09-04-2016, 04:03 PM
Mostly a MAC wrap up. Here's some impressions.
MAC nearly had a great opening weekend.
The big games were:
UT-Ark St (Dominant UT win)
WMU-NW (Great game, tight WMU victory over BIG10)
Ball St- GA St (Cards-expected to be among MAC's weakest get an FBS road win on the road)
Ohio-Texas St (Ohio controlls much of game but can't put away TSU and loses a 3 OT thriller)
NIU-Wyoming (NIU looks dominant early but doesn't put Wyoming away and the Cowboys gather momentum and win another triple OT thriller)
All these were FBS games that figured to be competitive. 1 at home 4 on road. Mac goes 3-2 with both of the losses in 3 OTs.
UT showed we are not stepping back. Defense looked fast, well coached and physical. Really pretty dominant against an offense that has solid talent but didn't seem to have real cohesion. Our offense was sharp. ASU stacked the box and UT still ran fairly well while killing them in 1 on 1 passing game match ups.
WMU oline and overall offense was very solid and efficient. Their D is capable, not explosive but should be OK if they stay healthy.
NIU looks pretty good, but couldn't tighten up some things on the road and let a win slip away.
Ohio was the better team vs Texas St but played with less determination and got beat at home. They lost their top rb to a foot injury early and already lost their qb. They got some explosive all purpose guys and wrs so their offense has hope still. D looks down a notch.
Didn't catch any of the Ball St game but everyone was expecting their downward slide to continue under new coach Mike Neu but they went on the road against the sun belt and got a good opening win.
Other Games:
Expected losses:
Miami at Iowa (Iowa wins by 24, Miami moves ball well)
Kent at Penn St ( Kent D shows up, final score not indicative of a close game)
Bg at OSU (77-10)
Miami looks like their offense is gonna come together this year and has a bright future. Tall young QB w a great arm. They went up and down the field vs Iowa but had turnovers and mistakes which cost them. Also got burned by penalties and calls. They had a big defensive play get overruled by replay against all logic that turned the game clearly into Iowa's favor. However, their defense looks very vulnerable.
Kent has a legit defense. Very well coached and physical. Toledo's hiring of their DC this year looks like a smart move. They controlled Penn St's offense despite being put on the field a lot. Their offense is still weak but I liked the potential of their 2 freshman Qbs. They actually had a chance in this game if they converted more of their scoring opportunities. Penn St's dline began to overpower the Kent's oline as the game went on.
BG looked competitive for a quarter. Got a defensive td and moved the ball up and down on their first couple drives. Just couldn't put up points and their defense had no answer for OSU. BG still has enough offense to challenge MAC teams this year though.
Expected Wins:
FCS at EMU (EMU no problem)
FCS at Akron (VMI hangs with Akron for 3 quarters)
FCS at Buffalo (Albany get the big in state upset)
FCS at Central (CMU handles business)
Other national games
BYU controls the game against Arizona with a big physical defense and oline but almost lets it slip away. They get a late drive led by their 26 year old QB for the winning fg. Will be a tough one for the Rockets but our offense is better than Arizona. BYU is solid offensively with a great rb. Their passing game wasn't as scary as I expected, although their qb is a vet who can get out of the pocket and pick up first downs with his feet.
Houston shows that it isn't just the top G5 team but may be the #2 team in the country. Beats Oklahoma pretty decisively after ending last season with a 14 pt win over Florida St. Only prejudice will keep them out of the AP top 5 this week.
SEC shows it's vulnerability. Kentucky, Mississippi St. get upset. LSU falls to Wisky. Auburn misses an upset opportunity at home showing great defense but weak offense (they host Arkansas St next week). Vandy almost beats S Carolina but falls. Arkansas escapes upset by 1 pt vs La Tech. However, Bama and Texas AM get big wins. Georgia beats N Caro with some help from the refs. Florida sputters past UMass.
Fresno St looks pretty good for a half vs Nebraska then the wheels fall off. They got a nice QB but not the team they were a decade ago.
PAC12 has issues. Washington St falls to FCS at home. USC gets blown up on national TV. UCLA loses close one at Texas AM. Arizona nipped by BYU. Oregon St close lose at Minnesota. Oregon, Utah, Cal win but look beatable. Could this be the year Colorado or Washington return to glory? Stanford probably the best in that league.
Maine might be a bit of a game. They nearly won at UConn to open up. Should be at least decent comp for the home opener, not one of those completely overmatched FCS schools.
Overall, as a Rocket fan pretty happy.
1) We had a big win
2) BG had a big loss
3) NIU loses
4) MAC still gets a signature upset win
5) Our big Non-Conf game vs BYU shaping up like a possible top 25 match-up
MAC nearly had a great opening weekend.
