Is 2014 wide open?

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lakesbison
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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by lakesbison » Thu Apr 24, 2014 11:12 am

NDSU will most likely, and should be preseason #1, but I don't think they are as good as last year, but who knows. Will be interesting to see how the NDSU/Griz game goes, NDSU rarely plays Big Sky teams and I don't think they see a lot of the passing attack in their conference that you see throughout the Big Sky.[/quote]


EWU, MU, MSU is what an outsider will predict the big sky

NDSU would do just fine vs the passing attack I believe and they will control the ball/clock and wear down most any big sky team in my opinion.
I think montana will be shell shocked walking into 20,000 loud fans, its gonna be a madhouse after tailgate for that game, believe me!


Big Sky 3 big teams Ewu,MU,MSU
MVFC 3 big teams NDSU, UNI, SDSU
= Mountain West Invite

Mountain Division West Division
Air Force Fresno State
Wyoming Hawaiʻi
Colorado State Nevada
Boise State UNLV
NDSU San Jose State
UNI EWU
SDSU New Mexico
Montana Utah St
Montana St San Diego State



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by John K » Thu Apr 24, 2014 11:26 am

lakesbison wrote:NDSU will most likely, and should be preseason #1, but I don't think they are as good as last year, but who knows. Will be interesting to see how the NDSU/Griz game goes, NDSU rarely plays Big Sky teams and I don't think they see a lot of the passing attack in their conference that you see throughout the Big Sky.

EWU, MU, MSU is what an outsider will predict the big sky

NDSU would do just fine vs the passing attack I believe and they will control the ball/clock and wear down most any big sky team in my opinion.
I think montana will be shell shocked walking into 20,000 loud fans, its gonna be a madhouse after tailgate for that game, believe me!


Big Sky 3 big teams Ewu,MU,MSU
MVFC 3 big teams NDSU, UNI, SDSU
= Mountain West Invite

Mountain Division West Division
Air Force Fresno State
Wyoming Hawaiʻi
Colorado State Nevada
Boise State UNLV
NDSU San Jose State
UNI EWU
SDSU New Mexico
Montana Utah St
Montana St San Diego State[/quote]

Apparently you're not aware that Washington-Grizzly stadium is louder than any 10 other stadiums on the planet combined. It makes CenturyLink Field in Seattle seem like a mausoleum. :lol:



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by catatac » Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:24 pm

Will be another great fight in the Big Sky IMO. Of course I'm biased but I really think the CATS can do some damage. Here's why:

QB - I've said it 100 times, I'll say it once more. I will put real $$ down that whichever QB runs the show for the 2014 CATS will put up significantly better #'s than DM did last year. Not a knock on DM, but this is my honest opinion.

O Line - assuming the center position gets solidified, and I know it will, we will have a very big, athletic, smart, experienced O line. I think we will have the type of O line that can take over a game and pound the rock in the fourth Q.

Running backs - I think we saw this Spring how well our 3rd or 4th string running backs performed. Given how good our O Line is going to be... I think our running game is going to hurt people.

Defense - If we don't have much of a drop off on the D Line, our D will be significantly better in 2014. LB much improved, Secondary somewhat improved. I think we'll get back to our normal position of being at or near the top of the BSC in most of the defensive categories.

Coaching - Some continuity finally, and up until our late season melt down last year, Ash has improved this program incrementally, every year he's been here.

Motivation - All the players are very disappointed with what happened last year and you can year it in the interviews - they are motivated.

Schedule - Very favorable for a Big Sky title run. Not sure how well it will prepare us for the elite teams in the playoffs, but the EWU game will be a great early season test.


