Athlon picks BG #103 nationally

[bgsufalcon24]

I don't think that we will be one of the worst 20 teams in college football this year, but I can certainly see why they ranked us at #103. We lost our quarterback, his two big WR targets and our all-everything RB and his backup. We lost two defensive captains and our two best DBs from last year. Those losses came from a team that went 6-5 with wins over Temple, Buffalo, and Kent State. Putting down the kool-aid and based on those losses alone, I can see how an outsider would rank us that low. I hope the guys can prove the "experts" wrong.

I agree, I think the Falcons should be a little higher, but 103 isn't as 'bogus' as many feel here, IMO. I think 80-90 would be about right. We lost a ton from last year's slightly above-mediocre team.

Just trying to view it without the brown & orange glasses on.

Perhaps I'm wearing the O&B glasses, but I'm of the opinion that the program has advanced well past the point of worrying about being in the bottom 20 of D-1. Like I've written before, I think the defense will be better than last year's defense, and I think the offense certainly will be better than the non-Omar offense of last year. Many on AZZ focus on how much BG lost from an 6-5 team, but I think the team would have been 8-3 if Omar hadn't of been injured. AT got some playing experience and some other guys got another season under their belt. I expect this team to get at least 7 regular season wins.

We lost a minimum of 2 games due to Omar's absence. We were cruising against WMU until Omar went out, if he doesn't get injured, the momentum doesn't completely swing against us and we win most likely. Secondly, if Omar is playing, not only do we beat Akron, but we beat them halfway around Lake Erie and back. They were probably the biggest fluke champion the MAC has ever seen, completely capitalizing on our misfortune.

[Falconfreak90]

I don't think that we will be one of the worst 20 teams in college football this year, but I can certainly see why they ranked us at #103. We lost our quarterback, his two big WR targets and our all-everything RB and his backup. We lost two defensive captains and our two best DBs from last year. Those losses came from a team that went 6-5 with wins over Temple, Buffalo, and Kent State. Putting down the kool-aid and based on those losses alone, I can see how an outsider would rank us that low. I hope the guys can prove the "experts" wrong.

I agree, I think the Falcons should be a little higher, but 103 isn't as 'bogus' as many feel here, IMO. I think 80-90 would be about right. We lost a ton from last year's slightly above-mediocre team.

Just trying to view it without the brown & orange glasses on.

Perhaps I'm wearing the O&B glasses, but I'm of the opinion that the program has advanced well past the point of worrying about being in the bottom 20 of D-1. Like I've written before, I think the defense will be better than last year's defense, and I think the offense certainly will be better than the non-Omar offense of last year. Many on AZZ focus on how much BG lost from an 6-5 team, but I think the team would have been 8-3 if Omar hadn't of been injured. AT got some playing experience and some other guys got another season under their belt. I expect this team to get at least 7 regular season wins.

Secondly, if Omar is playing, not only do we beat Akron, but we beat them halfway around Lake Erie and back. They were probably the biggest fluke champion the MAC has ever seen, completely capitalizing on our misfortune.

Akron needed about 10 things to happen in the last 2 weeks of the season for them to win the East tie breakers and it fell like dominos for them. Hey, they did what they needed to do but we gave them the game at the Doyt. AT throws a pick in the end zone on the first drive of the game and Pope fumbled into the end zone in the 2nd half. We killed ourselves with that. BG could have easily won that game 28 or 31-17. Akron's last score was set up late in the game when BG went for it on 4th down deep in our own territory. BG was down 17-14 at the time. BG didn't convert and the Zips scored with about a minute or so left to put it out of reach. BG beat up Luke Getsy all game. Brent Biggs was the only thing Akron was able to use to move on us.

We beat ourselves more than Akron beat us and I think we're gonna beat them at the Rubber Bowl this season.

[mmisbg]

I have the 2004 edition of Athlon magazine in front of me.

They forcasted us at 71st.

That was with 19 returning starters.

The only thing worth while about this magazine is the wonderful picture they had of Matt Jones on the other page.

I am glad you brought it up though, because I'm running low on toilet paper.

Let's face it. We have a rebuilding year ahead of us. ESPN and FoxSports had decent things to say about our defense during spring play. That, combined with a stout offensive line and our special teams issues resolved, might make for a tough football team by mid-season. But, we shouldn't expect those publications to have their stuff straight.

