Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

1. I see OOC wins vs Kentucky, Indiana, Vanderbilt twice, maybe Baylor. Just listing the P5's.

2. No. USM is loaded and should win it all, maybe even get the access bowl this year.

3. USM should be a top 25 team.

4. Can't speak for everyone but Rice hosting Baylor will be a boost for them. UTEP with rival NMSU and also Army coming to town will get a nice boost. UTSA if they start 2-0 will get a nice boost with Arizona St going to San Antonio. USM because of their winning ways will improve too. Marshall hosts UL so yes for them. FIU has 2 P5's plus UCF and that should definitely help.

(06-20-2016 08:42 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

1. I see OOC wins vs Kentucky, Indiana, Vanderbilt twice, maybe Baylor. Just listing the P5's.

2. No. USM is loaded and should win it all, maybe even get the access bowl this year.

3. USM should be a top 25 team.

4. Can't speak for everyone but Rice hosting Baylor will be a boost for them. UTEP with rival NMSU and also Army coming to town will get a nice boost. UTSA if they start 2-0 will get a nice boost with Arizona St going to San Antonio. USM because of their winning ways will improve too. Marshall hosts UL so yes for them. FIU has 2 P5's plus UCF and that should definitely help.

I like your optimism....I'm hoping Hop can continue what monk built from the abyss that was Elllllllllllloss

that's my concern....we most definitely have the players in place to make things happen...

to the other items, one can only hope for the best.....

(06-20-2016 08:42 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

1. I see OOC wins vs Kentucky, Indiana, Vanderbilt twice, maybe Baylor. Just listing the P5's.

2. No. USM is loaded and should win it all, maybe even get the access bowl this year.

3. USM should be a top 25 team.

4. Can't speak for everyone but Rice hosting Baylor will be a boost for them. UTEP with rival NMSU and also Army coming to town will get a nice boost. UTSA if they start 2-0 will get a nice boost with Arizona St going to San Antonio. USM because of their winning ways will improve too. Marshall hosts UL so yes for them. FIU has 2 P5's plus UCF and that should definitely help.

I think USM has to beat LSU and have an undefeated season to get the access bowl. A loss to UK or any conference loss at all will immediately remove them from the conversation, which I think is unfortunate.

(06-20-2016 08:42 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

1. I see OOC wins vs Kentucky, Indiana, Vanderbilt twice, maybe Baylor. Just listing the P5's.

2. No. USM is loaded and should win it all, maybe even get the access bowl this year.

3. USM should be a top 25 team.

4. Can't speak for everyone but Rice hosting Baylor will be a boost for them. UTEP with rival NMSU and also Army coming to town will get a nice boost. UTSA if they start 2-0 will get a nice boost with Arizona St going to San Antonio. USM because of their winning ways will improve too. Marshall hosts UL so yes for them. FIU has 2 P5's plus UCF and that should definitely help.

As much as it pains me I don't see our attendance improving too much. Last year we hosted Mississippi St in the season opener and up until game day (or maybe a few days before) you had to buy season tickets in order to get a ticket to the game therefore our season tickets for the season were higher than normal. Now if we go out and beat Kentucky in our season opener I could see us averaging mid to upper 20's but we're "replacing" Ms State on our schedule with Troy so I don't see it improving over last year much, if any, at all.

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)
I think C-USA is going to surprise a lot of these so-called "Power" schools, especially FAU and FIU.

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?
Until someone steps up to derail Marshall....

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?
Not in this politically driven, clique-infested system of college football...Conferences like C-USA, in spite of their impressive bowl record over the years, still garners very little respect from the national sports media (remember how they bad mouthed Marshall a couple of seasons ago?) & will be given very little to no consideration for their mythical national rankings...

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

I think so....After what happened with UAB in 2014, it's my hope that all football fans of Conference USA will support their favorite teams with all their might from here on out....Go Blazers! #TheReturn

(06-20-2016 11:46 AM)Matrix Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)
I think C-USA is going to surprise a lot of these so-called "Power" schools, especially FAU and FIU.

