ESPN Group of 5 Power Rankings

[AppStFan1]

By all accounts JMU picked up a good coach that got more out of his players than their talent level.

100%. They might not end up in contention at the end of the year but we better not overlook them or take them for granted. I suspect they would say the same about us if we were in their shoes.

[AppStFan1]

You can have talent on a team and not have a talented team.

But if you have talent, you have a better shot at having a talented team. I have no idea how good JMU will be but we would be foolish to sell them short.

I’m not selling them short. It’s a legitimate question to ask from an outside view. The massive amount of turnover is obvious. If you look at message boards and analysis, you see that the common denominator for valuing them is the winning culture. Everything associated with their culture is gone. Yes you can have talent, but you need to have leaders. I’m sure they have guys that will lead, but that doesn’t mean that they are leaders. App had talent in 2022 but the lack of true leadership was missing and it showed on the field. Last year had leaders and it reflected on the backend improvement.

Historically JMU is a contender so I think the media is giving them the benefit here. A lot is gone but I don't think everything involved in their culture is gone. This game is a big time rivalry so regardless of what their record is I consider them a definite threat.

[Yosefus]

You can have talent on a team and not have a talented team.

But if you have talent, you have a better shot at having a talented team. I have no idea how good JMU will be but we would be foolish to sell them short.

I’m not selling them short. It’s a legitimate question to ask from an outside view. The massive amount of turnover is obvious. If you look at message boards and analysis, you see that the common denominator for valuing them is the winning culture. Everything associated with their culture is gone. Yes you can have talent, but you need to have leaders. I’m sure they have guys that will lead, but that doesn’t mean that they are leaders. App had talent in 2022 but the lack of true leadership was missing and it showed on the field. Last year had leaders and it reflected on the backend improvement.

Historically JMU is a contender so I think the media is giving them the benefit here. A lot is gone but I don't think everything involved in their culture is gone. This game is a big time rivalry so regardless of what their record is I consider them a definite threat.

I would put them #2 behind GaSo at least in conference rivalry. You can throw record books out in these games. Plus we spoiled their GameDay experience last year.

[AppSt94]

You can have talent on a team and not have a talented team.

But if you have talent, you have a better shot at having a talented team. I have no idea how good JMU will be but we would be foolish to sell them short.

I’m not selling them short. It’s a legitimate question to ask from an outside view. The massive amount of turnover is obvious. If you look at message boards and analysis, you see that the common denominator for valuing them is the winning culture. Everything associated with their culture is gone. Yes you can have talent, but you need to have leaders. I’m sure they have guys that will lead, but that doesn’t mean that they are leaders. App had talent in 2022 but the lack of true leadership was missing and it showed on the field. Last year had leaders and it reflected on the backend improvement.

Historically JMU is a contender so I think the media is giving them the benefit here. A lot is gone but I don't think everything involved in their culture is gone. This game is a big time rivalry so regardless of what their record is I consider them a definite threat.

I would put them #2 behind GaSo at least in conference rivalry. You can throw record books out in these games. Plus we spoiled their GameDay experience last year.

I would add Marshall ahead of Southern.

[Saint3333]

But if you have talent, you have a better shot at having a talented team. I have no idea how good JMU will be but we would be foolish to sell them short.

I’m not selling them short. It’s a legitimate question to ask from an outside view. The massive amount of turnover is obvious. If you look at message boards and analysis, you see that the common denominator for valuing them is the winning culture. Everything associated with their culture is gone. Yes you can have talent, but you need to have leaders. I’m sure they have guys that will lead, but that doesn’t mean that they are leaders. App had talent in 2022 but the lack of true leadership was missing and it showed on the field. Last year had leaders and it reflected on the backend improvement.

Historically JMU is a contender so I think the media is giving them the benefit here. A lot is gone but I don't think everything involved in their culture is gone. This game is a big time rivalry so regardless of what their record is I consider them a definite threat.

I would put them #2 behind GaSo at least in conference rivalry. You can throw record books out in these games. Plus we spoiled their GameDay experience last year.

I would add Marshall ahead of Southern.

