(09-14-2022 10:00 AM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  

(09-13-2022 10:14 AM)GRBRONCO Wrote:  The MAC sucks because our alumni suck. Our crowds our pathetic. I've seen several sunbelt games with packed stadiums. This is what recruits like.

Yes, like students wearing Ohio State Buckeye gear on gameday throughout campus at Miami or wearing Wolverine jerseys at WMU. The majority of MAC students have no pride in their college, they secretly wish they were in Columbus or Ann Arbor. If you aren't from Ohio and attend a MAC Ohio school, you will surely be puzzled at the crazy cult-like OSU crowd. I now get creeped out anytime I see or hear about "The Buckeyes" or "THE Ohio State". It totally disgusts me and puzzles me. The students wearing Buckeye gear at MAC Ohio campuses are completely pathetic. I can only assume the same is at the MAC Michigan schools.

The Rocket student section has been phenomenal.

(09-14-2022 10:27 AM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(09-14-2022 10:00 AM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  

(09-13-2022 10:14 AM)GRBRONCO Wrote:  The MAC sucks because our alumni suck. Our crowds our pathetic. I've seen several sunbelt games with packed stadiums. This is what recruits like.

Yes, like students wearing Ohio State Buckeye gear on gameday throughout campus at Miami or wearing Wolverine jerseys at WMU. The majority of MAC students have no pride in their college, they secretly wish they were in Columbus or Ann Arbor. If you aren't from Ohio and attend a MAC Ohio school, you will surely be puzzled at the crazy cult-like OSU crowd. I now get creeped out anytime I see or hear about "The Buckeyes" or "THE Ohio State". It totally disgusts me and puzzles me. The students wearing Buckeye gear at MAC Ohio campuses are completely pathetic. I can only assume the same is at the MAC Michigan schools.

The Rocket student section has been phenomenal.

Good to hear.

(09-12-2022 11:22 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  

(09-12-2022 10:36 PM)OhioBobcatJohn Wrote:  MAC handling covid-19 was a disaster that set the conference back several years. Ohio one of the most consistent programs under Solich played three games that year and the lack of development set them farther back. Ohio was slipping in recruiting at the end of the Solich era. The rest of the MAC a similar deal. Sun Belt played thru Covid-19. MAC waived the white flag. The presidents running the MAC made terrible decisions based on fear and a political agenda. What a joke. They reversed course when the ACC, Big 12, Sun Belt and SEC did just fine, but lost out on half the season and schools like Ohio handled covid so badly they only played 3 games. Ohio was behind all last season. Buffalo same boat as Ohio. 2020 set them back years too.

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NIL another disaster for the MAC. Akron built a nice stadium and can't fill it. Kent State has large enrollment and can't fill their stadium. Add Youngstown State and Grand Valley State to MAC and that would lite a fire under the rest of the MAC. I bet those two schools would grow and thrive in the MAC. Akron has had 25 years and wasted that time to build its football program. Add Youngstown State and watch Akron and Kent State get motivated. When Marshall was added that motivated Ohio to get better.

I think Ball State handled the covid year well. UB too. They were afterall in the title game... Not something either do very often in this conference.

Lots of the things you touched on are program and funding flaws. A full season with no or limited fans wouldnt have changed that. Perhaps the limited games hampered development but good programs fight thru that (HELLO NIU FROM LAST TO FIRST). Sorry about Solich, but last years team under Solich wouldnt be good either. Arth isnt a 6 game worse coach.

YSU and GVSU arent gona do sh!t motivating Akron or EMU... If they need that to continue building, then they belong in the FCS or D2 anyway. I dont think they do.

Akron has sucked at football there is no doubt about that, but it's not because they don't try. They spent all that money on a football stadium and have paid large buyouts to their last 3 coaches because they inspired to want to be better. Some MAC programs would have waited until the contracts ran out as they would be unwilling to spend the money to move on.

Akron's problem is they have just had a string of bad coaching hires.

(09-15-2022 04:41 PM)kreed5120 Wrote:  

(09-12-2022 11:22 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  

(09-12-2022 10:36 PM)OhioBobcatJohn Wrote:  MAC handling covid-19 was a disaster that set the conference back several years. Ohio one of the most consistent programs under Solich played three games that year and the lack of development set them farther back. Ohio was slipping in recruiting at the end of the Solich era. The rest of the MAC a similar deal. Sun Belt played thru Covid-19. MAC waived the white flag. The presidents running the MAC made terrible decisions based on fear and a political agenda. What a joke. They reversed course when the ACC, Big 12, Sun Belt and SEC did just fine, but lost out on half the season and schools like Ohio handled covid so badly they only played 3 games. Ohio was behind all last season. Buffalo same boat as Ohio. 2020 set them back years too.

