Way too early Top 25

[ah59396]

https://athlonsports.com/.amp/college-f ... s-for-2023


Not in the top 25 (obviously)

Not in the “next tier” (warranted)

Not even in the “teams to watch” list (sad)

People will say it doesn’t matter and you’re right. But also, it kinda matters. We used to live on these lists.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

Good, maybe that will give us an edge we’ve been missing and not expecting to win by just showing up.

[ah59396]

Good, maybe that will give us an edge we’ve been missing and not expecting to win by just showing up.

Do you feel that was the reason we went 6-6 this year?

[AppState89]

North Carolina Tar Heels L 63-61 ---- 2pts-----2pt conversion catch, WE WIN
Texas A&M Football W 17-14
Troy W 32-28 ----- WE WON, luck, yes, but I'll take the luck
James Madison Dukes L 32-28 ---- 4pts----- ANY stop in the 2nd half, WE WIN. Plus bad call.
The Citadel Bulldogs W 49-0
Texas State Bobcats L 36-24 -----8pts -----We just got beat this game
Georgia State Panthers W 42-17
Robert Morris Colonials W 42-3
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers L 35-28 ----7pts ----- A stop here or there, WE WIN
Marshall Thundering Herd L 28-21 ----7pts ----- A stop here or there, WE WIN
Old Dominion Monarchs W 27-14
Georgia Southern Eagles L 51-48(2OT)--- 3pts --- No miss FG, WE WIN. More important if we had just 1 STOP on
defense WE WIN.

This past season to US APP FANS sucked, but we lost 6 games by a total of 31 points. I didn't realize it until now. Just a few plays here and there or stops on defense and we only get beat by Texas State. A Texas State team we should have beat the crap out of. We missed a FG against The Stink, but for the defense to give up 51 points, can't put the blame all on the kicker. We were sooooooo close to having a GREAT season, but we didn't.

Let those give us no credit, but I feel this next season will be a good one. We didn't know what to expect out of Zac and it worked out good for us. We don't know to expect out of our QB next season, but we will all be surprised I believe. I also see an upgrade with out DBs too.

Go App!!!

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

Good, maybe that will give us an edge we’ve been missing and not expecting to win by just showing up.

Do you feel that was the reason we went 6-6 this year?

Texas State comes to mind.

[AtlAppMan]

If our defense were better we would have won all those games.

Wheels in motion to change that.

[appdaze]

Most teams sitting around .500 can do the what-if game. what if 6-7 plays were completed better etc...etc...we could be 9-3 or 10-2, blah blah. At the end of the season, none of that matters. We lost. Trying to backtrack with the what-if games is along the same lines as people claiming their team could beat the #5 team because that #5 team lost to the #20 team, who lost to the #45 team that our team beat. We either show up and make the plays, or we don't.


All I really know is that this next season is the most important one since we broke into the big leagues and started taking everyone's money. We got punched in the face. Does SC get us back up or not? The 8 team playoff is going to happen at a minimum. We must be ready to take our league and earn a spot even if we get horn frogged. I would much rather win our conference, get a bid to the tourney, and get gang-banged year in and year out than not at all. I don't like some of the loser mentality that is already creeping into our fanbase.

[bigdaddyg]

Someone please snapshot this WAY too early top 25 then compare it next year to week 6 then end of the season. Lots of teams will move up, down and out. Fun but meaningless

[Stonewall]

If .The biggest two letter word in life.If....

[AppSt12]

Not being sarcastic...what are some things that should make us feel good about next year? I dont know alot about our recruiting class coming in.

I am a noted HUGE shawn clark hater since he was hired...and so far Ive been right...i feel like we are losing all of our players and we havnt recruited anyone who gets any playing time in years. Weve been living off extended time from covid rules. Am I wrong to expect a 2-5 win season...or are we shapeing up to be stronger.

Do we have any good reason to think we could return to prominence next year...or will it likely be a slow rebuild?

