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After taking the Chips out to the wood shed on Saturday and being ranked in the top 25 of one of the two major polls in college football the Broncos return home to Waldo Stadium to welcome in the Northern Illinois Huskies and hopefully complete the State of Illinois FBS sweep.

Sagarin has us as a 28 pt favorite using his predictor metric. ESPN FPI has us as 21 point favorite. Early online books have us as 19. Guessing money will come in to push that up to mid 20s

Sagarin doesn't know that we aren't playing Graham at QB anymore. Now we just have to hope the coach finally wises up and plays Huff more instead of Bouagnon at RB.

We should be fine in the upcoming weeks so long as the players don't start letting the press clippings get to their heads.

For NIU, there will be enough motivation for the Broncos. I think Fleck really wants a W from them, given history, before he leaves the MAC.

If NIU wins, then it's proof that the Huskies have set up permanent residence inside our heads.

28pts is too huge. NIU's been figuring themselves out. I would say we should expect to win by 13-17 pts.

(10-02-2016 08:35 PM)toddjnsn Wrote:  28pts is too huge. NIU's been figuring themselves out. I would say we should expect to win by 13-17 pts.

Oh stop yourself.

NIU IS figuring things out a bit. Probably not enough to threaten WMU but 28 points is an awful lot.

New QB and ex WMU player Anthony Maddie has a bit to prove. WMU fans are quite confident. This game will be far closer than you think. If you want to look past NIU, that would be a mistake. Classic trap game. Prove it on the field, not on a message board. Good luck on your season and continue represent the MAC as you have done.

(10-02-2016 08:35 PM)toddjnsn Wrote:  28pts is too huge. NIU's been figuring themselves out. I would say we should expect to win by 13-17 pts.

I anticipate a 7-10 point win. Hope I am wrong and it is another CMU-type-blow-out.

These next three games have me nervous.

If the WMU players get too full of themselves, and make mental mistakes, they will get beat.

WMU is good, but victories still need to be earned the hard way.

The laugher in Mount Pleasant was fun, but may not have done WMU any favors for the tougher games to come.

I agree. Message boards won't win you a game.

I like that we had to play four quarters against Georgia Southern, but having such a laugher last week leaves us open for the proverbial trap game, especially given NIU's struggles to begin the season.

The writing is all there for WMU to walk away with a homecoming win, but it would be all too familiar if WMU were to lose this one, which has certainly happened in similar games (see 2009 Ball State).

Let's just let the team do their thing and hopefully grind out a win this weekend.

I bet we cover.

(10-04-2016 10:38 AM)wingsenforcer Wrote:  I agree. Message boards won't win you a game.

I like that we had to play four quarters against Georgia Southern, but having such a laugher last week leaves us open for the proverbial trap game, especially given NIU's struggles to begin the season.

The writing is all there for WMU to walk away with a homecoming win, but it would be all too familiar if WMU were to lose this one, which has certainly happened in similar games (see 2009 Ball State).

Let's just let the team do their thing and hopefully grind out a win this weekend.

This team is so talented they can stroll out on the field tired and hungover and crush anyone in the MAC. No excuses.

Quit that act of trying to lower expectations so you can feel all giddy after the win.

They should have crushed NIU last year and didn't. What was the excuse there?

(10-04-2016 11:21 AM)wingsenforcer Wrote:  They should have crushed NIU last year and didn't. What was the excuse there?

NIU was favored by 3 last season.

(10-04-2016 11:35 AM)RedandBlackAttack Wrote:  

(10-04-2016 11:21 AM)wingsenforcer Wrote:  They should have crushed NIU last year and didn't. What was the excuse there?

NIU was favored by 3 last season.

Yep.

But you don't know Persrod, don't mind him and counter with facts, he'll make stuff up....

Quote:NIU was favored by 3 last season.

Yeah, basic even-money but home-field advantage. I wouldn't have expected WMU to crush them, although I did expect WMU to win given that we Definitely Should have won at home the previous year but collapsed 2nd half after that fumble.

This is why I'm more worried about @Akron than NIU at home. NIU is NOT some random 1-4 team. I'd rather play EMU @ 4-1 as far as fearing potential losses. However, it's Homecoming, great crowd, and WMU has every reason to not-let-this-go against NIU. NIU will make a good fight of it of course, and show that they'll be at least going 5-3 or possibly 6-2 in the MAC (assuming Rod Carey still keeps things together with the help of Maddie).

One of these weeks we will have a bad game, a few turnovers, etc. Lets hope we can pull that one out.

Otherwise, if we keep playing like the last four weeks, I don't think 28 points is unrealistic. CMU is better than NIU and its at Waldo.

(10-04-2016 11:59 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  One of these weeks we will have a bad game, a few turnovers, etc. Lets hope we can pull that one out.

Otherwise, if we keep playing like the last four weeks, I don't think 28 points is unrealistic. CMU is better than NIU and its at Waldo.

IMHO a 28 point spread against NIU is not realistic. I know we are down to our 3rd string QB, who was a WR 1 week ago. We have plenty of other injuries but 28 points? We have true freshmen at DT and CB starting for us. I think you certainly should be favored, let's play the game and see.

Being favored by 28 over a team we haven't beaten this decade seems silly.

One point or a hundred, a win is a win.

Quote:I know we are down to our 3rd string QB, who was a WR 1 week ago.

Yeah, but, I hate to say it -- he's not that bad. He led to your 1st win -- on the road @BSU.

28pts is too much. I would say the expected middle-range amount would be, IMO, 15.5. But I could see Vegas going a little higher. 28? Yikes.

WMU's D can shut it down, but can also give it up. NIU's O has always been able to break thru us. They'll get their points against us. But we'll also get our 1st turnover(s).

I expect us to win by about 2 TDs by the end of the game, and needing the whole game to do it.