USA Today has UMass higher rated than UConn

[Husky25]

Chead Foach Dob Biaco?

I just realized should be an H.

Chead Hoach Dob Biaco.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

If DB is a lousy coach we will have a tough time with Nova.

If he is a decent coach, the game won't be close.

You like dramatic statements don't you? You are the Donald Trump of this board. In your spectrum of possibilities, BD is either "lousy" or "decent". How pessimistic and narrow.

The reality is...

...if UConn loses to Nova...disappointing...but it doesn't mean BD (or DB) is lousy. But...the jury is out on his ability. Need more datapoints.
...if the game is close but UConn wins...nice win...we still don't know whether BD is the right guy...but its a good sign that the team has improved.
...if UConn beats Nova easily....great start and confidence in BD increases. He will lose that momentum if he loses to Army, but we should be hopeful that the horrible year last year really was about getting the program on track in 2015.

 

[husky10]

I just realized should be an H.

Chead Hoach Dob Biaco.

Not to nitpick but shouldn't it be

Cead Hoach Dob Biaco?

 

[Husky25]

Not to nitpick but shouldn't it be

Cead Hoach Dob Biaco?

yes. i posted as much about 1/2 hour before you couldn't edit the original post.

 

[freescooter]

I think it is on topic...not everyone would agree that the coach is responsible for a 19 year old fumbling the football; and turnovers could make a score close even if one team was dominant over the other.

If DB is a lousy coach we will have a tough time with Nova. - a couple of fumbles could make the score much closer than it should be. Wanted to make sure I knew specifically where the blame may go if that occurs.

You know what? You're right. A couple of fumbles could make a blowout close. But at some point if a guy is fumbling it's the coach's job to get him out of there or at least not give him the ball. If multiple guys are fumbling aid be real concerned that there is a systemic problem with how runners are being coached. You can always come up with an excuse for losing. Losing teams do it all the time. A 19 year old kid playing d1a football doesn't get to say Hey I am only 19. Lots of 19 year olds hop onto the football.

 

[Bonehead]

You know what? You're right. A couple of fumbles could make a blowout close. But at some point if a guy is fumbling it's the coach's job to get him out of there or at least not give him the ball. If multiple guys are fumbling aid be real concerned that there is a systemic problem with how runners are being coached. You can always come up with an excuse for losing. Losing teams do it all the time. A 19 year old kid playing d1a football doesn't get to say Hey I am only 19. Lots of 19 year olds hop onto the football.

Agreed - Arkeel didn't see the field much after 2nd turnover in Tulane.

Pals point is if the guy is fumbling he wasn't taught correctly.
Yes, he controls the personnel. The coach controls how and what they practice.

 

[DrG]

ESPN has UMASS winning their division in the MAC

The MAC East is incredibly weak. All the decent teams are in the West.

 

[Pudge]

WE ... still have recruited far better players than UMass (even with PP) for a half decade. Our line should be far better than UMass and Villanova. We shall see. Maybe Cummings & Verducci & Balis has turned around the OLine. I am fairly high on our DLine ... lots of kids to be excited about (Campenni, Myers, Adeyemo, Ormsby, Foley, Carrezola, and newbies).

That is what should separate us at the base level.

When we start to play more established Programs (ECU, UCF, Navy), we better be able to move the chains.

 

[cohenzone]

There is only one way to measure success: WINS. Some people on this board have us bowling, the media has us one of the worst rated teams in the country. I don't know who to believe?

Isn't it great that by season's end, pre-season predictions wind up where they belong in the first place, in the toilet. You got it right, the proof is in the pigskin. Otherwise, why bother to watch them play.

 

[tduconn]

If DB is a lousy coach we will have a tough time with Nova.

If he is a decent coach, the game won't be close.

Not necessarily. Not too many years ago the reigning 1-aa national champ beat Michigan at Michigan. Boise State beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

A good 1-aa team can beat a mediocre BCS team not because the BCS team is badly coached, because (1) some 1-aa teams are dam good, (2) to coin a Eastwood/ Dirty Harry phrase, the BCS players "are legends in their own mind"...... a.k.a we are automatically better because we are BCS athletes.

UConn better not enter any game with that attitude, because at this point they've only proven the play under a BCS banner, not that they are great BCS players.

 

[BlueDogs]

If we don't fumble on the opening drive, that's a major victory in itself. If we win the toss and don't take the ball and defer my head will explode.

 

[freescooter]

Not necessarily. Not too many years ago the reigning 1-aa national champ beat Michigan at Michigan. Boise State beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

A good 1-aa team can beat a mediocre BCS team not because the BCS team is badly coached, because (1) some 1-aa teams are dam good, (2) to coin a Eastwood/ Dirty Harry phrase, the BCS players "are legends in their own mind". a.k.a we are automatically better because we are BCS athletes.

UConn better not enter any game with that attitude, because at this point they've only proven the play under a BCS banner, not that they are great BCS players.

