SoCon Week 4

[The Jackal]

UTC @ Illinois (Thursday night)
Furman @ Chas So.
ETSU @ RMU
Western @ Samford
Wofford @ Kennesaw State
Mercer @ Gardner Webb

Lot of road games this week.

[The Jackal]

The Jackal's power rankings:

1. UTC - They haven't played as tough a schedule as Furman, but have looked pretty dominant in every game.
2. Furman - Playing well, but have not been quite as dominant as the Mocs.

3. ETSU - While 0-2 in SoCon play, I like what I saw from the Bucs. They should beat most of the SoCon teams on their schedule.
4. Mercer - The Bears didn't look great against the Citadel. Their schedule gets a lot tougher in the second half.
5. WCU - Catamounts are, again, all offense with spotty defense. Their minus 5 turnover margin is going to kill them in conference play, though.

6. Samford - Had the big opening win, but struggled to beat a mediocre Tenn Tech team. Feast or famine is Hatcher's calling card.

7. VMI - Disappointing effort against Cornell. They don't look as strong as they have the last two seasons.
8. The Citadel - Offensively pretty bad. They don't run it well and don't throw it well. Defense appears to be decent. Not sure how they beat ETSU.
9. Wofford - Terriers are averaging 2.3 ppg and surrendering 28. Not going to win many doing that.

[FUBeAR]

The Jackal's power rankings:

1. UTC - They haven't played as tough a schedule as Furman, but have looked pretty dominant in every game.
2. Furman - Playing well, but have not been quite as dominant as the Mocs.

3. ETSU - While 0-2 in SoCon play, I like what I saw from the Bucs. They should beat most of the SoCon teams on their schedule.
4. Mercer - The Bears didn't look great against the Citadel. Their schedule gets a lot tougher in the second half.
5. WCU - Catamounts are, again, all offense with spotty defense. Their minus 5 turnover margin is going to kill them in conference play, though.

6. Samford - Had the big opening win, but struggled to beat a mediocre Tenn Tech team. Feast or famine is Hatcher's calling card.

7. VMI - Disappointing effort against Cornell. They don't look as strong as they have the last two seasons.
8. The Citadel - Offensively pretty bad. They don't run it well and don't throw it well. Defense appears to be decent. Not sure how they beat ETSU.
9. Wofford - Terriers are averaging 2.3 ppg and surrendering 28. Not going to win many doing that.

ETSU @ #3 is curious. ETSU @ #3 and CIT @ #8 is just goofy.

CIT beat ETSU because they outplayed them up-front on both sides of the ball, just as Mercer beat CIT last night by outplaying them up front, particularly Mercer’s D. They just swallowed up CIT’s ball carriers and spit them back out. ETSU’s D was repeatedly gashed by CIT’s running game and fooled by most of the passes they threw. So, you’re right, bellhop’s O ain’t pee a drop against Mercer. You’ve misjudged and/or misstated the cause of their failure to produce yesterday.

[The Jackal]

My power ranking, I do what I want.

Mercer had an off week and played the citadel at home. Etsu had to go to Charleston and lost on a last second kick.

[Paul C]

I’d do it this way….

Top tier - UTC, Mercer, FU
Middle tier - WCU, ETSU, Citadel, Samford
Lower tier - VMI, Wofford.

[FUBeAR]

My power ranking, I do what I want.

Mercer had an off week and played the citadel at home. Etsu had to go to Charleston and lost on a last second kick.

Yep…you still have your God-given American right to be goofy…

…or you could be like Paul C. and make sense. That works too.

[apaladin]

Only one conference game this week and that one could see 1,000 yds and 100 points.

[gofurman]

Boys boys. And yes everyone is entitled to their opinion

My worthless is-
]1] UTC. Until they lose an FCS game they get top billing
t2] Furman. Very good team with a learning curve on O
t2] mercer. Don’t know much. Great D vs Citadel as in freakish D

4] Samford. Little unsure here
t5] WCU. They can score.
t5] ETSU. Good defense.

