2014 Football Season Poll

[covufan]

It has been a slow posting week.  Many on this board are excited for the upcoming football season, so a poll is in order.

Massey has us winning almost three games, four if you add the Missouri Baptist, which he doesn't have in his schedule yet:

http://masseyratings.com/rate.php?s=cf2014&sub=11590

The breakout of the season and each game is here:

http://masseyratings.com/team.php?t=8361&s=262657

[covufan]

I think this coach was a good hire, and should show some improvement this season.  I'm going with wins against St Joe's, Jewell, Campbell, MO Baptist, Morehead and Davidson, for six wins.  Oh, and an increase in attendance of 500 per home game to more than 2618 per home game.  Bring on that automatic bid to FCS in 2015!

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I'm going with the guy who won last year's basketball over-under!

[covufan]

I'm going with the guy who won last year's basketball over-under!

And looking forward to this year's basketball over-under!

[usc4valpo]

Where do they get these metrics?

4 wins would be a great season IMHO, after suffering through 4 seasons of Osteen...

[VULB#62]

I looked at the schedule and I went with the following 4 wins (despite Massey):

St. Joe's - This is the year we are on the right side of a close score
Wm Jewel - Good old Moe Mentum will help here
Mo Baptist - Hey, it's Homecoming
Davidson - It's home and it's the 12th game.

BONUS:  I think we might pull out a 5th against Morehead @ Morehead -- IF.......... we are starting to believe in ourselves and lose close games leading in. 

@ Campbell I think the string runs out. 

I am conflicted about Marist on our home field.  I think they've lost too many great players and are ripe.

[usc4valpo]

62 - excellent analysis, since you agree with me!!!

expecting 6 games with a new coach with this team is being way too optimistic.  An optimism the past 4 years has not worked well for us. 

I am thinking about making the trip to William Jewell in KC - it is an awesome BBQ town, and some killer ribs and a Boulevard to toast a victory would be great.

[valpopal]

My hope (not an expectation yet) for the new season is that Valpo can go .500 on the home schedule: 3-3. Three wins at home would be a good step in the right direction for the team and are definitely possible, especially with the first trio of games at Brown Field: St. Joseph's, Marist, and Missouri Baptist. Home victories also are important to build campus following and support.

[covufan]

expecting 6 games with a new coach with this team is being way too optimistic.

Maybe. Hopefully, it is just optimistic, and not way too optimistic.  If we finish with 4 or 5 wins, I'd agree that it was optimistic.  If we finish with 1, 2 or 3 wins, I'd agree that it was way too optimistic.  I really do expect the number of 20+ point losses to decrease, and the number of PFL games that we are within 7-10 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter to increase, even if we don't get the 6 wins for which I'm hopeful. 

An optimism the past 4 years has not worked well for us. 

Absolutely!  Only the extreme pessimists were close to correct the last few years!

[usc4valpo]

predicting 6 games with a team that is transitioning with a new coach taking over a 4-40 team is almost Cub fan optimistic, and we all know how well that works.


This teams needs more talent and support to get above .500 .  I think it can be done, but let's get real here.  You will see improvement just based on the Osteen departure.  I say 4-8, and we should be very pleased for that.

[VUDad]

My guess: 5 wins. Some guys who missed most or all of last season with injuries will be fully back, meaning we have more talent than most know about. Add in the new coach and a very favorable schedule. Seems like the St Joe game will be the most important of the season. A win gives confidence to take against into the next couple of winnable games. A loss, though, deflates morale in a big way. If we come out of Western IL healthy and score a couple of times, it's a win that sets us up for St Joe well.

[historyman]

Quote: "You're going to go through tough times - that's life. But I say, 'Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.' See the positive in negative events."

From a 51 year old, New York Times Best Selling author, who attended Oral Roberts University as a radio and television major. In 1999 he took over his father's organization and grew it to 8.5 times of it's size in 1999. Maybe it would be smart to start listening to other authors.

[usc4valpo]

I am really trying to figure out what Osteen meant by that quote or why that quote was so significant.

[VULB#62]

I looked at the schedule and I went with the following 4 wins (despite Massey):

St. Joe's - This is the year we are on the right side of a close score
Wm Jewel - Good old Moe Mentum will help here
Mo Baptist - Hey, it's Homecoming
Davidson - It's home and it's the 12th game.

BONUS:  I think we might pull out a 5th against Morehead @ Morehead -- IF.......... we are starting to believe in ourselves and lose close games leading in. 

@ Campbell I think the string runs out. 

I am conflicted about Marist on our home field.  I think they've lost too many great players and are ripe.

I think we will fall in the 4-6 wins range (my vote was 4).  I think 4 is realistic but in my heart I HOPE for 6.  I just can't figure where that 5th and 6th wins will come from.  Maybe it's just 5 on a flyer.

