(01-24-2012 05:38 PM)Larry Martin Wrote:  1. New indoor practice facility and improved stadium.
2. Average MAC class last year; much better this year.
3. six wins (four in conference) last year with 3 close losses
4. Coach of the year
5. President supports football
6. Renaissance at university last 3 years (endowment up $18 million, $190 million in construction on campus; crime down 85%; graduation rate up 7%; retention up 7%; enrollment up 6%; all-time best academic performance by football team)

The beauty of the MAC is that anyone can rise up. All it takes is administration support and a good coach. Keep your eyes open. Here comes Eastern.

1. The indoor practice facility that Eastern built was a bubble. They went low end on this.

2. Good to hear that your recruiting is picking up, I hope its not at the expense of other MAC schools.

3. Nice job last year with the 6-6 dream season.

4. A Michigan MAC championship at EMU earns you coach of the year.

5. President supports football despite it not making any economic sense.

6. University is improving from a very low baseline.

-I don't think everyone in the MAC can rise up. The Eastern program maxes out at 7-5 and a bowl game. Most MAC schools play for MAC Championships. Eastern Michigan plays for Michigan MAC Championships.

(01-24-2012 02:08 PM)TheClyde Wrote:  Hahaha. OK.

EMU is doing a lot of good recruiting right now. We will probably have our best class ever. Things are changing in Ypsilanti......why can't people come to terms with that?

I'm sick of the same old same old. Let it go. EMU isn't going anywhere.

Its going come down to what the school presidents (a revolving door at Eastern Michigan) believe they can afford. A few bad years with the Detroit economy and bad enrollment declines might put football on the chopping block.

EMU is spending 9% of its university budget on athletics while the other MAC schools are all in the 3% to 5% range. Bowling Green was considering a move to Division II and they spend 75% of what eastern does along with have significant donor support that Eastern does not.

(01-24-2012 05:56 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 05:38 PM)Larry Martin Wrote:  1. New indoor practice facility and improved stadium.
2. Average MAC class last year; much better this year.
3. six wins (four in conference) last year with 3 close losses
4. Coach of the year
5. President supports football
6. Renaissance at university last 3 years (endowment up $18 million, $190 million in construction on campus; crime down 85%; graduation rate up 7%; retention up 7%; enrollment up 6%; all-time best academic performance by football team)

The beauty of the MAC is that anyone can rise up. All it takes is administration support and a good coach. Keep your eyes open. Here comes Eastern.

1. The indoor practice facility that Eastern built was a bubble. They went low end on this.

2. Good to hear that your recruiting is picking up, I hope its not at the expense of other MAC schools.

3. Nice job last year with the 6-6 dream season.

4. A Michigan MAC championship at EMU earns you coach of the year.

5. President supports football despite it not making any economic sense.

6. University is improving from a very low baseline.

-I don't think everyone in the MAC can rise up. The Eastern program maxes out at 7-5 and a bowl game. Most MAC schools play for MAC Championships. Eastern Michigan plays for Michigan MAC Championships.

Ignore the progress as much as you'd like. Watch this year as attendance grows, EMU brings in big OOC victories (Purdue, at the least), and wins the MAC West. Quote me now.

(01-24-2012 06:11 PM)FrankAnderson Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 05:56 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 05:38 PM)Larry Martin Wrote:  1. New indoor practice facility and improved stadium.
2. Average MAC class last year; much better this year.
3. six wins (four in conference) last year with 3 close losses
4. Coach of the year
5. President supports football
6. Renaissance at university last 3 years (endowment up $18 million, $190 million in construction on campus; crime down 85%; graduation rate up 7%; retention up 7%; enrollment up 6%; all-time best academic performance by football team)

The beauty of the MAC is that anyone can rise up. All it takes is administration support and a good coach. Keep your eyes open. Here comes Eastern.

