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This article is aimed at Temple, but hits the entire MAC.

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/200...ssing.aspx
(12-11-2009 10:33 AM)NIU70 Wrote: [ -> ]This article is aimed at Temple, but hits the entire MAC.

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/200...ssing.aspx

The link doesn't work.
This was written before the Penn State game.

Temple football growth missing

Nate Mink is a junior majoring in journalism and a football reporter for The Daily Collegian. His e-mail address is npm5025@psu.edu

By Nate Mink
Collegian Staff Writer

Don't be fooled. Temple football is not making progress -- at least any worth mentioning.

The rising Mid-American Conference football contender won more games in the last two years than it won total in the previous five.

But this year is the 30th anniversary of Temple's last bowl bid -- a 28-17 win in the Garden State Bowl. And that came 45 years after its first ever bowl.

Two bowls in 110 years of football, and year No. 111 started off with a loss to Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Villanova two weeks ago.

Temple would probably be better off moving down to the FCS.

As it is now, the Owls are building toward competing in the MAC, a conference with just three bowl tie-ins, the "best" being the newly named Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

How does coach Al Golden pitch that to recruits? I'd imagine he'd seal the deal with Crazy Bread.

Actually, not everything about Temple's football program is cheap. It just seems that way.
Moving into the Philadelphia Eagles' spacious Lincoln Financial Field looks nice, but last year's average attendance was 15,582, which ranked 113th of 119 FBS schools. Lincoln Financial Field has a capacity of 68,532.

That'd be like having 23,000 fans pack Beaver Stadium.

FCS schools like Appalachian State, Montana, Delaware and Jackson State all recorded higher attendance numbers than the Owls last season.

Temple needs a reality check. It's one of the worst Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in the country, meaning it should be one of the best FCS teams.

Golden will say his team is on the cusp of being a MAC power. Last year, six of Temple's seven losses were by a combined 28 points. Three of those losses came on the final play of the game.

Really, what's the benefit of being a MAC power when there's a comparable level of football that plays for a shot at a national title and has a playoff system with more media exposure?
Moving down to the FCS wouldn't kill the chance to play the Nittany Lions considering they're in the habit of scheduling FCS opponents anyhow.

Real progress would mean winning meaningful games, and being a bottom-of-the-barrel FBS team makes that impossible.

Nate Mink is a junior majoring in journalism and a football reporter for The Daily Collegian. His e-mail address is npm5025@psu.edu
Nate should learn that people in glass houses should not throw stones. I could see a Temple student newspaper writer produce a column on how much of a joke Penn State Basketball is.
(12-11-2009 01:32 PM)NIU70 Wrote: [ -> ]This was written before the Penn State game.

Temple football growth missing

Nate Mink is a junior majoring in journalism and a football reporter for The Daily Collegian. His e-mail address is npm5025@psu.edu

By Nate Mink
Collegian Staff Writer

Don't be fooled. Temple football is not making progress -- at least any worth mentioning.

The rising Mid-American Conference football contender won more games in the last two years than it won total in the previous five.

But this year is the 30th anniversary of Temple's last bowl bid -- a 28-17 win in the Garden State Bowl. And that came 45 years after its first ever bowl.

Two bowls in 110 years of football, and year No. 111 started off with a loss to Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Villanova two weeks ago.

Temple would probably be better off moving down to the FCS.

As it is now, the Owls are building toward competing in the MAC, a conference with just three bowl tie-ins, the "best" being the newly named Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

How does coach Al Golden pitch that to recruits? I'd imagine he'd seal the deal with Crazy Bread.

Actually, not everything about Temple's football program is cheap. It just seems that way.
Moving into the Philadelphia Eagles' spacious Lincoln Financial Field looks nice, but last year's average attendance was 15,582, which ranked 113th of 119 FBS schools. Lincoln Financial Field has a capacity of 68,532.

That'd be like having 23,000 fans pack Beaver Stadium.

FCS schools like Appalachian State, Montana, Delaware and Jackson State all recorded higher attendance numbers than the Owls last season.

Temple needs a reality check. It's one of the worst Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in the country, meaning it should be one of the best FCS teams.

Golden will say his team is on the cusp of being a MAC power. Last year, six of Temple's seven losses were by a combined 28 points. Three of those losses came on the final play of the game.

