Big South Pick 'Em and Power Rankings, Week 5

[ToTheLeft]

1. Liberty (2-2) Tough to drop LU from the top spot after a loss to JMU, especially with the other results in the league.
2. Gardner-Webb (2-1) Still haven't really played a game to show where they're at, but I have to assume they're better than the rest of the league.
3. Coastal Carolina (2-2) I hate having them this high, but it really seems like they're back to being a respectable Big South school. They're not a nationally ranked powerhouse anymore, but at least they can beat NC A&T.
4. VMI (1-2) Decent showing against Richmond, still not sold on them being anything more than a team that can make a game look closer than it really is, but at least there is potential.
5. SBU (1-3) Blown out by UMass, lost to Colgate and Hofstra, this SBU team is not looking like the team Big South fans thought we'd see. There is talent on Long Island, not sure why they're struggling like this.
6. Presby (0-4) I give them the nod over CSU because they've played a challenging but reasonable schedule, and their 29-13 loss to Chatty looks better after the Mocs performance this past week against the Terriers.
7. CSU (1-3) You can't spell sucks without...


Week 5 Predictions

West VA Wesleyan @ Liberty
Savannah St @ Charleston Southern
Stony Brook @ Presby
Gardner Webb @ VMI

My Picks:
Liberty by a ton
CSU by a few
SBU by a score
G-W by a couple scores.

[jcmanson]

1. Liberty
everyone else

[kdinva]

Liberty 47; WVa. Wesly. 15
VMI 30; Gard-Webb 24
Stony Brook 31; Presby. 21
CSU 27; Sav. State 20

[Schfourteenteen]

I agree with you there TTL. The only change is the gap between the top 4 and the bottom 3.

Liberty by 35
Savannah St @ Charleston Southern - Seriously must be the game of the week. That hot recruiting bed is up for grabs! Oh. Chuck South 2 Savannah St 0

Stony Brook @ Presby - Presby by 10.

Gardner Webb @ VMI - GW by 17

[GridFan]

1. Liberty
2. G-W
3. VMI
4. CCU
5. SBU
6. CSU
7. PC

This Week?
LU by as many as they want. If they win the league in 2009, easily Rocco's best coaching job to date.

Savannah State at CSU - CSU by 14

SBU at Presbyterian - Seawolves come inland and win by 20

G-W at VMI - If the Runnin' Bulldogs continue to perform in the turnover department the way they have, holding on to it and forcing a few, they win this one by two touchdowns or more. If they cough it up, the Keydets will beat them in Lexington. A tough place to play in early October any way you slice it.

[EagleDawg]

1. Liberty
2. GW
3. VMI
4. CCU
5. SB
6. CSU
7. PC

Liberty 45 - 10
GW 37 - 28
CSU 31-14
SB 31 - 17

[Redwyn]

5. SBU (1-3) Blown out by UMass, lost to Colgate and Hofstra, this SBU team is not looking like the team Big South fans thought we'd see. There is talent on Long Island, not sure why they're struggling like this.


So I'm a bit confused by this. Stony Brook should not have beaten UMass. UMass is a well developed team around a great system. Stony Brook is still about 2 years away from even the most rudimentary implementation of Priore's system. Remember, this senior class is the last one recruited during our NEC/Kornheiser days.

However, we must look at this the other way. This SBU team scored as highly as both Albany and Rhode Island COMBINED, and none of that scoring came during garbage time. This was actually a pretty appropriate showing, like Oklahoma playing a Sun Belt team. No one bashes the Sun Belt team as being subpar for the Sun Belt, but rather says Oklahoma is on a different tier at the moment.

Need I remind you that SBU is the only team not named Presby that is playing a full FCS slate, and a very, very good one at that. This was an away game, our third away game in four tries.

So mark VMI higher, that seems appropriate after a decent showing against Richmond (still a loss just as much as ours mind you). However, U Mass is playing like the MUCH better of the two at this point of the season. I'm personally excited about the games we can win - our entire conference slate and North Dakota

[ToTheLeft]

So I'm a bit confused by this. Stony Brook should not have beaten UMass. UMass is a well developed team around a great system. Stony Brook is still about 2 years away from even the most rudimentary implementation of Priore's system. Remember, this senior class is the last one recruited during our NEC/Kornheiser days.

