Does East Carolina deserve the access bowl?

[whaler11]

So it's down to 3 candidates really.

Marshall is 18th in the computers.
ECU is 31st.
Colorado State is 32nd.

All three have little to test them the rest of the way.

ECU goes to Cinci and hosts UCF. Colorado St is at the Air Force and potentially gets SDSU. Marshall's probably gets LA Tech in the CUSA championship.

ECU's P5 conquests look worse every week between Carolina and VPI. Colorado State's wins over Colorado and BC don't blow you away. The losses to South Carolina and Boise aren't that great either.

Colorado State needs Boise to lose another MWC game or they are locked out because they can't win the conference.

ECU certainly hasn't looked great the past few weeks but gets a couple of shots to at least impress. Marshall doesn't really get that opportunity to even beat a Cinci or UCF on TV.

Marshall is wasting their money on trying to get into the playoff - they should be building the case for the access game.

I think ECU will go if they win out - but I'm not sold on the idea that they deserve the bid over Marshall - but I can see it.

If all three win out and CSU wins the MWC it should be quite a conversation.

 

[gioff23]

I would suggest that if ECU wins out, they go, period. Marshall is cute, but have you looked at their schedule? Their signature win was Middle Tennessee State - while you let that settle in - their opponents records are a combined 20-33. They've played 2 teams with winning records, 2. I know you can only beat the teams on your schedule and their offense seems decent, but they have no business being in the conversation. Folks look at ECU and say they beat UNC and VaTech and should have beaten USCe. Granted none of those teams will be playing on Jan 1., but when they played there was a differnt conversation happening, particularly around VT.

If ECU has 2 losses that makes the conversation difficult. I do not believe CSU will run the table or be able to leap frog MU or ECU on their own.

And when Marshall goes and say Georgia stays home, look for a redux of the discussion around the access game - it will sound very familiar to that directed to the BE in the days of the BCS

 

[BlueDogs]

ECU has some real holes. None of those teams deserve it, but among them ECU is best likely to be competitive.

 

[whaler11]

ECU has some real holes. None of those teams deserve it, but among them ECU is best likely to be competitive.

Yeah, I think that is probably true. ECU seems to play up and down to their opponents.

I've watched more SMU this season than is healthy... and the only time they didn't look like a pick up team that was formed in the parking lot a half hour prior to kickoff was against ECU.

They have now allowed UConn and SMU's best offensive games of the season....

 

[UConn17]

Personally I will say Marshall. I don't really have any stats to back it up, but I think Cato is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation and they just pass the eye test for me

 

[metsfan2323]

The announcers did their best to ruin last night's game by talking about this relentlessly. The simple answer to the question is it is too early to make any declarations, too many games to be played. If ECU runs the table I don't see how Marshall, who hasn't played anybody can overtake them.

 

[MASSconn]

ECU is not worthy of #15 in the country. They were not good.

 

[SubbaBub]

It's important that an AAC team claim this berth. Now that we lost, I hope they run the table. Including whatever SEC team they play in Atlanta.

 

[Vowelguy]

Colorado State needs Boise to lose another MWC game or they are locked out because they can't win the conference.

Boise's toughest remaining games are at home while ColSt's toughest are on the road. Not looking great for Rams.

 

[weyuo]

It also depends on what the rest of the college football world does. If ECU wins out(I don't think that'll happen by the way, Cinci or UCF is bound to bite them) and others in and around the top 25 falter slightly so that ECU can legitimately retain it's top 20 ranking then why shouldn't they get the nod for a lucrative bowl game?

 

[whaler11]

It also depends on what the rest of the college football world does. If ECU wins out(I don't think that'll happen by the way, Cinci or UCF is bound to bite them) and others in and around the top 25 falter slightly so that ECU can legitimately retain it's top 20 ranking then why shouldn't they get the nod for a lucrative bowl game?

They aren't going at 10-2 if Marshall is 13-0.

 

[Fishy]

East Carolina would skull f--- Marshall every day of the week.

Marshall hasn't even played a marginal team yet.

 

[whaler11]

East Carolina would skull f--- Marshall every day of the week.

Marshall hasn't even played a marginal team yet.

I don't know if that's true. Certainly the computer rankings disagree.

 

[Fishy]

I don't know if that's true. Certainly the computer rankings disagree.

You want to borrow a set of eyes?

It's criminal if Marshall gets the access bowl playing that schedule.

 

[whaler11]

You want to borrow a set of eyes?

It's criminal if Marshall gets the access bowl playing that schedule.

Well my eyes also saw two teams that aren't within a parsec of marginal play their best games against East Carolina.

It might be criminal but that's what will happen.

At teamrankings Marshall's schedule is 90th, East Carolina's is 106th.

 

[Fishy]

Do you think Marshall's schedule is better than East Carolina's?

If the answer is yes, turn off your computer and never, ever come back.

 

[whaler11]

Do you think Marshall's schedule is better than East Carolina's?

If the answer is yes, turn off your computer and never, ever come back.

No I don't. And other systems have it worse. I think it's better, but it's still not good.

Maybe every computer ranking in the country is broken... but ECU is 11 slots behind Marshall in the composite numbers.

I'd say ECU is better than Marshall - but that isn't going to matter if they lose again and Marshall doesn't.

 

[uconnbill]

Marshall plays no one and shouldn't be rewarded for their lousy schedule.

ECU needs to win out and represent the AAC in a major bowl game

 

[Point6]

ECU is not worthy of #15 in the country. They were not good.

Or maybe we are better that we think. Run the table and we are bowl bound baby.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

As much as I hate to agree with Whaler on this one, I believe that Marshall will finish the season with a better SOS than ECU. While CUSA did not pick up a single win against a P5 opponent, its record against G5 opponents is a lot better than the American's. While ECU picked up a couple of wins over ACC teams, the rest of the American was abysmal.

I think Marshall is going to get the nod unless UNC and VTech go on a winning streak.

 

[whaler11]

As much as I hate to agree with Whaler on this one, I believe that Marshall will finish the season with a better SOS than ECU. While CUSA did not pick up a single win against a P5 opponent, its record against G5 opponents is a lot better than the American's. While ECU picked up a couple of wins over ACC teams, the rest of the American was abysmal.

I think Marshall is going to get the nod unless UNC and VTech go on a winning streak.

I'm only saying that 13-0 would beat 10-2 - not saying it's right, not saying it's fair.

If ECU goes 11-1 I think they get the game.

 

[champs99and04]

SMU scored 24 points against ECU and they've scored a combined 25 in their other six games. Then, they host a 1-5 UConn team missing their two best players for a lot of the game, and it's a game late into the fourth quarter.

Honestly, Colorado State might deserve it. Boston College is hardly a juggernaut but they're probably better than V-Tech and UNC.

 

[jbdphi]

I think it all comes down to timing - ECU beat Va Tech the week after they had destroyed Ohio State so at the time the win seemed really impressive. Looking back a few weeks, Va Tech has really struggled against mediocre ACC competition and isn't the scalp it was originally thought to be.

I still think that ECU is likely the best team, certainly if they win out in the American.

 

[chapwilvaug72]

ecu barely made toilet bowl after perf vs div3 puppy regime they just so soundly throttled

 

[Pudge]

Of course they do. Thems the rules.

You have to play a better OOC.