ACC Media Pool (actual)

[DarthGrumpy]

Apologies up front in case this has already been posted on the board as I did not see it.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-football/hc-american-athletic-conference-preseason-football-poll-20140729,0,1107234.story

Basically, UConn is getting absolutely no respect yet again.
1) Cincinnati (311)
2) Central Florida (296)
3) Houston (268)
4) East Carolina (262)
5) SMU (158)
6) S Florida (157)
7) Memphis (133)
8) Temple (105)
9) UConn (98)
9) Tulane (98)
11) Tulsa (94)

Yes, the PP & GDL show killed us; but, the team has had a good vibe since they left last season, which was followed by the hiring of a very highly regarded new coach who is getting back to the basics. I have no real issue with the Top 4 teams; but, the others are painful. Yes, SMU is in Texas; but, they only beat UConn by 3 in Dallas and UConn gets to play SMU at the Rent in December. That could be fun. S Florida has been as much of a basket case as UConn has been; but, for more years and they are another team that beat the Huskies by just 3 last season. Memphis? One of the worst UConn football teams in recent history crushed Memphis by 35 points and it was not even that close and they primarily have the same team as last year. Temple, another team UConn beat, appears to have taken a step back since Addazio left.

Argh!

I think if UConn can get its OL in order and get production from their RB’s, UConn looks like an improved team in 2014 and should be competitive in the American.

By the way, hats off to Cincinnati. Stuck in the AAC just like UConn, buried under the big time lights coming out of Columbus in their own state, and with a carousel of coaching staffs, they keep placing their football team in the top of the Big E/American year in and year out. Have to respect that consistency.

 

[tduconn]

Rationally, what do you expect from the media of conference foes. The last three years the team was horrible.

The only thing going for us is hype and speculation that comes with a new coach.

There are a lot of unprovens to base our hopes on.

Hopefully the easiest perception of the program to improve upon is fannies in the seats. The rest will take time.....but barring illness, personally there is no excuse for me not to support the team from opening kickoff to final whistle. Hopefully I'll have a lot of company.

And just maybe, as Diaco suggests, the team can feed off fans enthusiasm, and preseason speculation will change the "if's" to performance demonstrating positive results on the field.

 

[06029]

Apologies up front in case this has already been posted on the board as I did not see it.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-football/hc-american-athletic-conference-preseason-football-poll-20140729,0,1107234.story

Basically, UConn is getting absolutely no respect yet again.
1) Cincinnati (311)
2) Central Florida (296)
3) Houston (268)
4) East Carolina (262)
5) SMU (158)
6) S Florida (157)
7) Memphis (133)
8) Temple (105)
9) UConn (98)
9) Tulane (98)
11) Tulsa (94)

Yes, the PP & GDL show killed us; but, the team has had a good vibe since they left last season, which was followed by the hiring of a very highly regarded new coach who is getting back to the basics. I have no real issue with the Top 4 teams; but, the others are painful. Yes, SMU is in Texas; but, they only beat UConn by 3 in Dallas and UConn gets to play SMU at the Rent in December. That could be fun. S Florida has been as much of a basket case as UConn has been; but, for more years and they are another team that beat the Huskies by just 3 last season. Memphis? One of the worst UConn football teams in recent history crushed Memphis by 35 points and it was not even that close and they primarily have the same team as last year. Temple, another team UConn beat, appears to have taken a step back since Addazio left.

Argh!

I think if UConn can get its OL in order and get production from their RB’s, UConn looks like an improved team in 2014 and should be competitive in the American.

By the way, hats off to Cincinnati. Stuck in the AAC just like UConn, buried under the big time lights coming out of Columbus in their own state, and with a carousel of coaching staffs, they keep placing their football team in the top of the Big E/American year in and year out. Have to respect that consistency.

5-7; 5-7; 3-9. Last 3 seasons. New coach with no head coaching experience so you have no idea how he will actually perform on game day. Lack of depth in the lines. No real clue on who the QB will be. 3 of the first 4 games will be against extremely physical, deep and experienced squads. Fragile psyche might still be there. Where exactly did you want to see them picked? And honestly, who cares what the ACC media thinks. If it were the AAC media....

