Anybody still think the American is a joke or not at the top of G5 right now. Great win by Memphis
The G5
- Thread starter dshoe123
- Start date
hard to dispute this year...
Temple 5-0 (key win vs Penn State)
Memphis 6-0 (key win vs Ole Miss and meh against Kansas)
Houston 6-0 (key win vs Louisville)
Temple 5-0 (key win vs Penn State)
Memphis 6-0 (key win vs Ole Miss and meh against Kansas)
Houston 6-0 (key win vs Louisville)
other notable wins:
ECU over VA Tech
USF over Syracuse
Cincy over Miami
and my favorite, UCF over NOBODY
ECU over VA Tech
USF over Syracuse
Cincy over Miami
and my favorite, UCF over NOBODY
A lot of season to go, not to mention each season is a different year, but you know that the argument about the AAC was prominent last year, and they were not as good as a conference (perceived or real) last season as the top 3 teams appear to be this year. 3 teams off to a great start and 9 that suck. Your point is? One win over a ranked team since 1996 does not make your argument for Memphis or the AAC.
AAC looking pretty good this year. Not so much last year. Next year who knows.
What's your point? 9 teams that suck? ECU @ 4-3 certainly doesn't suck. Their win over Va Tech looks better than our win over Purdue and they were competitive vs. Fla and BYU on the road, give them our schedule and they'd likely be undefeated.........the bottom of the league is bad, but the top is very good and middle not too bad at all
Congratulations dshoe the number one espn fan. I don't know anything about you except you show up on Herd boards to say you are right and espn rules.
Also shoe, what about Toledo? They are having a better year than ANY team in the AAC, yet I noticed ESPN blew up the Memphis win over Ole Miss in comparison to the Toledo over Arkansas AT Ark game....
Why is that? Toledo is the clear cut leader for the access slot, Ole Miss may be 6-6 by seasons end, what may seem big today might be nothing in a few weeks.
Why is that? Toledo is the clear cut leader for the access slot, Ole Miss may be 6-6 by seasons end, what may seem big today might be nothing in a few weeks.
I hate saying it, but Memphis' win will prove to be not that impressive come seasons end. Another year of ESPN hyping Ole Miss up as a power house, simply by being in the SEC.
I'd agree Dan they have had some good wins but so has CUSA. Still I'd agree I'd rather be in the AAC too. I also think our friends from mordantown might also wish they were AAC too by the end of next week.
However I'm happy in CUSA , but if I had my druthers I would rather play an AAC sked.
However I'm happy in CUSA , but if I had my druthers I would rather play an AAC sked.
Cause dshoe is right most of the time and knows more about the inner and outer workings of college football than nearly everyone on these message boards.
dshoe's main concern if he's really that big of an AAC fan is how that league will keep some of their better coaches. The guy from Houston is probably long gone if they win 3 or 4 more games. And Fuente at Memphis? Hell, the Tigers will probably have to sell most of the memorabilia in the Elvis museum just to counter some of the offers Fuente is going to get this year. Even the whiny, crying ChickenEER fans are throwing his name around as they plot to replace Coach Holgy, Ollie Schmuck's "offensive guru"!!
UOTE="Herd In the Plains, post: 201263, member: 1448"]Congratulations dshoe the number one espn fan. I don't know anything about you except you show up on Herd boards to say you are right and espn rules.[/QUOTE]
Incredibly dumb response
go back and find a single time where I said I was right or that ESPN rules...........would love to see the quotes.
I'm a Marshall fan first and a fan of college football second, I just happen to be objective and have the advantage of having been close to the sport for a long, long time and having insight from a totally different perspective than some folks.
Incredibly dumb response
go back and find a single time where I said I was right or that ESPN rules...........would love to see the quotes.
I'm a Marshall fan first and a fan of college football second, I just happen to be objective and have the advantage of having been close to the sport for a long, long time and having insight from a totally different perspective than some folks.
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If you've read most of what I've written, I always include Toledo as a prime candidate for the Access slot..... EPSN and every other sports outlet blew up Toledo after the Arkansas win.......they are very legit. I don't know that Toledo is the leader and they will end up one game short on the season due to their no contest game with Stony Brook (Stony Brook led much of the game that was called in the 2nd half), but they are VERY good, and I think they have a great chance for the access slot
Shoe
Please tell us more! So the teams that win are better than those that lose?
Thank you
Please tell us more! So the teams that win are better than those that lose?
