The reasons I said that is because Matt Baker is gone, and while Holley is better straight up than any corner RU has, a new starting QB vs the Knights safeties doesn't spell well for the Heels. The game is in Chapel Hill, yes, but it's also week one, giving Bozich a total of 9 career passes heading into the game. McGill is back, but he's not nearly the player that Brian Leonard is, in fact I wouldn't even say he's better than Ray Rice. Both defenses are solid, though Schiano gives RU a coaching advantage. Ohh, I almost forgot, the immortal Joe Dailey might be starting for UNC. Please let this happen.
I would be surprised if Rutgers was in the top 25 in my lifetime. And with all this UNC talk, I smell a sig/avatar challenge between you guys.
Or how about a much more enticing one. If Rutgers makes the top 25 at some point over the next thirty years, you sport an RU sig. If not, I'll go with a Hokie one. Both sigs will last for one day. I think that's fair.
Unless you're planning to only live another few years, you're going to be surprised. They're a strong program on the rise with a promising sophmore QB in a bad major conference... if this kid plays now they have a realistic chance to start the season 6-0. In 2 years Teel will be a senior playing with 3 years of recruiting classes after bowl games, and they have a very good chance to establish themselves as a top team in the Big East then. This is coming from an unbiased fan of the Big Ten.
I'm thinking one of us will forget in the next 30 years, and that isn't exactly a fair bet because I would have to wait 30 years to cash in on my bet whereas yours could be cashed in whenever. How about this though, if you even remember y'all can rub it in our faces if it happens I don't care, I'll stick by my beliefs.
What's wrong w/ Dailey? he did start at Nebraska for a year and wasn't successful but guys do get better sometimes as they get older and more experience. He doesn't have a reputation as a good passer but he can make things happen w/ his legs which is important and I think Sexton might beat him out anyway. They have a good OL coming back and have good skill players. it comes down to the QB and I do agree w/ a new QB and w/ RU being game 1 it could be a tough one to win but I'm an optimist. We've been hearing about that for years. the ONLY reason I think they can be ranked is b/c of how bad the conf is. Everyone thinks they did well last year(and for RU they did) but the teams they beat were awful, they didn't beat 1 good team. Voters will have ahard time giving RU top 25 votes when their big wins are Navy and Buffalo.
The reason I don't think much of Dailey is because I believe, at his absolute peak, is a mediocre player. He's like a poor man's Chris Leak, athletic, but not really that athletic, but unlike Leak, he doesn't even have a solid arm to fall back on. He'll still be an option QB in a real offense, which means he'll still be awful. As for RU and the top 25, they actually received some votes at points last year, a year they absolutely should not have. Within 4 years, the team and conference will both be more than good enough to justify a top 25 spot, I have no doubt about that.
I was just looking for the QB with the most experience behind Baker, and that was Bozich. I had forgotten Dailey was there, then I'd have assumed he was the starter, but Sexton was a fairly decent recruit as well, so I certainly suppose so.
Head-to-head wins to date: Big East 2 ACC 1 Rutgers 21, North Carolina 16 Pittsburgh 38, Virginia 13 Wake Forest 20, Syracuse 10
UConn isn't that bad either. They have one of the best offense and defensive backfields in the country. (look up their stats, its true) Sure, they have plenty of problems (O Line, WRs, inexperience LBs) but they are an up and comer too. They went to their first bowl game 2 years ago and won.
your elite beat the ACC bottom and the Rutgers "win" was a joke. Tied 7-7 Carolina clearly stops Rutgers on a 3rd and 2 w/ RU being a full yd short and they give them the 1st down en route to a TD to take a 14-7 lead then Carolina scores a TD and it's reversed by replay w/ no clear evidence. I couldn't tell iof he made it or not but it was ruled a TD on the field and there was not any conclusive angle to change the call. Even w/ those plays Carolina deserved to lose giving up 200 yds rushing but the game would have been different w/ proper calls. It's time for John Bunting to go, we could have had Spurrier but of course they have a good year and Bunting saves his job 2 years ago. Bunting is doing a terrible job to lose to Rutgers at home in the opener when you are supposed to be better than last year is a terrible job and he needs to go.
I told you that 2 years ago nyjunc. After your guys beat Miami, everyone was saying how "Bunting saved his job with this win", it was ridiculous at the time, and it's even moreso now considering how much time one game bought him. Secondly, the win wasn't a joke, RU clearly outplayed UNC at just about everything. Mike Teel played better than Joe Dailey (Dailey's INTs were backbreaking), Rice had an outstanding day, the OLs for both teams held up well. RU's biggest weakness, the cornerbacks, never came into play until the very end, because NC's receivers weren't very sharp until the very end (minus Nicks); for all that Holley talked in the week leading up, he did nothing. The only reason it was close at the end was Schiano's decision to go full-on 3 man rush/prevent with 7+ minutes to go. If anything, it speaks about Rutgers inability to put teams away (which will bite them like it did last year), but they played that game like a team deserving to win. By the way, the reversed goal line play was rather clear evidence. His knee was down even before his elbow hit, and even if they counted the elbow as the markdown, he wasn't even across the goal line. Had NC been able to punch it in from about the 3 inch line, it wouldn't have mattered, they gave the game away there with a horribly uninspired playcall.
One game and 1 crappy bowl appearance. I did say UNC deserved to lose and were outplayed but those 2 blown calls(3 actually, I didn't mention after the reversal on 4th and G from the 1 the RB was stopped and 10s ecs after the play RU comes up w/ it and runs past the 10 so inseatd of being on their own 1 they had breathing room) were critical. It looked like he was down BUT there was not a clear angle, the showed that EZ angle alot and you can't tell where the nose of the ball is when his knee hits. The ruling was "indisputable evidence" and cleary there wasn't indisputable evidence. It was a blown call.
There was very clear evidence on one of the angles. Not the one that was dead ahead, but the 45ish degree angle. You could tell that it wasn't a touchdown, because his arm landed clearly before the goal line, and based on the fact that he was cradling the ball, it became fairly obvious that it was not a touchdown.
I watched every angled numerous times, there wasn't an angle where it showed 100% that the call should be reversed.
Well, all I can say is that I absolutely disagree. One clear angle was all you need, and that angle I spoke about before was, in fact, clear.
junc, I knew I might come here and find you complaining about the officials. Questionable stuff goes both ways in pretty much any game. How about Rutgers with a first down at the UNC 10 and they call that hit a fumble? Rutgers got no points, lost possesion, and on the next series the same play happened to your QB and it was ruled an incomplete pass. It happens both ways. The fact is Rutgers ran the ball down UNC's throat on their own field in their opener. They had a 93 yard TD drive. They had another drive where they gave the ball to Rice every time and basically said "stop him", and the drive ended with Rice scoring a TD standing up. UNC had to rally to make a game of it.
