Top 25 rankings

[K-Mack]

I was talking with a key source on Texas/ASC/SCAC football.  He says that Trinity keeps tightening its academic standards, raising its tuition and lowering its academic aid to prospective students in the 1100 SAT range.  There are plenty of ASC teams with less expensive tuition and more generous academic aid packages, for whom an 1100 SAT gets a good package.

In summary, Trinity TX is not the Trinity of 10 years ago, when they were getting dominant classes of student-athletes.

That is almost exactly what we've been hearing for a few years now, usually from good sources but never really on the record.

TGPeezie,
That's why I didn't rank Hobart or Union, because of their stars lost ... and then also that conference could be another one of the ones where we have to see a few games to see who establishes themselves as the top 25 team. Could be RPI or Rochester for all we know.

[union89]

I was talking with a key source on Texas/ASC/SCAC football.  He says that Trinity keeps tightening its academic standards, raising its tuition and lowering its academic aid to prospective students in the 1100 SAT range.  There are plenty of ASC teams with less expensive tuition and more generous academic aid packages, for whom an 1100 SAT gets a good package.

In summary, Trinity TX is not the Trinity of 10 years ago, when they were getting dominant classes of student-athletes.

That is almost exactly what we've been hearing for a few years now, usually from good sources but never really on the record.

TGPeezie,
That's why I didn't rank Hobart or Union, because of their stars lost ... and then also that conference could be another one of the ones where we have to see a few games to see who establishes themselves as the top 25 team. Could be RPI or Rochester for all we know.

Good call not ranking Union in your Pre-Season top 25.....I hope that as the season progresses that changes, but not too optimistic.  I hate to say it, but you have to give RPI the pre-season nod in the LL.

Then again, what do I know....I'd bet $$$ Union would beat Coast Guard if they played this year....

[Sabretooth Tiger]

So yeah, about those Top 25s ...

Here are my thoughts on the craziest rankings in Lindy's and S&S:

Whitworth No. 10: Another team I could see in the top 25, although I may not rank them there myself. The loss of Joel Clark and Michael Allan should hurt the offense, the defense has starters to replace, and they won a couple (Linfield, UW-Stout) by the skin of their teeth last season. Might not be so fortunate this year, although still a shoo-in for at least 7 wins.

Occidental No. 12: For many of the same reasons as above, losing QB Andy Collins, needed to rally to pull out a couple wins last year (Cal Lu, Whittier). Big difference, however, is three years of recruiting off of playoff appearances and conference titles, so I let them hang out at the bottom of my top 25 (No. 24), where I projected Whitworth to fall just outside of that group.
Lindy's
(see next post)

Keith,

While I may take issue of your characterization of the Oxy Pomona rivalry (on the parallel thread on that topic) I think that you nailed this one spot on.  Where Oxy ends up will be determined on who gets to step into fill those big shoes Collins left behind and whether the Tigers have another strong recruiting year . . . and from what I'm hearing, it's looking pretty darn good.  Time will tell.

cheers,

tooth

[frank uible]

Collins is arguably greater than Kemp?

[K-Mack]

I think it's very optimistic for Street & Smith's to rank the Tigers at No. 12 to start the post-Collins era.

It might be optimistic of you to assume S&S knew there was a Collins era and that it's now over. 

[PA_wesleyfan]

I guess S+S doesn't realise that Wesley returns almost everyone. I know the need to replace Warrick and Harris but they don't even get a mention as an other team to watch. interesting.. Clark is back at wideout and if Komona plays his size that gives them a big back threat as well  But thats for later!!!!!

[Pat Coleman]

Yeah. I mean, what did Warrick do in his career? Easily replaced.

[dewcrew88]

can't recall if the Springfield QB with those crazy rushing stats is back this year).

He is.

I think Springfield is going to be a hard team to predict this year. Part of me, your humble East Region columnist, believes that SC will be as dominant as last year, especially with Sharpe returning after his record-breaking season in 2006. The other part, however, thinks that defenses will have him figured out after seeing him rule the roost last year. IMO, he has an automatic advantage right off the bat with that option offense stuff.

[PA_wesleyfan]

Pat
That's uncalled for.... I know what Warrick did. and I know what Harris meant to the defence. Which I did mention in my last post. There are a lot players coming back and Knapp and Drass will adjust the offence and defence to use their skills   

Yeah. I mean, what did Warrick do in his career? Easily replaced.

[repete]

Well, these might be the final S&S rankings if those issues die.

Wesley surely deserves to be somewhere between K-Mack's No. 3 and S&S's snub. But I'd be very interested in the rationale for No. 3 -- as I would guess that just about anyone would who saw the game against UWW.

Granted, it's a single frame of reference but  ...
Azusa ... Oshkosh ... UWEC ... UMHB ... UWLX (twice) ...  UWSP .... Platteville ... UWRF ... SJU ... all were more competitive against UWW last season.

And, aside from two-loss UMHB, Wesley had an almost embarrassing route in the South bracket. (Compare that to SJU playing three top-10 unbeatens). So how much has Wesley -- shoes or no shoes -- really proven? It's not like that region is a hotbed of Stagg champs ...

No matter how many folks Wesley returns, they did not appear not on the same level -- physically or skills wise -- as UWW or other top West teams.

Ranked, sure. But top 3? Hard to see. I'd have them after UWW, UWLX and SJU in the West with a prediction of a rapidly rebounding Linfield closing fast.

[Pat Coleman]

Wesley has proven that it matches up very very poorly against UW-Whitewater itself.

[theoriginalupstate]

Wesley has proven that it matches up very very poorly against UW-Whitewater itself.

IMO they shouldnt be in the top 10 let alone the top 5.  They've proven that they dont match up well vs out of region opponents on the national stage, untill they do they shouldnt be in the upper echelon of ranked teams.

[PA_wesleyfan]

Upstate.....

I think that's a harsh statement considering that UW-Whitewater went to the finals both years... And as Pat mentioned they didn't match up well .. And Wesley did the same thing to UMHB two years in a row!!!! So does that lessen UMHB's close loss to Whitewater? 

Wesley has proven that it matches up very very poorly against UW-Whitewater itself.

IMO they shouldnt be in the top 10 let alone the top 5.  They've proven that they dont match up well vs out of region opponents on the national stage, untill they do they shouldnt be in the upper echelon of ranked teams.

[Pat Coleman]

Yeah -- I know it's hard for people outside of the East Coast and Texas to understand, but Wesley is better than its national semifinal showings. The wins in consecutive years against UMHB should be an indication, no?

[repete]

Hmm. I think Upstate just might be on the East Coast and I'm fairly sure I'm closer to the coast than you are ....

One showing I can write off as an aberration but Wesley could have been two TDs better in both games and still have been -- to use an East Coast phrase -- monkey stomped. I didn't see the 2005 game but I saw nothing in 2006 that suggested Wesley wouldn't have struggled vs. UWLX or SJU.

Not to pound on Wesley, but it's hard to see them as at No. 3.