why not list the names of those teams? Was it because that would make it not seem as such a "negative" toward our out of conference losses.

Of those 7 losses, only two were to FCS division teams. The loss to Hampton was in overtime by a subsequent 3-8 team, and the loss to Northwestern occurred early in a rebuilding year in which we righted the ship (eventual qb change). Not to make excuses...but remember that early on last year, we were finding our way with 10 new offensive starters and an unsettled qb situation.

2005: Washington State
2006: University Houston / Hampton
2007: Pittsburg / ULM
2008: University Nevada / Northwestern

Now that we're experienced and returning vets on both sides of the ball, we will have a chance early in the season to show if our ranking is justified. We have SC State, Northwestern and Oklahoma State as ooc matchups in the first 3 or 4 weeks of the season... I like our chances!

[Panther88]

Biggs, I want Gram to stomp a mudhole in SCSU, NwSU, and be competitive lol w/ OkSt. The reasoning is after our deal is settled @ the SFC and hopefully we win, the name Prairie View will incite fear in the other school's thoughts... I want to hear (read) "that's the ONLY school that beat Grambling that year! They must be pretty damned good!"

I know you guys want us to stomp NewMxSt and we will. That way, if you guys defeat us and we go undefeated excepting Gram, your name will also cause others fear...

[GaSouthern]

Grambling who?

[GSUhooligan]

This was done by Eric from fcsfootball.com

1. Richmond
2. App State
3. Montana
4. Villanova
5. Northern Iowa
6. New Hampshire
7. Southern Illinois
8. James Madison
9. Weber State
10. Wofford
11. Cal Poly
12. Grambling St
13. Elon
14. William & Mary
15. UMass
16. Central Arkansas
17. Montana State
18. McNeese State
19. Maine
20. Colgate
21. Harvard
22. South Carolina St
23. Eastern Washington
24. Texas State
25. Prairie View A&M

Bolded teams shouldn't be in here at all.

[jmufan999]

gotta agree with you, hooligan.

and i'm not nearly on the Pat Devlin bandwagon that many are, but UD should still be ranked SOMEWHERE. a lot of jmu fans (not going to speak for UD fans) think that him getting there will totally change the rest of the team. it'll be big, but he is just one guy... there are 21 other guys on the field.

but he does make enough of a difference that they should begin the season at least ranked somewhere... or over several of those teams that are in this list.

[GaSouthern]

Furman should no doubt be ranked, they are going to be good next season, and i'm not happy about it.

[crossfire07]

Nicholls was 3-8 in 2001 so that was not much of a significant OOC game. how does one go undefeated with a record of 10-1?

[Panther88]

Bolded teams shouldn't be in here at all.

How about you call your people and have them call our people @ 936-857-3311 and we settle it on the field. By the time your team limps away, you'll understand why we're (Prairie View A&M Univ) top 25.

End the discussions. Lets show some actions. 936-857-3311. :D lololol

Marinate. :D

[datruth4u]

Nicholls was 3-8 in 2001 so that was not much of a significant OOC game. how does one go undefeated with a record of 10-1?

One should think before they post....Alabama State who was Grambling's lone lost that year, had to forfeit that win due to the use of ineligible players...Grambling is loaded this season...However, I think 2010 is the year when you will have to put them as one of the top 5 teams in the nation...But they will hang 35 on NWSU..

[datruth4u]

[QUOTE=GaSouthern;1366542]Grambling who?[/QUOTE

Don't be stupid

[mikebigg]

I don't see Georgia Southern so obviously most folk don't think they should be on there either...

[mikebigg]

Nicholls was 3-8 in 2001 so that was not much of a significant OOC game. how does one go undefeated with a record of 10-1?

Because our lone loss to Bama State (which we avenged in the SCG) was the result of them using an ineligible player... that win for them was rescinded and awarded to Grambling. That ineligible player was thier star qb who was all-conference that season.

Regardless of Nichols record, he said that we didn't beat a PWC team in out of conference play...We also flew up to Portland State (one week after a bus ride to Cincinnati to play FAMU...game cancelled) and beat them.

[crossfire07]

One should think before they post....Alabama State who was Grambling's lone lost that year, had to forfeit that win due to the use of ineligible players...Grambling is loaded this season...However, I think 2010 is the year when you will have to put them as one of the top 5 teams in the nation...But they will hang 35 on NWSU..


