IdaGriz01
Well-known member
Time for another set, but I also thought I’d explain again what this is all about … for those of you who don’t want to go all the way back to the first set. Near as I can tell -- and I may have missed a few -- a total of 46 FCS teams are playing at FBS opponents to open the season, September 1-3. (Think about that … that’s about a third of the entire FCS.)
Now 46 matchups are too much to swallow all at once, so I have divided them into manageable sets. That was after eliminating four that seemed utterly hopeless. For those who missed the posting, those four were
• Austin Peay at Troy State
• Savannah State at Ga Southern
• UC-Davis at Oregon
• Florida A&M at Miami
Of course, there are some others that also seem pretty unlikely -- those are the ones not getting any votes.
I would like to see more comments about the games. That is, what rumors, recruiting “triumphs,” etc have you heard that might make an upset possible. Of course, you’re also welcome to proclaim that none of the FCS selections have a chance, so you didn’t vote.
So here we go with the latest set. (As usual, two choices allowed and you can change your votes if you hear something to change your opinion.)
Alabama State had a winning record last year, but just barely. Still, they did have some good wins and they return 17 starters. Texas-San Antonio was very bad (3-9), even for Conf-USA. It’s not clear if they can expect much improvement.
Fordham had an excellent year, even though they lost in the first round of the playoffs. Their QB, who put up some impressive numbers last year is now a senior, so that’s a plus. All told, they return an amazing 19 starters. But they also have a brand new coach, who’s getting his chance at the top job. The other problem, of course, is that Navy was very good. Still, Navy’s stud QB, Keenan Reynolds, graduated and he was some ridiculous percentage of their total offense.
Furman had a poor year, including a three-game losing streak at the end. Some of that was apparently due to injuries, so they may be better than their record suggests. They do return 15 starters, including 8 on defense. But Michigan State was very good last year and expects to be again. This one could almost have gone into “no chance at all” category.
UNI was strong last year, with -- as we all know -- a damn good run in the playoffs. They have 16 returning starters, including 4 of 5 starting offensive linemen. So you know they’ll be tough again. Iowa State was a crappy team last year (3-9), with way too many blow-out losses. This looks like one of the stronger possibilities for an upset.
Northwestern State was not very good last year, with a losing record (4-7). They were another team that had to contend with a rash of injuries last year, but the news is they’re healed up and ready to go. Baylor, of course, was really good last year … but all the mess they’ve had recently is bound to hurt their program. Will they be ready to play? I guess we’ll find out.
Southeast Missouri State had a rough season, ending up at 4-7, after a 2-5 start. They do return 18 starters and experience matters. Also, those starters include several All-Conference players. Their QB, who started out third on the depth chart, ended up as “Freshman of the Year,” so they see major improvements coming on the offensive side of the ball. Memphis had a very good season overall. However, they backed into a bowl game after a hot start, going 1-3 at the end of the regular season. Then they got thumped in the bowl game. A glimmer of hope for SEMO might be the fact that Memphis has a brand new coach, who may or may not be ready for the top job.
Weber State was not that hot last year, although they did manage a winning season. They do return 17 starters so they will at least have some experience going for them. Utah State was another that squeaked into a bowl game at 6-6, then lost that to end up with a losing season. From that mediocre (being charitable) team, graduation took their stud(?) QB and most of their starting defense. This one could get interesting … IF Weber can find some offense.
Now 46 matchups are too much to swallow all at once, so I have divided them into manageable sets. That was after eliminating four that seemed utterly hopeless. For those who missed the posting, those four were
• Austin Peay at Troy State
• Savannah State at Ga Southern
• UC-Davis at Oregon
• Florida A&M at Miami
Of course, there are some others that also seem pretty unlikely -- those are the ones not getting any votes.
I would like to see more comments about the games. That is, what rumors, recruiting “triumphs,” etc have you heard that might make an upset possible. Of course, you’re also welcome to proclaim that none of the FCS selections have a chance, so you didn’t vote.
So here we go with the latest set. (As usual, two choices allowed and you can change your votes if you hear something to change your opinion.)
Alabama State had a winning record last year, but just barely. Still, they did have some good wins and they return 17 starters. Texas-San Antonio was very bad (3-9), even for Conf-USA. It’s not clear if they can expect much improvement.
Fordham had an excellent year, even though they lost in the first round of the playoffs. Their QB, who put up some impressive numbers last year is now a senior, so that’s a plus. All told, they return an amazing 19 starters. But they also have a brand new coach, who’s getting his chance at the top job. The other problem, of course, is that Navy was very good. Still, Navy’s stud QB, Keenan Reynolds, graduated and he was some ridiculous percentage of their total offense.
Furman had a poor year, including a three-game losing streak at the end. Some of that was apparently due to injuries, so they may be better than their record suggests. They do return 15 starters, including 8 on defense. But Michigan State was very good last year and expects to be again. This one could almost have gone into “no chance at all” category.
UNI was strong last year, with -- as we all know -- a damn good run in the playoffs. They have 16 returning starters, including 4 of 5 starting offensive linemen. So you know they’ll be tough again. Iowa State was a crappy team last year (3-9), with way too many blow-out losses. This looks like one of the stronger possibilities for an upset.
Northwestern State was not very good last year, with a losing record (4-7). They were another team that had to contend with a rash of injuries last year, but the news is they’re healed up and ready to go. Baylor, of course, was really good last year … but all the mess they’ve had recently is bound to hurt their program. Will they be ready to play? I guess we’ll find out.
Southeast Missouri State had a rough season, ending up at 4-7, after a 2-5 start. They do return 18 starters and experience matters. Also, those starters include several All-Conference players. Their QB, who started out third on the depth chart, ended up as “Freshman of the Year,” so they see major improvements coming on the offensive side of the ball. Memphis had a very good season overall. However, they backed into a bowl game after a hot start, going 1-3 at the end of the regular season. Then they got thumped in the bowl game. A glimmer of hope for SEMO might be the fact that Memphis has a brand new coach, who may or may not be ready for the top job.
Weber State was not that hot last year, although they did manage a winning season. They do return 17 starters so they will at least have some experience going for them. Utah State was another that squeaked into a bowl game at 6-6, then lost that to end up with a losing season. From that mediocre (being charitable) team, graduation took their stud(?) QB and most of their starting defense. This one could get interesting … IF Weber can find some offense.
