Has App State winning the league...

http://g5conferencenews.blogspot.com/

I give us a 50/50 chance.







Either we will or we won't.

And he posts a pic of our old uniforms with the SoCon logo on a player I can't remember doing a stupid pose.

Thing is with G5 conferences, 80% of the teams could win their conference in any giving year.

I wouldn't expect GaSt to be able to win it, but wouldn't completely surprise me if they did.

Not even just in G5 conferences. TCU went from 4-8 in '13 to 12-1 in '14 with a Big 12 title. Auburn did the same a couple years before that.

scroll down, the guy gives a great analysis of the upcoming CUSA tv contract, which is important to us since they are our chief rivals. As far as the predictions, you can pick any of the four teams, and maybe Texas St. as the dark horse. Its going to be an exciting year.

I'm liking the lack of press we're getting in the run up to this year's football season. Much lower expectations can be a good thing.

Idk about yall but the top 6 in the sun belt are looking good!

Would like to point out that most rankings like this point out that our OL has lost a lot of people. What they seem not to know is that we picked up a starter from UAB and got a junior OL transfer. Those two and upcoming underclass are simply bigger than the ones we lost.

Plus this means we will have 2 OL coming back that started every game (GS/UAB), guy that played in 7games last year, 3games and a true redshirt freshman. Luckily that freshman is 6'5" 335# and was a hell of a lineman in high school.

I want to say our OL avg was 6'1" 295# last year and this year it will be 6'2" 310#. I think we will be fine.

This is the Fun Belt. Anybody can beat anybody any given week.

(07-08-2015 09:36 PM)trueblue21 Wrote:  Idk about yall but the top 6 in the sun belt are looking good!

Would like to point out that most rankings like this point out that our OL has lost a lot of people. What they seem not to know is that we picked up a starter from UAB and got a junior OL transfer. Those two and upcoming underclass are simply bigger than the ones we lost.

Plus this means we will have 2 OL coming back that started every game (GS/UAB), guy that played in 7games last year, 3games and a true redshirt freshman. Luckily that freshman is 6'5" 335# and was a hell of a lineman in high school.

I want to say our OL avg was 6'1" 295# last year and this year it will be 6'2" 310#. I think we will be fine.

Experience is a great thing but until they play together and gel it could be an ugly thing. Took our guys 2 years of playing together to become a relatively decent OLine. Now we will have to plug someone new in there and it could be a taxing few games to start the season.

(07-08-2015 09:36 PM)trueblue21 Wrote:  Idk about yall but the top 6 in the sun belt are looking good!

Would like to point out that most rankings like this point out that our OL has lost a lot of people. What they seem not to know is that we picked up a starter from UAB and got a junior OL transfer. Those two and upcoming underclass are simply bigger than the ones we lost.

Plus this means we will have 2 OL coming back that started every game (GS/UAB), guy that played in 7games last year, 3games and a true redshirt freshman. Luckily that freshman is 6'5" 335# and was a hell of a lineman in high school.

I want to say our OL avg was 6'1" 295# last year and this year it will be 6'2" 310#. I think we will be fine.

Everyone's linemen were "hell of a linemen in high school"

(07-08-2015 10:02 PM)CatMom Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 09:36 PM)trueblue21 Wrote:  Idk about yall but the top 6 in the sun belt are looking good!

Would like to point out that most rankings like this point out that our OL has lost a lot of people. What they seem not to know is that we picked up a starter from UAB and got a junior OL transfer. Those two and upcoming underclass are simply bigger than the ones we lost.

Plus this means we will have 2 OL coming back that started every game (GS/UAB), guy that played in 7games last year, 3games and a true redshirt freshman. Luckily that freshman is 6'5" 335# and was a hell of a lineman in high school.

I want to say our OL avg was 6'1" 295# last year and this year it will be 6'2" 310#. I think we will be fine.

Experience is a great thing but until they play together and gel it could be an ugly thing. Took our guys 2 years of playing together to become a relatively decent OLine. Now we will have to plug someone new in there and it could be a taxing few games to start the season.

Luckily for us that all of these guys have been around since at least spring practice (Byrd--UAB trans). Everyone else has been playing/practicing together for over a year.

With proven returners, it's much easier to predict success for App than the rest of us. Young Lamb looked good as a freshman and App has the athletes. Facing their three toughest opponents in that hell-hole at 3,333 ft can be a nightmare for visiting players who can't breathe (and officials who can't see the big white line at the back of the endzone) with an intimidating crowd on their backs from coin toss to final tick.

We're (fans) accustomed to calculating conference championships by factoring in a loss in Boone where we have never played well. It's appropriate for the 2015 Eagles to be questioned regarding the OL, but then again I didn't expect 8-0 out of the 2014 Eagles.

There's also the question of how the latter end of App's 2014 schedule compared to the front end. A tough win at Arkansas St and at home against ULM, but Troy, Ga St., ULL, and Idaho weren't exactly tough opponents.

(07-09-2015 06:44 AM)Eagles Cliff Wrote:  With proven returners, it's much easier to predict success for App than the rest of us. Young Lamb looked good as a freshman and App has the athletes. Facing their three toughest opponents in that hell-hole at 3,333 ft can be a nightmare for visiting players who can't breathe (and officials who can't see the big white line at the back of the endzone) with an intimidating crowd on their backs from coin toss to final tick.

