2009 Football Rankings

[zephyr]

Well, since Phil Steele has his mag coming out soon, I figured I'd give my prospectus for the upcoming season and final SBC rankings. This is an objective prognosis on the season, not one from a fans eyes.

1. Troy
2. Arkansas State
3. FAU
4. Louisiana
5. FIU
6. MTSU
7. WKU
8. ULM
9. NT


I was debating between my pick of ASU and Troy at the top but I felt like I had to go Troy due to their overall talent level and the returners they do have coming back as huge contributors. They have only 13 starters coming back but the one's they have are big time. Levi Brown, Jernigan and Dujuan Harris are huge playmakers and will be rivaled by few in the league. Their line has to replace a few guys but they return 8 on offense. They only return 5 on D but they have the best LB's in the league with Lee and Woods back. They also have Brandon Lang who was named an all-american candidate recently and should be the other DE on the all-conference team next to Alex Carrington.

ASU returns a ton of people and they should be extremely solid this year. I don't think there is much chance of us or many around our conference beating them at their place. They return 17 starters and have playmakers all over with Arnold and Leonard back to have big years. They also have most of their WR's back with Thompkins and McLennon. They only return 2 starters on the OL but I don't know how that will affect them. They have an all-conference TE in Jordan and Greg Hardy is their best tackler coming back. They may have the best player in the conference in DE Alex Carrington. In case any of you missed him dominate for about 3 quarters against us last year, he is a MAN and will play on Sundays.

FAU= I give them the nod at 3 but we could possibly take this spot. They do return Rusty Smith and Cortez Gent along with their all-conference TE Harmon but they only return a total of 10 starters with only 4 on Defense. They lost basically ALL of their running production from last year so they will have to throw the ball a ton. Defensively, they lost Franz Joseph but they do have a pretty good Defensive secondary.

Louisiana= I wanted to put us in the 3 spot but the uncertainty at RB and somewhat at QB makes me skiddish. Its been a long time since we had to worry about our RB production because we had a guy that didn't fumble, miss blocking assignments, caught the ball and ran all over the field. We don't have that big play potential at least as of yet. We really don't know what we have and since this offense has relied so heavily upon the rush in recent years, that scares me. I'm not as worried about the QB spot because I think we have the talent, leadership and character there to lead no matter who it is. Our WR's are certainly not great but we don't need them to be. They just have to be balanced and catch the ball. We will obviously be led by Ladarius Green and Aubrey catching the ball with some of our speedsters hopefully opening up the field a bit. Our O-Line is truly our strength as we have experience, talent and size up front to help move the ball. We return a total of 16 players with 9 of them defensively. I think the D will be much improved and if we can avoid the injury bug this year, they could save us in some games. Personally, I think we have the best CB's in the league in Bentley and Aurienne and if Gillis hadn't got hurt, we'd be really deep also. This D, however, is one year away from being the best we've had in quite some time.

FIU= Return 15 starters but lose some defensive starters and that will hurt. Sure, they have Hilton back who was awesome last year but they lost their two RB's in Ned and Rheams and that will hurt. They still have Scott Bryant who is a great LB and they have Paul McCall but I just don't think they will have much in firepower nor a stout enough D to play the field position game this year.

MTSU= Really not much known about these guys. They lost Craddock who played tremendously last year. They lost their RB but return Gee who I think is being put back to WR. They bring back their entire O-Line and have Dwight Dasher back at QB. He has been inconsistent and runs well but his passing game is in question. They have all of their WR's back. Defensively, they lost a lot and are relying on incoming freshmen to help with depth so they will be young here.

WKU= Really not much known about them so I can't comment much. They were pretty solid last year and had a great recruiting class this year so the talent is there.

ULM= Lost a lot from last year, especially Defensively.They also lose Kinsmon Lancaster who was bashed by the ULM fans but I always thought he was way underrated. They have Trey Revell who the fans loved and has some serious talent. I think he ran for almost 100 yards against us last year and he should be solid. They return Frank Goodin and Luther Ambrose but I don't think they will have the offensive firepower to compete in the conference. They lost key defensive personnel like Josh Thompson and also TE Zeke Zacharie.

