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Northern Illinois, followed by Toledo and Bowling Green. At least according to Phil Steele's college football preview.

In the MAC East, Steele picks Marshall, followed by UCF and Miami.

I have to pretty much agree with these. Toledo and BG may be flip flopped though. Toledo does have a touch conference schedule playing @UCF, @NIU, @WMU, and then having Miami and BG at home. Those are 5 games that could easily go either way.

If NIU can find a good quarterback they sure might win the west. Since that is such a critical position it is hard to know how well they will do. They sure look strong in every other position though. Wake Forest and Wisconsin should both be pretty strong this year, so NIU should find out pretty early just how good they are.

I wouldn't overlook BSU if I were you. The only team in the West that BSU lost to last year was in a close game with NIU, where IMO, the officiating was shaky.

BSU returns all but one on a strong offense, including the MAC's leading rusher (Vandelay...your unit rankings?). BSU returns half of the defense, including all of it's best players. We do lose a couple of good DE's, but we have good sized, quality DE's who were in the rotation last year returning to take their place. BSU has solid backups to take the place of the rest of the starters that were lost on defense.

BSU's OOC schedule is finally a nice one (Clemson, Missouri, UCONN, and Indiana State) without any world beaters (no top 5 schools). BSU's difficult tasks will be @ Marshall for one of the cross overs and @ BG. @ UT will be tough, but I don't consider that game as one of the season's sticky points.

BSU's big problem last year was INT's. The offense has been modified this year to use our mobile QB, Hill, in a more effective manner, to reduce and eliminate that problem. I short, BSU had a drop back pass attack which didn't fit Hill's playing style. He's a roll-out & play action type of QB.

BSU is no longer the doormat (thank God those couple of seasons are over). Don't forget that BSU usually fields a good team. Don't let that quagmire a few seasons ago cloud the history of BSU in the MAC of being a strong program. The West will be really interesting to watch this season. There are several good teams that'll beat each other up. It will be fun to watch & attend!

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by JP:
I wouldn't overlook BSU if I were you. The only team in the West that BSU lost to last year was in a close game with NIU, where IMO, the officiating was shaky.<hr /></blockquote>Speaking of shaky officiating....Toledo gets down to the Ball State 15 yard line and then gets called for 3 straight holding penalities??? Everyone knows that holding could be called on just about every play, but it isn't.

Oh well, Ball State beat us no matter what; and I do give them and their fans credit for that. You deserved that win. Just watch out this year!!!

<img border="0" alt="[Cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/cheers.gif" />

The West should be interested any of several teams "could" win, but all of the teams discussed in this thread have serious questions (mostly due to the loss of key players).

BUGS is my gut choice, but Urban still has a lot to prove as a coach. He inherited a pretty damn good team last year. Ditto Amstutz. It will be interesting to see how both of these newbies do in more of a rebuilding mode.

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by rocketfootball:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by JP:
I wouldn't overlook BSU if I were you. The only team in the West that BSU lost to last year was in a close game with NIU, where IMO, the officiating was shaky.<hr /></blockquote>Speaking of shaky officiating....Toledo gets down to the Ball State 15 yard line and then gets called for 3 straight holding penalities??? Everyone knows that holding could be called on just about every play, but it isn't.

Oh well, Ball State beat us no matter what; and I do give them and their fans credit for that. You deserved that win. Just watch out this year!!!

<img border="0" alt="[Cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/cheers.gif" /> <hr /></blockquote>Yeah, and NIU beat BSU no matter what. I didn't see no shaky officiating - I saw us come from behind in the second half to win! BTW - Merriweather IS a stud.

I'm going to say just this: CMU is driving late in the game with our no-huddle offense clicking and there are suddenly back-to-back BSU players mysteriously down on the field. Mysterious, because neither the radio team nor a few fans I spoke with saw anyone come in hard contact with them. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="confused.gif" /> Coincidentally, BSU had no time-outs left. Some onlookers tell me that the downed players were acting as though they were convulsing. After a minute, the players got up, walked off under their own power, and returned to the game within a play or two. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="rolleyes.gif" /> I understand the refs cautioned Lynch about the "injuries" after DeBord complained <img border="0" alt="[NoNo]" title="" src="graemlins/nono.gif" />

We may or may not use the no-huddle this season, but that trick won't fly again, in either case...

[ July 01, 2002, 03:34 PM: Message edited by: CMichFan ]

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by HuskieDan:
I didn't see no shaky officiating - I saw us come from behind in the second half to win! BTW - Merriweather IS a stud.<hr /></blockquote>I give Ball State credit for winning. However, when was the last time you saw a team get called for holding on 3 straight plays??? Add in that we were at the BSU 15 yard line with less than a minute to play and only down by 4 points. Hmm....

