CAA Week 12 Prediction & Playoff Picture Thread

[BDKJMU]

CAA Playoff picture.
-9-3 is a mortal lock. 8-3 on a 11 game schedule (UNH) is.
-8-4/5-3 are likely in. Somewhere north of 50/50 chance. I know others may disagree.
-4 I-AA losses, be it 7-5 or 8-4 (Albany) no chance of getting in.

If it comes to an 8-4/5-3 CAA being left out, 3 of the 4 trying to get to 8 have round robbined. UD beat JMU, JMU beat W&M, W&M beat UD.

Given the above, UNH is in, 5 others still in the hunt, 6 eliminated:

-UNH (8-1/6-0). IN-Mortal Lock. Must win 1 of 2 to be a seed at 9-2, win out for top 3 seed at 10-1. Remaining: UD, @ Maine.

-VU: (8-2/5-1). Likely In, need to win 1 of 2 to be mortal lock. Remaining: Albany, @ UD.

Win 1 of 2 to likely get in at 8-4, win out for be mortal lock:
-UR (7-3/4-2). Remaining: JMU, @ W&M.
-JMU (7-3/4-2). Remaining: @ UR, Elon. (lost to UD, owns head to head over W&M).

Win out to likely get in at 8-4:
-W&M (6-4/3-3). Remaining: @ TU, UR (lost to JMU, owns head to head over UD)
-UD (6-4/4-2). Remaining: @ UNH, VU (lost to W&M, owns head to head over JMU)

Eliminated from Playoff contention:
-Albany (6-4/2-4)
-Maine (4-5/3-3)
-SBU (4-6/3-3)
-TU (4-6/2-4)
-Elon (1-9/0-6)
-URI (0-10/0-6)

[BDKJMU]

CAA Game of the Week on National Television
JMU (7-3/4-2) @ UR (7-3/4-2) 12:30 PM, NBC Sports.

UD (6-4/4-2) @ UNH (8-1/6-0) 1 PM

URI (0-10/0-6) @ SBU (4-6/3-3) 1 PM

Maine (4-5/3-3) @ Elon (1-9/0-6) 3:00 PM

W&M (6-4/3-3) @ TU (4-6/2-4) 3:30 PM, CSN-MA, CSN-PHL, SNY, CSN-CHI, CSN-HOU, CSN-BA, CSN-NW

Albany (6-4/2-4) @ VU: (8-2/5-1) 7:00 PM

[BDKJMU]

Which QB does JMU face? Will the highly efficient Strauss be ready back from injury, or will it be the turnover machine Rocco?

Strauss: 11 TDs, 4 INT, 71%
Rocco: 4 TDs, 11 INT, 57%
http://caasports.com/custompages/stats/ ... m#team.ind" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rocco has had 9 turnovers in the last 3 games (8 INT and a fumble). 7 in the last 2. Threw 4 picks vs Maine. He is a turnover machine. They were lucky to beat VU in that sloppfest. The UR fans are screaming for Coach Rocco to be bench Rocco. They may not have to.

UR's Strauss may be ready for JMU's visit
http://www.timesdispatch.com/sports/ur- ... b6160.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And even if Strauss does start, will he be anywhere close to 100%? Will he be sharp after missing 5 weeks?

[bluehenbillk]

Call me lazy but follow the pattern in my picks...

UR 27 JMU 24 - I said this week I'd pick JMU but my head couldn't do it
StB 24 URI 14 - The Rams will win next week
UNH 41 UD 17 - This is what getting punched in the mouth feels like
Maine 24 Elon 14 - How are these teams in the same league??
W&M 24 TU 14 - I guess the Tribe will still have remote life
Nova 41 Alb 17 - Just a mismatch played in front of sparse crowd

[AZGrizFan]

I see the CAA is just as clear as the BSC.