1. The indoor practice facility that Eastern built was a bubble. They went low end on this.

2. Good to hear that your recruiting is picking up, I hope its not at the expense of other MAC schools.

3. Nice job last year with the 6-6 dream season.

4. A Michigan MAC championship at EMU earns you coach of the year.

5. President supports football despite it not making any economic sense.

6. University is improving from a very low baseline.

-I don't think everyone in the MAC can rise up. The Eastern program maxes out at 7-5 and a bowl game. Most MAC schools play for MAC Championships. Eastern Michigan plays for Michigan MAC Championships.

Ignore the progress as much as you'd like. Watch this year as attendance grows, EMU brings in big OOC victories (Purdue, at the least), and wins the MAC West. Quote me now.

LOL. This stuff is getting funny now. LOL

(01-24-2012 06:11 PM)FrankAnderson Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 05:56 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 05:38 PM)Larry Martin Wrote:  1. New indoor practice facility and improved stadium.
2. Average MAC class last year; much better this year.
3. six wins (four in conference) last year with 3 close losses
4. Coach of the year
5. President supports football
6. Renaissance at university last 3 years (endowment up $18 million, $190 million in construction on campus; crime down 85%; graduation rate up 7%; retention up 7%; enrollment up 6%; all-time best academic performance by football team)

The beauty of the MAC is that anyone can rise up. All it takes is administration support and a good coach. Keep your eyes open. Here comes Eastern.

1. The indoor practice facility that Eastern built was a bubble. They went low end on this.

2. Good to hear that your recruiting is picking up, I hope its not at the expense of other MAC schools.

3. Nice job last year with the 6-6 dream season.

4. A Michigan MAC championship at EMU earns you coach of the year.

5. President supports football despite it not making any economic sense.

6. University is improving from a very low baseline.

-I don't think everyone in the MAC can rise up. The Eastern program maxes out at 7-5 and a bowl game. Most MAC schools play for MAC Championships. Eastern Michigan plays for Michigan MAC Championships.

Ignore the progress as much as you'd like. Watch this year as attendance grows, EMU brings in big OOC victories (Purdue, at the least), and wins the MAC West. Quote me now.

I give EMU their success that they are becoming an actual D1 program but c'mon... win the west? no no no. They are playing 2 cross overs this year, and it wont be Kent, Akron, or Buffalo. Probably Temple, and OU. And they play in the toughest division in nonAQ. 5-7 if EMU is lucky. Probably 3-9, or 4-8. CMU is loaded with young tallent, there isn't a MAC West game they'll be favored in, unless Ball State or WMU suck(Highly doubt that). BG is no walk through, and I think they were better than EMU this year, but got screwed by not playing (Buffalo/Akron, I forget which one), and having to play UT, WMU and NIU.

(01-25-2012 12:03 AM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 06:11 PM)FrankAnderson Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 05:56 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 05:38 PM)Larry Martin Wrote:  1. New indoor practice facility and improved stadium.
2. Average MAC class last year; much better this year.
3. six wins (four in conference) last year with 3 close losses
4. Coach of the year
5. President supports football
6. Renaissance at university last 3 years (endowment up $18 million, $190 million in construction on campus; crime down 85%; graduation rate up 7%; retention up 7%; enrollment up 6%; all-time best academic performance by football team)

The beauty of the MAC is that anyone can rise up. All it takes is administration support and a good coach. Keep your eyes open. Here comes Eastern.

1. The indoor practice facility that Eastern built was a bubble. They went low end on this.

2. Good to hear that your recruiting is picking up, I hope its not at the expense of other MAC schools.

3. Nice job last year with the 6-6 dream season.

4. A Michigan MAC championship at EMU earns you coach of the year.

5. President supports football despite it not making any economic sense.

6. University is improving from a very low baseline.

-I don't think everyone in the MAC can rise up. The Eastern program maxes out at 7-5 and a bowl game. Most MAC schools play for MAC Championships. Eastern Michigan plays for Michigan MAC Championships.

