CAA Preseason Poll and All-Conference Team

[SmallCollegeFBFan]

2012 CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Position Name Year Height Weight School
Running Back Terrance West Sophomore 5‐11 223 Towson

2012 CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Position Name Year Height Weight School
Linebacker Matt Evans Senior 6‐0 226 New Hampshire

2012 CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON ALL‐CONFERENCE TEAM

OFFENSE
Position Name Year Height Weight School
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke Sophomore 6‐1 190 Old Dominion
Running Back Andrew Pierce Junior 5‐11 200 Delaware
Running Back Terrance West Sophomore 5‐11 223 Towson
Fullback Brian Barlow Senior 6‐3 260 James Madison
Wide Receiver Nick Mayers Senior 5‐7 175 Old Dominion
Wide Receiver Maurice McDonald Senior 6‐0 180 Maine
Wide Receiver Nihja White Senior 6‐2 205 Delaware
Tight End Justin Perillo Junior 6‐4 250 Maine
Offensive Line Ricky Archer Junior 6‐2 278 New Hampshire
Offensive Line Chris Howley Senior 6‐3 285 Maine
Offensive Line Dan Shirey Senior 6‐2 280 Villanova
Offensive Line Josh Spearin Senior 6‐4 290 Maine
Offensive Line Earl Watford Senior 6‐4 290 James Madison

DEFENSE
Position Name Year Height Weight School
Defensive Line Frank Beltre Senior 6‐3 250 Towson
Defensive Line Chris Burnette Senior 6‐4 290 Old Dominion
Defensive Line Michael Cole Junior 6‐2 250 Maine
Defensive Line Antoine Lewis Junior 6‐3 275 Villanova
Linebacker Matt Evans Senior 6‐0 226 New Hampshire
Linebacker Darius McMillan Senior 5‐11 210 Richmond
Linebacker Stephon Robertson Junior 5‐11 215 James Madison
Linebacker Craig Wilkins Senior 6‐2 230 Old Dominion
Linebacker Paul Worrilow Senior 6‐0 230 Delaware
Safety Jordan Dangerfield Senior 5‐11 200 Towson
Safety Brian Thompson Senior 5‐11 215 William and Mary
Cornerback Travis Hawkins Junior 5‐10 195 Delaware
Cornerback B.W. Webb Senior 5‐11 180 William and Mary

SPECIAL TEAMS
Position Name Year Height Weight School
Return Specialist Dae'Quan Scott Junior 5‐9 190 James Madison
Placekicker Sean Baner Junior 6‐1 195 Delaware
Punter Jonathan Plisco Senior 6‐0 210 Old Dominion

2012 CAA FOOTBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH (first-place votes)
1. Towson (12)
2. Old Dominion (7)
3. James Madison (1)
4. New Hampshire (2)
5. Delaware
6. Maine
7. William and Mary
8. Villanova
9. Richmond
10. Rhode Island
11. Georgia State

[State Line Liquors]

2012 CAA FOOTBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH (first-place votes)
1. Towson (12)
2. Old Dominion (7)
3. James Madison (1)
4. New Hampshire (2)
5. Delaware
6. Maine
7. William and Mary
8. Villanova
9. Richmond
10. Rhode Island
11. Georgia State

It will be miraculous if Towson crosses the finish line in 1st in the CAA in November. I know it's a preseason poll, and it has quite a bit to do with last year's outcome, but going by schedule difficulty I think it's probably Towson won't be in the playoffs this year.

[andy7171]

[93henfan]

[93henfan]

This is great. Andy posts a haterz gone hate and this is the ad at the bottom:

[JoshuaTU]

Towson went 6-1 against the 7 ranked teams it played during the regular season last year which isnt too shabby.

[93henfan]

Towson went 6-1 against the 7 ranked teams it played during the regular season last year which isnt too shabby.

TOWSON FAN NOT NAMED ANDY SIGHTING!!!!

[JoshuaTU]

Maybe we should add a D2 team to inflate our wins...

[andy7171]

This is great. Andy posts a haterz gone hate and this is the ad at the bottom:

[State Line Liquors]

Anybody care to make the Towson result this year interesting? Some non-monetary, gentleman stakes to make it a little more fun?