[89Hen]

JMU 24 - Richmond 17
Stony 31 - URI 13
UNH 38 - Delaware 17
Maine 24 - Elon 13
W&M 35 - Townsend 13
nova 31 - Albany 13

[CAA Flagship]

Richmond 24 - JMU 20
Stony 38 - URI 14
UNH 35 - Delaware 21
Maine 34 - Elon 14
W&M 24 - Townsend 21
Villanova 35 - Albany 17

[BDKJMU]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgxFDsDhQ_g[/youtube]

[BDKJMU]

Wed RTD:
UR's Strauss expected to start at quarterback Saturday vs. JMU
http://www.timesdispatch.com/sports/ur- ... c1b41.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They must have some kind of miracle healing juice at UR, because 5 weeks ago (article from 31 days ago)
Richmond QB Strauss sidelined by ankle fracture
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnf ... id=4730697" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He's a great QB, but I doubt he 100%. While UR gives up the fewest sacks in the CAA (5 in 6 CAA games), the one thing JMU's defense can do well is get after the QB. JMU leads the CAA in sacks (CAA games only) with 26 in 6 games. Could be bad news for a gimp QB.

[BDKJMU]

JMU 34, UR 27.
My guess & hope is that Strauss isn't 100%. JMU has had 6 of its 10 games decided by a TD or less: an OT loss to UD, three 3 point wins, a 4 point win, and an 8 point win. 5 have been nail biters. This will probably be another...

UNH 38, UD 17

SBU 31, URI 10

Elon 20, Maine 17.
-2 weeks ago mid week on here I picked VU over UR, but then that Fri on CAAChallenege.net went with my gut & picked UR over VU, as that is what I had predicted earlier in the season before Strauss & Barnette went down for UR. History said there wouldn't be 2 teams go 8-0 in the CAA, & UR over VU was the most likely loss between VU & UNH.
-Last week with Maine coming off a bye week and UR on a long trip after a huge home upset win & the week before the big showdown with JMU, should've gone with my gut & Maine in the classic trap game pick instead of picking UR to narrowly beat Maine.
-This week Maine has the long road trip after a huge home upset win. I watched Elon be competitive last week losing 17-7 @ W&M, and URI was competitive at home with Maine. So going with my gut predicting a Maine letdown.

W&M 24, TU 17

VU 42, Albany 24

[BDKJMU]

JMU 55, UR 20. JMU clinches a playoff spot. Even if JMU (8-3/5-2) were to lose to Elon (1-10/0-7) at 8-JMU would be tied with the winner of the UR @ W&M game both at 8-4/5-3, but JMU would be the 3rd CAA team based on head to head.

Vad Lee another great game.
Passing 27 of 37 , 2 TDs, 0 INTs. In the last 7 games, 19 TDs, 1 INT.
Rushing 11 carries, 22 yds (9 rushes for 41 yds - 19 yds on 2 sacks), 1 TD, 1 fumble.

On defense cornerback Taylor Reynolds 2 Pick 6, 2 forced fumbles, 1 that likely prevented a UR TD, and 1 that definitely did as he punched the ball out from behind right before the UR RB crossed the goal line. He should get CAA & National defensive player of the week.

UR after 4 turnovers vs VU and 5 vs Maine 5 vs JMU.
Like I suspected, Strauss wasn’t very sharp. Threw 3 picks, including 2 pick sixes. JMU put a lot of heat on him, only 1 sack, but a number of hits, including a couple when he was in the act of throwing. Strauss appeared to re-injured his ankle in the 2nd qtr, but came back a series later.

[vutomcat]

CAA Playoff picture.
-9-3 is a mortal lock. 8-3 on a 11 game schedule (UNH) is.
-8-4/5-3 are likely in. Somewhere north of 50/50 chance. I know others may disagree.
-4 I-AA losses, be it 7-5 or 8-4 (Albany) no chance of getting in.

If it comes to an 8-4/5-3 CAA being left out, 3 of the 4 trying to get to 8 have round robbined. UD beat JMU, JMU beat W&M, W&M beat UD.