7] the Citadel. By the end I could see them below VMI. not much offense
8] VMI

9] Woffy. Nuff said

[apaladin]

I’d do it this way….

Top tier - UTC, Mercer, FU
Middle tier - WCU, ETSU, Citadel, Samford
Lower tier - VMI, Wofford.

IMHO, Just don’t see how you can put any SoCon team in the middle tier after they have been shutout by another SoCon team and had a total offense of 151 yards.

[FUBeAR]

I’d do it this way….

Top tier - UTC, Mercer, FU
Middle tier - WCU, ETSU, Citadel, Samford
Lower tier - VMI, Wofford.

IMHO, Just don’t see how you can put any SoCon team in the middle tier after they have been shutout by another SoCon team and had a total offense of 151 yards.

That’s fair. The correct rankings are…

FUBeAR’s POWER RANKINGS

TopTeams win, as winners are wont to do. ETSU’s stumbles continue. Are the HillsideHarpoonists already eliminated? FUBeAR thinks so. Chatt looking solid. Sustainable or illusory? Sammy finding ways to win instead of to lose - are we in the Upside Down? Cats lurking; ready to strike? bellhops fail to answer it this week and fall off the luggage cart. Mr. Mojo has checked out of LexVegas. WoeFraught Football needs youth in Asia.

1t. Furman (1-0, 2-1)
1t. Mercer (1-0, 2-1)
3. Chattanooga (1-0, 3-0)
4t. Samford (0-0, 2-1)
4t. WCU (0-0, 2-1)
6. CIT (1-1, 1-2)
7. ETSU (0-2, 1-2)
8. VMI (0-0, 1-2)
UNR. Wofford (0-1, 0-3)

[DungeonRealm]

I’d do it this way….

Top tier - UTC, Mercer, FU
Middle tier - WCU, ETSU, Citadel, Samford
Lower tier - VMI, Wofford.

IMHO, Just don’t see how you can put any SoCon team in the middle tier after they have been shutout by another SoCon team and had a total offense of 151 yards.

That’s fair. The correct rankings are…

FUBeAR’s POWER RANKINGS

TopTeams win, as winners are wont to do. ETSU’s stumbles continue. Are the HillsideHarpoonists already eliminated? FUBeAR thinks so. Chatt looking solid. Sustainable or illusory? Sammy finding ways to win instead of to lose - are we in the Upside Down? Cats lurking; ready to strike? bellhops fail to answer it this week and fall off the luggage cart. Mr. Mojo has checked out of LexVegas. WoeFraught Football needs youth in Asia.

1t. Furman (1-0, 2-1)
1t. Mercer (1-0, 2-1)
3. Chattanooga (1-0, 3-0)
4t. Samford (0-0, 2-1)
4t. WCU (0-0, 2-1)
6. CIT (1-1, 1-2)
7. ETSU (0-2, 1-2)
8. VMI (0-0, 1-2)
UNR. Wofford (0-1, 0-3)

[Davemeister]

So . . . are we sayin' Furman should just euthanize the rest of the Conference? Even the teams that deserve a slow, painful death?

[The Jackal]

That Mercer/Gardner Webb game may actually be more interesting than I originally anticipated. I have not kept up closely with the Runnin Bulldogs, but that may be a stingier out of conference opponent for Mercer than originally anticipated.

GWU is 1-2, but lost by 4 to Coastal Carolina and 6 to Elon, both on the road. Looks like former Mercer Coach Tre Lamb has GWU playing scrappy football.

[The Jackal]

This actually may be a season where the CAA schedule helps us. With a large conference, the best teams in the CAA sometimes won't have an opportunity to play one another in the regular season.

Looks like Delaware, W&M, Richmond, and Villanova will be forced to play one another this year.

URI appears to have won the scheduling this year, as they avoid Villanova and Richmond.

[DungeonRealm]

Looking forward to seeing if UTC can compete with BIG10 this week