Liberty Favorite to win Big South and Preseason All-Conference Team Announced

[SuperJon]

1) Liberty
2) Stony Brook
3) Coastal Carolina
4) Gardner-Webb
5) Charleston Southern
6) VMI
7) Presbyterian

[DX Man]

1) Liberty
2) Stony Brook
3) Coastal Carolina
4) Gardner-Webb
5) Charleston Southern
6) VMI
7) Presbyterian

I think G-W has a great shot at finishing higher and watch out for VMI, they now have a very good coach.

[The Gadfly]

I think G-W has a great shot at finishing higher and watch out for VMI, they now have a very good coach.


I agree. Until THE one and only Thunderin' Beach Chickens can prove themselves, I would have to put them 4th or 5th. Here's my prediction:


1) Liberty
2) Gardner-Webb
3) Stony Brook
4) Coastal Carolina
5) VMI
6) Presbyterian
7) Charleston Southern

[kdinva]

I agree. Until THE one and only Thunderin' Beach Chickens can prove themselves, I would have to put them 4th or 5th. Here's my prediction:


1) Liberty
2) Gardner-Webb
3) Stony Brook
4) Coastal Carolina
5) VMI
6) Presbyterian
7) Charleston Southern

Mine:

1) Liberty
2) Stony Brook
3) Gard-Webb
4) VMI
5) CCU
6) CSU
7) Presbyterian

Wouldn't surprise me if, when we awake on Nov. 22xcoffeex, three teams are at 4-2.....xeyebrowx

[The Gadfly]

I just don't see CSU coming out from the bottom.

[CSN Log]

07-31-2009 05:16 PM

Liberty Favorite to win Big South and Preseason All-Conference Team Announced

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BigSouthSports.com) – For the third consecutive season, Liberty University has been tabbed as the favorite in the Big South Conference’s annual preseason football poll for the 2009 campaign, as voted by the League’s head coaches and media panel and announced today as part of the 2009 Big South Conference Football Kickoff Media Luncheon at the Renaissance Suites Hotel in Charlotte, N.C..

The two-time defending champion Flames enter the 2009 campaign with a Big South-record 11-game Conference win streak. Liberty, which was ranked in the Top 15 in the final national polls a year ago, was a perfect 5-0 in Big South play last year and is 24-10 overall in three seasons under head coach Danny Rocco. The Flames return 49 letterwinners and 12 starters in 2009, and received 10 of the 17 first-place votes cast and 109 total points to repeat as champions this season.

Read more ... (http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/index.php/2009/07/31/liberty-favorite-to-win-big-south-and-pr?blog=2#more5270)

[Seawolf97]

I still think the Conference Title will be decided 11/21 when Liberty visits Long Island-winner take all!

[g-webb1994]

I still think the Conference Title will be decided 11/21 when Liberty visits Long Island-winner take all!

Not so fast my friend......your trip to Boiling Springs on Halloween Saturday for Homecoming isn't going to be a picnic.xnodx

I still don't get how someone:

(1) Gave CSU a first-place vote.

(2) Gave Presbyterian a fourth-place vote.

I still don't know who got the worse slap in the face...G-W at #4 or VMI at #6. I tend to lean toward VMI at this point. Sparky will build on their effort last year.

[BJuice]

Based on the last game of the season for both teams, I don't understand how or why Coastal can be picked 3rd and Charleston Southern can be picked 5th. Charleston Southern beat Coastal soundly for the first home shutout in the history of the Coastal football program.

That is okay though. Once again Coach Mills will outcoach several of the Big South coaches that will be on other side of the field. And, once again the Charleston Southern Buccaneers will outperform the preseason prediction.

[SUUTbird]

Yeah whoever picked these was not thinking to well, VMI should easily be either number 3 or 4 as they blew out both Presbyterian and Coastal Carolina, nearly upset Ohio at Ohio and then played very well against everyone else in the conference, and if that was on effort alone when Sparky Woods starts getting some real talent look out for VMI, my dark horse pick of the year for the Big South xthumbsupx

[IaaScribe]

For one, I didn't base my picks on what happened in specific games last year. The quarterback situation at Charleston Southern worries me, as does the continued lack of a run game. That early schedule really has the potential to beat CSU down, much more so than last year's, because there is no bye week strategically placed after week three.

As for VMI, the Keydets haven't played a lick of defense for the better part of the last half decade. If that changes, VMI has the potential to be a darkhorse. If not, they'll be on the wrong end of a lot of 50-35 type games, per usual.