Given the above, UNH is in, 5 others still in the hunt, 6 eliminated:

-UNH (8-1/6-0). IN-Mortal Lock. Must win 1 of 2 to be a seed at 9-2, win out for top 3 seed at 10-1. Remaining: UD, @ Maine.

-VU: (8-2/5-1). Likely In, need to win 1 of 2 to be mortal lock. Remaining: Albany, @ UD.

Win 1 of 2 to likely get in at 8-4, win out for be mortal lock:
-UR (7-3/4-2). Remaining: JMU, @ W&M.
-JMU (7-3/4-2). Remaining: @ UR, Elon. (lost to UD, owns head to head over W&M).

Win out to likely get in at 8-4:
-W&M (6-4/3-3). Remaining: @ TU, UR (lost to JMU, owns head to head over UD)
-UD (6-4/4-2). Remaining: @ UNH, VU (lost to W&M, owns head to head over JMU)

Eliminated from Playoff contention:
-Albany (6-4/2-4)
-Maine (4-5/3-3)
-SBU (4-6/3-3)
-TU (4-6/2-4)
-Elon (1-9/0-6)
-URI (0-10/0-6)

MOVE NOVA TO MORTAL LOCK WITH UNH.

MOVE JMU TO LIKELY AND A LOCK WITH A WIN NEXT WEEK AT ELON

MOVE RICHMOND/W&M WINER TO LIKELY. I think a Richmond win @ W&M gets them in. Always more impressed with road wins and I think Richmond has a better chance to win in the playoffs once Strauss gets back to his normal form.

Delaware now eliminated but can save the season with an upset in the Battle of the Blue.

[93henfan]

Nova can name the score on a historically terrible Delaware team. It's all up to Talley and I think he's a decent guy who will call off the dogs once Nova is up by four TDs. There will only be four digit actual butts in seats on Saturday in Newark, which bodes nicely for the unspoken plan to deemphasize UD football and should make it feel like a home game for Nova.

And BDK has the playoff picture right. CAA gets four in: UNH, VU, JMU and winner of UR-CWM.

Remarkable season turnaround by JMU. I wouldn't want to be a seed facing them early. Would love to see JMU @ EWU in second round. Are you listening to me playoff committee?

[vutomcat]

Albany Head coach Greg Gattuso.

He made a jackass of himself all night long screaming at the refs and running out on the field and then called out Andy Taley for running up the score because he handed off to fifth string 4 year walk on the last two plays of the game. Refused to shake hands too.

Is he always a bad actor on the sideline and a sore loser?

[CAA Flagship]

Richmond 24 - JMU 20
Stony 38 - URI 14
UNH 35 - Delaware 21
Maine 34 - Elon 14
W&M 24 - Townsend 21
Villanova 35 - Albany 17

Richmond 24 - JMU 20 (20-55)
Stony 38 - URI 14 (35-14)
UNH 35 - Delaware 21 (43-14)
Maine 34 - Elon 14 (24-17)
W&M 24 - Townsend 21 (37-14)
Villanova 35 - Albany 17 (48-31)

5-1 This Week
68-21 for the season

[BDKJMU]

Albany Head coach Greg Gattuso.

He made a jackass of himself all night long screaming at the refs and running out on the field and then called out Andy Taley for running up the score because he handed off to fifth string 4 year walk on the last two plays of the game. Refused to shake hands too.

Is he always a bad actor on the sideline and a sore loser?

Wow if happened as you described. Always thought Talley was a class guy. I'm trying to remember when one CAA HC refused to shake hands with another.

And how is 48-31 running up the score?

[vutomcat]

Albany Head coach Greg Gattuso.

He made a jackass of himself all night long screaming at the refs and running out on the field and then called out Andy Taley for running up the score because he handed off to fifth string 4 year walk on the last two plays of the game. Refused to shake hands too.

Is he always a bad actor on the sideline and a sore loser?

