SR1 FB....'22

[Fightingscot82]

St. Elsewhere is3-0???

For real?

Their OWP is .000.

Worse than John Blutarski.

[IUPNation]

St. Elsewhere is3-0???

For real?

[CALUPA69]

GMAC- Ashland was off this week, still stands at 2-0. Starting 10/8 they have 3 straight against ODU, Tiffin and Hillsdale. That will pretty much decide their fate there.
Tiffin Lost to Indianapolis this weekend, still has Hillsdale, Findlay and Ashland on the schedule. 1 loss your in the playoffs, 2 you leave it up to the "formula." Ohio Domincan and Hillsdale also at 2-1 and would be in the same boat. Not including Northwood (also 2-1) as they still need to play ODU, Tiffin, Hillsdale, Findlay and Ashland. Unlikely they go 4-1 at minimum there.

PSAC- IUP, Slippery Rock, and Shepherd are the remaining unbeatens. IUP and Slippery Rock still have to play themselves and Cal which is their tough stretch until the state game. Highly likely both finish with 1 loss and would be strong playoff contenders. State game participant usually always gets the benefit of the doubt come playoff time even if they take the 2nd loss in it.
Shepherd has a huge game this week against Preseason #2 Kutztown in the East. If the Rams can win that one, likely to be undefeated going into the state game. Kutztown's season is on the line this weekend.

MEC- I'm not taking Concord seriously at 3-0, Wesleyan is horrendous and they barely snuck that by for a win. Frostburg at 3-0 and Notre Dame at 2-1 are the only contenders I think by the end of the year. ND beating Frostburg would allow probably 2 MEC teams in the playoffs. If Frostburg gives ND loss #2, I see it as a 1 bid league for this season.

NE10- Saint Anselm is 3-0, New Haven at 2-1, Bentley at 2-1 and Pace at 2-1. SA has to play all three of them in the month of October, New Haven against Bentley this week will send one to loss #2. Pace is a pretender, already got smoked by Bentley. Could be a 2 bid league as well when all said and done.

Not that anyone cares but I'd see rank it as follows as of today through week 3:

1. Ashland
2. Slippery Rock
3. Shepherd
4. Frostburg State
5. IUP
6. Tiffin (over ODU due to head to head)
7. New Haven/Bentley/Saint Anselm (NE 10 placeholder)

Very concise update. Only disagree that NE10 could qualify 2. Simply don't see any quality OOC wins that could boost a second 2 loss team. Thanks for the work.

[Ram040506]

GMAC- Ashland was off this week, still stands at 2-0. Starting 10/8 they have 3 straight against ODU, Tiffin and Hillsdale. That will pretty much decide their fate there.
Tiffin Lost to Indianapolis this weekend, still has Hillsdale, Findlay and Ashland on the schedule. 1 loss your in the playoffs, 2 you leave it up to the "formula." Ohio Domincan and Hillsdale also at 2-1 and would be in the same boat. Not including Northwood (also 2-1) as they still need to play ODU, Tiffin, Hillsdale, Findlay and Ashland. Unlikely they go 4-1 at minimum there.

PSAC- IUP, Slippery Rock, and Shepherd are the remaining unbeatens. IUP and Slippery Rock still have to play themselves and Cal which is their tough stretch until the state game. Highly likely both finish with 1 loss and would be strong playoff contenders. State game participant usually always gets the benefit of the doubt come playoff time even if they take the 2nd loss in it.
Shepherd has a huge game this week against Preseason #2 Kutztown in the East. If the Rams can win that one, likely to be undefeated going into the state game. Kutztown's season is on the line this weekend.

MEC- I'm not taking Concord seriously at 3-0, Wesleyan is horrendous and they barely snuck that by for a win. Frostburg at 3-0 and Notre Dame at 2-1 are the only contenders I think by the end of the year. ND beating Frostburg would allow probably 2 MEC teams in the playoffs. If Frostburg gives ND loss #2, I see it as a 1 bid league for this season.

NE10- Saint Anselm is 3-0, New Haven at 2-1, Bentley at 2-1 and Pace at 2-1. SA has to play all three of them in the month of October, New Haven against Bentley this week will send one to loss #2. Pace is a pretender, already got smoked by Bentley. Could be a 2 bid league as well when all said and done.

Not that anyone cares but I'd see rank it as follows as of today through week 3:

1. Ashland
2. Slippery Rock
3. Shepherd
4. Frostburg State
5. IUP
6. Tiffin (over ODU due to head to head)
7. New Haven/Bentley/Saint Anselm (NE 10 placeholder)

[CALUPA69]

Stop it! Cal and shep is gonna be a good one. Might go either way.

