next season.

Quote:New Orleans Sun Belt No. 1 vs. C-USA Troy vs. East Carolina

Quote:GoDaddy.com MAC vs. Sun Belt No. 2 Toledo vs. Arkansas State

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball...redictions

It's not unlikely for Troy I mean we did win the conference for the fifth straight time in 2010 and have one of the best young QB's in the conference. The guy had a bad year due to injury and still managed to throw for 3411 yards and 21 touchdowns with no bowl game.

And it kind of hurts a team when the 4 best receivers graduate/go pro then you lose your projected starters to academics right before the season starts. We get back those WR's who were supposed to start last season and we get back Eric Thomas who had 875 yards of 67 catches. I would not be surprised if we have the best passing offense in the conference.

I would be very suprised if we are one of the top 2 teams in the conference.

But I can see us in a position to go bowling.

Like TrojanCampaign said, I think our team will be back on par with the TROY teams of the past few seasons (high powered offense with a bad defense- but not quite as bad as last year)

Luckily we don't have to travel to ULM this year. I can't remember the last time we beat ULM in ULM.

I'll put money on the fact that the SBC will get 3 bowl teams again this year, we've been getting consistent with that. I know Mobile and New Orleans will have SBC teams, then I think we'll get an atlarge somewhere. My guess is that we will have 3 of ASU, UL, UNT, Troy, and WKU will end up in bowls.

With the jags in the mix this coming season, I'm finding it hard to keep track of who is off whos schedule (I'm sure ULM doesn't mind skipping Troy as well :)). I would project stAte as the SBC #1 (they lost some payers but I got a lot of respect for Aplin's FB IQ), beyond that who knows.

(03-15-2012 02:36 PM)FIU4Ever Wrote:  With the jags in the mix this coming season, I'm finding it hard to keep track of who is off whos schedule (I'm sure ULM doesn't mind skipping Troy as well :)). I would project stAte as the SBC #1 (they lost some payers but I got a lot of respect for Aplin's FB IQ), beyond that who knows.

ULM would love to have Troy come to Monroe. Don't know if they'll come here in 2013 or if we go there. The Trojans haven't won in Malone Stadium since 2001...and the Warhawks are the only SBC team to beat Troy 3 of the last 4 years. We're not scared of them anymore whether they are the best team or not.

That said, there is a tremendous amount of respect for Troy. They're still the standard bearer for this conference.

(03-15-2012 02:47 PM)SOT1977 Wrote:  That said, there is a tremendous amount of respect for Troy. They're still the standard bearer for this conference.

I also respect what Troy has accomplished.

But going forward, it seems like Louisiana Lafayette, Florida International, North Texas, and Arkansas State football programs have more momentum. Of course, some of those might not even be in the Sun Belt in two years . . .

It sure seems like the league is improving - and 2012 should be fun football season. I hope troy set a bar that many schools surpass regularly.

WKU has made huge strides very quickly. I think that will continue.

This guy will be in a bowl game next season.

Honestly picking bowl games at this time is kind of like picking lottery numbers..........Lets see I see a six, a three, a forty-two, a nineteen, and a twenty eight......xxxxxxxxxx or was it a nine, a two, a forty-three a nineteen and a twenty seven..

Point is if I slobber enough numbers out some of them will be right maybe........all of them likely never.

Seems just about like predicting the bowls at this point......Indiana will not be in the Rose Bowl.........Now there is prediction I am sure of at this point.........and Troy will not be in the national championship game is another......and Iran is not one of our favorite countries right now.....Yep those three are sure bets....bet on those if you can get some takers.

(03-15-2012 03:26 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  

(03-15-2012 02:47 PM)SOT1977 Wrote:  That said, there is a tremendous amount of respect for Troy. They're still the standard bearer for this conference.

I also respect what Troy has accomplished.

But going forward, it seems like Louisiana Lafayette, Florida International, North Texas, and Arkansas State football programs have more momentum. Of course, some of those might not even be in the Sun Belt in two years . . .

It sure seems like the league is improving - and 2012 should be fun football season. I hope troy set a bar that many schools surpass regularly.

Based on one season?

I think people keep forgetting Troy lost about 8 wide receivers last year and were a team that lives of the passing game. Losing three is replaceable but you don't lose all your starters then lose your projected starters and have a good season...

The bottom line is any team between ASU, Troy, ULL, FIU, WKU, and others have the talent to win the conference. No team per say (out recruited) the others either because three star recruits are usually a skip and a jump from 2 stars or lower and it's very subjective when were not talking about 4 and 5 star recruits no one landed.

But point I'm making is all of our teams are loaded with the talent to win the conference. It's going to come down to who wants it the most because last year everyone would have laughed if someone said ASU would win the Sun Belt over Troy and FIU. They probably would have laughed if you said Troy would be 3-9 also.

My hope win or lose is that we have five teams with winning records.

Based on one season . . . and recruiting . . . and coaches.

