2023 SAC Early Predictions

[cavsfan94]

With football season just a couple of months away, what are your early predictions for the upcoming season?

[Hailscarlet&gray]

Newberry- 10-1 Regular Season

[Saints Tailgating]

I think Carson-Newman makes a big step forward and will be in the hunt for the Mountain Division crown along with Mars Hill & Tusculum. In the Piedmont, it'll come down to the usual suspects, L-R, Newberry, & Wingate.

[Eagle74]

Overall, without splitting into divisions:

1. Lenoir Rhyne
2. Carson Newman
3. Barton
4. Mars Hill
5. Wingate
6. Tusculum
7. Newberry
8. Limestone
9. Emory & Henry
10. Erskine
11. Virginia Wise
12. Catawba

[BEARS]

Eagle74 provoking the Bear (per usual). Here's my thoughts:

1. Lenoir-Rhyne - only graduating 3-4 starters from last year. The Bears have been playing together since the covid spring season and will only keep gelling as it looks to finally settle the QB situation. CFB Network had two Bears in its first team All America squad and 3 more in the second and third teams. This team is stacked.
2. Wingate - bringing back a stout defense but offense has been their struggle of late. They're losing a ton on the offensive side of the ball (including some stalwarts on the oline), but coach Reich always has them playing tough and recruits well. Will put them at two for now but can easily see them slipping if they really struggle to move the ball.
3. Limestone - brutal schedule, but they showed enough last year to be a program on the rise.
4. Newberry - lost essentially their whole offense. The Wolves have been such an up and down team with talent the past decade and each "up" feels like it always is followed by an immediate "down."
5. Mars Hill - should be the class of a very average Mountain division. Urzua and Snelson are gone (I think) but they still have a good defense.
6. Tusculum - don't forget they won 8 games last year. Similar to Newberry in their tendency to be up and down. The starting QB Simmons is back which should be a boost. They're one of four teams I could see taking the Mountain.
7. Carson Newman - will be a contender for the Mountain this year (which should be considered progress) but this is still a long-term project up in Eagle Land.
8. Emory & Henry - finished last season very well. Not sure what they're bringing back but will cause trouble for some teams like they did to Wingate and Newberry last year.
9. Barton - feels like they've declined every game they've played since joining the SAC. Terrell is back which is good, but if they continue to be 100% one dimensional it doesn't matter how good your starting RB is.
10. UVA Wise - Redwine is back and he has shown fireworks in the past. Don't really see Wise doing much outside of one or two upsets of middling teams.
11. Catawba - I like the new coach, but can't put CatU much higher considering how disastrously the past several seasons have gone.
12. Erskine - are they still even in the SAC? Like seriously, I thought they were jumping to the GSC. Doormat program.

[JetSweep]

Eagle74 provoking the Bear (per usual). Here's my thoughts:

1. Lenoir-Rhyne - only graduating 3-4 starters from last year. The Bears have been playing together since the covid spring season and will only keep gelling as it looks to finally settle the QB situation. CFB Network had two Bears in its first team All America squad and 3 more in the second and third teams. This team is stacked.
2. Wingate - bringing back a stout defense but offense has been their struggle of late. They're losing a ton on the offensive side of the ball (including some stalwarts on the oline), but coach Reich always has them playing tough and recruits well. Will put them at two for now but can easily see them slipping if they really struggle to move the ball.
3. Limestone - brutal schedule, but they showed enough last year to be a program on the rise.
4. Newberry - lost essentially their whole offense. The Wolves have been such an up and down team with talent the past decade and each "up" feels like it always is followed by an immediate "down."
5. Mars Hill - should be the class of a very average Mountain division. Urzua and Snelson are gone (I think) but they still have a good defense.
6. Tusculum - don't forget they won 8 games last year. Similar to Newberry in their tendency to be up and down. The starting QB Simmons is back which should be a boost. They're one of four teams I could see taking the Mountain.
7. Carson Newman - will be a contender for the Mountain this year (which should be considered progress) but this is still a long-term project up in Eagle Land.
8. Emory & Henry - finished last season very well. Not sure what they're bringing back but will cause trouble for some teams like they did to Wingate and Newberry last year.
9. Barton - feels like they've declined every game they've played since joining the SAC. Terrell is back which is good, but if they continue to be 100% one dimensional it doesn't matter how good your starting RB is.
10. UVA Wise - Redwine is back and he has shown fireworks in the past. Don't really see Wise doing much outside of one or two upsets of middling teams.
11. Catawba - I like the new coach, but can't put CatU much higher considering how disastrously the past several seasons have gone.
12. Erskine - are they still even in the SAC? Like seriously, I thought they were jumping to the GSC. Doormat program.

Tusculum has new QB from Marshall. Simmons moved on to D1

[87Bear]

1. LR
2. Wingate
3. Newberry
4. Limestone
5. Tusculum
6. Mars Hill
7, Carson Newman
8. Emory & Henry
9. UVA-Wise
10. Barton
11. Catawba
12. Erskine

[Eagle74]

Word is that Coach Hester's Barton team is pretty loaded this year, and could make an impact with both the SAC, and with who makes it to this year's playoffs.

[canadarican]

I've got to see someone other than Terrell be able to beat you. And the gap last year between the top 4 in the Piedmont and Barton was pretty sizeable.

But who on earth knows. Nobody thought Limestone would be in the postseason ha!

[BEARS]

Barton better have made a BIG TIME step up because they got SPANKED a combined 104-24 by LR, Wingate and Newberry.

[canadarican]

Barton better have made a BIG TIME step up because they got SPANKED a combined 104-24 by LR, Wingate and Newberry.

I could be wrong....but i didnt think the game against Limestone wasn't necessarily as close as the score. Barton didn't have the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in the 2nd half if I remember correctly.

[cavsfan94]

I'm predicting a 3-8 record for UVA-Wise

[Hailscarlet&gray]

1. Wingate
2. Newberry
3. Tusculum
4. Lenoir-Rhyne
5. Limestone
6. Carson-Newman
7. Emory & Henry
8. Barton
9. UVA Wise
10. Erskine
11. Catawba

[canadarican]

1. Wingate
2. Newberry
3. Tusculum
4. Lenoir-Rhyne
5. Limestone
6. Carson-Newman
7. Emory & Henry
8. Barton
9. UVA Wise
10. Erskine
11. Catawba

Mars Hill gonna be so bad you didn't even rank them! that is cold my friend LOL. I kid.

[Hailscarlet&gray]

Mars Hill gonna be so bad you didn't even rank them! that is cold my friend LOL. I kid.

My bad. I would have Mars Hill #5, drop Limestone to 6th. Though Limestone had a good year last year, I’m not convinced they will build on that; even though I still think they will be pretty good.