The rest of the MACS ooc

[Globetrotter]

I live 2 hours away, there are 15-20 other games on TV that day I can watch (that may be an overexageration) and want to watch, there is a party with over a million people 20 blocks away....

Going to BG will always be a production for me. Why go when it is going to be 4 hours of drive time, I am going to miss 4 hours of other football, 4 hours of working out, going to OSU's tailgate etc. If BG had a tailgate in anyway similar to OSUs that might be more enticing. I have tailgated at BG once and went their for 5 years and went to most games. If they somehow made it a big party like it is at OSU then you might get more fans to come. Why not a big screen outside after the games with a big tent where they will serve beer and have bands. Why not just try it? You might not get many people but the kids might come down? Why doesnt a building across the street just try it? Can you rent a jumbo tron? Can you rope of an area like hineygate and show other games? Why would it not be worth trying?

It obviously cant be done in BGs parking lots but it still can be done. Block off that parking lot across the street where the chinese buffet is.

Give people other reasons to come down, package BG football with other things.

[Globetrotter]

When we play FIU does Central florida, FSU, Miami and Florida all play at the same time?

if we are on the tube or the only game in town and show our offense that might be really good.

[JoeFalcon]

Just looking at Grants sheet, done wonderfully I must say, we dont have a very solid OOC.

Ball State: Indiana;@Purdue;N. Dakota State;@Michigan
Central Michigan: Boston College;@Michigan;@Kentucky:@Temple
E. Michigan: @MSU;@Northwestern;@UL Lafayette;Navy
N. Illinois: @OSU;Indiana State;Temple;@Iowa
Toledo: @Iowa State; Kansas; McNeese State; @Pitt
Western: @Indiana; @ Virginia; Temple; @Florida State

Akron:@ Penn State; North Texas State; @NC State; @Cincinnati
BG: Neutral Wisconsin; @OSU; @Temple; @FIU
Buffalo: Temple; @ Auburn; @BC; @Wisconsin
Kent: @Temple; @ Va Tech; @Army; Minnesota
Miami: Northwestern; @ Purdue, @Syracuse, @Cincinnati
OU: @ Rutgers; @ Missouri, Tennessee-Martin; @ illinois

We travel to the worst two teams of any team anyone travels to. How can we possibly not have one real home OOC game. I must have been out of the loop whent he rage happened about this? We seem to be getting walked on. 2 Big paydays tho.

I would say Miami has the best schedule in teams of they play the best teams total. I may be giving too much to cuse and cincy tho. Buffalo plays the heaviest schedule.

How in the World did Ball State get Indiana at home, Central get BC, Eastern gets Navy, Kent gets Minnesota; Miami gets Northwestern;

After Wisconsin (last seen pounding a 10 win Auburn team on New Year's Day) and Ohio State, we could play I-AA's the rest of the season and it still might not cancel those two out. BG's schedule was rated the 5th toughest in the nation in the Sporting News College Football Preview Magazine...not the MAC, the country. Buffalo, Western and Central are the only schools that come close.

The only winning OOC Miami plays is Northwestern, which says all you need to know about their schedule.

I've long argued that Wisconsin at Browns Stadium is better than any middling BCS team at home, but a home game with Minnesota is upcoming for those who envy that type of thing.

[Ineedbotox]

BG's schedule was rated the 5th toughest in the nation in the Sporting News College Football Preview Magazine...not the MAC, the country.

I'm gonna have to call BS on that one.

[JoeFalcon]

BG's schedule was rated the 5th toughest in the nation in the Sporting News College Football Preview Magazine...not the MAC, the country.

I'm gonna have to call BS on that one.

Buy the magazine! The schedule analysis was meant to be comparative/relative, anyway, with road games factoring in heavily as well.

Mississippi State might have a tougher schedule by virture of playing in the SEC, but they're in the SEC and have comprable funding and resources to match such opponents.

They specifically mentioned Wisconsin along with these minefields: AT Ohio State, AT Akron (pre-season MAC favorite) and AT Toledo.

If anything, they underestimated the relative difficulty of this schedule.

[Ineedbotox]

BG's schedule was rated the 5th toughest in the nation in the Sporting News College Football Preview Magazine...not the MAC, the country.

I'm gonna have to call BS on that one.

Buy the magazine! The schedule analysis was meant to be comparative/relative, anyway, with road games factoring in heavily as well.

Mississippi State might have a tougher schedule by virture of playing in the SEC, but they're in the SEC and have comprable funding and resources to match such opponents.

They specifically mentioned Wisconsin along with these minefields: AT Ohio State, AT Akron (pre-season MAC favorite) and AT Toledo.

If anything, they underestimated the relative difficulty of this schedule.

I wasn't calling BS on you. Just the statement in general. But then you went & said they underestimated the difficulty of the scheule.

I think it was in the SI rating thread, but someone said we play the bottom 4-6 teams from that preseason rating. Maybe it's just looking at my other favorite team's schedule, but I'd personally rather be playing Kent, Akron and Toledo than playing Texas, TCU & Texas Tech. But hey, we're all entitled to an opinion.

[Warthog]

I was gonna call BS as well. No way in hell we have the fifth toughest schedule. But, if they truly evaluated the schedules based on resources, conference, etc., then yes, a MAC team playing two top Big Ten teams and on the road at Toledo and Akron does make for a difficult schedule. Relatively speaking that is.

