1. NIU (Beats bad P5, loses close to good G5)
2. UT (Loses close to good P5, whoops FCS)
3. CMU (Loses respectably to okay P5, whoops FCS)
4. Kent (Whoops FCS, loses comfortably to good P5)
5. EMU (Loses comfortably to good P5, wins comfortably to FCS)
6. UB (Loses comfortably to okay P5, whoops FCS)
7. Miami (Loses comfortably to Good P6, loses close to okay P5)
8. BG (Loses comfortably to bad P5, loses close to okay G5)
9. WMU (loses comfortably to good P5, wins comfortably to FCS)
10. BSU (wins close to FCS, loses comfortably to good P5)
11. Akron (loses comfortably to okay P5, loses comfortably to okay G5)
12. Ohio (loses comfortably to bad P5, loses close to FCS)

BSU and Ohio have been underwhelming so far.

WMU seems about the same as last year. No better, no worse.

NIU seems to be the most improved team in the MAC, which I suppose is easy when we went winless last season. But this team seems like it will compete very well in MAC play for a team predicted by MAC media and all publications to be 2nd or 3rd worst in entire conference.

BG seems 2nd most improved team.

(09-12-2021 08:44 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  BSU and Ohio have been underwhelming so far.

WMU seems about the same as last year. No better, no worse.

NIU seems to be the most improved team in the MAC, which I suppose is easy when we went winless last season. But this team seems like it will compete very well in MAC play for a team predicted by MAC media and all publications to be 2nd or 3rd worst in entire conference.

BG seems 2nd most improved team.

Id agree. BSU and NIU could be the biggest pretenders. Both in different directions. We dont know how good Wyoming or GT is yet. And an FCS close win is always an overreaction protecting the playbook for a big game looming. BSU vs. Wyo will be a guager game.

This season really feels like 2007. Georgia and Alabama then everyone else.

btw the MWC looks pretty good. SDSU, USU, Nevada, AFA, Wyoming, Boise, SJSU... Better than the AAC top to bottom with UC, UCF and Tulane carying everyone else.

Toledo is obviously the strongest team based on action so far. Taking #8 Notre Dame to the wire and looking good doing it was the best MAC performance so far. Now, ND might not hold up as a top 10 team as they are overrated more often than not, but it was a strong performance. I give NIU credit for pulling out the tight win at GA Tech but don't put that on the same level as Notre Dame.

Toledo
Kent (played a top 10 team tight for a half)
NIU
CMU
Buffalo
Miami
Ball St
EMU
WMU
BG
Akron
Ohio

Northern Illinois
Toledo
Central Michigan
Buffalo
Kent St
Western Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Ball St
Miami
Bowling Green St
Akron
Ohio

NIU beat P5
UT & CMU dominated FCS & pushed P5 to the end
UB thru BSU looked bad vs P5 but beat FCS
MU thru OU w/out a win still. MU & BGSU played well vs most recent FBS teams

FWIW, I believe Kent and Toledo are the top teams. I was very impressed with my Chips at Missouri, but it's not enough to be sold on them yet. I would like to see us keep it mildly respectable against LSU and beat FIU.

I'm very curious to see Ball State play Wyoming this week. Based on how BSU has played I don't see them winning even though with all their experience and returning starters they should.

(09-14-2021 01:01 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  I'm very curious to see Ball State play Wyoming this week. Based on how BSU has played I don't see them winning even though with all their experience and returning starters they should.

Maybe BSU just gelled during a partial pandemic altered 2020 season where they were less impacted by virus issues than most, and now they are coming back to the middle of the pack where they pretty much have been all along???

This week's game at Pittsburgh will tell us quite a bit about Western. After the Michigan game, I wondered if they could REALLY be as bad as they looked. My conclusion was no. It's always a mental thing when WMU plays at UM and at MSU.

By the same token, the shutout of an FCS opponent, while nice, doesn't tell us much. We have a number of guys dinged up or out for the Pitt game.