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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by [cat_bracket] » Thu Apr 24, 2014 1:06 pm

I really like our defense. I think we're better at all three levels. The DT rotation is very tough with the development of Thomas. We have five guys there we can count on. That allows Marino to go to DE and his presence there gives us four good DEs. LB looks great, especially with Prevost and Collins coming in. The most improved area is DB. Flowers with either Keeton or Nelson is as good a CB tandem as there is in the BSC. Barnett and Marshall are as good a safety tandem as there is in the BSC. Garcia is great backup. SUU also returns a good secondary, but I think we have more depth.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by mslacatfan » Thu Apr 24, 2014 1:23 pm

man, somehow I forgot about Prevost and Collins... I still can't believe the Cats were able to land EITHER of those guys. Hopefully they can both redshirt, but it may be hard to keep them off the field...


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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by Colter_Nuanez » Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:14 pm

catatac wrote:Will be another great fight in the Big Sky IMO. Of course I'm biased but I really think the CATS can do some damage. Here's why:

QB - I've said it 100 times, I'll say it once more. I will put real $$ down that whichever QB runs the show for the 2014 CATS will put up significantly better #'s than DM did last year. Not a knock on DM, but this is my honest opinion.

O Line - assuming the center position gets solidified, and I know it will, we will have a very big, athletic, smart, experienced O line. I think we will have the type of O line that can take over a game and pound the rock in the fourth Q.

Running backs - I think we saw this Spring how well our 3rd or 4th string running backs performed. Given how good our O Line is going to be... I think our running game is going to hurt people.

Defense - If we don't have much of a drop off on the D Line, our D will be significantly better in 2014. LB much improved, Secondary somewhat improved. I think we'll get back to our normal position of being at or near the top of the BSC in most of the defensive categories.

Coaching - Some continuity finally, and up until our late season melt down last year, Ash has improved this program incrementally, every year he's been here.

Motivation - All the players are very disappointed with what happened last year and you can year it in the interviews - they are motivated.

Schedule - Very favorable for a Big Sky title run. Not sure how well it will prepare us for the elite teams in the playoffs, but the EWU game will be a great early season test.
To your points...

1. I completely agree. I guarantee Montana State's quarterback will throw more than eight touchdowns next season, and likely more than the 15 McGhee and Bleskin threw for. It's not demeaning DeNarius McGhee to say he had an unproductive senior season. He would tell you that. Injury plus poor fit in Cramsey's offense equalled a season an average quarterback could exceed.

2. This year and next year is what Rob Ash, Jason McEndoo and everyone involved have been waiting for. They've had patience, gotten a ton of experience under these guys' belts and now they have a line that averages 6-foot-5 and 302 pounds and has, from left to right, 25 straight starts (John Weidenaar), 21 straight starts (Kyle Godecke), 25 straight starts (Quinn Catalano) and nine straight starts, but All-Big Sky as a freshman (JP Flynn). The unknown is who is the fifth cog going to be. Alex Eekhoff (6-6, 292) has started four games in his career, but Joel Horn (6-5, 320) is a mauler. If Horn can consistently snap, that's the lineup. He's one of the strongest guys on the team. But Eekhoff can hang. He's a talented, athletic tackle. He just needs to prove his mettle. Either way, I agree, a team strength. I'm an offensive line geek and I knew the line would doom the Cats in 2012 and would be a ? in 2013. It will be a strong unit baring injuries and even then, they might be alright.

3. Last spring, Cody Kirk came late to practice or not at all because of a class conflict and three walk-on freshmen took all the carries. The only one that is still around is Chad Newell. Cody Dopps and Morris Mouton are gone. Now the 'Cats will have Shawn Johnson, Anthony Knight, Gunnar Brekke, Newell and Brandon Davis who can all play and contribute at this level. The running backs group is significantly upgraded in depth and athleticism if only because Brekke and Newell are no longer freshmen, but also because Anthony Knight is going to be the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year if he can stay out of trouble.

4. I think the linebackers will be marginally improved, not vastly. But Na'a Moeakiola is a difference maker. And the vocal leader this defense desperately needs. The secondary however will be much improved. MSU will be able to play a combination of coverages because of the addition of Bryson Keeton. Pending Eryon Barnett's ability to stay healthy and roam deep as a free safety, MSU's secondary could be very good. Up front, Odin Coe has to become THE GUY. He needs to be as productive as the last several Bandit ends. Those are big shoes to fill, but he's got the tools. The addition of WaWa Leota and the continued progression of Connor Thomas will be big for the interior.

