Top 25 Watch (real thread)

[AppStFan1]

Are we ranked higher than North Dakota St yet?

Sagarin has us at 30 and NDSU at 37.

Interesting nugget. NDSU beat South Dakota State by the same amount of points as #13 Minnesota did. #13 Minnesota also beat Georgia Southern by 3 points. Minnesota could potentially lose 2-3 games down the stretch. We will see.

[Black Saturday]

Was just looking at Sagarin. Our SoS 131 sucks. I know we can’t help it, but it hurts us. Has us ranked 30th where we are 20th in the AP.

[MAD Doctor]

Top 20 is more history made and it’s a lot of fun, but it’s a short week and 1-0 vs Stink is what matters right now. Get the black rain jackets ready and prepare to make life hell for the Iggles. Speak sparingly this week and save your voice for EVERY defensive down. Go App!

[AppStFan1]

Was just looking at Sagarin. Our SoS 131 sucks. I know we can’t help it, but it hurts us. Has us ranked 30th where we are 20th in the AP.

As long as we keep winning this is why we have to let stuff play out. SOS is why I keep saying we don't just need SMU to lose one but we need them to lose two. We also still need BSU, Cincy, and Memphis to lose one more to feel safe.

[EastHallApp]

Honestly I think top 10 is above the ceiling we can reach, at least prior to winning a NY6 bowl game. At some point voters simply aren’t going to elevate us ahead of the elite P5 teams, even when they lose. And that goes triple for the CFP.

I think we can get to 15 or so by just continuing to win while others lose. Much higher than that would require us to beat a heavyweight.

[goapps93]

Was just looking at Sagarin. Our SoS 131 sucks. I know we can’t help it, but it hurts us. Has us ranked 30th where we are 20th in the AP.

As long as we keep winning this is why we have to let stuff play out. SOS is why I keep saying we don't just need SMU to lose one but we need them to lose two. We also still need BSU, Cincy, and Memphis to lose one more to feel safe.

It would be nice if they all lose 1/1 more. If SMU doesn't we will need them to lose the AAC Champ game. All the Apps have to do is win. That's the only thing we can control. What a fun season so far!!!

[hotrod2001]

What we need to do is give Georgia Southern the ol’ 2009 treatment and that’ll help out immensely.

Just keep winning, that’s all we can really control at this moment. Keep winning and breaking ceilings for the Belters.

[Stonewall]

The 20 ranking is significant to those that have been around awhile as for about a century it was the “top twenty” , not twenty five .Twenty five is a fairly recent expansion at least from my perspective.I have no idea if we win out , but if we do , and no other G5 is undefeated,we are going to the Cotton Bowl.

[TheAppalachianState]

Is it unrealistic that we would move up conferences in the near future if we maintain this level?

[appstatealum]

Is it unrealistic that we would move up conferences in the near future if we maintain this level?

Not unrealistic. Football is where the money is, and if we can add some cache to a conference in football, they'll be interested. What would help a lot is if our basketball program can turn it around.

[WASU 93]

Honestly I think top 10 is above the ceiling we can reach, at least prior to winning a NY6 bowl game. At some point voters simply aren’t going to elevate us ahead of the elite P5 teams, even when they lose. And that goes triple for the CFP.

I think we can get to 15 or so by just continuing to win while others lose. Much higher than that would require us to beat a heavyweight.

I agree. Just staying in the Top 25 is huge for our program, We are on the Ticker, talked about in pregame shows, our highlights are part of the Top 25 highlight package. All of this is great for our brand.

[hotrod2001]

Is it unrealistic that we would move up conferences in the near future if we maintain this level?

I hope so.

I also wonder how much buyers remorse is going down in Dallas at the C-USA offices with their conference having zero ranked teams and the two teams they picked over us are currently sitting at 3-5 and 1-7 respectively.

Good thing they have those big, lucrative television markets right?

[Black Saturday]

The 20 ranking is significant to those that have been around awhile as for about a century it was the “top twenty” , not twenty five .Twenty five is a fairly recent expansion at least from my perspective.I have no idea if we win out , but if we do , and no other G5 is undefeated,we are going to the Cotton Bowl.

Anyone remember in the mid 80s breaking into the I-AA top 25? Thought we were doing great. Waiting for the pregame analysis to come out Thursday in The Appalachian?

[APPRIDE]

The 20 ranking is significant to those that have been around awhile as for about a century it was the “top twenty” , not twenty five .Twenty five is a fairly recent expansion at least from my perspective.I have no idea if we win out , but if we do , and no other G5 is undefeated,we are going to the Cotton Bowl.

Anyone remember in the mid 80s breaking into the I-AA top 25? Thought we were doing great. Waiting for the pregame analysis to come out Thursday in The Appalachian?

yep. And I remember 83’ish talking about some distant time when we “might win that 1-AA National Championship”!

