Frustrating Reality

[Rollo83]

The wins the last two weeks are just a case of us doing what we are were supposed to be doing...winning against inferior opponents. This year’s team is more talented and more experienced than Kent State or Ohio. We’re expected to win these games.

To have to sit and read all this conjecture about east division scenarios is just frustrating as hell. For this team to be 5-5 and not to be in control of its own destiny in a very mediocre east division is down right embarrassing.

Do you realize we are 2-2 this year against Miami, Eastern Michigan, Kent State and Ohio? Those teams are a COLLECTIVE 4-18 this year in the MAC (8-30 overall)…and half of their conference wins have come against BG!

Buffalo will be a real challenge at home and Tom’s last game at Toledo will have some extra incentive for the Rockets at home to end the regular season.

I hate to think what Central Michigan or Ball State would do to our defense in a MAC Championship game. And after last year’s Tulsa game, how can you feel confident Brandon would have them ready to play a quality opponent in a bowl?

I love the Falcons, but can’t ignore the realities of this team.

[VDub26Falcon]

Well, I'm not heading to the edge of the cliff, a bridge or a high tree with a rope!!! GO FALCONS!!!

[BgWaRrIoR]

For this team to be 5-5 and not to be in control of its own destiny in a very mediocre east division is down right embarrassing.

The REAL reality is that after how horrible we have played this year we are still in the hunt. Its amazing and exciting that we even have a chance to make the MACC.

I dont care if we get beat 50-0 in the MACC, at least we made it there. Two weeks ago I never thought it was possible. Is it too much to ask to let us fans be a little excited at the possibility?? After all, we havent had alot to get excited about this year. Bottom line is we are winning. It feels good no matter who we played. A lot better than losing those games.........

[Falconfreak90]

Valid points brought up, Rollo. And it is FRUSTRATING AS HELL to see this talented team sit at .500.

Look, I hold the staff accountable for the bad things as well as the good. It's the staff's job to make sure this team is ready to play every week...and obviously it hasn't happened this year and in past years.....

Let's look at reality. BG wins out and Akron loses ONE game of THREE and guess who is 99% guaranteed to play in the MACC? Wasn't that the goal of the team and all us fans at the beginning of this season? Most of us said anything less than a title game appearance (and win) would be a major disappointment. Well, it hasn't been easy and God knows we've shot ourselves in the foot plenty of times along the way but the fact remains. BG has a good chance of playing for the title.

I know it was supposed to be a better season but sometimes it doesn't pan out. Look at Clemson...Top 10 team to begin the year and they are something like 4-6. What about Miami? Phil Steele and the MAC Media Writers had them right on our azz to win the East. Yes, they got up for us and we didn't play inspired football. Bad on the coaching staff for allowing that to happen...but look at their season...they're DONE.

Even just getting to the MAC title game is the number one goal right now. You bring up the EMU and Miami losses and there is no doubt those sting the most...games we had won or should have won and blew it. There was no excuse losing to EMU and MU...period. Can't do anything about those now.

Would you rather the team call it a day, quit and play out the string or would want to see BG win out and possibly play for the title? Even if they lost? It sucks that we aren't sitting at 7-3, 5-1 MAC right now...effin eh. I didn't expect 5-5, 3-3 at this point of the season.

Orange glasses? Yeah, I got a few pair. BG is perfect? Far from it. We have issues that need corrected.....it's a good thing I'm growing the hair cuz this team has caused me to pull a lot of it out this year. But we're still very much alive, have won two straight in pretty convincing fashion and have two weeks off to heal up, get rest and knock heads with the Bulls. IF Buffalo beats Akron this week, our door of opportunity swings wide open. IF Akron wins, we're still in pretty good shape cuz I think the Zips will lose at least once more this year....they have Ohio and Temple on the road to finish up.

It's the staff's job to win the title...that's it. That chance is still there. No question Buffalo and Toledo will be tough games...they were last year as well. UT will always be a tough game, especially in their house. Trust me when I say I see your point of view clearly. And you have very valid points about the inconsistent play of the team and preparation by the staff on a weekly basis.

Like you, I love the Falcons and probably way too much...with the positives and negatives of this team. They haven't given up on the season...I can tell you that much. Neither can I...a few weeks ago I was talking crap about skipping the Kent game after the NIU loss. Yeah, I was real serious about that. I was just frustrated like you cuz ose were 3 games we had a great chance to win and didn't. It made me sick.

