AAC: Lost - Louisville (ACC) & Rutgers (B1G) Added - East Carolina (CUSA), Tulane (CUSA), & Tulane (CUSA)
ACC: Lost - Maryland (B1G) Added - Louisville (AAC)
B1G: Added - Maryland (ACC) & Rutgers (AAC)
CUSA: Lost - East Carolina (AAC), Tulane (AAC), & Tulsa (AAC) Added- Old Dominion (FCS Trans*) & WKU (SBC)
SBC: Lost - WKU (CUSA) Added - Appalachian State (FCS Trans*), Georgia Southern (FCS Trans.*), Georgia State (FCS), Idaho (Indep.), & New Mexico State (Indep.)
*-Transitional team from FCS to FBS, not yet a full member of the FBS or the confrence that team is entering
In one way or another the altered conferences and the unaltered are all affected within the construct of rankings, so to compare this seasons results we next must look at last years ranks.
Tier 1: SEC, Big XII, & Pac-12 Tier 2: B1G & ACC Tier 3: MWC, AAC, & MAC Tier 4: CUSA & SBC Tier V: Independents
Now that we see how we went into last season, let's dive into a preliminary look at this year. With the odd-ball tier...
Tier V: Independents
I used the roman numeral here to denote that it wasn't a tier ranked on fair ground with the rest because it isn't a conference and is just a conglomeration of teams without homes. This season there are two lest independents as Idaho and New Mexico State, WAC vagabonds, found a home in the Sun Belt. This leaves us with four, Army, BYU, Navy, & Notre Dame.
Best Team: Notre Dame, a National Title contender two seasons ago, 2013 was a rough year but with the losses at BYU Notre Dame still is the cream of the independents.
Worst Team: Army, I wish the academy schools were better but they just don't have the resources to compete and there is that pesky enlistment after graduation limiting those entering the academy.
Tier 4: Conferences with really bad bottoms that negate any positives at the top.
CUSA: Conference USA slides a spot this season for one reason and one reason only, they lost three teams to the AAC and brought in WKU. The attrition wouldn't have been so bad but the AAC took East Carolina which has been a staple of good if not very good football and Tulane and Tulsa which have taken turns at being good for the last 30 seasons. This season Conference USA looks to Marshall and Rice to lead the way but those observing from the outside will see plenty of bad football at the bottom of both divisions.
SBC: The Sun Belt loses WKU which has been a stalwart for the conference for the last half decade or so. The additions of top tier FCS schools like Appalachian State and Georgia Southern should soften that blow some but the additions of the leftovers from the WAC keep the bottom of this conference pretty soft in 2014. The bright spot here is that Louisiana & Arkansas State should be bright spots in the non-conference and post season as both bring back talented rosters for the level.
Best Team: Louisiana (SBC), Suppose to be the cream of the conference last season, Louisianan and Mark Hudspeth bring back most of a team that underwhelmed in 2013. The depth across the board and the lessons from a broken season give this team a bunch of promise.
Worst Team: Idaho (SBC), A lot to choose from with the riff raff at the bottom of both leagues but Idaho has been a laughing stock for almost a decade now and shows no sign of slowing after a 1-11 season last year.
Tier 3: Conferences with better middles but lack the upside to really challenge the Big 5 conferences.
MAC: Again no changes for the MAC in 2014, although change is coming next season, but the departure of some elite level talent will hurt the overall product in the league. As usual the coaching ranks were plundered as Big 5 schools looked for up and comers to lead their programs but stars like Jordan Lynch and Kahlil Mack have left for the greener pastures of the NFL. Solid programs at the top and a couple of intriguing teams in the middle keep the MAC out of Tier 4 but a down year after the loss of so much talent and they may not stay up for long.
AAC: The AAC is the biggest loser in this round of realignment, because the loss of Louisville compounds the losses of Pitt and Syracuse from a year ago. Once a borderline Tier 2 conference with all the benefits of a BCS auto-bid the AAC now finds itself fighting the "Little Sisters of the Poor" for their shot at glory and their piece of the pie. The additions of East Carolina, Tulane and Tulsa don't do much for the conference image other than place the AAC in a spot similar to the old CUSA, which should produce some years of intriguing upside but be cast in a shadow of mediocrity.
MWC: Much like the MAC the Mountain West didn't change this season and looks poised to be the best of the Group of 5 conferences heading forward. Boise State finds itself under new management but a familiar face in year 1 of the post-Peterson era, but Brian Harsin will have his work cut out for him to continue the success of his old boss and predecessor. With the turmoil in Boise, Utah State & Colorado State should look to make strides and fight to make this conference the best of the rest.
