I liked this article to put things in perspective.

http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2...-the-point

(12-11-2014 03:55 PM)toddjnsn Wrote:  I liked this article to put things in perspective.

http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2...-the-point

I get his sentiment, but I have a feeling this guy was in diapers when we were in the MAC before. Maybe he went to school there after our time in the MAC when we were winning like NIU and NIU was mostly just awful with no fan support at all. I don't think NIU even won their division till after we left. It was always Toledo or WMU. We had many of those 11,12, and 13 win seasons. We helped pave the way for NIU to get into the Orange Bowl. We had 3 Heisman finalists within a five year span. We beat Clemson, #6 Kansas State, South Carolina, Temple(Big East), Louisville, ECU, Cincy, BYU, and scared the crap out of Ole Miss, WVU, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio State and UNC. And from '97 to '94 we went 5-2 in bowl games. We peaked too early. About 5-7 years too early.

And at the very least get the facts right when using them to make a point.

" Do you think a 7-5 Maryland team was pumped to face an 8-4 Conference USA team last year?"

We were 9-3 before losing to Rice in the CCG then beating Maryland to finish 10-4. Making us at least 9-4 when the bowl was proposed. Doesn't change his point, but it does affect his credibility with readers when there are inaccuracies.

As I said in another post, it isn't about not respecting NIU. We really do. And we know them. We really do. We've been there and done that. And we wanted something different is all. And like I said, I can't believe NIU is any more excited to play us than we are them. I think they got shafted, too.

It really is a shame that MU's entire fan base is judged with such a wide brush... Thousands of Herd fans are judged by maybe a 100 or so folks, who post on the only 3 message boards under their same names, extending their unhappiness and the rest are assumed to all be in the same groupthink. Most Marshall fans are over 40 and don't post on any of Herdfans/here or the most toxic group HerdNation. And most that I know do NOT agree w/ the naysayers. Most of us have no animosity towards the MAC. Or ECU. Of this bowl game. Etc, etc., etc. Don't mistake the vocal minority for anything remotely being most of MU fans. It's shortsighted and just plain silly.

I hate that he claims CUSA is in the bottom three of the G5 too. We need to squash that perception now. In fact, I thought we had already. Theres a good argument that top to bottom CUSA was the best of the G5 this year. Its debatable, but a case can certainly be made. 8 bowl eligible teams, the most wins over other G5 schools etc.

(12-11-2014 05:41 PM)monarx Wrote:  I hate that he claims CUSA is in the bottom three of the G5 too. We need to squash that perception now. In fact, I thought we had already. Theres a good argument that top to bottom CUSA was the best of the G5 this year. Its debatable, but a case can certainly be made. 8 bowl eligible teams, the most wins over other G5 schools etc.

Actually we're in the top 3

glass 1/2 full.

(12-11-2014 05:41 PM)monarx Wrote:  I hate that he claims CUSA is in the bottom three of the G5 too. We need to squash that perception now. In fact, I thought we had already. Theres a good argument that top to bottom CUSA was the best of the G5 this year. Its debatable, but a case can certainly be made. 8 bowl eligible teams, the most wins over other G5 schools etc.

This is a hard one to get away from. Before the AAC picked off members C-USA and the MWC were indeed the "best" of the non-BCS conferences per fan perceptions. We all know of C-USA's success in individual games, etc. but at this point with the replacement teams from the Sun Belt and newly added FBS programs it is hard to argue against C-USA not being a strong conference. Marshall, however, can make the argument, but with just two schools winning 8+ games (Marshall 11, LA Tech 8), and a plethora of mediocre teams at 6-6 or 7-5 the fact is C-USA is simply not what we as fans want them to be. Yet.

Since when did results on the field stop being relative?

We dominated the rest of the G5 conferences this year. What was it 16-4 or 17-4 and most of the games weren't close.

But I think you're right dfn. Problem for us is we beat up on each other too much. AAC had three teams 7-1 in conference and bunch of bottom dwellers. It looks better for those leagues to have more teams with high win totals with a bunch crap teams at the bottom of the conference vs. what we did this year which is have a lot of teams - outside of Marshall - all beat up on each other and have average records. Same in the MWC with Boise, Air Force and Colorado St.

Perhaps this means its better to only have a few good teams and a bunch of terrible teams vs. a whole conference of decent teams capable of competing with most everyone else.

(12-11-2014 08:42 PM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote:  Since when did results on the field stop being relative?

We dominated the rest of the G5 conferences this year. What was it 16-4 or 17-4 and most of the games weren't close.

But I think you're right dfn. Problem for us is we beat up on each other too much. AAC had three teams 7-1 in conference and bunch of bottom dwellers. It looks better for those leagues to have more teams with high win totals with a bunch crap teams at the bottom of the conference vs. what we did this year which is have a lot of teams - outside of Marshall - all beat up on each other and have average records. Same in the MWC with Boise, Air Force and Colorado St.

Perhaps this means its better to only have a few good teams and a bunch of terrible teams vs. a whole conference of decent teams capable of competing with most everyone else.

+1

we need to stop sending our bad teams to the AAC.

Quote:If you're as good as you think, losing to Western Kentucky doesn't cut it.

Well, maybe we can do something NIU couldn't. Beat Western Michigan.

(12-11-2014 09:28 PM)Hilltopper2K Wrote:  

Quote:If you're as good as you think, losing to Western Kentucky doesn't cut it.

Well, maybe we can do something NIU couldn't. Beat Western Michigan.

HUH???

