SoCon - Week 1 predictions

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Well, folks, I think it's about that time.

App. State @ Virginia Tech. Can App. State make it two years in a row that the ACC front-runner loses to an FCS team? IMO, too many question marks on the defense and at WR for that. Will be an interesting game to follow, though.

VT: 34
App. State 20

Chattanooga @ Nebraska. Chatty will stay in the game for a half or so, but will get worn down for the rest of the game. Despite how annoyingly exuberant Chatty fans have been on here recently though, I'd still love to watch a SoCon team give an Obese 10 team a fit.

Nebraska: 34
Chatty: 14

Elon @ Vanderbilt. Elon keeps the game close, and implodes near the end in typical Elon fashion.

Vandy 35
Elon 17

Jacksonville @ The Citadel. Won't be able to learn much from this game IMO. In Chucktown I'll take The Cid.

El Cid 27
JU 17

Furman @ Coastal Carolina. Furman wins in a defensive struggle. Don't underestimate Furman or CCU this year.

Furman: 21
CCU: 13

Western Carolina @ Georgia Tech. Western made the right move in changing OC and offensive scheme, but that will have some growing pains and a hungry Georgia Tech team won't show them any mercy.

Georgia Tech: 48
Western Carolina: 14

Wofford @ Presbyterian. Ankle-biters hammer the hose. I don't know what else to say about this one.

Wofford: 38
Presbyterian: 10

And of course, the inagural SoCon game of 2011....

Georgia Southern @ Samford. Samford's luck against GSU has run out. They will not be facing a GSU team that is demoralized from a rough season or a team with an inexperienced true freshman QB. Also, the only person they have had who seems to be able to make plays against us, Chris Evans, is gone. GSU wins and moves into first place with a 1-0 SoCon record. :D

GSU: 31
Samford: 10

[Skjellyfetti]

Most intriguing matchups:

Citadel - Jacksonville
I don't know all that much about Jacksonville... but, I was impressed with them last year in Boone. It took us 2 1/2 quarters to start to pull away from them. I know they have their QB back (Payton watchlist) and Citadel will probably be at the bottom of the SoCon this year. I think Jacksonville wins.

Furman - CCU
I think Furman wins, but this could be an interesting game. I honestly don't know that much about what Coastal has for this year... but, I'd always be wary of opening on the road against a playoff team from last year.

GSU - Samford
Can GSU get the Samford monkey off their back? Opening up the season on the road against a conference opponent isn't easy. Fortunately for GSU, Samford doesn't have much of a homefield advantage and should have all the motivation in the world for this game. Starting off 0-1 in conference play would send Georgia Southern fans and their lofty expectations into a tailspin fairly quickly. xlolx I'll be pulling for Little Sammy, but not sure they have it in them again.

[blueballs]

The picks above are well reasoned but IMO the Vandy/Elon and Nebraska/Chatty games will be more lopsided than 3 scores.

[OL FU]

Seems like it is unanimous so far exept for El Cid and Jacksonvile. Jacksonville is definitely better, but I don't see how they beat even a bad Citadel team. Should be unanimous in my humble opinion. SoCon wins unless they are playing FBS or another Socon team.


IMHO, the biggest toss up is Furman and CCU.

[Reign of Terrier]

All I know is that Wofford beats PC BAD. in the neighborhood of 34 or 41 to no more than 17. I'll say 41-10

[citdog]

The Citadel vs Jacksonville in General Johnson Hagood's house? I'll take the Cadets 28-17.

[OL FU]

The Citadel vs Jacksonville in General Johnson Hagood's house? I'll take the Cadets 28-17.

gonna be another shatty year huh:)

[PaladinFan]

Furman/CCU should be a good one. Will tell us a lot about both teams.

App State/VT is intriguing. It wasn't too many years ago that Furman went up there at was down 3-0 at the half (or something around that). VT has their offensive problems, but they are slobberknockers on defense.

[citdog]

gonna be another shatty year huh:)

jacksonville is better than a lot of people think and this is a BIG game for them. They want to be able to point to this game when the playoff bids come out. We are going to be better. How that will translate into wins and losses is why we play the games.

[Gringer1]

jacksonville is better than a lot of people think and this is a BIG game for them. They want to be able to point to this game when the playoff bids come out. We are going to be better. How that will translate into wins and losses is why we play the games.

The only time people point at the spitadel is when they need their luggage taken up to their room.

[citdog]

The only time people point at the spitadel is when they need their luggage taken up to their room.

y'all really do look up to vermin don't you! You even use their LAME jokes.

[OL FU]

jacksonville is better than a lot of people think and this is a BIG game for them. They want to be able to point to this game when the playoff bids come out. We are going to be better. How that will translate into wins and losses is why we play the games.

