I am new to these boards, which of course means I don't know what I'm talking about. That said - I'm genuinely surprised how many fans are content with the current state of the program.

I don't understand how losing games is acceptable anymore. What is the ultimate goal for the team? Do we have aspirations to try and crack the playoffs or are we happy to watch the Huskies in a meaningless bowl game in Detroit?

If the Go Daddy Or Poinsettia Bowl revs your engines, then God bless you. For me, being nationally ranked and chasing loftier goals is what my expectation has become.

The fanbases of Alabama or Ohio State don't accept loses. They don't brush off poor performance by saying - oh well, it's a transition season. Why should we be any different?

Yes, I know. We're not Alabama or Ohio State. Shoot, if NIU competed in the SEC they would at best be Vanderbilt. But the Huskies play in the MAC. Should we, as fans, demand anything less then being perfect in our subpar conference. That is what it takes, along with running the tables in the non- conference games, too. It's a lot to ask, but to be fair, that's what the big boys have to do too.

You won't hear a FSU fan make excuses for poor coaching or performance because talented players graduated. They expect the talent pipeline to keep flowing through recruiting. NIU has established itself as one of the most dominant mid-majors. Yes, the team has won six games against two losses which looks decent on paper. I wish I could be happy about that like most of you, but I can't.

The team is trending the wrong way. I don't believe in this coaching staff and now I am beginning to question the recruiting. I am fearful this program will become middle of the pack MAC for the foreseeable future.

The glass is half empty for me. I hope I'm wrong.

(10-26-2014 04:19 PM)VegasHuskie Wrote:  I am new to these boards, which of course means I don't know what I'm talking about. That said - I'm genuinely surprised how many fans are content with the current state of the program.

I don't understand how losing games is acceptable anymore. What is the ultimate goal for the team? Do we have aspirations to try and crack the playoffs or are we happy to watch the Huskies in a meaningless bowl game in Detroit?

If the Go Daddy Or Poinsettia Bowl revs your engines, then God bless you. For me, being nationally ranked and chasing loftier goals is what my expectation has become.

The fanbases of Alabama or Ohio State don't accept loses. They don't brush off poor performance by saying - oh well, it's a transition season. Why should we be any different?

Yes, I know. We're not Alabama or Ohio State. Shoot, if NIU competed in the SEC they would at best be Vanderbilt. But the Huskies play in the MAC. Should we, as fans, demand anything less then being perfect in our subpar conference. That is what it takes, along with running the tables in the non- conference games, too. It's a lot to ask, but to be fair, that's what the big boys have to do too.

You won't hear a FSU fan make excuses for poor coaching or performance because talented players graduated. They expect the talent pipeline to keep flowing through recruiting. NIU has established itself as one of the most dominant mid-majors. Yes, the team has won six games against two losses which looks decent on paper. I wish I could be happy about that like most of you, but I can't.

The team is trending the wrong way. I don't believe in this coaching staff and now I am beginning to question the recruiting. I am fearful this program will become middle of the pack MAC for the foreseeable future.

The glass is half empty for me. I hope I'm wrong.

Don't worry, you fit right in...

Having goals is great and all but being unrealistic is just going to make you completely miserable and it's easy to mock absurd expectations because they are absurd.

Predicting doom is also not impressive because bad things happen eventually to all programs.

And for all this "not accepting" stuff....what the hell are you going to do about it? It just comes off as bluster and bravado. It's not presenting arguments it's just being mad.

Quote:I don't understand how losing games is acceptable anymore.

Because Lynch and Harnish are not a QB, and you lost other good players... it's the MAC, man. You should expect to lose when you play @Ark on a non-peak year, with Arkansas improving back to their form. You shouldn't be happy about losing to CMU at home, no. But trade that for, say, @WMU or possibly Toledo if/when they're running on all cylinders? Yeah, expect a loss in MAC play. Ironically, hope it's against a non-West contender so it doesn't bite ya in the arse for a tie-breaker.

Quote:What is the ultimate goal for the team?

To win the MAC championship, like any MAC team I would imagine. And in NIU's case, to keep being "in the top realm" of the West.