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NIL another disaster for the MAC. Akron built a nice stadium and can't fill it. Kent State has large enrollment and can't fill their stadium. Add Youngstown State and Grand Valley State to MAC and that would lite a fire under the rest of the MAC. I bet those two schools would grow and thrive in the MAC. Akron has had 25 years and wasted that time to build its football program. Add Youngstown State and watch Akron and Kent State get motivated. When Marshall was added that motivated Ohio to get better.

I think Ball State handled the covid year well. UB too. They were afterall in the title game... Not something either do very often in this conference.

Lots of the things you touched on are program and funding flaws. A full season with no or limited fans wouldnt have changed that. Perhaps the limited games hampered development but good programs fight thru that (HELLO NIU FROM LAST TO FIRST). Sorry about Solich, but last years team under Solich wouldnt be good either. Arth isnt a 6 game worse coach.

YSU and GVSU arent gona do sh!t motivating Akron or EMU... If they need that to continue building, then they belong in the FCS or D2 anyway. I dont think they do.

Akron has sucked at football there is no doubt about that, but it's not because they don't try. They spent all that money on a football stadium and have paid large buyouts to their last 3 coaches because they inspired to want to be better. Some MAC programs would have waited until the contracts ran out as they would be unwilling to spend the money to move on.

Akron's problem is they have just had a string of bad coaching hires.

CMU knows that all too well. We get great coaches then busts, rinse and repeat lol

(09-13-2022 10:14 AM)GRBRONCO Wrote:  The MAC sucks because our alumni suck. Our crowds our pathetic. I've seen several sunbelt games with packed stadiums. This is what recruits like.

Ding ding ding!

A question for MAC people. I have been involved in highschool athletics for 30 years in GA and have had many conversations with various college recruiters. Had recent conversation with a CUSA school recruiter got me wondering. He was passing thru on his way to Florida and stopped by to check in on a kid at the highschool where I work..He said it was a longshot simply because CUSA doesn't have a presence in GA. He said it was damn near impossible to recruit where you don't play, unless you're a National name or have a huge recruiting budget, and his school has neither. But, he was optimistic about the future of CUSA because of the Texas and Florida recruiting opportunities the conference possesses. He directly mentioned the MAC as a conference with very little speed because they have a hard time recruiting the South and can't compete with the big boys in Ohio and Michigan for the available talent in those good recruiting states..All this was to set up a question. Has the MAC considered expanding South back into Florida or maybe GA? Or is that a nonstarter because of the experience of UCF quickly dipping out years ago? Just curious..

Dear Tmac13,
You will probably get twenty different opinions on expansion, but as to recruiting, I think the MAC schools do fairly well in recruiting Southern States. I know my school, Eastern Michigan, has done well in recruiting both Florida and Georgia.

(09-16-2022 12:21 PM)Tmac13 Wrote:  A question for MAC people. I have been involved in highschool athletics for 30 years in GA and have had many conversations with various college recruiters. Had recent conversation with a CUSA school recruiter got me wondering. He was passing thru on his way to Florida and stopped by to check in on a kid at the highschool where I work..He said it was a longshot simply because CUSA doesn't have a presence in GA. He said it was damn near impossible to recruit where you don't play, unless you're a National name or have a huge recruiting budget, and his school has neither. But, he was optimistic about the future of CUSA because of the Texas and Florida recruiting opportunities the conference possesses. He directly mentioned the MAC as a conference with very little speed because they have a hard time recruiting the South and can't compete with the big boys in Ohio and Michigan for the available talent in those good recruiting states..All this was to set up a question. Has the MAC considered expanding South back into Florida or maybe GA? Or is that a nonstarter because of the experience of UCF quickly dipping out years ago? Just curious..

Quit trolling. We have as much or more NFL players than the other G5 leagues. Khalil Mack too slow? Dionte Johnson? Max Crosby? Corey Davis? Sky Moore gona be a bust with his 4.28 speed?

