Already up to #104 and no EMU. Great for EMU and the MAC.

(05-17-2015 09:28 AM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  Already up to #104 and no EMU. Great for EMU and the MAC.

I'm shocked. BTW, do you have the link?

Worse yet, they might have forgotten to include us...

(05-17-2015 09:28 AM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  Already up to #104 and no EMU. Great for EMU and the MAC.

I'm surprised - maybe they know something???

(05-17-2015 09:48 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(05-17-2015 09:28 AM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  Already up to #104 and no EMU. Great for EMU and the MAC.

I'm shocked. BTW, do you have the link?

Worse yet, they might have forgotten to include us...

Here ya go: http://interactive.orlandosentinel.com/c...index.html

CMU is #124? Umm...

(05-17-2015 09:43 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  CMU is #124? Umm...

I don't really find that too surprising. Losing their major offense weapons as well as a first year staff. Maybe they won't be quite THAT bad, but I'm fairly certain it'll be a down year in Mt. Pleasant.

(05-17-2015 09:43 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  CMU is #124? Umm...

This is another head scratcher. I need that (head scratcher) emoticon.

They went to a bowl game last December (and almost won). They could fall, but to the land of the schools lucky to win a game or two???

Also note that two of our OOC opponents, Army and Wyoming, are on this list already. Old Dominion shouldn't be too high either. We don't play any FCS teams, but I don't think we've ever had a more favorable OOC schedule since I've been following the team. 3-1 is a legit possibility, and we should be no worse than 2-2 going into conference play.

But that's why they play the games.

(05-18-2015 07:13 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  Also note that two of our OOC opponents, Army and Wyoming, are on this list already. Old Dominion shouldn't be too high either. We don't play any FCS teams, but I don't think we've ever had a more favorable OOC schedule since I've been following the team. 3-1 is a legit possibility, and we should be no worse than 2-2 going into conference play.

But that's why they play the games.

Should be interesting if CC can manufacture a decent record simply by having a favorable schedule, and this one is very favorable...

On the other hand, P.J. at Western needs to try and win this year with a very challenging schedule...

(05-18-2015 07:25 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 07:13 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  Also note that two of our OOC opponents, Army and Wyoming, are on this list already. Old Dominion shouldn't be too high either. We don't play any FCS teams, but I don't think we've ever had a more favorable OOC schedule since I've been following the team. 3-1 is a legit possibility, and we should be no worse than 2-2 going into conference play.

But that's why they play the games.

Should be interesting if CC can manufacture a decent record simply by having a favorable schedule, and this one is very favorable...

On the other hand, P.J. at Western needs to try and win this year with a very challenging schedule...

Western is loaded. They should be very good again, even with a tougher schedule. We are cursed yet again with playing in a brutal division.

Dear EagleSam,
I'm not convinced yet, when it comes to Western. I'll be the first to admit that luck always plays a role in determining some wins. With Western last year, they could have had two more losses, but came out with wins. So they could have been 6-6.
I will also agree that Coach Fleck is a recruiter, but what he does with those recruits only time will tell. They could be 1-3 after their non-conference games, no better than 2-2. Throw in the fact that they could lose two or three conference games, and their overall record will be no better than last year.
Is 6-6 better than 1-11? Absolutely. I still have to wait and see what happens this year before anointing Western and Coach Fleck as a dominant force in the MAC.

(05-18-2015 07:55 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear EagleSam,
I'm not convinced yet, when it comes to Western. I'll be the first to admit that luck always plays a role in determining some wins. With Western last year, they could have had two more losses, but came out with wins. So they could have been 6-6.
I will also agree that Coach Fleck is a recruiter, but what he does with those recruits only time will tell. They could be 1-3 after their non-conference games, no better than 2-2. Throw in the fact that they could lose two or three conference games, and their overall record will be no better than last year.
Is 6-6 better than 1-11? Absolutely. I still have to wait and see what happens this year before anointing Western and Coach Fleck as a dominant force in the MAC.

Ken, you are getting at an 'eternal truth' in sports:

How good are we (EMU or WMU or whomever we are speaking) and how good are the opponents?

WMU is a very good team. We????

We have an easy schedule. WMU does not (MSU, OSU, @Toledo, @NIU)

In simplest terms, they are two independent factors.

We will probably 'over perform'; WMU will probably 'under perform' largely because of scheduling considerations...

