Pre-Pre-Season poll

[Ship69]

JC Morgan is back at Ship as RB coach. Former QB Vince Micucci is listed as student assistant on the coaches page.

Glad to have J.C. back. He knows his stuff and has been a good recruiter in the past. Also, it's great he could land somewhere after a brutal year in which he lost his wife and his position at Millersville. Interesting bit about Micucci.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

For blanks and giggles:


1. California - The Vulcans brought in a stud QB (and many other impact transfers). Gary Dunn rarely loses the X's and O's battle to other coaches in the West. So, combining excellent coaching with a very talented roster ... I see a West title within reach. Add to it the majority of Cal's toughest games are in Adamson Stadium (including SRU and IUP).

2. Slippery Rock - Don't get fooled if SRU starts slow -- perhaps even 0-2. But, I suspect SRU bounces back after last year's rare down season. I suspect the Rock splits the Cal/IUP duo but otherwise runs the table.

3. IUP - Could the Hawks be ranked higher? Maybe. Can't say for sure. Us lowly fans don't know who is or isn't on the team yet. Hopefully we have a roster by opening night. (Somewhat) joking aside, IUP has two major, major question marks -- the DL and the QB (whomever it may be). If both hit, IUP can win the West. If one (or both) don't ... buckle up. If ever there was a year an opening cupcake game would have been nice, this is it. Team Tort, while (supposedly) highly talented on paper, remains a bit of a mystery as of Aug. 20.

4. Clarion - The Golden Eagles have a budding star at QB -- and enough around him to cause other teams fits. The defense should be better. Can they knock off one of the Big 3? I'm not there yet. Week 1 against a glorified high school team (on a multiple years-long losing streak) won't show much. But, Week 2 (at Kutztown) will tell us an awful lot. If Clarion is remotely competitive against the Bears, it will make some noise in the West.

5. Edinboro - The Scots seem to routinely overcome coaching changes, player defections, etc. A year ago, Edinboro beat the living hell out of Slippery Rock while getting its head ripped off against IUP. New coaches bring surprises -- good and bad. Elevating an in-house assistant sometimes works. Sometimes the ship hits the iceberg.

6. Lock Haven - These Bald Eagles likely aren't of the Twitter Dancing variety of a few years back. But, they have certainly elevated from doormat to pesky.

7. Gannon - Can the Boom Squad regain some of its past boom? Things got pretty ugly in Erie last Fall. It's not likely to get any prettier this season.

8. Seton Hill - If anything, the Griffins are a wild card. It goes somewhat under the radar, but Seton Hill routinely gets devastated in the Portal. There are some dudes in Greensburg this year (as usual). Are there enough of them?

[CUlater]

For blanks and giggles:


1. California - The Vulcans brought in a stud QB (and many other impact transfers). Gary Dunn rarely loses the X's and O's battle to other coaches in the West. So, combining excellent coaching with a very talented roster ... I see a West title within reach. Add to it the majority of Cal's toughest games are in Adamson Stadium (including SRU and IUP).

2. Slippery Rock - Don't get fooled if SRU starts slow -- perhaps even 0-2. But, I suspect SRU bounces back after last year's rare down season. I suspect the Rock splits the Cal/IUP duo but otherwise runs the table.

3. IUP - Could the Hawks be ranked higher? Maybe. Can't say for sure. Us lowly fans don't know who is or isn't on the team yet. Hopefully we have a roster by opening night. (Somewhat) joking aside, IUP has two major, major question marks -- the DL and the QB (whomever it may be). If both hit, IUP can win the West. If one (or both) don't ... buckle up. If ever there was a year an opening cupcake game would have been nice, this is it. Team Tort, while (supposedly) highly talented on paper, remains a bit of a mystery as of Aug. 20.

4. Clarion - The Golden Eagles have a budding star at QB -- and enough around him to cause other teams fits. The defense should be better. Can they knock off one of the Big 3? I'm not there yet. Week 1 against a glorified high school team (on a multiple years-long losing streak) won't show much. But, Week 2 (at Kutztown) will tell us an awful lot. If Clarion is remotely competitive against the Bears, it will make some noise in the West.