And my comment wasn't really about whether or not Troy will be good or whether or not they could win the league in 2012. I just don't think Troy will be the standard bearer going forward. Hopefully the Sun Belt has grown enough that it will never again be looked at as a one program league.

(03-15-2012 07:46 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  Based on one season . . . and recruiting . . . and coaches.

And my comment wasn't really about whether or not Troy will be good or whether or not they could win the league in 2012. I just don't think Troy will be the standard bearer going forward. Hopefully the Sun Belt has grown enough that it will never again be looked at as a one program league.

I understand it was not directed towards Troy. I was just saying coaching only goes so far and is only one factor in success. No team pulled in a class full of four star recruits and no team even averaged 3 stars. The recruiting classes pulled in were all about the same it's going to come down to which team works the hardest not who is coaching.

I'm not even sure if there is a best coach in this league because all of the teams will tell you their coach is the best. FIU fans will say MC is the best, Troy fans will tell you LB is a proven legend, ULL fans will say their guy is the best, Whoever the coach is for UNT he seems to be doing a decent job.

But were all just throwing our opinions like I think Malzhan is going to be a great coach but right now he is 0-1 and didn't win the Sun Belt for you guys the previous coach did. Next year I expect him to have a great team but he isn't the only great offensive mind in the conference.

(03-15-2012 05:18 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(03-15-2012 03:26 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  

(03-15-2012 02:47 PM)SOT1977 Wrote:  That said, there is a tremendous amount of respect for Troy. They're still the standard bearer for this conference.

I also respect what Troy has accomplished.

But going forward, it seems like Louisiana Lafayette, Florida International, North Texas, and Arkansas State football programs have more momentum. Of course, some of those might not even be in the Sun Belt in two years . . .

It sure seems like the league is improving - and 2012 should be fun football season. I hope troy set a bar that many schools surpass regularly.

Based on one season?

I think people keep forgetting Troy lost about 8 wide receivers last year and were a team that lives of the passing game. Losing three is replaceable but you don't lose all your starters then lose your projected starters and have a good season...

The bottom line is any team between ASU, Troy, ULL, FIU, WKU, and others have the talent to win the conference. No team per say (out recruited) the others either because three star recruits are usually a skip and a jump from 2 stars or lower and it's very subjective when were not talking about 4 and 5 star recruits no one landed.

But point I'm making is all of our teams are loaded with the talent to win the conference. It's going to come down to who wants it the most because last year everyone would have laughed if someone said ASU would win the Sun Belt over Troy and FIU. They probably would have laughed if you said Troy would be 3-9 also.

My hope win or lose is that we have five teams with winning records.

We all need a strong football SBC . . not one dominant team, but several teams that could win the conference given the right circumstances and a bit of luck.

Go stAte . . Go SBC !!

Gus isn't 0-1. He didn't coach the bowl game. He is 0-0a at the moment.

(03-15-2012 03:26 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  But going forward, it seems like Louisiana Lafayette, Florida International, North Texas, and Arkansas State football programs have more momentum. Of course, some of those might not even be in the Sun Belt in two years . . .

Remember all that momentum MT had after back to back bowls in '09 and '10? Yeah...

(03-15-2012 08:16 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(03-15-2012 07:46 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  Based on one season . . . and recruiting . . . and coaches.

And my comment wasn't really about whether or not Troy will be good or whether or not they could win the league in 2012. I just don't think Troy will be the standard bearer going forward. Hopefully the Sun Belt has grown enough that it will never again be looked at as a one program league.

I understand it was not directed towards Troy. I was just saying coaching only goes so far and is only one factor in success. No team pulled in a class full of four star recruits and no team even averaged 3 stars. The recruiting classes pulled in were all about the same it's going to come down to which team works the hardest not who is coaching.

I'm not even sure if there is a best coach in this league because all of the teams will tell you their coach is the best. FIU fans will say MC is the best, Troy fans will tell you LB is a proven legend, ULL fans will say their guy is the best, Whoever the coach is for UNT he seems to be doing a decent job.

But were all just throwing our opinions like I think Malzhan is going to be a great coach but right now he is 0-1 and didn't win the Sun Belt for you guys the previous coach did. Next year I expect him to have a great team but he isn't the only great offensive mind in the conference.

0-1? Malzahn didn't coach the bowl game.

If you don't see that coaches in the Sun Belt are now much better than when Blakeney had his run - I'm not sure I could convince you that water is wet.

And this is as much about Cristobal, Hudspeth, and McCarney as it is Malzahn. And for that matter, Pelini, in all probability . . .

(03-15-2012 08:58 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  

(03-15-2012 08:16 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(03-15-2012 07:46 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  Based on one season . . . and recruiting . . . and coaches.

And my comment wasn't really about whether or not Troy will be good or whether or not they could win the league in 2012. I just don't think Troy will be the standard bearer going forward. Hopefully the Sun Belt has grown enough that it will never again be looked at as a one program league.

