Below is Phil Steele's initial schedule ranking.

Rank Team
39 Sam Houston
70 JAX
76 LA Tech
81 WKU
82 UTEP
85 FIU
95 MT
118 Liberty
132 NMSU

https://philsteele.com/2023-toughest-opponent-win/

(02-19-2023 10:24 AM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  Below is Phil Steele's initial schedule ranking.

Rank Team
39 Sam Houston
70 JAX
76 LA Tech
81 WKU
82 UTEP
85 FIU
95 MT
118 Liberty
132 NMSU

https://philsteele.com/2023-toughest-opponent-win/

Sam Houston coming into the conference strong with an out of conference slate that includes BYU, Air Force, and University of Houston.

(02-19-2023 10:45 AM)KATatonic Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:24 AM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  Below is Phil Steele's initial schedule ranking.

Rank Team
39 Sam Houston
70 JAX
76 LA Tech
81 WKU
82 UTEP
85 FIU
95 MT
118 Liberty
132 NMSU

https://philsteele.com/2023-toughest-opponent-win/

Sam Houston coming into the conference strong with an out of conference slate that includes BYU, Air Force, and University of Houston.

Its only strong if you win those games.....


other wise it awful scheduling because no matter what anyone thinks Winning games and especially OOC matters.

(02-19-2023 03:59 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:45 AM)KATatonic Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:24 AM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  Below is Phil Steele's initial schedule ranking.

Rank Team
39 Sam Houston
70 JAX
76 LA Tech
81 WKU
82 UTEP
85 FIU
95 MT
118 Liberty
132 NMSU

https://philsteele.com/2023-toughest-opponent-win/

Sam Houston coming into the conference strong with an out of conference slate that includes BYU, Air Force, and University of Houston.

Its only strong if you win those games.....


other wise it awful scheduling because no matter what anyone thinks Winning games and especially OOC matters.

Realistically, I can see 5-7 — 7-5, and that’s going 1-3 of the first 3 games. Even us fans for Sam have no real idea what to expect since we really haven’t seen the true starters since 2020-2021 with all the redshirting and preparation. If that does fall within that range for our first FBS year, I’d say that’s a good baseline to work from, and I’d be happy.


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(02-19-2023 06:41 PM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 03:59 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:45 AM)KATatonic Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:24 AM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  Below is Phil Steele's initial schedule ranking.

Rank Team
39 Sam Houston
70 JAX
76 LA Tech
81 WKU
82 UTEP
85 FIU
95 MT
118 Liberty
132 NMSU

https://philsteele.com/2023-toughest-opponent-win/

Sam Houston coming into the conference strong with an out of conference slate that includes BYU, Air Force, and University of Houston.

Its only strong if you win those games.....


other wise it awful scheduling because no matter what anyone thinks Winning games and especially OOC matters.

Realistically, I can see 5-7 — 7-5, and that’s going 1-3 of the first 3 games. Even us fans for Sam have no real idea what to expect since we really haven’t seen the true starters since 2020-2021 with all the redshirting and preparation. If that does fall within that range for our first FBS year, I’d say that’s a good baseline to work from, and I’d be happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Will be interesting to see how you guys do. Based on what I found, seven of your 12 opponents this year will be new. You've only faced five of them before, and your all-time records against those five are as follows...

UTEP 0-2 (1990, 2003)
Kennesaw State 1-0 (2017)
LA Tech 0-2-1 (1926, 1942, 1999)
WKU 1-0 (2004)
MTSU 1-1 (1956, 1991)

(02-19-2023 07:18 PM)Volkmar Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 06:41 PM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 03:59 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:45 AM)KATatonic Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:24 AM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  Below is Phil Steele's initial schedule ranking.

Rank Team
39 Sam Houston
70 JAX
76 LA Tech
81 WKU
82 UTEP
85 FIU
95 MT
118 Liberty
132 NMSU

https://philsteele.com/2023-toughest-opponent-win/

Sam Houston coming into the conference strong with an out of conference slate that includes BYU, Air Force, and University of Houston.

Its only strong if you win those games.....


other wise it awful scheduling because no matter what anyone thinks Winning games and especially OOC matters.

Realistically, I can see 5-7 — 7-5, and that’s going 1-3 of the first 3 games. Even us fans for Sam have no real idea what to expect since we really haven’t seen the true starters since 2020-2021 with all the redshirting and preparation. If that does fall within that range for our first FBS year, I’d say that’s a good baseline to work from, and I’d be happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Will be interesting to see how you guys do. Based on what I found, seven of your 12 opponents this year will be new. You've only faced five of them before, and your all-time records against those five are as follows...