Take collegefootballnews.com for example. I've seen years where their rankings of the teams (after bowl season ended) weren't anywhere close to what they should have been in the 50-119 range. They rank certain teams ahead of other teams that they got slaughtered by when they played. They just don't pay attention. One would think the source providing analysis for Fox would, but they don't.

My opinion: They write what they write because they trying to sell as many magazines as possible. That's why EVERY big name school will be ranked in the top 25......and so on and so on.

See you in Cleveland. Go Falcons!

[Falconfreak90]

Good points, mmisbg.

The thing I don't get with the Athlon prediction is this....

BG has 10-11 starters coming back and was picked 4th in the East and 103rd nationally.

Miami University, with 6 total starters coming back (4 on O and 2 on D) , was picked to win the East and is 76th nationally. Josh Betts and Martin Nance are not there anymore.

How is Miami 30 places better than BGSU? Especially after we drilled them 42-14 last year and get them at home this season....

I understand people that don't follow the MAC think "Well, BG lost a ton of skill players and they'll fall back". I don't think we're as barren as they think. Yes we need young guys to step up but our recruiting has been excellent, at least on paper, the last few years. Now, we'll find out just how good.

I think the strength of the team will be the O line...how far BG goes in '06 depends on the big boys up front.

My 2 cents....

It all gets going in 86 days...GO FALCONS!!!

[mmisbg]

The only reason I can think of for that is the fact that Miami did what they did with Josh Betts.

For all the talk of Omar's throwing mechanics.....I think that a poorly trained monkey would have better throwing mechanics than Josh Betts (see: footage from that OSU game last year).....and yet, Miami STILL had great passing statistics.

I guess you COULD say that BG needed a prolific QB to do what they did, and Miami didn't.

But, I'm done playing Devil's Advocate, because I totally agree with what you said.

Oh well. I'm off to Florida.

Go Falcons!

[Schadenfreude]

Nick Vandelay asked me to post this. His password isn't working:

For those who do not know, I write the majority of the Athlon articles for
their college football preview mag. Matt Markey (Toledo Blade) wrote the
Toledo article and I believe the BG team preview too. I wrote the MAC
overview, predictions, all recruiting data, and team articles for KSU, BSU
and the three Michigan schools. I also 'advise' the editors on where to
place the MAC teams in their 119-team national ranking. This year they
really low-balled many of my MAC team placings. For BG, I recommended
somewhere in the 80s. I figured they could beat everyone in Sun Belt, about
70% of the WAC and about 60% of CrapUSA on any given Saturday. Toss in
Temple, Army, and a few BCS teams like Baylor and Indiana, and that (80s)
seemed pretty logical to me even with so many question marks this year
around BG's QB change and defensive issues. Sadly, the editors listed more
to a national college analyst from the Washington Post than me.

I take these previews and predictions very seriously and every year I take
off my Toledo alumni hat to be as accurate as possible. Obviously if I was
wrong year in and year out, they would have replaced me sometime over the
past six years. I spoke to the Athlon editors about a couple of issues I
had two weeks ago when the previews hit the newstands. That is also the
first time I see the finished product too. Hopefully next year they will
take my suggestions to heart. I also met with Rick Chryst (I work across
the street from the MAC office in downtown Cleveland) last week for him to
contact this Washington Post writer to educate him a little more on the
quality of the MAC - which Rick did.

More often than not, most of these national writers are much like Billy
FudgePacker of CBS during this year's NCAA selection show, they are totally
clueless to non-BCS programs and their quality of play, especially the top
tier teams. Many of these fools feel that BG, NIU or Toledo would finish
dead last year in and year out in any BCS conference behind such teams as
Baylor, Indiana, Vandy or Rutgers. They immediately believe that the top
non-BCS school should be #65 at best.

I just wanted to clear a few facts for the readers here to know that I am
doing everything I can to improve the perception of the MAC to a national
publication and that progress is being made. Keep the faith, keep
supporting Athlon, and enjoy your season this year. And most of all, beat
Wisconsin in Cleveland!"

Regards, Nick VanDelay

[Falconfreak90]

Thanks for posting that SF. Nick does an awesome job promoting the MAC and I look forward to his work and analysis every season.

GO FALCONS!!!

[Bleeding Orange]

Hey Nick, I just want to say a quick thanks. You do a wonderful job for this conference, and I only wish that there were more like you out there. Keep fighting the good fight - this Falcon certainly appreciates it!