I’ll say we are definitely a couple of steps better this year. We should be .500 or better, with a chance to go bowling. I was thinking 6-6 or worse to begin the season. As with other programs, injuries will be a big factor.

(09-29-2022 05:36 PM)ChooChoo Wrote:  Extremely disappointed. We went from dark horse title contender with nearly all returning starters to likely last in the division / conference.
But alas, I predict we still posses vast spoiler potential and will rain on someone’s parade. Even in losing I know THIS is how rivalries come about. I went from seeing the Chants as a great story for our conference to loathing them after last week.
Something tells me several new rivalries will be forged within the conference this year.

Man I love that signature pic of the conference. Shocked a Ga state fan found that meaningful! Seriously it truly does define the Fun Belt. We need to run with it and make opportunities to further brand the conference with it.

Before the season I was just hoping to break through the 6 win glass ceiling we've lived under. After the first game my hopes grew a little more as you could see the vast improvement in the team even though we were playing an FCS opponent. Central Michigan had me worried as they had the leading FBS rusher from a year ago and a quality QB who could sling the ball. We handled them easily, and my expectations grew. Then came UCLA, which we very easily could have won and maybe should have. So here we are sitting at 3-1, which was my best-case scenario entering the season. In prior years, we could beat a Mississippi State or ranked San Diego State, and then lose the next 3 or four ballgames. Consistency is something we've been lacking and I still get nervous before every game about relapsing. Coach Jones fielded some very athletic teams but never seemed to get the most out of them. This year feels different and I'm a little more confident.

As an App State fan, I just stand confused.

Hmmm, I’m glad JMU is ineligible to make the CCG. I expected to lose one or two conference games this year. Not sure about that anymore.

(09-29-2022 05:56 PM)nastybunch Wrote:  I’ll say we are definitely a couple of steps better this year. We should be .500 or better, with a chance to go bowling. I was thinking 6-6 or worse to begin the season. As with other programs, injuries will be a big factor.

The SBC definitely needs that USM swag back. Anytime anywhere. Lace 'em up and let's crack pads!

I figured we would win one out of our first three, and most likely against A-State since they had to travel and it’s not easy to win in our stadium. So 2-2 is about right. Liberty is a tall test. We’ll see what happens now that our home field advantage is being dented by the hurricane. But I expect our boys to show up.

(09-29-2022 05:36 PM)ChooChoo Wrote:  Extremely disappointed. We went from dark horse title contender with nearly all returning starters to likely last in the division / conference.
But alas, I predict we still posses vast spoiler potential and will rain on someone’s parade. Even in losing I know THIS is how rivalries come about. I went from seeing the Chants as a great story for our conference to loathing them after last week.
Something tells me several new rivalries will be forged within the conference this year.

I think the parity we have makes this an incredibly exciting league. Even an "upset" isn't a true upset, not in my opinion anyway. Maybe that's just me speaking as a perennial underdog but I'm just not really shocked by any team in the SBC beating any other team. Maybe the last couple of years that didn't really hold true but prior to 2019 and now again this year I think parity reigns supreme.

Besides the very very top...it seems like early into this season parity is on the rise ...gonna be a great season

(09-29-2022 10:08 PM)bcp_jmu Wrote:  Besides the very very top...it seems like early into this season parity is on the rise ...gonna be a great season

A couple of weeks ago the very top was App St, ULL, and GaSt.

The only problem with parity is that, from the outside looking in, it makes teams look overrated. This is why, for the SBC at least, winning our OOC games is paramount.

Troy looks better than I’d have expected. Tho I still wanna see how we do with the more mediocre Sun Belt teams. Preseason I had us finishing around 6-6 maybe 7-5.

I think im still sticking to about that for now. Maybe leaning more towards 7-5.

(09-29-2022 05:36 PM)ChooChoo Wrote:  Extremely disappointed. We went from dark horse title contender with nearly all returning starters to likely last in the division / conference.
But alas, I predict we still posses vast spoiler potential and will rain on someone’s parade. Even in losing I know THIS is how rivalries come about. I went from seeing the Chants as a great story for our conference to loathing them after last week.
Something tells me several new rivalries will be forged within the conference this year.

I think you mean TIED for last with MU.. *le sigh*

I've been very skeptical since the offseason, unsure of all the incoming transfers from the portal as to how they'd stack up this year. Well, so far, I'm actually quite pleased with how the transfer portal turned out for us, particularly on the defensive side of the ball and special teams. Offensively, still looking for more improvement overall, which now with a settled starter at QB, should start developing in a positive direction toward the end of the year in SBC play. I feel better about having a winning season and a bowl game than I did.