(05-18-2015 07:55 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear EagleSam,
I'm not convinced yet, when it comes to Western. I'll be the first to admit that luck always plays a role in determining some wins. With Western last year, they could have had two more losses, but came out with wins. So they could have been 6-6.
I will also agree that Coach Fleck is a recruiter, but what he does with those recruits only time will tell. They could be 1-3 after their non-conference games, no better than 2-2. Throw in the fact that they could lose two or three conference games, and their overall record will be no better than last year.
Is 6-6 better than 1-11? Absolutely. I still have to wait and see what happens this year before anointing Western and Coach Fleck as a dominant force in the MAC.

I don't think anyone is anointing them a "dominant force in the MAC". Just stating the obvious in that Fleck has assembled a very talented team and had a huge turnaround from his first season.

As Steve said, their record in this upcoming season may not be indicative of how good they actually are, as they have a brutal schedule. They absolutely bombed us last year, and I'm really not looking forward to our game with them this coming season either.

Dear Friends,
Not to beat the dead horse, but one good season does not necessarily mean any team is on its way to continued success. Remember Coach English's 6-6 record, we thought we were on our way to better things, and the luck factor, where we lost two games that could have been wins. That is all I am saying with regard to Western. One good season doesn't mean anything. It is what is to come, and to me, there is no proof yet of the pudding in Kalamazoo.

(05-18-2015 10:52 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Not to beat the dead horse, but one good season does not necessarily mean any team is on its way to continued success. Remember Coach English's 6-6 record, we thought we were on our way to better things, and the luck factor, where we lost two games that could have been wins. That is all I am saying with regard to Western. One good season doesn't mean anything. It is what is to come, and to me, there is no proof yet of the pudding in Kalamazoo.

Ken:

Difference between EMU and WMU -

English's was a one hit wonder. One 6 - 6 season preceded by a lot of say 2, 4 or zero win seasons. Recruiting seemed better but it wasn't like WMU's.

WMU has been, more or less, a bowl eligible teams many years in the 2000 - 2013 plus SOME key adds: Franklin, (UofM grad eligible transfer) Ash, etc.

Big, big difference...

Teams like WMU, CMU, etc. are good enough where a Franklin (or Thomas Rawls) can take a team up a notch.

Up to 102 and still no mention of EMU.

I'm getting excited. Which bowl game? Lol.

BTW: I tweeted the author of the series. I'll see if he replies.

I like this article. Lol.

http://www.mlive.com/chippewas/index.ssf...cart_river

Dear steve,
I am not comparing a decade or more of Western and Eastern football. I'm only talking about Coach Fleck and his tenure at Western. He has not proven (in my opinion) to be a habitual winner there. I used the comparison of Coach English, only to point out what happened after the 6-6 season. Eastern fell flat. Now I am not saying that that will happen to Western, but with their schedule, and the fact that they could have lost two more games last year, I don't think they will have a better record this year, and it could be worse. Remember, his overall record after two seasons is 9-16.

(05-18-2015 12:58 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear steve,
I am not comparing a decade or more of Western and Eastern football. I'm only talking about Coach Fleck and his tenure at Western. He has not proven (in my opinion) to be a habitual winner there. I used the comparison of Coach English, only to point out what happened after the 6-6 season. Eastern fell flat. Now I am not saying that that will happen to Western, but with their schedule, and the fact that they could have lost two more games last year, I don't think they will have a better record this year, and it could be worse. Remember, his overall record after two seasons is 9-16.

You're right he could have a worse record for the reason I stated early on: Wins = F (team, schedule) (function of the team strength and schedule strength).

(05-18-2015 12:58 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear steve,
I am not comparing a decade or more of Western and Eastern football. I'm only talking about Coach Fleck and his tenure at Western. He has not proven (in my opinion) to be a habitual winner there. I used the comparison of Coach English, only to point out what happened after the 6-6 season. Eastern fell flat. Now I am not saying that that will happen to Western, but with their schedule, and the fact that they could have lost two more games last year, I don't think they will have a better record this year, and it could be worse. Remember, his overall record after two seasons is 9-16.

Habitual winner? He's been there for two years. Hard to make anything habitual in such a short time frame. They had a very nice, surprising bounce back from an awful season, and with a young team to boot.

You keep mentioning these two or three conference games they "could've lost", but they didn't lose them. In fact, the only conference game they won that was decided by less than a TD was a 4 point win at Ball State. And they could've easily WON another conference game, losing to Toledo by 1 in OT.

Ken, I hate WMU as much as you do, but that doesn't mean we can't call a spade a spade. Fleck is building something good over there.