[andy7171]

Anybody care to make the Towson result this year interesting? Some non-monetary, gentleman stakes to make it a little more fun?

I have been known to make a wager or two.

[93henfan]

Andy, for the sake of your family, DO NOT bet on Towson.

Towson just had the one good year of football they're allowed for every twenty that they mop up the peepshow room floor.

Friends don't let friends bet on Towson football.

[State Line Liquors]

Anybody care to make the Towson result this year interesting? Some non-monetary, gentleman stakes to make it a little more fun?

I have been known to make a wager or two.

We'll find something appropriately degrading to reward to the loser of the bet. For the time being, I'd like to walk through the Towson schedule and explain why Towson CAN'T duplicate last year's performance. First and foremost I think that JMU and ODU are the teams to beat. Returnees, talent, and schedules all work in their favor. Towson's schedule is a death march:

@ Kent State - 50/50 -Toss Up
Off week - hate early season respites
vs. St Francis PA - W
vs. WM - 50/50 - Toss Up
@ LSU - Loss
@ JMU - Probable Loss - JMU has their Off week prior
vs. Maine - 50/50 - Toss Up
vs. ODU - Probable Loss
@ VU - Probable Win
@ UD - 50/50 - Toss Up
vs. URI - Win
@ UNH - Probable Loss - UNH has their Off week prior

To summarize
- That's 4 Toss Ups in my opinion - 2 are home games and 2 are away games. TU finish 2-2 through those 4
- 3 games that I feel are probable or absolute locks to win
- 4 games that I feel are probable or absolute locks to lose

Total Record of 5 wins & 6 losses. AD Waddell starts tweeting about Towson lax early this year. #UpRoar.

[CAA Flagship]

This thread is awesome.

[BDKJMU]

I have been known to make a wager or two.

We'll find something appropriately degrading to reward to the loser of the bet. For the time being, I'd like to walk through the Towson schedule and explain why Towson CAN'T duplicate last year's performance. First and foremost I think that JMU and ODU are the teams to beat. Returnees, talent, and schedules all work in their favor. Towson's schedule is a death march:

@ Kent State - 50/50 -Toss Up
Off week - hate early season respites
vs. St Francis PA - W
vs. WM - 50/50 - Toss Up
@ LSU - Loss
@ JMU - Probable Loss - JMU has their Off week prior
vs. Maine - 50/50 - Toss Up
vs. ODU - Probable Loss
@ VU - Probable Win
@ UD - 50/50 - Toss Up
vs. URI - Win
@ UNH - Probable Loss - UNH has their Off week prior

To summarize
- That's 4 Toss Ups in my opinion - 2 are home games and 2 are away games. TU finish 2-2 through those 4
- 3 games that I feel are probable or absolute locks to win
- 4 games that I feel are probable or absolute locks to lose

Total Record of 5 wins & 6 losses. AD Waddell starts tweeting about Towson lax early this year. #UpRoar.

W&M isn't likely to be much if any better than last season. Towson won @ W&M last season and has a lot more coming back. The game is at TU. That isn't a toss up. That is a highly likely TU win.

TU win @ ODU last season and according to CAA preview have 17 starters back to ODU's 13 (CAA preview says 15, but 2 are up on rape charges). The game is @ TU. That is a likely TU win.

@ Kent State- W (CAA's best chance for a I-A win. Kent pre season #7 pick MAC)
Bye
Saint Francis- W (blowout)
W&M- W
@ LSU- L (blowout)
@ JMU-L (JMU coming off bye week)
Maine-W
ODU- W
@ VU- W
@ UD- W
URI- W (blowout)
@ UNH- L (UNH coming off bye week)

8-3/6-2, tied with ODU for 2nd in the CAA, playoffs, non seed bye. They actually win a game and go out in the qtr finals.

[LeadBolt]

One of the great things about playing in the CAA is the quality of the league from top to bottom, which leads to no team being dominant. I honestly think things could fall in place, or fall apart for any of the teams, well except for the boys from down my way.

