How would you preseason-rank the SBC teams for the 2009 football season?

I'd rate them as...

1. Troy
2. Florida Atlantic
3. Arkansas State
4. Louisiana-Monroe
5. Middle Tennessee
6. Florida International
7. North Texas
8. Louisiana-Lafayette (lose a lot of playmakers)
9. Western Kentucky

Thats about right but I do think Astate is gonna be better than a lot of people think and will challenge for conference title.

(01-24-2009 01:39 AM)CardinalBlackTrojan Wrote:  How would you preseason-rank the SBC teams for the 2009 football season?

I'd rate them as...

1. Troy
2. Florida Atlantic
3. Arkansas State
4. Louisiana-Monroe
5. Middle Tennessee
6. Florida International
7. North Texas
8. Louisiana-Lafayette (lose a lot of playmakers)
9. Western Kentucky

I'd agree as well, and as usual teams 2-5 are pretty interchangable. For some reason the SunBelt breeds parity whent he play each other. Other then Troy (and even they have the once a year loss to a fellow SunBelt member) the SunBelt confrence games are always pretty close.

Western Kentucky 9th? I believe most in the Sun Belt are going to be surprised at how good WKU is going be.

(01-26-2009 02:14 PM)Big Money G Wrote:  Western Kentucky 9th? I believe most in the Sun Belt are going to be surprised at how good WKU is going be.

I understand why WKU might be rated 9 of 9, but I seriously doubt that will happen. I expect WKU to be at or just below middle of the pack during their first year of SBC football.

IMO WKU will be much better than last year. Just the fact that they never beat any FBS teams last season puts them at 9th.

(01-26-2009 05:04 PM)CardinalBlackTrojan Wrote:  IMO WKU will be much better than last year. Just the fact that they never beat any FBS teams last season puts them at 9th.

We might be improved, but I think 9th is what I would realistically, objectively pick us also.

We are still a year or two away, too many underclassmen. But MARK. MY. WORDS. The day is coming.

WKU will be young at the QB position, but talented.

The only positions I think WKU will still be behind in the Sunbelt talent wise will be Wide Receiver and Defensive line.

I tend to agree with Manzanowolf. Toppers will be in the middle of the pack in '09 and then make a run at the conference title in 2010.

The confernece belongs to Troy and FAU right now. Waiting just behind them is MT and ASU. WKU could pull it off because no team in the conference is unbeatable, but you are going to have to go up several tiers to start competing. Troy has WR like MT us just now getting. Same for FAU except Troy has more than them. Don't know about ASU, but MT is getting in better players each year so is FAU and Troy already has them. It will take you 3-5 more years to start catching up with the level of players that the third to half of the conference are getting because they are so much better quality than we had just 2 years ago. Maybe you prove me wrong, but I see you guys as bottom half for 3 more years and in the middle for a few after that with all of the catching up you have to do.

(01-26-2009 10:24 PM)BlueRaiderFan111 Wrote:  The confernece belongs to Troy and FAU right now. Waiting just behind them is MT and ASU. WKU could pull it off because no team in the conference is unbeatable, but you are going to have to go up several tiers to start competing. Troy has WR like MT us just now getting. Same for FAU except Troy has more than them. Don't know about ASU, but MT is getting in better players each year so is FAU and Troy already has them. It will take you 3-5 more years to start catching up with the level of players that the third to half of the conference are getting because they are so much better quality than we had just 2 years ago. Maybe you prove me wrong, but I see you guys as bottom half for 3 more years and in the middle for a few after that with all of the catching up you have to do.

I agree to some extent. I hope that Big Money isn't too dissappointed this fall and calls for Elson's head just because of unrealistic expectations. The fact is that we will have an untested quarterback this season. And more importantly we will have close to 60 underclassmen. You just can't expect to win many games with those facts.

BUT. Where I disagree with you Blue Raider is that it will take 3 years just to be middle of the pack.

Elson is not taking the quick route and loading up with Jucos, and he's redshirting like crazy. In about two years we will flip the situation and we will have 60+ upperclassmen. There may be other teams with as much or more talent, but there will not be a belt team that has that much experience. And we will be in the hunt by 2011 or 2012. Put it down.

i would go somfin' like this:

1. Troy (1 conf. loss and beats FAU)
2. Florida Atlantic (1 conf. loss to Troy)
3. Middle Tennessee
4. Arkansas State
5. Florida International
6. North Texas/WKU
7. Western Kentucky/UNT
8. Louisiana-Monroe (9 people show up for last home game)
9. Louisiana-Lafayette (Coach fired by midseason)

Further prognost - 3 teams go bowling.

(01-27-2009 05:40 PM)playfailstogain Wrote:  Further prognost - 3 teams go bowling.

That I would TOTALLY be behind, and hoepfully all win as well.

We need the SBC to have more bowl success so that in 2010 we can negotiate for more bowl gurantees.

(01-27-2009 06:07 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(01-27-2009 05:40 PM)playfailstogain Wrote:  Further prognost - 3 teams go bowling.

That I would TOTALLY be behind, and hoepfully all win as well.

We need the SBC to have more bowl success so that in 2010 we can negotiate for more bowl gurantees.

Then maybe the Sun Belt will actually be able to compete for the ESPN Bowl Challenge Cup. Sun Belt has never been able to qualify for it because we need 3 teams in bowls.

(01-27-2009 05:40 PM)playfailstogain Wrote:  i would go somfin' like this:

1. Troy (1 conf. loss and beats FAU)
2. Florida Atlantic (1 conf. loss to Troy)
3. Middle Tennessee
4. Arkansas State
5. Florida International
6. North Texas/WKU
7. Western Kentucky/UNT
8. Louisiana-Monroe (9 people show up for last home game)
9. Louisiana-Lafayette (Coach fired by midseason)

Further prognost - 3 teams go bowling.

I use to agree with you about Troy losing a conference game but the more I look at who we are returning and who is coming in...I think this is the year we finally go undefeated in the Belt.

I'm going to say Troy will go 10-2 next year. We will probably blow a lead at Arkansas and lose in the 4th or something. You know...standard Troy procedure.

i don't think we blow a lead at Arkansas, i think we beat them outright by 10. i think we will field a better team, period. now, i do see us losing to Florida, but no one should spite me for that one. lol.

1. Troy
Many key players are back + top recruiting class.

2. Arkansas State
Most key players return

3. Middle Tenn
MT returns a lot but is still too young

4. FAU
I think they lose 3 OLs and most DLs/LBs

5. FIU
6. ULM
7. ULL
8. WKU
9. UNT

1. Troy
2. Arkansas State
3 Middle Tennessee
4. FAU
5. FIU
6. ULM
7. ULL
8. North Texas
9. WKU

1 - Troy
2 - FAU
3 - FIU
4 - MTSU
5 - ASU
6 - ULM
7 - UNT
8 - WKU
9 - ULL