(12-11-2014 09:28 PM)Hilltopper2K Wrote:  

Quote:If you're as good as you think, losing to Western Kentucky doesn't cut it.

Well, maybe we can do something NIU couldn't. Beat Western Michigan.

(They beat WMU 31-21)

Quote:NIU has gone 52-8 over the last five years.

I knew they had been good, but -- -- Holy sh*t.

(12-11-2014 05:19 PM)MUther Wrote:  

(12-11-2014 03:55 PM)toddjnsn Wrote:  I liked this article to put things in perspective.

http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2...-the-point

I get his sentiment, but I have a feeling this guy was in diapers when we were in the MAC before. Maybe he went to school there after our time in the MAC when we were winning like NIU and NIU was mostly just awful with no fan support at all. I don't think NIU even won their division till after we left. It was always Toledo or WMU. We had many of those 11,12, and 13 win seasons. We helped pave the way for NIU to get into the Orange Bowl. We had 3 Heisman finalists within a five year span. We beat Clemson, #6 Kansas State, South Carolina, Temple(Big East), Louisville, ECU, Cincy, BYU, and scared the crap out of Ole Miss, WVU, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio State and UNC. And from '97 to '94 we went 5-2 in bowl games. We peaked too early. About 5-7 years too early.

And at the very least get the facts right when using them to make a point.

" Do you think a 7-5 Maryland team was pumped to face an 8-4 Conference USA team last year?"

We were 9-3 before losing to Rice in the CCG then beating Maryland to finish 10-4. Making us at least 9-4 when the bowl was proposed. Doesn't change his point, but it does affect his credibility with readers when there are inaccuracies.

As I said in another post, it isn't about not respecting NIU. We really do. And we know them. We really do. We've been there and done that. And we wanted something different is all. And like I said, I can't believe NIU is any more excited to play us than we are them. I think they got shafted, too.

Niu fans are pumped about this matchup.

(12-11-2014 11:02 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

Quote:NIU has gone 52-8 over the last five years.

I knew they had been good, but -- -- Holy sh*t.

That would be good, but it's not accurate. He didn't count bowl games and MAC championship games (you know, the ones where you play really good competition). He got called out on it in the comments. Their record is still very good, but being a NIU homer, he dressed it up a little more.

If Marshall wins- their fans will whine and complain about a 13-1 season.
If Marshall loses- their fans will whine and complain about a 12-2 season.

(12-12-2014 12:17 AM)perimeterpost Wrote:  If Marshall wins- their fans will whine and complain about a 13-1 season.
If Marshall loses- their fans will whine and complain about a 12-2 season.

Ohio University and MAC Football Championships...proving blind squirrels don't always eventually find the acorns.

I really think you should change your name to perimeterteam.

(12-11-2014 05:25 PM)Von-Bek Wrote:  It really is a shame that MU's entire fan base is judged with such a wide brush... Thousands of Herd fans are judged by maybe a 100 or so folks, who post on the only 3 message boards under their same names, extending their unhappiness and the rest are assumed to all be in the same groupthink. Most Marshall fans are over 40 and don't post on any of Herdfans/here or the most toxic group HerdNation. And most that I know do NOT agree w/ the naysayers. Most of us have no animosity towards the MAC. Or ECU. Of this bowl game. Etc, etc., etc. Don't mistake the vocal minority for anything remotely being most of MU fans. It's shortsighted and just plain silly.

Bingo... A little hypocritical isn't he?

(12-11-2014 09:50 PM)NIUBIGGS Wrote:  

(12-11-2014 09:28 PM)Hilltopper2K Wrote:  

Quote:If you're as good as you think, losing to Western Kentucky doesn't cut it.

Well, maybe we can do something NIU couldn't. Beat Western Michigan.

HUH???

Pretty obvious he means Central Michigan since we play Central Michigan in a bowl game...

(12-11-2014 05:41 PM)monarx Wrote:  I hate that he claims CUSA is in the bottom three of the G5 too. We need to squash that perception now. In fact, I thought we had already. Theres a good argument that top to bottom CUSA was the best of the G5 this year. Its debatable, but a case can certainly be made. 8 bowl eligible teams, the most wins over other G5 schools etc.

Would Marshall or USM go to AAC?? ... likely yes, would Rice or La tech go to MWC? Likely yes.

Would anyone from AAC or MWC go to CUSA?? answer is no.

There is a very well pecking order and CUSA is at the top of the bottom 3. It is reality not perception, and you can not squash it, any more than MWC and AAC can squash reality that they are the top of Gang and not bottom of P5.

(12-11-2014 08:29 PM)dfn2006 Wrote:  This is a hard one to get away from. Before the AAC picked off members C-USA and the MWC were indeed the "best" of the non-BCS conferences per fan perceptions. We all know of C-USA's success in individual games, etc. but at this point with the replacement teams from the Sun Belt and newly added FBS programs it is hard to argue against C-USA not being a strong conference. Marshall, however, can make the argument, but with just two schools winning 8+ games (Marshall 11, LA Tech 8), and a plethora of mediocre teams at 6-6 or 7-5 the fact is C-USA is simply not what we as fans want them to be. Yet.

Again, a glass 1/2 empty analysis. How many 0, 1, 2, win teams did we have last year? How many do we have this year?

Your complaint fails to recognize that all the bad teams got better. Isn't that what we were hoping for. Sure, we didn't have any P5 wins,(because most of those games were against top tier programs on the road), but how did we do against our peers.

I know in this social media age of split second decisions, everyone expects things to happen yesterday; but as far as C-USA football is concerned.....it was a very successful year.