RobertM320 wrote:DfromCT wrote:Ruski wrote:But you're kind of making my point. A very good FCS team is probably about as good at the 50 percentile FBS. So we were in the bottom half. That's pretty bad.
But we haven't been ranked in the top half of FBS in a long time. Yes, part of this is setting the bar low, but a move to the middle of FBS would be a BIG step in the right direction.
I think this is what a lot of us are saying. We're not saying our goal should be middle of FBS, but being middle of FBS IS AN IMPROVEMENT over being bottom 10% of FBS. There IS improvement. But no, we should not settle for middle. But to be honest, RIGHT NOW, if we could put together 4-5years in a row of just 6-7 wins and go to bowls, I'd be feeling good. Its a process. We haven't even been consistently AVERAGE in my entire 58 year lifetime. I'd consider reaching that as an accomplishment. Not the final goal, mind you, but it would definitely move the needle.
I agree, Robert. I want to compete first for AAC championships and New Years 6 Bowl invites. This is going to take a couple or more years to get there. The book is still out as to whether or not this staff can take us there, but I think Coach Fritz can do it. It's not going to be a quick fix ala UCF. UCF (despite going winless) had more talent and a much better recent history to recruit to. And the reward for Frost turning around the program so fast is that he's probably leaving UCF, likely going to his alma mater, Nebraska.
To set the record straight, I think the top 2-4 FCS teams could compete against the top 20-60 teams in FBS. They wouldn't win the majority of games, but they'd be as competitive as we are against our mediocre schedule. They'd have a tough time against the likes of Alabama and Clemson, but as we've seen can beat an LSU, Michigan, etc. People don't realize that they're that good.
At the same time, I do take Ruski's point seriously, but think that getting into that 40-60 range in terms of D1 ranking would be acceptable movement in the right direction. The way I read Fritz's comments in the Advocate, he thinks we can compete for division title next year. I certainly hope he's right.
I will go out on a limb here and say that everyone predicting gloom and doom here b/c of graduation and attrition are wrong. I say we win 7 games next year and make some noise in conference. Yes, we're losing some very good players. But we're also filling those holes with players that have played well and can mature into the role of starter. Every year every team in the nation loses players and has holes to plug. That's the nature of NCAA football. I don't see that we're any worse off than our conference mates in plugging those holes. And we have an emerging star receiver in Darnell Mooney.
If I'm wrong about my 7 win prediction, I will have doubts about our ability to compete in the AAC. I also think If I'm right it will be a huge recruiting boost, but again, if Fritz leaves we'll face challenges either hiring a coach that likes the zone-read-option or one that is more fun to watch (pro or spread).
I'm disappointed in our lack of bowl eligibility, but guardedly optimistic about the direction of the program.