Really, what's the benefit of being a MAC power when there's a comparable level of football that plays for a shot at a national title and has a playoff system with more media exposure?
Moving down to the FCS wouldn't kill the chance to play the Nittany Lions considering they're in the habit of scheduling FCS opponents anyhow.

Real progress would mean winning meaningful games, and being a bottom-of-the-barrel FBS team makes that impossible.

Nate Mink is a junior majoring in journalism and a football reporter for The Daily Collegian. His e-mail address is npm5025@psu.edu

Is this article arrogant and classless? Sure. However, until NIU, Temple, and the entire MAC actually starts winning the games against the BCS schools, the conference has no one to blame but themselves for the negative perception that it is out there. The MAC was unable to maintain the success that it achieved earlier this decade, and has now returned to being the laughing stock of the FBS.

Until the conference gets it done on the field and stops settling for "losing respectfully" to the BCS schools, we have to shut our mouths and take it.
(12-11-2009 01:32 PM)NIU70 Wrote: [ -> ]This was written before the Penn State game.

Temple football growth missing

Nate Mink is a junior majoring in journalism and a football reporter for The Daily Collegian. His e-mail address is npm5025@psu.edu

This portion of the article sums it up. Nate will soon learn, the BCS conferences/schools hold ALLLL of the cards and, give the ones they choose to the schools they choose, on the $ terms they choose and, at the locations they choose. It's not an excuse. It is a statement of fact. Until the playing field is completely level, a commentary such as this one which attempts to hold MAC type schools completely accountable for their fortunes and futures is ignorant and senseless. MAC type schools are left to sctrach through the $hit with the sparrows for a meal. I have no problem being a sparrow Alum. d;-)

On the other hand, if Nate doesn't grow, he should look to Jay Marriotti for guidance, as he is on Jay's path to fame and fortune.
What Nate fails to mention is the big money tied into into the NCAAF system which I do not believe is matched at the division below.

Most football fans including President Obama and every non-BCS school as well as many BCS schools would like a National play off system.
This reality is not far off.
THe days of some of the Big 10 Presidents and their secret power brokers i.e.(Craig Bazzani) hiring Delaney to make sure that the Big 10, and Pac 10 get more than there fair share of the football revenue pie at all the other schools expense may soon be over.

Fair competition and fair opportunity has always been an American value to strive for, and the unfair power, which yields to unfairly large slice of football revenue and unfair recruiting advantages will one-day be something of the past. Already the BCS has amended it's rules infavor of non-BCS schools since 2003, however nothing short of a play off system is what most American football fans want.

If there are div 1aa teams that can compete at the National level then they should also be entitled to a fair shot.
(12-12-2009 01:37 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]What Nate fails to mention is the big money tied into into the NCAAF system which I do not believe is matched at the division below.

Most football fans including President Obama and every non-BCS school as well as many BCS schools would like a National play off system.
This reality is not far off.
THe days of some of the Big 10 Presidents and their secret power brokers i.e.(Craig Bazzani) hiring Delaney to make sure that the Big 10, and Pac 10 get more than there fair share of the football revenue pie at all the other schools expense may soon be over.

Fair competition and fair opportunity has always been an American value to strive for, and the unfair power, which yields to unfairly large slice of football revenue and unfair recruiting advantages will one-day be something of the past. Already the BCS has amended it's rules infavor of non-BCS schools since 2003, however nothing short of a play off system is what most American football fans want.

If there are div 1aa teams that can compete at the National level then they should also be entitled to a fair shot.

I don't agree with that last sentence at all. So then should Division II teams get a chance to play in the NCAA Basketball Tournament? What about Division III? At what level does it stop? There isn't a single 1-AA team that is deserving of playing for the 1-A national title and I doubt there ever will be.
(12-12-2009 01:54 PM)UIHuskie Wrote: [ -> ]
(12-12-2009 01:37 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]What Nate fails to mention is the big money tied into into the NCAAF system which I do not believe is matched at the division below.

Most football fans including President Obama and every non-BCS school as well as many BCS schools would like a National play off system.
This reality is not far off.
THe days of some of the Big 10 Presidents and their secret power brokers i.e.(Craig Bazzani) hiring Delaney to make sure that the Big 10, and Pac 10 get more than there fair share of the football revenue pie at all the other schools expense may soon be over.