[AppStFan1]

Was just looking at Sagarin. Our SoS 131 sucks. I know we can’t help it, but it hurts us. Has us ranked 30th where we are 20th in the AP.

As long as we keep winning this is why we have to let stuff play out. SOS is why I keep saying we don't just need SMU to lose one but we need them to lose two. We also still need BSU, Cincy, and Memphis to lose one more to feel safe.

It would be nice if they all lose 1/1 more. If SMU doesn't we will need them to lose the AAC Champ game. All the Apps have to do is win. That's the only thing we can control. What a fun season so far!!!

Agreed. We just have to win for now. We have a while to go and too much has to happen for us to feel good about it. I say we win the next 3 games and then start looking at it. Some things are bound to shake out for us.

What I find funny is someone accused me of being a troll when I said in the off-season we should accept no more than 2 losses and that a NY6 and undefeated should be our goal. I wonder where those folks are now? Even if it does not happen we have certainly done more than most thought we would at this point.

[John-N-Houston]

Is it unrealistic that we would move up conferences in the near future if we maintain this level?

Not unrealistic. Football is where the money is, and if we can add some cache to a conference in football, they'll be interested. What would help a lot is if our basketball program can turn it around.

We were a few years late in making the move up to FBS. Remember back to when we did; realignment was a huge issue at the time and there were all sorts of options mentioned, some reasonable and some not. There was talk of joining CUSA (Sun Belt is a better conference than them now) but they were not interested in taking in a “small market” school with a perceived small following, so they opted for a new UNCC team at the time. (I wonder if there have been any second thoughts on that decision lately!) It was the same for the AAC coming off the breakup of the Big East. As it is now, even if the AAC wanted us, I doubt that the school presidents themselves would. They are on the verge of having too many teams as it is resulting in revenues being divided too many ways. The only other conference that makes any sense at all for us is the ACC and that is NOT going to happen.

So, in the end, what we need to do is to continue to progress as a program, do what we can, with the help of the SBC Commissioner and other member programs, to help strengthen the league, especially for some of the traditionally underperforming teams and bring up the quality of play in the conference as a whole. That will help all SBC teams toward improving their SoS and thus the reputation of the conference nationwide.

[AppStFan1]

Is it unrealistic that we would move up conferences in the near future if we maintain this level?

Not unrealistic. Football is where the money is, and if we can add some cache to a conference in football, they'll be interested. What would help a lot is if our basketball program can turn it around.

We were a few years late in making the move up to FBS. Remember back to when we did; realignment was a huge issue at the time and there were all sorts of options mentioned, some reasonable and some not. There was talk of joining CUSA (Sun Belt is a better conference than them now) but they were not interested in taking in a “small market” school with a perceived small following, so they opted for a new UNCC team at the time. (I wonder if there have been any second thoughts on that decision lately!) It was the same for the AAC coming off the breakup of the Big East. As it is now, even if the AAC wanted us, I doubt that the school presidents themselves would. They are on the verge of having too many teams as it is resulting in revenues being divided too many ways. The only other conference that makes any sense at all for us is the ACC and that is NOT going to happen.

So, in the end, what we need to do is to continue to progress as a program, do what we can, with the help of the SBC Commissioner and other member programs, to help strengthen the league, especially for some of the traditionally underperforming teams and bring up the quality of play in the conference as a whole. That will help all SBC teams toward improving their SoS and thus the reputation of the conference nationwide.

I really believe in the next 5 years the AAC is going to want us bad if we keep it up. They will need another football power because they should lose a couple to the Big 12. Once that happens I would think they go after us and then a big money market/basketball school to fill out the conference. I'll be surprised if things don't shake out our way and we aren't in the AAC by 2025.

Just think though. If Roachel Laney had not been our AD we probably would be in the AAC by now. He set us back so far but luckily we have a generation of App alumni who have no clue who he is anymore. lol

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

The 20 ranking is significant to those that have been around awhile as for about a century it was the “top twenty” , not twenty five .Twenty five is a fairly recent expansion at least from my perspective.I have no idea if we win out , but if we do , and no other G5 is undefeated,we are going to the Cotton Bowl.

I have been wanting to post about this and you beat me to it. I was curious when Top 20 changed to Top 25 and it was 1989 from the research I can find on Wikipedia for the AP Poll. The UPI/Coaches Poll went to 25 in 1990.

The AP Poll started in one form or another started around 1934 it seems.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_Poll#History
While the AP Poll currently lists the Top 25 teams in the nation, from 1936 to 1961 the wire service only ranked 20 teams. From 1962 to 1967 only 10 teams were recognized. From 1968 to 1988, the AP again resumed its Top 20 before expanding to the current 25 teams in 1989.

[Cro-Magnon App]

I like the 2009 "treatment" and the 2015 "treatment" and now the Eagles are due for another "treatment," lest they forget.

[bigdaddyg]

Who is replacing UCONN in the AAC? Hard to believe they are actually in it to begin with.