Magazine Season: Follow The Money

athlon

Sadly, not a single Owl in sight

About this time every year (maybe for the last 40 or so), the routine is simple.

Go shopping, pick up milk, bread, some cheap suburban soda and check out the magazine aisle before leaving.

This is the time of year where the college football magazines come out and the sports fantasy has always been to see the Temple Owls if not prominently featured on the cover at least in one of those flaps in the corner.

Maybe one day, but that day wasn’t last week.

It never happens because money talks loudly in cases like this.

Penn State could have the worst team in history coming back and Temple could be favored to win the AAC and it will be PSU on the cover and not our beloved TU. That’s because the magazine editors see the 100,000 average fans the Nittany Lions pull in and contrast that with last season’s 28,167 Temple average and figure out who gets the press.

Journalistic integrity?

Preseason magazines clueless about Owls

That went out the window a long time ago.

Still, it’s worth mentioning here how Athlon–considered by some the leader in college sports magazines–rates the Owls. Temple is ranked as No. 78 overall and, in a landscape that has the top 80 teams going bowling, that translates to a 6-6 record.

If so, I’m headed out to Parx Casino to put money on the over.

Interestingly enough, UCF is No. 22 nationally, Cincinnati No. 39 and Memphis No. 49.  Houston comes in at No. 53 but at least the Owls have ranked ahead of No. 80 Tulane and No. 102 Navy. (Houston is a team the Owls scored 59 points on in a road game last year.)

Both P5 Temple opponents have ranked ahead of the Owls as Maryland comes in at 65 and Georgia Tech at 75.

Other than the financial incentive of ranking these teams, the other factor is research. There’s so little interest in Temple from the editorial standpoint of these publications that they don’t put enough weight on factors that include Temple hiring a complete FBS professional staff, while Georgia Tech and Maryland enter the season with staffs that have largely underachieved elsewhere. Mix in both of them are home games for Temple and it is more than reasonable to assume the Owls will be able to duplicate their win over Maryland and beat an “easier” foe in Georgia Tech.

We might know that but they certainly don’t or don’t even care. Gotta think that they have those down as two losses for the Owls and why Temple is a 6-6 team from their perspective.

If Vegas agrees, then a trip to the local gambling establishment would be following the money from another angle.

There is nothing more satisfying than proving these magazines wrong and I that’s just what this Owls’ team is primed to do.

Tuesday: Bye, Felicia (UConn)

Saturday: A Stadium Partnership That Worked

Sunday (June 30): Our One-Week Annual Vacation=5 Straight Days of Best of TFF

 

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13 thoughts on “Magazine Season: Follow The Money

  1. Yep, it’s the same old P5 has got to be better than any G5 program even tho TU beat Maryland just last year (to say nothing of other higher ranked teams we beat last year in conference). Temple has always had trouble getting any respect but after the last 10-12 seasons you’d think that should have changed by now. That’s why the Owls need to win these 2 games, to establish their repectability. If we lose then the prognostications are correct. We really NEED to win or forget getting invited to a P5 conference.

    • The Maryland game is a fair and even test for Carey and staff. First year coach vs first year coach. Maryland will line-up 22 true seniors vs Temple’s 18 grad/red-shirt/and true seniors, Temple home game, etc., etc.,

      Maryland will try to run the football behind a massive and experienced OL, a big 250 lb FB, two TEs, and downhill RBs.

      Comparably, Ga Tech does not have the same level of experience. And, Patenfruad will spread the field….,

  2. Temple was ranked #62 in 2015 and finished the regular season in the Top 25.., so much for pre-season polls.

    The 2015 team is the benchmark for future seasons. First round draft pick, NCAA Defensive Player of the Year, 18 players from the 2015 squad went on the play in the NFL.

    Arguably, this 2019 team has more depth.

    • I agree. I like the combo of experience and depth and a solid proven winning FBS complete staff. It’s the most excited for a Temple season I’ve been in a long time. We as Temple fans have had staffs learning on the job for the better part of a decade. It’s refreshing for once that dynamic doesn’t exist this year. Eight wins minimum, but would not be surprised with something in the 9-10 area. Now whether that’s good enough to beat Cincy and UCF (who I think might be better) is problematic. Would not be surprised if we beat UCF at home and lost to Cincy on the road.

      • Plenty of reason for optimism.., two caution signs for 2019.

        One, the AAC is so strong, top to bottom, the strongest it has ever been. Aresco has done a great job. TUFB’s growth must keep, or outpace, the growth of the conference.

        The other thing to note this season is star and team speed. Maryland, UCF, Memphis, and USF all have overall faster teams with very fast stars.

  3. Interesting news on UConn potentially rejoining the Big East for Basketball and the Football team potentially going independent. Any insights from the group on further realignment?

  4. Great news! UCONN loses and Temple gains.

    Drop them in football and fill the void w/Army or one of the Florida C-USA teams…., Boise St is too much of geographical mis-match.

    The P5 will not expand again in our lifetimes. Aresco is right on target – keep making the AAC stronger.

    Temple’s dreams of the P5 are with the on campus stadium – nightmares.

    Forget the P5, fully embrace and dominate the AAC.

    Go Owls.

  5. Mike’s recipe still holds: Be a regular in the AAC title game and win most of the games with P5’s. That gets you noticed by other leagues and maybe even gets locals off their duffs to go to some games and bump attendance. TV ratings would only get better. Hard for the ACC to ignore, especially with them wanting to sell their ACC Network.

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