Your age is showing, but mine has Marshall ahead of JMU as well. GS, Marshall, JMU in that order for me.

[AppStFan1]

You can have talent on a team and not have a talented team.

But if you have talent, you have a better shot at having a talented team. I have no idea how good JMU will be but we would be foolish to sell them short.

I’m not selling them short. It’s a legitimate question to ask from an outside view. The massive amount of turnover is obvious. If you look at message boards and analysis, you see that the common denominator for valuing them is the winning culture. Everything associated with their culture is gone. Yes you can have talent, but you need to have leaders. I’m sure they have guys that will lead, but that doesn’t mean that they are leaders. App had talent in 2022 but the lack of true leadership was missing and it showed on the field. Last year had leaders and it reflected on the backend improvement.

Historically JMU is a contender so I think the media is giving them the benefit here. A lot is gone but I don't think everything involved in their culture is gone. This game is a big time rivalry so regardless of what their record is I consider them a definite threat.

I would put them #2 behind GaSo at least in conference rivalry. You can throw record books out in these games. Plus we spoiled their GameDay experience last year.

I was thinking the same but if GSU and JMU continue their recent results then I think JMU will pass them for us but still can't ever overlook GSU.

[t4pizza]

I’m not selling them short. It’s a legitimate question to ask from an outside view. The massive amount of turnover is obvious. If you look at message boards and analysis, you see that the common denominator for valuing them is the winning culture. Everything associated with their culture is gone. Yes you can have talent, but you need to have leaders. I’m sure they have guys that will lead, but that doesn’t mean that they are leaders. App had talent in 2022 but the lack of true leadership was missing and it showed on the field. Last year had leaders and it reflected on the backend improvement.

Historically JMU is a contender so I think the media is giving them the benefit here. A lot is gone but I don't think everything involved in their culture is gone. This game is a big time rivalry so regardless of what their record is I consider them a definite threat.

I would put them #2 behind GaSo at least in conference rivalry. You can throw record books out in these games. Plus we spoiled their GameDay experience last year.

I would add Marshall ahead of Southern.

Your age is showing, but mine has Marshall ahead of JMU as well. GS, Marshall, JMU in that order for me.

For most of our fan base, you are right that GS is the biggest rival. I still put Marshall ahead of them in my book. So it would be Marshall followed by GS. After that, I have a tough time differentiating between Coastal, JMU and even ULL for the next spot. All of those teams have beaten us when they shouldn't have and one took our title for a bit and we still haven't gotten it back yet. Oh yeah, almost forgot, Furman still SUCKS!

[BambooRdApp]

Stink....
Others are important games..but .Stink is
Deeper Than Hate!!

[Saint3333]

Fans 1975-1984 - WCU & LR
Fans 1985-1994 - Furman and Marshall
Fans 1995-2004 - GS and Furman
Fans 2005-2014 - GS and Furman?
Fans 2015-2024 - GS and ULL?
Fans 2025-future - JMU and Marshall...

[AppStFan1]

Fans 1975-1984 - WCU & LR
Fans 1985-1994 - Furman and Marshall
Fans 1995-2004 - GS and Furman
Fans 2005-2014 - GS and Furman?
Fans 2015-2024 - GS and ULL?
Fans 2025-future - JMU and Marshall...

That sounds about right! I bet LR looks at us sometimes and wonders how they did not grow like we have.

[WASU 93]

I really don’t understand the JMU love. Huge roster turnover, new coach, new AD and new school President. I get that they will say their culture is great, but every level of the culture pieces is now gone.

I agree except the roster turnover is not a negative anymore. 95% of teams are bringing in players through the portal. There were 37 FBS schools who added 15 or more players in the portal in the 2024 class.

Any idea how that much turnover has affected a teams record year over?

I think it depends on the team. Turnover has caused teams to step back and some have improved. I will be curious to see how Alabama does with their change. Colorado made a coaching change and improved their win total the first year.