NT= They lose Vizza who will hurt and also lost Fitzgerald, the best WR in the league last year. Offensively, they will struggle unless they can run the ball 30-40 times a game. They have possibly the best RB in the league in Cam Montgomery who is a beast and also have a stable of back with Micah Mosely and some other talented guys hoping to get time. Riley Dodge will take over at QB so he will be untested. He is dual threat guy but the fans are unsold on his passing ability so we will have to see. They can be scary since they return 17 starters and all of their OL starters from last year to help that running game even more. They lost mostly on the DL but bring back all LB's and DB's starters so their D will be much improved. They could easily finish 2 spots better with some good luck and development with Dodge



Well, that is my assessment of the upcoming season. I'm almost considering changing it and putting ASU on top but I just think Troy will have too much talent across the board. I'm open to any criticisms or comments but I tried to look at each team and who they returned along with lettermen returning to develop my analysis which is obviously limited. I know our team will rely on returning player development as all teams will that will also play a part as to who finishes where. Of course ULM and WKU were the only teams not to have a spring prospectus uploaded on their website so information is limited.

[Clutch0364]

_ Well, since Phil Steele has his mag coming out soon, I figured I'd give my prospectus for the upcoming season and final SBC rankings. This is an objective prognosis on the season, not one from a fans eyes.

1. Troy
2. Arkansas State
3. FAU
4. Louisiana
5. FIU
6. MTSU
7. WKU
8. ULM
9. NT


I was debating between my pick of ASU and Troy at the top but I felt like I had to go Troy due to their overall talent level and the returners they do have coming back as huge contributors. They have only 13 starters coming back but the one's they have are big time. Levi Brown, Jernigan and Dujuan Harris are huge playmakers and will be rivaled by few in the league. Their line has to replace a few guys but they return 8 on offense. They only return 5 on D but they have the best LB's in the league with Lee and Woods back. They also have Brandon Lang who was named an all-american candidate recently and should be the other DE on the all-conference team next to Alex Carrington.

ASU returns a ton of people and they should be extremely solid this year. I don't think there is much chance of us or many around our conference beating them at their place. They return 17 starters and have playmakers all over with Arnold and Leonard back to have big years. They also have most of their WR's back with Thompkins and McLennon. They only return 2 starters on the OL but I don't know how that will affect them. They have an all-conference TE in Jordan and Greg Hardy is their best tackler coming back. They may have the best player in the conference in DE Alex Carrington. In case any of you missed him dominate for about 3 quarters against us last year, he is a MAN and will play on Sundays.

FAU= I give them the nod at 3 but we could possibly take this spot. They do return Rusty Smith and Cortez Gent along with their all-conference TE Harmon but they only return a total of 10 starters with only 4 on Defense. They lost basically ALL of their running production from last year so they will have to throw the ball a ton. Defensively, they lost Franz Joseph but they do have a pretty good Defensive secondary.

Louisiana= I wanted to put us in the 3 spot but the uncertainty at RB and somewhat at QB makes me skiddish. Its been a long time since we had to worry about our RB production because we had a guy that didn't fumble, miss blocking assignments, caught the ball and ran all over the field. We don't have that big play potential at least as of yet. We really don't know what we have and since this offense has relied so heavily upon the rush in recent years, that scares me. I'm not as worried about the QB spot because I think we have the talent, leadership and character there to lead no matter who it is. Our WR's are certainly not great but we don't need them to be. They just have to be balanced and catch the ball. We will obviously be led by Ladarius Green and Aubrey catching the ball with some of our speedsters hopefully opening up the field a bit. Our O-Line is truly our strength as we have experience, talent and size up front to help move the ball. We return a total of 16 players with 9 of them defensively. I think the D will be much improved and if we can avoid the injury bug this year, they could save us in some games. Personally, I think we have the best CB's in the league in Bentley and Aurienne and if Gillis hadn't got hurt, we'd be really deep also. This D, however, is one year away from being the best we've had in quite some time.

