Midwest print edition out and has Huskies pegged to finish fourth in West ahead of UT and EMU.
Forecasting NIU with two wins , 8 losses and 2 toss up games.
Each unit for each MAC school was rated in a table. QB at NIU scored one of the lowest in MAC.
ALOT of interesting stuff in the magazine like best and worst new coaches in 2007 and some really HOT HOT HOT FOTOS of cheerleaders...
BTW: Hard to believe the Rockets have nosedived with back to back losing seasons and more of the same is expected this year. Sometimes teams ride the elevator up and others ride down. Consider once where CMU was languishing and when Marshall ruled the MAC but cannot find .500 often since leaving for C USA.
From what I can tell Toledo has as much talent as anybody in the league. Prognosticating in the MAC is almost hopeless. We should throw darts at a board and compare them to the publications at the end of the season.
OK, I don't have a dartboard so I drew the names out of a hat. Here's my official out-of-the-hat MAC forecast for 2008. Clip and save!
EAST
1. Akron
2. Bowling Green
3. Temple
4. Kent State
5. Ohio
6. Miami
7. Buffalo
WEST
1. Toledo
2. Ball State
3. Central Michigan
4. Western Michigan
5. NIU
6. Eastern Michigan
It all comes down to health, if NIU is healthy they have as much talent as anyone in the MAC. It is hard based on history though to assume NIU will be healthy.
cyberdawg Wrote:Midwest print edition out and has Huskies pegged to finish fourth in West ahead of UT and EMU.
Forecasting NIU with two wins , 8 losses and 2 toss up games.
Each unit for each MAC school was rated in a table. QB at NIU scored one of the lowest in MAC.
ALOT of interesting stuff in the magazine like best and worst new coaches in 2007 and some really HOT HOT HOT FOTOS of cheerleaders...
BTW: Hard to believe the Rockets have nosedived with back to back losing seasons and more of the same is expected this year. Sometimes teams ride the elevator up and others ride down. Consider once where CMU was languishing and when Marshall ruled the MAC but cannot find .500 often since leaving for C USA.
Rockets are loaded at every position,best overall team talent since the 35-0 streak.The 3rd string RB that scored 3 TDs against NIU last season is now #5 on the depth chart.
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../808010347
I think these wildly different preseason predictions are a testament to the fact that the MAC West is VERY GOOD this year and 4 out of the 6 teams have a chance to win the division. With such evenly matched teams, it is going to come down who stays healthy, that is basically it.
NIU1981 Wrote:OK, I don't have a dartboard so I drew the names out of a hat. Here's my official out-of-the-hat MAC forecast for 2008. Clip and save!
EAST
1. Akron
2. Bowling Green
3. Temple
4. Kent State
5. Ohio
6. Miami
7. Buffalo
WEST
1. Toledo
2. Ball State
3. Central Michigan
4. Western Michigan
5. NIU
6. Eastern Michigan
I'm not informed enough to comment on the MAC East, so I'll limit my prediction to the West.
1. Central Michigan
2. Toledo
3. Western Michigan
4. Ball State
5. NIU -- 5 wins total on the season
6. Eastern Michigan
The two big wildcards are Toledo and Ball State. To me Toledo is surprisingly deep in talent, plus I will never discount a Tom Amstutz led football team. Ball State could wind up anywhere from first to fourth in this conference.
Premier Club Wrote:Boca Rocket Wrote:Rockets are loaded at every position,best overall team talent since the 35-0 streak.The 3rd string RB that scored 3 TDs against NIU last season is now #5 on the depth chart.
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../808010347
Scroll down for the MAC, and you'll see that a lot of people aren't really seeing that level of talent.
http://preseason.stassen.com/consensus/2008.html
Yeah just like Steele's '07 picks:
MAC West
#1Toledo
#1 WMU
#3 NIU
#3 CMU
#5 Ball State
#6 EMU
MAC East
#1 Kent State
#2 Miami
#2 BGSU
#4 OU
#5 Akron
#6Temple
#7 Buffalo
You can't predict injuries. NIU and Toledo were destroyed last year by injuries. Kent had some issues as well.
rabidawg900 Wrote:You can't predict injuries. NIU and Toledo were destroyed last year by injuries. Kent had some issues as well.