Coaching continuity is not the sole reason why teams struggle. It can effect it but if there is a huge drop off there is more than just that. Just look at us in 2019 when we lost Satterfield and a few coaches followed him to Louisville but we went 13-1. Thomas was not Drink's ideal QB but he worked with him and got as much as he could out of him to help lead us to that top 20 season. Also, Harbison preferred bigger corners, as seen by those he had commit, but he did not throw Jean-Charles and Jolly aside. He worked hard with them and helped develop them into NFL corners because they had talent. A coach's job is to get the most out of his players regardless if he recruited him or not.

Yes, Colorado did improve their win total. But, their 4 wins were against teams that totaled 18 wins for the season and none of them won more than 5 games. Sure, they were the media darlings for the first three weeks of PrimeTime, but they finished the season 1-8. So, I wouldn't gauge their year as successful in any way other than hype and interest in the program.

[AppStFan1]

I really don’t understand the JMU love. Huge roster turnover, new coach, new AD and new school President. I get that they will say their culture is great, but every level of the culture pieces is now gone.

I agree except the roster turnover is not a negative anymore. 95% of teams are bringing in players through the portal. There were 37 FBS schools who added 15 or more players in the portal in the 2024 class.

Any idea how that much turnover has affected a teams record year over?

I think it depends on the team. Turnover has caused teams to step back and some have improved. I will be curious to see how Alabama does with their change. Colorado made a coaching change and improved their win total the first year.

Coaching continuity is not the sole reason why teams struggle. It can effect it but if there is a huge drop off there is more than just that. Just look at us in 2019 when we lost Satterfield and a few coaches followed him to Louisville but we went 13-1. Thomas was not Drink's ideal QB but he worked with him and got as much as he could out of him to help lead us to that top 20 season. Also, Harbison preferred bigger corners, as seen by those he had commit, but he did not throw Jean-Charles and Jolly aside. He worked hard with them and helped develop them into NFL corners because they had talent. A coach's job is to get the most out of his players regardless if he recruited him or not.

Yes, Colorado did improve their win total. But, their 4 wins were against teams that totaled 18 wins for the season and none of them won more than 5 games. Sure, they were the media darlings for the first three weeks of PrimeTime, but they finished the season 1-8. So, I wouldn't gauge their year as successful in any way other than hype and interest in the program.

Oh I agree but they still improved their win total. I think the 2024 season will truly tell us what to expect from Deion because he believes they can win 10+ games this year so we will see how good Deion is and if he is accurate in his expectations.

[AppSt94]

I agree except the roster turnover is not a negative anymore. 95% of teams are bringing in players through the portal. There were 37 FBS schools who added 15 or more players in the portal in the 2024 class.

Any idea how that much turnover has affected a teams record year over?

I think it depends on the team. Turnover has caused teams to step back and some have improved. I will be curious to see how Alabama does with their change. Colorado made a coaching change and improved their win total the first year.

Coaching continuity is not the sole reason why teams struggle. It can effect it but if there is a huge drop off there is more than just that. Just look at us in 2019 when we lost Satterfield and a few coaches followed him to Louisville but we went 13-1. Thomas was not Drink's ideal QB but he worked with him and got as much as he could out of him to help lead us to that top 20 season. Also, Harbison preferred bigger corners, as seen by those he had commit, but he did not throw Jean-Charles and Jolly aside. He worked hard with them and helped develop them into NFL corners because they had talent. A coach's job is to get the most out of his players regardless if he recruited him or not.

Yes, Colorado did improve their win total. But, their 4 wins were against teams that totaled 18 wins for the season and none of them won more than 5 games. Sure, they were the media darlings for the first three weeks of PrimeTime, but they finished the season 1-8. So, I wouldn't gauge their year as successful in any way other than hype and interest in the program.

Oh I agree but they still improved their win total. I think the 2024 season will truly tell us what to expect from Deion because he believes they can win 10+ games this year so we will see how good Deion is and if he is accurate in his expectations.

Going from 1 win to 4 isn’t the same as going from 10-11 and maintaining.

[AtlAppMan]

Any idea how that much turnover has affected a teams record year over?

I think it depends on the team. Turnover has caused teams to step back and some have improved. I will be curious to see how Alabama does with their change. Colorado made a coaching change and improved their win total the first year.