I tried going to Gram.edu/sports to verify the record for that year against another site but I could not get the football link to work. I said Grambling did not win a significate OOC game not " he said that we didn't beat a PWC team in out of conference play... " Nicholls and Portland were hardly significate wins. besides, I think when TT made that statement about Grambling not having any significate wins to justify them being ranked 12th in 2009 he meant something a little closer than 8 years ago.

[TexasTerror]

Because our lone loss to Bama State (which we avenged in the SCG) was the result of them using an ineligible player... that win for them was rescinded and awarded to Grambling. That ineligible player was thier star qb who was all-conference that season.

Grambling did not add a 'win' to their count. When a game is forfeited, the other team gets a no-result. The loss is taken away.



I tried going to Gram.edu/sports to verify the record for that year against another site but I could not get the football link to work.

You got high expectations. Grambling did just release a new web site with Sidearm. The problem is, they have not updated their web site since the end of May. Most (if not all) SWAC sites do not have a good historical record - whether it lack of media guides or record books. It's one of the reasons that most of their fans have a difficult time proving some of the facts/figures I provide wrong - though sometimes, my sources are inaccurate too due to an inability to accurate report from the school, conference end...

[mikebigg]

I tried going to Gram.edu/sports to verify the record for that year against another site but I could not get the football link to work. I said Grambling did not win a significate OOC game not " he said that we didn't beat a PWC team in out of conference play... " Nicholls and Portland were hardly significate wins. besides, I think when TT made that statement about Grambling not having any significate wins to justify them being ranked 12th in 2009 he meant something a little closer than 8 years ago.

I thought rankings were based on what a team's chances are for this season...based on the number of starters we have returning and the current winning streaks enuff voters were impressed enuff to give us a #12 ranking. Simple as that... you don't agree and that's your perogative. However, your disagreement doesn't change the fact that we're ranked.

Shouldn't your concern be more about where your team is ranked...if ranked at all?

[crossfire07]

we all know what happened with that "winning streak" of 2001. opened the 2002 season losing by 30something against a SLC team that was not 3-8. Grambling could not score 20 on NSU's defense last year and I surely don't believe they will put 35 on them this year.

[cowbellnation]

The reason SDSU isn't ranked in the USA Today Poll is because the USA Today is owned by Al Neuharth, who is an USD graduate. If we worked ranked No. 1 in every other preseason poll, we would not be ranked in the USA Today poll.

[mikebigg]

we all know what happened with that "winning streak" of 2001. opened the 2002 season losing by 30something against a SLC team that was not 3-8. Grambling could not score 20 on NSU's defense last year and I surely don't believe they will put 35 on them this year.

That 2002 team was rebuilding... new qb, new running backs, new wide receivers, plus only about 4 returning defensive starters. Last year was pretty much the same... a rebuilding year with starters coming into their own late in the season. We will see how this year's matchups play out. We're experienced and talented... don't think it will by by 35, but we will win both ooc games.

[elon77]

Furman should no doubt be ranked, they are going to be good next season, and i'm not happy about it.

I'm not either. After the spanking we put on them last year we have to go visit them this year and I'm sure they will not have smiles on their faces when we show up.

[crossfire07]

We will see how this year's matchups play out. We're experienced and talented... don't think it will by by 35, but we will win both ooc games.


you heard it here first folks. Grambling upsets Oklahoma State in Stillwater.

[mikebigg]

you heard it here first folks. Grambling upsets Oklahoma State in Stillwater.

I was referring to the FCS ooc games... it's doubtful anyone in FCS would defeat Okie State this year.

[LacesOut]

What do I think??

I think Villanova will be a beast of a football team next year.

That's all I think..................................right now.

[crossfire07]

I was referring to the FCS ooc games... it's doubtful anyone in FCS would defeat Okie State this year.


Any given saturday anything can happen.

[mikebigg]

Would be nice... we'll find out!

[supercat11]

Bolded teams shouldn't be in here at all.

Still angry about 2005, I see.

[VT Wildcat Fan53]

CAA:
#1 Ranked Team
2 of Top 3
3 of Top 6
4 of Top 8
6 of Top 15
7 of Top 19

Will it play out that way?

[Cat79]

GSUHooligan,

Texas State would clean your clock again if scheduled. GSU Who?:D

[crossfire07]

them get them scheduled and lets find outxnodx I am sure they would be game for a home and home.