Thank you
I'll say this in Shoes defense I watched Ole Miss v Memphis on the national ABC feed yesterday and it was a great showing. That said the Pudue v Marshall game looked great too. Still guys we've added some teams that don't have the history some of the AAC teams have, and UCF and ECU are our rivalries. Those teams SOLD tickets, N Tejas, not so much.
I'd agree too the AAC isn't that big of a move up, but it's a move up that we probably should make if they ever invited us.
I'd agree too the AAC isn't that big of a move up, but it's a move up that we probably should make if they ever invited us.
Don't confuse worship of THE AMERICAN!!!!!! (ESPN) with logic and facts.
Reality?
Memphis had a nice win. Possibly one of the best mid-major wins in history. Anybody who watched the game got that 80% of the crowd was Ole Miss did not pay attention. That is the Memphis marketing plan. 1000s of alums of the nearby (rural) SEC schools find their way to their region's big city for work and Memphis plays host to one every other year or so and funds its program. Zero application to Huntington, West Virginia.
THE AMERICAN!!!!! through HALF of a season has three of the four undefeated teams. And? It cannot have more than one. IF it does, that team gets the "access bowl". And the other two play in Boca Raton or Miami or Tampa's baseball stadium bowls, or the Bahamas or whatever. If (the most likely scenario) all three lose a game, Toledo goes. Because you can get to the "access bowl" from any conference.
ESPN's pet team, Boise State Community, lost AGAIN. ESPN has moved on to plan B, which is to slurp THE AMERICAN!!!!!!!! Plan C is Toledo. Plan D is back to all the one-loss teams, except, of course Marshall or Western Kentucky.
Last year, the best (not an opinion, the Power 5's deal produces a ranking and the payouts are based on them) "group of 5" league was Conference USA. This year, it looks like it is PROBABLY THE AMERICAN!!!!! through HALF a season. So in the two years of the "group of 5" it is Conference USA 1, THE AMERICAN!!!! 1, and ESPN/Boise State Community's MWC 0.
None of these undefeated teams in THE AMERICAN!!!!! are sustainable. Not enough fans. Not enough support. Coaches won't stay. The bright lights of the SEC and ACC beckon. Next year? Memphis will host some random team before, pretty much, nobody. As will Houston and Temple. ON ESPNU on some random weeknight against 5 other games in three sports. It is what being a fanless team is all about.
So Marshall pays $7M we DO NOT HAVE to join THE AMERICAN!!! And? Tulane on a random Tuesday. Rah, rah, rah.
odds are not a single team from the AAC finishes unbeaten. the AAC is CUSA 2.0. there is a reason why CUSA never had a BCS "buster". the league always had 3 or 4 solid teams at the top and a few teams in the middle that would could beat anybody on a given Saturday and then turn around and lose to a bottom feeder. Toledump has the easiest path to the access bowl but, like us last year, are at the mercy of other teams. after getting drubbed 52-26 by a 3 win Utah St. team Boise should be completely out of the race. however, they will curb-stomp their remaining schedule and be ranked by the end of the year just like last...
as for the CUSA/AAC argument, all agenda's aside, you are KIDDING yourself if you would rather play our current schedule than:
Temple
ECU
USF
UConn
Cincy
UCF
and 3 of these guys
Houston
Memphis
Navy
Tulane
Tulsa
SMU
other than WKU (thanks to last year) and USM (most years), there is not a single team in our conference that gets me "pumped" thinking about playing...
as for the CUSA/AAC argument, all agenda's aside, you are KIDDING yourself if you would rather play our current schedule than:
Temple
ECU
USF
UConn
Cincy
UCF
and 3 of these guys
Houston
Memphis
Navy
Tulane
Tulsa
SMU
other than WKU (thanks to last year) and USM (most years), there is not a single team in our conference that gets me "pumped" thinking about playing...
Those of you saying ESPN has some sort of bias toward the AAC or some other G5 conference sound insane.
The AAC is by far the best G5 this year. 9 teams who suck besides the 3 undefeated? Cincy, ECU, and Navy would all be at or near the top of C-USA.
Meanwhile, our best team lost to Indiana and barely beat Vandy. We got shutdown by a mediocre MAC team and barely escaped another. Our next two opponents wouldn't be bowl eligible with a SoCon schedule, and we have two other FCS programs in our conference pretending to be FBS teams.
Facts are facts. Whether or not we should aspire to join the AAC is an entirely different debate, but we sound silly not giving them their due this year.