The MAC has lacked QBs of late. And Most MAC rosters are loaded with southern talent. In 2000 Toledos whole roster was NWO and SE Michigan. Now its a hodgepodge of the entire country.

(09-16-2022 07:06 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  Quit trolling. We have as much or more NFL players than the other G5 leagues. Khalil Mack too slow? Dionte Johnson? Max Crosby? Corey Davis? Sky Moore gona be a bust with his 4.28 speed?

The MAC has lacked QBs of late. And Most MAC rosters are loaded with southern talent. In 2000 Toledos whole roster was NWO and SE Michigan. Now its a hodgepodge of the entire country.

I can't speak for the MAC, but from a Marshall perspective, we heavily recruit FL, but since Huff, we have expanded our recruiting focus to the D.C./Northern VA area and (believe it or not), WV.

The SunBelt is riding high; College GameDay at App. State with the cherry on top being that amazing Hail Mary being answered.

MAC is way behind every other conference. The conference wanted to cancel the entire season 2 years ago and the Sun Belt played an entire season. Coast Carolina, Louisiana and Appy State benefited a lot the national exposure from getting national TV games that year vs the Big 12.

Quote:MAC is way behind every other conference.

I disagree on the Way behind.

Rice handily beats Louisiana [SBC top-dog]
Memphis beats Ark State in a close game [AAC upper team; Ark state not good]
BGSU beats Marshall who beat @ND week previous [SBC upper team]
EMU whips @Arizona State [P12 team]
Buffalo gives @Coastal Carolina all they can handle [SBC upper team]
Southern Illinois beats @Northwestern [B1G loses to bad D1AA]
San Diego State gets crushed by @Utah
Fresno Crushed by @USC

WEEK 2:
UCF loses to Louisville at home, getting shut out 2nd half [Not impressive ACC team vs AAC high-level]
Incarnate Word handily beats @Nevada, scoring 55 on them
Coastal Carolina barely gets by a D1AA
Utah State gets Crushed by D1AA

WEEK 1:
W Kentucky rallies to beat D1AA
D1AA beats Charlotte
Louisiana beats SE Louisiana 24-7. Not impressive [SBC top dog]
Ohio beats FL-Atlantic [Bottom MAC vs mid-range CUSA]

Point is -- there are raised eyebrows and question-marks around. MW is down this year, as is the MAC somewhat. I would give the MAC a slight edge over CUSA.

KEY GAMES FOR FINAL DETERMINATION UNTIL BOWL SEASON:
- WMU @ SJSU : SJSU played Auburn tough, but didn't crush Portland State, a good D1AA
- Kent State @ Georgia : Can KSU hang for a quarter? Put up some points? KSU has no D, but ya never know!
- CMU @ Penn State : Can CMU make a statement that they have things together? PSU definitely looks like a B1G title contender this year.
- BGSU @ Miss State : Can BGSU get over their Marshall win and push Miss State back somewhat?
- Toledo @ SDSU : Toledo can make a statement here
- Akron @ Liberty : Can Akron PLEASE put up a fight?
- Fordham @ Ohio : Ohio sucks this year but beat a CUSA team. Fordham's 3-0 and scored 40+ pts each time, ranked #21. Ohio can't lose this.
- Ball State @ GA-Southern : The MAC strikes back?
- NIU @ Kentucky : Is Rocky cumming back to give Kentucky a challenge?
- Miami-OH @ Northwestern : Is Miami going to have their ducks in a row on O? NW is beatable. A good MAC win it'd be!

TCU @ SMU : Should be interesting
South Florida @ Louisville : This time pull the upset? Louisville shouldn't be all that great
UMass @ Temple : Will Temple stomp them or have a close one?
Middle Tenn @ Miami-FL : Can MTSU hang a bit? Or get Crushed?
Indiana @ Cinci : Indiana is unpredictable. Is Cinci that good or not?
Tulsa @ Ole Miss : Would be a good win for AAC
Rice @ Houston : Houston got whipped by a much improved Kansas team, and lost to TTech in a close one earlier. Rice may be a bit better -- loss would hurt the AAC
Southern Miss @ Tulane : Tulane beat Kansas State. Would hurt AAC to lose this one
LA Tech @ S Alabama: S Alabama's definitely contending for the SBC title. LA Tech losing this one Big will make the CMU game look not too bad
Charlotte @ South Carolina : S Carolina is going to be low on the SEC totem pole. If Charlotte gets crushed, won't make CUSA look good
FL-Atlantic @ Purdue : Would be good for CUSA to have a close game; probably not tho

(09-13-2022 06:33 PM)herdfifteen Wrote:  Nick your VanDelaySports coverage was terrific. It was the best MAC coverage available and I relied on it for years. Congratulations on a terrific job, glad you posted, it brought back many great memories!