5. The continuity among the coaching staff and the chemistry among the coaches on the offensive side of the ball should be improved. Not having a new OC is big and adding two coaches who fit in seamlessly in Cody Kempt and Mike Pitre is huge.

6. Spot on as far as a regenerated chip on the collective shoulder of this team.

7. In terms of schedule, I disagree. I think this is Montana State's greatest hurdle.

Likely wins: Week 2, Black Hills State
Week 5, North Dakota
Week 8, Weber State (Homecoming)
Week 11, Portland State
Week 12, Idaho State

Toss ups: Week 3, Central Arkansas
Week 7, at UC Davis
Week 10, at Cal Poly

Possible, if not likely, losses: Week 4, Eastern Washington
Week 6, at Sac State
Week 13, At Montana

If Montana State can get 2-3 in California, I think they'll be 9-3. If they can win all three, Eastern Washington and Montana will be their biggest hurdles. But I also think 5-6 isn't out of the realm of possibilities. Montana State needs to come to play every Saturday.

Ash is 57-27 at Montana State, but the 'Cats are 20-15 on the road, 37-12 at home. Something to keep in mind, especially considering MSU's recent history in California.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by TomCat88 » Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:35 pm

You left out Arkansas State.

I'd say a safe, mid-range, bet is 8-4. Tough games at Ark. State, at UM, at SSU, at Poly and vs. EWU. If MSU is 8-4, it could easily be 6-2 in the league. That's just one game away from being 7-1, which could easily yield a title. I have a feeling MSU will be either 6-6 or 10-2. They seem volatile in that some early success could fuel their confidence and spring them to great things or some early dejection could get them second-guessing and losing their focus.


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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by John K » Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:51 am

Our BSC schedule is sort of unusual this year. All the home games are against teams that were below .500 in conference play last year, while all of the road games are against teams that were better than .500 in conference games. If it was the other way around, we might have had a good chance to go 8-0 in BSC games. As it is, we'll probably be fortunate to go 6-2. We better not lose any home conference games, but we may do well to go 2-2 in the road games. Add in three very difficult NC games, and I'd say it's probably our toughest schedule in recent memory. We very well may be a better team than last year, without our record being much if any better.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by [cat_bracket] » Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:40 am

We had a great team going into fall ball last year and I think it was better than what we'll field this fall. However we were plagued with persistent injuries all year and that undermined everything. We may end up better record-wise, but it'll need to be a 9-3/10-2 record for me to think we're actually a better team.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by Hawks86 » Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:09 am

Sperbeck is leaving Sac. State

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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by John K » Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:23 am

[cat_bracket] wrote:We had a great team going into fall ball last year and I think it was better than what we'll field this fall. However we were plagued with persistent injuries all year and that undermined everything. We may end up better record-wise, but it'll need to be a 9-3/10-2 record for me to think we're actually a better team.
I'm not sure that I understand your logic. Your'e saying that we may have a better record than last year, while playing a more difficult schedule, but we won't be a better team...huh?? Injuries or not, we were who we were last year, and that wasn't a very good team. I'm not saying that injuries weren't a contributing factor to some degree, but I think it's an oversimplification to blame it entirely on injuries. The offense and defense were both very inconsistent all season long. I'd say that we really only played up to our potential in four games last year, NAU, UND, SMU, and the 1st half against Monmouth. I do believe that we should be better in most areas this season. I'm just not sure that it will be reflected by our record.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by LTown Cat » Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:26 am

This year will be very telling. For year's UM would lose great players and I'd think they'll be down. Instead another group of great players emerged.