W&M at 7 is a solid pick based upon last year. If they solidify at WR and QB with a good pitch and catch combo, the rest of the team is solid, barring injury and will surprise a lot of people, if they don't they will be 7 or less. Much the same can be said about the other teams.

VU is picked 8, and will probably finish low, but had a great recruiting class that will be in their 2nd year and could gel and really go places under Talley's leadership.

TU is picked to finish 1st, but has a brutal schedule. Will West stay healthy and be as dominant the second time around or have a sophomore slump?

ODU is solid, but the same question could be asked of Heineke as is asked of West. Are they looking ahead to FBS or is their head still in FCS?

Will JMU finally overcome the injury/suspension problems of the last few years and live up to their potential? We all know that the Dukes can go all the way.

Does anyone really think Maine is the league's 6th best team? Cosgrove is a real wildcard as a coach, sometimes brilliant and sometimes less so, but they have talent and history.

UNH appears to be poised for a breakout year. WIll they get over the hump and dominate in 2012 or merely be a playoff team?

Delaware is Delaware. They should never be counted out. They have Keeler and talent.

URI has been steadily improving. They have something to prove this year, whether it is going out with a bang or announcing to the world that they belong to stay in the league.

Richmond appears to be re-building, but then again no one expected them to have a lot in 2008 either.

All in all, this is why playing in the CAA is such a great thing. Games are rarely blowouts, the outcome does not always go according to script, and the quality of the players and coaching is at the top level of FCS, but with only 63 scholarships, the fortunes of a team can change with only one or two injuries, disappointing seasons, or break out years by key players.

Are you ready for some football?

[State Line Liquors]

BDKJMU, I'll include you on the opposite side of my wager. Penalties for being incorrect should be some kind of change of avatar and signature for at least several months once the 2012-2013 season is complete. I'm thinking to give everyone a little leg room we'll make it a 6 win threshold. If Towson wins 6 or fewer games, they certainly won't win the conference, but they'll still have a VERY outside shot at a playoff bid with a schedule as challenging as theirs.

TU wasn't able to win more than 3 consecutive games last season, with an easier schedule than what they have this year, and the CAA was in a bit of a rebuilding year. BDK, you have them winning 5 straight coming off trips to Baton Rouge and Harrisonville, and over a month after their rest week. 5 straight is so improbable, that I might be willing to make an even more embarrassing bet just for you.

There's still plenty of time for things to change with camp coming here in a few days, but just taking a glance at things here in late July I think it's curtains for a Towson repeat, and a winning record is going to be an uphill battle for them.

[State Line Liquors]

Lead Bolt, I agree that this league has a really fun thing going on. It's nice to feel like so many teams have a good argument for why they could be a contender---much different than others conferences both at this level and at the FBS level.

The Tribe have quite a challenging schedule themselves at first blush. Georgia State and Lafayette should be quite winnable games in September. Maryland might be a VERY good upset possibility for the Tribe, for goodness sakes, UD just announced three Terp transfers today in the News Journal. The Terp program is in shambles. But that still leaves two other tough games in Delaware and Towson.

A little respite there with Georgia State and Penn. Penn usually a pretty decent Ivy, but it should be a win regardless of location for the Tribe.

But the @JMU, vs. Maine (coming back from your off week helps), @UNH, @ODU, vs Spiders stretch is going to to be a tough row to hoe. If the Tribe can get through Penn at 4-2, they've given themselves a decent shot at a 7 win season. If they're 3-3 headed into the Truckstop off 81, then I think the playoffs probably aren't in the cards for the Tribe.

I never like to discount a great program like W&M, but just eyeballing schedules here in late July I think you guys have maybe the 2nd toughest schedule in the league behind Towson.

[bluehenbillk]

I've said for months that the schedule is not kind to TU. Being the preseason favorite is more of a credit to last year than thoughtful insight to this season. I wouldn't put their game with W&M as 50/50 but Kent, LSU, JMU, ODU, UD & UNH will make it tough...

But welcome Joshua!! Andy's back was about to give out from carrying the TU flag on here.

[andy7171]

I've said for months that the schedule is not kind to TU. Being the preseason favorite is more of a credit to last year than thoughtful insight to this season. I wouldn't put their game with W&M as 50/50 but Kent, LSU, JMU, ODU, UD & UNH will make it tough...