The media guys in this poll know nothing and they pick names and the coaches they know and like. Until Uconn wins, and wins consistently, expect to feel disrespected b y talking heads, beat writers in other cities and by the gambling world. For a long time.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

5-7; 5-7; 3-9. Last 3 seasons. New coach with no head coaching experience so you have no idea how he will actually perform on game day. Lack of depth in the lines. No real clue on who the QB will be. 3 of the first 4 games will be against extremely physical, deep and experienced squads. Fragile psyche might still be there. Where exactly did you want to see them picked? And honestly, who cares what the ACC media thinks. If it were the AAC media....

The media guys in this poll know nothing and they pick names and the coaches they know and like. Until Uconn wins, and wins consistently, expect to feel disrespected b y talking heads, beat writers in other cities and by the gambling world. For a long time.

Call it #7, above Memphis and Temple, which I think is reasonable based on prior performance.

 

[freescooter]

Rationally, what do you expect from the media of conference foes. The last three years the team was horrible.

Well, to be ranked above a team we kicked the hell out of, Memphis, and one we beat at their joint would have been nice. These things are meaningless, but when people rank you behind Memphis and Temple, neither of which are any good at all, it says you have really fallen off the map. For what its worth, I think 1-4 could finish in any particular order but East Carolina is probably #1. I'd put us in the next group with SMU,and South Florida. I don't think Taggert did a particularly good job last year at USF, so what makes people think they will make such huge strides after ending the year 2-10? people seem to be hanging an awful lot on a close loss to Central Florida.

 

[06029]

Call it #7, above Memphis and Temple, which I think is reasonable based on prior performance.

So 7 would make you feel better? Just learn to roll with media polls. Think back to the Fiesta Bowl year and where Uconn was ranked in the human polls.

 

[whaler11]

If you guys just want to go on last year's results just go look at the standings.

UConn beat Memphis ok but that doesn't mean they will be better in 2014. I think UConn will be but looking at the score of last years game and saying that is the final determination is just dumb.

And SMU beat UConn by 17 not by 3.

 

[06029]

Well, to be ranked above a team we kicked the hell out of, Memphis, and one we beat at their joint would have been nice. These things are meaningless, but when people rank you behind Memphis and Temple, neither of which are any good at all, it says you have really fallen off the map. For what its worth, I think 1-4 could finish in any particular order but East Carolina is probably #1. I'd put us in the next group with SMU,and South Florida. I don't think Taggert did a particularly good job last year at USF, so what makes people think they will make such huge strides after ending the year 2-10? people seem to be hanging an awful lot on a close loss to Central Florida.

As much as people on this board are hanging a lot on how Uconn closed the season last year. Except that coach is not here. Nor is his offensive scheme. Take everything you say as reasonable and then factor in a whole new staff with a first year head coach with no track record and nothing to base optimism on other than he is new and came from ND. Then it becomes a wash.

Go back and look at the BB pre-season media poll and reminder yourself that these things mean zero.

 

[whaler11]

Not only is the coach different so are a dozen plus important players.

Until someone replaces guys like Stephan and Smallwood, it's perfectly fair to be skeptical.

 

[ZooCougar]

Leave it to the southerncentric redneck former CUSA media pool that still thinks that Chandler Whitmer is our starter.

 

[Stinger92860]

We are doomed!

 

[freescooter]

If you guys just want to go on last year's results just go look at the standings.

UConn beat Memphis ok but that doesn't mean they will be better in 2014. I think UConn will be but looking at the score of last years game and saying that is the final determination is just dumb.

And SMU beat UConn by 17 not by 3.

Here's the thing with Memphis. they haven't had a winning season in 8 or 9 years and the last 5 they have won 2, 1,2,4,3. Last year's victories were Arkansas State, Tenn-Martin and South Florida. They probably would have given Pasqualoni a contract extension for winning 5 two consecutive years!

 

[J187Money]

And when we win the conference...it will be glorious!

 

[uconnlife]

Paul says: "And this is what GDL and I did on our summer vacation."

 

[metsfan2323]

Is it just me or do those players look confused?

[/QUOTE]

 

[john2153]

You really could arrange teams 5-11 in just about any order, not much separating them. Clearly a huge gap between those teams and Cincy, ECU, UCF, and Houston.