However, we must look at this the other way. This SBU team scored as highly as both Albany and Rhode Island COMBINED, and none of that scoring came during garbage time. This was actually a pretty appropriate showing, like Oklahoma playing a Sun Belt team. No one bashes the Sun Belt team as being subpar for the Sun Belt, but rather says Oklahoma is on a different tier at the moment.

Need I remind you that SBU is the only team not named Presby that is playing a full FCS slate, and a very, very good one at that. This was an away game, our third away game in four tries.

So mark VMI higher, that seems appropriate after a decent showing against Richmond (still a loss just as much as ours mind you). However, U Mass is playing like the MUCH better of the two at this point of the season. I'm personally excited about the games we can win - our entire conference slate and North Dakota

Just comparing here...

Liberty against JMU, a team that ran thru the CAA last year and almost beat Maryland: Lost by 14.

VMI against Richmond: defending champ, number 1 team in the country, lost by 10.

SBU against UMass: non playoff CAA team, plays in the weaker division of the CAA and is still a good team, but not as good as JMU or UR, lost by 30ish.

I didn't expect the PoolPups to win, but a more respectable showing would have been nice.

[Redwyn]

Just comparing here...

Liberty against JMU, a team that ran thru the CAA last year and almost beat Maryland: Lost by 14.

VMI against Richmond: defending champ, number 1 team in the country, lost by 10.

SBU against UMass: non playoff CAA team, plays in the weaker division of the CAA and is still a good team, but not as good as JMU or UR, lost by 30ish.

I didn't expect the PoolPups to win, but a more respectable showing would have been nice.

Umm.....Right, so let's do your comparison the other way....

JMU - Having a fantastic season. Never debated Liberty's spot on top of the poll. Won't ever until that team's ride ends. However, see rank below

Richmond - Beat Delaware by...1? So by your logic that was a "squeaker".....The #1 team in the country beat a non-ranked team (just like SBU) by...1. Ok, let's look at the other teams Richmond ran through. Duke we can barely count as FBS atm, given its propensity to only be able to defeat Army and...NC Central on its roster. Actually, it lost to Kansas State (#22 mind you, not #17) by a LARGER margin than SBU lost to U Mass. Well, I'm convinced, FIRE THE COACHES xrulesx. Not saying Duke won't be good...but right now it's not. Richmond went on to tank a Hofstra team that by the comments of its own supporters for some reason forgot where its offense went, and then the VMI game.

U Mass - lost to K-State (a traditionally good FBS team) by 4. Then went on to STOMP on Albany by 37, Rhode Island by 20, and SBU by 27

Now, if we went by spread (miserable counter really, but you insist!), not historical wins, the CAA rankings would actually look like this (FCS wins counted only)
1. U Mass (28)
2. Villanova (27)
3. JMU (21)
4. Richmond (19.333)
5. New Hampshire (15.666)
6. W&M (13.666)
7. Maine (4.333)
8. Towson (.5)
9. Delaware (-.333)
10. Rhode Island (-3.5)
11. Hofstra (-8)
12. Northeastern (-25.333)

Hmmmm, actually, they look pretty close to how most people seem to be ranking them. However, in this system, look who's number 1? Now, would I defer to this? No, I've been voting Richmond #1 every week. They stay so long as they win. However, it's an example that a team doesn't need a high powered offense that can run up the score to be the best in the nation. Richmond really doesn't do that, Hofstra seems to be more anomaly than tradition.

Some food for thought

[ToTheLeft]

Score differential doesn't mean anything, but the point is... Liberty and JMU competed with top notch CAA schools, SBU got destroyed by a upper-middle class CAA school. Serve it on whatever plate you want, those are facts. UMass is maybe the 4th best CAA team (Nova, UR, and Bill and Mary are better without a doubt. JMU, UD, and others can argue for inclusion above the Minutemen)

You talk about who the Minutemen have stomped... notice a trend? Albany is a solid team for what they are, which is the best team in a weak NEC with limited schollys. Rhody is a whipping boy for the CAA North, and then there's SBU. The first two are teams that a top half CAA school should beat, and beat badly. SBU, no one really know how they'd fare. Until they got beat down. And now we know, they're on Albany's level. They're below Rhody's level. SBU lost to Colgate and Hofstra. These are just facts. Most LU fans predicted a loss on Long Island to end the season during the offseason, looking at who both teams returned, and who both teams lost. Needless to say, it's been a shock to see SBU play they way they have. I really didn't mean it as smack, I just don't understand why SBU is struggling like it is.

