Cajuns tabbed third in Sun Belt football preseason poll

[CajunsHat]

we should be kickin the lower half of the conference's butts...especially @ uLm!!

[zephyr]

That freshman QB that came in, after we sidelined Carroll, was very good. FIU gets some talent. I'll never underestimate that group.

I agree with Zephyr in that there are 4 to 5 programs that would not surprise me if they took the conference this year.

The freshman QB was solid, no doubt but one thing is that he was way behind in the passing game. He was a good running threat as they likely had the best rushing attack in the league again or were right there but he struggled passing the ball. I'm sure he will improve into this year but with no big play targets and a QB still learning the passing game, I don't think their offense will be as good even though their defense is supposed to be legit. Like I said before, in the SBC, I'll take a great offense over a great defense any day.

[zephyr]

I am not seeing the hype around FIU. They seriously underperformed last year and without Carroll/Hilton, their offense was anemic. They are both gone as well as 2nd WR. Their Defense will keep them in games, but they have a lot of questions on offense in my mind.

WKU without Rainey? What else did they have? I think UL and ASU will be the frontrunners, and like you say, Troy could be in the mix.

I agree. I also agree about WKU. We have made Jakes look like an all conference QB the last two years. If we can just play disciplined defense, we should take that game. Yes, Andrew Jackson and Jack Doyle are really good players and we will have to account for them but I think we have more firepower, especially losing 65% of their offense. Their defense may be behind FIU's as the best in the league but I think we will have enough to beat them out. I think WKU has a decent year but nothing like last year.

[CajunEXPRESS]

No doubt FIU had more talent than they played to last season, but they don't have the heart of this Cajun squad. Heart can only get you so far, but mix in talent, hard work, discipline, & an organized leader who is totally focused & knows how to focus the young men around him & you have the perfect recipe for a champion. This UL squad will win the SBC champioship & become the talk of the college football world THIS season.

All that said, FIU sucked whithout their main man, and he is gone. They replace him, mature with the talent they have and you can make a case for them. If they do not get and NFL type player at that spot it is hard to predict they will be top dog.

[Boomer]

I ALWAYS look at the negatives that could present themselves and try to fix them before they can occur----Looking back on last year we were very lucky and without going into the games that really could have gone either way---they rolled for us and that luck could or could not be with us this year (Believe me this is not in ANY WAY a knock on damn good coaching, great execution, and physical conditioning and toughness)-----The games we won at home that are now on opponents turf is a factor that is real---------Part of the luck is certainly staying healthy which we did for a very large part last year especially at non-depth positions-----They now have a book on our OFF and DEF coordinators (I cringed when I saw Walker in the game against Monroe and SDSU knowing the screen pass would be called which it was)------Another in the LUCK category No rain at home and the great crowds had NOISE -----I am sure that there are more but next I will point out some really positive things that have a great chance to occur!!!!

[Bandwagon King]

I ALWAYS look at the negatives that could present themselves and try to fix them before they can occur----Looking back on last year we were very lucky and without going into the games that really could have gone either way---they rolled for us and that luck could or could not be with us this year (Believe me this is not in ANY WAY a knock on damn good coaching, great execution, and physical conditioning and toughness)-----The games we won at home that are now on opponents turf is a factor that is real---------Part of the luck is certainly staying healthy which we did for a very large part last year especially at non-depth positions-----They now have a book on our OFF and DEF coordinators (I cringed when I saw Walker in the game against Monroe and SDSU knowing the screen pass would be called which it was)------Another in the LUCK category No rain at home and the great crowds had NOISE -----I am sure that there are more but next I will point out some really positive things that have a great chance to occur!!!!

There is another side to that coin though Boom. This Cajun offense will be one of the best deepest offenses in the country & that's an undeniable fact. We will have IMO the best receiving corps in college football & this O line may be the best UL has ever had. depth at TE will offset the loss of LG. The running game will have the best variety of talent & depth this school has had the privilage of having in it's history.

The teams they did lose to will have to visit the Swamp this season & this defense will be even better on the line & defensive backfield overall than last season. Our kicking & punting will be even better & our special teams will improve because the overall team speed will increase & our depth will have better conditioning. The book on our offense can go in the trash can because there will be worlds of things our offense can do with a 2nd year starter at QB that they couldn't do last year because there was huge debate as to who our starting QB should even be. The biggest question for this group is line backing & depending on the way those guys come together as a unit, they could be the surprise of the whole team & be the strength of this whole squad. We don't know, but they certainly have the talent, leadership, & maturity level to accomplish this task. The big question is how quickly the lights come on in game time conditions. This unit looked pretty impressive during the Spring game & seeing how much this coaching staff has already gotten out of this team, I would not bet against them AT ALL. I just can't help believing this team will win eleven, twelve, or (OSU upset) even thirteen games this season.

[zephyr]

There is another side to that coin though Boom. This Cajun offense will be one of the best deepest offenses in the country & that's an undeniable fact. We will have IMO the best receiving corps in college football & this O line may be the best UL has ever had. depth at TE will offset the loss of LG. The running game will have the best variety of talent & depth this school has had the privilage of having in it's history.

The teams they did lose to will have to visit the Swamp this season & this defense will be even better on the line & defensive backfield overall than last season. Our kicking & punting will be even better & our special teams will improve because the overall team speed will increase & our depth will have better conditioning. The book on our offense can go in the trash can because there will be worlds of things our offense can do with a 2nd year starter at QB that they couldn't do last year because there was huge debate as to who our starting QB should even be. The biggest question for this group is line backing & depending on the way those guys come together as a unit, they could be the surprise of the whole team & be the strength of this whole squad. We don't know, but they certainly have the talent, leadership, & maturity level to accomplish this task. The big question is how quickly the lights come on in game time conditions. This unit looked pretty impressive during the Spring game & seeing how much this coaching staff has already gotten out of this team, I would not bet against them AT ALL. I just can't help believing this team will win eleven, twelve, or (OSU upset) even thirteen games this season.

While I like the enthusiasm, to say that this RB corp is the best ever is premature. I'm sure there are some here who would argue that the OL this year is good but there perhaps could be better that we've had but I wouldn't know. I'd like to think that our RB corp can and may be the best we've had but since all of our backups listed on the depth chart have yet to play a single down in a live game, I'll hold off on my judgement.

[Zeebart21]

I ALWAYS look at the negatives that could present themselves and try to fix them before they can occur----Looking back on last year we were very lucky and without going into the games that really could have gone either way---they rolled for us and that luck could or could not be with us this year (Believe me this is not in ANY WAY a knock on damn good coaching, great execution, and physical conditioning and toughness)-----The games we won at home that are now on opponents turf is a factor that is real---------Part of the luck is certainly staying healthy which we did for a very large part last year especially at non-depth positions-----They now have a book on our OFF and DEF coordinators (I cringed when I saw Walker in the game against Monroe and SDSU knowing the screen pass would be called which it was)------Another in the LUCK category No rain at home and the great crowds had NOISE -----I am sure that there are more but next I will point out some really positive things that have a great chance to occur!!!!

Boomer, if you are a winner plenty of luck is involved.

Z

[Boomer]

Boomer, if you are a winner plenty of luck is involved.

Z

-------Correct and fortunately I had much of it----Whole lot of winning going on in my lifetime!!!!!! lol

[cum grano salis]

We will have IMO the best receiving corps in college football & this O line may be the best UL has ever had.

This is what we call sunshine pumping. Yes, the receiving corps will be terrific- but best in the land? You need to watch more college football.