A Sea Of Red

Do we start the year ranked? I think we should!!

Most the seniors are using their eligibility. Dearmon tweeted that 10 starters are returning on offense and I'm willing to bet that the defense will have around 9-10 starters returning . Add the recruits and the transfers. We should be top 25.

ballah09 wrote: ↑December 27th, 2020, 7:02 pm Most the seniors are using their eligibility. Dearmon tweeted that 10 starters are returning on offense and I'm willing to bet that the defense will have around 9-10 starters returning . Add the recruits and the transfers. We should be top 25.

That’s going to be the case at a lot of schools. I wouldn’t be surprised either way. LU has a good claim at a PreSeason Top 25 spot. But a lot of teams that either didn’t play this year or played a truncated season will too. It would be cool it they were

I think they will be but it depends on how high they end the season. If it is 21-25, it'll be borderline. If they finish in the top 20 then I think it is close to a sure thing.

Considering this team is pretty much the same team next year, I don't know why we wouldn't.

I think we will receive votes but it's really hard for a non P5 team to be ranked in the preseason poll. Teams like LSU, penn St, michigan, auburn and wisconsin will find a way to make it in over us.

Ill flame wrote: ↑December 27th, 2020, 8:26 pm I think we will receive votes but it's really hard for a non P5 team to be ranked in the preseason poll. Teams like LSU, penn St, michigan, auburn and wisconsin will find a way to make it in over us.

You gotta think BYU Cincy and Coastal will be.

Coastal has already had two of their top guys say they're going to the draft. Four of their offensive linemen were fifth year seniors. Their success will be very dependent on who takes the extra year and who doesn’t.

Jonathan Carone wrote: ↑December 27th, 2020, 9:21 pm Coastal has already had two of their top guys say they're going to the draft. Four of their offensive linemen were fifth year seniors. Their success will be very dependent on who takes the extra year and who doesn’t.

Yeah, that’s why it’s pre season. A lot of credit is given to past success and an assumption you will continue it. The voters will assume Coastal will. Malik’s big game and having Freeze will have LU on their minds

Purple Haize wrote: ↑December 27th, 2020, 8:46 pm
You gotta think BYU Cincy and Coastal will be.

Cincy definitely will be especially if they win their bowl game. BYU will receive votes but probably won't make the top 25 if they lose their QB to the draft. If CCU would've beat us I think they would've been an automatic preseason top 25 team but now I'm not sure. I would really like to see at least 4 or 5 non P5 teams make it but that historically doesn't happen unfortunately.

To give you guys an idea how the voters have been treating non P5 teams here are the non P5 pre/postseason poll results over the last 5 years.

2015:
Postseason
#8 Houston
#18 Navy
#24 western kentucky

2016:
Preseason
#15 Houston

Postseason
#15 Western Michigan
#19 USF
#25 SDSU

2017:
Preseason
#19 USF

Postseason
#6 UCF
#21 USF
#25 Memphis

2018:
Preseason
#21 UCF
#22 Boise St

Postseason
#11 UCF
#18 Fresno St
#19 Army
#22 Utah St
#23 Boise St

2019:
Preseason
#17 UCF

Postseason
#17 Memphis
#19 App St
#20 Navy
#21 Cincinnati
#22 Air Force
#23 Boise St
#24 UCF

2020:
Preseason
#20 Cincinnati
#21 UCF

Pre Bowl:
#6 Cincinnati
#9 CCU (will drop)
#13 BYU
#16 Louisiana
#19 San Jose St
#22 Tulsa
#23 Liberty

Clearly the AP voters have been trending towards voting for G5 teams in recent years but they still don't get much respect in the preseason polls. Historically only one or two non P5 teams will be preseason top 25 and that will be Cincinnati and potentially whoever goes into next season with the most hype out of the other ranked teams.

I think it's also important to note how important preseason polls can be towards shaping the narrative around a season, especially for G5 teams.

I don’t know that it’s wrong for G5’s to not get preseason rankings.

In the preseason, they’re guessing on who the best teams are going to be. G5’s aren’t ranked because people think they’re actually better but rather because they’re having great seasons. Look no further than us being ranked but VT being two score favorites when we played them.

I don’t think there’s any metric that says we are one of the top 25 best teams going into 2021, but by the first few weeks of the season, we could absolutely be having one of the top 25 best seasons.

Ill flame wrote: ↑December 27th, 2020, 11:45 pm To give you guys an idea how the voters have been treating non P5 teams here are the non P5 pre/postseason poll results over the last 5 years.