Has MSU built that kind of depth? Will we be a perennial power or were the last 4-5 years a result of a great group of players that won't be fully replaced. Will be interesting to find out.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by mslacatfan » Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:35 am

LTown Cat wrote:This year will be very telling. For year's UM would lose great players and I'd think they'll be down. Instead another group of great players emerged.

Has MSU built that kind of depth? Will we be a perennial power or were the last 4-5 years a result of a great group of players that won't be fully replaced. Will be interesting to find out.
+1

This year will really show what kind of PROGRAM Coach Ash has built (or not...)
Can't wait!


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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by John K » Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:41 am

LTown Cat wrote:This year will be very telling. For year's UM would lose great players and I'd think they'll be down. Instead another group of great players emerged.

Has MSU built that kind of depth? Will we be a perennial power or were the last 4-5 years a result of a great group of players that won't be fully replaced. Will be interesting to find out.
I completely agree. I've been contemplating that very question ever since last season ended. With the departure of that great senior class, will we fall back to being a good (but not great) program, or have we reached a point where we can expect to be at or near the top of the BSC virtually every year? It's really important to not have two "down" seasons in a row. UM stumbled in 2010 and 2012, but both times they came back strong the next year.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by [cat_bracket] » Fri Apr 25, 2014 11:06 am

John K wrote:
[cat_bracket] wrote:We had a great team going into fall ball last year and I think it was better than what we'll field this fall. However we were plagued with persistent injuries all year and that undermined everything. We may end up better record-wise, but it'll need to be a 9-3/10-2 record for me to think we're actually a better team.
I'm not sure that I understand your logic. Your'e saying that we may have a better record than last year, while playing a more difficult schedule, but we won't be a better team...huh?? Injuries or not, we were who we were last year, and that wasn't a very good team. I'm not saying that injuries weren't a contributing factor to some degree, but I think it's an oversimplification to blame it entirely on injuries. The offense and defense were both very inconsistent all season long. I'd say that we really only played up to our potential in four games last year, NAU, UND, SMU, and the 1st half against Monmouth. I do believe that we should be better in most areas this season. I'm just not sure that it will be reflected by our record.
Sure you do. Think of it in the reverse of a team that really isn't that good, gets in the playoffs as the bottom seed, pulls off a huge opening round upset, things fall in place and they win it all. Every sport is littered with them. The 1983 NC State basketball team comes to mind.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by [cat_bracket] » Fri Apr 25, 2014 11:12 am

Marshall Sperbeck just quit at SSU. Our chances of winning there just went up at least a little bit.

Perfect example of what I'm talking about JohnK. Crap like this happens and it can throw a team for a loop.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by John K » Fri Apr 25, 2014 11:33 am

[cat_bracket] wrote:
John K wrote:
[cat_bracket] wrote:We had a great team going into fall ball last year and I think it was better than what we'll field this fall. However we were plagued with persistent injuries all year and that undermined everything. We may end up better record-wise, but it'll need to be a 9-3/10-2 record for me to think we're actually a better team.
I'm not sure that I understand your logic. Your'e saying that we may have a better record than last year, while playing a more difficult schedule, but we won't be a better team...huh?? Injuries or not, we were who we were last year, and that wasn't a very good team. I'm not saying that injuries weren't a contributing factor to some degree, but I think it's an oversimplification to blame it entirely on injuries. The offense and defense were both very inconsistent all season long. I'd say that we really only played up to our potential in four games last year, NAU, UND, SMU, and the 1st half against Monmouth. I do believe that we should be better in most areas this season. I'm just not sure that it will be reflected by our record.
Sure you do. Think of it in the reverse of a team that really isn't that good, gets in the playoffs as the bottom seed, pulls off a huge opening round upset, things fall in place and they win it all. Every sport is littered with them. The 1983 NC State basketball team comes to mind.
So, you're essentially saying that "on paper" we were a better team last year than our record indicated...correct? I disagree, and I think your "reverse" analogy to the 1983 NCSU hoops team is flawed. That was a good but not great team that just happened to get hot at the right time. Were they really the best team in college BB that season?...probably not. But winning the NC ensured that they will be remembered as a great team, even if they weren't anything special for most of the season. I don't think that's the reverse of the 2013 MSU football team at all. Our record was 5-3/7-5...just slightly above average, and I think that's exactly what we were last year, for most of the season. Even before the season ending 3-game losing streak, we had struggled to beat bad teams like WSU and NC. And maybe that shouldn't have been completely unexpected. Despite having those four great seniors back, we still lost several experienced, all-BSC caliber players off the 2012 team.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by [cat_bracket] » Fri Apr 25, 2014 11:44 am