But welcome Joshua!! Andy's back was about to give out from carrying the TU flag on here.

Josh is going to make some of the NDSU fellas look rational.

And for the record. I wouldn't bet that we repeat. I'm going into this season hoping to win 7. Seven wins with this schedule and the expanded playoffs, we get in easy. And we'll be battle tested.

[LeadBolt]

SLL,
I agree with you about the W&M schedule it is murder, but then again no one in the CAA has a soft one. Towson's is definitely the toughest, so I don't think they will repeat, although I do think they'll make the playoffs.

The main point in my post is I feel, depending upon just a few breaks/injuries, any of the top 10 teams can beat any of the other teams on any given saturday and end up in the post season. Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to attend more than one or two games at most. I really need to move back into CAA territory!

You guys look like you are poised for a very good year and should go to the play-offs.

I feel our defense will be very good, maybe even on a par with 2009, if they develop as they can and they get smart, aggressive direction from the Def. Co-Ord.

The offense is anyone's guess, but barring injury there is a very good line in place and much talent at RB and TE. WR should be improved and QB is an unanswered question at this point.

I can see us finishing with a record anywhere between 4-7 and 8-3, based upon the level of competition we face.

If the defense is as good as I think it will be and the passing game comes back, I should be able to watch play-off football in green and gold, but that is a big IF and I'm not betting on it (yet).

[State Line Liquors]

I've said for months that the schedule is not kind to TU. Being the preseason favorite is more of a credit to last year than thoughtful insight to this season. I wouldn't put their game with W&M as 50/50 but Kent, LSU, JMU, ODU, UD & UNH will make it tough...

But welcome Joshua!! Andy's back was about to give out from carrying the TU flag on here.

Josh is going to make some of the NDSU fellas look rational.

And for the record. I wouldn't bet that we repeat. I'm going into this season hoping to win 7. Seven wins with this schedule and the expanded playoffs, we get in easy. And we'll be battle tested.

With the impending departure of ODU from the league, I think Joshua might be just what the doctor ordered to keep things interesting next year!

Yeah Andy, I think our wager is going to be whether or not Towson gets to 7 wins or not. I think absolute best case scenario is 6. 7 for sure gets you into the playoffs with plenty of callus on your feet for the playoff road ahead.

[State Line Liquors]

I can see us finishing with a record anywhere between 4-7 and 8-3, based upon the level of competition we face.

Yup, agreed. That's the range on the Tribe.

Just to be fair and show you mine since you showed me yours, here's my prediction on UD:

Sept: West Chester (outcome pointless), vs. Del State - W, vs. Bucknell -W, @WM & @ UNH - win 1 of the road games. UD finishes September at 3-1 in games that count towards anything meaningful. If we're 4-0, I'm really feeling my oats at this point.

October: vs. Maine, rest week, vs. URI, @ODU. 1 win is in the bag, 2 is conservative, 3 is possible but unlikely. Play it safe and say 2-1. I'll say UD is 5-2 to end October.

November: vs Towson, @UR, vs. Villanova. 1 win is in the bag, 2 is conservative, 3 is possible. Play it safe and say 2-1. UD is 7-3 at the end of the regular season, and into the playoffs.

Not a championship caliber team, but one that can win a playoff game and get booted on the road in game 2. The defense will be prodigious. First time UD has had a pass rush in a while, LBs have speed and depth, secondary is lights out. The offense has questions to be answered with how the OL meshes, and who ends up winning the QB job ---the entire season hinges on the answers. Receivers, RBs, TEs are all high quality.

[93henfan]

Yep. The Hens destiny all comes down to OL and QB. Apparently the Bowling Green transfer didn't really excite during the spring. Somewhere between a Schoe.. (argh - I can't bring myself to type it) and a Devlin, which gives him quite the zone to eventually land in. Let's hope one of the QBs step up in August, or at least by the end of Sep.

[andy7171]

Towson's QB is now listed as a senior. Apparently he played on Holy Cross's JV and then transferred to a JC. Both counts towards his eligibility now.