2015:
Postseason
#8 Houston
#18 Navy
#24 western kentucky

2016:
Preseason
#15 Houston

Postseason
#15 Western Michigan
#19 USF
#25 SDSU

2017:
Preseason
#19 USF

Postseason
#6 UCF
#21 USF
#25 Memphis

2018:
Preseason
#21 UCF
#22 Boise St

Postseason
#11 UCF
#18 Fresno St
#19 Army
#22 Utah St
#23 Boise St

2019:
Preseason
#17 UCF

Postseason
#17 Memphis
#19 App St
#20 Navy
#21 Cincinnati
#22 Air Force
#23 Boise St
#24 UCF

2020:
Preseason
#20 Cincinnati
#21 UCF

Pre Bowl:
#6 Cincinnati
#9 CCU (will drop)
#13 BYU
#16 Louisiana
#19 San Jose St
#22 Tulsa
#23 Liberty

Clearly the AP voters have been trending towards voting for G5 teams in recent years but they still don't get much respect in the preseason polls. Historically only one or two non P5 teams will be preseason top 25 and that will be Cincinnati and potentially whoever goes into next season with the most hype out of the other ranked teams.

I think it's also important to note how important preseason polls can be towards shaping the narrative around a season, especially for G5 teams.

Looking at this list, what’s interesting is how the preseason rankings get it right so often. In every single case until this year, the team who finished the season ranked and is ranked in the next preseason ends up being the only G5 team that was ranked at the end of the previous season to be ranked at the end of the current season. Other than the teams predicted to continue their success, it’s a whole new cast of characters. The only time that didn’t hold true was this year, and that was actually because of a team dropping off from the preseason rankings (UCF), not one that was missed from the previous year.

When comparing "pre" and "post", it's evident the pollsters don't know much about football in "pre-season", or they show favoritism toward P5 teams.

ballcoach15 wrote: ↑December 28th, 2020, 9:30 am When comparing "pre" and "post", it's evident the pollsters don't know much about football in "pre-season", or they show favoritism toward P5 teams.

Which is why you’d make a great pollster

A lot of non P5 schools who end the season season in the top 25 usually lose a lot of players or lose their coach or both so there is a ton of unknowns about them so that would explain why so many don't end up in the pre-season polls.

We aren't losing much and are keeping our coach. That may help us a bit but we probably start the season on the outside looking in. Part of life as a new non-P5 FBS program.

thepostman wrote: ↑December 28th, 2020, 9:44 am A lot of non P5 schools who end the season season in the top 25 usually lose a lot of players or lose their coach or both so there is a ton of unknowns about them so that would explain why so many don't end up in the pre-season polls.

We aren't losing much and are keeping our coach. That may help us a bit but we probably start the season on the outside looking in. Part of life as a new non-P5 FBS program.

I bet if LU declared themselves P5 equivalent over the next week or two they be ranked in the Pre Season

I think with just about every starter returning and with Malik, who the media is starting to notice will have us in the 20-25 range. Same with Coastal with having McCall.

Malik and McCall will be on the Heisman watch list.

That’s just my opinion.

I just love that this conversation is even occurring on this board. In August we were wondering if we’d beat WKU.

TallyW wrote: ↑December 28th, 2020, 11:39 am I just love that this conversation is even occurring on this board. In August we were wondering if we’d beat WKU.

2020 has been a strange year indeed

I'd love to find pre season predictions on this board, from August or September , for this season.

I will be pleasantly surprised if we wind up Top 25 preseason. I expect us to be right on the cusp on entry. But with our schedule setting up the way it does, we should get off to a great start to merit the placement. Outside of wildcard Syracuse in Week 4, all of our toughest opponents are in November.

With the bowl game out of the way and three years (at least) of eligibility ahead of him, I am almost surprised McCall hasn't entered the transfer portal because his prospects would be very intriguing.

Sly Fox wrote: ↑December 28th, 2020, 1:13 pm I will be pleasantly surprised if we wind up Top 25 preseason. I expect us to be right on the cusp on entry. But with our schedule setting up the way it does, we should get off to a great start to merit the placement. Outside of wildcard Syracuse in Week 4, all of our toughest opponents are in November.

With the bowl game out of the way and three years (at least) of eligibility ahead of him, I am almost surprised McCall hasn't entered the transfer portal because his prospects would be very intriguing.

I was thinking this too. Especially with a lot of the talent around him leaving.

ballcoach15 wrote: ↑December 28th, 2020, 12:51 pm I'd love to find pre season predictions on this board, from August or September , for this season.

The schedule releases at this post below. Following are some of the predictions.

viewtopic.php?p=606703#p606703

ballcoach15 wrote: ↑December 28th, 2020, 12:51 pm I'd love to find pre season predictions on this board, from August or September , for this season.

viewtopic.php?p=591914#p591914

Sly Fox wrote: ↑December 28th, 2020, 1:13 pm I will be pleasantly surprised if we wind up Top 25 preseason. I expect us to be right on the cusp on entry. But with our schedule setting up the way it does, we should get off to a great start to merit the placement. Outside of wildcard Syracuse in Week 4, all of our toughest opponents are in November.

With the bowl game out of the way and three years (at least) of eligibility ahead of him, I am almost surprised McCall hasn't entered the transfer portal because his prospects would be very intriguing.

Yes, he could start almost anywhere (except LU). He would indeed get better exposure at a P5 school. He has NFL potential for sure.