Arrogant P5 fans

[UTE98]

Yes, I fully admit I’m an arrogant fan of a big conference team. Funny thing is in 2004 and 2008 we all thought we had teams which could beat the world. And we did in ONE bowl game. But 2004 and 2008’s teams would never have survived this year’s schedule. Not much chance BJ’s gonna come in for an injured Alex and win against this year’s schedule. Sure Alex came in as the backup in 2003 and did well, but we still lost to UNM, and didn’t face a schedule as tough as this year. We played three P5 teams not nine.

I remember when we used to accuse P5 fans of being arrogant, and we/they are, but now we know the truth.

TCU is 5-6 this year, first two games against Southern U (W 55-7) and SMU (W 42-12), in the MWC they are probably 8-4 or better. Not an absolute but I’d say the P-5 schedule vs. G5 schedule is good for about 2.6-3.4 more wins per season. So we’d most likely be undefeated in the MWC with this team, and headed to another big bowl game. So that’s my take on UCF this year, they may win one big game, but overall they’d not survive a P5 schedule with this team.

And yes that means a 10 win season or above is pretty darn good for a P5 team. And we’re on our way there I hope, but I’ll be a lot less bummed about losing in the Pac12 Championship game or a big bowl game than I was losing to ASU.

[Utah]

EXACTLY. We were wrong in 2004 and 2008. 

UCF ain’t done squat and doesn’t deserve squat. Sucks for UCF, but it is what it is. 

No non-P5 deserves a spot in the playoffs nor have they “earned” a spot in the playoff. 

What they need to do is take the projected #15 team and top G5 team and switch schedules every year. 

Watch as the G5 doesn’t make a bowl and the P5 goes undefeated. Then this silly talk of G5 in the playoffs can end. 

[User Suspended]

The onus is on UCF to schedule a real strong out of conference if they want a shot.  Play on the road in SEC or Big10.  Beat LSU at the jungle, take down tOSU at the horseshoe… it’s not fair, but the only way to get into the conversation.

I think a few Blue Bloods would entertain a one and done at home with UCF.   

[Anonymous]

I want to play them. I want to play Florida teams.  Especially since they were blabbering about how they’d win the PAC12. I say we give them a shot. I’d go.

[User Suspended]

Playing Utah isn’t a big enough statement game for UCF.  If they want the attention of playoff committee they need to slay a blue blood or two… OU, ND, ALA ect..

Utah, would be a nice win for UCF but not enough to move the needle.

Also, I think UCF is a sleeping tiger. They got everything going for them except a conference. 

 

[Anonymous]

Not if they’re playing the defending PAC12 champs. They’ve been quite vocal about how they’d win the PAC12. Also, they’d be foolish to aim higher straight out of the gate like that. Besides, by the time this could or would come together our Utes might be pretty high profile. They’d actually be dumb to take the game. Utah would kill them. 

[ProudUte]

What you say is mostly spot on.  Our 2004 season fits in that category for sure.  However, our 2008 schedule was much different.  We ended the season beating 2 top ten teams and 2 more top 20 teams.  The big blemish on that season remains a 13-10 victory at UNM.  However, most top teams have  a bad game or two in their season.  Teams like this season’s Alabama and Clemson are exceptions.  They are amazing teams with few if any weaknesses.  Everyone else in the top ten right now is vulnerable IMO.  Could we have stayed undefeated with a P5 schedule?  Probably not.  I really think that our 2004 team had an unstoppable offense and could have scored on any team.  If we would have played USC that year the score may have been something like 45-35 for USC.  But, we were really untested that season.  Our toughest opponent was TAMU.  But, they were our only ranked opponent.

 

[Utah]

Even 2008 is tainted. We beat the top end teams, but the bottom of our schedule was WEAK. 

Its not fair to P5 teams to have a G5 play 4-5 good games with 7 scrimmages in between. 

[UteThunder]

BYU is a good example of how G5 teams would likely perform against a P5 schedule. 

In the MWC they ran off 4 straight double digit win seasons, and even had a 5th 10 win season in their first season of independence against what can only be described as a weak G5 schedule. In the following years, as their schedule has ramped up to be half of what a P5 schedule is, they have yet to win 10 games in a season and have had two of their worst seasons of the last 15 years. This is what happens when you have G5 recruits and play a bunch of P5 teams. 

[Charlie Foxtrot]

I think with TDS and TCU in the conference in 2008 along with the other P5 games, the UTES played 1/2 of a legitimate P5 schedule.  From a G5 fans perspective that was close enough for many to think that competing week in and week out wouldn’t be an issue at the P5 level.  I think what we probably failed to appreciate is the attrition that can happen with those additional 4-5 P5 games and the amount of skilled depth that it takes to survive it and still have a winning record when it’s over.

I don’t think that AAC currently has three teams like the MWC did at the time, that are/were in the top 25 consistently for several seasons.  Yeah UCF is good, but they don’t have conference mates that are as good and the rest of their schedule isn’t hard/grueling enough.  There is a reason that Utah and TCU are in power 5 conferences now.  Frankly TDS would probably be in one too if they would have let a little pressure out of their big head and been more reasonable during P5 courtship.

[gUrthBrooks]

Tangent: That 2008 defense was loaded with NFL talent. Krueger, Misi, Shelby, (Siliga, Cox 2 deep), Mcain, Pasadena man Sean Smith (Brandon Burton in 2 deep), Robert Johnson, Others?

[Distantute]

S. Sylvester

[UTE98]

Yes our 1st team was very good, but we didn’t have Jason Shelley, Brumfield, Enis, Bernard, Shyne, Boyd, Dixon, Kuithe, Fotheringham, Boyd, etc.

I think this year is the year we’ve finally seen our depth provide consistency after 1st teamers suffered injuries, targeting penalties, and just needed a rest.

If we’d have lost BJ that year we don’t make the Sugar Bowl, we were running a package for Corbin Louks. We had 5 WRs/1 TE with at least 10 catches, this year we have 7 with two players at 8 catches. 17 different players have caught a pass, 2008 it appears we had 9 players catch a pass.

After the two game losing streak, starting out 0-2 in conference I ws frustrated because I thought we were making progress and it felt like we were mired in mediocrity. But after 11 games, I think this is the deepest team we’ve ever had and would have matched 2004/2008 in their accomplisments with those schedules.

[COFfrom83]

in 04 we’d have won the Big East and maybe the ACC, which was down that year. Then it was the power 6 conferences. Trev Albert drew our scorn in 04 saying we wouldn’t have been competative in the SEC. Maybe he was right, but he purposely failed to mention the down power conferences.

Having been here a few years now I would not say “arrogant”, but “better informed” or “more realistic”