FB: USA South Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

And there's a live video stream:

http://www.d3football.com/pressreleases.php?release=1686

[ProudFightingScot]

Hi all!!  Can't wait for the conference pre-season rannkings to come out.  It is always interesting to see how the season is predicted to turn out and what actually happens.  It is always good locker room material, especailly for the teams picked to finish toward the bottom.  Sort of like Maryville last year which was picked to finish next to last and finished in 4th (and actually beat the NCW that finished in front of them in 3rd).  Any way you look at it though, it should be a great season this year.  Anyone got any sleeper team predictions for the league this year?  Personally, I gotta stick with my Fighting Scots.  They showed a lot of improvement on offense and all the young starters are a year older now and are looking to hopefully make a little noise in the league this year.

[Pat Coleman]

Maryville has been disrespected two years in a row in the preseason poll. Hopefully the USAC coaches respect the new guys a little better this year.

[MU_ftbl51]

Hello to all, it has been a busy summer and a busy last few weeks. Thank you narch for that piece of information you sent me, i will try to be a bit better, lol. Sometimes i type faster and forget to go back at the end. I had the plaesure to get some insight on things at MU this year. Let me tell you guys something sleeping on the monarchs, be careful and do not underestimate them. I think the defense maybe a little bit better than they were in 05 when we won the conference. Offensively, whoever started all that bull crap about hill not returning, it is not true, he will be back with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove this year as a senior.
         O-Line will be better than they were last year, alot better. Anyone in this conference knows we have the best o-line coach in the conference, they will be right this year. They have a strong core group of guys coming back, and they are young. The QB this year is going to be the big surprise, Parks will lead the team in my opinion and he will step up to the challenge.

OK i am now out of time and it is time for me to go on vacation for the weekend b4 we start the kickoff monday. Anyways good luck to all this year.

[allsky7]

Hi all!!  Can't wait for the conference pre-season rannkings to come out.  It is always interesting to see how the season is predicted to turn out and what actually happens.  It is always good locker room material, especailly for the teams picked to finish toward the bottom.  Sort of like Maryville last year which was picked to finish next to last and finished in 4th (and actually beat the NCW that finished in front of them in 3rd).  Any way you look at it though, it should be a great season this year.  Anyone got any sleeper team predictions for the league this year?  Personally, I gotta stick with my Fighting Scots.  They showed a lot of improvement on offense and all the young starters are a year older now and are looking to hopefully make a little noise in the league this year.

     As I posted earlier, I too think the Scots may surprise some people. The first two games are key. Especially week two at Centre. If the injury bug doesn't bite, a QB gets some snaps and steps up, Hightower stays healthy, and the D cuts down on giving up big plays....Watch Out!!
     
     DISCLAIMER: The above is absolutely, positively, without a doubt an unbiased assessment!!!! 

[kickerdad]

Maryville has been disrespected two years in a row in the preseason poll. Hopefully the USAC coaches respect the new guys a little better this year.

I don't understand why the coaches wouldn' respect them. From what I have observed the last two years and things I have heard about the coming season; they are going to give everyone a problem. They have a good coach and good talent returning.

[narch]

Maryville has been disrespected two years in a row in the preseason poll. Hopefully the USAC coaches respect the new guys a little better this year.

2006 USA South Coaches Poll
Rank Institution (1st place Votes)   Pts.
1. Ferrum (4)                             46
2. Christopher Newport (3)           44
T3. Averett (1)                           35
T3. Methodist                             35
5. N.C. Wesleyan                        22
T6. Maryville                              17
T6. Shenandoah                         17
8. Greensboro                              8

honestly, i don't get the notion of m'ville being disrespected last year...didn't get it then and don't get it now...the coaches picked them to finish 2 spots lower than they actually did...that can be a one-game difference in this league - m'ville got a 2 point win against ncwc, a 4 point win vs. mu (and i thought mu was every bit as good as m'ville watching that game in person...although i might be a tad biased) and a 6 point win vs. fc - any of those games could have gone the other way, and the coaches would have been spot on - while m'ville is a very solid team, and has the makings of a nice 2007, they could have easily finished a spot or 2 lower in the 2006 standings than they did

m'ville was coming off a 2-5 conference season in 2005 in which their only wins came against gc (1-9/1-6) and su (1-9/0-7) - they were blown out in 3 of their losses, including a 51 point loss to cnu - if i remember correctly they had lost a couple of all-conference type defenders, as well...pre season polls are a bit of a crap shoot to begin with, but nothing about picking m'ville in a tie for 6th seems "disrespectful" to me

there is one mitigating factor that isn't exactly fair re: m'ville - i think the coaches in this conference still don't know as much about m'ville as they should - they haven't been a regular opponent for very long and they don't play many common opponents outside of conference, so i think it's still a bit difficult for the coaches in the usasac to get an accurate read on them...they haven't seen them play in person many times, and they don't get to see them on film as much as they do the other teams

by the way...were there many people or prognosticators who picked m'ville ahead of mu and fc (the 2005 defending co-champions) in the pre-season?...if you did, kudos, but even in retrospect, i wouldn't have made that prediction

[Pat Coleman]

... picked, essentially, to beat Greensboro and tie Shenandoah. They won two and a half more games than that. They didn't lose any all-conference defenders -- Maryville actually returned 11 starters on defense and nine of 11 on offense that year.

