Toughest schedule month??

[gofurman]

Discounting Clemson (and Colgate cancelled)

Sept
AT ELON
AT ETSU
HOME WCU

October
HOME Wofford - probably playing best ball right now. Great D
HOME Samford - tough matchup as they throw a lot
AT citadel- Charleston can be a house of horrors. Ask mercer

Nov
HOME - Chatt
AWAY. VMI
Away Mercer - always a nail-biter


Point is I think - discounting Clemson - that October is our toughest month

Opinions?

[FUBeAR]

AT citadel- Charleston can be a house of horrors. Ask mercer

Mercer is 1-1 in Charleston since the 're-start' and won 24-14 (it wasn't really that close as Mercer was ahead by 3 scores most of the game) in their last visit there. On the other hand, the Bears are 0-3 vs. the bellhops in Macon and every game has been a final possession 1-score heartbreaker.

[Affirm]

Not seeing much about our game vs Wofford next week. We’ve not beaten them since 11/15/2014. 4 straight losses, including twice in 2017 ! I noticed that we beat them in 2014 after we had previously lost to 5 other teams from the state of SC ! Was Wofford just really bad that year ?
Who really thinks we will beat Wofford this year?

[The Jackal]

Not seeing much about our game vs Wofford next week. We’ve not beaten them since 11/15/2014. 4 straight losses, including twice in 2017 ! I noticed that we beat them in 2014 after we had previously lost to 5 other teams from the state of SC ! Was Wofford just really bad that year ?
Who really thinks we will beat Wofford this year?

Wofford isn't some sort of juggernaut. Yes, they are 4-1. Their three FCS wins came over teams with a combined 2-13 record. Furman's win over WCU, in my opinion, is more impressive than anyone Wofford has beaten.

They played a close game against FBS Wyoming, but Wyoming isn't particularly special. They are rated as a top-15ish FCS squad and have only one other win besides Wofford, over 1-4 NM State. NM State's only win, I should note, came over UTEP, who is winless and lost by three touchdowns to a 2-3 FCS team (Northern Arizona).

We will get an extra week to prepare for Wofford's option. They graduated their good throwing QB and still have a lot of questions on offense. Their offense will face a stiff test this weekend against UTC. The Terrier defense, as expected, is pretty stout and has a lot of veteran players.

They are, like everyone in the SoCon, imminently beatable.

[FUBeAR]

Not seeing much about our game vs Wofford next week. We’ve not beaten them since 11/15/2014. 4 straight losses, including twice in 2017 ! I noticed that we beat them in 2014 after we had previously lost to 5 other teams from the state of SC ! Was Wofford just really bad that year ?
Who really thinks we will beat Wofford this year?

Wofford isn't some sort of juggernaut. Yes, they are 4-1. Their three FCS wins came over teams with a combined 2-13 record. Furman's win over WCU, in my opinion, is more impressive than anyone Wofford has beaten.

They played a close game against FBS Wyoming, but Wyoming isn't particularly special. They are rated as a top-15ish FCS squad and have only one other win besides Wofford, over 1-4 NM State. NM State's only win, I should note, came over UTEP, who is winless and lost by three touchdowns to a 2-3 FCS team (Northern Arizona).

We will get an extra week to prepare for Wofford's option. They graduated their good throwing QB and still have a lot of questions on offense. Their offense will face a stiff test this weekend against UTC. The Terrier defense, as expected, is pretty stout and has a lot of veteran players.

They are, like everyone in the SoCon, imminently beatable.

They lost one of their best DLmen due to injury. Mikel Horton was injured @ Wyoming and is out for the season http://www.goupstate.com/news/20181001/ ... -of-season. Miles Brown, who is a great DLman, gets all of the publicity, but Horton was not far behind him and, IMO, is actually a more consistent Player. Hate this for Mr. Horton, but don’t mind it all for Wofford. Not sure how much it will help the Paladins, but it can’t hurt.

[The Jackal]

Not seeing much about our game vs Wofford next week. We’ve not beaten them since 11/15/2014. 4 straight losses, including twice in 2017 ! I noticed that we beat them in 2014 after we had previously lost to 5 other teams from the state of SC ! Was Wofford just really bad that year ?
Who really thinks we will beat Wofford this year?

Wofford isn't some sort of juggernaut. Yes, they are 4-1. Their three FCS wins came over teams with a combined 2-13 record. Furman's win over WCU, in my opinion, is more impressive than anyone Wofford has beaten.

They played a close game against FBS Wyoming, but Wyoming isn't particularly special. They are rated as a top-15ish FCS squad and have only one other win besides Wofford, over 1-4 NM State. NM State's only win, I should note, came over UTEP, who is winless and lost by three touchdowns to a 2-3 FCS team (Northern Arizona).

We will get an extra week to prepare for Wofford's option. They graduated their good throwing QB and still have a lot of questions on offense. Their offense will face a stiff test this weekend against UTC. The Terrier defense, as expected, is pretty stout and has a lot of veteran players.