Looking forward to the Buffalo game....just might get a hotel room that night and crash in BG.

GO FALCONS

[buffaloefalcon]

Well, it's a darn good thing we won't make it to the MACC to play Ball or Central! We'd get our azzez handed to us...quickly! Probably worse than a mediocre Tulsa did to us last season! Maybe we should schedule like Tulsa and get back on the winning spirit!

[svillefalcon]

Well if we win out, I think we will get there. I think that Buffalo will beat akron.

[RobbyFalcon]

You can never control your destiny. That's the nature of destiny. You can control your future.

Even if we had beat MU and EMU, BSU or CMU would still be a big favorite in the MACC. BSU is really, really good.

Since I live right near Miami, it really sucks to lose to them during a year when we are much better than they are. I mean it really sucks.

It's college ball though, anything can happen. Just get to the MACC and even if we'll be the dogs, we just might win. Then we get to a bowl and even though we'll be the dogs, we just might win. Both of those are long shots but who had Texas Tech and AL to be 1 and 2 this year?

We have two games left and both mean a whole bunch. We need to beat Buff to have a shot at the East and even though I think a lot of Toledo Tommy, we really should send him packing with an 'L".

Go BG! You frustrate me but I love y'all!

[JoeFalcon]

I concede that the close defeats have been tough to stomach, but if we're going to criticize Brandon for losing to the bad teams, we can't similarly criticize him when he beats the bad teams.

He basically has to win almost every game he plays to avoid getting flack from the fan base, and if he happens to do that, a BCS school will throw a million bucks at him and steal him away like what's about to happen to Brady Hoke at Ball State. Nice little situation we're in in the MAC, isn't it?

[Rollo83]

I concede that the close defeats have been tough to stomach, but if we're going to criticize Brandon for losing to the bad teams, we can't similarly criticize him when he beats the bad teams.

He basically has to win almost every game he plays to avoid getting flack from the fan base, and if he happens to do that, a BCS school will throw a million bucks at him and steal him away like what's about to happen to Brady Hoke at Ball State. Nice little situation we're in in the MAC, isn't it?

Yeah, Brandon's getting a bad rap on this criticism stuff. He's really the victim here.

This team has no excuse for not being 7-3 at this point. I don't have a problem with the loss at Northen Illinois. That's a tough conference game on the road against a much improved team. I do blame the coaching staff for the home losses to inferior EMU and Miami teams. Add this to Brandon's past history of underperforming teams and you see the problem.

He doesn't have to win all of them, just the one's he's supposed to on a regular basis...a few he's not supposed to.

[JoeFalcon]

Yeah, Brandon's getting a bad rap on this criticism stuff. He's really the victim here.

This team has no excuse for not being 7-3 at this point. I don't have a problem with the loss at Northen Illinois. That's a tough conference game on the road against a much improved team. I do blame the coaching staff for the home losses to inferior EMU and Miami teams. Add this to Brandon's past history of underperforming teams and you see the problem.

He doesn't have to win all of them, just the one's he's supposed to on a regular basis...a few he's not supposed to.

As I said, I don't deny that EMU and Miami stunk royally, but Brandon fits your very own definition of what you want out of a coach: 30-17 MAC record (counting this year) and wins over 3 ranked teams (including one just this year) and three Big 10 programs on the road.

[Zom]

I do not understand how someone is seemingly "supposed" to win a game.

Toledo was not supposed to beat Michigan, any way you care to look at it. Toledo beat Michigan. "Team USA" was supposed to win an Olympic basketball gold in 2004. Fortunately for everybody, losers are soon forgotten. This is sport. College football is not much more predictable than tossing a coin, and that is why I enjoy it.

[Rollo83]

Yeah, Brandon's getting a bad rap on this criticism stuff. He's really the victim here.

This team has no excuse for not being 7-3 at this point. I don't have a problem with the loss at Northen Illinois. That's a tough conference game on the road against a much improved team. I do blame the coaching staff for the home losses to inferior EMU and Miami teams. Add this to Brandon's past history of underperforming teams and you see the problem.

He doesn't have to win all of them, just the one's he's supposed to on a regular basis...a few he's not supposed to.

As I said, I don't deny that EMU and Miami stunk royally, but Brandon fits your very own definition of what you want out of a coach: 30-17 MAC record (counting this year) and wins over 3 ranked teams (including one just this year) and three Big 10 programs on the road.