Coaching continuity is not the sole reason why teams struggle. It can effect it but if there is a huge drop off there is more than just that. Just look at us in 2019 when we lost Satterfield and a few coaches followed him to Louisville but we went 13-1. Thomas was not Drink's ideal QB but he worked with him and got as much as he could out of him to help lead us to that top 20 season. Also, Harbison preferred bigger corners, as seen by those he had commit, but he did not throw Jean-Charles and Jolly aside. He worked hard with them and helped develop them into NFL corners because they had talent. A coach's job is to get the most out of his players regardless if he recruited him or not.

Yes, Colorado did improve their win total. But, their 4 wins were against teams that totaled 18 wins for the season and none of them won more than 5 games. Sure, they were the media darlings for the first three weeks of PrimeTime, but they finished the season 1-8. So, I wouldn't gauge their year as successful in any way other than hype and interest in the program.

Oh I agree but they still improved their win total. I think the 2024 season will truly tell us what to expect from Deion because he believes they can win 10+ games this year so we will see how good Deion is and if he is accurate in his expectations.

Going from 1 win to 4 isn’t the same as going from 10-11 and maintaining.

Absolutely true statement.
Also, my comments were not meant to take JMU lightly as I do think they have a program that will be consistently good annually. I would expect to take them very seriously every time we play them like a GaSouthern but I still think PROJECTING 9,10,11 wins this season with the turnover seems like you are ignoring the facts. 7-8 wins projected seems more likely with the possibility of doing better or worse seems more likely to me.

[AppStFan1]

Any idea how that much turnover has affected a teams record year over?

I think it depends on the team. Turnover has caused teams to step back and some have improved. I will be curious to see how Alabama does with their change. Colorado made a coaching change and improved their win total the first year.

Coaching continuity is not the sole reason why teams struggle. It can effect it but if there is a huge drop off there is more than just that. Just look at us in 2019 when we lost Satterfield and a few coaches followed him to Louisville but we went 13-1. Thomas was not Drink's ideal QB but he worked with him and got as much as he could out of him to help lead us to that top 20 season. Also, Harbison preferred bigger corners, as seen by those he had commit, but he did not throw Jean-Charles and Jolly aside. He worked hard with them and helped develop them into NFL corners because they had talent. A coach's job is to get the most out of his players regardless if he recruited him or not.

Yes, Colorado did improve their win total. But, their 4 wins were against teams that totaled 18 wins for the season and none of them won more than 5 games. Sure, they were the media darlings for the first three weeks of PrimeTime, but they finished the season 1-8. So, I wouldn't gauge their year as successful in any way other than hype and interest in the program.

Oh I agree but they still improved their win total. I think the 2024 season will truly tell us what to expect from Deion because he believes they can win 10+ games this year so we will see how good Deion is and if he is accurate in his expectations.

Going from 1 win to 4 isn’t the same as going from 10-11 and maintaining.

Definitely not but got to start somewhere. My question is will Colorado keep him as long as they continue making big money even if they are not winning? It will be interesting to see how they do. I will be interested to see the reaction if he loses tonight.

[AppSt94]

I think it depends on the team. Turnover has caused teams to step back and some have improved. I will be curious to see how Alabama does with their change. Colorado made a coaching change and improved their win total the first year.

Coaching continuity is not the sole reason why teams struggle. It can effect it but if there is a huge drop off there is more than just that. Just look at us in 2019 when we lost Satterfield and a few coaches followed him to Louisville but we went 13-1. Thomas was not Drink's ideal QB but he worked with him and got as much as he could out of him to help lead us to that top 20 season. Also, Harbison preferred bigger corners, as seen by those he had commit, but he did not throw Jean-Charles and Jolly aside. He worked hard with them and helped develop them into NFL corners because they had talent. A coach's job is to get the most out of his players regardless if he recruited him or not.

Yes, Colorado did improve their win total. But, their 4 wins were against teams that totaled 18 wins for the season and none of them won more than 5 games. Sure, they were the media darlings for the first three weeks of PrimeTime, but they finished the season 1-8. So, I wouldn't gauge their year as successful in any way other than hype and interest in the program.

