The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

https://wmubroncos.com/news/2020/2/26/20...ZrFuMLN_8E

SEPTEMBER
4 – COLGATE (4-8)
11 – at Cincinnati (11-3; defeated Boston College, 38-6, in TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl)
19 – at Notre Dame (11-2; defeated Iowa State, 33-9, in Camping World Bowl)
26 – SYRACUSE (5-7)

OCTOBER
3 – at Ball State (5-7)
10 – TOLEDO (6-6)
17 – vs. Central Michigan (8-6; lost to San Diego State, 48-11, in the New Mexico Bowl) at Ford Field
24 – at Kent State (7-6; defeated Utah State, 51-41, in the Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl)
31 – EASTERN MICHIGAN (6-7; lost to Pittsburgh, 34-30, in the Quick Lane Bowl)

NOVEMBER
7 – OPEN DATE
10 – NORTHERN ILLINOIS (5-7)
21 – at Akron (0-12)
27 – BUFFALO (8-5; defeated Charlotte, 31-9, in the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl)

First two games are on friday nights.

One tuesday night "Maction game" against NIU

Black friday game at home vs Buffalo.

Six home games and one neutral site. Bye week is a little late. Easier MAC East schedule. Tough September, but only two true away games in the final seven.

Wins at Ball State and against Toledo will determine if we are in the driver's seat or chasing another team again. An easier 5-game stretch in there with a final home contest against a good Buffalo team.

Not a bad schedule at all. Non-con will be tough. At least Syracuse is a home game. But in MAC play, all of our toughest games will be at home (plus CMU at neutral site). We sort of get two bye weeks late in the year. Only one mid-week game. No long stretches of away games.

I like it!

I like this schedule.

We have a tougher out-of-conference (losing Georgia St & picking up a ranked Cincinnati) but 'easier' in-conference.

We get Syracuse coming to town & they should be beatable / be a good game.

Our tougher MAC games (Northern Illinois, Toledo, & Eastern Michigan) are in Kalamazoo.

Swap out Miami/Ohio for Akron & Buffalo, the tougher of the 2 (Buffalo) in Kalamazoo.

Central Michigan moved to Detroit.

Weeknight games: Colgate & @Cincinnati on Friday, Northern Illinois on Tuesday in November, Buffalo on Black Friday

Key stretch is in the beginning w/ @Ball St, H vs Toledo, & N vs Central Michigan. Only West Division game in November is Northern Illinois, so possible we could have the Division locked up early.

Yeah, the MAC schedule is front-loaded with West division games. It's going to be important to start hot out of the gate.

It’s the 2016 schedule!

(02-27-2020 12:21 PM)Wmufan715 Wrote:  It’s the 2016 schedule!

Same crossovers. Far tougher OOC.

Factoring in the expectation that Coach Lester should be ready to begin to lead us to the front. I’m just doing it by the month.

September: 2-2
Things go well, we take our licks at ND and Cincy, but everything comes together and in the coming out party we defeat the Orange.

October: 5-0
The Syracuse win bumps our confidence and the Broncs stampede including a couple outright routs. Hell yes.

November: 2-1
The weather cools, we lose focus over the off week, and the lose brings us back to reality.

Hmmm. 9-3 is too much to hope for? Ok we lose 1 in October and 2 in November, now we are 7-5.

Wow my prediction on the 2020 schedule was close.

(02-27-2020 03:38 PM)Dirty Ernie Wrote:  Factoring in the expectation that Coach Lester should be ready to begin to lead us to the front. I’m just doing it by the month.

September: 2-2
Things go well, we take our licks at ND and Cincy, but everything comes together and in the coming out party we defeat the Orange.

October: 5-0
The Syracuse win bumps our confidence and the Broncs stampede including a couple outright routs. Hell yes.

November: 2-1
The weather cools, we lose focus over the off week, and the lose brings us back to reality.

Hmmm. 9-3 is too much to hope for? Ok we lose 1 in October and 2 in November, now we are 7-5.

We are not beating Syracuse, sorry

If we're not beating Syracuse, we're probably not winning the MAC. A MAC Champion should be able to beat a 5-7 Syracuse team at the MAC stadium. Unless Syracuse is significantly improved.

Not sure who said it, but someone on here said 'if Lester can't beat a below-average Syracuse team in 4 tries, he's never beating a Power 5.' The time is now.

(02-27-2020 05:06 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  If we're not beating Syracuse, we're probably not winning the MAC. A MAC Champion should be able to beat a 5-7 Syracuse team at the MAC stadium. Unless Syracuse is significantly improved.

Not sure who said it, but someone on here said 'if Lester can't beat a below-average Syracuse team in 4 tries, he's never beating a Power 5.' The time is now.

I just don’t see him beating Babers.

