Snead has decided to skip his senior year, he's going pro.

This makes Ball State take a big dive next year.

They lose Wenning, Snead, Smith, the two top D-lineman as well. That's just off the top of my head.

Not that I expected much from them next year, but the West is NIU/CMU/Toledo's for the taking.

(01-07-2014 05:08 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  Snead has decided to skip his senior year, he's going pro.

This makes Ball State take a big dive next year.

They lose Wenning, Snead, Smith, the two top D-lineman as well. That's just off the top of my head.

Not that I expected much from them next year, but the West is NIU/CMU/Toledo's for the taking.

Definitely had 3 Sr's in OLine maybe 4. BSU takes a hit, but they have built that program pretty well, they will not be EMU - Mass bad. Toledo s/b favorite in the West and if CMU has any coaching could be very dangerous.

This was Pete Lembo's year to move up but there were few job openings this year. You would assume Ball State will take a step back next year with all of their playmakers leaving.

Quote:Not that I expected much from them next year, but the West is NIU/CMU/Toledo's for the taking.

You forgot WMU! W.T.F.! :)

(01-09-2014 12:11 AM)toddjnsn Wrote:  

Quote:Not that I expected much from them next year, but the West is NIU/CMU/Toledo's for the taking.

You forgot WMU! W.T.F.! :)

(01-07-2014 05:08 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  Snead has decided to skip his senior year, he's going pro.

This makes Ball State take a big dive next year.

They lose Wenning, Snead, Smith, the two top D-lineman as well. That's just off the top of my head.

Not that I expected much from them next year, but the West is NIU/CMU/Toledo's for the taking.

Enos is struggling at CMU, his 2nd year where they eaked out a 6-6 record, needing 3 over EMU, UMass & WMU in their final 3 games. Their OOC schedule is better than 13 with at Purdue, Syracuse (home) and at Kansas if they were a better team they'd win 2 of 3 but they won't.

Toledo is replacing their QB(Owens), their best RB in a long time (Fluellen, only RB to get 100 yards on Mizzou's D this year!) Bernard Riley won't be returning kicks or punts for them, Outstanding Olineman Zach Kerin. Not big numbers but key talent. Their schedule is tough, opening with FCS playoff quarterfinalist New Hampshire, then SEC East winner Mizzou, then a road game at Cincy, 10/11 at Iowa State. Hard schedule when you're replacing Fluellen and your starting QB.

MAC West is NIU's for the taking and it's more a function of talent the other teams have lost plus their rough OOC scheduling.

Huskies need impressive wins over Akry and NU to gain credibility as the MAC schedule won't help unless some teams pull upsets.

(01-09-2014 12:59 PM)Policiious Wrote:  

(01-07-2014 05:08 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  Snead has decided to skip his senior year, he's going pro.

This makes Ball State take a big dive next year.

They lose Wenning, Snead, Smith, the two top D-lineman as well. That's just off the top of my head.

Not that I expected much from them next year, but the West is NIU/CMU/Toledo's for the taking.

Enos is struggling at CMU, his 2nd year where they eaked out a 6-6 record, needing 3 over EMU, UMass & WMU in their final 3 games. Their OOC schedule is better than 13 with at Purdue, Syracuse (home) and at Kansas if they were a better team they'd win 2 of 3 but they won't.

Toledo is replacing their QB(Owens), their best RB in a long time (Fluellen, only RB to get 100 yards on Mizzou's D this year!) Bernard Riley won't be returning kicks or punts for them, Outstanding Olineman Zach Kerin. Not big numbers but key talent. Their schedule is tough, opening with FCS playoff quarterfinalist New Hampshire, then SEC East winner Mizzou, then a road game at Cincy, 10/11 at Iowa State. Hard schedule when you're replacing Fluellen and your starting QB.

MAC West is NIU's for the taking and it's more a function of talent the other teams have lost plus their rough OOC scheduling.

Huskies need impressive wins over Akry and NU to gain credibility as the MAC schedule won't help unless some teams pull upsets.

Well the OOC games don't hold any bearing on the conference standings, they CAN influence a trend a team heads. Although NIU wasn't spectacular in OOC play in 10 and 11 yet they made the MACC.

If teams get beat up and get down on themselves it can certainly change the season of the team.

I was just saying those 3 are the top teams to win the West.

CMU- Enos sucks, but they return a lot of guys and I certainly don't expect them to go 6-6 forever.

Toledo- They lose a strong core but also return quite a few players. They have on par with NIU's talent coming back. If the coach improves they can be a strong contender if they come out of OOC play healthy. They might be able to go 2-2 in OOC and probably 6-2 in conference guessing from right now. Could go anywhere from 5-7 to 9-3 perhaps.

