Sports Network Ranks All D1AA Football Teams

[MACHIAVELLI]

Below I take my guess at a preseason national ranking, with a prediction on all 120 I-AA teams. The 98 schools that play at a scholarship or quasi- level are separated from the 22 that play at a true non-scholarship or mid-major level. Last year?s record is in parentheses. The official Sports Network I-AA Top 25 and I-AA-Mid-Major preseason polls, which are voted on by a panel of sports information directors and media throughout the country, will be revealed in August:

32. Grambling State (6-5) - GSU played well at the end of head coach Melvin Spears? first season, and figures to be in the mix for the SWAC title with stars Bruce Eugene and Leonard Patton back after missing the 2004 season.

33. Alabama State (10-2) - With Tavaris Jackson and Keldrick Williams back, the Hornets are the clear favorite to repeat as SWAC East champions.

48. Southern (8-4) - The Jaguars have to replace quarterback Thomas Ricks, but as usual Southern should wind up in contention for the SWAC title.

65. Alabama A & M (7-4) - The Bulldogs narrowly lost to Alabama State to halt a chance at winning the SWAC East, and have a solid defense to lead the attempt to get over the hump.

75. Arkansas Pine Bluff (6-3) - The Golden Lions were just one game away from winning the SWAC West, and should be back in contention this season.

77. Alcorn State (7-4) - The Braves have a talented wide receiver duo with Charlie Spiller and Nate Hughes, but who?s going to throw them the ball?

85. Jackson State (4-7) - Cornerback Cletis Gordon is considered one of the top NFL prospects at the I-AA level, but he might be one of few bright spots for the Tigers.

93. Mississippi Valley State (3-8) - The Delta Devils only wins a year ago came against NAIA Paul Quinn and SWAC stragglers Prairie View and Texas Southern.

94. Prairie View (3-8) - Prairie View actually began the 2004 campaign with a 2-0 record, but reverted to form to finish 3-8 and only knocked off Texas Southern among the I-AA ranks.

98. Texas Southern (0-11) - The Tigers were bad in every phase of the game in 2004, and only came within single digits once in an 0-11 season. Obviously just about anything they do in 2005 would be an improvement.

The Sports Network

 

[Jag-BR]

Below I take my guess at a preseason national ranking, with a prediction on all 120 I-AA teams. The 98 schools that play at a scholarship or quasi- level are separated from the 22 that play at a true non-scholarship or mid-major level. Last year?s record is in parentheses. The official Sports Network I-AA Top 25 and I-AA-Mid-Major preseason polls, which are voted on by a panel of sports information directors and media throughout the country, will be revealed in August:

32. Grambling State (6-5) - GSU played well at the end of head coach Melvin Spears? first season, and figures to be in the mix for the SWAC title with stars Bruce Eugene and Leonard Patton back after missing the 2004 season.

33. Alabama State (10-2) - With Tavaris Jackson and Keldrick Williams back, the Hornets are the clear favorite to repeat as SWAC East champions.

48. Southern (8-4) - The Jaguars have to replace quarterback Thomas Ricks, but as usual Southern will wind up in contention for the SWAC title.

65. Alabama A & M (7-4) - The Bulldogs narrowly lost to Alabama State to halt a chance at winning the SWAC East, and have a solid defense to lead the attempt to get over the hump.

75. Arkansas Pine Bluff (6-3) - The Golden Lions were just one game away from winning the SWAC West, and should be back in contention this season.

77. Alcorn State (7-4) - The Braves have a talented wide receiver duo with Charlie Spiller and Nate Hughes, but who?s going to throw them the ball?

85. Jackson State (4-7) - Cornerback Cletis Gordon is considered one of the top NFL prospects at the I-AA level, but he might be one of few bright spots for the Tigers.

93. Mississippi Valley State (3-8) - The Delta Devils only wins a year ago came against NAIA Paul Quinn and SWAC stragglers Prairie View and Texas Southern.

94. Prairie View (3-8) - Prairie View actually began the 2004 campaign with a 2-0 record, but reverted to form to finish 3-8 and only knocked off Texas Southern among the I-AA ranks.

