BTF

Aren't most coaches at the mercy of how well their offensive and defensive coordinators perform?

Probably because they were manhandled by Notre Dame.

Either Paul Finebaum has lost his mind or I have. He claims that the "Dabo dynasty is dead" after an embarrassing loss to Duke. Didn't Clemson go 11-2 last season with victories over four ranked opponents? I think Finebaum's comments are premature to say the least. I will admit that Dabo needs to change his views on the transfer portal if he want's to compete for championships again. I admire him for staying out of the transfer portal, but it's really an 'adapt or die' reality.............as unfortunate as that is.

Looking for a second opinion on this, the more the merrier. Should the Sagarin Ratings put some kind of weight on the halftime score? Should the halftime score have as much value as the final score? Would this keep some coaches from running up the score on their opponents? I know most coaches could care less about where their team is ranked. On the flip side, I'm willing to bet that most coach actually look to see where their team is ranked. Obviously, a good coach is going to rest his star players after the game is already decided, he also understands the need to get the second stringers in the game for valuable experience that will provide depth and practice for the following season. But I have a hard time believing that some coaches don't run up the score just for the sake of having a higher rating. Right now the Sagarin Ratings really have no value other than bragging rights. Maybe someday in the future they will if the IHSAA does the right thing and eliminates the blind draw. If that happens, I won't hold my breath since the IHSAA doesn't do anything that's not their idea, giving value to a halftime score could eliminate uncalled for embarrassing blowouts.

And you want the to be bad for the same. I still respect your poll, I think you do good work with that. And I still think Warren will be Top 25 by seasons end. One of us will eat crow.

Carmel fascinates me. Tied 7-7 going into the final quarter against Homestead and finally winning on a pick-6. Homestead proceeds to get embarrassed by Noblesville the following week. Is Carmel good, bad, or average. How good is Detroit King? Trinity? Maybe Carmel is a wait and see until Week 5? IMG 56, Ben Davis 14 (hope I'm wrong) Center Grove big. Warren Central by a touchdown.

Not saying you're wrong, but I've always been a risk taker. I'll stick with 10%. Good QB play and good defense is a pretty good recipe for a champion team. They may not even get out of the north, Crown Point is looking pretty good.

Could Fishers be a threat to the South's stronghold on the 6A title? I've got Ben Davis and Brownsburg right on Center Grove's tail. Fishers next in line. HSE, Cathedral, and Carroll after that.

Agree. But I do think the SAC is just experiencing a "down year." Three short years ago Luers finished 3-6 in the SAC and were a fluke finish away from winning the state championship. Two years ago, the Knights were a victim of an upset, plain and simple. They were the best team in 2A, possibly 3A. Whatever is happening at Dwenger is sure to be fixed. They love their football. I wouldn't say that Carroll doesn't have a "shot." But unfortunately, that "shot" is less than a 10% chance. They'll be dangerous if they continue to get better over the course of the next six weeks. They have a stingy defense and a junior quarterback who's already getting D1 offers. Unfortunately though, 6A appears to be a three team race right now with Ben Davis and Brownsburg on Center Grove's tail. I put Carroll on equal footing with teams like Cathedral and HSE. (I deleted my last line, not wanting to hijack the SAC thread. Seek Temp's Top 25)

The SAC is just having a down year. Snider, Carroll, and Homestead are staples. Wayne and Concordia have good coaching. I think Ben Johnson will continue having North Side compete. Luers is having a down year, but are still a good program. Same story with Northrop and South Side. Dwenger is the only question mark in my opinion.........not sure what's going on over there.

Snider doesn't run the score up. They're not out to impress anyone at the expense of a struggling program. I wouldn't be surprised to see a 35-0 game. If they hit the 49 or 56 mark, that's just indicative of how well the 2nd stringers play.

Carroll over Dwenger 45-14 Wayne over Luers 35-21 North Side over Concordia 35-14 Homestead over Northrop 49-14 Snider over South Side 42-0

Yes. It's looking like Snider, Carroll, then everyone else. I thought Homestead beat a decent Wayne team, so they are a "wait and see." Are the Spartans the team that almost beat Carmel, or the team that got embarrassed by Noblesville? The Spartans won't give us any clarity this week against Northrop. The top two in the conference are as good as any of the SAC's top two in recent memory. Three through eight appear to be weaker than I can ever remember. All we can hope for is that Homestead, Dwenger, North Side, and Wayne continue to improve. Otherwise, lot's of "yawners." For the first time in a long time, the SAC probably can't make a claim as the state's third best conference.

This year is an anomaly. Most SAC teams appear to be down from their average. Three years ago, Luers beat everyone but Snider and shared an SAC title. This year they might barely qualify as a Top 20 team in 2A. North Side last year could have rumbled to the end with any team in the state outside of maybe 4 or 5 teams. This year they'd get crushed by 35 teams. Dwenger is obviously way down from average. Homestead teams of the past wouldn't have gotten obliterated by 42 points to Noblesville, so I would conclude that they are down (but they did almost beat Carmel, so it's a wait and see). Outside of two teams that have proven that they are "Indy good," the SAC appears to be way down from their norm. So yes, "bad matchups", or I would rather say boring matchups, will flood our Fridays this fall. But I'm not ready to bail on the two division SAC after the first season. I commend the SAC for moving in the right direction. The only way to eliminate Snider/Concordia and Carroll/South Side matchups will be to create a new league all together for football only.

You make a really good point. As far as who is number one, I'm going to roll with Center Grove. Just an opinion from a guy from NE Indiana. Good work on your poll, as always.

2005: Matt Land led South Side to an 11-3 record and was a field goal away from playing for a state title. 2009: Mike Cheviron led South Side to an 8-2 season and recorded a victory over Snider that year. Both good coaches. It happened before, it could happen again. I'm not discrediting your opinion on Snider dropping South Side, not one bit. I'm just saying there are resources at South Side and a good team can be put together under the right circumstances.

1 & 2 must have been a tough call. You had to be torn on that one.

No, I think they'll rank in the Top 25. Do you really think they'd lose to Plainfield?

Snider will never go independent. They like the "ease of scheduling" that comes with being affiliated with a conference. I think we have to give credit to the SAC for splitting into two divisions, it was a step in the right direction. Some programs just need to step up to the plate. Maybe FWCS should offer better pay to the head football coaching position. Bring in the right guy and it will pay dividends at the gate. The hire will pay for itself. Seriously, should a tennis coach get paid the same as a football coach? Absolutely not, a good football coach is capable of bringing in a ton of extra revenue.

The football stadium was defeated by the neighborhoods surrounding the proposed site, not FWCS. Maybe you're referring to the the turf field that was going to be donated to Spuller Stadium about 5 years ago? I believe FWCS said "we're not doing for one if we're not doing for all." At the end of the day, FWCS should worship the ground Snider plays on due to the amount of gate revenue they bring in.

I just don't see how losing to Snider and Carroll disqualifies a team from Top 25 status. I'll tell you "I told you so" in Week 9.

Dwenger 14, North Side 12 Dwenger fumbles inside the North 20, then turns it over on downs inside the North 30. Homestead 27, Wayne 10 SAC doesn't appear to be deep this year.

Keep us posted, that one is worth following.

Halftime scores: Homestead 14, Wayne 10 Luers 21, Northrop 14 Dwenger 14, North Side 12 Snider 45, Concordia 0 Carroll 64, South Side 0

Up 45-0 with 25 seconds until halftime, Snider takes a knee on 1st and 10 at the Concordia 20. Kudos to the Snider coaching staff, that's some pretty solid sportsmanship.