NIU- Returns a lot on offense and brings back every explosive playmaker outside of Lynch. Daniels return is huge, IMO for a new QB. Defense needs some work but offense will help get them over the top, possible favorite in the division. I think 7 wins is a sure fire thing, I think 8 is most likely, 9 is doable, and 10 would be outstanding.

WMU- They will improve, but 4 wins is probably what to expect. Especially if they try and start that true freshman at QB.

EMU- well they are EMU

Ball State- I don't know their OOC, but I think they are probably a .500 team in MAC play, so they probably fall in the 5 to 7 win category.

Here's my take on the West teams for 2014. I have no idea who wins it.

On paper CMU should be the clear favorite due to the number of guys they have returning. If only their coach wasn't named Dan Enos. He seems to find a way to underachieve. Maybe he gets over the hump this year, we'll see.

Toledo lost a lot of key guys but you know they'll have equally as good talent taking their place. For example they won't miss a beat with Hunt taking over for Fluellen. Like us they have several good candidates for the QB job. Toledo should contend for the West.

I see our Huskies going between 6 - 6 and 8 - 4 with 7 - 5 most likely. Offense will be fine but the defense looks real bad at the moment. Some JUCOs and/or freshmen will have to step up bigtime or the D will be a dumpster fire. We should contend since the division is wide open.

Ball State is a real wild card (pun intended) having to find replacements for Wenning and Snead. You know Lembo will have them competitive.

WMU has a chance to get to 6 -6 in my opinion. Should be 2 - 2 nonconference (Purdue, Idaho, Murray State, Virginia Tech), the rest depends on their crossover schedule. They get several guys back from injuries, benefit from having played tons of freshmen last year, redshirted a nice class last year and are bringing in a great looking class this year. I was impressed with how hard PJ had them playing against us at the end of a long and brutal season last year. He's an odd one but I appreciated the remarks he made postgame and I think he'll get better. They could contend in '15.

EMU hits the reset button again.

(01-07-2014 05:08 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  Snead has decided to skip his senior year, he's going pro.

This makes Ball State take a big dive next year.

They lose Wenning, Snead, Smith, the two top D-lineman as well. That's just off the top of my head.

Not that I expected much from them next year, but the West is NIU/CMU/Toledo's for the taking.

and they have a head coach who for all intents and purposes said he really wants to move on

I don't buy the "CMU has a lot of guys returning" argument. If their talent is below what we have on our roster and their coach sucks, then why do you expect them to magically improve?

(01-09-2014 02:45 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  I don't buy the "CMU has a lot of guys returning" argument. If their talent is below what we have on our roster and their coach sucks, then why do you expect them to magically improve?

Players progress and get better. It's not like MAC teams bring in crazy talent, most of them are players that need a progression. So getting more reps and playing more becomes more important in a league where the talent level is generally similar from team to team.

That's extremely true at the QB position, and their QB will be the most seasoned of any in the MAC West.

BTW, Kent didn't magically become more talented in 2012, they just had a crap ton of guys who played a lot of football and put it together. Teams in the MAC with the most experience are generally the better teams.

(01-09-2014 02:54 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 02:45 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  I don't buy the "CMU has a lot of guys returning" argument. If their talent is below what we have on our roster and their coach sucks, then why do you expect them to magically improve?

Players progress and get better. It's not like MAC teams bring in crazy talent, most of them are players that need a progression. So getting more reps and playing more becomes more important in a league where the talent level is generally similar from team to team.

That's extremely true at the QB position, and their QB will be the most seasoned of any in the MAC West.

BTW, Kent didn't magically become more talented in 2012, they just had a crap ton of guys who played a lot of football and put it together. Teams in the MAC with the most experience are generally the better teams.

Yeah this pretty much says it. They were 6 -6 last year and have the most experienced QB and team coming back. They should contend in '14.

On average, every team signs 20-25 people and 20-25 people move on from the team at the end of the year, seems like everyone should have pretty much the same experience level.

(01-09-2014 03:25 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  On average, every team signs 20-25 people and 20-25 people move on from the team at the end of the year, seems like everyone should have pretty much the same experience level.

That's the dumbest thing I've heard in quite some time.

Not everyone starts or gets the same amount of reps.

For example, WMU's Freshman have a lot more game reps and college football experience than NIU's. Does that mean they will be better, no, but does it matter, yes.

That's like saying everyone that goes to work after college and starts the same day as another person at the same job will have the same experiences as the other person. Different coaches (bosses), different roles (projects), etc.

