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Has the Sun Belt gotten better?

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Overall Regular Season Record 2008 - 40-55
Signature Wins - Texas A&M, Maryland
Signature Close Games (losses within 8 pts) - Arkansas(1), Illinois(3), Southern Miss(3), Kentucky(6), USF(8), Kansas State(8), LSU (crazy)


Overall Regular Season Record 2007 - 37-59
Signature Wins - Oklahoma State, Memphis(?), Minnesota, Alabama
Signature Close Games (losses within 8 pts) - Virginia(2), Southern Miss(6), Ohio(8), USF(crazy)


So the conference has more wins overall, slightly fewer signature wins, although it can be argued that each 2008 only had 1 signature win, and 2007 only had 2 (Maryland 2008, Oklahoma State & Alabama 2007).  The number of close games has gone up significantly.  Therefore, this season has been a Sun Belt success.  The only team that continues to lag behind is North Texas.  If the conference sends 3 bowl teams it will be even bigger.

Florida Atlantic University Owls
2007 Sun Belt Football Champions 2007 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2008 Motor City Bowl Champions 2011 Sun Belt Basketball Champions No Bowls without Owls
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Re: Has the Sun Belt gotten better?

Has the Sun Belt gotten better?

If a Playoff system eventually put into place then the need to move to a different conference becomes null and void. You build this conference and I believe because of the schools geographically help build it into a very strong conference. It wouldn't happen over night it would pass the MAC and USA in the short term. The WAC is almost in the same situation as the WAC, in that they have programs on the rise but I believe the SBC will grow faster. If the SBC continues to grow stronger I can see teams bailing from USA to the Belt. Time will tell !!!
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Re: Has the Sun Belt gotten better?

SeminOWL2006 said

Overall Regular Season Record 2008 - 40-55
Signature Wins - Texas A&M, Maryland
Signature Close Games (losses within 8 pts) - Arkansas(1), Illinois(3), Southern Miss(3), Kentucky(6), USF(8), Kansas State(8), LSU (crazy)

If FIU had played Arkansas this year, they would have beaten them.

Who played Illinois within 3 points? They're such a strange team… Juice Williams is a great quarterback but sometimes they just can't get anything going against teams that really aren't anything special.
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Re: Has the Sun Belt gotten better?

I think it was ULL that almost beat Illinois but I'm too lazy to go back and see.

Florida Atlantic University Owls
2007 Sun Belt Football Champions 2007 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2008 Motor City Bowl Champions 2011 Sun Belt Basketball Champions No Bowls without Owls
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Re: Has the Sun Belt gotten better?

SeminOWL2006 said

Overall Regular Season Record 2008 - 40-55
Signature Wins - Texas A&M, Maryland
Signature Close Games (losses within 8 pts) - Arkansas(1), Illinois(3), Southern Miss(3), Kentucky(6), USF(8), Kansas State(8), LSU (crazy)


Overall Regular Season Record 2007 - 37-59
Signature Wins - Oklahoma State, Memphis(?), Minnesota, Alabama
Signature Close Games (losses within 8 pts) - Virginia(2), Southern Miss(6), Ohio(8), USF(crazy)


So the conference has more wins overall, slightly fewer signature wins, although it can be argued that each 2008 only had 1 signature win, and 2007 only had 2 (Maryland 2008, Oklahoma State & Alabama 2007).  The number of close games has gone up significantly.  Therefore, this season has been a Sun Belt success.  The only team that continues to lag behind is North Texas.  If the conference sends 3 bowl teams it will be even bigger.


The Belt teams are getting better, but still lack consistent play on a weekly basis.

We lack the depth most BCS teams have.  Troy seemed to have found a way to do it & I do think that the rest of the Belt teams are making progress.  One problem we face are the amount of BIG (money) OCC games we play.  It puts a lot of pressure to preform in conference games, which we all know has so much parity.

Walters did limit the number of "Money" games belt team play every year to help in that regards, but when you are facing four losses every year because of them, it limits your chances when you talk about going Bowling every year.

Scheduling is hard enough & having BCS team on the schedule has many benefits for a program like FAU and until we get our stadium, it will be a continuing problem for us to find that balance & be able to schedule more Mid-Majors (especially as home games).

Thus, it puts pressure to having a max of two losses in conference play to have a realistic chance of going bowling.  And even then it doesn't guarantee anything - you are still dependent on how other conferences fulfill their bowl allocated slots.
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Re: Has the Sun Belt gotten better?

I think the Belt should get together and refuse to play teams like UF that will never provide return games.  There are plenty of other BCS teams that will give us less money and also give us return games, which are what we really need to build a solid fan base.  Troy is the class of the belt and is dragging us all up with them, which is great.

Florida Atlantic University Owls
2007 Sun Belt Football Champions 2007 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2008 Motor City Bowl Champions 2011 Sun Belt Basketball Champions No Bowls without Owls
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Re: Has the Sun Belt gotten better?

SeminOWL2006 said

I think the Belt should get together and refuse to play teams like UF that will never provide return games.

The problem there is that even if the SBC refuses, there are plenty of teams from the other mid-level conferences that would have to refuse as well. You know? FAU and FIU may turn down UF but UAB or Central Michigan may not.
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Re: Has the Sun Belt gotten better?

Thats fine, let UAB play them.  We will be playing teams like Michigan State or USF or Alabama who are willing to do return games, even if its 2 for 1 its worth it from a fanbase development perspective. 

Florida Atlantic University Owls
2007 Sun Belt Football Champions 2007 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2008 Motor City Bowl Champions 2011 Sun Belt Basketball Champions No Bowls without Owls
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