[Appst86]

Most teams sitting around .500 can do the what-if game. what if 6-7 plays were completed better etc...etc...we could be 9-3 or 10-2, blah blah. At the end of the season, none of that matters. We lost. Trying to backtrack with the what-if games is along the same lines as people claiming their team could beat the #5 team because that #5 team lost to the #20 team, who lost to the #45 team that our team beat. We either show up and make the plays, or we don't.


All I really know is that this next season is the most important one since we broke into the big leagues and started taking everyone's money. We got punched in the face. Does SC get us back up or not? The 8 team playoff is going to happen at a minimum. We must be ready to take our league and earn a spot even if we get horn frogged. I would much rather win our conference, get a bid to the tourney, and get gang-banged year in and year out than not at all. I don't like some of the loser mentality that is already creeping into our fanbase.

"Horn-frogged" will become the new "Boat-raced"!

[bigdaddyg]

I've said that I thought the extra Covid year was an awful idea across the board. Lots of teams played a full if not close to a full season. A whole bunch of teams had 5th and even 6th year guys two years ago and last year as well. I really hope that our staff didn't play some guys (mainly 2 years ago) out of some sense of obligation because they came back for the extra year. I think some programs are going to feel some pain for a year or two (last year being the first) due to a lack of development with the younger players. Hope I'm wrong.

[pop5app]

Not being sarcastic...what are some things that should make us feel good about next year? I dont know alot about our recruiting class coming in.

I am a noted HUGE shawn clark hater since he was hired...and so far Ive been right...i feel like we are losing all of our players and we havnt recruited anyone who gets any playing time in years. Weve been living off extended time from covid rules. Am I wrong to expect a 2-5 win season...or are we shapeing up to be stronger.

Do we have any good reason to think we could return to prominence next year...or will it likely be a slow rebuild?

Great post. I am not a Clark hater but I do think the jury is still out on his coaching ability . That in itself is concerning in that we are 4 years in and we’re asking those questions. I do wonder what we see that causes us to be optimistic about next year. I’m hoping there is real information and not rah-rah stuff.

[Yosef84]

Not being sarcastic...what are some things that should make us feel good about next year? I dont know alot about our recruiting class coming in.

I am a noted HUGE shawn clark hater since he was hired...and so far Ive been right...i feel like we are losing all of our players and we havnt recruited anyone who gets any playing time in years. Weve been living off extended time from covid rules. Am I wrong to expect a 2-5 win season...or are we shapeing up to be stronger.

Do we have any good reason to think we could return to prominence next year...or will it likely be a slow rebuild?

We can tell you're a Clark hater, but can you tell us why? I get the 6-6 record and some open questions, but the guy bleeds black and gold and he had a couple of good seasons prior to this past painful season. I would say there are valid questions to be answered but you are far from being proven "right" regarding your hate. Is this a personal beef?

[Yosef84]

Regarding whether it's a long rebuild or a quick turnaround, there's no reason to think App won't be in the thick of things in contending for a championship next year. The point of pointing out the close ess of the games (total of 32 points for all 6 games) isn't to attempt some revisionist version of 2022. It is to determine how much improvement has to happen to get us back at the top. The biggest question mark is QB but we seem to have 3 valid contenders. Recruiting and transfers along with coaching changes should provide some lift on D....not to mention a year of maturity for the guys already on the roster. We still have some portal activity expected so I think the picture only gets better.

This season will put the chip back on our shoulder. New S&C program will be huge. There are no guarantees but I like our chances

[boonetown1]

Not being sarcastic...what are some things that should make us feel good about next year? I dont know alot about our recruiting class coming in.

I am a noted HUGE shawn clark hater since he was hired...and so far Ive been right...i feel like we are losing all of our players and we havnt recruited anyone who gets any playing time in years. Weve been living off extended time from covid rules. Am I wrong to expect a 2-5 win season...or are we shapeing up to be stronger.

Do we have any good reason to think we could return to prominence next year...or will it likely be a slow rebuild?

