Vandy Part II - Official UCONN / Vandy Prediction Thread

[freescooter]

I'm not thrilled with this game. We continue to have many large question marks...the one at quarterback is just huge in my opinion. An inexperienced quarterback, on the road for the first time can be a license for miscues. All that said, I think we win. Our lines are very good and if it comes down to it, I think we can play grind it our football if we need to.

 

[CrazyVandyFan]

The talent gap between your OL and our DL seems to be huge, and that is why we win this game, IMO.

I think this is a totally fair statement and I would take it a step further and guess ( based on Edsall's teams always having good o-lines) that your o-line will handle our d-line. It appears that we've improved on both lines, but if there is a talent gap, it's probably on the line of scrimmage.

That said, Vegas has VU as a 2 point favorite. Strange huh?

 

[SAMCRO]

I for one have no friggin idea how this game is going to go. Of course I precdicted a UConn W b/c, well, I am a UConn fan. This being said, I would not be surprised is we won big, won close, or even lost close. The only thing that would surprise me is if we get blown out. I just can't get a good feel for this team after 1 game against a bottom of the pack FCS team with minimal scholarships. I do believe we have the talent where we should win this game. I base that comment on what I saw from both teams last season, what I saw from both temas in week 1, and based on what both teamsare bringin back, but I'd feel a lot better about it if I knew more about our QB situation.

 

[uconnbaseball]

I'm not a recruiting nut, but your claim makes you look either ignorant or like typical fan guy (over appraials of one's own talent and discount of opposition's). What you're saying is that last year's team won more that Vandy's team, but don't confuse that for the actual talent on the field. Those are two different things. The kid we faced that plays wide receiver for Elon last week hasn't won very much, but he'll be on an NFL roster (and likely a high rd pick). Aarom Mellette is his name and he's talented as hell (11 catches for 180 against us). We have 4-5 kids that will be drafted (maybe more) this April and yes, they are talented, but we have had terrible coaching, a brutal schedule and a ton of injuries so we haven't won very much. There is plenty of talent on VU's roster but to you, unless you've won, you have no talent, right?

Marve, Heyward, and who exactly? Norman is only a junior. Richardson is a 7th round to free agent caliber player.

 

[CrazyVandyFan]

I'm trying to be polite (or was) but can you read? I did not say you had no talent on your roster. I said you don't have as much as we do. Your belief that one can't tell overall talent by how well a team does on the field is, frankly, dumb.

have a nice day. I have a lot of respect for Vanderbilt as an institution, and for the players who struggle through the disadvantages they face in the SEC while trying to actually learn things. But now I'm much less sympathetic to its fanbase so let me be clear -- you guys suck. You are a bad football team. Are almost all the time and will continue to be almost all the time. I don't know that we are a good football team, but I do know we're better than you.

Does that help?

You have issues and I would imagine, most of the UConn fans around here are embarrassed by you. My opinion of UConn's fanbase won't be swayed one bit by our conversation. Why? Because I'm not 13.

 

[uconnbaseball]

You have issues and I would imagine, most of the UConn fans around here are embarrassed by you. My opinion of UConn's fanbase won't be swayed one bit by our conversation. Why? Because I'm not 13.

Biz is one of the best posters on this board. You will definitely not get any agreement here.

With that said, you seem like good guy. I wish Vandy all the best...after Saturday of course.

 

[CrazyVandyFan]

Marve, Heyward, and who exactly? Norman is only a junior. Richardson is a 7th round to free agent caliber player.

Marve, Heyward, Richardson Barden for sure this year and several others who are maybes in the future (Wilson cb, Laddler fs, Johnson c, Mathews wr (soph)). No way Norman leaves, he wants a degree but has potential to play at the next level. We have a lot of guys that can play at the next level, but the only ones that will get drafted high this year would be Marve and Heyward.

 

[BlueMAB]

I think this is a totally fair statement and I would take it a step further and guess ( based on Edsall's teams always having good o-lines) that your o-line will handle our d-line. It appears that we've improved on both lines, but if there is a talent gap, it's probably on the line of scrimmage.

That said, Vegas has VU as a 2 point favorite. Strange huh?

No, not strange at all.
1) you're home so Vegas is spotting you 3 points. But I have a feeling the homefield advantage at IBG is nothing like Death Valley.
2) UConn was as much as a 5.5 point favorite early in the week. The line appears to have moved to UConn's favor (from a bettor's perspective) because that's a lot of points to cover on the road, and the early money was probably on Vandy. Vegas is probably trying to balance the action since there's been a 7 point swing of the line in 5 days.