We're (fans) accustomed to calculating conference championships by factoring in a loss in Boone where we have never played well. It's appropriate for the 2015 Eagles to be questioned regarding the OL, but then again I didn't expect 8-0 out of the 2014 Eagles.

There's also the question of how the latter end of App's 2014 schedule compared to the front end. A tough win at Arkansas St and at home against ULM, but Troy, Ga St., ULL, and Idaho weren't exactly tough opponents.

They definitely caught some breaks with the schedule last year down the stretch but that is what it takes.

(07-09-2015 08:56 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(07-09-2015 06:44 AM)Eagles Cliff Wrote:  With proven returners, it's much easier to predict success for App than the rest of us. Young Lamb looked good as a freshman and App has the athletes. Facing their three toughest opponents in that hell-hole at 3,333 ft can be a nightmare for visiting players who can't breathe (and officials who can't see the big white line at the back of the endzone) with an intimidating crowd on their backs from coin toss to final tick.

We're (fans) accustomed to calculating conference championships by factoring in a loss in Boone where we have never played well. It's appropriate for the 2015 Eagles to be questioned regarding the OL, but then again I didn't expect 8-0 out of the 2014 Eagles.

There's also the question of how the latter end of App's 2014 schedule compared to the front end. A tough win at Arkansas St and at home against ULM, but Troy, Ga St., ULL, and Idaho weren't exactly tough opponents.

They definitely caught some breaks with the schedule last year down the stretch but that is what it takes.

How exactly is going on the road to the defending co-champs back to back weeks a break in the schedule? I'm not seeing yours or Cliff's point here.

(07-09-2015 08:56 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(07-09-2015 06:44 AM)Eagles Cliff Wrote:  With proven returners, it's much easier to predict success for App than the rest of us. Young Lamb looked good as a freshman and App has the athletes. Facing their three toughest opponents in that hell-hole at 3,333 ft can be a nightmare for visiting players who can't breathe (and officials who can't see the big white line at the back of the endzone) with an intimidating crowd on their backs from coin toss to final tick.

We're (fans) accustomed to calculating conference championships by factoring in a loss in Boone where we have never played well. It's appropriate for the 2015 Eagles to be questioned regarding the OL, but then again I didn't expect 8-0 out of the 2014 Eagles.

There's also the question of how the latter end of App's 2014 schedule compared to the front end. A tough win at Arkansas St and at home against ULM, but Troy, Ga St., ULL, and Idaho weren't exactly tough opponents.

They definitely caught some breaks with the schedule last year down the stretch but that is what it takes.

Drawing GaSo, stAte, and ULL on the road in 2014 was the opposite of catching a break with the schedule. We caught a break by changing our starting lineup and fundamental defensive strategy prior to playing two of those games, if that's what you mean.

Cliff: Troy, GaSt, and Idaho were the SBC 2014 cellar, but how was ULL not a tough game? I mean, we made it look easy, but that was a good Cajun's squad. I wish you'd played them.

I said "down the stretch" with the schedule. Our team limped to the finish line and gave up 200+ yards to a running back in every game during the second half of the season. We were scoring points but the team that beat Utah State and gave Tennessee a game was not the team we put on the field. Getting Troy, Idaho and Ga. State on the back half was a great setup. It is a war of attrition every year and App State's players grew during the season from the team that lost to Liberty to the one that finished strong by keeping most of its core intact.

I wish we were ranked lower. Seems to work well for us.

(07-08-2015 09:36 PM)trueblue21 Wrote:  Idk about yall but the top 6 in the sun belt are looking good!

Would like to point out that most rankings like this point out that our OL has lost a lot of people. What they seem not to know is that we picked up a starter from UAB and got a junior OL transfer. Those two and upcoming underclass are simply bigger than the ones we lost.

Plus this means we will have 2 OL coming back that started every game (GS/UAB), guy that played in 7games last year, 3games and a true redshirt freshman. Luckily that freshman is 6'5" 335# and was a hell of a lineman in high school.

I want to say our OL avg was 6'1" 295# last year and this year it will be 6'2" 310#. I think we will be fine.

FWIW, Byrd is not currently starting on the two-deep that Fritz has shown.

The more I think about it, the more I think Appy wins it. I need to stop thinking about it.

(07-09-2015 06:44 AM)Eagles Cliff Wrote:  With proven returners, it's much easier to predict success for App than the rest of us. Young Lamb looked good as a freshman and App has the athletes. Facing their three toughest opponents in that hell-hole at 3,333 ft can be a nightmare for visiting players who can't breathe (and officials who can't see the big white line at the back of the endzone) with an intimidating crowd on their backs from coin toss to final tick.

We're (fans) accustomed to calculating conference championships by factoring in a loss in Boone where we have never played well. It's appropriate for the 2015 Eagles to be questioned regarding the OL, but then again I didn't expect 8-0 out of the 2014 Eagles.

There's also the question of how the latter end of App's 2014 schedule compared to the front end. A tough win at Arkansas St and at home against ULM, but Troy, Ga St., ULL, and Idaho weren't exactly tough opponents.

Oh God.