This is an article from the Rockford Register Star. Rockford, Illinois is only 35-40 minutes from DeKalb. Thought some MACsters might like to read. He seems to have left out CMU's bowl win last year and that the MAC has played in seven bowl games the last two years, but his premise that the MAC doesn't have as strong as teams is correct.
MAC misses out on BCS opportunity
http://www.rrstar.com/sports/columnists/x1295931688
Jan 10, 2008 @ 12:53 AM
By Matt Trowbridge
RRSTAR.COM
Quote:Three Mid-American Conference football teams would have qualified for a BCS bowl from 1999-2003 if current rules were in place.
“That jumped out at us all,” Northern Illinois athletic director Jim Phillips said.
This should jump out even more: The MAC is a shadow of the conference that, four years ago, stunned three ranked teams on the road in the same weekend, with NIU winning at Alabama, Marshall at Kansas State and Toledo at Pitt.
This unprecedented age of college football opportunity — which has seen Hawaii and Boise State play in BCS bowl games the past two years and Florida, Rutgers, Kansas and Missouri make national title runs — has bypassed the MAC.
From 1998-2003, the MAC went 7-2 in bowl games.
And then it fell apart.
The MAC is 0-5 in bowls the last two years.
The MAC was also 17-44 in nonconference games this year, and its division champs finished 8-6 (Central Michigan) and 6-7 (Miami of Ohio) and were 3-10 outside the conference.
“I would not term it a rough year,” Phillips said.
Well, I would.
It even extends to MAC alumni.
A year ago, the MAC was the breeding ground for pro quarterbacks, with Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski all starting in the NFL. By midseason 2007, only Roethlisberger was still standing.
The MAC still enjoys NFL success. Asante Samuel is the NFL’s best cornerback. Josh Cribbs is a star kick returner. Ryan Diem starts on the offensive line for the Super Bowl champion Colts. Roethlisberger set the Steelers’ record for TD passes.
Greg Jennings tied for second in the NFC in touchdown catches with 12. Chester Taylor rushed for 2,060 yards the last two years. Michael Turner is set to be one of the NFL’s hottest free agents. Eleven MAC players were drafted in 2005, its most in the last 30 years.
But that’s not as glamorous, or as easy to sum up, as being the developmental league for NFL quarterbacks.
The MAC has lost its neon NFL billboard. All the public sees is an 0-5 bowl record and a 6-7 division champ.
“It’s a little blip on the radar,” Phillips said. “It’s just a matter of time before we get back to the same plateau we had.”
The MAC is working to get there. Former NIU coach Joe Novak said his biggest regret was not having the glistening $14 million academic support building, which opened this year, to recruit to in 2003 when the Huskies rose as high as No. 10 in the BCS standings.
Well, NIU has it now for new coach Jerry Kill. All dozen MAC rivals also are improving their facilities.
“A facility project has been initiated or announced at every one of our schools,” MAC commissioner Rick Chryst said in a phone interview.
Maybe that will help the MAC get back to 2003, when Roethlisberger passed for Miami, three teams finished 10-2 or better, and future Florida coach Urban Meyer had just left Bowling Green.
Those great MAC teams in 1999, 2000 and 2003 never had a chance to play on New Year’s Day. The MAC has that chance now. But only if it can be as great now as it was then.
“The 2003 season, by any league’s measurement, set the bar high for us,” Chryst said. “All of us have to look at everything we’re doing, to see how we can do better. At a time where the opportunity and access are there, I’m not sure we are maximizing that.”
At the same time,the Big Ten is also going through a down cycle.The talent pools are currently better in the South and West Coast than in the Midwest.Not to mention use of Spread Offenses or some variation
which Mid-majors picked up on rapidly.Now it permeates College Football.
There are economic and athletic cycles and the MAC and BT as indicated are in a down cycle.
What our RR writer didn't address is, and it might be better addressed to HuronDave then a beat writer:
Q: "Where was MAC FB in '07 vis-a-vis where it has been he last several years and where it might be in '08 or '09?"
Sounds like an essay question.
If the the very young MAC of '07 matures in '08 then the writer will be writing a different story 12 months hence.
Bottom line: '07 is history. Don't worry about it. '08 could be more fun.
