NDSU is who we thought they were, after playing a creampuff schedule so far the Bizon beat a good-looking Montana team. Looks like the Valley title still goes through Fargo. We Also learned the MVFC >Bigsky, and that EWU doesn’t need to play defense, question is when they run into a team that DOES, what happens? We also learned boys and girls moving to the sun belt yes it gets you 20 extra scholarships, but you have to play on Thursday to be on National TV. This week we will learn about JMU and Deleware, WIU and SIU, UND and Montana State-especially if they can rebound from the heartbreaker against EWU. Have a good weekend
Tag Archives | ewu
Week 1
Alright, boys and girls Week 1 is done and in the books.
We learned a few things, EWU is as good as we thought, NDSU made FBS ISU look silly, UNI looked good against a decent Iowa team, Deleware looked terrible against a mediocre Pitt team, Youngstown held their own against an unknown Illinois team(till the 4th quarter) Montana held serve against a new look Wyoming, and drake is terrible, again, and villanova looks pretty good(though are they FCS anymore?)
TSN poll
Again, some ?’s and some surprises, TWO WEEKS FOLKS GET YOU GAME FACE ON.
1. Eastern Washington Eagles (82) 12-3 3589 3
2. North Dakota State Bison (62) 15-0 3540 1
3. Southeastern Louisiana Lions (2) 11-3 3300 6
4. New Hampshire Wildcats (1) 10-5 3090 5
5. Montana Grizzlies 10-3 2817 8
6. Jacksonville State Gamecocks 11-4 2634 10
7. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 12-3 2461 7
8. McNeese State Cowboys 10-3 2277 11
9. Northern Iowa Panthers 7-5 2197 NR
10. South Dakota State Jackrabbits 9-5 2154 13
11. Fordham Rams 12-2 2139 9
12. Villanova Wildcats 6-5 2072 NR
13. Towson Tigers 13-3 1999 2
14. Chattanooga Mocs 8-4 1647 23
15. Tennessee State Tigers 10-4 1448 17
16. Eastern Illinois Panthers 12-2 1375 4
17. Sam Houston State Bearkats 9-5 1345 14
18. Montana State Bobcats 7-5 1170 20
19. William & Mary Tribe 7-5 1151 NR
20. Richmond Spiders 6-6 963 NR
21. Furman Paladins 8-6 802 22
22. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 10-3 475 16
23. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 9-3 429 15
24. Youngstown State Penguins 8-4 405 18
25. Maine Black Bears 10-3 330 12
Semis Week
Alright Boys and Girls Its Semi’s week-A little love for the CAA, two of the four semis teams, including a “bubble” team that squeaked in. Congrats! You have shown that when it comes to crunch time you guys are ready. So I was watching the Towson-EIU game, and I was incredibly impressed with Towson’s running attack this guy was just running over the EIU D, his numbers prior to half were ridiculous. It really seemed to me like Towson has its game together.
Predicts:13-6 and 3-1 last week.
NDSU over UNH
Twoson over EWU-This one I have really gone back and forth on.
Have a wonderful holiday yall
2nd round, the Big Sky, and some more damn crow
Wow what a weekend, especially that SHSU and SELA game. That was fun to watch. Anyway so another round of the playoffs is in the book and we have learned something else. THE BIG SKY IS NOT THE BEST CONFERENCE IN THE COUNTRY. They have count it ONE, ONE playoff win this year they are ahead count it the MEAC, the NEC, and the Pioneer conferences. EWU while they splattered SDSU it was close till midway through the third quarter. Not a power conference or even the “top conference in the FCS” does that make. Jacksonville State-WTF? where the hell did you come from, congrats on peaking at the right time and again I will eat some more crow yum! because you proved me wrong, though maybe third time is a charm.
Alright boys and girls pick time:
rough hoe of it last week 4-4 for a 10-5 overall record:
EIU over Towson
NDSU over Coastal
EWU over Jax state
UNH over SELA
1st round and some crow
Committee-
1.you should be utterly embarrassed with yourselves. You to Big Sky. The MVC 5th team BEAT the no.2 team in the Big Sky, but yet you took a fourth from the Big sky and not the 2nd from the MVC. Also the no.4 team from the big sky got thoroughly woodshedded by the no. 3 team from the Southland. Disappointing, Montana and EWU need to represent, though they got stuck with rough gets.
2. BOTH of your MEAC picks got beat, with the winner getting thrashed and the second place playing a decent game against a mediocre team from a major conference, proving again “7-5 team from the Big Sky, MVC, CAA are better than a 9-3 from a MEAC team any day of the week” to quote myself.
3.What is up with all of these 2nd-round intra-conference matchups the point of the playoffs is to play teams you have never seen, not people you have. Meh nothing I can do but complain I guess.
On the flip side OVC, I am enjoying a large helping of crow thanks to Jacksonville State’s stomping of Samford, their reward? A date with streaking Mcneese State. Good luck to you guys and congrats on winning big and bringing some respectability for the OVC even if it was against a down Samford from a weak Socon. Will reserve judgment on this team till after they play Mcneese.
SHSU-I will enjoy another heaping helping of crow for your win as well, you have proved that the Southland is a VERY good conference by beating a good SUU team and spoiling my prefect predicts.
Blog went:6-1 last week
Fordham over Towson(upset special)
Montana Over Coastal
Maine over UNH(tough to beat a team twice in a season let alone in three weeks)
EIU over Tennessee state
NDSU over Furman
EWU over SDSU
Mcneese over Jacksonville State(this one could go either way)
SELA over SHSU
Playoff picks
Alright here we go the reason we are named for what we are. the Championship playoffs:
Here are my thoughts-Patriot(lehigh) enjoy sitting at home you can’t lose by 25 to a 5-6 team and expect to make the playoffs.
