Worst Year in History for Eastern Football?

[sutomcat]

I have been following college football in general, with a focus on the East, since the 1970s.

What is happening this year is, I think, unprecedented.

Here are the major programs I consider to be Eastern programs, and how they are doing this season:

Army 7-2, game remaining against Navy, projected record 7-3 (very weak schedule this year)
Boston College 5-4. remaining games against UL and Virginia, projected record 6-5
Navy 3-4, games remaining against Memphis, Tulsa and Army, projected record 4-6
Penn State 0-5, games remaining against UM, RU and MSU, projected record 1-7
Pittsburgh 5-4, games remaining against Clemson and GT, projected record is 6-5
Rutgers 1-4, games remaining against Purdue, PSU and Maryland, projected record 1-7
Temple 1-6, remaining game against Cincinnati, projected record 1-7
Syracuse 1-8, games remaining against NC State and ND, projected record 1-10
West Virginia 5-3, games remaining against Oklahoma and Iowa St, projected record 5-5

If my projections are correct, we will end up with 4 teams with 1 win this year. Only 3 teams will have winning records and only 1 will have a record better than 6-5. And that program, Army, played a really weak schedule. They lost to the 2 best programs they played, Tulane and Cincinnati (games against BYU and Air Force, likely losses, were canceled).

I am curious to see who wins the Lambert Trophy. If Army beats Navy, I think they get it. Not sure they deserve it. Not sure anyone deserves it.

If UB is eligible, they might get it. They are 3-0, all against awful MAC programs. They have 3 games left. One is against Kent State, who has an historically bad defense but a good offense. The other two are against Ohio (who lost to CMU this year so they must be bad) and always awful Akron (AAA). I think they should at least finish 4-2 and have a good chance to go 6-0. But with no games against a good program.

If the teams were all playing each other, it would be impossible to compile so many awful records. Someone has to win. But with the programs playing weird schedules mostly against teams in other regions, this kind of special ineptitude is possible.

Somewhere Ben Schwartzwalder and Buck O’Neil are turning in their graves.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The answer is ... UCONN.

 

[CousCuse]

UB Bulls have Lance Leipold, a great coach and now are the kings of the east. He is taking a lot of upstate NY guys that nobody wants and is DEVELOPING them in to strong players.

 

[Moontan]

The answer is ... UCONN.

And let’s not forget CousCuse favorite UMASS.
Two awesome programs ready to join the B1G.

 

[CousCuse]

And let’s not forget CousCuse favorite UMASS.
Two awesome programs ready to join the B1G.

As I've stated in the past, I enjoy watching people attempt to build college football programs from historically weak teams or upstart programs like Coastal, Liberty and UMASS. In the case of UMASS, it is especially intriguing because they face so much headwind and obstacles. Their defense has turned a corner and looks pretty strong. Their offense was a complete change of scheme to a spread and that is taking more time. They could be sound next year and maybe get to .500 or better, 3rd year is usually when you see a jump ahead for new coaches. It would be humiliating if they surpassed Syracuse as an eastern football team, but it could happen.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

I think UB is eligible so it will be either them or Army. I suppose BC or Pitt have an outside chance.