The big games were:
UT-Ark St (Dominant UT win)
WMU-NW (Great game, tight WMU victory over BIG10)
Ball St- GA St (Cards-expected to be among MAC's weakest get an FBS road win on the road)
Ohio-Texas St (Ohio controlls much of game but can't put away TSU and loses a 3 OT thriller)
NIU-Wyoming (NIU looks dominant early but doesn't put Wyoming away and the Cowboys gather momentum and win another triple OT thriller)
All these were FBS games that figured to be competitive. 1 at home 4 on road. Mac goes 3-2 with both of the losses in 3 OTs.
UT showed we are not stepping back. Defense looked fast, well coached and physical. Really pretty dominant against an offense that has solid talent but didn't seem to have real cohesion. Our offense was sharp. ASU stacked the box and UT still ran fairly well while killing them in 1 on 1 passing game match ups.
WMU oline and overall offense was very solid and efficient. Their D is capable, not explosive but should be OK if they stay healthy.
NIU looks pretty good, but couldn't tighten up some things on the road and let a win slip away.
Ohio was the better team vs Texas St but played with less determination and got beat at home. They lost their top rb to a foot injury early and already lost their qb. They got some explosive all purpose guys and wrs so their offense has hope still. D looks down a notch.
Didn't catch any of the Ball St game but everyone was expecting their downward slide to continue under new coach Mike Neu but they went on the road against the sun belt and got a good opening win.
Other Games:
Expected losses:
Miami at Iowa (Iowa wins by 24, Miami moves ball well)
Kent at Penn St ( Kent D shows up, final score not indicative of a close game)
Bg at OSU (77-10)
Miami looks like their offense is gonna come together this year and has a bright future. Tall young QB w a great arm. They went up and down the field vs Iowa but had turnovers and mistakes which cost them. Also got burned by penalties and calls. They had a big defensive play get overruled by replay against all logic that turned the game clearly into Iowa's favor. However, their defense looks very vulnerable.
Kent has a legit defense. Very well coached and physical. Toledo's hiring of their DC this year looks like a smart move. They controlled Penn St's offense despite being put on the field a lot. Their offense is still weak but I liked the potential of their 2 freshman Qbs. They actually had a chance in this game if they converted more of their scoring opportunities. Penn St's dline began to overpower the Kent's oline as the game went on.
BG looked competitive for a quarter. Got a defensive td and moved the ball up and down on their first couple drives. Just couldn't put up points and their defense had no answer for OSU. BG still has enough offense to challenge MAC teams this year though.
Expected Wins:
FCS at EMU (EMU no problem)
FCS at Akron (VMI hangs with Akron for 3 quarters)
FCS at Buffalo (Albany get the big in state upset)
FCS at Central (CMU handles business)
Other national games
BYU controls the game against Arizona with a big physical defense and oline but almost lets it slip away. They get a late drive led by their 26 year old QB for the winning fg. Will be a tough one for the Rockets but our offense is better than Arizona. BYU is solid offensively with a great rb. Their passing game wasn't as scary as I expected, although their qb is a vet who can get out of the pocket and pick up first downs with his feet.
Houston shows that it isn't just the top G5 team but may be the #2 team in the country. Beats Oklahoma pretty decisively after ending last season with a 14 pt win over Florida St. Only prejudice will keep them out of the AP top 5 this week.
SEC shows it's vulnerability. Kentucky, Mississippi St. get upset. LSU falls to Wisky. Auburn misses an upset opportunity at home showing great defense but weak offense (they host Arkansas St next week). Vandy almost beats S Carolina but falls. Arkansas escapes upset by 1 pt vs La Tech. However, Bama and Texas AM get big wins. Georgia beats N Caro with some help from the refs. Florida sputters past UMass.
Fresno St looks pretty good for a half vs Nebraska then the wheels fall off. They got a nice QB but not the team they were a decade ago.
PAC12 has issues. Washington St falls to FCS at home. USC gets blown up on national TV. UCLA loses close one at Texas AM. Arizona nipped by BYU. Oregon St close lose at Minnesota. Oregon, Utah, Cal win but look beatable. Could this be the year Colorado or Washington return to glory? Stanford probably the best in that league.
Maine might be a bit of a game. They nearly won at UConn to open up. Should be at least decent comp for the home opener, not one of those completely overmatched FCS schools.
Overall, as a Rocket fan pretty happy.
1) We had a big win
2) BG had a big loss
3) NIU loses
4) MAC still gets a signature upset win
5) Our big Non-Conf game vs BYU shaping up like a possible top 25 match-up