College Football Preview--Dopke

[Bison_Kent]

Here is the Dopke Football Preview. You have to go to the I-AA link. There also are previews of each conference.

Here is the link:

http://www.collegesportsreport.com/

[Bisonguy]

Dopke on the Great West Football Conference:

Welcome to one of the most exciting conferences in college football

;D ;D ;D

[TheBisonator]

We're at #53??... Hmmm... I'd put us in the top-40 personally...

[WYOBISONMAN]

More good stuff for..... BISON CHAT.......Wed. at 8pm Central.....7pm Mountain

[lucchesicourt]

That's alright being ranked 53 right now,. My Ags are ranked 51. That too, is low I believe. But, as being ranked this low is not so bad in a preseason poll. It's what you do on the field that counts. I see how they say the Ags have lots of holes to fill. Well, our scholarship players get their first taste of football this year in an Ag uniform. I believe schollies must be better than non schollies and the Ags have done well in the past with non schollies. You guys have ALWAYS put quality on the field, so what makes anyone think that will change now, only the D1AA established teams. They really think because they are D1AA they must be better than D2 teams. Well, as I have said, what NCAA team regardless of division, has put more quality QB's in the pros (currently than the non scholarship QB's from UC Davis) than UC Davis. That would be Khari Jones, MVP of the CFL and Grey Cup champion, Mark Greib, MVP and Arena Football Champion, JT O' Sullivan runner-up to the champions in the WFL. All our last 6 QB's have played pro football at some level without having schollies. Not bad, so I really don't think our QB position should decline because we are now GIVING athletic scholarships. So, all this current rankings are hogwash. Don't let these so called experts in D1AA upset you. Let's face it they know NOTHING about the caliber of teams we put on the field.
Look at the teams in D1AA that you guys beat in the past to win the titles in D2. They WILL remember you. That's exactly how I want it. I want them to think they are better now, because they are D1AA and we are just fledglings of D1AA. So they should beat us, right? They'll find out they were WRONG!!! I think this years Ag team will be one of the best offensively we have ever had. I am not worried about our QB position, as that has Always been filled quite nicely, but our improvement will be in the running and receiver positions. The defense, I am unsure as that has always been our weakest point, except for stopping the run. You guys always play hard nosed football and grind and punish the defense of the opposition. This can be done at any level providing all players are in sync. Which for you guys is the usual case. A good running game is tough to stop and really opens things up. The Ags on the other hand, use the passing game to open the running game, as it appears to our opponents. However, if you look at the Ags past, their running game has produced more yards than the passing game over the years. A fact D1AA teams, I think will overlook because of the efficiency of the passing attack. As for your team, I think D1AA teams will underestimate the pride, heart, stubborness, and power of the players.
Those intangibles will make both our teams move up the rankings as the season progresses. I can't wait for the Ags to drub Steven F. Austin. I think they are ranked something like 14. I just don't see them stopping our passing offense. I feel we WILL score points in bunches again this year. Injuries last year slowed the Ags, but a healthy Ag team will be scary for any competitor. They'll find this out in a hurry as the Ags will score often and fast, IMO.

[IowaBison]

your right,

it's just more to prove

i think every team in the GWC is in the same boat this year, earn respect

[CKelly]

Hey guys I totally agree. I ended my preview with something to that effect. Other fans in I-AA don't have a ton of respect for the GWFC right now. That's fine, because respect should be earned. However, as someone who has followed all of these teams for quite some time, I don't expect any sort of dropoff in the programs that consistently have had success.

I'm extremely excited about the GWFC non-conference schedule, and all the Big Sky games.

Also- you can't trust these rankings the national I-AA writers are throwing out there. They have to cover 100+ teams, and they do a good job. However, I'm guessing those writers who cover I-AA, probably didn't spend much time looking at the top tier at the D-II level, or truly understand what made the GWFC teams successful over the course of the years. I think this season will have bumps and bruises, as would any first year conference. However, over the course of the season, there will be a few big surprises, and Great West Conference will impress some people out there.

I can't wait for the season to get here.

[Bisonfan1234]

CKelly, what do you know of this possible ending of 1AA?

[CKelly]

BisonFan-
Don't know much of an ending to I-AA football. I think that's pretty much just scuttlebutt at this point, and not much truth to it.

I'm anxiously awaiting the Big Sky meeting on the 9th though to see what comes of that.