The league race will be tight. No one will run away with it. No one will go unbeaten. Should make for some exciting football.

[catamount man]

Did they release a 2009 tv schedule? I know both the Big South and SoCon have games shown on SportSouth.

[BJuice]

Charleston Southern will be on TV twice this season.

September 5 @ University of Florida 7:00pm - Fox Sports (FSN)
October 17 @ Gardner-Webb University 11:30am - SportsSouth

CSU vs. GWU Football Game to be Televised (http://csusports.com/article.asp?articleID=3437)

[EagleDawg]

I don't know that I've ever seen a situation with coaches voting where 10 players from one team were voted preseason all conference and then that same team only be ranked 4th. With approximately 40% of the preseason all-conference players, being named from Gardner-Webb how could those same voters/coaches vote them 4th? Strange to say the least. I can see where that would make for some really good locker room board material. Thanks for riling up those Runnin Bulldogs. Camp is around the corner and the games will begin soon.

Big South PreSeason Team Rankings

1. Liberty
2. Stony Brook
3. Coastal Carolina
4. Gardner-Webb
5. VMI
6. Charleston Southern
7. Presbyterian

Gardner-Webb Pre-Season All Conference Players

Corey O'Daniel - OL
Josh Miller - TE
James Perry - WR
Tyson Petty - WR

Jeffrey Williams - LB
Mario Brown - LB
Jordan Woods - DL
Quinnon Isom - DL
Ced McGowin - DB

PK - Ryan Gates

Congrats to all of those Runnin Bulldogs and to the other players receiving recognition. This could be the most competitive season yet in the Big South. While Liberty is favored, at least 3 if not more other teams may win the conference this year.

[IaaScribe]

Did they release a 2009 tv schedule? I know both the Big South and SoCon have games shown on SportSouth.

Sept. 5
Liberty at West Virginia, noon (Big East Network)
Presbyterian at Furman, 5 p.m. (WMYA-TV 40)
Charleston Southern at Florida, 7 p.m. (FSN)

Sept. 12
North Carolina Central at Liberty, 7 p.m. (Flames Sports Network, FamilyNet, WRTV, Liberty Channel)

Sept. 26
James Madison at Liberty, 7 p.m. (Flames Sports Network, FamilyNet, WRTV, Liberty Channel)

Oct. 3
West Virginia Wesleyan at Liberty, 7 p.m. (Flames Sports Network, FamilyNet, WRTV, Liberty Channel)

Oct. 17
Charleston Southern at Gardner-Webb, 11:30 a.m. (SportSouth)
Coastal Carolina at Liberty, 7 p.m. (Flames Sports Network, FamilyNet, WRTV, Liberty Channel)

Oct. 24
Coastal Carolina at Stony Brook, 3:30 p.m. (MASN)

Oct. 31
Presbyterian at Liberty, 3:30 p.m. (Flames Sports Network, FamilyNet, WRTV, Liberty Channel)

Nov. 7
VMI at Liberty, 7 p.m. (MASN)

Nov. 14
VMI at Army, noon (CBS College Sports, tape-delayed)

[g-webb1994]

CSU was voted ahead of VMI, even got a first place vote. Most of G-W's votes came in the #2 or #3 position.

[Hoseinexile07]

We didn't have one player included on the all conference team. Oh well. Guess we'll have to go and earn it for ourselves.

[gobluehose1]

yea I'm glad we don't have anyone as pre-season all conference. I'm glad we were voted last.....I hope we are every year.....I'm glad we have a coach that dosen't have blogs and billboards....and I'm glad every other team in the conference thinks we don't exist.

I love it.

I'm ready for some ball.

[SuperJon]

Chris, I think two of Liberty's game times are changing. I'm pretty sure Coastal is a 3:30 game (homecoming) and that the Wesleyan or Central game is changing to 3:30.

[IaaScribe]

Cool. Cool. I just re-typed the release the Big South gave us Friday.

[SuperJon]

I figured as much. The Coastal game could be at 7 but the brochures they sent out to alum for homecoming said 3:30. The other game that's changing is cause of tv.

[hoseman]

Pre-season polls are about as significant as most comments posted on these type of boards. Let the games tell the real story.

[TexasTerror]

I don't know that I've ever seen a situation with coaches voting where 10 players from one team were voted preseason all conference and then that same team only be ranked 4th.

UCA had 15 players in a bigger league than the Big South on the All-SLC preseason team and were selected 3rd and 4th in the two polls.