We lost to Colgate last year so you tell me.

(05-18-2019 10:12 PM)JMUNation Wrote:  We lost to Colgate last year so you tell me.

The Dukes had five interceptions and still only lost by a missed field goal so I don't think that is good game to make your point that JMU was a much weaker team. They certainly were a weaker team last year compared to the year before with a few games they shouldn't have lost but were still one of the strongest teams in the conference.

Is JMU stronger or is the CAA weaker was the question. In ‘16 and ‘17, maybe JMU was stronger but under Withers we lost in the first round both years and one of those losses was to Colgate. Last year we lost to Colgate. Yes, we had five turnovers if you want to count the Hail Mary pass at the end of the half but we still loss. None of the turnovers resulted in defensive touchdowns for Colgate. They were simply changes of possessions just as the fake punt was. We lost to the Patriot champion twice which is a weak league.

The CAA has had more out of conference losses to other FCS teams in recent years than usual. In ‘18, our conference did not fair well in the playoffs either other than Maine. Dukester and BDK have provided some factual information to support that the MVC has faired better than the CAA in recent years. While the CAA is not a weak conference is is weaker than it was in the decade from 2000-2010 when multiple schools won national championships.

(05-18-2019 09:41 PM)Ashby Hall Wrote:  

(05-18-2019 07:50 PM)JMUNation Wrote:  The title of this thread did not indicate a timeframe. In the last 8 years the MVC is likely a little better but it is hard to say. The CAA teams were pretty beat up last year come playoff time. Don’t know if the MVC was or not.

I feel the CAA is getting weaker. JMU sure seems to have more conference blow outs than they did in the previous decade.

Is that because the other teams are getting weaker or JMU getting stronger?

Or both

This is completely subjective, although I am sure there are ways to support it statistically. The top three teams in the MVC (Bison, Wabbits, and one or another Illinois directional school) have historically been better than the top three in the CAA. From there, down, it seems the CAA has been much stronger. The CAA's middle of the pack seems much better than the MVC's middle of the pack over the past decade.

One thing is certain - in 2019, the CAA is going to be much better than the MVC. Without NDSU's dominance, the MVC is the Southland. Well, not that bad, but you get my drift.