FIU= Return 15 starters but lose some defensive starters and that will hurt. Sure, they have Hilton back who was awesome last year but they lost their two RB's in Ned and Rheams and that will hurt. They still have Scott Bryant who is a great LB and they have Paul McCall but I just don't think they will have much in firepower nor a stout enough D to play the field position game this year.

MTSU= Really not much known about these guys. They lost Craddock who played tremendously last year. They lost their RB but return Gee who I think is being put back to WR. They bring back their entire O-Line and have Dwight Dasher back at QB. He has been inconsistent and runs well but his passing game is in question. They have all of their WR's back. Defensively, they lost a lot and are relying on incoming freshmen to help with depth so they will be young here.

WKU= Really not much known about them so I can't comment much. They were pretty solid last year and had a great recruiting class this year so the talent is there.

ULM= Lost a lot from last year, especially Defensively.They also lose Kinsmon Lancaster who was bashed by the ULM fans but I always thought he was way underrated. They have Trey Revell who the fans loved and has some serious talent. I think he ran for almost 100 yards against us last year and he should be solid. They return Frank Goodin and Luther Ambrose but I don't think they will have the offensive firepower to compete in the conference. They lost key defensive personnel like Josh Thompson and also TE Zeke Zacharie.

NT= They lose Vizza who will hurt and also lost Fitzgerald, the best WR in the league last year. Offensively, they will struggle unless they can run the ball 30-40 times a game. They have possibly the best RB in the league in Cam Montgomery who is a beast and also have a stable of back with Micah Mosely and some other talented guys hoping to get time. Riley Dodge will take over at QB so he will be untested. He is dual threat guy but the fans are unsold on his passing ability so we will have to see. They can be scary since they return 17 starters and all of their OL starters from last year to help that running game even more. They lost mostly on the DL but bring back all LB's and DB's starters so their D will be much improved. They could easily finish 2 spots better with some good luck and development with Dodge



Well, that is my assessment of the upcoming season. I'm almost considering changing it and putting ASU on top but I just think Troy will have too much talent across the board. I'm open to any criticisms or comments but I tried to look at each team and who they returned along with lettermen returning to develop my analysis which is obviously limited. I know our team will rely on returning player development as all teams will that will also play a part as to who finishes where. Of course ULM and WKU were the only teams not to have a spring prospectus uploaded on their website so information is limited. _

MTSU with Tony Franklin as the OC will score more points this year. I think you underrate FIU to because I think they can be a surprise team but other than that I agree with you for your assessment of each team. I don't think we will finish that high though...I really hope I am wrong but I haven't seen anything in the scrimmages that tells me we will be as good or better than we were last year.

1) Troy
2) FAU
3) ASU
4) FIU
5) MTSU
6) UL
7) ULM
8) NT
9) WKU

[zephyr]

I definitely think we're better than last year overall. We seem to have had some people step it up especially on the defensive end. I thought, at first, that I was underrating FIU as well. As a matter of fact, I was going to put them 3 ahead of FAU. However, they lost some significant personnel on D last year and all of their running game. McCall was inconsistent at QB as well. Their D is what held them in many of their games and allowed special teams and timely offense to win some games. However, they lose a lot there and have to have people step up. While I'm not down on them, I'm not expecting 7 wins either. Middle will have a decent head coach, that's true. However, it is his personnel that doesn't scare me. Dasher is a good running QB but he has had his problems in the pasing game. I don't think people realize how good Craddock was last year. That said, they do return 17 starters so yeah, that does scare me a bit too. I just put us ahead because we have certain things working for us. We return really 10 starters on D because I look at Coleman as somebody that we could cancel out with another starter. We bring everybody back there, have the best DB's in the league and the best O-line. I'm not all that concerned about the QB but the RB's scare me. I just felt we had something to build off of but I also agree that we can slide further. NT scares me a bit. I really should have put them ahead of ULM and WKU. They will likely have the best running game in the league with the best RB. They return a ton of people especially on D, so they should be improved there. They can be trouble.

[CajunNation]

I definitely think we're better than last year overall. We seem to have had some people step it up especially on the defensive end.