Ignore the progress as much as you'd like. Watch this year as attendance grows, EMU brings in big OOC victories (Purdue, at the least), and wins the MAC West. Quote me now.

I give EMU their success that they are becoming an actual D1 program but c'mon... win the west? no no no. They are playing 2 cross overs this year, and it wont be Kent, Akron, or Buffalo. Probably Temple, and OU. And they play in the toughest division in nonAQ. 5-7 if EMU is lucky. Probably 3-9, or 4-8. CMU is loaded with young tallent, there isn't a MAC West game they'll be favored in, unless Ball State or WMU suck(Highly doubt that). BG is no walk through, and I think they were better than EMU this year, but got screwed by not playing (Buffalo/Akron, I forget which one), and having to play UT, WMU and NIU.

And as an EMU fan I can respect you for that post. I think people are just afraid to give us credit because we are no longer a guaranteed W on everyone's schedule.

And yes (to the other poster), we've won the Michigan MAC Championship. I'm sure thats not the only thing we were playing for but these are baby steps for a program who is climbing out of the cellar. Its not easy to take the worst team in D1 Football (spanning the past several years) and bring them up to a .500 record in only 3 years. Thats why Ron English is MAC Coach of the year. He has done a tremendous job rebuilding EMU Football.

(01-25-2012 12:03 AM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  I give EMU their success that they are becoming an actual D1 program but c'mon... win the west? no no no. They are playing 2 cross overs this year, and it wont be Kent, Akron, or Buffalo. Probably Temple, and OU. And they play in the toughest division in nonAQ. 5-7 if EMU is lucky. Probably 3-9, or 4-8. CMU is loaded with young tallent, there isn't a MAC West game they'll be favored in, unless Ball State or WMU suck(Highly doubt that). BG is no walk through, and I think they were better than EMU this year, but got screwed by not playing (Buffalo/Akron, I forget which one), and having to play UT, WMU and NIU.

Actually, we do play Kent again (at home this time).

(01-21-2012 01:21 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  -E.Michigan is dead last in everything MAC football. Last in success and last in attendance. I hate to say it but the conference would be better off giving EMU the boot and adding another FB only in the East like James Madison. Eleven teams, 20 game schedule would be better for MAC basketball as well.

Agreed. EMU needs to go. Dead weight when it comes to football. Isn't FBS football the reason that every school is in the MAC? If EMU and it's community isn't going to make an attempt to be decent, then get the hell out. EMU has been an embarrassment to the MAC for over 20 years.

(01-25-2012 12:44 AM)TheClyde Wrote:  I think people are just afraid to give us credit because we are no longer a guaranteed W on everyone's schedule.

People see last year's record as an outlier. Plus we all know what happens to successful coaches in the MAC.

In some defense of EMU: I'd like to see how support looks if they put together a string of 'decent' seasons (meaning 6-6 or better type years). There's a chance it could gradually into the mid teens thousands per game - actual attendance, not Pepsi sponsor tickets. Or, there's a chance that that the apathy and proximity to scUM is so engrained in the culture that not even a few solid seasons will attract significant campus and alumni support. Either way, talk of "kicking EMU out" is overdone.

On a different note... It'd be interesting to see the number of BCS wins per school since the 1997 benchmark as well. Pulling off a notable early season OOC win can be worth just as much as a bowl win, IMO. In fact, some of them (especially UT-PSU, UT-UM, NIU-Bama, etc.) brought far more attention to the school than any bowl win.

(01-25-2012 08:28 AM)BarnardHall211 Wrote:  

(01-25-2012 12:44 AM)TheClyde Wrote:  I think people are just afraid to give us credit because we are no longer a guaranteed W on everyone's schedule.

People see last year's record as an outlier. Plus we all know what happens to successful coaches in the MAC.

Sadly that fact is always on my mind....at least we have one more season with coach English.