The Athletic is a subscription site and not really in the same competitive space as Rivals.com, so I’m presuming that as long as I only cite the relevant pieces of its pre-season rankings article it’s fair use to post the info here.
https://theathletic.com/4790974/202...-preseason-fbs-rankings-georgia/?redirected=1
If you’re wondering about “The Athletic” credentials, it was founded in 2016 and has a full-time staff of 450+. It started as independently owned but was acquired by the New York Times in 2022.
Their rankings put Army at # 80 of 133 FBS teams, stating: “Army enters a new era, sort of, by moving to the shotgun for a new kind of offense.”
Ranking of Army’s 2023 FBS opponents are as follows.
ULM # 131 with no comment about them in the article.
UTSA # 24 “UTSA is 23-5 over the last two years and brings seventh-year quarterback Frank Harris back as the Roadrunners move into the AAC.”
Syracuse # 64 with no comment about them in the article.
Boston College # 82 with no comment about them in the article.
Troy # 28 “Troy’s 11-game winning streak is the second-longest in the country behind Georgia.”
LSU # 5 “After a 10-win debut season under Brian Kelly, LSU is a popular pick in the SEC West this year with Jayden Daniels and Harold Perkins back.”
U Mass # 133 “UMass has been the bottom-ranked team more than anyone else in these rankings, and that continues to start 2023.”
Air Force # 57 “Air Force must replace its quarterback and top running back from a 10-win team, but the Falcons usually figure things out.”
Coastal Carolina # 43 “Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall will try to become a four-time Sun Belt Player of the Year, but will a new coaching staff be enough to fix the Chanticleers’ defensive holes?”
Navy # 112 “Navy begins a new era with Brian Newberry stepping in as head coach, and the Midshipmen have practiced more physically than they have in years, but it always comes down to quarterback play.”
I was surprised to see Boston College ranked slightly lower than Army, and Syracuse at # 64 behind Air Force at # 57. Hard to view ACC opponents as anything but a significant challenge for Army, especially being on the road against Syracuse.
ULM’s lowly status worries me, because we all know road games are never “a gimme” for Army. Expectations will be high for Army to win the opener comfortably, but ULM will certainly be motivated given Army’s beat downs of them in recent seasons.
No question UTSA on the road was going to be a challenge, so three weeks into the season, we’ll have a good sense of where the outlook for the team stands for 2023.
https://theathletic.com/4790974/202...-preseason-fbs-rankings-georgia/?redirected=1
If you’re wondering about “The Athletic” credentials, it was founded in 2016 and has a full-time staff of 450+. It started as independently owned but was acquired by the New York Times in 2022.
Their rankings put Army at # 80 of 133 FBS teams, stating: “Army enters a new era, sort of, by moving to the shotgun for a new kind of offense.”
Ranking of Army’s 2023 FBS opponents are as follows.
ULM # 131 with no comment about them in the article.
UTSA # 24 “UTSA is 23-5 over the last two years and brings seventh-year quarterback Frank Harris back as the Roadrunners move into the AAC.”
Syracuse # 64 with no comment about them in the article.
Boston College # 82 with no comment about them in the article.
Troy # 28 “Troy’s 11-game winning streak is the second-longest in the country behind Georgia.”
LSU # 5 “After a 10-win debut season under Brian Kelly, LSU is a popular pick in the SEC West this year with Jayden Daniels and Harold Perkins back.”
U Mass # 133 “UMass has been the bottom-ranked team more than anyone else in these rankings, and that continues to start 2023.”
Air Force # 57 “Air Force must replace its quarterback and top running back from a 10-win team, but the Falcons usually figure things out.”
Coastal Carolina # 43 “Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall will try to become a four-time Sun Belt Player of the Year, but will a new coaching staff be enough to fix the Chanticleers’ defensive holes?”
Navy # 112 “Navy begins a new era with Brian Newberry stepping in as head coach, and the Midshipmen have practiced more physically than they have in years, but it always comes down to quarterback play.”
I was surprised to see Boston College ranked slightly lower than Army, and Syracuse at # 64 behind Air Force at # 57. Hard to view ACC opponents as anything but a significant challenge for Army, especially being on the road against Syracuse.
ULM’s lowly status worries me, because we all know road games are never “a gimme” for Army. Expectations will be high for Army to win the opener comfortably, but ULM will certainly be motivated given Army’s beat downs of them in recent seasons.
No question UTSA on the road was going to be a challenge, so three weeks into the season, we’ll have a good sense of where the outlook for the team stands for 2023.