Rocketfootball: three straight holding penalties does seem like much, but UT may have been its own worst enemy, through its reputation of being the league's (nation's?) most-penalized team. However, if someone on your special-teams had been better at playing blind kick-returner's bluff, if may not have mattered... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

I almost passed out in anger when he broke loose for that kick return. There seems to be a Ball State syndrome on UT's team. At least we usually get them back the next year when we play at home.

Watch out Cardinals!

<img border="0" alt="[Cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/cheers.gif" />

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by CMichFan:
I'm going to say just this: CMU is driving late in the game with our no-huddle offense clicking and there are suddenly back-to-back BSU players mysteriously down on the field. Mysterious, because neither the radio team nor a few fans I spoke with saw anyone come in hard contact with them. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="confused.gif" /> Coincidentally, BSU had no time-outs left. Some onlookers tell me that the downed players were acting as though they were convulsing. After a minute, the players got up, walked off under their own power, and returned to the game within a play or two. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="rolleyes.gif" /> I understand the refs cautioned Lynch about the "injuries" after DeBord complained<hr /></blockquote>Let me just say this little bit about those injuries. I have my connections and also saw both players eventually leave the locker rooms after the game. The one was still iced up and limped out of the building and the other, I found out, took a shot in the family jewels. The first ended up twisting either an ankle or knee (I don't remember which). The other, if you sat from my viewpoint, could see what happened and when he hunched over after the play and grabbed what he did, any man would feel bad for him.

I admit, it looked shady, but they were legit injuries as far as I'm concerned.

<blockquote>quote:<hr /> Let me just say this little bit about those injuries. I have my connections and also saw both players eventually leave the locker rooms after the game. The one was still iced up and limped out of the building and the other, I found out, took a shot in the family jewels. The first ended up twisting either an ankle or knee (I don't remember which). The other, if you sat from my viewpoint, could see what happened and when he hunched over after the play and grabbed what he did, any man would feel bad for him.

I admit, it looked shady, but they were legit injuries as far as I'm concerned. <hr /></blockquote>Well, if they really were hurt, my apologies, but I see that you can at least see where I'm coming from. I do know that the refs spoke to Lynch about it, but then, I wasn't privy to the conversation. Sounds like Ball State was involved in several...unusual...situations last fall. Reminds me of CMU's 1991 season: four freakin' ties! Of course, MAC refs blew a call in the Glass Bowl that didn't help: replay on the PASS Sports channel was conclusive that Ken Ealy caught the ball in the endzone with control and touched both shoes inbounds. The official who was right on top of the play blew the call, and we settled for a fourth-down tying FG in the closing seconds... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="mad-flaming.gif" />

MAC officials, never very good, were probably the worst that I've ever seen them last season. There probably isn't a fan on these boards who can't relate at least one unbelievable call that they witnessed last season. I know that the MAC offices received multiple complaints each and every week. Then again, when you hire your head official from the XFL...

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Oddball:
There probably isn't a fan on these boards who can't relate at least one unbelievable call that they witnessed last season.<hr /></blockquote>Remember that call last year, I believe it was the Navy game, when they called Taylor down, but the replay should clearly that his knee never touched? That is the biggest one I remember.

Well, I certainly saw some curious non-calls last season. At least, in the games I saw, the officials seemed to screw both teams equally... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="rolleyes.gif" />

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by rocketfootball:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Oddball:
There probably isn't a fan on these boards who can't relate at least one unbelievable call that they witnessed last season.<hr /></blockquote>Remember that call last year, I believe it was the Navy game, when they called Taylor down, but the replay should clearly that his knee never touched? That is the biggest one I remember.<hr /></blockquote>I remember that well. It wasn't the only bad call in that game, either...just the worst. I hope their improvement at the end of the season was a sign of things to come. I'd hate to see another year like the last one.

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by rocketfootball:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Oddball:
There probably isn't a fan on these boards who can't relate at least one unbelievable call that they witnessed last season.<hr /></blockquote>Remember that call last year, I believe it was the Navy game, when they called Taylor down, but the replay should clearly that his knee never touched? That is the biggest one I remember.<hr /></blockquote>Are you sure that was Navy and not WMU? I saw the same call made last year during that game and after looking at the replay on the screen at the glass bowl you guys got screwed out of that one. OTOH, I officiate HS sports and sometimes we get a poor angle and have to make a call/no call based on what we see and I have made calls that another member of the crew tells me later thet he disagreed with the call, but couldn't and wouldn't argue with what I saw. It happens a little to often in the MAC though.

klordway - You may be right about it being WMU. I am not that old yet to have a bad memory, but some of the games for last year are already running together on me. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

It could have happened at both games, I suppose.

But I saw it happen on TV against WMU, on Election Day, as it were.

Luckily, Toledo racked up enough points where it didn't make a difference. You'd hate to see a bad call determine the outcome of a TV game like that.

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