BG’s future non-conference opponents

[BGSUVA]

Personally, I’d much rather have a home-and-home with Wyoming than a one-game deal with Virginia Tech myself.

Why is that ? You think BG will get the same kind of recognition after sweeping Wyo as they will after they take it to vt in Lane? kinda like our basketball team did...
their AD Weaver doesn't have any balls so wouldn't surprise me. Youj should see their nasty OOC schedule this year, they welcome powerhouses Cincinnati, Kent State, Southern Miss, and wait for it, wait for it....NORTHEASTERN! yep, not northwestern, northeastern. Beamer doesn't have any either. You think they wanted Marcus off the team? That is why they hid his last incident till after the bowl game...and don't let any tech fan try to tell you that Beamer kicked vick off...he had nothing to do with it. If anyone watched the press conference when it happened, he was about to cry that he wouldn't get to see marcus anymore...At least Steger (their pres) has some testicles...
Man I hate them

[1987alum]

Personally, I’d much rather have a home-and-home with Wyoming than a one-game deal with Virginia Tech myself.

Why is that ? You think BG will get the same kind of recognition after sweeping Wyo as they will after they take it to vt in Lane? kinda like our basketball team did...

I'm with BGSU33 on this one. We need to build a strong home OOC tradition. No, Wyoming isn't a powerhouse, but they are a good mid-major program, just the type that fits the scenario described above. Getting these one-and-done payday games isn't as difficult as the home-and-home deals and that's why I think 33 is on the money.

[orangeandbrown]

Ditto. Also, as we try to build our fan base, we need interesting home games, and that means I-A teams. Yes, even Wyoming.

[Falconfreak90]

Ditto. Also, as we try to build our fan base, we need interesting home games, and that means I-A teams. Yes, even Wyoming.

I agree with this as well. Not long ago, Wyoming was a pretty solid program. They are a MWC team and I would love to play them one and one.

51 days....

[BGSU33]

Yeah, I agree with a lot of you too. For me, it’s more of us getting a home-and-home game nowadays vs. other D-I schools over playing a one-and-done game against a Top-25 BCS school – when given the choice of one over the other. Would I like to see us play (and beat) a Top-25 school on the road? Hell yeah I would! But I’d also like to see us play more than four games a year at Doyt L. Perry Stadium, or have at least five games against D-I opponents at home and not have I-AAs on the schedule. My point concerning the Virginia Tech/Wyoming game date in 2008 boils down to…..if we play Wyoming in an away game in 2008 instead of an away game at Virginia Tech that year, but get a return home game in 2009 from Wyoming and nothing in return from Virginia Tech (even despite the payout) – I’ll take the home-and-home series with Wyoming. That’s just my take on it. I guess in a perfect world, I’d love to see us get two non-conference home games every year now with a 12-game schedule and play two road games - one against a Top-25 BCS type school and another game at a lower level BCS school….but that’s just wishful thinking on my part and I know it.

[Schadenfreude]

Then last fall it was announced that two more games, 2007 and 2008, were added to the schedule.

There was never a formal announcement. Maureen Fulton reported that they were in serious talks for another home and home.

[JoeFalcon]

The rule of thumb for the 3 OOC games should be one you're expected to win, one that could go either way and one where you're the underdog. Matching up with Big 10 teams on the road and that buzzsaw out in Idaho known as Boise State on a regular basis is not my idea of a balanced OOC that puts the team in a realistic position to succeed.

Joe: Agreed. With four OOC games now the norm (with the advent of the "permanent" 12-game schedule), that changes somewhat. I've gone back and forth on what I'd prefer to see, and here's where I'm at:

1 road game with a big-name, BCS school, a la Ohio State, Oklahoma, etc.
1 road game that could go either way, a la Boise State, Memphis, etc.
1 home game that could go either way or with a mid-tier BSC conference school (Mizzou, etc.)
1 home game that can be penciled in as a win and, yes, I've come around to believe that playing a I-AA home game is A-OK to fill that need.

Looks good 87...this is the route I'd go as well philosophically with the fourth game.

[hammb]

Home games against 1AA teams are not okay in my book. They're boring as hell, and painful to watch. They do nothing to gain us respect in any way, and are only further fodder for talking heads to bash our schedule.

There are too many teams in the MAC that are too close to 1AA for me to justify scheduling any actual 1AA schools OOC.