Why do writers like this guy make stupid little mistakes like not even stating correctly the bowl records of conferences they are trying to bash? It is not like 1-6 looks so much better than 0-5 that anyone should feel any need to blatantly lie about the numbers. Matt Trowbridge loses all credibility with me by committing such an easily avoidable blunder right off the bat.
I'll second the opinion that it's an unprofessional blunder to get stats wrong that are so easily found. This article loses all credibilty after that. Not to mention that the MAC has atleast 2 very high standing NFL prospects coming up, so to say that the era of MAC qb's in the NFL is gone sounds like this guy needs to actually do some research on his subject matter. I also wouldn't count out pennington, leftwich, frye and gradkowski as being done in the NFL, they'll get chances to play again.
cardinalcrazie Wrote:pennington, leftwich, frye and gradkowski as being done in the NFL, they'll get chances to play again.
just about any one of these guys would be an upgrade for the Bears...
Quote:This should jump out even more: The MAC is a shadow of the conference that, four years ago, stunned three ranked teams on the road in the same weekend, with NIU winning at Alabama, Marshall at Kansas State and Toledo at Pitt.
i dont recall us going to pitt and winning
Quote: Ryan Diem starts on the offensive line for the Super Bowl champion Colts. Roethlisberger set the Steelers’ record for TD passes.
no mention of the stud on new englands Oline right now?
cardinalcrazie Wrote:I also wouldn't count out pennington, leftwich, frye and gradkowski as being done in the NFL, they'll get chances to play again.
Leftwich couldn't beat Joey Harrington for a job. Pennington is done. Gradkowski probably won't see a field again. Frye maybe if someone in front of him gets hurt.
OZoner Wrote:cardinalcrazie Wrote:I also wouldn't count out pennington, leftwich, frye and gradkowski as being done in the NFL, they'll get chances to play again.
Leftwich couldn't beat Joey Harrington for a job. Pennington is done. Gradkowski probably won't see a field again. Frye maybe if someone in front of him gets hurt.
Pennington remains the best one in that group.
Frye could see a starting role again someday.
Leftwich will hang around as a backup.
Grad (i think) will be lucky to remain on anybody's practice squad for long but a couple years in the pros are better than none.
You really think Pennington is the best? His arm is dead.
One of the querks that the writer didn't mention but I remember.
I was at the MAC hoops kickoff luncheon in '03 (as a guest) when NIU was nationally ranked and a BCS candidate.
I asked Chryst what would the MAC do if they got that ton of BCS money and Marshall (which announced it was leaving) wanted their share (as a departing gift, I guess).
Chryst laughed and said he hadn't thought of it, but it would be a nice problem to have.
One other thought:
The old saying, "timing is everythng." Well, the MAC had luck on timing with the BCS as the writer indicates. With some better luck, everyone could have been looking up the MAC, instead of the WAC.
Lest my memory is faulty, both Marshall and Miami would have been BCS bound (under the current rules) instead of playing BYU in the MCB and L'ville in the GMAC.
emu steve Wrote:I asked Chryst what would the MAC do if they got that ton of BCS money and Marshall (which announced it was leaving) wanted their share (as a departing gift, I guess).
Most conferences tell departing members that they are not allowed to share in any year-end conference revenues for their final year in a conference, so I can't see where Marshall would have been entitled to anything. I would think Chryst would have known what the conference bylaws were with respect to departing members, unless the MAC charter doesn't spell it out.
emu steve Wrote:The old saying, "timing is everythng." Well, the MAC had luck on timing with the BCS as the writer indicates. With some better luck, everyone could have been looking up the MAC, instead of the WAC.
Part of the reason the BCS system was revised was because of what MAC schools like NIU, Miami, and Marshall were doing. I remember back in 2003 watching legislative members on C-Span discussing the problems of the BCS system and specifically talking about NIU and what we had done.
Snoop,
There was at the congressional hearing on the BCS situation about then.
I took a few hours off work and attended.
The Tulane president led the charge for the non-BCS schools.
I forgot who lead the BCS charge. I think it was Myles Brand, head of the NCAA.
I remember the reaction of Utah's Orin Hatch (I believe he is a BYU alum). I believe he noted how BYU could be excluded if they went undefeated as the did much earlier (80s??). Others I remember were Leahy, Shumer, Sessions, etc. I guess it was a Senate hearing. Don't think it was a joint hearing.
Good show and the BCS rules were amended as you indicate and the BCS monies got shared with conferences not in any BCS games.