Bowl Season

[appgrad95&97]

The Belt is hardly looking like the best G5 conference. Thoughts?

[BambooRdApp]

Too early to tell. Besides App. Only lower level SBC teams played thus far. Time will tell

[APP93]

How could anyone really tell anything from the bowl games these days, with all the transfers and opt outs.

I always enjoy all of the bowl games, last college football until September, but not really sure you can gauge the strength of a conference based on them...and I would feel that way if the SB were sitting at 5-0.

[appst89]

The Belt is hardly looking like the best G5 conference. Thoughts?

Too many players not playing to make any proclamations about any conference. Most of these bowls are more like spring games than post-season games now.

[appvette]

The problem is that every Sun Belt team has been matched up with another team with a better record. In most cases the other team had 2-3 more wins on the season. That's what happens when you get 12 teams bowl eligible.

I think the conference going .500 in bowls would be impressive considering only 2 of the 12 games had SBC playing another G5 with a worse record

[appgrad95&97]

.500 would be very good since we're 1-4 now. That's. 200 with 7 to go. I'm just saying all the things that impact Sun Belt teams, also impact CUSA or MAC, or MW teams. A lot was posted about the Sun Belt being the best G5 conference. Bowl season is put up or shut up time. So far, its shut up time. That's all I'm saying.

[AppState89]

The conference is looking pretty darn bad right now.

[WASU 93]

.500 would be very good since we're 1-4 now. That's. 200 with 7 to go. I'm just saying all the things that impact Sun Belt teams, also impact CUSA or MAC, or MW teams. A lot was posted about the Sun Belt being the best G5 conference. Bowl season is put up or shut up time. So far, its shut up time. That's all I'm saying.

I don't agree with that. We're not playing them like for like.

The Sun Belt #3 beat the MAC #1/2
The CUSA #3 beat the Sun Belt #6 to #12
The MAC #3 beat the Sun Belt #8 to #12
The AAC #3 beat the Sun Belt #8 to #12
The CUSA #4 beat the Sun Belt #8 to #12

And Bowl Season isn't really put up or shut up time. Ali had a big run for Marshall, then shut it down. As another poster mentioned, you have the transfer portal affecting lineups. There are interim (or soon to be fired) coaches.

[MtnMan14]

Sooooo, do we still think the Sun Belt is a gauntlet of good teams? I know Bowl season can be a little misleading with opt outs and what not, but the Sunbelt is looking like maybe the worst conference in football right now.

[AppOrange]

Well the teams are being gutted by the portal sooooo, yeah bowl season is not representative of the reason

[AppGrad78]

Do you think the folks who picked Jordan McCloud player of the year in the Sun Belt would like to have their vote back?

[Saint3333]

Joey has so much better the back half of the year.

[CoachRob]

At least Georgia State will help the SB ... I would argue it's been an embarrassing showing so far.

If we truly are the better G5 conference, our #8 team matched with (other G5) Conference #4 team should be an even match up, if not advantage us. That is, if the SB is as good as we claim to be.

[AppGrad78]

Per X:

South Alabama QB Carter Bradley (knee) not dressed out for pre-game warm-ups for the 68 Ventures Bowl vs. Eastern Michigan

[MtnMan14]

I do think we made a heck of a turnaround this season and am happy with how we ended up, but I said early in the season I did not think the Sun Belt was just so much better than it has been in years past and I stand by that. Every team has had players leave for the portal, not just the sunbelt. And JMU had all of their big names that are in the portal still play and got embarrassed by Air Force. One of the top rush defenses in the country can’t beat a team that almost exclusively runs the ball and our conference champ got beat by a Duke team without their coach or starting QB. It ain’t looking great folks.

[Bootsy]

After all of the grandstanding, litigation and incessant whining, JMU/AF had the feel of "put up or shut up" for the Dukes.
They respond in fine form...by crapping the bed against a so-so Air Force squad.

An excellent example of the old adage,
"sometimes when you get what you want, you realize you don't want what you got."

[ugmw177]

i do not like the miserable showing from the sunbelt in the bowls but, I am so friggin happy JMU was not able to convert their whinefest into a win and a "I told you we belong in a bowl" pile of crap. bye bye crybabies...pack away your streamers and lawyers.

[WataugaMan]

i do not like the miserable showing from the sunbelt in the bowls but, I am so friggin happy JMU was not able to convert their whinefest into a win and a "I told you we belong in a bowl" pile of crap. bye bye crybabies...pack away your streamers and lawyers.

I guess the strain was more than they could bear.

[Bigdaddyg1]

It's completely irrelevant but IF JMU had beaten us and gone 12-0 would they have been in the same bowl game? Coach would still be gone and QB as well? They got exactly what they deserved.

[AppSt94]

I do think we made a heck of a turnaround this season and am happy with how we ended up, but I said early in the season I did not think the Sun Belt was just so much better than it has been in years past and I stand by that. Every team has had players leave for the portal, not just the sunbelt. And JMU had all of their big names that are in the portal still play and got embarrassed by Air Force. One of the top rush defenses in the country can’t beat a team that almost exclusively runs the ball and our conference champ got beat by a Duke team without their coach or starting QB. It ain’t looking great folks.

Your comments on the opposition needs context beyond what you are basing your assessment. The Air Force team yesterday had five starters return to the lineup that was more like the team that started 8-0 and not the one that finished 0-4.

Duke was playing with a true freshman, who by the way, App wanted bad, but he was making his 5th start of the season. Troy was without their head coach as well. Gunner Watson was playing with the flu.