Chuck South-schedule better AND go 10-3 and we’ll talk. UNI has an open date next year, Troy Dannen’s # is online.
First four out-
Jacksonville State
Samford
Liberty
Charleston Southern
Here they are:(in no particular order)
NDSU-MVC AQ
EIU-OVC AQ
Maine-CAA AQ
EWU-Big Sky AQ
Fordham-Patriot AL
SELA-Southland AQ
Montana=-Big Sky AL
Towson-CAA AL
Coastal Carolina-Big South AQ
Chattanooga-Socon AL
NAU-Big Sky AL
Tn ST-OVC AL
UNH-CAA AL
SDSU-MVC AL
YSU-MVC AL
Mcneese-Southland AL
Furman-Socon AQ
SUU-Big Sky AL
UNI-MVC AL
SHSU-Southland AL
Lafayette(I hope they send you to NDSU)-Patriot Auto
Sacred Heart-NEC Auto
Bethune Cookman-MEAC auto
Butler-Pioneer AQ
Feel free to comment/I am open to discussion, I will post pics in the AM
EDIT:Dumping the third OVC bid(Jacksonville State) for a fourth MVC bid(yes call me a homer) Here’s the reason, there are not many teams(except maybe the top 5/6) that would take UNI’s schedule and NOT have struggles, especially with an FBS win and three OT losses. (16 points and we are #1 and undefeated) The pieces are for the most part back in place for the Panthers(only Sawyer and Farley still out) and this team looks very good, call me a homer, but I think the conference strength helps as well.
The revolving Door
Well folks, what a great few weeks of football. In the span of the last three weeks three top-five teams have been knocked off. So really who is fit to challenge NDSU for the National Title? UNI played close with them, but then dropped an egg against a better-than their record SIU. Towson has struggled with its colonial brethren. It looks like a potential re-re-match of SHSU vs NDSU may be in the works as SHSU drubbed then no.2 EWU, however SHSU struggled against a Lamar team that has of yet been unimpressive. While NDSU pulled it out against UNI it appears that yes they can be beat, but will a team put together a complete game and take the W from the Bison? I know that this year is going to remain very interesting when it comes to the playoffs, hold onto your hats lets have some fun.
Musings for this week and some picks
Alright, so this week after realizing hey someone actually reads this maybe I should put something worthwhile up(call it a EV VS WC) hangover that I could not come up with anything, then while perusing the boards this AM, a point of interest was brought involving a school that I had only ever heard a little about Gardner-Webb. Apparently some of their fans are in a tizzy because they feel “disrespected” because while they have beaten Furman, Wofford, and Richmond they are merely ranked #25 and the question was asked is their a bias towards the power teams conferences vs. the small time conferences? Honestly for this blogger, yes there is(full disclosure this blog nor does this writer participate in any poll) Coming from “smaller schools”(with the exception of Montana North and South Dakota and maybe Maine, we always have to prove ourselves to our older “brother” institutions. Beating three power teams by a combined 15 points(one by three and another by two) to me is not enough to really show that you have “arrived” like many poster on this board when they vote they take in the “body of work” we have all seen teams start fast and then die out towards the end of the season, while I am not saying GW is going down that path, but I feel #25 is right for the time being, you made the top #25 for your current work, as you continue to demonstrate your winning, more respect is given. Just my 2 cents.
My predicts for this week top matchups:
#1 NDSU vs #6 SDSU-NDSU goes into SDSU and wins a squeaker of a game 17-16 over the Jacks.
#2 EWU vs #4 SHSU-I again applaud high-quality FCS teams scheduling other High-quality FCS teams as non-cons, that is what our division needs to keep itself strong. I picked against SHSU the entire playoffs last year(except the chipper) Well, this one I think the Eagles take 24-13.
#5 UNI vs #9 Mcneese- Alot of talk on this one, I feel that people have been hesitant on UNI despite their 3-0 record apparently the wins weren’t “flashy” or “big enough” over programs like drake and Northern Colorado. I think the playbook will be opened up against Mcneese, David Johnson will be allowed to pound the ball, while Sawyer will keep the DB’s honest with a balanced passing scheme, UNI wins this one 32-17. Call me a homer, when you write the blog you can be a homer to.
#14 JMU vs DEL-Honestly I think this will really show what type of season these two teams will have, JMU almost beat akron but also barely beat SFPA, while Delaware has woodshedding all comers except their own woodshedding from a mediocre Navy team(go Middies) I think this one will be close and whoever has the ball last wins this one 42-40 James Madison.
#7 Montana vs #24 NAU-Montana 38-17
EC Vs. WC
So this is something that has probably been discussed, re-discussed, and just for hecks sake re-hashed, well I have been thinking about this-with the recent defections from FCS to FBS of some powerhouse programs has the EC fallen behind the WC? After 8 straight EC championships the WC has claimed 3 straight with no EC team getting beyond the semi’s. The balance of power took a major shift west when perennial powerhouses Georgia Southern and App State announced their impeding departure from FCS, especially with recent resurgence of programs such as UNI, Montana, and Eastern Washington, not to mention the appearance of 2-time defending champ NDSU. This case was very obvious that the WC is superior to the EC when only one team in the top ten was an EC school. The NCAA may have been ahead of the game in moving the national title game away from the East coast and into a more neutral location. Feel free to post your thoughts.