[Bulldog87]

I'm glad to see that he's sleeping on SC State. Here's hoping that Grambling does also. It'll make a happy birthday present for me in Orlando.

[Saint3333]

How much does SC State lose from their defense? If not much, coupled with that running back, SC State goes 10-1 this year (lose to South Carolina).

I was impressed with them in Boone last year, also very classy fans.

[Bulldog87]

How much does SC State lose from their defense? If not much, coupled with that running back, SC State goes 10-1 this year (lose to South Carolina).

I was impressed with them in Boone last year, also very classy fans. We laost a few guys on the "D" but we have replacements that have game experience so we'll be fine. Our fans enjoyed the trip to Boone. I hope to meet ASU again soon. It was a good ballgame. Maybe we'll get a home and home someday. When you guys come down you can try some Lowcountry/Midlands cusine. When we come up maybe there wil be a few Snow Flurries something that doesn't occur here that often.

[JazzyBulldog05]

Grambling is ranked too high, but we'll fix that when the season begins......

[Wildcat80]

Nova at UNH will decide who is the top 5 team.

[mikebigg]

Grambling is ranked too high, but we'll fix that when the season begins......

xlolx xlolx xlolx

Not gonna happen...yall will be made an "example"

[Houndawg]

Nova at UNH will decide who is the top 5 team.

Better hope you catch them on a bad day, I see them playing for the NC this year.

[jmufan999]

How much does SC State lose from their defense? If not much, coupled with that running back, SC State goes 10-1 this year (lose to South Carolina).

I was impressed with them in Boone last year

ditto that, watched it on ESPNU. i was pretty surprised, and that RB was pretty sick. now if every MEAC team can make their playoff game competitive, the FCS playoffs would be better off.

[813Jag]

xlolx xlolx xlolx

Not gonna happen...yall will be made an "example"
here's to a great start for the G-Men, until the last game in November. xlolx Hopefully Lee can last the whole game.

[smallcollegefbfan]

ditto that, watched it on ESPNU. i was pretty surprised, and that RB was pretty sick. now if every MEAC team can make their playoff game competitive, the FCS playoffs would be better off.

They have two solid RBs but yeah Ford is a very good one who will probably play in the NFL. If he was 5'11 210 instead of 5'8 1/2 187 he would be a top 200 draft pick at this point instead of a 7th to PFA type player heading into the season.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

To me EWU is a sleeping giant this year in the Big Sky. They are led by an experienced QB in Nichols who was a former Walter Payton candidate and return a nice set of receivers in Boyce, Brown, and TE Overbay. Their offensive line last year was made up mostly freshmen and they held their own. On offense, this team can hold its own versus anybody in the Big Sky.

Last year they played Texas Tech closer than Oklahoma State, Kansas State, UMass, SMU, and Kansas, and should have beat Colorado. They also closed out the year beating Weber State. Where they ran into trouble last year under their coaching change was on their transition from a 3-3-5 defense to a base 4-3. That along with their young offensive line in the early going kept them out of the playoff off hunt.

This years big question marks revolve around where is their head at regarding the post season ban, and I believe that they will be starting quite a few new players on defense which could lead to some early season troubles. They are definitely cannot be taken lightly.

They have owned the Bobcats the last few years. I expect a different outcome this season as the Cats have a veteran team in all three phases of the game, and the new players on EWU's defense will struggle a little bit throughout the year.

Fairly good analysis, but I'll add a few tidbits. We're returning 9 starters on offense and 7 on defense to a squad that finished the year with 3 straight wins, the key win being over playoff-bound Weber. The two key losses were our center Charlie Wulff and of course Buchanan winner Greg Peach at DE.

Some players to keep an eye on: twins Matt and Zach Johnson led the team in tackles as RS Freshmen last year, so look for a great season out of them with a year under their belts. And watch out for Renard Williams at nose tackle... at 300lbs he's a force to be reckoned with. He had 7 TFL and a pair of sacks in the 6 or 7 games he played in.

With a year of experience with the new defense and coaching staff and 3 straight wins to finish last season, the team should be rolling on all cylinders and a chip on their shoulder with something to prove. We play the best when ignored and disrespected in the underdog role, so I hope nobody treats us too seriously. I can't wait for the season to begin, GO EAGS!