I've been following the preseason rankings countdown over at Presnap Read.
Today Army clocks in at #85.
Author Paul Meyerberg predicts a 5-9 season for the Black Knights, which would match Army's record from last year. Interestingly, the same site predicted last year's Army squad to go 3-9 which matched their record from the 2008 season.
So if they didn't research the head to head for the coming year they did spend the time looking at personnel, there is a lot of good information there.
Meyerberg makes reference to The Birddog in that "Having an interior running threat completely opens up the triple option attack".
The site lauds Ellerson's ability to build a program noting his work at Cal Poly and his work with last season's improved Army team.
One season into his tenure it's apparent that Ellerson is the right man at the right time, right?
The program’s decision to go forward with the option offense is an inspired move (even if one wholly motivated by Navy’s recent success), and Ellerson is the right coach to lead this team in a new direction.
But we won't ask the Birddog about that.
There are some added pieces of fluff to the preview, including an arbitrary top five list consisting of top U.S. Army generals and dream season/nightmare season examples.
Dream season Army beats Navy, tops Air Force, claims the C.I.C. Trophy and finishes with a winning record for the first time since 1996.
Nightmare season Navy beats Army.
Personally, I can think of a much more nightmarish season than just losing to Navy, but for many Army fans a streak of 8 losses in a row to the Naval Academy is simply that: one long nightmare. I will very happily say that if that one loss is the 2010 season's biggest setback things are really not that bad.
The 2010 college football strength of schedule is posted over at Phil Steele's site and checking in at #108 Army's schedule is as soft as can be. It would be difficult to manufacture an easier schedule - and for Army, that puts the team on a collision course with a bowl game. You can't diminish the importance of the Army/Navy game, but this early in the preseason- why enhance the importance of the game? The goal for West Point this year is to achieve the Armed Forces Bowl bid. For a team that has been to merely 4 bowls in its history making a return to the postseason would mark a new chapter for Army football and hopefully bring forth a renaissance for Army football.
Update: Presnapread has a 5 and 5 on the 2010 Army team.
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