I am sure UK and PGY would argue that, for example, Kentucky plays a much more difficult schedule. But Kentucky does have the resources and means to compete with the teams they are playing. So they don't have that excuse. I truly think this line of thinking makes sense and am surprised to see a national publication use this type of logic.

It is this same type of thinking that needs to be applied to the BCS and to a greater extent, the NCAA Basketball tourny. MAC teams need to get credit for going 16-2 or something like that in the MAC because they are beating teams of similar resources. What does it prove when a team like Wake Forest or Georgia Tech goes 6-10 in the ACC yet makes the tourney? Sure, they can beat up the smaller guys in the preseason but that is mainly because they can 'out-resource' them, if that makes sense.

[BGSUFootballFan]

I agree with you 100% Warthog. If you look at it in a compartive manner all of those statements can be held true. If you are looking at it saying everyone has equal resources, money, education, facilities, and enrollment then its total BS. It is equally as hard for BG to dominate the MAC as it is for someone to dominate another conference. However that does not mean if BG dominated the MAC and OSU dominated the Big10 that the two are equal. I also agree with BG playing the relative 5th toughest schedule. We are on the road at OSU. That would be like OSU on the road at the Pittsburgh Steelers or something. My point is OSU is so far above our heads in many aspects as a school and football program that there is no one in the country that OSU could play to equate what it is for us. Not even Texas would come close, because that would be like BG playing a Boise or Fresno. Hope that made sense.

[Warthog]

Yep, that makes sense, but it had a little too much of a tekinini sound to it.

[Falconfreak90]

You dont think there is anything wrong with this, except we have no home games. Hmm. That seems like a pretty large except.

I will likely go to the BG v Wisconsin game and that is it. I live in Columbus and no other game will entice me this year. None. Minnesota or Indiana or whomever would. I might go to OU for that game, but I will not be in the Doyt this year for any reason.

Sounds like you're one heck of a fan. No other game but Wisky entices you. Please. With that attitude, maybe you should find another team (I hear there is one in your back yard). We have enough fans like that already.

I go to 9-12 games a year, home and away, to see the FALCONS play...not the team on the other side of the field.

While it sux we don't have any OOC games at the Doyt this year (thanks, again, to the MAC office...not BGSU), playing Wisky in Cleveland and having it count as a home game is pretty sweet.

GO FALCONS!

That's the thing though Freak. You're special. I go to all the games at the Doyt & usually try to throw a road trip or something in there (this year I'll count the UW game), but I don't think we can expect everyone to do that. Certainly not when they live 2 hours away. I know you do it, but it's asking for a LOT to find hundreds, or even thousands, of fans like you.

I love going to the BG games, and I love the tailgating experience, but I'll readily admit that if I lived 2 hours away from the Doyt I'd have a real hard time getting geared up about making the 4 hour round trip journey to watch BG throttle Buffalo. For you it's about BG (and the tailgating;)), as it is for a few of the rest of us. But for a large portion of the fanbase it's going to be about the games, and what kind of competition it will be.

People will say that teams like OSU get their stadiums filled for every game, and they do, but there is a reason. There fanbase is probably 100x the size of ours, but their stadium only holds 4x as many people. As a result it is nearly impossible to get tickets for the most desirable games. That leaves only the games that are seen as patsies for some people to get any chance at making it to a game. I know that I've attended OSU games against the likes of KSU or Akron, not because I wanted to go to the game, but because it was going to be my only opportunity to see OSU that year.

I guess my point is that even the largest schools don't have that many fans that are going to flock 2 hours to see a mediocre game against perceived inferior competition. You just don't notice it because there is such a demand for tickets. Personally, I cannot begrudge anyone who says they can only make it to one or two games a year. And, obviously those types of fans are going to choose the premiere matchups to attend, it's only natural.

Just so long as those same fans are not the ones bemoaning our poor attendance showing after they read the box score, I can deal with it. There are a multitude of reasons why some people could be limited to just one game, and I think it's very far fetched to expect an entire fan base that is as dedicated as you are.

Fair enough, hammb. But MA mentioned he won't be going to the Doyt for ANY reason this year. As much as he's here talking BG football, IMO, it seems he would show more interest in going to the Doyt...no matter who BG plays. Even if it was only 1 game. Seems he'd rather go party at Heineygate, work out or stay home and watch all these other teams than go to the Doyt to watch the Falcons. Fine...his choice. More power to him. But the way his post was worded was odd to me.

BG football is so important to me and I plan my schedule around games in the fall every year. I have no loyalty to any other school and don't follow the NFL. That means BGSU football has my undivided attention....every year. BG football is my drug of choice...

[Bleeding Orange]

BG football is my drug of choice...

And yes, you have a very serious problem.

I agree with Freak's assessment. MA's post doesn't make very much sense, and in some ways comes off as quite insulting. Still, I'm a little like Freak, so take that for what it's worth.

[Globetrotter]

Why not a big screen outside after the games with a big tent where they will serve beer and have bands. Why not just try it? You might not get many people but the kids might come down? Why doesnt a building across the street just try it? Can you rent a jumbo tron? Can you rope of an area like hineygate and show other games? Why would it not be worth trying?

It obviously cant be done in BGs parking lots but it still can be done. Block off that parking lot across the street where the chinese buffet is.

Give people other reasons to come down, package BG football with other things.

It would be very difficult for me to talk anyone down here into going to a game with me against Eastern Michigan. Very hard. make the game a part of a larger event....not too hard.