Triple Option is always tough. Even P5 programs have a REALLY tough time defending it.

The Bleacher Report has the Owls at #23:

College Football Rankings 2018: Bleacher Report's Week 1 Top 25

Other notes of interest are OU at #7, UCF at #20, and again only 2 G5 schools ahead of FAU.

Without looking - Boise and Memphis???

GeorgiaOwl said

Without looking - Boise and Memphis???

Posted On: Aug 27th 2018, 12:43 PM #379715

Ahead of us - but I wasn't looking. 

I'll give you a pass, but I put UCF at #20 in the post.  So Boise at #16 and UCF at #20 ahead of FAU at #23.  They have the Owls slated in right behind FSU at #22.

Not that it's super relevant to this thread, but Mark Schlabach projects us to play Nebraska in the First Responders Bowl. It'd fun to go against Scott Frost in the post season.

I had posted in another thread about the Massey composite rankings, predictions, etc. (FAU is #64 there after 2 weeks - but is the highest ranking CUSA team).  CBS has done a ranking of all 129 FBS programs:

CFB CBS Sports Rankings - CBSSports.com

For CUSA:
51 - UNT
59 - FAU
63 -  Marshall
72 - La Tech
85 - USM (but they will lose to App St and drop if they play)
90 - FIU
98 - MTSU
100 - UAB
117 - WKU
118 - UTSA
119 - Charlotte
123 - ODU
125 - Rice
129 - UTEP

That has CUSA with 6 of the worst 13 football teams in the country (and 11 of the teams fall in the bottom half).  So I would not bet on anybody from the league playing in a major bowl.  The Independence will probably once again be the "biggest" bowl opportunity, and it would go to a team that is closer (in my opinion).  So I am going to do like a couple of other guys said and just enjoy the ride.  Regardless of the opposition, winning records and playing for division and conference titles is better than 3-9!

Honestly I have ruled out any shot of a NY6 bowl game this year. I just wanna win the conference and go back to the New Orleans bowl for a party

Take a look at the Sun Belt…

Troy, APP State, A-State, ULM, ULL all ahead of these teams:

85 - USM
90 - FIU
98 - MTSU
100 - UAB
117 - WKU
118 - UTSA
119 - Charlotte
123 - ODU
125 - Rice
129 - UTEP

I mean this is trash…

WAKE UP AND PLAY OR THIS LEAGUE IS GOING DOWN THE SHATTER.

You also missed Georgia Southern (a program that has been in the bottom-10 the last 2 years) who are at #67.  That would put them as the 4th best team in CUSA.  App State is #45 - higher than any of the CUSA teams.  Maybe the top 5 teams from each conference could secede and form at least a decent league.

I didn't take time to look at the MAC schools, but hard for me to imagine CUSA is not considered the 9th or 10th "strongest" conference (out of 10) at this stage.  Fighting it out with the MAC, but behind the Sunbelt, Mountain West, and AAC.