The only team to go 17-1 and not be ranked at any time during that 18 game stretch. Not so sure that is something to be ashamed about, because its more of a bias in polls than it is the team being bad. Wow.

Is this real or are you just assuming?

(10-28-2012 04:01 PM)7 Wrote:  Is this real or are you just assuming?

Im through 1999 so far, maybe I should have said the past 13 years

It's a matter of timing.. have no reason to complain about not being ranked this year.

(10-28-2012 04:15 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  It's a matter of timing.. have no reason to complain about not being ranked this year.

I guess you can argue we should never lose a game and thus dont deserve it, but other teams are not held to that standard that they can never lose a single game and not be ranked. You wouldnt have enough teams to be ranked in the top 25 if every team had to be perfect.

(10-28-2012 04:15 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  It's a matter of timing.. have no reason to complain about not being ranked this year.

Stop making sense.

(10-28-2012 04:17 PM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:15 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  It's a matter of timing.. have no reason to complain about not being ranked this year.

Stop making sense.

I just disagree with you guys that NIU has no business ever being ranked. I know we should have gone 18-0 but how many other teams have to go 18-0? Look at NU, they can go 3-2 over a 5-week period and then beat an average Big 10 team and be nearly ranked again. I understand some adjustment has to be made for SOS, but not to that extreme. And especially that is true this year, when a Big 10 win has about the same value as a MAC win in terms of quality of opponent. What worries me is the trend, MAC teams are getting less and less credit through time and have already been separated out as sub-FBS by the media and AQ coaches. Take a look at BG in 2003, they lost 3 games and ended up #23. You think that could ever happen again? No way in hell.

has no business ever being ranked is not what I said. I said they have no reason to complain about not being ranked this year.

(10-28-2012 04:22 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  has no business ever being ranked is not what I said. I said they have no reason to complain about not being ranked this year.

8 game winning streaks are not a reason to complain? How many exactly does NIU have to win a row to deserve consideration, 15? 20? 25?

Other interesting things that would be interesting to look up that I am too tired to:

1) Has any team ever won 19 in a row at home and not been ranked
2) Has any team every won 13 straight conference games and never been ranked.

Pretty amazing how the deck has been stacked against the non-Automatically Awarded conferences.

(10-28-2012 04:18 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:17 PM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:15 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  It's a matter of timing.. have no reason to complain about not being ranked this year.

Stop making sense.

I just disagree with you guys that NIU has no business ever being ranked. I know we should have gone 18-0 but how many other teams have to go 18-0? Look at NU, they can go 3-2 over a 5-week period and then beat an average Big 10 team and be nearly ranked again. I understand some adjustment has to be made for SOS, but not to that extreme. And especially that is true this year, when a Big 10 win has about the same value as a MAC win in terms of quality of opponent. What worries me is the trend, MAC teams are getting less and less credit through time and have already been separated out as sub-FBS by the media and AQ coaches. Take a look at BG in 2003, they lost 3 games and ended up #23. You think that could ever happen again? No way in hell.

In 2003 Bowling Green lost to #4 Ohio State (by 7) and#10 Miami (twice)...you:bow:need to find another example

(10-28-2012 04:23 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:22 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  has no business ever being ranked is not what I said. I said they have no reason to complain about not being ranked this year.

8 game winning streaks are not a reason to complain? How many exactly does NIU have to win a row to deserve consideration, 15? 20? 25?

Look at the teams we've beaten so far this year. If we beat UMass then Toledo, we'll probably be ranked. If we win the MACC we'll be playing a good team there too so that will help.

(10-28-2012 04:34 PM)NIUHuskie Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:18 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:17 PM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:15 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  It's a matter of timing.. have no reason to complain about not being ranked this year.

Stop making sense.

I just disagree with you guys that NIU has no business ever being ranked. I know we should have gone 18-0 but how many other teams have to go 18-0? Look at NU, they can go 3-2 over a 5-week period and then beat an average Big 10 team and be nearly ranked again. I understand some adjustment has to be made for SOS, but not to that extreme. And especially that is true this year, when a Big 10 win has about the same value as a MAC win in terms of quality of opponent. What worries me is the trend, MAC teams are getting less and less credit through time and have already been separated out as sub-FBS by the media and AQ coaches. Take a look at BG in 2003, they lost 3 games and ended up #23. You think that could ever happen again? No way in hell.