Michigan Appy State was 2007. Those type of games happen occasionally but the reason you still remember a game from 2007 is precisely because it is so rare. As a rule even good 1aa teams get beat and beat pretty soundly by even mediocre 1a competition. They can sometimes stay close for a while because a. It's usually the opener and teams are not quite hitting on all cylinders and b. For the aa it is their Super Bowl a win that makes their careers while most 1as are looking toward their first "real" game next week. That's the reality of these games. Michigan Appy State was an unusual.

 

[J187Money]

I posted the records in another thread. The top FCS teams have rolled up a good number of wins against FBS teams. This isn't automatic but I feel a lot more confident than I felt a couple of months ago.

 

[freescooter]

And 2013 was an outlier. You guys talk like Villanova is Alabama.

 

[freescooter]

And 2013 was an outlier. You guys talk like Villanova is Alabama.

 

[J187Money]

And 2013 was an outlier. You guys talk like Villanova is Alabama.

They aren't. But we aren't Auburn.

 

[sub legacy]

UMass 109 UConn 119
That's one for the ages.

speechless...

how far we have fallen in perception...if not reality...

Frankly, I'm not even surprised.

 

[freescooter]

Those 1970s through early 80s are a whole different world when there was very little difference between the levels at least at the margins. Teams like Rutgers and Temple regularly played a mix of Ivies along with other Eastern schools like Army Navy Penn State Syacuse. Patriot League teams were considered 1a for a number of years and they also played a mix. I saw Brown-Penn State. Think about that for a minute. Colgate-Rutgers was a big deal. Went to one of those too at the Meadowlands! So discounting those years typically FCS teams win maybe 2 games a year. 2013 was the high water mark.

 

[Excalibur]

And 2013 was an outlier. You guys talk like Villanova is Alabama.

Until someone actually looks at the results when the bottom third of FBS (which we are likely in) plays the top 10 of FCS, there's nothing to debate. The list above means exactly $h!+.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

And 2013 was an outlier. You guys talk like Villanova is Alabama.

You talk like we are Ohio St.

 

[freescooter]

I know we're not Ohio State. I watched the past few years. But if we want to be taken seriously by anyone we need to win games against 1AA competition. That alone won't get us taken seriously of course but losing them insures we will be everybody's homecoming opponent. Losing to Villanova will say to the football world and football fans who might follow UConn that we have made zero progress to date. It might be unfair. It might be wrong but that will be the perception.

 

[Excalibur]

I know we're not Ohio State. I watched the past few years. But if we want to be taken seriously by anyone we need to win games against 1AA competition. That alone won't get us taken seriously of course but losing them insures we will be everybody's homecoming opponent. Losing to Villanova will say to the football world and football fans who might follow UConn that we have made zero progress to date. It might be unfair. It might be wrong but that will be the perception.

All of this is true, at least to some extent. I guess my point is that if we're going to schedule FCS teams, stop scheduling the best of the best FCS programs. There is absolutely nothing to gain. There is a reason why Youngstown St., Montana, and NoDakST are having trouble scheduling FBS teams.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Villanova had a better RPI than 35 FBS schools last year, including 8 P5 schools (Cuse, Vandy, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa State, Purdue, Washington State, Wake Forest). There are plenty of FBS teams they could beat. This was a good win for a rebuilding team.

 

[primus74]

There were SEVEN FCS wins over FBS teams in 2013.

Through 2013

FCS (I-AA) Schools Defeating Major FBS (I-A) Opponents (1978-2013)