Fair competition and fair opportunity has always been an American value to strive for, and the unfair power, which yields to unfairly large slice of football revenue and unfair recruiting advantages will one-day be something of the past. Already the BCS has amended it's rules infavor of non-BCS schools since 2003, however nothing short of a play off system is what most American football fans want.

If there are div 1aa teams that can compete at the National level then they should also be entitled to a fair shot.

I don't agree with that last sentence at all. So then should Division II teams get a chance to play in the NCAA Basketball Tournament? What about Division III? At what level does it stop? There isn't a single 1-AA team that is deserving of playing for the 1-A national title and I doubt there ever will be.

I said,"If there are div 1aa teams that can compete at the National level then they should also be entitled to a fair shot." At present you are probably correct.
What if a Div 1aa team goes undefeated beats a BCS power and analysts believe they stand a chance?
Should they not have an at large bid against a conference like the Big 10 which does not even have a play-off game?

Ultimately College football should be about talent versus school name.
While this is still a far off dream, the BCS has come along way.
U.I. playing in the Rose Bowl with a 9-3 record was an outrage.
Missouri who beat them deserved a spot ahead of them.

Only Notre Dame and the U.I. can make it to a BCS bowl with 3 losses.
That year Ohio state had no business going to the title game and would have lost to USC in the rose Bowl.

What this system presently allows are uneven games and lop-sided losses when 3 loss teams make it to the BCS due to name recognition or a peculiar quirk.

On the good side I am pleased we are playing U.I. next year.
Have waited more than 10 years for this opportunity.
Temple has been a great turn around story.
"Golden went 1-11 in 2006, 4-8 in 2007, 5-7 in 2008 and 9-3 this year heading to the bowl game."
Al Golden has done a brilliant job!
At 9-3, Bill Cosby must be salivating! (He played football for Temple).
Al Golden is probably one of the best turn around coaches in the NCAAF.
Temple really use to suck.
Who would have imagined a 9-3 Temple.
After losing their first 2 games including it's first to Div 1aa Villanova, they won 9 straight games.
Had their RB, Bernard Pierce not been injured it would have easily been 10-2.
If Bernard Pierce is recovered Temple will probably be amongst the MACs most favored team to win a Bowl this year.
Considering that Bill Cosby gave Temple $20 000 000 , this young writer is clearly out of touch with Temple's donors and fan base.
(12-12-2009 02:31 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]I said,"If there are div 1aa teams that can compete at the National level then they should also be entitled to a fair shot." At present you are probably correct.
What if a Div 1aa team goes undefeated beats a BCS power and analysts believe they stand a chance?
Should they not have an at large bid against a conference like the Big 10 which does not even have a play-off game?

Ultimately College football should be about talent versus school name.
While this is still a far off dream, the BCS has come along way.
U.I. playing in the Rose Bowl with a 9-3 record was an outrage.
Missouri who beat them deserved a spot ahead of them.

Only Notre Dame and the U.I. can make it to a BCS bowl with 3 losses.
That year Ohio state had no business going to the title game and would have lost to USC in the rose Bowl.

What this system presently allows are uneven games and lop-sided losses when 3 loss teams make it to the BCS due to name recognition or a peculiar quirk.

On the good side I am pleased we are playing U.I. next year.
Have waited more than 10 years for this opportunity.

So if a Division II school beats Kansas in basketball, should they be allowed to play in the Division I Men's College Basketball Tournament? That was my only point, that I think that's a ridiculous idea, and I have no idea what the rest of your post has to do with 1-AA teams playing for the national title or in the BCS. So, no, 1-AA schools have no business being allowed a chance to win a national title at a level they do not participate in more than once a year. Absolutely not.

I'm glad you are pleased NIU plays Illinois, and the gap will only be 9 years, not more than 10. I'm glad UI is playing NIU, as well, and I'm looking forward to it.