UTEP 0-2 (1990, 2003)
Kennesaw State 1-0 (2017)
LA Tech 0-2-1 (1926, 1942, 1999)
WKU 1-0 (2004)
MTSU 1-1 (1956, 1991)

Talk about blowing the dust off the books!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(02-19-2023 06:41 PM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 03:59 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:45 AM)KATatonic Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:24 AM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  Below is Phil Steele's initial schedule ranking.

Rank Team
39 Sam Houston
70 JAX
76 LA Tech
81 WKU
82 UTEP
85 FIU
95 MT
118 Liberty
132 NMSU

https://philsteele.com/2023-toughest-opponent-win/

Sam Houston coming into the conference strong with an out of conference slate that includes BYU, Air Force, and University of Houston.

Its only strong if you win those games.....


other wise it awful scheduling because no matter what anyone thinks Winning games and especially OOC matters.

Realistically, I can see 5-7 — 7-5, and that’s going 1-3 of the first 3 games. Even us fans for Sam have no real idea what to expect since we really haven’t seen the true starters since 2020-2021 with all the redshirting and preparation. If that does fall within that range for our first FBS year, I’d say that’s a good baseline to work from, and I’d be happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You went 5-4 last year against mostly week fcs opponents and you believe you will go 5-7 - 7-5 moving into CUSA? What 5-7 games do you think you will win?

(02-20-2023 07:54 AM)Dusky Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 06:41 PM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 03:59 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:45 AM)KATatonic Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:24 AM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  Below is Phil Steele's initial schedule ranking.

Rank Team
39 Sam Houston
70 JAX
76 LA Tech
81 WKU
82 UTEP
85 FIU
95 MT
118 Liberty
132 NMSU

https://philsteele.com/2023-toughest-opponent-win/

Sam Houston coming into the conference strong with an out of conference slate that includes BYU, Air Force, and University of Houston.

Its only strong if you win those games.....


other wise it awful scheduling because no matter what anyone thinks Winning games and especially OOC matters.

Realistically, I can see 5-7 — 7-5, and that’s going 1-3 of the first 3 games. Even us fans for Sam have no real idea what to expect since we really haven’t seen the true starters since 2020-2021 with all the redshirting and preparation. If that does fall within that range for our first FBS year, I’d say that’s a good baseline to work from, and I’d be happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You went 5-4 last year against mostly week fcs opponents and you believe you will go 5-7 - 7-5 moving into CUSA? What 5-7 games do you think you will win?

5-4 using true freshman and backups, if you read what I wrote, I mentioned redshirting. 2021 is the last time starters played, and that team could have smashed a majority of CUSA now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cut the Sam fans some slack. They are just a couple of years removed from that wacky spring COVID FCS title and are jazzed about stepping up. Realistically they may be favored slightly in two games this fall. But I love seeing some enthusiasm from their fans as we get closer to the fall.

(02-20-2023 07:54 AM)Dusky Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 06:41 PM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 03:59 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:45 AM)KATatonic Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:24 AM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  Below is Phil Steele's initial schedule ranking.

Rank Team
39 Sam Houston
70 JAX
76 LA Tech
81 WKU
82 UTEP
85 FIU
95 MT
118 Liberty
132 NMSU

https://philsteele.com/2023-toughest-opponent-win/

Sam Houston coming into the conference strong with an out of conference slate that includes BYU, Air Force, and University of Houston.

Its only strong if you win those games.....


other wise it awful scheduling because no matter what anyone thinks Winning games and especially OOC matters.

Realistically, I can see 5-7 — 7-5, and that’s going 1-3 of the first 3 games. Even us fans for Sam have no real idea what to expect since we really haven’t seen the true starters since 2020-2021 with all the redshirting and preparation. If that does fall within that range for our first FBS year, I’d say that’s a good baseline to work from, and I’d be happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You went 5-4 last year against mostly week fcs opponents and you believe you will go 5-7 - 7-5 moving into CUSA? What 5-7 games do you think you will win?