98. Texas Southern (0-11) - The Tigers were bad in every phase of the game in 2004, and only came within single digits once in an 0-11 season. Obviously just about anything they do in 2005 would be an improvement.

The Sports Network

Where did they come from and put us #48? :shame: please let me no know......

 

[PNeck019]

The SWAC opponents are:

8. Northwestern St. (98. Texas Southern)
18. Hampton (85. Jackson St.)
26. South Carolina St. (33. Alabama St.)
36. McNeese St. (48. Southern)
45. Bethune-Cookman (75. Ark.-Pine Bluff)
52. Southeastern La. (77. Alcorn St.; 93. MVSU)
69. Tennessee St. (65. AAMU; 85. Jackson St.)

Based on this, we'll be favored in one of our nine non-conference matchups with I-AA opponents this year.

 

[PNeck019]

Where did they come from and put us #48? :shame: please let me no know......

Dude, we lost to #36 and #59 at home last year (not to mention #s 32 and 33...lol). Where should we be?

 

[Jag-BR]

Dude, we lost to #36 and #59 last year. Where should we be?

Damn you ain't have to catch a attitude. I just asked why was we put there

 

[PNeck019]

Damn you ain't have to catch a attitude. I just asked why was we put there

No attitude. It's just that until someone in the SWAC beats a non-conference opponent of substance, expect these rankings to continue.

 

[Jag-BR]

No attitude. It's just that until someone in the SWAC beats a non-conference opponent of substance, expect these rankings to continue.

Oh my bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MACHIAVELLI]

Where did they come from and put us #48? :shame: please let me no know......

Comments? Criticism? Applause? Send your comments to Matt Dougherty
[email protected]

 

[Journalist]

No attitude. It's just that until someone in the SWAC beats a non-conference opponent of substance, expect these rankings to continue.

Man...pay attention to this... Gram is 32, Bama St. 33, SU 48...and the next SWAC Team is 65th..and the rest dot through the 70s-90s..

what does that tell you about perception of the strenghth of the conference.

IMO..Bama St. shoulda had the higher rank than Gram because of Williams and Jackson... SU's right where I expected us to be...

 

[CATMENDUE2]

Comments? Criticism? Applause? Send your comments to Matt Dougherty
[email protected]

These ranking are nothing more than pollsters picking the top five teams from the Big Sky, 6 or 7 from the A-10 and five or six from the Conferences including the Gateway, Southland and Big South and there you have it the 1AA. SoME OF THESE TOP THIRTY TEAMS ARE A REAL JOKE. I can't believe they think we are dumb enough to believe that five teams in the Big South and three in the A-10 are better teams than anyone in the SWAC.

Some folks actually think they want us in their playoffs. MEAC better get wise or at least be yourselves, before you are by yourselves. :shades:

 

[MACBFAC]

Man...pay attention to this... Gram is 32, Bama St. 33, SU 48...and the next SWAC Team is 65th..and the rest dot through the 70s-90s..

what does that tell you about perception of the strenghth of the conference.

that's a dayum shame the SWAC gets little to No respect these days

 

[Jag-BR]

that's a dayum shame the SWAC gets little to No respect these days

I know that right.

 

[coldsweat]

that's a dayum shame the SWAC gets little to No respect these days

:idea: Hell, why should we? :look: We can't even beat a quality opponent outside of our conference and to make matters worse, we take a back door mentality and beat up on one another in our conference as if that's good or something?

Shat, coaches sux! Swac Commission sux. Atheletic Administration sux. Got-darnit, erryone in the SWAC sux! --Thank's GR! :lol:

 

[Reporternate]

Below I take my guess at a preseason national ranking, with a prediction on all 120 I-AA teams. The 98 schools that play at a scholarship or quasi- level are separated from the 22 that play at a true non-scholarship or mid-major level. Last year?s record is in parentheses. The official Sports Network I-AA Top 25 and I-AA-Mid-Major preseason polls, which are voted on by a panel of sports information directors and media throughout the country, will be revealed in August:

32. Grambling State (6-5) - GSU played well at the end of head coach Melvin Spears? first season, and figures to be in the mix for the SWAC title with stars Bruce Eugene and Leonard Patton back after missing the 2004 season.

