Just looking at CFNs preseason rankings (and yes I know they are usually off a bit), they have 10 of the 12 MAC teams in the bottom 30...only leaving off us and Toledo.
Is the MAC really gonna be awful this year?
akron is in the bottom 30? lol
armour248 Wrote:akron is in the bottom 30? lol
LOLLERSKATES
niusfactuary Wrote:Just looking at CFNs preseason rankings (and yes I know they are usually off a bit), they have 10 of the 12 MAC teams in the bottom 30...only leaving off us and Toledo.
Is the MAC really gonna be awful this year?
One word for you: NO
I just can't believe teams from the MAC would be ranked so low in pre-season polls. That's never happened before.
Imagine how embarrassing it will be for all the OOC teams that will lose to MAC teams.
UT lost it's stud QB off a team that underperformed compared to expectations. BG lost it's stud QB off an extremely disappointing team. Miami lost it's supposed stud QB off a very disappointing team. NIU lost several OLinemen (always our strength) and two playmaking WRs off a rebuilding team that broke through surprisingly. I'm surprised that Akron wouldn't get more love right now, but they do look a bit fluky - shut out by Army, barely beat Buffalo, smeared by Miami, lost to Ball State, and won the East on a tiebreaker going to crossover opponents' record - can they repeat that?
I think that there are a TON of questions about the MAC this year.
Akron beating us twice raises the Q to another level regarding flukey. Their season was truly bizarre and remarkable. Can lightning strike twice?
If Zips repeat in East or MACC, Zips coach maybe HE GONE !
He would become a hot commodity on the coaching carousel.
I think Brookhart has worked wonders if not magic in a very short time.
Definately alot of Qs at outset of MAC season - but aren't there always in many conference races ?
How weird it is to even suggest a parallel between Big Two and little nine in BT and UT and NIU evolving into Big Two and little eleven/twelve in MAC. It would take at least another decade of winning many MAC West titles by NIU to establish an annual trend.
cyberdawg Wrote:How weird it is to even suggest a parallel between Big Two and little nine in BT and UT and NIU evolving into Big Two and little eleven/twelve in MAC. It would take at least another decade of winning many MAC West titles by NIU to establish an annual trend.
Stop yourself !! We have only -1- MAC Championship in the trophy case, Ever hear of that school referred to as the cradle of coachs...Miami O....
HuskiesRule73 Wrote:cyberdawg Wrote:How weird it is to even suggest a parallel between Big Two and little nine in BT and UT and NIU evolving into Big Two and little eleven/twelve in MAC. It would take at least another decade of winning many MAC West titles by NIU to establish an annual trend.
Stop yourself !! We have only -1- MAC Championship in the trophy case, Ever hear of that school referred to as the cradle of coachs...Miami O....
All-Time MAC Championships:
Miami - 13
Toledo - 10
Bowling Green - 10
Yes and how many years has NIU been in MAC compared to those other schools? less than one fourth perhaps?
Once we turned the corner after returning to MAC, we have won alot of games. To keep moving forward in many areas ( improved salaries for assistants, faciltiies, scheduling , attendance etc) is the key to establishing a program that reloads rather than rebuilds.
We have an opportunity to seize then rock that cradle.
niusfactuary Wrote:Just looking at CFNs preseason rankings (and yes I know they are usually off a bit), they have 10 of the 12 MAC teams in the bottom 30...only leaving off us and Toledo.
Is the MAC really gonna be awful this year?
No, how they rank Akron that low I dont' understand, Akron returns 18 or 19 starters plus a great QB in Getsy. I want to to be the first to predict this in a MAC folder; Akron is going to beat either PSU or NCST; PSU returns only 9 starters and is breaking in a new QB. Chuck D'Amato's teams seem to find ways to lose not win the games they should win.
How they have WMU ranked that low is also a mystery. They went from 1 win in 04 to 7 in 05 and return a vet QB(and coaches son) in Ryan Cubit plus a ton of starters. BSU also returns their starting QB(Joey Lynch, a good one) and a boatload of starters. EMU is breaking in a new QB but returms the best receiver in their program's history and most of their rushing yards with a defense that is significantly improved.
MAC programs have got to win OOC games vs big name teams plain and simple in order to not be annually ranked near the bottom.
cyberdawg Wrote:Yes and how many years has NIU been in MAC compared to those other schools? less than one fourth perhaps?
Hey, it's not a slam against the Huskies by showing the top three in MAC Championships. But the top three are the top three for a reason. And really Marshall, though not in the MAC anymore, has been the best since 1997 in terms of MACC's won. They returned in 1997, just like NIU, and won 5 MAC Championships in 6 years.
As for time in the MAC:
Miami - 59 years
Toledo - 55 years
Bowling Green - 54 years
Northern Illinois - 23 years
Using the ratios of championships won compared to years in the MAC, NIU should have 3 or 4 by now if they were winning at the same rate.
good points re: Marshall and NIU ratio of titles to membership years is dismal.
One huge difference , tho, is that Marshall was on a roll for years in 1-aa and we too were rolling but downhill at the same time.
cyberdawg Wrote:good points re: Marshall and NIU ratio of titles to membership years is dismal.
One huge difference , tho, is that Marshall was on a roll for years in 1-aa and we too were rolling but downhill at the same time.
Well, that and Marshall was also cheating.
rocketfootball Wrote:cyberdawg Wrote:good points re: Marshall and NIU ratio of titles to membership years is dismal.
One huge difference , tho, is that Marshall was on a roll for years in 1-aa and we too were rolling but downhill at the same time.
Well, that and Marshall was also cheating.
And we were not.
I hate trying to read cybes' mind, but I think his original comment was based on what *could* happen - in the last couple of years, the MAC has moved towards a big two in the West, though not quite that dramatic - NIU and UT have been the two teams. The East appears weaker to me this year.
However, I think there is far too much similarity between the better programs in the MAC to see a two or three team complete separation, especially with Akron breaking thru, Ohio putting cash behind their program, WMU apparently turning things around and CMU and BSU getting serious.
niusfactuary Wrote:Just looking at CFNs preseason rankings (and yes I know they are usually off a bit), they have 10 of the 12 MAC teams in the bottom 30...only leaving off us and Toledo.
Is the MAC really gonna be awful this year?
NIU is ranked highest of all MAC schools at 62....that puts ALL MAC teams in the bottom half of D1A in CFN's view.
BobL Wrote:niusfactuary Wrote:Just looking at CFNs preseason rankings (and yes I know they are usually off a bit), they have 10 of the 12 MAC teams in the bottom 30...only leaving off us and Toledo.
Is the MAC really gonna be awful this year?
NIU is ranked highest of all MAC schools at 62....that puts ALL MAC teams in the bottom half of D1A in CFN's view.
Isn't it that way every year?
wasnt REALLY all THAT long ago that NIU was nearest the bottom every year.
HuskiemobileMan Wrote:BobL Wrote:niusfactuary Wrote:Just looking at CFNs preseason rankings (and yes I know they are usually off a bit), they have 10 of the 12 MAC teams in the bottom 30...only leaving off us and Toledo.
Is the MAC really gonna be awful this year?
NIU is ranked highest of all MAC schools at 62....that puts ALL MAC teams in the bottom half of D1A in CFN's view.
Isn't it that way every year?
That's what i was thinking. And every year MAC teams do better than projected. I don't get how a 6-6 (projected) Rutgers team is ranked higher than a 9-3 (projected) NIU team. Rutgers went to their first bowl game last season in something like 20+ years. Sorry, but going 6-6 and playing in the Big East does not impress me at all. Especially considering they will get owned by Louisville and WVU.