Whoa there.

That's a big leap to take when we will be replacing around 90% of our offensive production from last year. The only projection I can make about our offense is to place a big fat question mark over them, all the while keeping my fingers crossed.

As for the defense, it will completely revolve around how well those young linebackers progress and how much Fleming will recover from his injury.




Taking a quick look at the schedule, and keeping in mind what our conference mates have returning, we'll know pretty much how this season will go after the first 6 games.

If we are any worse than 3-3 going into homecoming vs. FAU, it might be a long year, because after that game, we have a 3 game road stretch at FIU, ASU, and MT.

That's gonna be double tough.

[HoustonCajun]

_ Whoa there.

That's a big leap to take when we will be replacing around 90% of our offensive production from last year. The only projection I can make about our offense is to place a big fat question mark over them, all the while keeping my fingers crossed.

As for the defense, it will completely revolve around how well those young linebackers progress and how much Fleming will recover from his injury.




Taking a quick look at the schedule, and keeping in mind what our conference mates have returning, we'll know pretty much how this season will go after the first 6 games.

If we are any worse than 3-3 going into homecoming vs. FAU, it might be a long year, because after that game, we have a 3 game road stretch at FIU, ASU, and MT.

That's gonna be double tough. _

I am glad we have an open date after Nebraska. We'll need it before going into conference. We'll likely be 1-3, but could be 2-2.

[zephyr]

_ Whoa there.

That's a big leap to take when we will be replacing around 90% of our offensive production from last year. The only projection I can make about our offense is to place a big fat question mark over them, all the while keeping my fingers crossed.

As for the defense, it will completely revolve around how well those young linebackers progress and how much Fleming will recover from his injury.




Taking a quick look at the schedule, and keeping in mind what our conference mates have returning, we'll know pretty much how this season will go after the first 6 games.

If we are any worse than 3-3 going into homecoming vs. FAU, it might be a long year, because after that game, we have a 3 game road stretch at FIU, ASU, and MT.

That's gonna be double tough. _

Bro, if you're worried about the linebackers, I'd hate to see how you view the rest of the team. They are one of our strengths. I wouldn't call our LB's "young" and the one's that are way down the depth chart already have more experience than some juniors on other teams.

And I do echo your concern on the offensive end. I realize we will miss Chery, Fenroy and Des. However, I do think to a degree, that we will be able to make up for most of Des's numbers by the increased passing yards hopefully. Also, Chery had 90% of his stats come in literally 2 games against ULM and UNT. So I take his complete offensive production with a grain of salt. I think we have guys who will be able to fill that void a bit also. The concern in my opinion comes at the RB slot. Obviously these guys are untested but I think we can platoon for about 175 yars or so per game if things come around. Shankle looked good at times last year and so did Sails. Also, I'm hoping on either of the Walker's or Booker to come around and give a spark. We do have the best OL in the league and they have plenty of size and experience so they will make it easier on the rest of the offense.

I also completely agree that with what other teams in our league have coming back, it will be tough to finish 4th. I think another 6-6 season could be in order here. I was thinking a 7 win season before K-state was added to the schedule. I think we can beat them but I'm not going to hold my breath as week two is likely not long enough into the season to establish a depth chart at RB and start getting some viable production there.

[zephyr]

Anybody got anything else to add. It took me a long time to type this piece so I better get some dialogue out of you knuckleheads!!!!!!

[Zeebart21]

_ Anybody got anything else to add. It took me a long time to type this piece so I better get some dialogue out of you knuckleheads!!!!!! _

They shoulda let Masson score at NT!

Z

[zephyr]

_ They shoulda let Masson score at NT!

Z

_

You still suck .......You and Masson having a sleepover tonight to talk about that game????

[MetryCajun]

_ Anybody got anything else to add. It took me a long time to type this piece so I better get some dialogue out of you knuckleheads!!!!!! _

Great synopsis. I think 3rd or 4th in the league is about right. I agree with Nation when it comes to the offense. We were built around 3 guys. All of the other guys were complementary pieces. A lot of people will have to step up this year. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it does have me concerned.
On D I expect big improvement. It has now been over 10 years since we have been even average. If this unit does its job they can get over 6 wins.