I would have my list look something like this at this point:

Toledo
Kent St.
C. Michigan
W. Michigan
Ball St.
N. Illinois
Buffalo
Miami
E. Michigan
Ohio
Bowling Green
Akron

Miami is underrated in these lists. Our best player, QB Brett Gabbert, did not play at Cincy. He only participated in a few practices including both spring and summer due to a couple of injuries and he got off to a slow start Saturday at Minnesota, but he got it going in the second half and we played very well against a team which led OSU in the 4th quarter.

(09-17-2021 03:17 PM)DICK Wrote:  Miami is underrated in these lists. Our best player, QB Brett Gabbert, did not play at Cincy. He only participated in a few practices including both spring and summer due to a couple of injuries and he got off to a slow start Saturday at Minnesota, but he got it going in the second half and we played very well against a team which led OSU in the 4th quarter.

Well, then you should move up the list fairly quickly.

My own team just needs to play better. And quickly, since we're playing Michigan. Next week we have Maine and we better the hell beat them. We don't need a new interpretation of "Remember the Maine".

Miami always seems to do poor OOC but sees big improvement during MAC play. I'm sure they will power up the ranking.

(09-17-2021 04:53 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Miami always seems to do poor OOC but sees big improvement during MAC play. I'm sure they will power up the ranking.

0-30 in FBS non-conference games dating back to our win against Army in 2011 (edit). Part of that is difficult scheduling, another is the collapse of the program under Treadwell, the rest is Martin just sucking against non-MAC teams for some reason.

(09-17-2021 05:37 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  

(09-17-2021 04:53 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Miami always seems to do poor OOC but sees big improvement during MAC play. I'm sure they will power up the ranking.

0-30 in FBS non-conference games dating back to our win against Army in 2021. Part of that is difficult scheduling, another is the collapse of the program under Treadwell, the rest is Martin just sucking against non-MAC teams for some reason.

Yikes!

I'm sure some of it is scheduling Cinci every year. You're probably playing 2 P5's plus Cinci every year. Not easy to get W's w/ that.

It's bad but Miami has played tougher competition than most in OOC.

(09-17-2021 08:03 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  It's bad but Miami has played tougher competition than most in OOC.

well, Kent usually plays murderers row to pull in cash. EMU has played and beat P5 teams. For financial reasons most MAC schools schedule tough. I don't see Miami as an outlier. They just suck non-conf. It's a thing.

My goodness, is Ohio going to be worse than Akron and BG this year?

(09-18-2021 06:22 AM)epasnoopy Wrote:  My goodness, is Ohio going to be worse than Akron and BG this year?

Hope so…

We just got the pants beat off us. Michigan's ground game destroyed us. I don't recall them punting on any drive.

Mine, coming into this week -- taking this week's games already seen out of consideration. Of course, much of it takes how the team's rolling INTO the season the most, by default:

TIER 1:
Toledo (toe-to-toe with ND)
CMU (toe-to-toe with Missouri; more yards on O despite losing by 2 poss; controlled ball much of it)

TIER 2:
Kent (played Tex Tech close 1st half; has good expectations coming into season)
Miami (lays egg against Cinci; plays Minnesota toe-to-toe in response)
WMU (blown out by UM, but ya can't judge on that; holds MVC team to under 70 yards on O)
NIU (beat GT by GT shooting themselves; gets beat by Wyoming; turnover city -- dangerous to themselves and others?)
Ball State (Not looking good this year; was supposed to be great this year; they still have a chance)

TIER 3:
Buffalo (played poor against Nebraska who lost to Illinois FFS; looks like they're going downhill)
EMU (the fighting Emoos don't look like they're going to have a breakaway season)

TIER 4:
Akron (looks better than last year; not saying much tho)
BGSU (looks better than last year; not saying much tho)
Ohio (Frank given his pudding on the sidelines & retiring; falling apart)