Oh I agree but they still improved their win total. I think the 2024 season will truly tell us what to expect from Deion because he believes they can win 10+ games this year so we will see how good Deion is and if he is accurate in his expectations.

Going from 1 win to 4 isn’t the same as going from 10-11 and maintaining.

Definitely not but got to start somewhere. My question is will Colorado keep him as long as they continue making big money even if they are not winning? It will be interesting to see how they do. I will be interested to see the reaction if he loses tonight.

True, but your example doesn’t answer my question. JMU could finish with double digit wins. They could finish with 7-8 wins and that would be considered a very good season given the circumstances. I don’t expect that they fall off a cliff because Chesney has proven to be a good coach. I just feel like that much turnover, both on and off the field, creates an environment where your margin for error is small.

[AppStFan1]

Yes, Colorado did improve their win total. But, their 4 wins were against teams that totaled 18 wins for the season and none of them won more than 5 games. Sure, they were the media darlings for the first three weeks of PrimeTime, but they finished the season 1-8. So, I wouldn't gauge their year as successful in any way other than hype and interest in the program.

Oh I agree but they still improved their win total. I think the 2024 season will truly tell us what to expect from Deion because he believes they can win 10+ games this year so we will see how good Deion is and if he is accurate in his expectations.

Going from 1 win to 4 isn’t the same as going from 10-11 and maintaining.

Definitely not but got to start somewhere. My question is will Colorado keep him as long as they continue making big money even if they are not winning? It will be interesting to see how they do. I will be interested to see the reaction if he loses tonight.

True, but your example doesn’t answer my question. JMU could finish with double digit wins. They could finish with 7-8 wins and that would be considered a very good season given the circumstances. I don’t expect that they fall off a cliff because Chesney has proven to be a good coach. I just feel like that much turnover, both on and off the field, creates an environment where your margin for error is small.

I agree it can. I will be curious to see a study of the results when teams lose say 30+ players and have a new coaching staff after 5-6 years of this portal era. I would suspect many teams would take a step back but if anyone in our league can do it I think Chesney is a good coach who can.

[Black Saturday]

You can have talent on a team and not have a talented team.

But if you have talent, you have a better shot at having a talented team. I have no idea how good JMU will be but we would be foolish to sell them short.

I’m not selling them short. It’s a legitimate question to ask from an outside view. The massive amount of turnover is obvious. If you look at message boards and analysis, you see that the common denominator for valuing them is the winning culture. Everything associated with their culture is gone. Yes you can have talent, but you need to have leaders. I’m sure they have guys that will lead, but that doesn’t mean that they are leaders. App had talent in 2022 but the lack of true leadership was missing and it showed on the field. Last year had leaders and it reflected on the backend improvement.

Historically JMU is a contender so I think the media is giving them the benefit here. A lot is gone but I don't think everything involved in their culture is gone. This game is a big time rivalry so regardless of what their record is I consider them a definite threat.

Very True, How many years has APP been given future results based on past performances?

[Yosefus]

Fans 1975-1984 - WCU & LR
Fans 1985-1994 - Furman and Marshall
Fans 1995-2004 - GS and Furman
Fans 2005-2014 - GS and Furman?
Fans 2015-2024 - GS and ULL?
Fans 2025-future - JMU and Marshall...

That sounds about right! I bet LR looks at us sometimes and wonders how they did not grow like we have.

Furman needs to be in 75-84 too. LR never was much competition.

[AppStFan1]

Fans 1975-1984 - WCU & LR
Fans 1985-1994 - Furman and Marshall
Fans 1995-2004 - GS and Furman
Fans 2005-2014 - GS and Furman?
Fans 2015-2024 - GS and ULL?
Fans 2025-future - JMU and Marshall...

That sounds about right! I bet LR looks at us sometimes and wonders how they did not grow like we have.

Furman needs to be in 75-84 too. LR never was much competition.

We were 23-19-4 against them so it is not like was completely dominated them the whole time. They dominated us at times in the 50s and 60s so probably should list them in that time frame. From all the games between 1975 to 2007 we dominated them completely though.