Wow if happened as you described. Always thought Talley was a class guy. I'm trying to remember when one CAA HC refused to shake hands with another.

And how is 48-31 running up the score?

ANDY was not very happy. Here's a snippet from the VU Hoops article.

The Albany Great Danes marched down the field on their first drive, however a fumble one yard short of the end zone shifted the momentum towards the Villanova Wildcats then and for the rest of the night. John Robertson finished the day with 168 rushing yards and Kevin Gulyas had 3 receptions for 106 yards as the 'Cats won 48-31.

Tempers of both coaches were high immediately after the game. With 48 seconds left in the game, Villanova took the field for what was assumed to be the victory formation. Instead, Coach Talley let 4-year walk-on senior Fred O'Connor take two handoffs for a total of 20 yards. At the postgame handshake, Albany head coach Greg Gattuso refused to shake as he believed Talley refusing to kneel the ball was "low class." He went on to say that "the great [coaches] kneel there, that's it." Talley called Gattuso's response "bullsh*t." He added, "For him to come into a press conference and criticize me in front of my hometown press for something like that? I mean, if you're gonna be mad at me running up the score, you can talk to me or anyone in this league, I don't run up the score and wouldn't do it. So don't come to Villanova and talk in our press room and talk trash. I'm not buying it." This was the first time these two coaches ever met, and it obviously was not a great first impression on either side.

[BDKJMU]

Villanova, Albany football coaches have angry words after Wildcats victory

Two carries by a walk-on running back in the final minute of Villanova's convincing, 48-31 Colonial Athletic Association win over visiting Albany set off verbal volleys between Albany coach Greg Gattuso and his counterpart, Villanova's Andy Talley.

After Albany's Brian Parker scored on a 25-yard pass from quarterback Will Fiacchi for the final touchdown of the game with 49 seconds remaining, Villanova had one last possession after downing the ensuing kickoff on its own 25-yard line.

That is when senior walk-on Fred O'Connor unintentionally became part of the ending conflict.

O'Connor received two straight carries, the first for 19 yards and the second for a yard before time expired.

After the game, Gattuso let Talley know he was unhappy that Villanova ran the two plays instead of taking a knee.

"I went to shake his hand, and he gave me that [complaining], and I just waved him off and went over and did the [television] interview," Talley said.

Gattuso, a member of Penn State's 1982 national championship team, expressed his displeasure during the postgame news conference.

"I was very disappointed with Coach Talley at the end of the game," Gattuso said. "Thirty seconds left, [he] doesn't want to kneel. He mentioned Joe Paterno to me, and how he looked up to him. I can promise you this, he's no Joe Paterno after this, doing something like that."

Talley bristled at the Paterno comments.

"Joe Paterno is a legend, I would never pretend to be like Joe Paterno or anybody else," Talley said. "I am Andy Talley. Check my record, pal. When he gets to that point, he can come talk to me about coaching."

Gattuso, who was 97-32 in 12 seasons at Duquesne and is 6-5 in his initial season at Albany, had more unflattering comments about the end of the game.

"I think that was so little class it shocked me," he said. ". . . I just think it's a rookie coach mistake, and if it was a young coach it would be one thing, but somebody of his stature to do something like that is shocking to me."

Then Gattuso fired this final salvo.

"We ran the ball in the fourth quarter, we didn't use timeouts, we didn't onside kick," he said. "I think we did it the way you have to. We are certainly going to try to score, I think everybody wants to score. When there is 30 seconds on the clock, the great ones kneel, period."

Talley was seething at Gattuso's comments.

"We wanted to get a senior running back in the game who is a four-year walk-on, and we wanted to give him the ball," Talley said. "It is not like we were throwing the ball."

After O'Connor's initial 19-yard gain, his teammates were genuinely happy, congratulating a player who was rewarded for four years of dedication. It was senior night, and his parents attended the game from Virginia.

O'Connor entered the game with six career carries for 18 yards.

It wasn't lost on Talley that the final Albany touchdown was scored by starting tight end Brain Parker from Fiacchi.