[Just1More]

_ Anybody got anything else to add. It took me a long time to type this piece so I better get some dialogue out of you knuckleheads!!!!!! _

J1M knucklehead read it and can't speak wrt the rest of the conference. I do think we are a stronger team than most fans seem to believe. The new skill talent isn't completely green and with an offense built to their strengths, we may be a lot more pleased than some predict... behind a better OL and a healthier and better defense. I couldn't really guess where that puts us against the rest of the conference. Some on the field leadership springs from the ranks this year and a lot can happen.

I like the schedule... Southern at home with a follow at home against Kansas State. We take it to LSU and Nebraska... pick ourselves up and continue... regardless. The off week with NT (H) followed by WKU (away) is also a nice schedule situation for our team to get prepared and face less than the toughest conference foes to start conference action.

No doubt, for us, .500 overall is a battle. If we are healthy, we are competitive. The key to me is whether our OC is talented enough to capitalize on our new skill people's strengths. Our success has a lot more to do with how good the coaches plan and adjust than it is the individual gifts from our stable of QBs, RBs, and WRs. I was impressed with our OC last year.

Some people seemed to have forgotten that our 3 fabulous senior skill players last year also were the 3 fabulous junior skill players that lead us to 3-9 the year prior. They didn't learn to "run better" in their senior years. Our OC made adjustments based on a talent he had and did not have. "He" made the difference last year. I think he can do it this year with his new offensive assets. JMO

[zephyr]

_ J1M knucklehead read it and can't speak wrt the rest of the conference. I do think we are a stronger team than most fans seem to believe. The new skill talent isn't completely green and with an offense built to their strengths, we may be a lot more pleased than some predict... behind a better OL and a healthier and better defense. I couldn't really guess where that puts us against the rest of the conference. Some on the field leadership springs from the ranks this year and a lot can happen.

I like the schedule... Southern at home with a follow at home against Kansas State. We take it to LSU and Nebraska... pick ourselves up and continue... regardless. The off week with NT (H) followed by WKU (away) is also a nice schedule situation for our team to get prepared and face less than the toughest conference foes to start conference action.

No doubt, for us, .500 overall is a battle. If we are healthy, we are competitive. The key to me is whether our OC is talented enough to capitalize on our new skill people's strengths. Our success has a lot more to do with how good the coaches plan and adjust than it is the individual gifts from our stable of QBs, RBs, and WRs. I was impressed with our OC last year.

Some people seemed to have forgotten that our 3 fabulous senior skill players last year also were the 3 fabulous junior skill players that lead us to 3-9 the year prior. They didn't learn to "run better" in their senior years. Our OC made adjustments based on a talent he had and did not have. "He" made the difference last year. I think he can do it this year with his new offensive assets. JMO _

I think you summed it up the best. While those 3 players were undoubtedly great student athletes in the program's history, I think there is a little smoke there that clouds the issue. Like I stated, Chery was invaluable due to his versatility in the return game, situational runner and receiver. However, his stats were accumulated literally in a 2 week period last year. Des put up some nice numbers but I expect some of those rushing yards he had to be canceled out by an improved passing game this year. Where I am concerned the most is at RB. Fenroy was the man for 4 years and we didn't have to worry about fumbles, missed blocking assignments and he was a gamer. We have some talent coming in but we haven't seen most of them in action. I believe we have more depth and the best O-line in the conference.

There are already some adjustments I'm happy about. We will run more out of set formations like the I-formation and under center rather than strictly running the zone read. I like that based on our new personnel. I know we will still run it but we should be a little more versatile. I also like the schedule. I like getting two home games to start.

I believe this conference is going to be even more balanced than it has in the past. Troy lost some guys but they have all their major playmakers back and the best linebackers, hands down, in the conference in Boris Lee and Bear Woods. They also have one of the top 2 running backs and best receiver. ASU is loaded with seniors and they have the most starters coming back of anybody. They also have the best defensive player in Alex Carrington. It will be interesting.