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I just heard something on a podcast that said BG is the only team in the country to not beat an FBS team that has an FBS win this season. At first it sounded like it couldn't be right, but when I looked it up, it was indeed correct. BG only has 3 wins with them coming against teams that are a combined 1-20 with the lone win vs an FCS opponent:

Fordham (0-7)
Akron (1-6)
Kent State (0-7)

Now we all know the Penn St and Texas A&M games were truly competitive battles. Even in a pair of losses, this team battled the entire game on both contests. But in both the peer-type games vs ODU and NIU, we couldn't get it done in either one. I mentioned in the NIU thread how aside from a pair of wins vs Toledo, this staff has continuously come up short in pivotal MAC games in the last five years. Granted, the first couple years were a mess, but in the last few years, each time BG has faced a truly important MAC game (like the NIU game two week ago), they have often lost. In fact, outside of those two wins vs UT, I can't even find a win that would qualify as a "solid" MAC win in what would have been considered an important conference matchup. The conference wins were vs bad teams or teams with losing records. This game vs Toledo is a must-win game for BG. And it's exactly the kind of game this program needs to win to one, stay in the MACC race this year, and two, beat a conference team that's actually worth a damn. BG's three wins this year would have also been three wins for nearly every FBS team this season. It's time to finally win a game against a team with a pulse like this one.

The standard has never been lower. 23-39 with many of those wins vs. Akron and Kent St. The good old boys got exactly what they wanted minus actual winning.

Here we are again, staring another big MAC game in the eyes. While this program hasn't played in many true meaningful MAC games since SL took over, they have beaten Toledo a few times in pivotal games but really haven't had a meaningful win vs a conference opponent other than Toledo. And by meaningful, I'm referring to a critical conference matchup with MACC ramifications on the line for both teams. The first three years BG didn't even factor in the mix of any, so I'm not even looking at those years. But in the last three years, BG has played in a number of theses kind of games and has only beaten twice Toledo in them. They lost all the rest. This will be the 10th game where BG is playing a MAC contender while being in contention itself in the last three years (2022-2024). BG is just 2-7 in those matchups:

- Earlier this year BG was completely shut down at home to NIU 17-7 before beating Toledo 41-26 (BG is 1-1 this year).

- Last year, BG got obliterated in the MAC opener by Ohio 38-7 before being shellacked by Miami 27-0 in the next MAC contest before having its heart ripped out by Toledo by 1 point on a 4th down play at the end to lose 32-31 (BG went 0-3 in 2023).

- In 2022, BG got steamrolled by Buffalo 38-7 at home in its MAC opener and got destroyed by Kent State 40-6. BG did beat Toledo 42-35 in a helluva game to give the Falcons one last crack at the MACC, only to be crushed by an Ohio team with its backup QB one week later 38-14 (BG went 1-3 in 2022).

We're now facing WMU at home, as both BG and WMU sit wrapped up in a 4-way tie for 1st place with just three games to go, in a HUGE game for both teams! This game feels very much like the NIU game did to me. And we all know how that game went. But that's in the past, and this game is out there to win and would allow this team to control its own destiny. A win over WMU would be a massive boost and really put BG into position for a serious run at Detroit. Lose it, and you're going to have to win out and need help and probably get left out. And remember, Miami still looms on the schedule. Bottom line, BG must in this game and it would be the first meaningful MAC win over a team other than Toledo in the SL era with MACC ramifications for both teams.