[covufan]

The 2014 Football roster has been updated and we are now five weeks away from the opening game!

[VULB#62]

That opener is @ Western Illinois University.  The Leathernecks open with us, and then while we play St. Joes at home, they go against a slightly more impressive opponent -- the University of Wisconsin.  So, while we are fodder for WIU in week one, so may WIU be fodder for UW in week two.  But WIU will be a good barometer early on for our Pioneer season as WIU comes back from Madison to lick its wounds agains fellow Pioneer League foe Drake.  That may tell us something relatively speaking.  Hopefully, we wind up comparable.  BTW WIU then goes back into harm's way against Northwestern.  Looks like they are playing for pay days.  What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger, I guess.

[setshot]

Sagarin has two teams ranked lower than Valpo - Davidson and Stetson. We can beat Davidson and maybe the Baptists,but overall 2-3 wins is all we can expect. Book it!

[vu72]

That opener is @ Western Illinois University.  The Leathernecks open with us, and then while we play St. Joes at home, they go against a slightly more impressive opponent -- the University of Wisconsin.  So, while we are fodder for WIU in week one, so may WIU be fodder for UW in week two.  But WIU will be a good barometer early on for our Pioneer season as WIU comes back from Madison to lick its wounds agains fellow Pioneer League foe Drake.  That may tell us something relatively speaking.  Hopefully, we wind up comparable.  BTW WIU then goes back into harm's way against Northwestern.  Looks like they are playing for pay days.  What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger, I guess.

I recently read a pre-season writeup on WIU and saw that they are picked near the bottom of their league, after losing keys guys to graduation.  We will have key guys back but a BIG question mark at quarterback. Should be an interesting game and I'll guess we hold our own--meaning this won't be a YSU type blowout.  I'm thinking 3 or 4 touchdown loss.

[VULB#62]

Wow, in a 'down year' they schedule two pretty good B1G schools within 3 weeks.  Definitely a payday ploy IMO.

[vu72]

Wow, in a 'down year' they schedule two pretty good B1G schools within 3 weeks.  Definitely a payday ploy IMO.

Well, we have had nothing but "down years" and still schedule the YSU's and WIU's and ND's (that's Norht Dakota!  of the world for paydays!

[LaPorteAveApostle]

overall 2-3 wins is all we can expect.

Gentlemen, and the occasional mom, I never thought this day would come.

Even the Shot Set in his ways has sipped of the Kool-Aid.

This can only mean we will win 6.

[VULB#62]

Wow, in a 'down year' they schedule two pretty good B1G schools within 3 weeks.  Definitely a payday ploy IMO.

Well, we have had nothing but "down years" and still schedule the YSU's and WIU's and ND's (that's North Dakota!  of the world for paydays!

Yeah, but WIU is doing a double dose - we never did that.     
But their guarantees will probably cover the entire FB budget for the year (and maybe then some).

overall 2-3 wins is all we can expect.

Gentlemen, and the occasional mom, I never thought this day would come.

Even the Shot Set in his ways has sipped of the Kool-Aid.

This can only mean we will win 6.

LAA I think you hit on something

[usc4valpo]

62 -  I am not so sure WIU is going to be a good barometer to assess the beloved Crusader.  Valpo is a brand new team, new players, new plays (thanks be to God), new coach (again thanks be to God) and going a different direction.  There is a lot of stuff for Coach Cecchini to sort out.  Give it at least a week to establish the metric.  WIU plays in a bigger pond, and seeing results based on a potential mismatch blowout is not a good indicator.  The Valley is a very tough conference.

That being said, a better barometer will be the St. Joe's game followed by the BBQ tour/road trip to KC against William Jewell.  I may drive down for that game.

[historyman]

Sagarin has two teams ranked lower than Valpo - Davidson and Stetson. We can beat Davidson and maybe the Baptists,but overall 2-3 wins is all we can expect. Book it!

That "book it" just doomed Valpo for sure. 0-12 no doubt about it. Chresus Jist!

[VULB#62]

62 -  I am not so sure WIU is going to be a good barometer to assess the beloved Crusader.  Valpo is a brand new team, new players, new plays (thanks be to God), new coach (again thanks be to God) and going a different direction.  There is a lot of stuff for Coach Cecchini to sort out.  Give it at least a week to establish the metric.  WIU plays in a bigger pond, and seeing results based on a potential mismatch blowout is not a good indicator.  The Valley is a very tough conference.

That being said, a better barometer will be the St. Joe's game followed by the BBQ tour/road trip to KC against William Jewell.  I may drive down for that game.

I was pointing to the fact that both Valpo and Drake play WIU with two weeks.  If we both lose by, say, 3 TDs  or 4 TDs for that matter, that could bode well for the new program within the PFL.  If we get croaked and Drake plays them close, we have a lot of work to do.  My main point was a PFL comparison with a common opponent.