Quote:Do we have aspirations to try and crack the playoffs

The 4-team playoff? Never going to happen unless you schedule Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma, and Nebraska, all in OCC -- which means ditching the D1AA game every year too. And the MAC having a good year + playing the MAC East champs in regular season -- all while going undefeated and beating every MAC team by a WIDE margin. Doing all that, at 13-0 -- being ranked #4 in the country could happen. If you have an impressive 14-0 year prior, you could replace the Oklahoma with an 8W ACC team and still pull it off. Scheduling Boston College & BYU -- although GOOD to do -- isn't going to bring you to the 4-team playoff. Don't even think about it.

Now, making the Access Bowl? YES. That should be the #2 goal, following winning the MAC.

Quote:or are we happy to watch the Huskies in a meaningless bowl game in Detroit?

Well, oddly enough, the "Detroit Bowl" is actually a bit better these years, starting this year. MAC is now secondary -- they'd have to trump an ACC or B1G team to play in it. Better than the Bahamas Bowl the MAC's tied to (although I hear the Bahamas is a bit nicer than Detroit in any season).

Quote:The fanbases of Alabama or Ohio State don't accept loses. They don't brush off poor performance by saying - oh well, it's a transition season. Why should we be any different?

For MAC play, I agree -- to an extent, but not fully. But you're in a transitional/rebuilding year. Demanding to go undefeated THIS year would be asking too much. But to play a good BCS team OOC? Don't Expect to win them all, no. If you're playing Wake Forrest or Kansas -- yes. 7-5 level BCS teams? No, no Demand to win them All.

Quote:Should we, as fans, demand anything less then being perfect in our subpar conference.

In subpar (transitional/rebuilding) years? You shouldn't demand perfection, no. If you guys Do get back to Championship-track again (and this is just a solo transition year), I would say Demanding going 8-0 in the MAC 2 out of 5 years would be just fine. BUT, that's assuming Carey IS good, and you keep the coaching hires within and establish a program that way. If coaches keep leaving every 2-4 years, after a while, it would then be crazy to Expect to be THE dominant team in the MAC -- but not crazy to still Expect NIU to be fighting for the top, year in, year out.

Quote:The team is trending the wrong way. I don't believe in this coaching staff and now I am beginning to question the recruiting. I am fearful this program will become middle of the pack MAC for the foreseeable future.

Transitional/Rebuilding years are going to be a thorn in the side. Also, unlike upper-level P5 conference teams -- MAC teams are going to see their coaches LEAVE, which prevents complete Dominance.

IMO, the best you can EXPECT would be always fighting for the top of the MAC West. Be happy about that. You can't expect a Harnish or Lynch to appear every time a QB graduates... and a 1st round draft pick defender coming up off the bench after another one graduates and moves on.

I think NIU will bounce between the top->middle->top, being in (or tied among 3 teams) the Top 2 spots 75% of the time, and in the middle 25% of the time. It's the MAC, man. That's pretty good.

Ask the same questions next year at this time and you'll have a better answer of where the program and coaching staff is at.

It's one of the youngest teams in the country and they control their destiny to win the MAC. There is nothing wrong with that at all.

I am more than satisfied with how Hare is performing. I'd like to see a higher % passing game to give him more confidence. I don't know what happened to our passing attack after NW and UNLV but he's very capable of getting back to that level of play, confidence, and poise. If our coaches do their jobs well, we should be making national headlines again soon.

(10-26-2014 06:18 PM)badmoonrising13 Wrote:  I am more than satisfied with how Hare is performing. I'd like to see a higher % passing game to give him more confidence. I don't know what happened to our passing attack after NW and UNLV but he's very capable of getting back to that level of play, confidence, and poise. If our coaches do their jobs well, we should be making national headlines again soon.

Hare plays hard with iron clad determination and a strong will to win. If every player brought as much each and every play we would be fine. Hopefully his passing will improve as he gains experience but it is a team game and he is not entirely responsible for the lack of passing yards in the EMU game. The coaches and receivers own some responsibility for that as well. He seems to make good decisions and his td to interception ratio is outstanding for a first year QB.

(10-26-2014 05:05 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  Ask the same questions next year at this time and you'll have a better answer of where the program and coaching staff is at.