I don't have a good measuring stick for Jacksonville, but they only beat Davidson by 28 last year.:) Sounds like a team firmly planted at the bottom of the Soconxnodx:D

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

100% certain
Chattanooga @ Nebraska
Elon @ Vanderbilt
Wofford @ Presbyterian
Georgia Southern @ Samford
Western Carolina @ Georgia Tech

Either way
Furman @ Coastal Carolina
Jacksonville @ The Citadel
Appalachian State @ Virginia Tech

[asumike83]

Nebraska 42
Chattanooga 14

Vanderbilt 31
Elon 14

Wofford 35
Presbyterian 13

Georgia Southern 28
Samford 14

Georgia Tech 42
Western Carolina 10

Furman 17
Coastal Carolina 10

The Citadel 24
Jacksonville 21

Virginia Tech 31
Appalachian State 17

[GunsAndGuitars]

100% certain
Chattanooga @ Nebraska
Elon @ Vanderbilt
Wofford @ Presbyterian
Georgia Southern @ Samford
Western Carolina @ Georgia Tech

Either way
Furman @ Coastal Carolina
Jacksonville @ The Citadel
Appalachian State @ Virginia Tech

That's a pretty good assessment with the exception of one. WCU takes down GT while Somali scientists find a cure for cancer, Iran calls for peace talks with Israel and world poverty rates plummet to 0%.

VT has too many questions at QB for me to completely discount the early Thanksgiving dinner for Yosef. There are too many questions on D and at WR for me to call it for the Apps though.

I'm taking Jacksonville over Citadel, but not big. We'll see how this turns out but both teams need to put a W in the column early.

[PaladinFan]

That's a pretty good assessment with the exception of one. WCU takes down GT while Somali scientists find a cure for cancer, Iran calls for peace talks with Israel and world poverty rates plummet to 0%.

VT has too many questions at QB for me to completely discount the early Thanksgiving dinner for Yosef. There are too many questions on D and at WR for me to call it for the Apps though.

I'm taking Jacksonville over Citadel, but not big. We'll see how this turns out but both teams need to put a W in the column early.

Had an interesting thought about the WCU/GT game. A few years ago GT struggled mightly to beat Gardner Webb. I always chalked that up to GTs lack of adjustment to small, quicker FCS defensive lineman as opposed to the big hogs they usually see on a week to week basis. That triple option is great, but very rarely does it require the offense to use a size advantage to blow a defense off the ball, seeking instead to "impede" their ability to get to the ball.

All that is to say I wonder if WCU can't make a respectable showing against GT. The Cats see the option more than GT's ACC foes, and they possess that small and quick defense that can give option teams fits (like, for example, Wofford coming out of no where every season to beat GSU five or ten years ago). GT also has, in very recent memory, struggled against a similar team.

Either way, I don't see WCU lighting up the scoreboard (maybe at all), but it could be a lower scoring affair than it would appear at first blush.

[Smitty]

Back some time ago we came very close to beating GT, but this year it won't happen. It is amazing though that WCU always seems to give teams trouble then can never close it out. Well the games that are not blowouts anyway...

[appfan2008]

I have all the home teams winning except for the furman and wofford games and yes that means Ive got GSU tripping out of the gate...

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

I have all the home teams winning except for the furman and wofford games and yes that means Ive got GSU tripping out of the gate...

We will trip up against one of the bottom 4 SoCon teams, but it won't be Samford. Those mutts are in for a beatdown. xnodx

[Eaglesrus]

We will trip up against one of the bottom 4 SoCon teams, but it won't be Samford. Those mutts are in for a beatdown. xnodx

I don't know that we'll trip up against one of the bottom four, but I very much agree that it won't be Samford if we do.

[jayhawkdaddy]

Va Tech
Nebraska
Vanderbilt
The Citadel
Furman
Georgia Tech
Wofford
Georgia Southern

[GeauxLions94]

Chattanooga @ Nebraska
Elon @ Vanderbilt
Wofford @ Presbyterian
Georgia Southern @ Samford
Western Carolina @ Georgia Tech
Furman @ Coastal Carolina
Jacksonville @ The Citadel
Appalachian State @ Virginia Tech

[Tribal]

I have Elon upsetting Vandy and Appy has a shot for sure. Nooga would have had a better shot at Nebraska a couple of years ago.

[GunsAndGuitars]

I have Elon upsetting Vandy and Appy has a shot for sure. Nooga would have had a better shot at Nebraska a couple of years ago.

I would be much less hesitant about taking Elon over Vandy if Riddle and Hudgins were in the mix, or just Riddle, but without him, I'm just not convinced they'll be THAT good. Then again, new coach = new system, which means anything can happen with Elon this year.

Today's Nooga vs Nebraska a couple of years ago yes. Nooga a couple of years ago, not in a million years.

