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Some questions I have

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Some questions I have

I was just wondering everyones insight onto this question. I am trying to understand the dynamics of the FAU team in a bigger picture frame. Has the belt improved and is the belt now at a higher level in general, which explains the wins:

Troy over UAB(CUSA)
FIU over Akron(Mac)
LA-Monroe over Arkansas(SEC + ranked 8th)
Arkansas State over Memphis(CUSA)
Western Kentucky over Kentucky (SEC)
Middle Tennessee over Memphis(CUSA)
I remember when all non-belt games were considered losses for a majority of the belt except the top team or two, and even more so for a BCS school. If feels like it more spread around at least this year, as not just being one or two top teams (or is it in my head). Here are my questions

1) Has the overall difference in level between the belt and other conferences really narrowed, or was it just a lucky combination of the better team in the belt playing teams that were just having really bad years?

2) Is the team’s record a function of the ability of the team staying the same since 2007, but everyone else rising up and getting stronger? How much of what is going on around the Owls is FAU digging out of past backsliding, and how much is the overall play ability of the other belt teams better advancing in ability across the board making the fall off seem greater than it really might be. What I mean by that is that FAU never really had a drop off of talent since 2007, but instead kept recruiting the same level while everyone else was increasing the ability levels and narrowing the gap with the big boys)? What catches my mind on this question is how/why the rest of the belt is winning games more frequently against non-belt teams than in the past. How much of the increased wins are purely from just less money games from the belt that could artificially raise the belts perception without really meaning a narrowing of the gap has occurred.
Also after seeing the results of the first few weeks of scores I am not sure how I feel about the conference realignments. If the sun belt is really getting stronger, and starts to gain more respect, it might not be as “tragic” of a thing that it didn’t get into CUSA. I still thing the general college football world has a bad stigma about the belt (why Arkansas got thumped out the rankings so hard for the loss, and reversely the fact that LA-Monroe who beat them barely got any top 25 ranking vote love for beating the #8 team). However, how many non-BCS teams are in the top 25?(CUSA,MAC, etc…) so how much does it truly mean to be in a non-BCS conference and if the landscape is really shifting and starting to level off between the non-BCS and even between the non-BCS and BCS’s busters how much does it really matter to the big picture for FAU?
These are just questions I have had in my head and wanted to see what everyone thought given a few weeks of results to weigh it to.

Thanks
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Re: Some questions I have

Eng-owl said

I was just wondering everyones insight onto this question. I am trying to understand the dynamics of the FAU team in a bigger picture frame. Has the belt improved and is the belt now at a higher level in general…

1. No, the league has gotten markedly better in the last two seasons, IMO.

2. See above, and we have digressed to go along with it.

Ps…welcome back!
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Re: Some questions I have

Both good questions and welcome to the board.

I think the SBC talent level may have improved slightly as well as a slight improvement in coaching. However, the SBC had some strong teams in years past. Troy used to be very competitive as did North Texas. So, overall I do not think that is SBC has really closed the gap. We just hear more about the big SBC wins today because the coverage is significantly better than 10 years ago.

Also, the ULM win against Auburn might not be such a big deal if Auburn finished below .500 for the season. This is like when FAU beat Minnesota and then Minnesota went on to a 1-11 record.

Presumably the talent level should not have dropped since 2007. However, I think the thing that has declined at least in the last two years is discipline. Coaching changes on offense have also played a role as well as the previous lack of a stadium on campus. Another BIG factor is that Coach Schnellenberger almost never brought in JUCO players. Most other SBC schools routinely bring in JUCO guys to fill areas of need. The end result is that talent might actually be higher at some other SBC schools. However, the whole thing is cyclical. It is very hard to be consistent in college football even for BCS conference schools with the exception of the most elite and even they falter sometimes.

GO OWLS!!!

2017 and 2019 Conference USA Champions
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Re: Some questions I have

Akron - bottom of the MAC
UAB and Memphis - bottom the CUSA
Kentucky - bottom of the SEC
Arkansas - we shall see, but 0-52 to Bama AT HOME?

That being said, yes the Belt is improving but like our prior Bowl wins and the Minny win, they were not over national powers.

And playing UGA (now ranked 5th AFTER their win over us and Bama, ranked No. 1 in the nation as well as being DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS back to back and on the road is absolutely the toughest stretch of scheduling any team in the nation will face this year. If we survive physivally we will be better for it! Sit Dukes and get more playing time for the rest of the WR corps, they need the experience too!
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