It's one of the youngest teams in the country and they control their destiny to win the MAC. There is nothing wrong with that at all.

Exactly. Next year we will be a much stronger team and yet we are still in contention to win our conference this year.

(10-26-2014 04:19 PM)VegasHuskie Wrote:  I am new to these boards, which of course means I don't know what I'm talking about. That said - I'm genuinely surprised how many fans are content with the current state of the program.

I don't understand how losing games is acceptable anymore. What is the ultimate goal for the team? Do we have aspirations to try and crack the playoffs or are we happy to watch the Huskies in a meaningless bowl game in Detroit?

If the Go Daddy Or Poinsettia Bowl revs your engines, then God bless you. For me, being nationally ranked and chasing loftier goals is what my expectation has become.

The fanbases of Alabama or Ohio State don't accept loses. They don't brush off poor performance by saying - oh well, it's a transition season. Why should we be any different?

Yes, I know. We're not Alabama or Ohio State. Shoot, if NIU competed in the SEC they would at best be Vanderbilt. But the Huskies play in the MAC. Should we, as fans, demand anything less then being perfect in our subpar conference. That is what it takes, along with running the tables in the non- conference games, too. It's a lot to ask, but to be fair, that's what the big boys have to do too.

You won't hear a FSU fan make excuses for poor coaching or performance because talented players graduated. They expect the talent pipeline to keep flowing through recruiting. NIU has established itself as one of the most dominant mid-majors. Yes, the team has won six games against two losses which looks decent on paper. I wish I could be happy about that like most of you, but I can't.

The team is trending the wrong way. I don't believe in this coaching staff and now I am beginning to question the recruiting. I am fearful this program will become middle of the pack MAC for the foreseeable future.

The glass is half empty for me. I hope I'm wrong.

You are actually spot on. There are too many NIU fans ok with mediocrity and afraid to dream big. But if you were around in the late 90's you know nothing is impossible. I for one can not believe the powers to be are not concerned by the poor play of the team. We will see but if Carey goes down in flames I do not think the powers will wait long.

"I don't understand how losing games is acceptable anymore."

Then you should seriously consider stop watching sports.

NIU will lose about 7-starters from this years team. That's not bad or good. I think the MAC Conference will have a couple dominant teams next year. Will, NIU be one? who knows at this point.

(10-26-2014 05:05 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  Ask the same questions next year at this time and you'll have a better answer of where the program and coaching staff is at.

It's one of the youngest teams in the country and they control their destiny to win the MAC. There is nothing wrong with that at all.

Agreed. Carey is playing a ton of underclassmen. It's growing pains people.

I'm happy with competing for a MAC title every year. Anything else is a bonus.

But our oline is a veteran group. It's disappointing we haven't blown Kent, CMU, and EMU off the line for blowout wins.

(10-26-2014 04:19 PM)VegasHuskie Wrote:  I am new to these boards, which of course means I don't know what I'm talking about. That said - I'm genuinely surprised how many fans are content with the current state of the program.

I don't understand how losing games is acceptable anymore. What is the ultimate goal for the team? Do we have aspirations to try and crack the playoffs or are we happy to watch the Huskies in a meaningless bowl game in Detroit?

If the Go Daddy Or Poinsettia Bowl revs your engines, then God bless you. For me, being nationally ranked and chasing loftier goals is what my expectation has become.

The fanbases of Alabama or Ohio State don't accept loses. They don't brush off poor performance by saying - oh well, it's a transition season. Why should we be any different?

Yes, I know. We're not Alabama or Ohio State. Shoot, if NIU competed in the SEC they would at best be Vanderbilt. But the Huskies play in the MAC. Should we, as fans, demand anything less then being perfect in our subpar conference. That is what it takes, along with running the tables in the non- conference games, too. It's a lot to ask, but to be fair, that's what the big boys have to do too.

You won't hear a FSU fan make excuses for poor coaching or performance because talented players graduated. They expect the talent pipeline to keep flowing through recruiting. NIU has established itself as one of the most dominant mid-majors. Yes, the team has won six games against two losses which looks decent on paper. I wish I could be happy about that like most of you, but I can't.

