Either Weber is that bad or James Madison is that good. I'm not trying to be a homer or an apologist, but JMU looked really really good. That defense...wow. They were fast, big and tough. My guess, JMU will be ranked by the end of the season.
Couldn't help but wonder...if Colton Swan was selected as the head coach how good our team would be. Coach Hill built a juggernaut. A program that was feared and respected. Talked to a buddy who is a JMU grad. He said that Weber was respected. The key term, "was." Too bad that Hill wasn't followed by a head coach ready to maintain what was built or to even build off the success of Hill. Mental is a great guy and I want him to succeed, but look at how much has changed in the past couple of years. Weber was legitimately a feared team. Made the Big Sky stronger and was on par with JMU. Now...we are back to the early 2000s.
Sure, we can blame NIL and NCAA changes (pay for play and transfer rules) for some of our problems, but I feel the issue is more succinct than that. Like I said earlier, I hope I am wrong and that the Cats have an incredible year. It is only game 1. The Sky isn't falling...yet. Also, JMU looked really good. It would be great to see them succeed this year. Would be cool to see them compete in the playoff instead of a worthless bowl game (they'd definitely be the toast of the FCS). Not sure they are that good, but good enough to win the Sun Belt. We will see this week. Regardless, Weber isn't. Right now, we are not a playoff team. I don't even feel we are a .500 team. Follow the model Jay built. Look at our roster...that is issue 1.