I understand it was not directed towards Troy. I was just saying coaching only goes so far and is only one factor in success. No team pulled in a class full of four star recruits and no team even averaged 3 stars. The recruiting classes pulled in were all about the same it's going to come down to which team works the hardest not who is coaching.

I'm not even sure if there is a best coach in this league because all of the teams will tell you their coach is the best. FIU fans will say MC is the best, Troy fans will tell you LB is a proven legend, ULL fans will say their guy is the best, Whoever the coach is for UNT he seems to be doing a decent job.

But were all just throwing our opinions like I think Malzhan is going to be a great coach but right now he is 0-1 and didn't win the Sun Belt for you guys the previous coach did. Next year I expect him to have a great team but he isn't the only great offensive mind in the conference.

0-1? Malzahn didn't coach the bowl game.

If you don't see that coaches in the Sun Belt are now much better than when Blakeney had his run - I'm not sure I could convince you that water is wet.

And this is as much about Cristobal, Hudspeth, and McCarney as it is Malzahn. And for that matter, Pelini, in all probability . . .

Oh I thought he coached in the bowl because he was on the news saying it was his priority to finish ranked. But I'm not the biggest Blakeney supporter but I would not say those guys are "better" coaches.

But the guy has had one losing season in ......years. If he would have had four losing seasons in a row I would say the game has passed him but the guy once again has coached five straight conference titles and has lead one of the best passing offenses in the country pretty consistently. I complemented all the new coaches in the Sun Belt but let's give Malzahn and Peleni a year to actually coach before we anoint them as top coaches.

(03-15-2012 09:22 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(03-15-2012 08:58 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  

(03-15-2012 08:16 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(03-15-2012 07:46 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  Based on one season . . . and recruiting . . . and coaches.

And my comment wasn't really about whether or not Troy will be good or whether or not they could win the league in 2012. I just don't think Troy will be the standard bearer going forward. Hopefully the Sun Belt has grown enough that it will never again be looked at as a one program league.

I understand it was not directed towards Troy. I was just saying coaching only goes so far and is only one factor in success. No team pulled in a class full of four star recruits and no team even averaged 3 stars. The recruiting classes pulled in were all about the same it's going to come down to which team works the hardest not who is coaching.

I'm not even sure if there is a best coach in this league because all of the teams will tell you their coach is the best. FIU fans will say MC is the best, Troy fans will tell you LB is a proven legend, ULL fans will say their guy is the best, Whoever the coach is for UNT he seems to be doing a decent job.

But were all just throwing our opinions like I think Malzhan is going to be a great coach but right now he is 0-1 and didn't win the Sun Belt for you guys the previous coach did. Next year I expect him to have a great team but he isn't the only great offensive mind in the conference.

0-1? Malzahn didn't coach the bowl game.

If you don't see that coaches in the Sun Belt are now much better than when Blakeney had his run - I'm not sure I could convince you that water is wet.

And this is as much about Cristobal, Hudspeth, and McCarney as it is Malzahn. And for that matter, Pelini, in all probability . . .

Oh I thought he coached in the bowl because he was on the news saying it was his priority to finish ranked. But I'm not the biggest Blakeney supporter but I would not say those guys are "better" coaches.

But the guy has had one losing season in ......years. If he would have had four losing seasons in a row I would say the game has passed him but the guy once again has coached five straight conference titles and has lead one of the best passing offenses in the country pretty consistently. I complemented all the new coaches in the Sun Belt but let's give Malzahn and Peleni a year to actually coach before we anoint them as top coaches.

The point is not that Blakeney is bad all of a sudden - the point is that he now has much tougher competition. It will be much more difficult for ANY coach to dominate the Sun Belt like Blakeney did, henceforth. And WKU has a pretty good coach as well now, FWIW.

(03-15-2012 08:16 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(03-15-2012 07:46 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  Based on one season . . . and recruiting . . . and coaches.

And my comment wasn't really about whether or not Troy will be good or whether or not they could win the league in 2012. I just don't think Troy will be the standard bearer going forward. Hopefully the Sun Belt has grown enough that it will never again be looked at as a one program league.

I understand it was not directed towards Troy. I was just saying coaching only goes so far and is only one factor in success. No team pulled in a class full of four star recruits and no team even averaged 3 stars. The recruiting classes pulled in were all about the same it's going to come down to which team works the hardest not who is coaching.

I'm not even sure if there is a best coach in this league because all of the teams will tell you their coach is the best. FIU fans will say MC is the best, Troy fans will tell you LB is a proven legend, ULL fans will say their guy is the best, Whoever the coach is for UNT he seems to be doing a decent job.

But were all just throwing our opinions like I think Malzhan is going to be a great coach but right now he is 0-1 and didn't win the Sun Belt for you guys the previous coach did. Next year I expect him to have a great team but he isn't the only great offensive mind in the conference.

No matter how much he wanted too, Malzahn had no say in the Bowl game. There's a sports illustrated article floating around the net somewhere that followed him in Mobile.

We stunk, but thankfully that was with a bunch of coaches whose previous jobs had been high school or FCS schools.