In 2003 Bowling Green lost to #4 Ohio State (by 7) and#10 Miami (twice)...you:bow:need to find another example

My point is though, how often is NIU going to win 20 games in a row to be ranked? I cant imagine NIU ever running off 20 in a row, so I dont see how we will ever be ranked again.
Im not arguing with you that it should be rigged for BCS teams and conferences, I just think the extent to which it is rigged has gotten out of hand is all. Winning 10 games in a row is hard enough let alone 20.

To be ranked, you need to beat good opponents. Sadly, our SOS does not favor that this year, yet. Our only good win thus far is vs Ball State.

Iowa (Loss)
Tenn Martin (Win but FCS)
Army (Win, 1-7)
Kansas (Win, 1-7)
CMU (Win, 3-5)
BSU (Win, 6-3) <-- Our solid win for the season thus far, and only team with a winning record.
Buffalo (Win, 1-7)
Akron (Win, 1-7)
WMU (Win, 3-6)

How does this resume of an 8-1 record justify one of the top 25 teams in the country? Sure we have wins, and by a large margin, but our SOS is crap this year and the polls reflect that. If we woulda beat Iowa, this would be a different story. Beating teams and going on winning streaks does matter, but it takes longer to be recognized if our opponents are not considered to be quality opponents. Our next game vs UMASS will not help our SOS either...

(10-28-2012 04:46 PM)NIUSox10 Wrote:  To be ranked, you need to beat good opponents. Sadly, our SOS does not favor that this year, yet. Our only good win thus far is vs Ball State.

Iowa (Loss)
Tenn Martin (Win but FCS)
Army (Win, 1-7)
Kansas (Win, 1-7)
CMU (Win, 3-5)
BSU (Win, 6-3) <-- Our solid win for the season thus far, and only team with a winning record.
Buffalo (Win, 1-7)
Akron (Win, 1-7)
WMU (Win, 3-6)

How does this resume of an 8-1 record justify one of the top 25 teams in the country? Sure we have wins, and by a large margin, but our SOS is crap this year and the polls reflect that. If we woulda beat Iowa, this would be a different story. Beating teams and going on winning streaks does matter, but it takes longer to be recognized if our opponents are not considered to be quality opponents. Our next game vs UMASS will not help our SOS either...

Therein lies the problem, what is perceived as strong and what is perceived as a weak schedule.

I know it's frustrating. But, good chance the HUSKIES will be ranked if they beat UMass. They will be ranked for sure if they beat UMass and Toledo. The HUSKIES barely beat a bad Kansas & Army team and lost to a bad Iowa team. I want to be higher but we're probably where we belong.

Don't worry about the Big Ten bias...the Big East bias is a bigger problem.

(10-28-2012 04:51 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:46 PM)NIUSox10 Wrote:  To be ranked, you need to beat good opponents. Sadly, our SOS does not favor that this year, yet. Our only good win thus far is vs Ball State.

Iowa (Loss)
Tenn Martin (Win but FCS)
Army (Win, 1-7)
Kansas (Win, 1-7)
CMU (Win, 3-5)
BSU (Win, 6-3) <-- Our solid win for the season thus far, and only team with a winning record.
Buffalo (Win, 1-7)
Akron (Win, 1-7)
WMU (Win, 3-6)

How does this resume of an 8-1 record justify one of the top 25 teams in the country? Sure we have wins, and by a large margin, but our SOS is crap this year and the polls reflect that. If we woulda beat Iowa, this would be a different story. Beating teams and going on winning streaks does matter, but it takes longer to be recognized if our opponents are not considered to be quality opponents. Our next game vs UMASS will not help our SOS either...

Therein lies the problem, what is perceived as strong and what is perceived as a weak schedule.

Also NIUSox, here is another problem, NIU is apparently being penalized for losing 1 game to Iowa, and that wipes out the entire success of the whole season, YET...Northwestern beats Iowa and that gives them a monumental vote boost. Well if Iowa is that good where winning one game can turn NU into a top 25 team overnight, isnt 1 single loss to Iowa not a good enough reason for NIU's whole season to be ruined and locked out of the top 25. It is a double standard and rigged. Can you imagine if NU beat Rutgers, even if NU had 4 losses that would be ranked #20 today

(10-28-2012 04:55 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:51 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:46 PM)NIUSox10 Wrote:  To be ranked, you need to beat good opponents. Sadly, our SOS does not favor that this year, yet. Our only good win thus far is vs Ball State.