Finally, as for your comment that "only UI and Notre Dame could make the BCS with 3 losses", there are 8 other instances of teams with 3 or more losses playing BCS bowl games. I realize you dislike UI and ND, so you weren't going to bother to fact check your own statement, so I've done the legwork for you. And, absolutely Missouri deserved to go to the Rose Bowl in place of Illinois, except for the fact it wasn't possible under BCS rules, the very same rules the Big XII agreed to. Missouri was inelgible once a 2nd Big XII team was chosen. You can argue that's unfair (and it is), but those are the rules that were in place. I'm not claiming it's fair, so that point goes nowhere on your part.
(12-12-2009 03:22 PM)UIHuskie Wrote: [ -> ]
(12-12-2009 02:31 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]I said,"If there are div 1aa teams that can compete at the National level then they should also be entitled to a fair shot." At present you are probably correct.
What if a Div 1aa team goes undefeated beats a BCS power and analysts believe they stand a chance?
Should they not have an at large bid against a conference like the Big 10 which does not even have a play-off game?

Ultimately College football should be about talent versus school name.
While this is still a far off dream, the BCS has come along way.
U.I. playing in the Rose Bowl with a 9-3 record was an outrage.
Missouri who beat them deserved a spot ahead of them.

Only Notre Dame and the U.I. can make it to a BCS bowl with 3 losses.
That year Ohio state had no business going to the title game and would have lost to USC in the rose Bowl.

What this system presently allows are uneven games and lop-sided losses when 3 loss teams make it to the BCS due to name recognition or a peculiar quirk.

On the good side I am pleased we are playing U.I. next year.
Have waited more than 10 years for this opportunity.

So if a Division II school beats Kansas in basketball, should they be allowed to play in the Division I Men's College Basketball Tournament? That was my only point, that I think that's a ridiculous idea, and I have no idea what the rest of your post has to do with 1-AA teams playing for the national title or in the BCS.

So, no, 1-AA schools have no business being allowed a chance to win a national title at a level they do not participate in more than once a year. Absolutely not.

I'm glad you are pleased NIU plays Illinois, and the gap will only be 9 years, not more than 10. I'm glad UI is playing NIU, as well, and I'm looking forward to it.

Hopefully our teams could play each other every two years.
Beating an instate rival always is far more impressive than an out of state team.
Should light up the bars in Northern Illinois and help boost recruiting for both schools. Hopefully U.I. will attract more of the top football talent at ND and others expense while NIU could land some exciting new recruits as well.

Playing us instead of avoiding us is a win-win situation for every-body.
(12-12-2009 03:31 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]Hopefully our teams could play each other every two years.
Beating an instate rival always is far more impressive than an out of state team.
Should light up the bars in Northern Illinois and help boost recruiting for both schools. Hopefully U.I. will attract more of the top football talent at ND and others expense while NIU could land some exciting new recruits as well.

Playing us instead of avoiding us is a win-win situation for every-body.

I have no problem with UI playing NIU more frequently than they do. None at all, in fact in my family the game is a very, very big deal.

I'm not sure I agree with the "win-win" comment, however I don't think there's any reason NIU and UI couldn't play once every 2 or 3 years. I don't think an annual game would work, but they could certainly play more frequently than they have.
(12-12-2009 03:31 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]Hopefully our teams could play each other every two years.
Beating an instate rival always is far more impressive than an out of state team.

What? So beating Illinois is better than beating, say, Texas or Florida? That makes no sense.

(12-12-2009 03:31 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]Should light up the bars in Northern Illinois and help boost recruiting for both schools. Hopefully U.I. will attract more of the top football talent at ND and others expense while NIU could land some exciting new recruits as well.

What again? So NIU playing U of I will allow Illinois to take recruits away from Notre Dame and us to have "exciting" new recruits. That makes even less sense.


(12-12-2009 03:31 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]Playing us instead of avoiding us is a win-win situation for every-body.

This one takes the cake though. It's a lose-lose for Illinois and only a win-win for us if we win once in a while or at least keep it close.
(12-12-2009 03:45 PM)niubrad00 Wrote: [ -> ]
(12-12-2009 03:31 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]Hopefully our teams could play each other every two years.
Beating an instate rival always is far more impressive than an out of state team.

What? So beating Illinois is better than beating, say, Texas or Florida? That makes no sense.

Allot more people in Illinois would prefer an instate match-up than an out of state match-up. Instate match-ups tend to have more emotion.

Comparing Illinois to Texas or Florida this year makes no sense!

(12-12-2009 03:31 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]Should light up the bars in Northern Illinois and help boost recruiting for both schools. Hopefully U.I. will attract more of the top football talent at ND and others expense while NIU could land some exciting new recruits as well.