The AAC is by far the best G5 this year. 9 teams who suck besides the 3 undefeated? Cincy, ECU, and Navy would all be at or near the top of C-USA.
Meanwhile, our best team lost to Indiana and barely beat Vandy. We got shutdown by a mediocre MAC team and barely escaped another. Our next two opponents wouldn't be bowl eligible with a SoCon schedule, and we have two other FCS programs in our conference pretending to be FBS teams.
Facts are facts. Whether or not we should aspire to join the AAC is an entirely different debate, but we sound silly not giving them their due this year.
Call me with "this year" is over. My calendar says October, not January.
Agree with your 2nd, third and 4th paragraphs. All part of the reason I want to stay where we are. Not to mention the NQ thingy. Multiple posts every day whining about the Bowls but you have to win a conf to get the Access. ECU already on the schedule and I figure some other AAC teams to follow. Play them in OOC and then win CUSA where NQs are allowed. So simple it seems obvious.
SamC, Really?!?!?! When are you going to give up the tirades? 80% of the crowd??? Really, then why did 70% of those fans dress in Memphis Blue. Give it up!!! This isn't about ESPN it isn't about CUSA, its about looking at things honestly. 60,000+ at Memphis, 43,000+ at ECU, Temple with a real crowd for a change, this is rapidly becoming a good conference as many thought it would...... All that is independent of CUSA or the MAC or anyone else. And don't forget Houston.
Toledo may get the access slot, and they deserve it........independent of the American, they have 2 P5 wins and they look very good.........Stony Brook game may hurt them, but the No contest cancellation probably helps more than it hurts considering how that game was going at the time it was stopped.
I'd like nothing better than seeing WKU v Marshall be played in front of a packed house and the winner getting the access slot........would be great for our program, but eve that takes nothing away from the year the AAC is having or they year the MAC is having........heck, App State and Ga Southern are having terrific years too, just not quite to that level YET....
And by the way......all of this has nothing to do with MU playing in CUSA or the AAC, we are in CUSA and we should all hope that So Miss returns to its former self, FAU gets better, ODU and UNCC get better fast and La Tech, MTSU and WKU get better and better........ALL NEED TO GROW THEIR FAN BASES TOO....
We may be where we belong so let's make the most of it, schedule better and get stronger each year with the goal of dominating this league.
Obviously, something is wrong with your set if you saw that "only" 3 out of 10 people that bothered to come to the game were for the visiting team. I can link you to dozens of pictures of Memphis games (Houston games, Tulane games, Tulsa games and certainly Temple games, heck, pretty much every one of these AMERICANS!!!!!!!!!!!! excepting ECU where the people are mostly dressed as empty seats. You know that. Have you seen Tulane's new "stadium" ?
And, yes, this is 100% about ESPN. Fact is ESPN (which recently signed a contract to include WWE results in SportsCenter as if they were real) ignores CUSA, because it does not have a contract with us. Because the fanless teams of THE AMERICAN (and the MAC) can afford to take their money and play, pretty much before nobody, on random weeknights. Playing on random weeknights is the price the mid-majors have to pay to get on ESPN. Conference USA, at least the better part of it, cannot afford to do that, because playing on weeknights over and over is a program killer for teams that have fans. When nobody is going to come anyway, it doesn't matter, and "nobody comes anyway" is THE AMERICAN!!!!!'s motto. This is about ESPN. Marshall had a nice run with ESPN. We were Boise before Boise was Boise. If not for KO Marcum we still might be. We have moved on. We are in a league that has no real relationship with ESPN. We have found our own way to a set of networks that provide us with TV coverage without the need to play on Tuesdays.
As to tirades and all of that, YOU say this isn't about Marshall. It isn't about ESPN. It just about talking up THE AMERICAN!!!!!!!! because one team beat, probably the #4 team (behind LSU, Bama, and TAMU) in an SEC division, once. Before "only" 3 out of 10 fans of the visiting team.
If its not about Marshall, then why is it here, on the Marshall board?
Honestly Marshall, WKU, LT, and Southern Miss all need to improve and dominate CUSA and get called up
I don't know about including WKU in that discussion, a lot to be seen after they lose their QB, I am betting it will not be pretty but who knows.
