The Tribe Has Spoken

8/30-UD

The Tribe and Blue Hens got the honor of kicking off Football in the CAA, and this Thursday night game could set the tone for both teams. In ‘06, both had disappointing seasons, and it will be interesting to see which steps up in ‘06. Also, this could fore-shadow the future for the Tribe at QB and OL.

9/8-@VMI

VMI was terrible last year, and this should be the Tribe’s only cupcake OOC. Not only is it an easy win OOC, but it gives the Tribe fans a chance to travel and see a team with an interesting football experience(cadets). I’ll probably make the Tribe to see a probably Tribe win.

9/15-Liberty

This should be the most competitive OOC game. Liberty went 6-5 last year, a year removed from being the armpit of the FCS. The Tribe came home with a win in Lynchburg last year, with a one-point win preserved by a million of LU missed field goals. While 2 will be tough, the Tribe opens the season with 3 winnable games.

9/22-@VT

VT will be a national contender next year, especially if RB Brandon Ore returns, and this no doubt will be tough to watch. If we stay within 3 TD’s I’ll feel lucky. I will probably makes the trip, though, since it is only a few hours away and is an amazing experience to watch a game. The playing of “Enter Sandman” and the whole stadium jumping up and down followed by the Hokies entering the stadium is one of my favorite things to watch in all sports.

9/29-Towson

This should also be an interesting matchup. Towson hasn’t beaten the Tribe in forever, and I’m sure they’ll be up for the game after our upset last season. Towson’s QB will be tough to stop, but the Tribe has played the Tigers very well lately.

10/6-@Villanova

Villanova is another of the several teams to knock off the Tribe last season. They really started to play well at the end of last season, knocking off JMU. The big question is if they will play like they have in the past, or use the momentum from last season to become a top CAA team.

10/13-@Maine

Maine quietly put together a very nice season last year, getting very close to making the playoffs. Suprisingly(not) they beat W&M at Zable in a nail-biter, and I think they gave them a lot of confidence. Seeing as this is in the second half of the season, I’m sure the game being at Orono will be a huge factor.

10/27-UMass(homecoming)

Possibly the best game on the home-slate will be the possible national champ, the UMass Minutemen. We played our worst game of the year against them, ending 55-6, but the loss of their star RB(Baylark) will really hurt. They still will have their QB, though, Liam Coen.

11/03-@Hofstra

Hofstra is also one of the 8 teams that beat us last season. They brought a solid passing attack and swiss-cheese D to Williamsburg last year, and barely snuck out with a W. The Tribe will need to win these kind of games to have a good season.

11/10-JMU

While UMass may be the biggest game on the home schedule, this is the game I always circle. The Dukes were very good last season, and put us away by 2 TD’s, but you have to wonder how they will deal with several defense losses, their QB being a senior(Rascati), and the plain bad play of their secondary. This is definitely the one I look foward to most, and I’ve already got a streamer-related plot cooking….

11/17-@UR

UR has put together 2 good seasons, but they lose their starting RB(I think), and have never had much consistency as a program. This is one of the oldest rivalries in all of CFB, and one of those games that the stats don’t matter. Also an easy game for Tribe fans to travel to, only about an hour away.

So we’ve got 10 of the same opponents as last year, and I think we win much more than last seasons 3. I’m thinking we at least get 5, and could go as high as 8. A bunch of these teams have question marks everywhere, and that could bode well for this young Tribe team.