[1987alum]

Home games against 1AA teams are not okay in my book. They're boring as hell, and painful to watch. They do nothing to gain us respect in any way, and are only further fodder for talking heads to bash our schedule.

There are too many teams in the MAC that are too close to 1AA for me to justify scheduling any actual 1AA schools OOC.

I hear you, hammb, and respect your position. But if the focus is on the MAC schedule, which I believe it should be, then doing well in the MAC is the priority. Playing a 1-AA squad is a great "formal scrimmage" that allows you to get playing experience for those deeper on the depth chart.

[transfer2BGSU]

Home games against 1AA teams are not okay in my book. They're boring as hell, and painful to watch. They do nothing to gain us respect in any way, and are only further fodder for talking heads to bash our schedule.

There are too many teams in the MAC that are too close to 1AA for me to justify scheduling any actual 1AA schools OOC.

OSU is playing Youngstown State in a few years for a home game.

[UK Peregrine]

Playing a 1-AA squad is a great "formal scrimmage" that allows you to get playing experience for those deeper on the depth chart.

If I recall correctly, 70+ 1-A schools agree with your position '87 on scheduling 1-AA schools this season. In fact, I think New Mexico State went as far as to schedule two 1-AA teams.

You can look at the 1-AA games as either a valuable tune-up for starters and playing time for backups, or simply a near complete waste of time because the game doesn't really tell you much about your team (kind of like putting 70 points up on Temple ). Sure the team gets to run most of the playbook against new bodies, but the coaches and players don't really get battle tested for the difficult MAC games they are sure encounter. Let me be clear that I have no problem with scheduling one 1-AA team a year. In fact, this is probably a necessity to schedule every once in a while anyways, especially if 70+ 1-A schools have already scheduled 1-AA teams. However, I agree with hammb that 1-AA games don't really do much for your team or fans. Oh well.

[hammb]

Home games against 1AA teams are not okay in my book. They're boring as hell, and painful to watch. They do nothing to gain us respect in any way, and are only further fodder for talking heads to bash our schedule.

There are too many teams in the MAC that are too close to 1AA for me to justify scheduling any actual 1AA schools OOC.

OSU is playing Youngstown State in a few years for a home game.

My personal opinion is that if you play a game against a 1AA team you should automatically be disqualified from that year's national title game. It is ridiculous for teams like OSU, USC, or Miami(FL) to play 1AA teams.

I don't like us playing them because I don't like them. The games are boring and uncompetitive. You can think of them as a glorified scrimmage, I suppose, but the competition is usually so inferior that we'd get more use out of practicing against ourselves more. When the teams are more evenly matched it means you're an embarrassment of a D1A team.

I have higher hopes for BG football than just the MAC title. I want to be known like Marshall was (without the cheating) as a solid mid-major that everyone fears. I want to see BG knocking on the doors of the BCS. I want to see BG known as a giant killer that will play anyone, anywhere, any time and have a legit shot of winning those games. Any season in which you play a 1AA team you can pretty much kiss away our chances at a BCS bowl, because or SOS will be terrible. With so much of the MAC being so weak, I just don't think we need to schedule games against further patsies.

Besides that they add nothing to the home schedule. I may be in the minority, but I'd rather watch/listen to us playing a real game against legit 1A competition than attend a game at the Doyt against Middle Tennessee State.

[Flipper]

If you're a mid major and you're going to play "money games" against high major schools on their turf, you need to slide at least one 1AA game in there, preferably at home before you take on the big guys.

You can build some confidence, work out the wrinkles and hopefully get one in without any injuries before heading off to play someone that might crush your confidence and injure a number of your players (like the Whisky game in 1993...or was it 1994....1992? no, that's not it)

[transfer2BGSU]

I have higher hopes for BG football than just the MAC title. I want to be known like Marshall was (without the cheating) as a solid mid-major that everyone fears. I want to see BG knocking on the doors of the BCS. I want to see BG known as a giant killer that will play anyone, anywhere, any time and have a legit shot of winning those games.

Nothing more needs to be said. We totally agree.

[Boomerx30]

Besides that they add nothing to the home schedule. I may be in the minority, but I'd rather watch/listen to us playing a real game against legit 1A competition than attend a game at the Doyt against Middle Tennessee State.

Middle Tennessee State is D-1A in the Sun Belt Conference, FWIW...