May 30 / Rob

JMU Picked to Finish 6th in Conference Fans Think JMU Is Too Good For

The Sporting News has released the first FCS preseason poll and conference predictions for the upcoming season. JMU is unranked. While I haven’t been able to track down an official reason why JMU was left out of the rankings, logic dictates that it’s because the Dukes are a lock to move up to FBS so soon that the voters removed them from consideration. More puzzling however is the fact that instead of following through with that logic and leaving JMU out of the CAA predictions entirely, the Sporting News just randomly listed the Dukes sixth. Huh.

It’s odd, but probably just a typo or something. Because a significant portion of the JMU fanbase insists that the CAA is a shell of its former self and no longer fit for a program of JMU’s stature. According to much of what I’ve heard, the CAA is dead. And the FCS is on life support. But don’t worry Dukes fans, JMU is above all this. JMU football has outgrown the fledgling CAA, a league filled with teams that can’t keep up with JMU’s dominance on the field and can do nothing other than distract the program from its FBS birthright.

And even if it’s not a typo and some knuckleheads at the Sporting News think JMU is really just a middle of the pack team in a good FCS conference, it’s only temporary. Just wait until JMU jumps up and can recruit at an FBS level. Then things will change. You’ll see. Middle of the pack in the CAA? You have got to be kidding me Sporting News. JMU is 2 games above .500 in league play the past four years. Two games! The Dukes could probably contend in at least 3 or 4 FBS conferences immediately. At least that’s what some guy said on Twitter. There is no need to waste time winning in the CAA. No way. That league (and entire classification) is a joke. And so is your crappy poll Sporting News.

12 Comments

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  1. 2004 Duke / May 31 2013

    It actually might not be that bad of a pick.

    Delaware, Richmond, W&M, Villanova and either UNH or Towson have a very good chance of being better than us, mainly because they all play consistent football and we don’t.

    Albany, SB, Maine and Rhodie are a lock to be bottom feeders.

    That puts us about 6th.

    I would also argue that if we actually finish 6th, Mickey should be fired immediately.

  2. John / May 31 2013

    O.K., but the point is not that we’re “too good for” the CAA or that we’ve dominated our conference or FCS — anyone who pays attention to our program over the last 10 years knows that we haven’t. The point is that the size of the school, its athletic budget and its fan support make it a smart move for us to move up to FBS — and when we do so the recruiting will follow.

  3. Zac / May 31 2013

    Thanks for some greatly needed realty pills. Some of our fans are delusional.

  4. SunChase / May 31 2013

    I don’t even know why we’re wasting time with this Sun Belt talk. We should just go straight to the Big 10.

  5. Deacon Danny / May 31 2013

    Their will be a LOT of pissed off folks in the JMU Nation if JMU finishes, as predicted, in 6th place in the CAA. In which case, I agree with 2004 Duke, in that this should and likely would buy MM a one way ticket out of Harrisonburg.

  6. MB / May 31 2013

    Oh, hell….there would be some pissed off fans if we go undefeated and win each game by 10 points. They will say we should have won each game by 20 points….blah, blah, blah.

  7. White Hall / Jun 2 2013

    Any chance of starting a Phillip Sims to JMU rumors?

  8. redhook / Jun 3 2013

    Long time lurker here. It seems pretty silly to have this attitude toward a small fanbase that we’re hoping to grow. You should realize commenters and Twitter-ers aren’t representative of everyone. This kind of snark probably turned some lurkers off.

  9. Tom / Jun 3 2013

    Please no Phillip Sims to JMU, rumour or otherwise. Guy was overrated coming out of Oscar Smith and has proved it at two places. Plus his academics. I’m thinking Norfolk State or Hampton for Sims if he wants to play right away.

  10. Shady_P / Jun 3 2013

    I am sure it is not academics with Sims…..The “GREAT UVA” would never take on such an academic risk in the name of athletic potential (tongue firmly in cheek). He just probably needs to get a little bit closer to home once again b/c of his family situation. NCAA should have never granted him hardship in the first place. Sims got down at Alabama and learned that everyone he was competing with were 4&5 star recruits and he was buried in the depth chart. Looked for greener pastures at UVA and could not learn the playbook and looked awful when on the field.

  11. Rob / Jun 4 2013

    I hear you redhook and didn’t mean to turn you off. I think I was actually sort of attempting to make the same point as you. I am personally turned off by the vocal minority of fans that insist FCS is dying and the CAA is a weak league. I might have done a poor job of it, but my intention was to point out that the constant whining is sort of dumb and that JMU has its work cut out for it if it wants to succeed in the CAA. If JMU moves on, that’s great. I’ll probably get really excited if and when it happens. There’s no need to consistently bash the current conference mates or turn our noses up at FCS in general though IMHO. Make sense?

  12. 2004 Duke / Jun 6 2013

    I think a lot of ppl missed the boat, here.

    You don’t necessarily wipe the floor with your conference and then move up.

    You announce that you are actually moving up…. get better recruits and money as a result, and THEN wipe the floor with your conference. Then actually move up.

    See: Marshall, UConn, ODU

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