[Champion]

A follow up to my response to manson's post. I was at home doing some thinking last night after I got home and I couldnt help but think about jc's post where he mentioned all the really good talented guys we lost.

Ask yourself this question: What is the difference between an average team, a good team and a great team?

The way I see it, the difference is in how a team responds with new players (or coaches). In my opinion, the average teams will not necessarily get better (although they can and they will probably show improvement in some areas), but they may not necessarily get worse. They just kinda...stay where they are at. A lot of teams fall in that average category (in that 5-6 sometimes even 7 win category).

The good teams they could stay the same, but more than likely they will get better. There is marked improvement in many if not all areas and they win between Id say 7 and 9 games and
maybe even 10 if the schedule is right. LU is getting into that good category. In I-AA/FCS terms, these are the teams who often are in the discussion for at large bids to the playoffs, sometimes even getting at large bids. They often are in that top 3 or 4 (maybe 5) teams in their conference too. In I-A/FBS terms, these are your teams that regularly get New Years Eve or New Years Day bowl games (and even win many times) but they are not quite at the level of competing for a national championship. Theyll even have a rebuilding year every so often but they always manage to do well.

The great teams however, when new coaches come in or when new players come in, they ONLY get better. These are the upper echelon teams in I-AA/FCS and I-A/FBS. These are the teams that ALWAYS go to the playoffs, and even get to the national championship (or win it). These are the teams that just getting to a New Year's Day bowl is a disappointment. There are not a lot of "great" teams in I-AA/FCS or I-A/FBS but they are there. App State is getting to the point of being a "great" team. Teams like Texas, Oklahoma, Florida and USC are "great" teams. To revert to D-III for sake of argument, Mount Union is a "great" team.

In summary, I do not think that we are going to lose three games (or four) simply on basis of us having lost a lot of starters and bringing in new players (or stepping up players on the depth chart). Now in counterpoint, it may not be safe to say we are going to simply roll over everybody (except WVU) because of past history. I simply think that LU is going to get better just as they have the last three years. Now does that mean they are a "great" team? Not yet. Can they be? Absolutely...

As the old saying goes: "Great teams do not rebuild ... they reload"

[RagingTireFire]

A follow up to my response to manson's post. ....

I won't quote the whole thing but that may have been your best post ever, BJ. Reasoned, thought-out and well-written.

[Stevev]

I think that the JMU and Lafayette games are going to be the pivotable games this year. We need to get at a split. It helps that we have JMU at home if Lafayette were to knock us off. Hopefully we can hang within 20 points of WVU. WVU beat Villanova by 27 and I would like to think that we are at Villanova's level right now. We hung within 20 points of Wake Forest 3 years ago and I think that our program is further along now. Not sure about the rest of the schedule but it appears to be very soft.

[BJWilliams]

I said it in my outlook...if we beat JMU and Lafayette I really dont think we will lose another game all year (unless we have a game like we did against PC last year at some point the last 6 games)