Don't believe so for one reason. Gary Dunn.
I am actually a big supporter of GD for several reasons. We share HS and college alma maters. He runs a clean, stable and reasonably successful program especially given the level of support he gets versus his immediate predecessors. IMO, he is in it for the long haul.
However, as a coach he will always be the guy who gets close but never quite makes it, especially against teams at the same level of talent, say KUTZ or SHEP. If the VULCANS are on your schedule it is a game to be taken very seriously. But if your team is properly prepared, GD's game plan will not surprise you and can be defended. Since taking over in '16 his record is 44-14 which I'll gladly take any day of the week. However a deeper dive into those numbers tells you that against teams of equal talent he is 7-13 with four of those Ws coming against IUP who have a serious "Adamson jinx" issue.
So today may turn out to be an actual contest but history doesn't bode well. Time will tell.

[Ram040506]

SR1 GAMES TO WATCH...

GMAC--OOC WEEK. Conference looking solid for two, maybe three, PO spots as of now.

INDY will look for revenge @TIFF but won't find it.
ODU will roll over 0-2 W JEWELL.
NORTHWD crashes to earth against visiting SVSU.
In a replay of December's America's Crossroads Bowl HILLS takes on TRUM ST... and loses again.
ASH has an open date.

MEC-- After two weeks, no one looks overwhelming which probably means only 1 PO spot.
WLU loses #1 @ NDC.
CHAS battles to stay relevant against FRSU and probably fails.
UNC-P keeps pace @ GSU.
CONC stays undefeated for another week @ WVSU.

PSAC-- Pretenders begin falling away this weekend. CAL along with either/ both of WCU and KUTZ fall to 1-2 leaving zero room for error. Conference still looking good for two or three PO spots.

CAL @ SHEP will not be pretty and will make me sad.
WCU @ GU is a must win for for the G'RAMS but it may not happen.
KUTZ @ MERCY ...same for the G'BEARS in Erie..
SRU @ MILL and IUP @ SHIP are both easy steps toward their Division title game in two weeks.

NE10-- Conference likely will slip back to one playoff spot this year.

BENT rolls over the fake POST on Friday and moves to 2-1
UNH also goes to 2-1 against visiting AIU.
ST A probably moves to 3-0 visiting FPU.
PACE tries to keep pace at SCSU and doesn't make it.

Stop it! Cal and shep is gonna be a good one. Might go either way.

[CALUPA69]

SR1 GAMES TO WATCH...

GMAC--OOC WEEK. Conference looking solid for two, maybe three, PO spots as of now.

INDY will look for revenge @TIFF but won't find it.
ODU will roll over 0-2 W JEWELL.
NORTHWD crashes to earth against visiting SVSU.
In a replay of December's America's Crossroads Bowl HILLS takes on TRUM ST... and loses again.
ASH has an open date.

MEC-- After two weeks, no one looks overwhelming which probably means only 1 PO spot.

WLU loses #1 @ NDC.
CHAS battles to stay relevant against FRSU and probably fails.
UNC-P keeps pace @ GSU.
CONC stays undefeated for another week @ WVWU.

PSAC-- Pretenders begin falling away this weekend. CAL along with either/ both of WCU and KUTZ fall to 1-2 leaving zero room for error. Conference still looking good for two or three PO spots.

CAL @ SHEP will not be pretty and will make me sad.
WCU @ GU is a must win for for the G'RAMS but it may not happen.
KUTZ @ MERCY ...same for the G'BEARS in Erie..
SRU @ MILL and IUP @ SHIP are both easy steps toward their Division title game in two weeks.

NE10-- Conference likely will slip back to one playoff spot this year.

BENT rolls over the fake POST on Friday and moves to 2-1
UNH also goes to 2-1 against visiting AIU.
ST A probably moves to 3-0 visiting FPU.
PACE tries to keep pace at SCSU and doesn't make it.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I see Kutztown as a long shot to even get to the playoff at all, a lot has to go right for them. I don't expect those four teams to be the top four seeds (though it could happen), but I'd be surprised if anyone else is left standing once we get to the national semis.

We see every year teams start hot and then come Week 4 their QB blows out his shoulder, etc. Then, of course, everything changes.

One time (or, 36,789 times) I heard a coach talk about 'one game at a time'. So cliche, but that's really all that matters.

Only fact I can give you is the teams you watched in Weeks 1 & 2 will all be much different by Weeks 6 & 7. Every team will lose guys for extended periods or for the duration.

Looking at Kutztown, they'll be a home dog in 10 days against Shepherd. But, I'm not sure they'll lose again after that point. Their defense is legit. If that offense gets them 17-21 points ... they aren't going to lose much. Kutztown is also the team that's given Shepherd the most trouble the past several years. California will be a big step up in competition for the Rams this weekend. The Rams will win (likely) but we'll get to see them against a lot better opponent than SCS or Edinboro.

But, again, you lose 3-4 dudes this week to injuries and a strong team can quickly become a mediocre team. All of our top teams are pretty good, roster-wise, players 1-30. SR1 teams take a significant drop in talent in players 31-55. You can coach-speak me to death, but there's a significant drop going from an all-conference upper classmen to a true freshman - regardless what Mike Tomlin says. LOL.