Year before, picked last, nearly unanimously (10 points). They won two games and finished fifth.

[narch]

... picked, essentially, to beat Greensboro and tie Shenandoah. They won two and a half more games than that.

how did they win a half game?  please educate me...i saw their conference record as 4-3, not 4.5 - 2.5...am i missing something?

They didn't lose any all-conference defenders -- Maryville actually returned 11 starters on defense and nine of 11 on offense that year.

if i remember correctly they had lost a couple of all-conference type defenders, as well...

...guess i didn't remember correctly

Year before, picked last, nearly unanimously (10 points).

...in their first year in a conference with voting from a group of coaches that had very little knowledge of their team or opponents, coming off a 5-4 season in which they didn't have any impressive wins and lost to a second year huntingdon program...can you see why this might happen?

They won two games and finished fifth.

the last place team last year won one game...so the coaches were off by possibly one game in their pre-season poll - there is a pretty fine line between fifth and seventh in this league most years...

i think calling the pre-season polls of the last two years disrespectful is a bit extreme...were they inaccurate? yes...perhaps even a bit uneducated, but disrespectful??? let's lose the hyperbole...it's a pre-season coaches poll...they're rarely very accurate, and, let's face it - they've missed m'ville by 2 places in the polls twice...hardly the stuff of a major conspiracy against the scots

[SU97]

Here's my preseason picks:

1.  NCWC: poised for a breakout year. Tons of returning talent, the QB is the best in the league, strong RB and a monster D.  I would love to catch the CNU/NCWC game this year...

2.  CNU:  I'm sure they'll reload, but I'm thinking those 24 TD's they've lost are going to take a little time for someone to step up and step in.  I was thinking of listing both NCWC and CNU as T1, but that would be lame. 

3.  Maryville:  Losts of talent returning.

4.  Methodist:  Best of the rest. 

5.  Averett:  Lost too much from last year, but not going to pull a SU and rock a first to worst.

6.  Ferrum:  What's their QB situation?

7.  Shenandoah:  When does basketball season start?

8.  Greensboro:  SU has to beat somebody.


More SU:   the DOAH's football preview spent like 4 pages on the fact that we hired a new coach.  Not sure what that says, or does not say about the team returning.  I am hopeful that the QB Glick is back after injury, he could be a talented leader under center.  Secondary looks to be the strength of the D.  2-8 last year, hopefully we can win another game or two in the conference. 

[Pat Coleman]

... picked, essentially, to beat Greensboro and tie Shenandoah. They won two and a half more games than that.

how did they win a half game?  please educate me...i saw their conference record as 4-3, not 4.5 - 2.5...am i missing something?

They were predicted to tie Shenandoah, yes.

[Pat Coleman]

i think calling the pre-season polls of the last two years disrespectful is a bit extreme...were they inaccurate? yes...perhaps even a bit uneducated, but disrespectful??? let's lose the hyperbole...it's a pre-season coaches poll...they're rarely very accurate, and, let's face it - they've missed m'ville by 2 places in the polls twice...hardly the stuff of a major conspiracy against the scots

I said Maryville was disrespected. I don't think that's quite the same thing as you said.

Were they inaccurate? Uneducated? Yes. But we knew so at the time, in 2005.

http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/2005/08/04/last-place-teams-who-will-surprise/

[Pat Coleman]

so the coaches were off by possibly one game in their pre-season poll - there is a pretty fine line between fifth and seventh in this league most years...

Perhaps, though as a reminder they were picked eighth. There was not a fine line between eighth (10) and fifth (27) in their predictions, either.

Back to my vacation.

[CNU85]

i was flipping through channels yesteray and saw the last 2 minutes of regulation plus OT of the USA/Japan game. It was nice to see a CNU guy out there playing. That kid Kubiak from Mary Hardin Baylor was all over the place. I'm glad he graduated!!

[PrideSportBBallGuy]

I am back in town.  I stayed away from a computer all weekend.  Wish I hadn't I had 51 total e-mails between two e-mail addresses.  Louisville nice place,  I endorse the city if you are young, you enjoy baseball, or if you enjoy horse racing.

SU97-

I don't mind the 8th place rating.  I have to see the poll first, to decide where to go with it.  I do know though we have never finished in last place by ourselves.  I can't find my little post-it that had notes about the average conference finish for GC and I believe it was something between 4.9-5.5. Anybody have some football quotes for my signature?  I don't have anymore quotes.