App can have a shot, but it's still VT's game to lose from now until the 3rd. As a graduate of a southwestern VA public school system, I would LOVE to see the Hokies go down to anybody really (with the exception of University of NJ at Durham), but I just don't see it happening as of now.

[crossfire07]

Chattanooga @ Nebraska
Elon @ Vanderbilt
Wofford @ Presbyterian
Georgia Southern @ Samford
Western Carolina @ Georgia Tech
Furman @ Coastal Carolina
Jacksonville @ The Citadel
Appalachian State @ Virginia Tech

[gasoutherneagle]

Had an interesting thought about the WCU/GT game. A few years ago GT struggled mightly to beat Gardner Webb. I always chalked that up to GTs lack of adjustment to small, quicker FCS defensive lineman as opposed to the big hogs they usually see on a week to week basis. That triple option is great, but very rarely does it require the offense to use a size advantage to blow a defense off the ball, seeking instead to "impede" their ability to get to the ball.


Georgia Tech was down to their scout team QB due to injury in previous games that year. The "triple option" in that game was: hand off, keeper, or wobbly lame-duck pass.

[PaladinFan]

Georgia Tech was down to their scout team QB due to injury in previous games that year. The "triple option" in that game was: hand off, keeper, or wobbly lame-duck pass.

To put it mildly, even a hobbled GT team should have run a Big South team out of the stadium.

[GunsAndGuitars]

To put it mildly, even a hobbled GT team should have run a Big South team out of the stadium.

A Michigan team with big names returning shouldn't get beaten by a SoCon team. A VT team shouldn't lose to CAA. Western Carolina should never lose to Tusculum (or however it's spelled). On second thought, Western shouldn't never win a game. Carolina loses basketball games to people they shouldn't lose to all the time. It happens in any sport, and that's why they play the game on any given Saturday.

[md64179]

VT-38
APP-14

Nebraska-41
UTC-17

Vandy-37
Elon-9

JU-28
El Cid- 21

Furman-24
CCU-21

GT-45
WCU-7

Wofford-35
PU-10

GSU-28
Sammy-10

[Reign of Terrier]

Georgia Tech was down to their scout team QB due to injury in previous games that year. The "triple option" in that game was: hand off, keeper, or wobbly lame-duck pass.

Are you sure? I thought it was the second string quarterback. One Jaybo Shaw if I'm not mistaken (I could be 100% wrong though)

edit: nevermind I looked it up, Shaw was second string and sat

[Tribe93]

VT-38
APP-14

Nebraska-41
UTC-17

Vandy-37
Elon-9

JU-28
El Cid- 21

Furman-24
CCU-21

GT-45
WCU-7

Wofford-35
PU-10

GSU-28
Sammy-10

Agree with everything here except Furman should win by double digits.

[eaglewraith]

Are you sure? I thought it was the second string quarterback. One Jaybo Shaw if I'm not mistaken (I could be 100% wrong though)

edit: nevermind I looked it up, Shaw was second string and sat

Yea I think he had a concussion or something that week.

[PhoenixMan]

[QUOTE=FCS_pwns_FBS;1657656]Elon @ Vanderbilt. Elon keeps the game close, and implodes near the end in typical Elon fashion.

That's one heck of a statement from the fan of a team that is 1-3 against Elon in the last 4 years. Maybe you should rethink which team imploded in those 3 Elon wins over GSU.

[PaladinFan]

I have Elon upsetting Vandy and Appy has a shot for sure. Nooga would have had a better shot at Nebraska a couple of years ago.

In your minds eye, Vandy isn't as good as their conference (they aren't). Still, they are an SEC school with SEC players. I think they win easily.

[GaSouthern]

In your minds eye, Vandy isn't as good as their conference (they aren't). Still, they are an SEC school with SEC players. I think they win easily.

+1 and many expect a huge dropoff for Elon this season.

[cannonballgsu]

That's one heck of a statement from the fan of a team that is 1-3 against Elon in the last 4 years. Maybe you should rethink which team imploded in those 3 Elon wins over GSU.

Anyone bragging about beating us in the past four years (with the exception of last year) is like bragging you won the Special Olympics. Everyone in the FCS world knows our team was butchered.

[Millwoch]

Has Jacksonville ever beat a scholarship program? The Citadel will wear down the Dolphins with a heavy dose of Terrell Dallas and win this one. Not sure it tells you a lot about El Cid though as the competition is much harder in the SOCON

...if they turn the ball over and lose we are in for another long year. Just don't see it happening.

My picks:

GT
VT
Neb
FU
Woffy
GSU
The Citadel
Vandy

Kind of a boring weekend in the socon as I do not see many chances for upsets..In fact Bulldogs vs Dolphins may be the biggest chance. Could David Bennett's squad be good enough to get past the paladins. I doubt it.