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?
[b]Until someone steps up to derail Marshall....

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?
[/b]Not in this politically driven, clique-infested system of college football...Conferences like C-USA, in spite of their impressive bowl record over the years, still garners very little respect from the national sports media (remember how they bad mouthed Marshall a couple of seasons ago?) & will be given very little to no consideration for their mythical national rankings...

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

I think so....After what happened with UAB in 2014, it's my hope that all football fans of Conference USA will support their favorite teams with all their might from here on out....Go Blazers! #TheReturn

You mean WKU?

I can't wait for the day that our conference championship game is between two ranked teams.

(06-20-2016 08:42 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

1. I see OOC wins vs Kentucky, Indiana, Vanderbilt twice, maybe Baylor. Just listing the P5's.

2. No. USM is loaded and should win it all, maybe even get the access bowl this year.

3. USM should be a top 25 team.

4. Can't speak for everyone but Rice hosting Baylor will be a boost for them. UTEP with rival NMSU and also Army coming to town will get a nice boost. UTSA if they start 2-0 will get a nice boost with Arizona St going to San Antonio. USM because of their winning ways will improve too. Marshall hosts UL so yes for them. FIU has 2 P5's plus UCF and that should definitely help.

Southern Miss has some holes to fill. Depending on how well players step in at a few positions will likely determine just how good the Golden Eagles are. That, and how quickly the players adjust to the new coaching staff.

The coaching change will limit USM a little too much, IMO.

It will be Tech and USM battling for the west again, however. UTEP as the darkhorse if they can stay healthy.

We'll have two teams in the conference in the top 25. One from each division.

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

1. stronger than last year, weaker than 2 seasons ago.

2. yes

3. might have a couple. USM and Marshall are the most likely suspects.

4. Nope.

(06-20-2016 01:16 PM)LaTechBanjo Wrote:  The coaching change will limit USM a little too much, IMO.

It will be Tech and USM battling for the west again, however. UTEP as the darkhorse if they can stay healthy.

We'll have two teams in the conference in the top 25. One from each division.

What are your reasons for thinking this?

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

I expect Rice to have increased attendance simply because of the opponents. Just with respect to the number of fans the opponent will bring:

Baylor = Army
Prairie View A&M >>> Wagner
North Texas > Western Kentucky
UTSA > Louisiana Tech
UTEP = Southern Mississippi
Florida Atlantic = Charlotte

Rice fan attendance could fall, though, if the Owls are 0-5 after their October 1 visit to Hattiesburg.

I think/really hoping, that attendance is up a decent amount all across the league. I guess I am clinging to the thought that the crazy kick off times have really hurt our attendance. Guess we will now find out.

I believe our Top 5 teams are going to be pretty dang good. I think all 5 of these teams are capable of winning some P5 games, and possibly finishing the season ranked. Not saying CUSA will finish the season with 5 ranked teams. I am saying, that I think our chances of at least one are pretty good. That one will most like come from: La Tech, Marshall, MTSU, So Miss, or WKU in alphabetical order.

If we keep finishing with at least one team ranked and the occasional two, we will slowly start earning respect.

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

1. It can't be weaker.
2. No. On paper I think Southern Miss will be the strongest team. I think MTSU will be the best in the East, but lose the title to USM.
3. Yes, I think we can get at least one (Southern Miss).
4. North Texas should have the highest attendance increase in the conference. Last season, our fan base was furious with the our athletic leadership, and many stayed home and withheld their funds. After the Portland State debacle our stands were empty. UNT ended up averaging about 13K last season. With a new coaching staff and a new athletic director on the way, the fans will come back. I think we will get back to between 18-20K this season.

I don't trust Hop yet. We'll see.

(06-20-2016 12:39 PM)Eagleholic Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 08:42 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 08:08 AM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Answer any of them or all of them. I'm just ready to talk about CUSA football. Just know that I cheer for each of you in OOC just as hard as I cheer for Marshall.