They are, like everyone in the SoCon, imminently beatable.

They lost one of their best DLmen due to injury. Mikel Horton was injured @ Wyoming and is out for the season http://www.goupstate.com/news/20181001/ ... -of-season. Miles Brown, who is a great DLman, gets all of the publicity, but Horton was not far behind him and, IMO, is actually a more consistent Player. Hate this for Mr. Horton, but don’t mind it all for Wofford. Not sure how much it will help the Paladins, but it can’t hurt.

I believe they lost another DL in the preseason as well.

If their fans are to be believed, Wofford has a talented front line of defenders, but not a ton of depth. Unlike Furman, who does wholesale rotations on defense constantly, Wofford, I think, tends to stick with the same guys most of the time.

[Flagman]

Then all we have to do is hope it's a hot day, and we can wear them down. Unfortunately, it'll probably be the really first day of normal fall weather.

[Affirm]

Wofford’s FCS ranking is #6, not merely “top 15-ish” as per FUBeAR’s post. We are struggling to get any win, and our next opponent has 4 consecutive wins against us. I realize that is not determinative. However, it is a fact.

[FUBeAR]

Wofford’s FCS ranking is #6, not merely “top 15-ish” as per FUBeAR’s post. We are struggling to get any win, and our next opponent has 4 consecutive wins against us. I realize that is not determinative. However, it is a fact.

That was Jackal’s post.

But...if you’re itching to quibble...

Wofford’s Current Rankings...
Massey - #25
Coaches - #6
STATS - #7
Sagarin - #11
AGS - #7
HERO - #32
Compughter - #25
Athlon - #6
College Sports Madness - #9
Yale Undergraduate Sports Analytics Group - #29

...anywhere between #6 & #32 is accurate.

[The Jackal]

Wofford’s FCS ranking is #6, not merely “top 15-ish” as per FUBeAR’s post. We are struggling to get any win, and our next opponent has 4 consecutive wins against us. I realize that is not determinative. However, it is a fact.

I don't think FuBear called Wofford top 15ish.

I said that Wyoming was a top 15ish FCS program. According to computer rankings (put what stock in them as you seem fit) Wyoming is rated behind most of the upper level FCS teams. So, they are an FBS program in name, but more of an FCS program in ability.

I raise that only because Wyoming is the only non-bad-to-really-bad team Wofford has faced, they aren't much better than a good FCS team, and Wofford lost.

[The Jackal]

And another thing. Perception is reality.

Furman feels like a team hanging on to its season by a thread. Realistically, we just beat a borderline top 25 team. We had ETSU on the ropes and somehow managed to let that game get away from us. We also likely would have beaten Colgate had they opted to play us.

Long story short, we aren't that far from a 3-2 record with a couple of solid wins. I realize the doom and gloom seems paramount, but tightening things up a little bit and we'll play with any SoCon team.

[FUBeAR]

Realistically, we just beat a borderline top 25 team.

NCHSAA 4-A or 3-A rankings?

[gofurman]

let's start a Wofford thread - I was about to do that

[Affirm]

Wofford’s FCS ranking is #6, not merely “top 15-ish” as per FUBeAR’s post. We are struggling to get any win, and our next opponent has 4 consecutive wins against us. I realize that is not determinative. However, it is a fact.

I don't think FuBear called Wofford top 15ish.

I said that Wyoming was a top 15ish FCS program. According to computer rankings (put what stock in them as you seem fit) Wyoming is rated behind most of the upper level FCS teams. So, they are an FBS program in name, but more of an FCS program in ability.

I raise that only because Wyoming is the only non-bad-to-really-bad team Wofford has faced, they aren't much better than a good FCS team, and Wofford lost.

I apologize to Jackal and to FUBeAR for my misreading what each had written. I believe Jackal said yesterday 8:10 am, “Wofford is not some sort of juggernaut.” I agree. They are not. But based on our last 4 games against them, the result for us is the same as if they were “a juggernaut “. ...Also ... my focusing on their #6 ranking is is to emphasize that they are a “more difficult opponent” for us THIS YEAR than many on this Board seemingly want to acknowledge. And it appears to me that we are not as good this year as previously. I would love to be shown otherwise on all the above, on October 13, 2018.

[fupaladin01]

Elon just beat James Madison in Harrisonburg. JMU had looked unbeatable, losing only to N.C. State (by 11) and defeating their last 2 conference goes by 50 points each. JMU defense is scary good.

Based on today’s results, I think Elon is a better squad than anyone thought.
One bright side- we were able to rush for nearly 100 more yards and average one more yard per rush against Elon than JMU was. (JMU did pass for 250 more however). We also held Elon to more than 100 yards less rushing than the Dukes did.
I’d still rather see Elon again in postseason than JMU, but that is a good football team. September was brutal.