Cincinnati and Notre Dame can be an insurmountable obstacle. Eleby and team need to escape uninjured. Will they respond to the competition or will they lose all confidence. Conversely, will they respond positively?

If we're beat up and beat down we will have a miserable remaining season. If we're relatively healthy and respond positively to the challenges we may very will have a season worth remembering, including beating Cabers.

(02-27-2020 04:31 PM)Broncodan Wrote:  

(02-27-2020 03:38 PM)Dirty Ernie Wrote:  Factoring in the expectation that Coach Lester should be ready to begin to lead us to the front. I’m just doing it by the month.

September: 2-2
Things go well, we take our licks at ND and Cincy, but everything comes together and in the coming out party we defeat the Orange.

October: 5-0
The Syracuse win bumps our confidence and the Broncs stampede including a couple outright routs. Hell yes.

November: 2-1
The weather cools, we lose focus over the off week, and the lose brings us back to reality.

Hmmm. 9-3 is too much to hope for? Ok we lose 1 in October and 2 in November, now we are 7-5.

We are not beating Syracuse, sorry

OK then we are 6-6. Is that the realistic thing then? I say if we can’t go even up with the Orange at a big time home game with a year 4 program, then we will lose 2 in October and 2 in November and end at 5 and 7? Dang I went from 9-3 to 5-7. I feel a little fuzzy.

I predict we'll go 1-0.

Then we'll see.

That's as far as I'm willing to go right now.

(02-27-2020 08:48 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(02-27-2020 05:06 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  If we're not beating Syracuse, we're probably not winning the MAC. A MAC Champion should be able to beat a 5-7 Syracuse team at the MAC stadium. Unless Syracuse is significantly improved.

Not sure who said it, but someone on here said 'if Lester can't beat a below-average Syracuse team in 4 tries, he's never beating a Power 5.' The time is now.

I just don’t see him beating Babers.

We are 1-3 against Babers and he knows our M.O. better than probably any coach outside the conference.

That said, the last two seasons we came pretty close. I don't understand the defeatism. We don't take that penalty sacking Dungey in 2018, we convert a late 4th and 1 in 2019, and I think we would have won those two games if those crucial moments went differently.

I would say the odds are against us, but Lester's teams have made those big plays to change a few games. We'll probably need to do that again this season and I expect another barn-burner.

(02-28-2020 08:30 AM)RunningGame Wrote:  

(02-27-2020 08:48 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(02-27-2020 05:06 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  If we're not beating Syracuse, we're probably not winning the MAC. A MAC Champion should be able to beat a 5-7 Syracuse team at the MAC stadium. Unless Syracuse is significantly improved.

Not sure who said it, but someone on here said 'if Lester can't beat a below-average Syracuse team in 4 tries, he's never beating a Power 5.' The time is now.

I just don’t see him beating Babers.

We are 1-3 against Babers and he knows our M.O. better than probably any coach outside the conference.

That said, the last two seasons we came pretty close. I don't understand the defeatism. We don't take that penalty sacking Dungey in 2018, we convert a late 4th and 1 in 2019, and I think we would have won those two games if those crucial moments went differently.

I would say the odds are against us, but Lester's teams have made those big plays to change a few games. We'll probably need to do that again this season and I expect another barn-burner.

2018 was a barn burner but 2019 was not, 33-52 loss is not a barn burner

The problem with those Syracuse games is we came out both times like deer in headlights. Got down 24-7 (2018) and 21-0 (2019) in the first quarter.

If we avoid digging ourselves a big hole immediately after the national anthem's done, we have a decent chance.

(02-28-2020 08:30 AM)RunningGame Wrote:  

(02-27-2020 08:48 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(02-27-2020 05:06 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  If we're not beating Syracuse, we're probably not winning the MAC. A MAC Champion should be able to beat a 5-7 Syracuse team at the MAC stadium. Unless Syracuse is significantly improved.

Not sure who said it, but someone on here said 'if Lester can't beat a below-average Syracuse team in 4 tries, he's never beating a Power 5.' The time is now.

I just don’t see him beating Babers.

We are 1-3 against Babers and he knows our M.O. better than probably any coach outside the conference.

That said, the last two seasons we came pretty close. I don't understand the defeatism. We don't take that penalty sacking Dungey in 2018, we convert a late 4th and 1 in 2019, and I think we would have won those two games if those crucial moments went differently.

I would say the odds are against us, but Lester's teams have made those big plays to change a few games. We'll probably need to do that again this season and I expect another barn-burner.

Didn't lose those games because of a facemask and a failed 4th down. Lost them because we came out of the gate and mashed the self destruct button both games. It's a lot to ask to play an absolutely perfect half-to-3 quarters which is what would have been required to win either of those games.