[Inkblot]

It's really too early to make any judgments about the GMAC. They've played exactly one D2 non-conference game. That'll change in these next two weeks when they play seventeen of them – fourteen against the GLVC, which is 3-7 against D2 opponents thus far (but Indianapolis has played none).

[EastStroud13]

Goodness, it’s WAY too early to make a prediction like that, but at least you “narrowed” it down to four. Joking aside, it’s not a bad list but I’d add Kutztown, IUP, and Cal as a longer shot. There are also a couple solid teams in the NE-10 that shouldn’t be overlooked. I think it’s up for grabs.

I see Kutztown as a long shot to even get to the playoff at all, a lot has to go right for them. I don't expect those four teams to be the top four seeds (though it could happen), but I'd be surprised if anyone else is left standing once we get to the national semis.

[CALUPA69]

I agree that Noah Mitchell is overflowing with raw talent. Props to GD for finding him. But I don't think he's developed (matured?) the way Vulcans fans would have hoped. Granted, I haven't watched enough Cal football to see his full body of work. He does seem to have minimized the chucking he displayed his freshman year. It may also be that in spite of his talent, he's now surrounded by more talent making it difficult to put out crazy stats. His stats line after 2 games is pretty good. 63% completion rate, 5:1 TD-INT ratio, etc. His yards are down but could that be Cal finally having a decent running game to use?

My issue is really with DUNN more than MITCHELL. He seems to call plays that can only be described as unimaginative and don't focus on his QB's natural talents. IMO, when you're lucky enough to find a talent like this, you program to his strengths rather than trying to force him into the mold of your theoretical ideal game plan. Too late to worry about or change things now. The VULCANS will go as far as NM takes them.

[Fightingscot82]

Having watched the combo of Mitchell/Dunn develop over 4 yrs I can tell you the VULCANS are not a threat. NM seems to have the talent to be an outstanding QB but the offensive package that GD, a 17 year OC, provides him does absolutely nothing to maximize that talent. A total mystery to me.
Playing the G'BEARS in Andre Reed is, as always, a major challenge.

I agree that Noah Mitchell is overflowing with raw talent. Props to GD for finding him. But I don't think he's developed (matured?) the way Vulcans fans would have hoped. Granted, I haven't watched enough Cal football to see his full body of work. He does seem to have minimized the chucking he displayed his freshman year. It may also be that in spite of his talent, he's now surrounded by more talent making it difficult to put out crazy stats. His stats line after 2 games is pretty good. 63% completion rate, 5:1 TD-INT ratio, etc. His yards are down but could that be Cal finally having a decent running game to use?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Having watched the combo of Mitchell/Dunn develop over 4 yrs I can tell you the VULCANS are not a threat. NM seems to have the talent to be an outstanding QB but the offensive package that GD, a 17 year OC, provides him does absolutely nothing to maximize that talent. A total mystery to me.
Playing the G'BEARS in Andre Reed is, as always, a major challenge.

Mitchell overthrew that bomb at the end of the game by a yard last week to a wide open WR who could have went in-stride to the house. One yard and this would be a much different conversation.

In his defense, he did lose some big-time WRs.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Back to back tough games for shepherd against cal and kutztown I would not expect Shepherd to sweep. As IUP fans lamant every year, having a stretch like that usually always results in one loss.

7 spots for the playoff, even in maybe a down year the PSAC should grab 3 of those spots. The NE10 and MEC will be one bid leagues I think. GMAC sounds like a gauntlet this year and the strongest overall league. But they’ll cannibalize each other.

I think IUP enjoys playing Cal and SRU back-to-back. Every. Single. Year.

One heck of a scheduling MATRIX ... 10 years in a row. It's total B.S.

Grumbling aside, Hell Yeah ... it's difficult. Any coach speaking candidly will tell you that straight up. While it's happening, you'll get the coach speak blah blah blah 'next game on the schedule' jargon. That's not reality and off record they'd be the first to tell you that.

It's extremely challenging to get a team 'up' two games in a row. Not to mention, you typically get beat up in the first game and hobble in to the next week.

IUP had two of those instances last year. They opened with Kutztown and Shepherd (both great in 2021) and then a couple weeks later did the yearly SRU/Cal. They managed to go 2-2 after blowing the Cal game.

[CALUPA69]

Back to back tough games for shepherd against cal and kutztown I would not expect Shepherd to sweep. As IUP fans lamant every year, having a stretch like that usually always results in one loss.

7 spots for the playoff, even in maybe a down year the PSAC should grab 3 of those spots. The NE10 and MEC will be one bid leagues I think. GMAC sounds like a gauntlet this year and the strongest overall league. But they’ll cannibalize each other.

Having watched the combo of Mitchell/Dunn develop over 4 yrs I can tell you the VULCANS are not a threat. NM seems to have the talent to be an outstanding QB but the offensive package that GD, a 17 year OC, provides him does absolutely nothing to maximize that talent. A total mystery to me.
Playing the G'BEARS in Andre Reed is, as always, a major challenge.