American Power Rankings topped by Cincy, Navy, UCF -UCONN last

[HuskyHawk]

I agree with whaler on Navy though. I think over a full season the'll take a beating.

Agreed. They have a solid team this year, due to the QB position mostly. Still don't see them winning the league, and in future years, think they will struggle to be in the top half.

 

[whaler11]

Is Navy's schedule really any tougher this year than any of their Indy years?

Aren't you google monkey.

They drew a pretty easy AAC schedule by comparison but last year had Texas State, VMI, San Jose State, WKU, Georgia Southern, South Alabama and Army.

So now play 8 AAC games plus Notre Dame. Colgate, Army and Air Force the other three.

That's a pretty big step up in class - they got lucky to draw Tulane, SMU, USF, Tulsa and UConn.

 

[Confident Carl]

I like Navy in the conference. Disagree. Maybe it's because it's a personal thing, but UCONN v. Navy on an annual basis is a game that I will be happy to see regardless of anything. And as far as prep goes, that shouldn't be an issue once you start playing regularly. The upperclassmen will have experience as will the coaches. In theory.

Now- given the way we defended Army in November in reality - it's concerning. I'll think about that though, depending on how we do against Villanova and then Army.

Navy is a huge addition to the American. (They help make up for the loss Syracuse, Rutgers and Pitt)The Patriotism and pride displayed at Military academy games is tremendous. Navy also travels well and with fans all over the country they should help AAC teams increase attendance in our spread out conference.

I used to debate a guy who said Navy would never go through with joining the American after things started to crumble in the Big East. You will recall Navy was in John Marinatto's original Big East plans.

Navy's AD Chet Gladchuck explains why Navy Joined the AAC:

CHET GLADCHUCK: For us, independence is outdated, scheduling and TV contracts are being monopolized by the conferences, and we felt that we had to be in there somewhere in order to be able to maintain the stature we've enjoyed for so many years. We are very excited about joining the conference, and we will be playing in the AAC West. The programs at Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane and Tulsa are run in a very similar manor as ours here at Navy. We feel that we can be very competitive against all the teams in the division, and be a perennial contender to win the West. We not only look forward to playing the teams in the West, but the schools in the East as well. Facing Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, South Florida and Temple will provide great challenges to us, and it is one of the reasons we joined the conference.

Below is the entire post:

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2015/01/14/q-a-navy-athletic-director-chet-gladchuk

 

[BlueDogs]

I like Navy in the conference. Disagree. Maybe it's because it's a personal thing, but UCONN v. Navy on an annual basis is a game that I will be happy to see regardless of anything. And as far as prep goes, that shouldn't be an issue once you start playing regularly. The upperclassmen will have experience as will the coaches. In theory.

Now- given the way we defended Army in November in reality - it's concerning. I'll think about that though, depending on how we do against Villanova and then Army.

Don't take me wrong. I love the service schools. In fact it kind of takes the fun out of the game. I hate seeing them loose, and hate loosing to them even worse.

 

[Redding Husky]

I've been to a few Navy games at SMU. Occasionally they bring in the planes at a low altitude ... very impressive.

I think the next most impressive pre-game ritual is Florida State's Seminole with the flaming spear, and that isn't remotely close to the Navy planes.

 

[Confident Carl]

We can only go up from here!

http://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...n-football-power-rankings-cincinnati-navy-ucf

This Bleacher Report speaks about first year coaches and turnarounds in 2015. Houston, SMU and Tulsa are in the article. The AAC is gonna be a challenge.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ll-lead-to-biggest-turnarounds-in-2015/page/7

 

[HuskyDogArt]

We can only go up from here!

http://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...n-football-power-rankings-cincinnati-navy-ucf

Did any AAC players get picked before the player from the last place UConn in the draft?

 

[jazyj]

Did any AAC players get picked before the player from the last place UConn in the draft?

well just because you have pro prospects on your team doesn't mean you're a winning team

 

[SAMCRO]

Did any AAC players get picked before the player from the last place UConn in the draft?

Perriman, WR from UCF went 1 pick earlier. Point?

 

[J187Money]

Perriman, WR from UCF went 1 pick earlier. Point?

Because obviously we are a better team because we have a first round draft pick. Even though he was hurt all year and didn't play offense and maybe 100 other reasons.

 

[whaler11]

Because obviously we are a better team because we have a first round draft pick. Even though he was hurt all year and didn't play offense and maybe 100 other reasons.

Don't forget only draft-eligible players are involved in the games.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Perriman, WR from UCF went 1 pick earlier. Point?

My point is that even though we are last in the AAC, we had a first round pick. Only 2 AAC first round picks?

 

[Confident Carl]

My point is that even though we are last in the AAC, we had a first round pick. Only 2 AAC first round picks?

yes and the Knicks have Carmello Anthony, arguably one of the 5 best offensive players in the NBA and they double suck so what does that amount to if you don't win?

 

[USNA90]

I think all the people picking Navy high will get a lesson in how playing a legitimate schedule week to week impacts a team.

People are way too high on Navy.

Interesting take on this. Navy's Strentgh of Schedule last year was 88. That's a bit lower than usual, and is part of the reason they joined the AAC - it became too difficult to schedule without being in a conference. The back half of last year's schedule made it look as though Navy was playing in the Sun Belt. Over the last five years, Navy's average SoS is around 82. It's difficult to see how that compares to an AAC schedule, as the conference has only been around for one year in it's current configuration. However, FWIW, UConn's SoS last year playing an AAC schedule was 118. I don't think Navy will be overwhelmed by the "legitimate schedule" they will play in the AAC.

 

[UConnJim]

I think UConn will be better than last year, but the schedule is harder (only 6 home games and road games against Missouri, BYU, UCF, and Cinci), so the record may not reflect it. I just want to see competitive games this year with less coach speak from Diaco. Let the results speak for themselves. By the way, if you use last year's Sagarin ratings, UConn would not be favored in any game in 2015. Theoretical, but look at these predicted point spreads (again, based on last year's Sagarin's):

Missouri -41
BYU -30
Cinci -29
UCF -29
ECU -25
Temple -23
Houston -23
Navy -22
Villanova -17
Tulane -12
USF -6
Army -6

Personally, I think 2016 is the season we see the team become highly competitive and win more than they lose.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

I think UConn will be better than last year, but the schedule is harder (only 6 home games and road games against Missouri, BYU, UCF, and Cinci), so the record may not reflect it. I just want to see competitive games this year with less coach speak from Diaco. Let the results speak for themselves. By the way, if you use last year's Sagarin ratings, UConn would not be favored in any game in 2015. Theoretical, but look at these predicted point spreads (again, based on last year's Sagarin's):

Missouri -41
BYU -30
Cinci -29
UCF -29
ECU -25
Temple -23
Houston -23
Navy -22
Villanova -17
Tulane -12
USF -6
Army -6

Personally, I think 2016 is the season we see the team become highly competitive and win more than they lose.

I kinda like that our toughest games (Mizzou, BYU, UCF, Cincy) are on the road. That makes our home games all that much more vital because we might actually have a chance to win some of them. First two games (Nova & Army at home) are CRITICAL. We have to take care of business at the Rent and hope to be competitive on the road.