Not so fast my friend. Let's look at Brandon the last four years since Urban Meyer's recruits have graduated...

17-13 in the MAC (23-23 overall) with some horrible losses mixed in there.

2005
Team goes in funk after Omar goes down and get embarrassed by Western Michigan and loses to very average Akron team, both games at home. Then we all remember what happened at Toledo after we had a big lead at the half. No excuses for that to happen.

2006
We lose the final five games of the year, including at home versus Miami and Toledo...and Temple's first MAC win ever.

2007
We have horrible game at OU and then get embarrassed again on national TV at Miami. And we all remember the Tulsa bowl debacle.

2008
With a talented and veteran team loses at home to horrible Miami and Eastern Michigan teams and stumble to 5-5. Still have Buffalo and Toledo to play.

Consistency is the hallmark of any good football program. Losing as many as you win doesn’t get it, especially when the losses include many games you are expected to win. Hell, nobody wins every game and upsets happen every week…that’s college football. But we should expect more from this program than .500 play.

[daspollak]

Why should we expect more from this team, because some prognosticators said we should win the east. We had an above average year last year, and maybe we are playing more to our ability level now. Miami was the other team many had winning the east, and a few did have Buffalo or Temple. Look how MU and TU are doing now. Look we played lights out against a good (not great) Pitt team and that got our hopes even higher. This is an average team, no more no less. I am upset that we lost to EMU and MU, but I never think this team was suppose to win those games. Be happy we are in the hunt for the east. If we fall short there is always next year.

[cowboyjoe]

I'm with you on that. Where is the overabundance of talent that we have? Where are the game-breakers? Parks, Bullock, Wright? Sure Turner and Barnes are but they have been banged up all year and that's just 2 players. I don't get it. I like where we are with the players we have. Now if we had Magner, Sharon, Sanders, Pope, Jacobs, Harris....now we're talkin'. We have a lot of average players, in my opinion, and some times they step up more than others. We have no quick strike ability. Almost all of our scores are length of the field drives and that puts a lot of pressure on your offense to be "perfect". I'd like to see how many plays we have over 20 yards this year compared to other D1 teams.

[WhoDeyBG]

Yeah, Brandon's getting a bad rap on this criticism stuff. He's really the victim here.

This team has no excuse for not being 7-3 at this point. I don't have a problem with the loss at Northen Illinois. That's a tough conference game on the road against a much improved team. I do blame the coaching staff for the home losses to inferior EMU and Miami teams. Add this to Brandon's past history of underperforming teams and you see the problem.

He doesn't have to win all of them, just the one's he's supposed to on a regular basis...a few he's not supposed to.

As I said, I don't deny that EMU and Miami stunk royally, but Brandon fits your very own definition of what you want out of a coach: 30-17 MAC record (counting this year) and wins over 3 ranked teams (including one just this year) and three Big 10 programs on the road.

Not so fast my friend. Let's look at Brandon the last four years since Urban Meyer's recruits have graduated...

17-13 in the MAC (23-23 overall) with some horrible losses mixed in there.

2005
Team goes in funk after Omar goes down and get embarrassed by Western Michigan and loses to very average Akron team, both games at home. Then we all remember what happened at Toledo after we had a big lead at the half. No excuses for that to happen.

2006
We lose the final five games of the year, including at home versus Miami and Toledo...and Temple's first MAC win ever.

2007
We have horrible game at OU and then get embarrassed again on national TV at Miami. And we all remember the Tulsa bowl debacle.

2008
With a talented and veteran team loses at home to horrible Miami and Eastern Michigan teams and stumble to 5-5. Still have Buffalo and Toledo to play.

Consistency is the hallmark of any good football program. Losing as many as you win doesn’t get it, especially when the losses include many games you are expected to win. Hell, nobody wins every game and upsets happen every week…that’s college football. But we should expect more from this program than .500 play.

I'm not saying I disagree with you, but let's get the facts straight...

2005: The UT game you speak of was in 2004. In 2005, we lost to UT in 2OT at home in Omar's last game.

2006: We were at UT in 2006. Lost something like 31-21, or something like that.

2007: The OU game was horrible, but I believe it was at home. Very costly though. Was the Mami game on National TV? I remember watching it on FSN Ohio.

2008: You are pretty much spot on.

Sorry, I'm just to OCD to let things like that go. Beat the Bulls!