DKHardee wrote:I know there is a lot of smack talking on here but seriously.......
Liberty - Not as good as prejected but still the Big South favorite
Stony Brook - hasn't proved anything to me this year but I think they have a good shot to win the Big South.
Coastal Carolina - Not good but better than record shows, If they won the Big South this year it would be surprisnig but it wouldn't be a shocker.
Gardner-Webb - Not as good as there FBS win makes them out to be, i wish they were
Charleston Southern - They could be the team to take the BS this year if they played to their ability
VMI - nothing really to say about them, its VMI
Presbyterian College - everything ever said about them the last two years... its true. they suck and it would be shameful to lose to them this year.
I think you summed it up well. The Big South has been a very competitive conference since it's founding in football. Gardner Webb dominated early. Coastal dominated it for a few years. Liberty has recently. CSU even got a claim in 2005 and has won consistently in the conference over the last 5 seasons.
I don't think it's smart to say anyone in this league is a definite favorite, as the top has rotated through 3-4 teams. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Stoney Brook and Charleston Southern tied for 2nd in 2009? Shouldn't we consider both of them also as threats, since Liberty only beat CSU 20-14 in 2009? For anyone from Liberty to say the other teams "aren't a threat" would be not wise unless Liberty has been beating it's conference foes by 30 or 40 points a game. 6 point difference is a threat.
If I had to bet money on it, I'd probably pick Liberty. It seems they hold the cards this year. The CSU vs Liberty game in 2 weeks will tell us a lot. CSU has a pretty good team this year. They had the lead on Wofford in the 4th quarter, and basically blew it with a bobbled snap on 3rd down and a couple turnovers. So they have the ability to beat good teams. If they held on vs Wofford, they'd be 3-1 now (lost to Hawaii). And of course we know Stoney Brook is dangerous.
The Big South is an odd conference. Really no true, bitter rivalries. The only ones that may come close for CSU would be Liberty, since we have been the only 2 football schools in this conference since it's independent days and founding, but CSU hasn't won enough times, I think only twice actually ever. CSU vs CCU has been a decent skirmish, maybe a blossoming rivalry. LU vs VMI is in-state, but no one cares that much it seems. PC and GWU are close by, and former foes in the old D2 SAC8, so that may be a good one.
But this is an odd conference, with the power being capable of shifting rapidly. After 2002, didn't everyone think Gardner Webb would dominate for years? In 2006, we all assumed Coastal would win the BSC every year and compete for a NC within 5 more years, and that didn't play out. During my playing days at CSU, we beat Liberty 25-0, @ Liberty, and they sucked. So the power shifts yearly it seems, lets wait til, conference play begins before smack talk.
