The Armed Forces Bowl is a big game for us

[Todd4State]

We need to win and continue to build momentum into the off-season. It seems like every time we get momentum we just epically shit the bed in football. We can't let that happen this time.

[basedog]

Yes it is. Need to keep moving forward. I win would do us non believers more hope going forward.
Btw, what has happened to Missouri these last few games?

[Jack Lambert]

Yes it is. Need to keep moving forward. I win would do us non believers more hope going forward.
Btw, what has happened to Missouri these last few games?

They played KY who we would be now. They played Vandy. They played SC. They played AR who we would beat now. They beat LSU who had to go to them to play because of Covid. I think LSU would beat them today. That is where their five wins came from.

[basedog]

They played KY who we would be now. They played Vandy. They played SC. They played AR who we would beat now. They beat LSU who had to go to them to play because of Covid. I think LSU would beat them today. That is where their five wins came from.

That sums it up. Thanks.

[Captain Falcon]

I agree and disagree... Certainly want to win and it would be better if we did. I will say though that I have always thought that people tend to overreact to bowl games in both directions. A win doesn't necessarily mean we are going to be a great team next year, a loss doesn't mean Leach is going to end up being a failure.

The bowl losses to Iowa and Louisville hurt because we were favored to win and it was further proof of what we had already suspected about Moorhead. No way we should have lost either of those games, and frankly if Moorhead just wins one of those two then he probably would have gotten a Year 3. But those games were just kinda symbolic of the issues that had already plagued us all year and further confirmed what we had already figured out.

The other thing to remember is that we are still very much young and short-handed and we are playing a Top 25 team who is favored to beat us. We could play pretty well and still lose.

I am not going to have a big reaction either way. This year is a total odd ball and we probably will not have another season quite like this one in our lifetimes. And frankly I don't think there's a ton of difference in 4-7 and 3-8 with a young team, either way we have talented young players we can build around the next few years, which are far more important than this year.

[Todd4State]

I agree and disagree... Certainly want to win and it would be better if we did. I will say though that I have always thought that people tend to overreact to bowl games in both directions. A win doesn't necessarily mean we are going to be a great team next year, a loss doesn't mean Leach is going to end up being a failure.

The bowl losses to Iowa and Louisville hurt because we were favored to win and it was further proof of what we had already suspected about Moorhead. No way we should have lost either of those games, and frankly if Moorhead just wins one of those two then he probably would have gotten a Year 3. But those games were just kinda symbolic of the issues that had already plagued us all year and further confirmed what we had already figured out.

The other thing to remember is that we are still very much young and short-handed and we are playing a Top 25 team who is favored to beat us. We could play pretty well and still lose.

I am not going to have a big reaction either way. This year is a total odd ball and we probably will not have another season quite like this one in our lifetimes. And frankly I don't think there's a ton of difference in 4-7 and 3-8 with a young team, either way we have talented young players we can build around the next few years, which are far more important than this year.

Your point about Moorhead is exactly what I am talking about. We had a chance to improve our perception as a program- moreso with the Outback Bowl than the Music City Bowl as I think the damage was essentially beyond repair at that point. If Moorhead wins the Outback Bowl all of a sudden I think the attitude towards the program changes instead of there being question marks. Ole Miss has raked us through the coals since the Egg Bowl in the perception department until Saturday. Doesn't help that we have zero media and our own beat writer for the Clarion-Ledger is proclaiming that we have been "passed by" by them despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

So we have to create our own perception and the best way for us to do that is to win. Winning the last two and going into the offseason with a lot of momentum will help going towards 2021.

We'll see how far we've come because based on watching limited Tulsa vs Cincinnati highlights I think we're going to see the rush three drop eight a lot.

[BrunswickDawg]

Your point about Moorhead is exactly what I am talking about. We had a chance to improve our perception as a program- moreso with the Outback Bowl than the Music City Bowl as I think the damage was essentially beyond repair at that point. If Moorhead wins the Outback Bowl all of a sudden I think the attitude towards the program changes instead of there being question marks. Ole Miss has raked us through the coals since the Egg Bowl in the perception department until Saturday. Doesn't help that we have zero media and our own beat writer for the Clarion-Ledger is proclaiming that we have been "passed by" by them despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

So we have to create our own perception and the best way for us to do that is to win. Winning the last two and going into the offseason with a lot of momentum will help going towards 2021.

We'll see how far we've come because based on watching limited Tulsa vs Cincinnati highlights I think we're going to see the rush three drop eight a lot.

Not to mention what a win can do about perceptions in a positive season as well. Just look at the Gator Bowl vs. Michigan. Many people blew us off because we had beaten a "down" UGA and a "down" UF and that Mighty Michigan was on the rise with Rich Rod and All-World Denard Robinson. Blowing their doors off solidified impressions of how solid MSU was that season (and got Dan job interviews), got Rich Rod fired.

[Jack Lambert]

I kind of figure that the top 14 toughest schedules was all SEC schools, they all deserve a bowl bid.

[Captain Falcon]

Tulsa is a really interesting team. They have played A TON of close games this year and won most of them. This season has kinda come out of nowhere too, they averaged 3 wins a year the last three seasons before this one. Statistically they aren't elite on either side of the ball but are pretty good on both sides. Offense is pretty balanced, leans a little more toward the pass but can do both.

I would be pretty surprised if it's not a close game in either direction.

[Captain Falcon]

Not to mention what a win can do about perceptions in a positive season as well. Just look at the Gator Bowl vs. Michigan. Many people blew us off because we had beaten a "down" UGA and a "down" UF and that Mighty Michigan was on the rise with Rich Rod and All-World Denard Robinson. Blowing their doors off solidified impressions of how solid MSU was that season (and got Dan job interviews), got Rich Rod fired.

My counter argument to that would be it was just a temporary snapshot of things if you look at the following season. The next year we went 6-6 and Michigan won the Sugar Bowl. So as fun as the Gator Bowl was, that momentum (or in Michigan's case lack of momentum) didn't carry into the following season for either team.

[FISHDAWG]

Tulsa is a really interesting team. They have played A TON of close games this year and won most of them. This season has kinda come out of nowhere too, they averaged 3 wins a year the last three seasons before this one. Statistically they aren't elite on either side of the ball but are pretty good on both sides. Offense is pretty balanced, leans a little more toward the pass but can do both.

I would be pretty surprised if it's not a close game in either direction.

agree ... and to refer back to the OP's point - it wouldn't be good to lose to a lower conference heading into the offseason and the February signing

[Johnson85]

My counter argument to that would be it was just a temporary snapshot of things if you look at the following season. The next year we went 6-6 and Michigan won the Sugar Bowl. So as fun as the Gator Bowl was, that momentum (or in Michigan's case lack of momentum) didn't carry into the following season for either team.

I started to argue this point, but I think it's right. Sometimes bowl games are informative. Our 2013 Rice game sort of showed what we were gelling into, and certainly when you have a team playing a bowl that is returning most of its key players, it's more likely to be informative, but for the most part, the off season and spring and new faces dictate how a team performs the next year and the bowl performance may or may not give you an idea about the direction of the program.

Our 2010 outback showed a team that was peaking at the end of the season and we had a lot of key players coming back, but we went into 2011 without 5 legitimate SEC lineman and then RElf got hut, so that bowl game in hindsight told us basically nothing about the 2011 team. That's probably more the norm than the exception.