33. Alabama State (10-2) - With Tavaris Jackson and Keldrick Williams back, the Hornets are the clear favorite to repeat as SWAC East champions.

48. Southern (8-4) - The Jaguars have to replace quarterback Thomas Ricks, but as usual Southern should wind up in contention for the SWAC title.

65. Alabama A & M (7-4) - The Bulldogs narrowly lost to Alabama State to halt a chance at winning the SWAC East, and have a solid defense to lead the attempt to get over the hump.

75. Arkansas Pine Bluff (6-3) - The Golden Lions were just one game away from winning the SWAC West, and should be back in contention this season.

77. Alcorn State (7-4) - The Braves have a talented wide receiver duo with Charlie Spiller and Nate Hughes, but who?s going to throw them the ball?

85. Jackson State (4-7) - Cornerback Cletis Gordon is considered one of the top NFL prospects at the I-AA level, but he might be one of few bright spots for the Tigers.

93. Mississippi Valley State (3-8) - The Delta Devils only wins a year ago came against NAIA Paul Quinn and SWAC stragglers Prairie View and Texas Southern.

94. Prairie View (3-8) - Prairie View actually began the 2004 campaign with a 2-0 record, but reverted to form to finish 3-8 and only knocked off Texas Southern among the I-AA ranks.

98. Texas Southern (0-11) - The Tigers were bad in every phase of the game in 2004, and only came within single digits once in an 0-11 season. Obviously just about anything they do in 2005 would be an improvement.

The Sports Network

Go TSU!!!

 

[CATMENDUE2]

that's a dayum shame the SWAC gets little to No respect these days

And we never will, if we accept what they are trying to give us, You know, I know GSU, SU, and ASU are legit top thirty teams. They did same mess last year and a team came out of nowhere and won their playoffs. The teams they picked were all gone after the first weekend. 8-3 teams aren't powerhouses unless you make them so. Tell me how you dont rank SCSU in the top 20 and they return the best team in the conference, the same way they were kept them out of the playoffs last year, with a 9-2 record. They however found room for three Big South teams, three Big Sky teams and several more A-10 teams. If you notice the so-called elite teams don't tend to be scheduling much outside of their conferences either.


Who actually decides strength of conference?
:idea:

 

[PNeck019]

Our conference champion lost at home to a Division II school.

Our runner-up lost at home to two teams who won one and two games respectively in their conferences.

Non-conference wins over I-AA opponents:
Alcorn St. 33-27 over Southeastern La. (7-4, 3 wins over I-AA)
Grambling 24-23 over Bethune-Cookman (6-4, 4-3 MEAC)
Alabama St. 27-12 over Howard (6-5, 3-4 MEAC)
Alcorn St. 16-13 over N.C. A&T (3-8, 1-6 MEAC)
Alabama A&M 44-12 over Savannah St. (2-8, 1 win over I-AA)
Grambling 31-26 over Savannah St. (2-8, 1 win over I-AA)

Non-conference losses to I-AA opponents:
Jackson St. 38-19 loss to Hampton (10-2, 6-1 MEAC)
Jackson St. 28-20 loss to Northwestern St. (8-4, 4-1 Southland)
Texas Southern 52-6 loss to Northwestern St. (8-4, 4-1 Southland)
Miss Valley 33-17 loss to Southeastern La. (7-4, 3 wins over I-AA)
Ark.-Pine Bluff 27-14 loss to Bethune-Cookman (6-4, 4-3 MEAC)
Alcorn St. 17-10 loss to Howard (6-5, 3-4 MEAC)
Southern 31-24 loss to South Dakota St. (6-5, 2-3 Great West)
Texas Southern 21-6 loss to Nicholls St. (5-5, 2-3 Southland)
Jackson St. 21-20 loss to Tennessee St. (4-7, 2-5 OVC)
Alabama A&M 42-7 loss to Tennessee St. (4-7, 2-5 OVC)
Southern 35-17 loss to McNeese St. (4-7, 1-4 Southland)

Other wins:
Prairie View 20-14 over Division II Lincoln
Southern 50-17 over NAIA Texas College
Miss Valley 48-7 over NAIA Paul Quinn
Prairie View 31-12 over NAIA Paul Quinn
Ark.-Pine Bluff 48-34 over NAIA Paul Quinn

Other loss:
Alabama St. 27-17 loss to Division II Tuskegee

Conference strength is not always a subjective thing. Nearly every computer ranking says the same thing.

