BG picked 3rd in the East...

[Falconfreak90]

By MAC Media. I think that is a sign of respect for what our program has done over the years. Ohio was picked 1st followed by the school in Oxford. Akron, UB and Kent round it out after the Falcons. Let the target be on someone else's back for a change. We will be a better team this year.

tsun was the runaway choice to win the West and MAC title game. Pressure is on this year for them...if they don't get it done this year, they never will. WMU, NIU, EMU, CMU and Ball State after the scuds. I think CMU is a little low but that is a very competitive division now that EMU is playing much better.

38 days til kickoff~

[mbenecke]

I think 3rd in the East is pretty accurate. I think Ohio and Miami are clearly the top 2 on our side (although I think we catch one of them sleeping this year) and I think we are definitely better than Kent, Buffalo, and Akron.

Toledo tends to choke when they have expectations, so I kind of doubt their ability to win the MAC (or even make it to Detroit, really).

[BGSU33]

In the East, the game I have pegged to determine the East for the last several years has been the BG-OU game, as the winner of the BG-OU game has gone on to play in the MACC Championship in each of the last 4 years. This year I'm changing it up as I don't think BG is at OU's level again this year. Ohio has been locked in as one of the top teams in the East for a number of years now. When Dave Clawson came to BG he declared Ohio was the team to beat, and when BG finally started beating OU, BG started going to the MACC and also started winning MAC Titles again, despite still losing to Toledo in the regular season. People want to talk about UT being BG's biggest game every year, but it's not. Yes, it's BG's biggest rival to play, but history has proven BG can lose to UT and still win a MACC. But you can't even get to the MACC to compete for a title unless you win your division. Just ask Toledo, they've owned BG, but has not even played in the MACC during that stretch, let alone win a MACC. The NIU games were UT's biggest games, not the BG ones. I could see BG finishing 3rd or 4th in the East this year. I agree with the poll as do think OU and UT will win their divisions and that OU and UT will play in the MACC in a rematch (as they also play in the regular season).

[Falconfreak90]

I'm not sure Ohio and Miami are all that much better than us. When you turn the ball over 33 effin times in a year, you give games away. OU and Miami are prime examples last year. Winnable games but we gave them away with stupid TO's. 3rd is perfect IMO to start the year and probably right as the teams stand now. OU does get Miami and tsun at Pedan so those will be BiG games.

This year the league is wide open and tsun is the preseason fave de facto. Pressure is on just to make the MACC for the first time since 2004. They have talent, as they always do, and getting WMU and NIU at the glASS Bowl is huge. But there is a mental block up there when it comes to winning the division...same as the mental block we have with them recently. Until you get it done, it's always in the back of the mind.

I am picking BG and WMU to win the divisions. Yeah, I am biased and a homer with orange glasses.