The team is trending the wrong way. I don't believe in this coaching staff and now I am beginning to question the recruiting. I am fearful this program will become middle of the pack MAC for the foreseeable future.

The glass is half empty for me. I hope I'm wrong.

Yep last I checked NIU is not a top 5 program like OSU, FSU, and Bama. 110 other teams pretty much have to accept transition years, or if you are a Michigan fan, a transition decade. It really is jaw dropping NIU has had so few down years since 2002, to keep that level of excellence with all the coaching turnover is quite quite remarkable. The only thing that irks me about this year is I think certain things have occurred which have not put this team in the best position to succeed, and it is always frustrating when you can't get out of your own way. You accept getting beat by a better opponent, but its always hard to do things to beat yourself.

I do agree with you that the goal going into every year should be to compete for a big time bowl game, this program is at that level now. Winning the MAC does not garner any notoriety unfortunately, and the bowl system is laughable and impossible to get excited for. In fact the best bowl game for a MAC team usually goes to a 6-6 or 7-5 team, and by best I mean the best bad bowl game.

I'm not delusional. I don't expect a magical season like the Orange Bowl one every year. I'm simply suggesting it is a slippery slope if the program and the fan base sets standards lower than aiming for an access bowl or better.

Success breeds more success. The fan base expands, donations grow, corporate sponsorship improves, facilities can be up upgraded, and recruiting gets a whole lot easier.

Conversely, what do you think happens to the program if we experience a few seasons of mediocrity? There is not enough history and infrastructure around the program to sustain a down period. Building the program back would be far more difficult then sustaining the current success.

And no, we as fans don't put on the pads every Saturday, but our voice does matter. Don't think for a moment that the NIU athletic department doesn't closely monitor social media.

Quote:There are too many NIU fans ok with mediocrity and afraid to dream big.

Big difference between dreaming big and realistically Expecting Big. And going 7-1 in the MAC for a Typical year isn't mediocrity... point being, that one shouldn't be WTF?! about a conference loss, as if one lost to a D1AA team or something. :)

Expecting NEVER to have a 'mediocre' season (7-5) is way out there, though -- especially for a MAC team. Coaches leave. NIU has done a great job at keeping the hiring-within thing going, but with coaches sometimes going at different speeds and stumbling across a mediocre coach in the process -- it won't last forever.

The good thing about the MAC is that you'll have years like this -- where many MAC teams are changing up/rebuilding -- which should soften the blow on adjusting seasons for oneself. And so yes, a Great team should say "We'll pretty much never go under .500, and rarely, if ever, 6-6."

IMO, the most realistic expectations would be, for a year-in-year-out sort of thing, would be overall -- no, not being mediocre. Vying for the MAC West title, going 6.75-1.25 on average in conference play, and be vying for the Access Bowl every 2-3 years. Anything beyond that would require the MAC school to grow into a Bigger Program ($$) to grow their name, maintain solidity, and pay coaches more so they can stick around longer -- and be a Great candidate to the AAC or MW. I don't see any MAC school set to do that.

(10-26-2014 04:19 PM)VegasHuskie Wrote:  I am new to these boards, which of course means I don't know what I'm talking about. That said - I'm genuinely surprised how many fans are content with the current state of the program.

I don't understand how losing games is acceptable anymore. What is the ultimate goal for the team? Do we have aspirations to try and crack the playoffs ...

Stopped right there...a GO5 team, let alone a MAC team, has 0 chance to play in the 4 team playoff with the way that the new ranking is determined (by SOS determined by a committee of representatives from the P5). The only reason any non-AQ team finished the season in the top 6 in the BCS era was because of the computers. If you mean a spot in the GO5 Access Bowl spot then ok.


My expectations for next year are higher and 2016 are even higher.

I think there's a pretty decent chance NIU is starting a freshman QB next year, so I would advise you to keep your expectations in check.

(10-27-2014 09:02 AM)7 Wrote:  I think there's a pretty decent chance NIU is starting a freshman QB next year, so I would advise you to keep your expectations in check.

I would like to get a report of how Root is doing. Maybe he is a stud or maybe he is like the others. He definitely looks the part.