Great post. I am not a Clark hater but I do think the jury is still out on his coaching ability . That in itself is concerning in that we are 4 years in and we’re asking those questions. I do wonder what we see that causes us to be optimistic about next year. I’m hoping there is real information and not rah-rah stuff.

I wouldn’t say we’re losing “all of our players “. In fact, quite the opposite. One area where we have succeeded is having less portal transfers than essentially all of G5. Add to that, on paper, Clark has brought in the most “talent”.

The big question for Clark and co. Is can they develop that talent and translate it to wins on the field. IMO, this is where we have seen the slide off from previous coaches (mainly Satt). This year is make or break for Clark. Will be interesting to see how we bounce back.

[mikeyosef]

Not being sarcastic...what are some things that should make us feel good about next year? I dont know alot about our recruiting class coming in.

I am a noted HUGE shawn clark hater since he was hired...and so far Ive been right...i feel like we are losing all of our players and we havnt recruited anyone who gets any playing time in years. Weve been living off extended time from covid rules. Am I wrong to expect a 2-5 win season...or are we shapeing up to be stronger.

Do we have any good reason to think we could return to prominence next year...or will it likely be a slow rebuild?

Great post. I am not a Clark hater but I do think the jury is still out on his coaching ability . That in itself is concerning in that we are 4 years in and we’re asking those questions. I do wonder what we see that causes us to be optimistic about next year. I’m hoping there is real information and not rah-rah stuff.

I find myself feeling the same. Honestly, had it not been for the then annual coaching turnover, I probably would not have been thrilled with the coach Clark hire. I really like Clark but what made the hire okay for me was the value of added consistency in College football and the players really seemed to like him. Now, without the TA&M win and with a smaller buy-out, he would already be gone. I don't know enough to say what the problem is but there is definitely a problem with our team. Since his hire, whatever you can say, you cannot deny a general downward trend in the only statistic that really matters in sports; wins and losses. Hopefully the coaching changes made will correct or begin to correct the problem but the lack of a DC hire makes me wonder further about our near term prospects. I am pulling for Clark as I know most of us are but in the end what I'm really pulling for is the TEAM and putting them in the best position to be successful. I'll leave it at that.

[pop5app]

Not being sarcastic...what are some things that should make us feel good about next year? I dont know alot about our recruiting class coming in.

I am a noted HUGE shawn clark hater since he was hired...and so far Ive been right...i feel like we are losing all of our players and we havnt recruited anyone who gets any playing time in years. Weve been living off extended time from covid rules. Am I wrong to expect a 2-5 win season...or are we shapeing up to be stronger.

Do we have any good reason to think we could return to prominence next year...or will it likely be a slow rebuild?

Great post. I am not a Clark hater but I do think the jury is still out on his coaching ability . That in itself is concerning in that we are 4 years in and we’re asking those questions. I do wonder what we see that causes us to be optimistic about next year. I’m hoping there is real information and not rah-rah stuff.

I find myself feeling the same. Honestly, had it not been for the then annual coaching turnover, I probably would not have been thrilled with the coach Clark hire. I really like Clark but what made the hire okay for me was the value of added consistency in College football and the players really seemed to like him. Now, without the TA&M win and with a smaller buy-out, he would already be gone. I don't know enough to say what the problem is but there is definitely a problem with our team. Since his hire, whatever you can say, you cannot deny a general downward trend in the only statistic that really matters in sports; wins and losses. Hopefully the coaching changes made will correct or begin to correct the problem but the lack of a DC hire makes me wonder further about our near term prospects. I am pulling for Clark as I know most of us are but in the end what I'm really pulling for is the TEAM and putting them in the best position to be successful. I'll leave it at that.

Nicely said!

[Stonewall]

I shut down at "we are losing all of our players".That is simply not true.

[mike87]

isn't the current recruiting class the highest rated in the league? I guess that had nothing to do with Clark though. And who says we don't have a DC hire. Not announced DC hire maybe.