Iowa (Loss)
Tenn Martin (Win but FCS)
Army (Win, 1-7)
Kansas (Win, 1-7)
CMU (Win, 3-5)
BSU (Win, 6-3) <-- Our solid win for the season thus far, and only team with a winning record.
Buffalo (Win, 1-7)
Akron (Win, 1-7)
WMU (Win, 3-6)

How does this resume of an 8-1 record justify one of the top 25 teams in the country? Sure we have wins, and by a large margin, but our SOS is crap this year and the polls reflect that. If we woulda beat Iowa, this would be a different story. Beating teams and going on winning streaks does matter, but it takes longer to be recognized if our opponents are not considered to be quality opponents. Our next game vs UMASS will not help our SOS either...

Therein lies the problem, what is perceived as strong and what is perceived as a weak schedule.

Also NIUSox, here is another problem, NIU is apparently being penalized for losing 1 game to Iowa, and that wipes out the entire success of the whole season, YET...Northwestern beats Iowa and that gives them a monumental vote boost. Well if Iowa is that good where winning one game can turn NU into a top 25 team overnight, isnt 1 single loss to Iowa not a good enough reason for NIU's whole season to be ruined and locked out of the top 25. It is a double standard and rigged. Can you imagine if NU beat Rutgers, even if NU had 4 losses that would be ranked #20 today

We would be top 25 if we had beat a bad Iowa team. But we lost so it will take a little longer.

(10-28-2012 04:58 PM)NIUHuskie Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:55 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:51 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(10-28-2012 04:46 PM)NIUSox10 Wrote:  To be ranked, you need to beat good opponents. Sadly, our SOS does not favor that this year, yet. Our only good win thus far is vs Ball State.

Iowa (Loss)
Tenn Martin (Win but FCS)
Army (Win, 1-7)
Kansas (Win, 1-7)
CMU (Win, 3-5)
BSU (Win, 6-3) <-- Our solid win for the season thus far, and only team with a winning record.
Buffalo (Win, 1-7)
Akron (Win, 1-7)
WMU (Win, 3-6)

How does this resume of an 8-1 record justify one of the top 25 teams in the country? Sure we have wins, and by a large margin, but our SOS is crap this year and the polls reflect that. If we woulda beat Iowa, this would be a different story. Beating teams and going on winning streaks does matter, but it takes longer to be recognized if our opponents are not considered to be quality opponents. Our next game vs UMASS will not help our SOS either...

Therein lies the problem, what is perceived as strong and what is perceived as a weak schedule.

Also NIUSox, here is another problem, NIU is apparently being penalized for losing 1 game to Iowa, and that wipes out the entire success of the whole season, YET...Northwestern beats Iowa and that gives them a monumental vote boost. Well if Iowa is that good where winning one game can turn NU into a top 25 team overnight, isnt 1 single loss to Iowa not a good enough reason for NIU's whole season to be ruined and locked out of the top 25. It is a double standard and rigged. Can you imagine if NU beat Rutgers, even if NU had 4 losses that would be ranked #20 today

We would be top 25 if we had beat a bad Iowa team. But we lost so it will take a little longer.

You assume Iowa would have given us the same boost NU got from beating a bad Iowa team this week, that is a wrong assumption to make. 10 years ago under this same scenario, we would be ranked 20 right now. No team has ever gone 17-1 and never been ranked, never.

From an outside perspective, the teams we beat are not considered quality wins because of their record. That alone is our biggest issue. The MAC teams we have played thus far, except BSU, all have losing records. We beat 4 teams with a combined record of 4-28, if we beat UMASS next week that will be 5 teams with a record of 4-37. If we had beaten teams with "Winning"records on our schedule, that would give us a bigger boost in the polls. Since that is not the case, we just simply have to continue to rack up the wins against bad opponents by beating them by wider margins. Ohio got ranked because of their undefeated status + their PSU win. Toledo and Kent jumped up because of their wins vs 2 ranked Big East Teams.

There are solid teams in the MAC this year, we just haven't played and beat them yet to upgrade our resume (Except BSU). I think we will be close to being ranked after UMASS simply because of the 9-1 mark alone, and will take a huge leap after a win vs Toledo and a win vs the MAC East Champ. I would say if we finish 12-1 with the wins above, we could possible be ranked in the 15-20 range to end the season.