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We Have Questions: Forgotten Five’s Weekly Mailbag

Nic Lewis

We all have questions that we want answered. Is my team better than yours, can a G5 team make the college football playoff, or even a question that has nothing to do with sports. With that in mind, tonight kicks off the first of a (hopefully) weekly series of mailbag posts from our readers.

If you have a question for a future installment, email me at adcock.jeremy@yahoo, DM or message me on twitter (@cfoutpost), or contact us on the website. I am sure there are other methods of communication that can be used, but please, no pigeons.

Also, since we are four weeks into the season (really?!?), it is time to unveil my personal Forgotten 5 Top 10 rankings. Let’s get this started.

What are the greatest five beers? (@JeffLurking)

This question is a bit out of my wheelhouse. I do not experiment as much as I should with different beers and I tend to have horrible and cheap taste, mostly cheap. So I threw this out to our site manager Nicolas Lewis for his take.

Five of his top choices include Yuengling, Stella, Harp, Killians, and Negro Modelo.

On a somewhat related note, Louisiana Lafayette has a partnership with Bayou Teche Brewing in Arnaudville, Louisiana. Last year, Ragin’ CajunsTM Genuine Louisiana Ale was introduced at the first home game. This year, they added Ragin’ CajunsTM Genuine Louisiana Lager.

In addition, Tulane’s Yulman Stadium is on the short list of on-campus stadiums that sell beer. It is legitimately good craft beer.

How will the UNT offense versus MTSU defense battle go down? (@AldoAvina)

Any team that faces MTSU has the chance to put up a huge number. Vanderbilt scored over 40 points, including 19 before even gaining a single yard in the air. MTSU’s offense, while explosive, tends to put the defense in bad spots way too often. When put in bad situations, the Blue Raiders struggle significantly on defense.

I know you are looking at those numbers Louisiana Tech put up in the air last week and must be salivating. Be careful because MTSU has two cornerbacks that could go pick-six at any moment. Jeremy Cutrer is a bit undisciplined at times, but has first team All-CUSA talent.

My guess for UNT is just over 400 yards of total offense and 24 points versus MTSU. The biggest problem is that MTSU seems to finally be in a groove on offense and will put up 40+ in this game.

What’s your SBC top 4 so far? (@rguthrie85)

This is a tricky question as the Sun Belt has been incredible at times and terrible at others in non-conference play. Troy has been the most impressive in taking down Southern Miss and nearly upsetting Clemson on the road. South Alabama went from beating an SEC school to nearly losing to and FCS program. Talk about a roller coaster ride.

The top three are pretty easy picks with the level of play dropping dramatically after Georgia Southern at #3.

Sun Belt Top Four:

  1. Troy
  2. Appalachian State
  3. Georgia Southern
  4. Louisiana Lafayette

What do you attribute to Arkansas State’s disastrous start to the season and do you think they can turn it around? (@JakePendergist)

The million dollar question surfaces quickly. I wish there was a simple answer to this question, but there isn’t. The biggest problem all season long has been the inability to handle business in the trenches. There is something seriously wrong when the Red Wolves are ninth in the Sun Belt in rushing yards per game. They are unable to build up any sort of running game and have to abandon it way too quickly when falling behind early (i.e. Toledo, Utah State).

Simple answer, fix the run game by winning in the trenches and the offense will come around.

Defensively, there is no simple answer as they have repeatedly been gouged versus the run and pass. I firmly believe that a good run game that can consume large amounts of time will make this defense look much better. But seriously, fundamentals are lacking at times with DBs getting beaten way too often on the same routes. Just sticking to the basics and keeping players inside their comfort zones will make a huge difference.

The good news is that at 0-4, none of it really matters. While improbable, going 8-0 or even 7-1 in conference play would put them at 8-4 or 7-5 and at the top of the Sun Belt standings. This hole may be too deep, but it is entirely possible for Arkansas State to turn things around and slip into a bowl game.

*****

Finally, let’s take a look at my first Top 10 list of the Forgotten Five.

  1. Houston
  2. San Diego State
  3. Boise State
  4. Toledo
  5. Western Michigan
  6. Troy
  7. Air Force
  8. Southern Miss
  9. South Florida
  10. Middle Tennessee

Just outside the top 10: Memphis, Navy, Army, Western Kentucky, Central Michigan, Utah State.