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<a href='http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bcsroad/1012' target='_blank'>Road to the BCS</a>
Some of those teams are going to lose (again). NIU could easily sneak up to #8.
NIU better get past BG and Toledo first. But this is pretty incredible. Is this the higest a MAC team has ever been?
Not sure about BCS rating. Marshall did finish #10 in the final AP & USA polls in 1999 with a 13-0 record.
Great coverage for NIU.
However, must still play BG, Toledo and MAC East champion. :chair:
Chris from WV Wrote:Great coverage for NIU.
However, must still play BG, Toledo and MAC East champion. :chair:
It's a real testament to the quality of the MAC that, if we're fortunate enough to get past WMU, we may be a top 10 team when we face Bowling Green, and we'll probably be a five to seven point underdog.
Go MAC!!
The Knight Time Wrote:NIU better get past BG and Toledo first. But this is pretty incredible. Is this the higest a MAC team has ever been?
#10 in the polls has always been the cap for a MAC program. I wouldn't be surprised if an undefeated NIU could break down the barrier.
Does anyone know how the MAC splits bowl revenues. The MAC East champ might need to take a dive in the MACC game if NIU is in the top6.
OK. Let's run through this one more time for the college football challenged.
IT'S ABOUT THE MONEY!!! It ain't about quality of athletes. It ain't about building character. It ain't about any of that crap.
IT'S ABOUT THE MONEY!!!
Now, having established that blindingly obvious premise, let's take a look at NIU's chances for a BCS bowl bid.
NONE!!! Regardless of how they do the rest of the way, NIU's strength of schedule in the MAC will ensure that the mathmatical formula the cartel uses will keep them out of the top 6. They can't get there. Now, let's assume you're a BCS conference. Your league champion automatically gets in. That's 6 of the 8 bids right there. Who gets the other two? Well, I can just see the SEC or PAC 10 commissioner going on live TV and saying the following:
"It's been too long since there was a real underdog in college football that everybody could root for. Although NIU didn't automatically qualify by ending up in the top 6, our conference is going to forego its $10 million payday for having an extra team in a BCS bowl and we're going to give that money to the MAC. They have proven they have quality teams and, by golly, its high time a MAC team got the chance to prove it on a national stage."
BCS to NIU
CollegeBCS.com
11.NIU
25.MUr
29.BGSU
55.TOL
77.MUg
80.BSU
83.WMU
88.AKR
96.OU
97.KSU
98.CMU
99.UCF
112.EMU
116.UB
Bowl Prediction (as of 10/14):
GMAC Bowl: MUr vs. TCU
Motor City Bowl: BGSU vs. Minnesota
Music City Bowl: NIU (SEC slot) vs. Wisconsin
:rofl: Yo... smelly dogs... do NOT get your hopes up too high... Remember the Glass Bowl!!!
Mako - I agree completely. The only way NIU gets in is if we finish top 6, and the only way for that to happen is to have a bunch of conference teams beat each other up to the point of 2 or 3 losses at least per team (besides the top 2). IMO, it's actually better for our chances of getting into the BCS to have Miami and Oklahoma go undefeated, then have everyone else get a couple losses. But that is still unlikely - the SEC West team would have to have at least 3 losses, with Georgia winning it; Va Tech would have to lose to someone other than Miami; Nebraska and Mizzou would need to lose at least one or two more times; Washington State or USC needs to lose once or twice more; and Iowa or Ohio St needs to get beat a couple more times.
If you assume second place/slot teams in BCS conferences are who NIU would be in contention with for a spot, you're talking about Auburn/LSU, Texas/Nebraska, Wash St/USC, Va Tech, Wisconsin/Ohio St/Michigan/Iowa, or, ironically, the Maryland team we upset in week 1 could be chosen as an at large at 10-2 over NIU. :mad:
But as King Bob has so eloquently professed :rolleyes: , we still have to go thru WMU, BG, BSU, Buffalo, EMU and the Glass Bowl.
Dang right, that was eloquant!!! but, all those teams are beatable... however, since 1980 Toledo has beaten N. Ill 18 and has never lost to N. Ill in the Glass Bowl... hmmm... Since Toledo started taking our football program seriously in 1990 we haven't lost to them...
C'mon you smelly dogs... we be waiting for ya in the Glass Bowl... :wave:
All of these "Never have" type comments don't mean a thing. Northern has never done lots of things that they are accomplishing this year. In fact, Northern is doing things that NO team from the MAC has ever done.
Go Huskies! Beat WMU! We'll worry about the rest of the schedule later.
KingBob Wrote:Dang right, that was eloquant!!! but, all those teams are beatable... however, since 1980 Toledo has beaten N. Ill 18 and has never lost to N. Ill in the Glass Bowl... hmmm... Since Toledo started taking our football program seriously in 1990 we haven't lost to them...
A MAC team has never beaten 2 nationally ranked OOC opponents....until the 2003 NIU Huskies.
An NIU team has never beaten 3 BCS conference teams in one year....until the 2003 Huskies.
An NIU team has never been ranked higher than 30th....until the 2003 Huskies.
As you can see, it's a year of the Huskies knocking down the "never haves". I suspect the Glass Bowl will just be another one of those knockdowns..... :D
BG beat 3 BCS opponents in 2001.
DICK Wrote:BG beat 3 BCS opponents in 2001.
That is why he said "NIU" and not the "MAC" for the 3 BC$ wins.
Oh, C'mon you smelly dogs!!! You can fool those other people... we all know, you played weak teams who were over rated... but, C'mon... we know who and what you truely are... everyone else sees you as some kind of freaks running around pretending to be a real football team... but, you are back home now playing the teams in the MAC, where you belong... playing the teams that consistantly beat you guys... year after year... if BG doesnt knock you out... I guess Toledo will have to bring y'all back down...
Over here... seats will be nice and comfy... in da Glass Bowl... :wave:
Bob, at least try to argue consistently. You could be the poster child for all that is wrong with the BCS system. Every win by another MAC team over a BCS team is, in your opinion, "overrated" (except those by the Rockets). At the same time, you ***** about the MAC not receiving any credit or respect. If you don't respect your conference foes, why should anyone else. Give credit where credit is due, NIU is having one hell of a season. With that said, I hope they go undefeated until the Toledo game, and then get their ****** smacked!!!
UTLAW Wrote:Bob, at least try to argue consistently. You could be the poster child for all that is wrong with the BCS system. Every win by another MAC team over a BCS team is, in your opinion, "overrated" (except those by the Rockets). At the same time, you ***** about the MAC not receiving any credit or respect. If you don't respect your conference foes, why should anyone else. Give credit where credit is due, NIU is having one hell of a season. With that said, I hope they go undefeated until the Toledo game, and then get their ****** smacked!!!
Not me. If we're as likely to get whacked by Miami as I expect, then I want NIU to win it all and give the BCS a run for it. Every year a good mid-major wins OOC and gets smacked by conference foes and kills the argument. Fresno, BYU, and NIU this year? Someone will have to run it all to hurt their image. Simply the number of 1 loss teams in front of NIU in the polls is enough to induce vomiting. Some of them haven't played half the schedule.