We made a Top 10 list

[LonghornFan68]

A couple of points:

1) To the posters above who suggest that in evaluating a team you only look at this year, that's making a judgement based on incomplete information at best only three games into a season. You *have* to look at last season, particularly the last half of last season. And the data suggest that we did about as expected at Tech, lost one we shouldn't have at North Texas, and did better than expected against Sam Houston, that game was won so handily and completely by us. I'd suggest the jury's still out but you still have to put us above Rice and North Texas.

2) In response to the North Texas poster, you folks ended the season at 161 Sagarin. Like us last year against TCU, you stole a game. Congrats on that. Are you better than 161? Probably. But not better than us.

My expectations for Saturday? We beat a team in Arkansas State that would do well in the CUSA race if they were a member of this conference.

Again, North Texas was ONE game. Like TCU did last year against us, we lost to an inferior team.

You'll see.

Wow.

[The PonyGrad]

The answer is just beat ASU. Otherwise ...

[Buddha]

I disagree:

1. They outplayed us, and deserved it.

2. DeMyron Martin was tearing them apart before he got hurt -- no telling what kind of numbers he would have put up had he stayed healthy.

3. We did more to ourselves with mental mistakes and penalties than anything NTSU did to us.

4. We have more talent. They played better. They get to enjoy the win.

But if you're going to say we "stole" one from Froggy High last year (which I also disagree with -- just like NTSU this year, we just outplayed them last year), then NTSU "stole" one from us this year. It sucked. It was depressing. It's also history that can not be changed. Thankfully, we cam back and clobbered a team we should have clobbered, and now we're going to go beat Arkansas State.

Go MUSTANGS!

[mustangfan01]

We beat ourselves in Denton. It took them 45 minutes to learn how to play offense, and we were still shooting ourselves in the foot by then. That game should've been 28-0 by the time they came to. They credit their defense for shutting us down...but to me, it looked like stupid penalties, dropped touchdown passes and an injured freshman all-american that brought us down. Say what you want, but Tulsa is NOT that strong at this point and they slaughtered UNT...

Saying we are behind them in the Texas top 10 doesn't matter... We beat Houston last year, along with Utep and Rice convincingly last year and got placed behind all of them. Why? Because we beat ourselves in Denton and nobody wants to forget.

[MrMustang1965]

Thanks MrExcitement1968

You're welcome. Happy to do whatever I can do to help the Mustangs WIN!

[The XtC]

Guys, I'm sorry, but you cant rank this years team based on what they did last year, thats just crazy. I like some of you folks, but I have no idea how you can even begin to make that argument. These arent the same teams that they were last year, personnel has changed. Last years performance is at best only a vague predictor of how you will do this year, and if you ignore the personnel changes then its not even that.

We lost to UNT, and havent beaten anyone else, yet. Therefore they're in front of us at this point. Anything else is just nonsense. When/if we beat a team on that list, then we can make the argument that we deserve better.

For what its worth, here are the current Sagarin rankings for those 10 teams, based only on the 3 games so far in 2006.

Texas-5
TCU-22
Texas Tech-26
A&M-56
UTEP-71
Baylor-77
Houston-78
North Texas-113
Rice-115
SMU-128

Looking at it objectively, it is what it is. Everything else is just wishful thinking.

[mrydel]

Yeah, but where is Sam Houston State?

[MrMustang1965]

Yeah, but where is Sam Houston State?

:( Div. 1-AA. Not on this list.

[smupony94]

Sorry 65, maybe the next time we play

[MrMustang1965]

Sorry 65, maybe the next time we play

I really hope that SMU doesn't drop down to Div. 1-AA.

[ponyboy]

Guys, I'm sorry, but you cant rank this years team based on what they did last year, thats just crazy.

It's not crazy in the least, X. We have the same coach, most of the same players. Nobody's changed the water in Ford Stadium.

Look, I'm not saying we solely judge the team based on last year or any such nonsense. Just that what happened late last season helps us figure out where we are right now. Don't know what's controversial about that.

I'm off to Montana for a week of fly fishing. Cheers to all.

[PonyPride]

Sagarin is irrelevant, because he starts the season with a predetermined ranking before anyone has played a game. Therefore, no matter how many mathematical factors are worked into the formula, there is an inherent bias that skews his rankings.

[PhirePhilBennett]

Ramon Flanigan outcoached Phil Bennett's defense.

Period.

[GrapevineMustang]

Given the fact that you have it in for Coach Bennett, there's no need to argue. But Coach Bennett's defense did not kill OUR offensive drives with penalties or cause the special teams gaffes that did us in. UNT was halfway to the moon for this game, and stole on. Move on. I realize pounding Sam Houston State doesn't give you as much to rip Coach Bennett about, but we've got a game tomorrow. Support the Ponies.

[gostangs]

Bennett is a defensive coach that cant shake it - he goes conservative every time the opponant is better then us - which is most of the time. I love the guy personally, but our only chance in these games is to control the ball offensively - we finally have a ball control qb - lets let the o - coordinator run his side of the ball and call plays that can give us a shot at winning instead of not getting beat as bad as we thought.

Losing to NTSU was inexcusible - today is really important. If we win we are at least still in it and have a shot at post season - if we lose basically the season is over and our average home attendence gets cut in half.