John K wrote:
[cat_bracket] wrote:
John K wrote:
[cat_bracket] wrote:We had a great team going into fall ball last year and I think it was better than what we'll field this fall. However we were plagued with persistent injuries all year and that undermined everything. We may end up better record-wise, but it'll need to be a 9-3/10-2 record for me to think we're actually a better team.
I'm not sure that I understand your logic. Your'e saying that we may have a better record than last year, while playing a more difficult schedule, but we won't be a better team...huh?? Injuries or not, we were who we were last year, and that wasn't a very good team. I'm not saying that injuries weren't a contributing factor to some degree, but I think it's an oversimplification to blame it entirely on injuries. The offense and defense were both very inconsistent all season long. I'd say that we really only played up to our potential in four games last year, NAU, UND, SMU, and the 1st half against Monmouth. I do believe that we should be better in most areas this season. I'm just not sure that it will be reflected by our record.
Sure you do. Think of it in the reverse of a team that really isn't that good, gets in the playoffs as the bottom seed, pulls off a huge opening round upset, things fall in place and they win it all. Every sport is littered with them. The 1983 NC State basketball team comes to mind.
So, you're essentially saying that "on paper" we were a better team last year than our record indicated...correct? I disagree, and I think your "reverse" analogy to the 1983 NCSU hoops team is flawed. That was a good but not great team that just happened to get hot at the right time. Were they really the best team in college BB that season?...probably not. But winning the NC ensured that they will be remembered as a great team, even if they weren't anything special for most of the season. I don't think that's the reverse of the 2013 MSU football team at all. Our record was 5-3/7-5...just slightly above average, and I think that's exactly what we were last year, for most of the season. Even before the season ending 3-game losing streak, we had struggled to beat bad teams like WSU and NC. And maybe that shouldn't have been completely unexpected. Despite having those four great seniors back, we still lost several experienced, all-BSC caliber players off the 2012 team.
I think I get what you're saying now and that is, even if MSU hadn't had its injury issues it still would've been 7-5 and missed the playoffs. Do I have that right?

You didn't get what I was saying about NCSU btw.



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by John K » Fri Apr 25, 2014 11:58 am

[cat_bracket] wrote:
John K wrote:
[cat_bracket] wrote:
John K wrote:
[cat_bracket] wrote:We had a great team going into fall ball last year and I think it was better than what we'll field this fall. However we were plagued with persistent injuries all year and that undermined everything. We may end up better record-wise, but it'll need to be a 9-3/10-2 record for me to think we're actually a better team.
I'm not sure that I understand your logic. Your'e saying that we may have a better record than last year, while playing a more difficult schedule, but we won't be a better team...huh?? Injuries or not, we were who we were last year, and that wasn't a very good team. I'm not saying that injuries weren't a contributing factor to some degree, but I think it's an oversimplification to blame it entirely on injuries. The offense and defense were both very inconsistent all season long. I'd say that we really only played up to our potential in four games last year, NAU, UND, SMU, and the 1st half against Monmouth. I do believe that we should be better in most areas this season. I'm just not sure that it will be reflected by our record.
Sure you do. Think of it in the reverse of a team that really isn't that good, gets in the playoffs as the bottom seed, pulls off a huge opening round upset, things fall in place and they win it all. Every sport is littered with them. The 1983 NC State basketball team comes to mind.
So, you're essentially saying that "on paper" we were a better team last year than our record indicated...correct? I disagree, and I think your "reverse" analogy to the 1983 NCSU hoops team is flawed. That was a good but not great team that just happened to get hot at the right time. Were they really the best team in college BB that season?...probably not. But winning the NC ensured that they will be remembered as a great team, even if they weren't anything special for most of the season. I don't think that's the reverse of the 2013 MSU football team at all. Our record was 5-3/7-5...just slightly above average, and I think that's exactly what we were last year, for most of the season. Even before the season ending 3-game losing streak, we had struggled to beat bad teams like WSU and NC. And maybe that shouldn't have been completely unexpected. Despite having those four great seniors back, we still lost several experienced, all-BSC caliber players off the 2012 team.
I think I get what you're saying now and that is, even if MSU hadn't had its injury issues it still would've been 7-5 and missed the playoffs. Do I have that right?