Best Team: Boise State (MWC), this pick could look horrible a couple weeks into the season, once we realize how difficult the hole left by Chris Peterson but there is some talent in the coffers and everyone else has weak spots to address.
Worst Team: Western Michigan (MAC), really could have been a handful of MAC bottom dwellers but WMU has been a model of futility for a few years now and new management won't be able to turn that around year 1. Hopefully we see progress out of the Broncos this year but I don't see the talent in town to make this campaign much better than the last couple.
Tier 2: A new arrival, two stalwarts of this level and a conference with a problem.
ACC: The conference with the problem has last years national champion and Orange Bowl champion but it still lacks what it needs to move up in these rankings. Virginia Tech has fallen off and left a void for challenger that the conference hopes they and Louisville can fill and the constant shake up of the middle and bottom of the conference never leaves a hierarchy that lasts or build confidence for more than a year or two. Improvements by Miami or sustained success for a team like Duke or UNC would go a long way in seeing this conference differently.
B1G: The Big Ten has it's own problem and that begins and ends with it's win/loss record in bowl games, especially those against the SEC. With two teams in BCS bowls and shifting upwards of all bowl participants the conference shows little sign of that subsiding anytime soon. The bonus for the Big Ten over the ACC however is that although there is a significant drop off at the bottom the middle of the league has strengthened and a resurgence solidity of Minnesota and Iowa should boost the profile. Maryland and Rutgers don't add much but Maryland does have a recruiting base that should allow it to grow in the right environs.
Big XII: The biggest mover and only tier jumper in this years rankings are the Big XII which moved down becuase of the lack of elite teams at the top of the conference. Baylor looks like the only real National Title contender but spots 2-7 are extremely solid and with such solidity in the middle this conference doesn't have the uncertainties around it that the others in this tier do.
Best Team: Florida State (ACC), Florida State is the reigning national champion and possibly the best team in the country with the return of Jameis Winston, although there was a lot of attrition off of last years squad this should still be one of the most dangerous teams in the country in 2014.
Worst Team: Kansas (Big XII), the decided strategic advantage narrowly beat out Purdue for the worst spot in this tier. A whole bushel of JUCO transfers didn't have the desired effect in Lawrence and the result was continued dismal returns for a Jayhawks squad that hasn't really recovered after Mark Mangino left.
Tier 1: Elite conferences with multiple title contending and playoff contending teams.
Pac-12: The Pac-12 has no changes in 2014 and the conferences itself looks to be trending upwards after a very good series of hires last season. Rich Rod showed improvements at Arizona that manifested in a victory over Oregon late in the year. Todd Graham make immediate improvements in Tucson and made great strides year one. Mike Leach started slow but made some waves at Washington State and should continue to make waves both on and off the field. Jim Mora at UCLA pushed for a conference title and calmed a lot of fears about his ability to adjust to the college game. Sonny Dykes seems to be the only year one that didn't show a lot of positives but even that doesn't dampen the spirits in Berkley. Add the addition of Chris Peterson in Washington, the loss of Lane Kiffin from the conference and you have a set of coaches that should be envied by most conferences. This is all without mentioning that Stanford and Oregon should be bell cows for the conference. The Pac-12 should be a lot of fun this season again and may challenge the SEC for depth of elite teams at the top.
SEC: Once again I have the SEC as the top conference in the land but the divide is certainly not as big as it has been in some seasons the past decade or so. The top still boasts multiple challengers for national championships in Alabama, Auburn and LSU and the second tier looks very dangerous with Ole Miss, Georgia, South Carolina and maybe Florida if they get their stuff together. The bottom may be a bit weaker than it has in the past with Vandy taking a hit with the loss of a great coaching staff and Kentucky continuing its struggles. All in all this should still be one of the toughest and most competitive conferences in the country.
Best Team: Alabama (SEC), still the most talented team in the country and arguably the best coached, Nick Saban made some staff changes this off-season and brought in one of the best recruiting classes in the country to bolster a roster with a ridiculous amount of talent.
Worst Team: Colorado (Pac-12), I loved the Mike MacIntyre hire last and I still do but the turnaround at Colorado will be a long haul and needs patience. First off will be bringing in a greater talent base and developing overlooked players and that takes time. So unfortunately I don't see it happening for Colorado this season but they should keep moving forward under the current regime.
That does it for the conference rankings to start off the off-season. This is just the stepping stone to pieces I hope to write on each conference and what to watch for this upcoming season.
No comments:
Post a Comment