For overall discussion here: Anyways, even if we are asked by the AAC and everybody really wants to join, it may not be logistical to do so when finances are considered. A lot of money would be changing hands to leave and join and consider how long it would take to make that money back if its even possible, so we may be in CUSA for the long haul out of necessity as would programs similar to us like USM. I sincerely hope that CUSA improves and gains some recognition but it may never have name recognition minus a few teams (us, USM, Rice etc). We need to make that money bowl a few times and beat more P5's than we have as a conference, and do it more than once. The name recognition in my mind, reminds me of our MAC days and how that conference was viewed even though is got very competitive. The AAC (CUSA 2.0) has those names that people know, and was one of the reasons we were excited to join CUSA when we did, to tell yourself otherwise is just silly and in denial.
For overall discussion here: Anyways, even if we are asked by the AAC and everybody really wants to join, it may not be logistical to do so when finances are considered. A lot of money would be changing hands to leave and join and consider how long it would take to make that money back if its even possible, so we may be in CUSA for the long haul out of necessity as would programs similar to us like USM. I sincerely hope that CUSA improves and gains some recognition but it may never have name recognition minus a few teams (us, USM, Rice etc). We need to make that money bowl a few times and beat more P5's than we have as a conference, and do it more than once. The name recognition in my mind, reminds me of our MAC days and how that conference was viewed even though is got very competitive. The AAC (CUSA 2.0) has those names that people know, and was one of the reasons we were excited to join CUSA when we did, to tell yourself otherwise is just silly and in denial.
You haven't beaten anyone worth shit
We should be happy that there are more teams in the G5 doing well . It breaks the myth of the Boise state monopoly and reminds people that on any given Saturday a good team and still beat a great team . Hopefully this will force the committee to expand to 8 or 16 team playoff and we all win.
as for the CUSA/AAC argument, all agenda's aside, you are KIDDING yourself if you would rather play our current schedule than:
Temple
ECU
USF
UConn
Cincy
UCF
and 3 of these guys
Houston
Memphis
Navy
Tulane
Tulsa
SMU
This alone is my reason to change. Our rivals are here, logistically Navy Cinci ECU and even Memphis are drivable. Throw in Tulane and that we can go to bourbon street every other year and it's hard to argue with it.
Plus we can still rotate Florida schools to get a game in Fla for recruiting every year.
Yes I like CUSA but I think the above teams raise season ticket sales to a good 15 k and avg attendance up to 30K.
Temple
ECU
USF
UConn
Cincy
UCF
and 3 of these guys
Houston
Memphis
Navy
Tulane
Tulsa
SMU
This alone is my reason to change. Our rivals are here, logistically Navy Cinci ECU and even Memphis are drivable. Throw in Tulane and that we can go to bourbon street every other year and it's hard to argue with it.
Plus we can still rotate Florida schools to get a game in Fla for recruiting every year.
Yes I like CUSA but I think the above teams raise season ticket sales to a good 15 k and avg attendance up to 30K.
Some thoughts on this thread.
First, CUSA teams have a lot to do in growing their fan support and attendance before anyone, including MU fans, can start to rag on the attendance in the American Conf. Does anyone know how many full houses WKU has had in their Bowling Green stadium this fall? What is their average attendance? The same questions apply to Middle Tenn. What will we end up averaging for the season? Will we get 30,000 or so for HC this Saturday? Rest of the league, well we know the FL schools don't draw dick, just like Rice, North Texas, etc. UTSA will draw 20,000+ in a 60,000 seat pro stadium, and UTEP will get around 30,000 in the 50,000 seat Sun Bowl. Charlotte and ODU do well but play in high school size stadiums.
Second, season has a lot to play out. Lots of head to head matches in AAC, including Memphis at Houston, plus there are games against solid teams like Cincy, Tulsa, ECU, etc. Temple also has a home game, in Eagles Stadium, against Notre Dame. Would help CUSA greatly if UTSA could increase the quality of their program greatly as they could be our equivalent of Temple; playing in a pro stadium and thus able to get home games against power schools like Big 12 and PAC 12 teams.
From MU standpoint, team just needs to continue to win. Hopefully, making it to CUSA championship game. Lose there and end up 11-2, or 10-2 if losing to WKU, should mean that we end up no worse than in a Bowl game against a quality G5 opponent, Houston, Memphis, BG, Temple, Toledo, etc. Then we again have an opportunity to show why we deserve to be among the "elites" of G5 teams.