You didn't get what I was saying about NCSU btw.
Essentially yes. Even without the injuries, I doubt that we would have been any better than 8-4. We might have snuck into the playoffs, but we probably would have lost in the 1st round. It just seemed to me that "something was missing" last season, and while the injuries were part of that, they were only part of the story.

And with regard to NC State, I'll bite...what were you saying?



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Re: Is 2014 wide open?

Post by [cat_bracket] » Fri Apr 25, 2014 12:10 pm

John K wrote:
[cat_bracket] wrote:
John K wrote:
[cat_bracket] wrote:
John K wrote:
[cat_bracket] wrote:We had a great team going into fall ball last year and I think it was better than what we'll field this fall. However we were plagued with persistent injuries all year and that undermined everything. We may end up better record-wise, but it'll need to be a 9-3/10-2 record for me to think we're actually a better team.
I'm not sure that I understand your logic. Your'e saying that we may have a better record than last year, while playing a more difficult schedule, but we won't be a better team...huh?? Injuries or not, we were who we were last year, and that wasn't a very good team. I'm not saying that injuries weren't a contributing factor to some degree, but I think it's an oversimplification to blame it entirely on injuries. The offense and defense were both very inconsistent all season long. I'd say that we really only played up to our potential in four games last year, NAU, UND, SMU, and the 1st half against Monmouth. I do believe that we should be better in most areas this season. I'm just not sure that it will be reflected by our record.
Sure you do. Think of it in the reverse of a team that really isn't that good, gets in the playoffs as the bottom seed, pulls off a huge opening round upset, things fall in place and they win it all. Every sport is littered with them. The 1983 NC State basketball team comes to mind.
So, you're essentially saying that "on paper" we were a better team last year than our record indicated...correct? I disagree, and I think your "reverse" analogy to the 1983 NCSU hoops team is flawed. That was a good but not great team that just happened to get hot at the right time. Were they really the best team in college BB that season?...probably not. But winning the NC ensured that they will be remembered as a great team, even if they weren't anything special for most of the season. I don't think that's the reverse of the 2013 MSU football team at all. Our record was 5-3/7-5...just slightly above average, and I think that's exactly what we were last year, for most of the season. Even before the season ending 3-game losing streak, we had struggled to beat bad teams like WSU and NC. And maybe that shouldn't have been completely unexpected. Despite having those four great seniors back, we still lost several experienced, all-BSC caliber players off the 2012 team.
I think I get what you're saying now and that is, even if MSU hadn't had its injury issues it still would've been 7-5 and missed the playoffs. Do I have that right?

You didn't get what I was saying about NCSU btw.
Essentially yes. Even without the injuries, I doubt that we would have been any better than 8-4. We might have snuck into the playoffs, but we probably would have lost in the 1st round. It just seemed to me that "something was missing" last season, and while the injuries were part of that, they were only part of the story.

And with regard to NC State, I'll bite...what were you saying?
Basically the same thing you said. The exception being that while NCSU did something great, they weren't great in the way, say, UCLA teams with Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton were great.



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