YEAR | FCS TEAM
FBS OPPONENT | CONF | SCORE
1978 | Massachusetts vs Boston College (MA) | Ind. | W 27-0
1979 | Florida A&M vs Miami (FL) | Ind. | W 16-13
1982 | Furman (SC) at South Carolina | Ind. | W 28-23
1982 | James Madison (VA) at Virginia | ACC | W 21-17
1982 | Miami (OH) at Northwestern (IL) | Big Ten | W 27-13
1983 | Appalachian St. (NC) at Wake Forest (NC) | ACC | W 27-25
1983 | Cincinnati (OH) at Kentucky | SEC | T 13-13
1983 | Cincinnati (OH) at Penn St. (AP #20) | Ind. | W 14-3
1983 | Furman (SC) at Georgia Tech | ACC | W 17-14
1984 | Furman (SC) at North Carolina St. | ACC | W 34-30
1984 | Idaho vs Oregon St. | Pac-12 | W 41-22
1985 | Drake (IA) at Iowa St. | Big Eight | W 20-17
1985 | Furman (SC) at North Carolina St. | ACC | W 42-20
1985 | Grambling St. (LA) n Oregon St. | Pac-12 | W 23-6
1985 | North Texas at Kansas St. | Big Eight | W 22-10
1985 | Northern Iowa at Kansas St. | Big Eight | W 10-6
1985 | Richmond (VA) at Virginia Tech | Ind. | W 24-14
1986 | Arkansas St. at Mississippi | SEC | T 10-10
1986 | Furman (SC) at Georgia Tech | ACC | T 17-17
1986 | North Texas at Texas Christian | SWC | W 24-20
1986 | Northern Iowa at Kansas St. | Big Eight | W 17-0
1986 | Texas St. at Rice (TX) | SWC | W 31-6
1986 | William & Mary (VA) at Virginia | ACC | W 41-37
1987 | Austin Peay (TN) at Kansas St. | Big Eight | W 26-22
1987 | East Tennessee St. at North Carolina St. | ACC | W 29-14
1987 | Louisiana Tech at Kansas | Big Eight | W 16-11
1988 | Appalachian St. (NC) at Wake Forest (NC) | ACC | T 34-34
1988 | Louisiana Tech at Kansas St. | Big Eight | W 31-28
1988 | North Texas at Rice (TX) | SWC | W 33-17
1988 | North Texas at Texas Tech | SWC | W 29-24
1989 | Appalachian St. (NC) at Wake Forest (NC) | ACC | W 15-10
1989 | Northern Iowa at Kansas St. | Big Eight | W 10-8
1990 | Citadel (SC) at South Carolina | Ind. | W 38-35
1990 | Montana at Oregon St. | Pac-12 | W 22-15
1990 | North Texas vs Southern Methodist (TX) | SWC | W 14-7
1991 | Appalachian St. (NC) at Wake Forest (NC) | ACC | W 17-3
1992 | Citadel (SC) at Arkansas | SEC | W 10-3
1992 | Northern Iowa at Iowa St. | Big Eight | W 27-10
1994 | Northern Iowa at Iowa St. | Big Eight | W 28-14
1995 | Appalachian St. (NC) at Wake Forest (NC) | ACC | W 24-22
1996 | Montana at Oregon St. | Pac-12 | W 35-14
1998 | Appalachian St. (NC) at Wake Forest (NC) | ACC | W 30-27
1998 | William & Mary (VA) at Temple (PA) | Big East | W 45-38
1999 | Furman (SC) at North Carolina | ACC | W 28-3
2000 | Appalachian St. (NC) at Wake Forest (NC) | ACC | W 20-16
2002 | Villanova (PA) at Rutgers (NJ) | Big East | W 37-19
2003 | Villanova (PA) at Temple (PA) | Big East | W 23-20
2004 | Maine at Mississippi St. | SEC | W 9-7
2004 | New Hampshire at Rutgers (NJ) | Big East | W 35-24
2005 | California-Davis at Stanford (CA) | Pac-12 | W 20-17
2006 | Montana St. at Colorado | Big 12 | W 19-10
2006 | New Hampshire at Northwestern (IL) | Big Ten | W 34-17
2006 | Richmond (VA) at Duke (NC) | ACC | W 13-0
2006 | Southern Illinois at Indiana | Big Ten | W 35-28
2007 | Appalachian St. (NC) at Michigan (AP# 5) | Big Ten | W 34-32
2007 | North Dakota St. at Minnesota | Big Ten | W 27-21
2007 | Northern Iowa at Iowa St. | Big 12 | W 24-13
2009 | Richmond (VA) at Duke (NC) | ACC | W 24-16
2009 | William & Mary (VA) at Virginia | ACC | W 26-14
2010 | Jacksonville St. (AL) at Mississippi | SEC | W 49-48
2010 | James Madison (VA) at Virginia Tech (AP# 13) | ACC | W 21-16
2010 | North Dakota St. at Kansas | Big 12 | W 6-3
2010 | South Dakota at Minnesota | Big Ten | W 41-38
2011 | Cal St.-Sacramento at Oregon St. | Pac-12 | W 29-28
2011 | North Dakota St. at Minnesota | Big Ten | W 37-24
2011 | Richmond (VA) at Duke (NC) | ACC | W 23-21
2012 | Cal St.-Sacramento at Colorado | Pac-12 | W 30-28
2012 | Youngstown St. (OH) at Pittsburgh | Big East | W 31-17
2013 | Eastern Washington at Oregon St. (AP# 25) | Pac-12 | W 49-46
2013 | Fordham (NY) at Temple (PA) | AAC | W 30-29
2013 | Georgia Southern at Florida | SEC | W 26-20
2013 | McNeese St. (LA) at South Florida | AAC | W 53-21
2013 | North Dakota St. at Kansas St. | Big 12 | W 24-21
2013 | Northern Iowa at Iowa St. | Big 12 | W 28-20
2013 | Towson (MD) at Connecticut | AAC | W 33-18

Biggest takeaway from these scores is that Iowa St. should have learned to stop playing Northern Iowa like Kansas St. did. I wonder if Iowa St. will lose to Northern Iowa for a fifth time tonight.

 

[Vuce]

Will be interesting to see how these "rankings" end up after 3 or 4 weeks (if they even keep them up). Umass went out to Boulder, CO for a game against the Buffs (who they almost beat last year) and got drilled 48-14 but score was not even as close as that - the Buffs took the pedal off the metal as they had 48 before the 3rd quarter ended. Umass plays Temple then Notre Dame. Their offense will still be good but their defense is really, really bad. They lose most of their top players on offense after this year too.

To top it off the Springfield paper placed their "game coverage" on the second page of the sports section. Big Papi 500 HRs and and Easthampton vs Turners Falls high school football game got top billing on page 1. Embarassing.