First, CUSA teams have a lot to do in growing their fan support and attendance before anyone, including MU fans, can start to rag on the attendance in the American Conf. Does anyone know how many full houses WKU has had in their Bowling Green stadium this fall? What is their average attendance? The same questions apply to Middle Tenn. What will we end up averaging for the season? Will we get 30,000 or so for HC this Saturday? Rest of the league, well we know the FL schools don't draw dick, just like Rice, North Texas, etc. UTSA will draw 20,000+ in a 60,000 seat pro stadium, and UTEP will get around 30,000 in the 50,000 seat Sun Bowl. Charlotte and ODU do well but play in high school size stadiums.
Second, season has a lot to play out. Lots of head to head matches in AAC, including Memphis at Houston, plus there are games against solid teams like Cincy, Tulsa, ECU, etc. Temple also has a home game, in Eagles Stadium, against Notre Dame. Would help CUSA greatly if UTSA could increase the quality of their program greatly as they could be our equivalent of Temple; playing in a pro stadium and thus able to get home games against power schools like Big 12 and PAC 12 teams.
From MU standpoint, team just needs to continue to win. Hopefully, making it to CUSA championship game. Lose there and end up 11-2, or 10-2 if losing to WKU, should mean that we end up no worse than in a Bowl game against a quality G5 opponent, Houston, Memphis, BG, Temple, Toledo, etc. Then we again have an opportunity to show why we deserve to be among the "elites" of G5 teams.
That's just it, most programs in CUSA are fluid with attendance and most do not break 20K attendance unless they are having great seasons. UTSA is a good example, came into the league still new to D1A, did very well right out of the gate. They regressed in attendance and performance ever since. North Texas, came right in with guns blazing, had a good season and went to the HOD bowl, attendance was over 20K average, now look at them, they are terrible and birds chirp in their stadium. ODU would do very well if they had a bigger stadium, something they need if they want to progress. Charlotte is the same way.
Old guard UTEP is a sister clone to ECU, they draw in the 20's when they suck, and can pack that Sun Bowl when they don't. Rice, well is Rice, attendance never been good for an average game. USM is probably the sister clone to us, draw lower to mid 20's on down years and upper 20's to 30 on good years.
There are 4 programs that do not do well no matter what, and its sad because two of them are good programs but what did CUSA expect, they did come from the anemic Sun Belt. These programs are WKU, MTSU, FAU and FIU. WKU and FIU is strapped with smaller stadiums but still do not fill them, MTSU has an average CUSA stadium and never fills it, FL schools, well there is not much hope with them, even with FAU beautiful stadium, location and grounds. Fluidity, to date, does not apply to these programs and I don't know if they ever will unless they choose to really sell their programs.
So other than us, USM, UTEP and maybe UTSA, no CUSA programs draws steady support. This problem affects 99% of G5 programs. We played with most of the AAC schools to know they if they sucks, birds chirp. We've been in the MAC, which can be comparable to CUSA this year in attendance but with less of a top end. Sunbelt well just sucks. Some programs just do not belong in D1A and would not be here if the NCAA would enforce the attendance rule.
Incredibly dumb response
go back and find a single time where I said I was right or that ESPN rules...........would love to see the quotes.
I'm a Marshall fan first and a fan of college football second, I just happen to be objective and have the advantage of having been close to the sport for a long, long time and having insight from a totally different perspective than some folks.[/QUOTE]
dshoe, I do not recall seeing you on here as a Marshall fan. I must have missed it. Any time I see your name is in support of another conference, or being very "objective" with fans who think Marshall is getting the shaft. If you have a single post on the board this season supporting The Herd, then I am outright wrong and apologize. This post surely did not start as a Herd Fan. It started to get the thing going that the AAC is better than CUSA. It does not take a genius to see the three ranked AAC teams. No way anyone is going to debate you on that at this time. Last year was different.
Great idea. But remember when the league was formed, they chose Tulane and SMU over us.
Perhaps you missed it, but in discussing a P5 matchup Saturday, Kirk Herbstreet said that (the team he was discussing) was not playing "Eastern Michigan or Marshall this week". A reference to weak G5 teams. I've said it before and I will say it again... Perception is reality. You are who you play. We are perceived as a good team in a poor conference in the G of 5. We can change that but it will require a change of our parochial, mundane existence and the three, white, old men are not the answer. We have to reinvent our school to a national and international brand. When I have time I will set forth the steps which must be taken now, not in the future, if we are to have the slightest chance at becoming a P5 team on the next...and last conference realignment. By all probabilities, the losses, failures and lost opportunities of our coaches, President and AD from 2002 to the hiring of MH, have already sealed our fate....