1. How strong are we going to be as a conference? (OOC wins)

2. Will the East continue their championship winning streak?

3. Will we have another Top 25 team and who?

4. Will most see increased attendance with better start times all across the board?

1. I see OOC wins vs Kentucky, Indiana, Vanderbilt twice, maybe Baylor. Just listing the P5's.

2. No. USM is loaded and should win it all, maybe even get the access bowl this year.

3. USM should be a top 25 team.

4. Can't speak for everyone but Rice hosting Baylor will be a boost for them. UTEP with rival NMSU and also Army coming to town will get a nice boost. UTSA if they start 2-0 will get a nice boost with Arizona St going to San Antonio. USM because of their winning ways will improve too. Marshall hosts UL so yes for them. FIU has 2 P5's plus UCF and that should definitely help.

Southern Miss has some holes to fill. Depending on how well players step in at a few positions will likely determine just how good the Golden Eagles are. That, and how quickly the players adjust to the new coaching staff.

The loss of Mike Thomas will hurt, he made some incredible catches against Tech.

(06-20-2016 03:17 PM)eagle04 Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 01:16 PM)LaTechBanjo Wrote:  The coaching change will limit USM a little too much, IMO.

It will be Tech and USM battling for the west again, however. UTEP as the darkhorse if they can stay healthy.

We'll have two teams in the conference in the top 25. One from each division.

What are your reasons for thinking this?

We've been through a few coaching changes, including after what would be considered relatively successful seasons, with decent talent returning. The talent might be there, but the new coach's system never seems to gel perfectly. Its always the little things that are missing in that first season.

The cupboard is also just a little more bare than you think it is, and the transition to a different system, no matter how slight, will be a little bumpier than everyone thinks.

I do think USM has a lot of talent on the roster though, especially at QB. With a good QB, you'll win lots of games. I think repeating a 9 win season is likely.

(06-21-2016 10:41 AM)LaTechBanjo Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 03:17 PM)eagle04 Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 01:16 PM)LaTechBanjo Wrote:  The coaching change will limit USM a little too much, IMO.

It will be Tech and USM battling for the west again, however. UTEP as the darkhorse if they can stay healthy.

We'll have two teams in the conference in the top 25. One from each division.

What are your reasons for thinking this?

We've been through a few coaching changes, including after what would be considered relatively successful seasons, with decent talent returning. The talent might be there, but the new coach's system never seems to gel perfectly. Its always the little things that are missing in that first season.

The cupboard is also just a little more bare than you think it is, and the transition to a different system, no matter how slight, will be a little bumpier than everyone thinks.

I do think USM has a lot of talent on the roster though, especially at QB. With a good QB, you'll win lots of games. I think repeating a 9 win season is likely.

To go further, I'll say this: If Monken had stayed, I think USM would be a true contender in the Access Bowl race.

I think USM can go 11-1 and should be no worse than 10-2. The key will be keeping the LSU game respectable. If they can do that I believe they have a shot at the access bowl. The problem they will have will be the same one Marshall was hearing in 2014 because their "quality" wins could only be considered UK, La Tech and Marshall. They would need those three to have good seasons.

Marshall has a good schedule to make an access run with two good, but not great P5 games with the harder of the two at home. We will also have Middle, WKU and USM which should give us a respectable SOS. With only one loss we could be in the conversation, even 2 losses if we beat Louisville and lose close to Pitt on the road and close to USM, and they both have really strong seasons.

I think WKU is in the same boat as USM, they would have to go 11-1 and make Alabama nervous to have a shot.

I feel Middle would have to go undefeated since they don't have a preseason top 25 type team on the schedule.

La Tech could lose the opener against Arkansas, run the table and make the access spot.

Bottom line is that Houston has the inside track, if they only lose one game they are going unless one of us runs the table and, for Middle, I'm not sure they would get in over a one loss Houston, they just have too much hype coming into the season.