 

[JROCK]

These preseason polls disregard for the SWAC has been going on since the inception of I-AA. This is nothing new. At one time Grambling was the pollsters pre-season "token." Of course this no longer is the case. If I had to guess, Alabama State, Grambling, Southern, Hampton and South Carolina State can compete and beat any I-AA on any given Saturday. These teams should be listed in no particular order at the top 1/3 of any polls. One problem with the 9 game mandate is it limits the stronger teams the opportunity to dispell some of these myths by scheduling more out of conference mid majors. On the other side of the coin, the weaker teams in the conference wouldn't schedule properly and play in games that they have no chance to win. The few games that we schedule out of conference are necessary for us to win. But, even if we win those games in the future, don't look for the pollsters to give us too much respect. Consider who are running those polls.

 

[Jag Voice]

Well I surely won't defend the SWAC in any footbal polls. Our coaches are the top paid in the naton and we can't beat mediocore Southland programs and still lose to Div II on occassion.

We are right where we need to be in these polls until proven otherwise.

Whether than question the polls, maybe we should question are we are getting our money's worth from our coaches.

 

[Jag-BR]

Go TSU!!!

stop :lmao:

 

[JROCK]

Whether than question the polls, maybe we should question are we are getting our money's worth from our coaches.

I disagree with the above ascertion. The coaches that are commanding high salaries (ie...Pete Richardson) is putting a product on the field that his target market is interested in. That is the reason that butts are in the seats and television contracts are being made. Just because Mr. Charlie tells you that it is not a good product doesn't make it so. The programs that are under achieving (i.e. Jackson St) are paying their coaches commensurate with the product that is being put on the field. The bigger question is why is the money not being re-invested in the program to the extent that facilities for the student athletes are better and to further enhance the product.

 

[CATMENDUE2]

I disagree with the above ascertion. The coaches that are commanding high salaries (ie...Pete Richardson) is putting a product on the field that his target market is interested in. That is the reason that butts are in the seats and television contracts are being made. Just because Mr. Charlie tells you that it is not a good product doesn't make it so. The programs that are under achieving (i.e. Jackson St) are paying their coaches commensurate with the product that is being put on the field. The bigger question is why is the money not being re-invested in the program to the extent that facilities for the student athletes are better and to further enhance the product.

Man you hit that on the head :lecture: Preach Bruh Preach.

 

[PNeck019]

Here are Sagarin's final rankings from 2004:

Among I-AA teams
45. Alabama St.
65. Southern U.
70. Ark.-Pine Bluff
81. Alcorn St.
85. Alabama A&M
89. Jackson St.
94. Grambling
104. Mississippi Val.
110. Prairie View
116. Texas Southern

I-AA by Conference
1. Atlantic 10
2. Great West
3. Big Sky
4. Ivy
5. Southland
6. Southern
7. Gateway
7. Patriot
8. Independents
9. Ohio Valley
10. MEAC
11. Big South
12. SWAC
13. Northeast
14. Pioneer
15. Metro Atlantic

Guys, a blind man can see that the play needs to improve.

It's not about Mr. Charlie, D. Whightman, or any of that bullshat that comes out every time someone points out the SWAC's shortcomings.

I take no pleasure in pointing these things out. Quite the contrary, I'd like to see things improve, and if it takes pointing out the bad or the ugly, then so be it.

If it's a figment of my imagination, then how do you explain the consistent arse-kickings when we step out of conference? When the league's top teams get beat by middle of the road or doormats from other conferences, doesn't that mean things have to get better?

I also don't believe the answer is to get away from playing these other schools all together. If you go 10-1 vs. a nine-game SWAC schedule plus two NAIAs or Division IIs, what have you really accomplished?