Bearkat11 hit it on the head with his reply. The team was rolling on less than 40 scholarships last season and redshirted basically every starter. They decided to go ahead and build depth with 3rd stringers and freshman getting some PT. Last year was a sacrificial season to try and make a splash in C USA for 2023. Not sure exactly how many we win since the last time we actually played all of our starters at the same time was Fall of 2021. Prior to losing to Montana St in the FCS playoffs we had won 21 straight games with wins over the likes of James Madison, North Dakota St, and South Dakota State. I understand that's not the FBS but JMU sure made a splash in year 1 of FBS and that's what Sam Houston fans are hoping for too. We are cautiously optimistic with a new OC at the helm for play calling and a huge question mark for who starts at QB for us. If we somehow win those first 3 games (unlikely) then I feel incredibly confident in the rest of our season. If we get blown out of the water in all 3 of those games then I'll be ready to hit the fast forward button on the season.

(02-20-2023 08:52 AM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  

(02-20-2023 07:54 AM)Dusky Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 06:41 PM)BearKat_11 Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 03:59 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(02-19-2023 10:45 AM)KATatonic Wrote:  Sam Houston coming into the conference strong with an out of conference slate that includes BYU, Air Force, and University of Houston.

Its only strong if you win those games.....


other wise it awful scheduling because no matter what anyone thinks Winning games and especially OOC matters.

Realistically, I can see 5-7 — 7-5, and that’s going 1-3 of the first 3 games. Even us fans for Sam have no real idea what to expect since we really haven’t seen the true starters since 2020-2021 with all the redshirting and preparation. If that does fall within that range for our first FBS year, I’d say that’s a good baseline to work from, and I’d be happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You went 5-4 last year against mostly week fcs opponents and you believe you will go 5-7 - 7-5 moving into CUSA? What 5-7 games do you think you will win?

5-4 using true freshman and backups, if you read what I wrote, I mentioned redshirting. 2021 is the last time starters played, and that team could have smashed a majority of CUSA now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Still didn't answer the question.

I know those of you whose teams are FBS veterans tend to reflexively laugh at FCS move-ups expecting to finish around .500 or even a little above that in their first year.

Usually, you're probably right.

And when that team is coming off an abysmal (for them) 5-4 season which featured losses against such heavyweights as Abilene Christian and Southern Utah... well, your skepticism seems very well placed.

But take it from another FCS move-up... the 2022 SHSU team was *NOT* in any way representative of what they're capable of. Even with a transitional strategy that severely weakened them last season, they still finished over .500, and the last season they actually played full strength (fall '21), they mopped the floor with Jax State. (Granted, they were motivated by revenge for what we did to them in 2015...)

I'm not trying to suggest they'll be world-beaters this fall, but at worst, the Bearkats are an extremely dangerous unknown. Maybe not "the next JMU", but not very far behind them. They'll win some unexpected games in 2023.

As for Jax State, most of us are expecting to come out of this fall with only 3-4 wins at best. Anything beyond that would be gravy, and if we manage to hit 6-6, we'll be dancing in the streets as if we just won the CFP championship. We're much stronger than in recent years, but once you get past the starters, our pool of FBS-level talent drops off pretty quickly at several positions. Even where we have depth of talent, we lack experience. There'll be a lot of underclassmen on the two-deep. At this point, we're mainly just hoping to keep our heads above water until those guys grow up, hopefully without losing too many of them to the Portal.

Does SHSU fans want to move to the FBS? I know there was some fans and coaches who wanted to stay in the FCS.

You won’t hear Middle fans talking trash about transitioning FCS teams winning games. We got curb stomped last year by JMU and we had a pretty decent team.

(02-20-2023 10:14 PM)jones682 Wrote:  Does SHSU fans want to move to the FBS? I know there was some fans and coaches who wanted to stay in the FCS.

There was hesitation at first but now everyone is full speed ahead. Keeler and our AD are excited and the fan base is pumped about seeing a full FBS schedule. The biggest reason people never showed up to games for us is because they didn't know any of the teams (EX: Incarnate Word, SELA, Lamar, ACU, etc.) except for SFA and maybe 1 FBS opponent every couple seasons. Consistently on surveys alumni have put the biggest factor for not attending games is not playing bigger more recognizable opponents. SHSU fans are excited and I'm now a full blown C USA supporter myself and want to see the conference make a splash with all the new additions.

(02-21-2023 09:00 AM)Ewglenn Wrote:  You won’t hear Middle fans talking trash about transitioning FCS teams winning games. We got curb stomped last year by JMU and we had a pretty decent team.

You talk trash about KSU and they have been one of the best FCS teams in the Southeast. LOL