...how NIU is presently a 1.5 point FAVORITE against a team playing in its back yard with a better record & two quality wins vs a .500 team with NO quality wins and has not beaten a winning team this season is a mystery to me greater than how reindeer can fly.

What are oddsmakers using for data or smoking?

Huskies should be at least 9 point dogs on paper IMO, altho I believe we can win if we play one of our better games this season.

Like our opponents likely will also - I also expect the NIU staff to add a few new wrinkles as we were pretty vanilla - except for flea flicker opening at MN.

:muttering:Coach Kill said often with the adjustments implementing a new staff and a new system to be learned without benefit of much of a spring season, these dawgs are not even close to a diversified O as was Kill's SIU team vs NIU the season before.

I think the Sagarin predictor would have y'all favored by more than a TD.

An enterer must be feeding the clowncomputer alot of questionable or even bogus data.

Sometimes common sense outweighs many of the ranking systems.

I would not wager even the chicken coop on the farm with this line.

cyberdawg Wrote:An enterer must be feeding the clowncomputer alot of questionable or even bogus data.

Sometimes common sense outweighs many of the ranking systems.

I would not wager even the chicken coop on the farm with this line.

LOL. Yeah...Sagarin seems to take the raw numbers over common sense. I definitely don't see NIU as a 9 point favorite or whatever Sagarin says. I would put the game at about even on a neutral field. Factor in that S-Port isn't exactly neutral and I guessed the line would be Tech -4 or so.

cyberdawg Wrote:...how NIU is presently a 1.5 point FAVORITE against a team playing in its back yard with a better record & two quality wins vs a .500 team with NO quality wins and has not beaten a winning team this season is a mystery to me greater than how reindeer can fly.

What are oddsmakers using for data or smoking?

Huskies should be at least 9 point dogs on paper IMO, altho I believe we can win if we play one of our better games this season.

Like our opponents likely will also - I also expect the NIU staff to add a few new wrinkles as we were pretty vanilla - except for flea flicker opening at MN.

:muttering:Coach Kill said often with the adjustments implementing a new staff and a new system to be learned without benefit of much of a spring season, these dawgs are not even close to a diversified O as was Kill's SIU team vs NIU the season before.

Lets just hope the Wildcat doesn't make another appearance

Ahhhhhhhh, what wildcat?

Bulldogs are not working dogs & don't run in Packs. Huskie are & do.

Here you go...

Their defense ranks #77, ours is #21.

Their offense ranks (#67) higher than ours (#84) but the difference isn't as great as the difference in the defenses.

We have 2 losses by more than 4 points. They have 4 including getting beat by Army. Tennessee is the only team with a losing record to beat us.

They are 1-4 against Bowl teams. We are 0-5. Their one win was a close game at home against a Fresno team that struggled to beat Toledo, a team we clobbered.

No way they should be 9 point favorites.

cyberdawg Wrote:Ahhhhhhhh, what wildcat?

The Wildcat offense... Where JA takes a direct snap.

cyberdawg Wrote:...how NIU is presently a 1.5 point FAVORITE against a team playing in its back yard with a better record & two quality wins vs a .500 team with NO quality wins and has not beaten a winning team this season is a mystery to me greater than how reindeer can fly.

What are oddsmakers using for data or smoking?

Huskies should be at least 9 point dogs on paper IMO, altho I believe we can win if we play one of our better games this season.

Like our opponents likely will also - I also expect the NIU staff to add a few new wrinkles as we were pretty vanilla - except for flea flicker opening at MN.

:muttering:Coach Kill said often with the adjustments implementing a new staff and a new system to be learned without benefit of much of a spring season, these dawgs are not even close to a diversified O as was Kill's SIU team vs NIU the season before.

As I have said NUMEROUS times.

The Line is based on getting EQUAL money on both sides of the betting. Vegas couldn't care less who wins these games or about "pissing" anyone off. They want equal bets - that is it.

Obviously they believe that this is the number that works, if it doesn't the line changes - it is as simple as that.

Lots and lots of wagers then likely to be placed by fans in Louisiana area & Sunbelt schools having BullDogs more than covering the 1.5 spread and then some.

NIUslumo Wrote:

cyberdawg Wrote:Ahhhhhhhh, what wildcat?

The Wildcat offense... Where JA takes a direct snap.

if it happens, I'm going to go out on a limb and say JA throws it for a big play, he hasn't at all this year, thats my logic behind it

niutbbucfan Wrote:

NIUslumo Wrote:

cyberdawg Wrote:Ahhhhhhhh, what wildcat?

The Wildcat offense... Where JA takes a direct snap.

if it happens, I'm going to go out on a limb and say JA throws it for a big play, he hasn't at all this year, thats my logic behind it

I really feel like there needs to be some strong creativity infused into the playcalling for the bowl game for NIU not to get smoked.

niutbbucfan Wrote:

NIUslumo Wrote:

cyberdawg Wrote:Ahhhhhhhh, what wildcat?

The Wildcat offense... Where JA takes a direct snap.

if it happens, I'm going to go out on a limb and say JA throws it for a big play, he hasn't at all this year, thats my logic behind it

Yeah, and hopefully it doesn't work out as bad as when Philly tried this Monday night with DeSean Jackson...INT. I still would like to see a play called in the red zone, similar to Tebow, where Harnish fakes the draw, steps back and most likely finds an open TE in the end zone as the LB bites on the play action.

Anyone remember how NIU opened up vs BGSU on GameDay in Ohio several seasons ago?

YEASH !!!!