(01-09-2014 03:34 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:25 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  On average, every team signs 20-25 people and 20-25 people move on from the team at the end of the year, seems like everyone should have pretty much the same experience level.

That's the dumbest thing I've heard in quite some time.

Not everyone starts or gets the same amount of reps.

For example, WMU's Freshman have a lot more game reps and college football experience than NIU's. Does that mean they will be better, no, but does it matter, yes.

That's like saying everyone that goes to work after college and starts the same day as another person at the same job will have the same experiences as the other person. Different coaches (bosses), different roles (projects), etc.

The 5 most experienced teams this year according to Phil Steele won on average 1 more game than they won the previous year.

EXPERIENCE!

(01-09-2014 03:36 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:34 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:25 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  On average, every team signs 20-25 people and 20-25 people move on from the team at the end of the year, seems like everyone should have pretty much the same experience level.

That's the dumbest thing I've heard in quite some time.

Not everyone starts or gets the same amount of reps.

For example, WMU's Freshman have a lot more game reps and college football experience than NIU's. Does that mean they will be better, no, but does it matter, yes.

That's like saying everyone that goes to work after college and starts the same day as another person at the same job will have the same experiences as the other person. Different coaches (bosses), different roles (projects), etc.

The 5 most experienced teams this year according to Phil Steele won on average 1 more game than they won the previous year.

EXPERIENCE!

That doesn't make your previous argument of saying every player has the same experience any better. It also doesn't prove your revolving door theory either.

All you did was change your argument.

So you're telling me Harnish wasn't better as a Sr. or Wenning didn't progress from So. to Sr. Etc. Etc.

Oh, I must be wrong because the average is always correct. One win can actually be a significant difference when going bowling, trying to get better in conference, etc.

You're still an idiot.

(01-09-2014 03:42 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:36 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:34 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:25 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  On average, every team signs 20-25 people and 20-25 people move on from the team at the end of the year, seems like everyone should have pretty much the same experience level.

That's the dumbest thing I've heard in quite some time.

Not everyone starts or gets the same amount of reps.

For example, WMU's Freshman have a lot more game reps and college football experience than NIU's. Does that mean they will be better, no, but does it matter, yes.

That's like saying everyone that goes to work after college and starts the same day as another person at the same job will have the same experiences as the other person. Different coaches (bosses), different roles (projects), etc.

The 5 most experienced teams this year according to Phil Steele won on average 1 more game than they won the previous year.

EXPERIENCE!

MY ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE IS MORE ACCURATE THAN FACTS!

ftfy

(01-09-2014 03:45 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:42 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:36 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:34 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:25 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  On average, every team signs 20-25 people and 20-25 people move on from the team at the end of the year, seems like everyone should have pretty much the same experience level.

That's the dumbest thing I've heard in quite some time.

Not everyone starts or gets the same amount of reps.

For example, WMU's Freshman have a lot more game reps and college football experience than NIU's. Does that mean they will be better, no, but does it matter, yes.

That's like saying everyone that goes to work after college and starts the same day as another person at the same job will have the same experiences as the other person. Different coaches (bosses), different roles (projects), etc.

The 5 most experienced teams this year according to Phil Steele won on average 1 more game than they won the previous year.

EXPERIENCE!

MY ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE IS MORE ACCURATE THAN FACTS!

ftfy

Fact: NIU was more experienced in 2010 than 2009, they won more games

Go prove to facts with me that all Freshman teams win conference titles, go prove to me that teams that are have more upper classman are worse.

You think you have proof in the numbers, but you don't.

(01-09-2014 03:49 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:45 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:42 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:36 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 03:34 PM)HuskieJWN Wrote:  That's the dumbest thing I've heard in quite some time.

Not everyone starts or gets the same amount of reps.

For example, WMU's Freshman have a lot more game reps and college football experience than NIU's. Does that mean they will be better, no, but does it matter, yes.

That's like saying everyone that goes to work after college and starts the same day as another person at the same job will have the same experiences as the other person. Different coaches (bosses), different roles (projects), etc.

The 5 most experienced teams this year according to Phil Steele won on average 1 more game than they won the previous year.

EXPERIENCE!

MY ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE IS MORE ACCURATE THAN FACTS!

ftfy

Fact: NIU was more experienced in 2010 than 2009, they won more games

Go prove to facts with me that all Freshman teams win conference titles, go prove to me that teams that are have more upper classman are worse.

You think you have proof in the numbers, but you don't.

does anyone in the conference have an all freshman team or an all senior team?

OK then.

a freshman has won the heisman 2 years in a row.

EXPERIENCE!