5. Edinboro - The Scots seem to routinely overcome coaching changes, player defections, etc. A year ago, Edinboro beat the living hell out of Slippery Rock while getting its head ripped off against IUP. New coaches bring surprises -- good and bad. Elevating an in-house assistant sometimes works. Sometimes the ship hits the iceberg.

6. Lock Haven - These Bald Eagles likely aren't of the Twitter Dancing variety of a few years back. But, they have certainly elevated from doormat to pesky.

7. Gannon - Can the Boom Squad regain some of its past boom? Things got pretty ugly in Erie last Fall. It's not likely to get any prettier this season.

8. Seton Hill - If anything, the Griffins are a wild card. It goes somewhat under the radar, but Seton Hill routinely gets devastated in the Portal. There are some dudes in Greensburg this year (as usual). Are there enough of them?

one development at Cal, they signed a monster transfer WR that i thought would be a major problem in this league BUT he backed out just a few days before camp. Looking at the roster I don't really see the talent at that position like they've had the last few years. They only return 1 WR from their top 6-7 pass catchers from a year ago. Something to keep an eye on....on the flip side, their O line should be improved this year and they bring back a really good RB that missed almost all of last season. Maybe the offense looks a little different this year.

otherwise, i think the Rock is the clear cut favorite in the west (before a snap is taken) but overall pretty aligned here.

[IUPNation]

Where is Mon Valley U getting the cash? The school is bleeding money….

[Big__Tasty]

one development at Cal, they signed a monster transfer WR that i thought would be a major problem in this league BUT he backed out just a few days before camp. Looking at the roster I don't really see the talent at that position like they've had the last few years. They only return 1 WR from their top 6-7 pass catchers from a year ago. Something to keep an eye on....on the flip side, their O line should be improved this year and they bring back a really good RB that missed almost all of last season. Maybe the offense looks a little different this year.

If you're taking about Kyle Manley, he's my daughter's boyfriend - 6'3 210 4.4. The deal they offered him changed. His uncle is former Sixer Aaron McKee. He's an incredible athlete. He couldn't swing it financially.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If you're taking about Kyle Manley, he's my daughter's boyfriend - 6'3 210 4.4. The deal they offered him changed. His uncle is former Sixer Aaron McKee. He's an incredible athlete. He couldn't swing it financially.

Send him to IUP. We'll find some coin.

[Big__Tasty]

Send him to IUP. We'll find some coin.

LOL. It happened so late (i think it was like a week before camp opened) he didn't have any time to find another school. He was really excited to be going there and had worked his butt off for months.

[CUlater]

If you're taking about Kyle Manley, he's my daughter's boyfriend - 6'3 210 4.4. The deal they offered him changed. His uncle is former Sixer Aaron McKee. He's an incredible athlete. He couldn't swing it financially.

this is exactly who i was referring to...tough break for the young man, and for Cal. I think he would have made a big impact. With the new 5for5 rule passing this has a larger impact on guys in this type of situation. age depending, they could actually end up losing a year of eligibility

[Big__Tasty]

this is exactly who i was referring to...tough break for the young man, and for Cal. I think he would have made a big impact. With the new 5for5 rule passing this has a larger impact on guys in this type of situation. age depending, they could actually end up losing a year of eligibility

He was down here at my house last night and I asked him what was going on. He said he'd be there for the spring semester and spring ball. I didn't delve too much into the details because it's really none of my business, but apparently they've got things worked out.

I feel bad for him. He's such a great kid, but he's had nothing but bad luck since he graduated from high school. He went to Delaware right out of high school and promptly got hurt the first week of practice. Then he transfered to William Patterson in Jersey. He was the wide out on the right side of the field and the QB was left handed and threw to the left side of the field almost exclusivly. I watched a few of his games, and he'd be wide open on the right side and the QB never even looked at him. Obviously this was not a good fit for a young man with his physical tools and ability, so he entered the portal again. Like I said, he was so excited to be going to Cal. I hated to see the rug pulled out from under him again, but happy it seems like they got the whole thing worked out.

Again, he's a burner for being so big. I took him to Delaware's football camp the summer before his senior year. At the end of camp they had 40 yard races with the winner advancing to the next round. He won the final by 2 steps.