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| Furman vs. Austin Peay (FCS 1st Rd) at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, TN |
Say what you want to about COVID-19, but whenever the SoCon Football season happens, it needs to happen for one simple reason--REDEMPTION!
The 2019 season would see ominous clouds form over the Southern Conference football scene for more than an off-season pandemic. The postseason was also a forgettable time for a league with such a proud FCS tradition.
With COVID-19 spiking again in 39 of 50 states, it's looking very likely we will be having college football in the spring. As of today (July 1, 2020), South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said that at this time, it looks as though college football won't be played in the Palmetto State.
“This fall will not be like other falls. We will not be able to have college football. We will not be able to have high school football."
Eighty-percent of the public firework displays have been canceled for July 4th throughout the country. This whole virus has targeted all entertainment that we regard as uniquely "American" and canceled it. Football is now in the cross-hairs of this horrible virus. College football must be played even if it's the spring. But even if football in the spring seems somehow un-American, it needs to be played in the Southern Conference at some point in 2020.
It's not just for financial reasons. The 2019 campaign was a hit for the league. Both FCS playoff qualifiers--Furman and Wofford--bowed out in the opening round of the FCS playoffs, with Furman getting blasted, 42-6, at Austin Peay, while Wofford was knocked from the postseason for a second-straight season by Kennesaw State, 28-21, at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg.
In case you were wondering, it's the first time since 1986 that the SoCon has seen both its playoff qualifiers getting knocked from the playoffs before the Thanksgiving Turkey had fully digested. The John Settle-led Appalachian State dropped a 28-26 home game to Nicholls State, while Furman dropped a 23-10 home contest to the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.
Since the departures of Appalachian State and Georgia Southern for the Sun Belt Conference, the league probably hasn't gotten the respect it might deserve, despite the fact that in 2016 the league had four FCS playoff qualifiers, which were the most in its storied history. But playoff performances like 2019 and it fuels the naysayers fire, and rightfully so.
The 2020 season could be a campaign that could be one that we look back on and say that was a season that changed the league for the better, and it earned its respect back, or it could be one that we point to as one that things didn't seem to get any better after the debacle of the 2019 playoffs, and that, coupled with COVID-19, started an avalanche for the league in the other direction.
So what has to change? Is it the recruiting? I don't think its recruiting, although I could be wrong. I think the separation of league's like the Missouri Valley Football Conference and in particular, the Colonial Athletic Association, have started to come into the south and steal more and more players that might have gone to SoCon schools over the past decade or so. Recruiting demographics have changed due to the addition of startup programs in the SoCon footprint as well. That has seen a limited amount of talent available as compared to what available was in the 1980s, '90s and early 2000s.
In particular, a program like North Dakota State has made an effort to get into the Southeast more, and are getting players that might have landed at a SoCon school. Looking back a decade ago, when Appalachian State wrapped up what was its sixth-straight Southern Conference title, tying Georgia Southern (1997-2002) for the most consecutive titles in league history.
In 2010, the Mountaineers were knocked out of the postseason by reigning national champions Villanova, 42-24, in quarterfinal action in Boone, while upstart Georgia Southern made a run all the way to the FCS semifinals before eventually being knocked out of the postseason by Delaware, with a 27-10 setback.
The SoCon really hasn't threatened the semifinals of the postseason since the departures of Appalachian State and Georgia Southern.
It's not going to change overnight, however, the 2020 season is important in helping the league get back to a better standing nationally. That means winning FCS playoff games.
The 2020 season will once again likely go through the Palmetto State. The Citadel, Furman and Wofford seem to return a glut of the talent for the 2020 season, while Chattanooga, Samford and VMI should be on the doorstep, knocking on the door of the top three.
The Citadel might not be the popular favorite among many of the preseason magazines and web generated previews, but the Bulldogs return quarterback Brandon Rainey at quarterback, big-play wideout Raleigh Webb, and made perhaps the biggest news of the off-season was the transfer of running back Alex Ramsey from VMI to The Citadel.
Below is a link to the composite football schedule for SoCon football season by the league office earlier today.
Below I have ranked how I think the 2020 Southern Conference race could unfold.
1. The Citadel--With Brandon Rainey returning under center, and have arguably the league's top running back, in Alex Ramsey. The Bulldogs also have the SoCon's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, in Willie Eubanks III at linebacker.
2. Furman--The Paladins welcome the return of 14 starters coming, including a running back quartet that could compete with any in the FCS. Darren Grainger and Hamp Sisson are back under center, as well as Devin Wynn at running back. Elijah McKoy and Adrian Hope will anchor the Paladin defense at the bandit linebacker position.
3. Wofford--The Terriers had some significant losses in the trenches due to the grad transfer rule, but the first order of business will be figuring out who will start under center. The favorite is Peyton Derrick heading into the fall.
4. Chattanooga--The Mocs will replace talented quarterback Nick Tiano with Cole Copeland, who returns after getting his academics in order. He was the starter back in 2017, as he came in for an injured Nick Tiano. Copeland's transition will be made much easier by the return of 2019 SoCon Freshman of the Year Ailym Ford in the backfield.
5. Samford--This could be a make or break year for Chris Hatcher at the helm of the Bulldogs football program, however, there's no questioning the talent on either side of the football. Dual-threat signal caller Chris Oladokun is back under center, while linebacker John Staton is among the more underrated defensive players in the SoCon.
6. VMI--The Keydets return the league's top quarterback, in record-setter Reece Udinski, as well as the league's top receiving corps, led by Jakob Heres and Leroy Thomas. The biggest question mark will be at running back, where Alex Ramsey, of course, transferred to The Citadel.
7. Mercer--The Bears welcome in a new head coach, in Drew Cronic, and he will have talent returning on both sides of the ball, led by running back Tyray Devezin and quarterback Robert Riddle. Mercer has a defense that must improve after ranking 117th out of 124 in the FCS last fall.
8. East Tennessee State--The Bucs have one of the top running backs in the FCS, in Quay Holmes, and an emerging big-play threat at wide receiver, in Will Huzzie. The question marks for the first time in a couple of years will be on defense, where rush end Nasir Player and SoCon interceptions leader Artevius Smith were lost to graduation.
9. Western Carolina--The Catamounts could be in for a long season, but did see improvement down the stretch last season, especially on the defensive side of the football. The biggest question mark will be how to replace a player like Tyrie Adams under center. There are some good players on both sides of the ball returning, including running back Donnavan Spencer on the offensive side of the ball and cornerback Ronald Kent on the defensive side of the ball.
News and Notes Heading Into The Season:
--Five running backs return that rushed for over 1,000 yards last season.
--Mercer named Drew Cronic its new head coach on Dec. 19, 2019.
--Alex Ramsey changes sides of the military rivalry, transferring from VMI to The Citadel to play his final season.
--Reece Udinski is coming off a record-setting season for VMI after setting the record for consecutive passes thrown without an interception (368), breaking the previous mark, which was held by Jimmy Blanchard way back in 1999. He set the record while playing for Portland State, as the previous mark was 344-consecutive passes without a pick.
--The Citadel running back Alex Ramsey and quarterback Brandon Rainey combined to score 49 rushing touchdowns last season, with Rainey rushing for 17 scores, while Ramsey finished with 22 touchdowns last season. The duo definitely won't be leaving defenses any R&R this fall.
Check back for more updates later in the summer and wear your masks if you want this season to happen.
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