[GridFan]

Regardless of how good UMass is this season, I'd have to agree that, considering the caliber of players that Stony Brook returned for 2009 the performance thus far is less than acceptable I would think. Not intended as smack, just perplexed. I'd assumed injuries, etc., but I thought they'd have two or three wins so far and definitely not a four TD loss to an FCS program.

[IaaScribe]

What's wrong with Gowins?

[elcid83]

Sounds about right Lefty. Glad to see conference play get cranked up this weekend so we can start seeing how we do against each other and we can quit speculating.

Go Runnin' Bulldogs!

[kdinva]

.....I'd have to agree that, considering the caliber of players that Stony Brook returned for 2009 the performance thus far is less than acceptable I would think......

I thought that too about VMI after the JMU game, but not today. This Saturday is another opportunity for all of us..xpeacex

[SumItUp]

Liberty wins by 50.
Gardner-Webb with a late comeback victory over VMI
Charleston Southern by 3 touchdowns.
Stony Brook puts together a solid game and beats Presby by 10

and.....

Coastal won't lose this week.

[Hoseinexile07]

Liberty by 40
Charleston Southern by 21
Presbyterian by 4
Gardner-Webb by 6

Now that our run through the SoCon gauntlet is over [mercifully], I think we have a chance to be competitive and actually make a decent showing of ourselves.

[gobluehose1]

Liberty by 40
Charleston Southern by 21
Presbyterian by 4
Gardner-Webb by 6

Now that our run through the SoCon gauntlet is over [mercifully], I think we have a chance to be competitive and actually make a decent showing of ourselves.

Liberty by 30
CSU by 14
PC by 7
GW by 17

If we are going to win, we will need to score more than 21......our pass defense just isn't good at all.

[Libertine]

This is completely irrelevant to the current discussion but we've got an SBU poster reading this thread so maybe he can answer my questions:

1. What gives with Dayne Hoffman? Earlier in the season, one of you guys said he was out for the year due to a training camp injury but I see he threw six passes against Brown. However, game notes from this past week say he was out with a sore elbow that will now cause him to miss the rest of the season.

2. Why didn't Gowins play against UMass?

3. Who's dog did Conte Cuttino kick that he had to take a back seat to a(nother) true freshman even when Gowins isn't in there?

[Redwyn]

Needless to say, it's been a shock to see SBU play they way they have. I really didn't mean it as smack, I just don't understand why SBU is struggling like it is.

I can't understand it either....I guess time'll tell. I can only hope SBU does what it did last year - put together a strong rally to end the season respectable. Don't get me wrong, the long travel might hurt, but the fact is they haven't really had their worst travel stint (North Dakota). Very interested to see how that game goes.....

[Seawolf97]

This is completely irrelevant to the current discussion but we've got an SBU poster reading this thread so maybe he can answer my questions:

1. What gives with Dayne Hoffman? Earlier in the season, one of you guys said he was out for the year due to a training camp injury but I see he threw six passes against Brown. However, game notes from this past week say he was out with a sore elbow that will now cause him to miss the rest of the season.

2. Why didn't Gowins play against UMass?

3. Who's dog did Conte Cuttino kick that he had to take a back seat to a(nother) true freshman even when Gowins isn't in there?

Im not sure myself. Cutino went out injured early in the Umass game collecting only 20 or so yards. Hoffman is our for season with a sore elbow. Yes he did get some
playing time against Brown and threw 1 pass. Not sure what is up with Gowins I dont even know if he made the trip Saturday night.
Whatever happened threw our run game completely out the window. Not that it is an excuse UMass put up some big gainers against our defense and controlled the game. Should be interesting this Saturday afternoon.