What again? So NIU playing U of I will allow Illinois to take recruits away from Notre Dame and us to have "exciting" new recruits. That makes even less sense.

High School kids instate will take an active interest in the game and might decide they wish toplay for one of those teams.

(12-12-2009 03:31 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]Playing us instead of avoiding us is a win-win situation for every-body.

This one takes the cake though. It's a lose-lose for Illinois and only a win-win for us if we win once in a while or at least keep it close.

You sound like NIJ. In order to be the best in the state you have to play the best in the State. Look at California, Florida, Texas, Iowa they all play against the lesser name schools. Instate fans love it, and it shows guts. U.I. has allot to lose by losing to NIU, but they also have allot to gain.

Over the last 10 years NIU has had 9 winning season. Many of these years NIU was arguably better than U.I. .

Both schools save on money for transport and you are likely to see a sell out crowd.

In a bad economy, you wish to limit expenses and maximize revenue.
Beating NIU is far more exciting than loosing to Missouri.
Atleast U.I. fans will tend to think that.

Of course we have fans on this board with inferiority complexes about having gone to NIU over U.I. and put down NIU simply because it is not a BIG 10 school.
(12-12-2009 04:06 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]You sound like NIJ. In order to be the best in the state you have to play the best in the State. Look at California, Florida, Texas, Iowa they all play against the lesser name schools. Instate fans love it, and it shows guts. U.I. has allot to lose by losing to NIU, but they also have allot to gain.

Over the last 10 years NIU has had 9 winning season. Many of these years NIU was arguably better than U.I. .

Both schools save on money for transport and you are likely to see a sell out crowd.

In a bad economy, you wish to limit expenses and maximize revenue.
Beating NIU is far more exciting than loosing to Missouri.
Atleast U.I. fans will tend to think that.

Of course we have fans on this board with inferiority complexes about having gone to NIU over U.I. and put down NIU simply because it is not a BIG 10 school.

I still don't see what UI really has to "gain" by playing NIU; UI fans don't really care if they are the best team in the state or not, they just care about being competitive in the Big Ten. UI's athletic department right now is doing fine financially; I'm not sure the money saved is a deciding factor to the athletic department down there.

And UI fans are much more excited by playing Missouri than they are by playing NIU; yes, winning is better than losing, but if you're talking about fan interest, it's not even in the same league. Also, the last time NIU played UI, there wasn't even close to a sell-out crowd. There isn't much "demand" for the game outside of DeKalb, mostly because there's really not a rivalry there.

I'm for UI and NIU playing more often, but I also don't think selling it as a "win-win" game is accurate.
You might be correct regarding the "win-win" situation.
Two factors to consider. Football interest, this year was very low.
U.I. has not allowed itself to play NIU for nearly 10 years.
Nine years ago the NIU program, was coming of a 26 game losing streak and had just 1 winning season.
NIU then was very different to NIU now! By 2003 Most people would have agreed that Illinois was the second name of Northern Illinois.
Except for , when U.I. undeservedly went to the Rose Bowl and NIU had it's first losing season in 8/9 years it can be argued that NIU was at least in the same league as U.I. if not better.

NIU has deserved to be named together with Northwestern and U.I as one of the three leading schools in the State given it's past 7 year history.(Perhaps S.I.U. might have crashed the party).

U.I fans would be far more excited about beating NIU then Western Illinois.

Given U.I. track record this year of being 3-9 and losing to our common opponent Purdue 14-24, it may be argued that NIU this season was better than U.I. .

While U.I. is the biggest State school, it's main obligation is to Illinois taxpayers. The U.I. has an obligation and responsibility to use it's position as the largest State school to play smaller state schools even though prima facie it might have less to gain from those games in the immediate future.
Similarly NIU playing SIU regularly will also generate larger fan interest and excite the Illinois college football base more.

The sad reality is that U.I. does not belong in the same class as Missouri and has no business playing them every year. The sad record of U.I.'s mounting losses speak volumes.

U.I. is not a National contender football wise, and is consistently near the bottom of the big 10.
Hopefully this will change.