I wouldn't be completely shocked if we lost because it is a road game, but regardless of what line Vegas has, this is a game we should win.

 

[businesslawyer]

Biz is one of the best posters on this board. You will definitely not get any agreement here.

With that said, you seem like good guy. I wish Vandy all the best...after Saturday of course.

His first response to my post that did nothing but give my opinion called me an ass. Exactly what would he have to do to not seem like a good guy?

 

[sdhusky]

You have issues and I would imagine, most of the UConn fans around here are embarrassed by you. My opinion of UConn's fanbase won't be swayed one bit by our conversation. Why? Because I'm not 13.

I'm a UCONN fan and I'm proud of how you got smacked down after your ignorant statements.

 

[uconnbaseball]

His first response to my post that did nothing but give my opinion called me an ass. Exactly what would he have to do to not seem like a good guy?

I didn't see that post. Yeah, he should not have said that.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Can you imagine how many championships Rutgers would have if they handed out trophies after Signing Day?

The idiotic comments by CVF notwithstanding, I'm not sure how much of an overall talent gap there is between the 2 teams. I absolutely think we will win the battle on both lines of scrimmage. I think nearly everywhere else is close. What worries me is that we don't have one iota of a clue how any of our 3 QB's are gonna play in their first road test. Granted, this is not Death Valley or The Plains, but it's still a road game against a BCS opponent. That's the one thing that makes this a toss up game in my view. To be completely fair, our record and accomplishments wouldn't be near what they are today had we played an SEC schedule since 2004. So I think evaluating talent based on wins and losses does not paint the entire picture accurately.

That being said, I still think we win this game, but am not as confident as BL.

 

[freescooter]

Jimmy,

I get where you're coming from about the SEC, but really, it has a few very very good teams. After that, though, I'm not convinced that Mississippi and Mississippi State are anything special year in year out. Same with kentucky. Georgia hasn't been all that good for a few years. UCONN smacked around South Carolina when we met in a bowl. When an SEC team is real good, they are real good. When they aren't they are nothing special. would we have won 2 conference titles? Probably not. We haven't been that good. But we wouldn't be Vanderbilt either.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Jimmy,

I get where you're coming from about the SEC, but really, it has a few very very good teams. After that, though, I'm not convinced that Mississippi and Mississippi State are anything special year in year out. Same with kentucky. Georgia hasn't been all that good for a few years. UCONN smacked around South Carolina when we met in a bowl. When an SEC team is real good, they are real good. When they aren't they are nothing special. would we have won 2 conference titles? Probably not. We haven't been that good. But we wouldn't be Vanderbilt either.

No, we're not Vandy. We're a better team. The only thing that worries me tomorrow night is the QB play. That being said, if we played Vandy's schedule last year, we probably win about 4 or 5 games. Maybe 6.

 

[businesslawyer]

I am worried about QB play too. But we won 8 times last year without much QB play, and if we have to win that way again tomorrow night I still think we're good enough everywhere else to do that.

 

[ktuck911]

27 - 13 Huskies

 

[uconnbaseball]

Jimmy,

I get where you're coming from about the SEC, but really, it has a few very very good teams. After that, though, I'm not convinced that Mississippi and Mississippi State are anything special year in year out. Same with kentucky. Georgia hasn't been all that good for a few years. UCONN smacked around South Carolina when we met in a bowl. When an SEC team is real good, they are real good. When they aren't they are nothing special. would we have won 2 conference titles? Probably not. We haven't been that good. But we wouldn't be Vanderbilt either.

Ole Miss stinks this year, but the rest of the SEC West is terrific. Auburn might finish 5th in that division.

 

[BlueMAB]

Ole Miss stinks this year, but the rest of the SEC West is terrific. Auburn might finish 5th in that division.

You're right about the SEC west, but that Auburn team needed a miracle comeback in the last 2 minutes to beat Utah State.....at home. They should finish 5th.

 

[Jimdish255]

I don't know if we really get it going on offense, or if our kicker does well on the road early in the season, but I think we score 21-24 points somehow and that's enough to hold off a game Vanderbilt squad playing their hearts out at home. Keep the turnovers and the penalties down and we win 24-17.

 

[CTFootball]

Ole Miss stinks this year, but the rest of the SEC West is terrific. Auburn might finish 5th in that division.