Nick, I want to second Herds comments. Missed your posts and knowledge of MAC football. You were MONEY on your handicapping picks. Hope all is well.

(09-17-2022 11:26 PM)OhioBobcatJohn Wrote:  MAC is way behind every other conference. The conference wanted to cancel the entire season 2 years ago and the Sun Belt played an entire season. Coast Carolina, Louisiana and Appy State benefited a lot the national exposure from getting national TV games that year vs the Big 12.

COVID year has nothing to do with it. This has been years, even decades, in the making driven by population and enrollment patterns.

And remember, the MAC knocked off 4 P5 programs last year, the same amount the Sun Belt has bagged thus far, including a team that went to an NY6 bowl.

(09-18-2022 07:20 PM)toddjnsn Wrote:  - NIU @ Kentucky : Is Rocky cumming back to give Kentucky a challenge?

NIU should rest anyone nursing injuries and focus on getting healthy for MAC play. We have little chance to beat Kentucky.

We had multiple starters leave yesterday's game with injuries -- #1 QB Rocky Lombardi, #1 WR Cole Tucker (became our #1 WR due to Rudolph's preseason injury), #1 CB Jordan Gandy, and backup corner Eric Rogers.

Our #1 RB Harrison Waylee was also limping around after multiple plays.

Quote:NIU should rest anyone nursing injuries and focus on getting healthy for MAC play. We have little chance to beat Kentucky.

I agree, rest for conference play. And yes, NIU totally errors on the side of sitting folks down (see WMU @NIU last year).

But myself, I'd put Rocky in if he can play. Same with the others. But then again, I'm not for NIU specifically, but for the MAC.

(09-19-2022 02:19 AM)toddjnsn Wrote:  

Quote:NIU should rest anyone nursing injuries and focus on getting healthy for MAC play. We have little chance to beat Kentucky.

I agree, rest for conference play. And yes, NIU totally errors on the side of sitting folks down (see WMU @NIU last year).

But myself, I'd put Rocky in if he can play. Same with the others. But then again, I'm not for NIU specifically, but for the MAC.

Last year, Hammock claimed he would have played Rocky against WMU if he had been able to. I'm not so sure but that's what he said.

In this case, it might be safer to just let Hampton play; however, it would get really ugly, really fast. If we have any running QBs that can play, we should probably play them, because our QB is going to be doing a lot of running in any case.

(09-19-2022 02:19 AM)toddjnsn Wrote:  

Quote:NIU should rest anyone nursing injuries and focus on getting healthy for MAC play. We have little chance to beat Kentucky.

I agree, rest for conference play. And yes, NIU totally errors on the side of sitting folks down (see WMU @NIU last year).

But myself, I'd put Rocky in if he can play. Same with the others. But then again, I'm not for NIU specifically, but for the MAC.

If we were 2-1 or 3-0, as we should be, then I'd play Rocky. But since we are going in with a 1-2 record a win doesn't matter. Even in the small chance we won, we wouldn't be ranked at 2-2 and we still wouldn't be unless we won out (which isn't going to happen). By week 6 everyone would have forgotten we beat #8 Kentucky.

(09-19-2022 12:12 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(09-19-2022 02:19 AM)toddjnsn Wrote:  

Quote:NIU should rest anyone nursing injuries and focus on getting healthy for MAC play. We have little chance to beat Kentucky.

I agree, rest for conference play. And yes, NIU totally errors on the side of sitting folks down (see WMU @NIU last year).

But myself, I'd put Rocky in if he can play. Same with the others. But then again, I'm not for NIU specifically, but for the MAC.

If we were 2-1 or 3-0, as we should be, then I'd play Rocky. But since we are going in with a 1-2 record a win doesn't matter. Even in the small chance we won, we wouldn't be ranked at 2-2 and we still wouldn't be unless we won out (which isn't going to happen). By week 6 everyone would have forgotten we beat #8 Kentucky.

Itd be a nice win for the MAC nonetheless.