"He kept his first team in through the whole game, and for him to come in here and criticize me - are you kidding me?" Talley said. "I made my bones in this program. Let him go get 10 playoffs and a national championship and he can come here and rip me."

Talley said he didn't like the way Gattuso made an issue of it in the postgame news conference.

"For him to come in a press conference and criticize me in front of my hometown press for something like that?" Talley said. "I mean, if you are going to be upset, then be upset that I am trying to run up the score."

After the news conference, Talley said he would reach out to Gattuso and explain his reasoning for running the ball those two plays.

This was the first meeting between the teams; it's only Albany's second season in the CAA.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/col ... m7jd0Sm.99" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EWURanger]

Albany Head coach Greg Gattuso.

He made a jackass of himself all night long screaming at the refs and running out on the field and then called out Andy Taley for running up the score because he handed off to fifth string 4 year walk on the last two plays of the game. Refused to shake hands too.

Is he always a bad actor on the sideline and a sore loser?

The guy sounds like a real pussy/sore loser. I've always thought Coach Talley to be a class act. I don't think there's any issue with rewarding a kid who's put 5 years into a program with a couple carries at the end of the game in a situation like that.

[BDKJMU]

JMU 34, UR 27.
My guess & hope is that Strauss isn't 100%. JMU has had 6 of its 10 games decided by a TD or less: an OT loss to UD, three 3 point wins, a 4 point win, and an 8 point win. 5 have been nail biters. This will probably be another...

JMU 55, UR 20.

UNH 38, UD 17

UNH 43, UD 14 (within 5 pts both teams)

SBU 31, URI 10

SBU 35, URI 14 (Nailed margin, 4 pts off both teams).

Elon 20, Maine 17.
-2 weeks ago mid week on here I picked VU over UR, but then that Fri on CAAChallenege.net went with my gut & picked UR over VU, as that is what I had predicted earlier in the season before Strauss & Barnette went down for UR. History said there wouldn't be 2 teams go 8-0 in the CAA, & UR over VU was the most likely loss between VU & UNH.
-Last week with Maine coming off a bye week and UR on a long trip after a huge home upset win & the week before the big showdown with JMU, should've gone with my gut & Maine in the classic trap game pick instead of picking UR to narrowly beat Maine.
-This week Maine has the long road trip after a huge home upset win. I watched Elon be competitive last week losing 17-7 @ W&M, and URI was competitive at home with Maine. So going with my gut predicting a Maine letdown.

Maine 24, Elon 17

W&M 24, TU 17

W&M 37, TU 14

VU 42, Albany 24

VU 48, Albany 31. (1 pt off margin, within TD of both teams)

71-17 on season CAAChallengeSite.net

[bluehenbillk]

Yep, I said the same thing on AGS but Talley was in the right here & Gattuso embarrassed himself.

[89Hen]

JMU 24 - Richmond 17 (55-20)
Stony 31 - URI 13 (35-14)
UNH 38 - Delaware 17 (43-14)
Maine 24 - Elon 13 (24-17)
W&M 35 - Townsend 13 (37-14)
nova 31 - Albany 13 (48-31)

[BDKJMU]

W&M 21 JMU 14 - Dukes playoff hopes fade away

StB 23 JMU 17 Bad set-up for the streaking Dukes

UR 27 JMU 24 - I said this week I'd pick JMU but my head couldn't do it

Something is wrong with your head..

Now don't screw it up- go ahead and pick Elon over JMU

[bluehenbillk]

Nice trolling. Hey I give the Dukes credit - I was wrong on them. The only excuse I have is I watched them lose at home to a bad Delaware team & I had difficulty getting over that eye test.

[93henfan]

Nice trolling. Hey I give the Dukes credit - I was wrong on them. The only excuse I have is I watched them lose at home to a bad Delaware team & I had difficulty getting over that eye test.

That was their wake-up call. Sacred Heart should have been ours.