I agree with Jimmy...I don't dispute the fact the SEC is the best league year-in and out, but it is very top heavy. #1-2 are usual pretty special teams, #3-4 are comparable to the top teams in other conferences. #10-12 are not much better than the deadweights in other leagues.

What was the SEC bowl record last year...I believe 5-5?

Uconn 34-13.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Someone much smarter than I will have to explain why this is viewed as a toss up game.

1. We beat them fairly easily last year, at a time when we were playing really, really, really bad football.

2. While I understand the many questions we have, they have them to. What they don't have is the quality of players up and down the roster on both sides of the line of scrimmage that we do. Or the habit of winning games, as opposed to losing them.

3. We almost beat them in Nashville with a much, much less talented roster Orlovsky's sophomore year. Yes, we had Dan Orlovsky, but they had Jay Cutler. May of these players have beaten a much better SEC team in Birmingham. Yes, you never take a road game against a BCS opponent for granted, but our road win at Baylor was against a much better team than this. And it's not like we haven't won at Wake, Duke and Indiana as well.

If I were a betting man, I would have a lot of money on this game. A lot. I don't know whether we win by a lot or a little. Depends on whether our offense can get anything going. Whether our team is good or not is still a very open question. But we are a materially better team than Vanderbilt. We shut their offense down and win the special teams battle. That's 2 out of 3 even if our offense isn't good.

Same outcome as the civil war. Don't care about the score.

UConn will win this game comfortably. UConn has two high draft picks playing at DT, two more draftable players at CB, and maybe a DE or two that will get a look. On offense, UConn's line should control the line of scrimmage. UConn won easily last year, and I expect a similar outcome.

The only cloud on the horizon is that Endres did start last year's Vanderbilt game, making it one of two games where UConn got adequate QB play.

 

[uconnbaseball]

You think that Martin is a a high draft pick at DT? If anything, I would say that Sio Moore (as well as Reyes) is our top draft prospect. Wreh Wilson and Joseph are also NFL draft level players.

On offense, we have at least two lineman and probably a tight end as well.

 

[CrazyVandyFan]

Can you imagine how many championships Rutgers would have if they handed out trophies after Signing Day?

The idiotic comments by CVF notwithstanding, I'm not sure how much of an overall talent gap there is between the 2 teams. I absolutely think we will win the battle on both lines of scrimmage. I think nearly everywhere else is close. What worries me is that we don't have one iota of a clue how any of our 3 QB's are gonna play in their first road test. Granted, this is not Death Valley or The Plains, but it's still a road game against a BCS opponent. That's the one thing that makes this a toss up game in my view. To be completely fair, our record and accomplishments wouldn't be near what they are today had we played an SEC schedule since 2004. So I think evaluating talent based on wins and losses does not paint the entire picture accurately.

That being said, I still think we win this game, but am not as confident as BL.

What were my idiotic comments? I used the example of saying recruiting services would disagree about the huge talent gap that lawyers says exists and everybody immediately dismissed recruiting services as completely invalid. I do think they have some merit, but I certainly don't view them as gospel. VU is 12 every year in recruiting in the SEC and guess what, we're 12 every year in the conference too. The difference, which for some reason y'all fail to acknowledge, is that UConn has had one of the top coaches in FBS football. Edsall might not have had a sexy offense, but he's a top tier coach and he coached up some solid talent to make them a better team collectively than VU by far.

 

[businesslawyer]

What were my idiotic comments? I used the example of saying recruiting services would disagree about the huge talent gap that lawyers says exists and everybody immediately dismissed recruiting services as completely invalid. I do think they have some merit, but I certainly don't view them as gospel. VU is 12 every year in recruiting in the SEC and guess what, we're 12 every year in the conference too. The difference, which for some reason y'all fail to acknowledge, is that UConn has had one of the top coaches in FBS football. Edsall might not have had a sexy offense, but he's a top tier coach and he coached up some solid talent to make them a better team collectively than VU by far.

O.K. -- I swear to all of you on my life that I am not having a fight with myself typing under a second name. You will know that because never, even to make a point, would I ever use "y'all" without quotes. LOL.

CVF: can you imagine for just a minute that having watched the two teams play against each other less than a year ago maybe, just maybe, allows for conclusions about talent with more of a basis than looking at old recruiting rankings?

 

[HuskyBarker]

UCONN 35 ~ 16 (If not 42) I'm Gonna Say Easy Win, Why, Because I Can. LOL!