CSNbbs

From Sports Illustrated: Midseason Crystal Ball

This year's Northern Illinois is Northern Illinois!

I fear Staples assessment, he may be right about that and I kind of feel the same way. It could be very tough for both Fresno and NIU even undefeated. If it was last year's backdrop with those teams, Id feel better, but this year the top 20 is a lot stronger. We probably would need a Louisville loss somewhere or a huge upset in a conference championship game.

NIU or Fresno might need one of the following:

Louisville loss
FSU or Clemson loss to Coastal Division champ (VA Tech?)
Ohio State loss to Legends Division champ (Michigan State?)
All hell breaking loose in B12

(10-16-2013 03:25 PM)Max Power Wrote: [ -> ]NIU or Fresno might need one of the following:

Louisville loss
FSU or Clemson loss to Coastal Division champ (VA Tech?)
Ohio State loss to Legends Division champ (Michigan State?)
All hell breaking loose in B12

Agreed. And of your four scenarios I think 1 and 4 have the best, albeit small chance of happening.

Still too early to rule out anything. Just keep winning and let the chips fall. There are still a lot of undefeated teams left and things will start to sort out over the next month in conference play. There will be upsets and surprises just like every other season. Winning is the name if the game.

(10-16-2013 03:25 PM)Max Power Wrote: [ -> ]NIU or Fresno might need one of the following:

Louisville loss
FSU or Clemson loss to Coastal Division champ (VA Tech?)
Ohio State loss to Legends Division champ (Michigan State?)
All hell breaking loose in B12

All requiring these teams to lay some major eggs. Well....it happened once! Maybe Clemson will lose to Citadel :)

If no BCS conference champion fulfills any of those disasters to wind up out of the top 16, the media and coaches will do whatever it takes to keep an undefeated Fresno or NIU out of the top 12. It's sad, but most likely true...

(10-16-2013 03:30 PM)RedandBlackAttack Wrote: [ -> ]If no BCS conference champion fulfills any of those disasters to wind up out of the top 16, the media and coaches will do whatever it takes to keep an undefeated Fresno or NIU out of the top 12. It's sad, but most likely true...

Yep, there is absolutely no question about that

b12 will be a disaster by year end... Still does not mean the winner will be below 16th

(10-16-2013 03:18 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote: [ -> ]I fear Staples assessment, he may be right about that and I kind of feel the same way. It could be very tough for both Fresno and NIU even undefeated. If it was last year's backdrop with those teams, Id feel better, but this year the top 20 is a lot stronger. We probably would need a Louisville loss somewhere or a huge upset in a conference championship game.

Of course anything can happen. The Huskies caught a break to get the Orange Bowl last year (with one loss). Of course they need a lot of things to break the right way again...there will be upsets. And an undefeated NIU or Fresno State could sneak into the top 12 with help from the computers. Btw, Ball State was ranked #12 in 2008 going into the MACC.

If NIU can't make it to the top 12, they will have to hope for one or more of the following:
1. A Louisville loss would probably be enough to but them behind NIU in the BCS rankings
2. Big 12 Champion with a couple losses.
3. Big Ten Champion being someone other than Ohio State.
4. A few upsets in the ACC

(10-16-2013 03:33 PM)Kulz007 Wrote: [ -> ]b12 will be a disaster by year end... Still does not mean the winner will be below 16th

Yes I think you are right, it would have to fall just perfectly but with how Big 12 supports their teams in the polls, it would be a tough haul for this to happen. Louisville losing might be our only reasonable path. The question is could 1 loss be enough for NIU and/or Fresno to get ahead of Louisville. The Harris Poll worries me that it might not be enough. I guess we need to just keep winning and see what happens. I agree with Redandblackattack that 12 is probably going to be too hard just based on pollsters knowing this and blocking them out, but I guess you never know.

(10-16-2013 03:25 PM)Max Power Wrote: [ -> ]NIU or Fresno might need one of the following:

Louisville loss
FSU or Clemson loss to Coastal Division champ (VA Tech?)
Ohio State loss to Legends Division champ (Michigan State?)
All hell breaking loose in B12

How about an NIU vs. Fresno State matchup on New Years Day !!

Win! Win! Win! It's all we can control and the first step to making anything else a possibility.

(10-16-2013 03:42 PM)HuskieTap22 Wrote: [ -> ]Win! Win! Win! It's all we can control and the first step to making anything else a possibility.

THIS!

(10-16-2013 03:34 PM)NIUHuskie Wrote: [ -> ]

(10-16-2013 03:18 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote: [ -> ]I fear Staples assessment, he may be right about that and I kind of feel the same way. It could be very tough for both Fresno and NIU even undefeated. If it was last year's backdrop with those teams, Id feel better, but this year the top 20 is a lot stronger. We probably would need a Louisville loss somewhere or a huge upset in a conference championship game.

Of course anything can happen. The Huskies caught a break to get the Orange Bowl last year (with one loss). Of course they need a lot of things to break the right way again...there will be upsets. And an undefeated NIU or Fresno State could sneak into the top 12 with help from the computers. Btw, Ball State was ranked #12 in 2008 going into the MACC.

If NIU can't make it to the top 12, they will have to hope for one or more of the following:
1. A Louisville loss would probably be enough to but them behind NIU in the BCS rankings
2. Big 12 Champion with a couple losses.
3. Big Ten Champion being someone other than Ohio State.
4. A few upsets in the ACC

I would think Louisville's gonna have to lose 2 games for them to fall behind us, but you never know.

Non-AQs need Ohio State to run the table and then lose to a 2 or 3 loss team from the Legends Division to have any chance of finishing ahead of the Big Ten Champ.

Unless the Big 12 beats up on each other, I just don't see us finishing ahead of the champ. It looks like it's gonna be between Baylor and Texas Tech, as odd as that sounds. Baylor has Oklahoma and Texas at home and they play TT at a neutral site in Dallas, so my money would be on the Bears to run the table if any Big 12 team is gonna do it.

Something that would really help is a top 15 initial Wolfe computer ranking, but Im not holding my breath on that one.

(10-16-2013 03:37 PM)NIUTOM51 Wrote: [ -> ]

(10-16-2013 03:25 PM)Max Power Wrote: [ -> ]NIU or Fresno might need one of the following:

Louisville loss
FSU or Clemson loss to Coastal Division champ (VA Tech?)
Ohio State loss to Legends Division champ (Michigan State?)
All hell breaking loose in B12

How about an NIU vs. Fresno State matchup on New Years Day !!

If neither make it a BCS bowl(and both are their respective conf. champs) the bowls and MAC/MWC need to make this game happen, most likely the Potato Bowl.

I just love seeing articles like this. We've come a LOOOOOOOOOOONG way!!

(10-16-2013 03:05 PM)Max Power Wrote: [ -> ]This year's Northern Illinois is Northern Illinois!

Ha Ha. I'm hoping we can become the next Northern Illinois.