Don't come at me with attendance, either. Yes, the SWAC is atop I-AA in attendance, and a source of pride for the league and its fans. That doesn't mean it has the best product on the field. Hell, lots of folks at the games could GAF about what's going on between the lines. IMO, the SWAC leads in attendance because many of the games are events and social outings-opportunities to see and be seen in your best threads and to see which band has the best night.

Quick question: if all seats are GA, what fills up first, the 50-yardlines or the sections next to the band?

This is not to say that there are not a lot of serious football fans among SWAC crowds. There very much are. But quite a few are not.

 

[Jaguar94]

Calm down PNeck!!!!!!!
But I hearya.

Question, :lecture: :lecture: Why do we put so much importance on our strength of schedule anyway?????

 

[JROCK]

Guys, a blind man can see that the play needs to improve.

I don't think anyone in this forum will dispute your contention.

It's not about Mr. Charlie, D. Whightman, or any of that bullshat that comes out every time someone points out the SWAC's shortcomings.

Let's not act like the undercover racists in I-AA don't revel in constantly attacking the SWAC. These trailer park types never have anything positive to say about the league. All is not "doom and gloom" in the SWAC.

I take no pleasure in pointing these things out. Quite the contrary, I'd like to see things improve, and if it takes pointing out the bad or the ugly, then so be it.

Nothing is wrong with "pointing out" problems. It is the consistency in outsiders harping on negativity with a superiority complex with no knowledge of the history that even made them competitive in the first place.

If it's a figment of my imagination, then how do you explain the consistent arse-kickings when we step out of conference? When the league's top teams get beat by middle of the road or doormats from other conferences, doesn't that mean things have to get better?

All of that and no one want so see these people. College football is also a business. And, outsiders have no game plan to bring their product up to par other than begging a SWAC team to be placed on their schedule. The doormats are those conferences that weren't shat before Mr. Charlie created a sub division of division 1 to wreck a brand in addition to the purchase of athletes. I'm submitting that with the exception of the SWAC, the rest of D-1AA was scum buckets. Now they are acting "brand new" as if they are somewhere close to the pedigree of the SWAC.

I also don't believe the answer is to get away from playing these other schools all together. If you go 10-1 vs. a nine-game SWAC schedule plus two NAIAs or Division IIs, what have you really accomplished?

I never liked the 9 games mandate. Not to specifically facilitate begging schools to get on the BCF elite schedules though.

Don't come at me with attendance, either. Yes, the SWAC is atop I-AA in attendance, and a source of pride for the league and its fans. That doesn't mean it has the best product on the field. Hell, lots of folks at the games could GAF about what's going on between the lines. IMO, the SWAC leads in attendance because many of the games are events and social outings-opportunities to see and be seen in your best threads and to see which band has the best night.

The SWAC has a better total package than the rest of I-AA. This is also a direct reflection of an interest for a BRAND that has been developed over years. Although the subdivision was implemented, the SWAC brand still garner attendance numbers. The rest of I-AA other than the Ivy's do not have a formidable brand. In essence the other conferences were not shat prior to the white man indian treaty that developed D-1AA. College football is also a business and all of the whinning about who has the best product on the field don't translate into customers. Whether you like it or not,the SWAC brand is established, formidable and generate fans/customers much to many chagrin.

The way I see it.......

 

[CATMENDUE2]

When 1AA teams outside of the SWAC call the Gram, SU, JSU and ALBST to play on a regular basis as they do for MVSU, ALcorn, TSU and PV then things will change. PWC's only plays SWAC's lower five because they know they can win and they don't have to return the game. Grambling has attempted many times to arrange games OOC and we all know what happened. Actually Grambling's record against the Southland is actually pretty damn good and so is Southern's.

It amazes me that OOC teams plays our weak sisters and beat the hell out of the them, but it dosent seem to alter the their conference strengths. If the the big Three or Four teams in SWAC played any 1AA conference weak sisters on a regular basis, it quite reasonable to believe that their strengths would start to fall also.

Elite PWC's quite frankly, don't wont to travel to HBCU and if anyone here is dumb enough to believe anything other than that :mrt: