Seadragon's Shitposting Series - The SoCon
Time to tackle a big boy, and at the request of u/Jolly_Job_9852, I'm taking on the Southern Conference. They added a new school this year in Tennessee Tech, who stands to be a challenger in their first season.
Let's dance.
Mercer - King of the SoCon Rock
Last Season: 9-3 | Lost to South Dakota, 47-0, in the 2nd Round
The Bears opened 2025 in a very auspicious way, seeing their opener against UC Davis called off because Mother Nature was on the rag and then getting bopped on the nose by Presbyterian. They weren't going to stand for that and blazed their way through the remainder of the schedule until the annual SEC Sacrifice game, this time against Auburn. This run got them a top 8 seed and 1st round bye... which lead to them getting curb stomped by South Dakota. Needless to say, there's more to be done here.
Non-Conference: vs. East Texas A&M, vs. Presbyterian, at Georgia Tech, at Abilene Christian [Score: 6.75/10]
Conference: Home - Furman, Western Carolina, The Citadel, East Tennessee State; Road - VMI, Samford, Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech [Score: 8/10]
Goal for the Season: The final two games are the most important because it may separate the Bears from repeating as conference champions to possibly being on the outside sitting in. Tennessee Tech would love to take over this conference and ETSU nearly got you.
Tennessee Tech - New Roost, Same old Angry Birds
Last Season: 11-2 | Lost to North Dakota, 31-6, in the 1st Round
Leaving the Ohio Valley was a smart move for the Golden Eagles as they now have better competition and a chance to rule over a new roost... just don't expect the other schools here to let these newbies run away with crown.
Non-Conference: vs. Monmouth, at Chattanooga, vs. Eastern Kentucky, at Mississippi State [Score: 7/10]
Conference: Home - Samford, Furman, VMI, Mercer; Road - Wofford, Western Carolina, The Citadel, East Tennessee State [Score: 6/10]
Goal for the Season: Despite its status as a non-conference game set before the move, going to Chattanooga will be a great measuring stick to see where the Golden Eagles land on the SoCon totem pole.
East Tennessee State - Set Sail or Get off the Pot
Last Season: 7-5
ETSU didn't exactly light the world on fire, but they do have wins over an Elon team that was getting votes and a win over a ranked Western Carolina team. That might be the launch point for these guys.
Non-Conference: vs. Campbell, vs. Tusculum, at North Carolina, vs. West Georgia [Score: 4.75/10]
Conference: Home - Western Carolina, Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech, Samford; Road - The Citadel, VMI, Wofford, Mercer [Score: 5/10]
Goal for the Season: Having five of your first six games at home is huge for the Buccaneers, and even the only road trip is winnable considering how completely and utterly shitty North Carolina is. 5-1 is optimal here, but 6-0 is the goal.
Western Carolina - Hillbilly Kitty goes 'What about us?'
Last Season: 7-5
After starting the season at 0-3, Western Carolina was in trouble. BIG trouble. They would then reel off a six game winning streak that put them in the conversation, but back-to-back losses to Mercer and East Tennessee State ended those hopes. Now they need to make that next step.
Non-Conference: vs. Eastern Kentucky, at Campbell, at Cincinnati, vs. Presbyterian [Score: 5.75/10]
Conference: Home - Tennessee Tech, Chattanooga, Wofford, The Citadel; Road - East Tennessee State, Mercer, Furman, Samford [Score: 7/10]
Goal for the Season: After non-conference play, their first three conference games will decide their fate. 3-0? The world is their oyster. 2-1 wouldn't be bad either... 1-2 or 0-3? I think poor ol' u/Jolly_Job_9852 might be going for the strongest moonshine there is out there.
Chattanooga - It's the Mocs! It's the Mocs!
Last Season: 5-7
The Mocs didn't have a great season, but they did get to .500 in conference play. Basically, they beat the teams they were supposed to beat and lost to those who were clearly superior to them (except for ETSU).
Non-Conference: at West Georgia, vs. Tennessee Tech, at Eastern Kentucky, at Alabama [Score: 7.75/10]
Conference: Home - Wofford, Samford, VMI, Mercer; Road - The Citadel, East Tennessee State, Western Carolina, Furman [Score: 6/10]
Goal for the Season: Getting both ranked teams in Mercer and Tennessee Tech are huge chances for the Mocs to show the world that last season was a fluke.