I am looking forward to the game against NIU.
(12-12-2009 05:12 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]You might be correct regarding the "win-win" situation.
Two factors to consider. Football interest, this year was very low.
U.I. has not allowed itself to play NIU for nearly 10 years.
Nine years ago the NIU program, was coming of a 26 game losing streak and had just 1 winning season.
NIU then was very different to NIU now! By 2003 Most people would have agreed that Illinois was the second name of Northern Illinois.
Except for , when U.I. undeservedly went to the Rose Bowl and NIU had it's first losing season in 8/9 years it can be argued that NIU was at least in the same league as U.I. if not better.

NIU has deserved to be named together with Northwestern and U.I as one of the three leading schools in the State given it's past 7 year history.(Perhaps S.I.U. might have crashed the party).

U.I fans would be far more excited about beating NIU then Western Illinois.

Given U.I. track record this year of being 3-9 and losing to our common opponent Purdue 14-24, it may be argued that NIU this season was better than U.I. .

While U.I. is the biggest State school, it's main obligation is to Illinois taxpayers. The U.I. has an obligation and responsibility to use it's position as the largest State school to play smaller state schools even though prima facie it might have less to gain from those games in the immediate future.
Similarly NIU playing SIU regularly will also generate larger fan interest and excite the Illinois college football base more.

The sad reality is that U.I. does not belong in the same class as Missouri and has no business playing them every year. The sad record of U.I.'s mounting losses speak volumes.

U.I. is not a National contender football wise, and is consistently near the bottom of the big 10.
Hopefully this will change.

I am looking forward to the game against NIU.

I don't agree with UI being "obligated" to play anybody; the athletic department in Champaign is not funded by the State of Illinois, therefore they are under no such obligation. The athletic department is separate from the University from a financial standpoint and its revenues come from private sources, ticket sales, etc., not the State.

Again, you are hung up on common opponents and who UI can and can't beat; that isn't the point. I honestly don't care if UI is the best team in the state, I really truly don't. The vast majority of UI fans feel the same way; that isn't the measuring stick. NIU was better this year, and has been for the better part of the past decade, absolutely; but I'm far more concerned that Northwestern, Purdue, Michigan State, etc. were better than Illinois was. I simply want to be competitive in the Big Ten, and playing NIU does nothing to aid in that effort. Missouri is a similar measuring stick to the Big Ten schools and is a natural rival for Illinois, one that had a terrible run in football in the 90's prior to Pinkel. That game is played, in part, because there is an actual rivalry there, unlike the situation with NIU. I'm for playing the NIU-UI game because of my ties to both UI and NIU, but for most people affiliated with UI who do not have those ties, there is no benefit or much additional "excitement" created by playing NIU. It's just another game. You may not want that to be the case, but it is.

In any event, we can go back and forth forever over this and we're not going to agree. On the bright side, it's nice to see that people can disagree on this board and not resort to petty namecalling after some of the ridiculousness around here the past few weeks. While I don't agree with your opinions, I respect them, and honestly from your perspective I completely understand them. But there are two sides to everything, and I think we are looking at it from two different vantage points.
Sterlingman is like cybes and MD put together.
(12-12-2009 05:12 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]U.I fans would be far more excited about beating NIU then Western Illinois.

No, they wouldn't. Why would you think otherwise?

(12-12-2009 05:12 PM)sterling1man Wrote: [ -> ]The sad reality is that U.I. does not belong in the same class as Missouri and has no business playing them every year. The sad record of U.I.'s mounting losses speak volumes.

Ridiculous. Illinois doesn't belong in the same class as Missouri?? Missouri, seriously? Missouri isn't Florida for God's sake. So because you have these crazy thoughts you think Illinois has no business playing Missouri? What does that even mean? It's a border war. It's a rivalry. What if your wish comes true and we play Illinois every year? What if we lose 5 in a row? Then would we not have any business playing Illinois?


As for the Nigel comments...........Nigel was a complete cancer to this board. Period. I'd be insulted with the comparison if it wasn't for your mostly ignorant comments in this thread. We are who we are and we should always strive to become better. We are a good mid-major program and our goal should be to emulate TCU and Boise State long term. Who knows, with the next round of conference reshuffling, maybe, just maybe we'll get lucky and tag on to a BCS conference. It's not likely, but if it happens I'll be dancing in the streets. In the meantime we have to crawl before we walk, and walk before we run. Illinois has NOTHING to gain by playing us. We'll get our chance in September to pound our chests and get bragging rights. I hope we take advantage of it.
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