Every Team has injuries. It is how you overcome the losses. This year we will probably lose 4-5 starters to injuries. If there back ups have talent, we will be fine. If they don't step up, we are in for another long season.
klake87 Wrote:rabidawg900 Wrote:You can't predict injuries. NIU and Toledo were destroyed last year by injuries. Kent had some issues as well.
Every Team has injuries. It is how you overcome the losses. This year we will probably lose 4-5 starters to injuries. If there back ups have talent, we will be fine. If they don't step up, we are in for another long season.
There are extremes though. According to Phil Steele's preview, We were #6 in most starts lost in 2007 due to injuries or suspension with 38. Toledo was #4 with 42.
Here were the teams with the least amounts:
Vanderbilt - 1
Cincinnati - 2
Illinois - 2
Houston - 2
Kansas - 3
West Virginia - 4
Purdue - 4
Utah St - 4
Iowa St - 4
rabidawg900 Wrote:klake87 Wrote:rabidawg900 Wrote:You can't predict injuries. NIU and Toledo were destroyed last year by injuries. Kent had some issues as well.
Every Team has injuries. It is how you overcome the losses. This year we will probably lose 4-5 starters to injuries. If there back ups have talent, we will be fine. If they don't step up, we are in for another long season.
There are extremes though. We were #6 in most starts lost in 2007 due to injuries or suspension with 38. Toledo was #4 with 42.
Here were the teams with the least amounts:
Vanderbilt - 1
Cincinnati - 2
Illinois - 2
Houston - 2
Kansas - 3
West Virginia - 4
Purdue - 4
Utah St - 4
Iowa St - 4
Interesting stats rabid thanks, Im actually shocked the total is only 38, 38 is a ton but even seemed like more.
I've seen those numbers and I don't think they count guys who were going to be starters but were hurt prior to the season; for instance, Illinois played the entire year without a kid who was going to be a starting CB (although he, oddly enough, is actually a safety), but obviously with only 2 starts lost that isn't counted.
That might explain why the NIU numbers seem low, although I can't remember when everybody got hurt anymore.
rabidawg900 Wrote:klake87 Wrote:rabidawg900 Wrote:You can't predict injuries. NIU and Toledo were destroyed last year by injuries. Kent had some issues as well.
Every Team has injuries. It is how you overcome the losses. This year we will probably lose 4-5 starters to injuries. If there back ups have talent, we will be fine. If they don't step up, we are in for another long season.
There are extremes though. According to Phil Steele's preview, We were #6 in most starts lost in 2007 due to injuries or suspension with 38. Toledo was #4 with 42.
Here were the teams with the least amounts:
Vanderbilt - 1
Cincinnati - 2
Illinois - 2
Houston - 2
Kansas - 3
West Virginia - 4
Purdue - 4
Utah St - 4
Iowa St - 4
Actually #4 Toledo had the same amount of lost starts as #3 UCLA(42).
UIHuskie Wrote:I've seen those numbers and I don't think they count guys who were going to be starters but were hurt prior to the season; for instance, Illinois played the entire year without a kid who was going to be a starting CB (although he, oddly enough, is actually a safety), but obviously with only 2 starts lost that isn't counted.
That might explain why the NIU numbers seem low, although I can't remember when everybody got hurt anymore.
I don't believe so either.Rockets had 7 starters out for the season(6 on Defense).That would be 72 starts on Defense alone.
No telling how "good" will be the MAC teams compared to nonMAC teams but one thing is a certainty.
Every MAC game between most every team is likely to be more competitive than ever and a toss up.
Difficult to imagine any team skating to a divisional title without two losses.
cyberdawg Wrote:No telling how "good" will be the MAC teams compared to nonMAC teams but one thing is a certainty.
Every MAC game between most every team is likely to be more competitive than ever and a toss up.
Difficult to imagine any team skating to a divisional title without two losses.
If that's the case, then the team with the most favorable home schedule, or the one that can steal one on the road will come out on top.
Phil Steele routinely takes this into account. He's generally the only pre-season publication I take seriously regarding the MAC. Of course, maybe I'm just MD in disguise, because Steele also is bullish on the Huskies this year.
I'd quote something, but the magazine is in the upstairs crapper.
i swear if NIU is not .500 at least im gonna be mad haha, i hope they surprise people- im predicting 5-7 or 6-6 though
Disappointing but 6-6 seems a reasonable 2008 season expectation.
Way too many quetionmarks unanswered at this point in a murderer's row schedule with the opening five games to boot .
...and "Booting" may be just one of many critical concerns & unknowns.