BG picked 6th in the MAC East by Phil Steele

[BGSU33]

MAC EAST
1. Ohio
2. Temple
3-t. Miami
3-t. Kent State
5. Buffalo
6. Bowling Green
7. Akron

MAC WEST
1-t. Toledo
1-t. Western Michigan
3. Northern Illinois
4. Central Michigan
5. Ball State
6. Eastern Michigan

MAC Championship: Ohio vs Toledo

The BG write-up stated one of the main points for the Falcons being picked here was the schedule, as the MAC schedule makers didn’t do BG any favors. The Falcons have to face Toledo, WMU & NIU (top three teams in the West) and also do not face Akron from the East (picked last). It also stated BG could be an underdog in all eight MAC games this season.

It’s also hard to imagine that we’re approaching 20 years since our last MAC Championship (19 years ago – 1992)! I also picked up the Sporting News, Lindy’s and Athlon and they all had BG towards the bottom of the MAC East and most of the predictions in those are very similar to above. I will post those as well when I have more time.

Looks like another uphill battle. I do expect us to be a better team this year over last but I do agree that we’re probably still another year away from a MAC Championship run. I know Miami did it last season coming off a very poor season, but that was Miami, not BG.

[AyZiggy97]

Most fans are expecting an improvement over last season, but the track record isn't there to justify picking the Falcons to finish in the top half of the MAC. It seems like a fair prediction. I'm just hoping the offensive line can hold up to give that unit a chance to succeed and the defensive backs can put people on the ground.

[Flipper]

Looks like another uphill battle. I do expect us to be a better team this year over last but I do agree that we’re probably still another year away from a MAC Championship run. I know Miami did it last season coming off a very poor season, but that was Miami, not BG.

What does that mean? There's some kind of magic water in Oxford that we don't have in BG?

[Redwingtom]

Yep.

[Flipper]

I knew they had slut water down there...but I didn't know they had magic football water too

[Falconfreak90]

Predictions are just that...predictions. I am not sold on Ohio U this year...they lost quite a bit to graduation. Miami should be the team to beat in the East. BG has the chance to be a much improved team in '11 and, while I would love to see an East title this year, the realistic side of me agrees with 33 that we may be another year away yet.

At any rate...3 MONTHS FROM TONIGHT WE TEE IT UP IN MOSCOW, ID.

GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[daspollak]

I remember the year after Harris left they were predicting doom and gloom. Had a pretty good run with that first year with Omar. The way I see it is the O-line needs to hold up, and give whoever is QB a chance. Be nice to see another receiver step up to help get Jordan out of double and triple coverages. Defense is where any improvement would be welcomed.

[BGSU33]

Looks like another uphill battle. I do expect us to be a better team this year over last but I do agree that we’re probably still another year away from a MAC Championship run. I know Miami did it last season coming off a very poor season, but that was Miami, not BG.

What does that mean? There's some kind of magic water in Oxford that we don't have in BG?

You mean to tell me that you are not aware of the magic water in Oxford??? Man oh man! Well, just a few hundred yards north of Yager Stadium is Pugh’s Mill Covered Bridge. Flowing beneath it (and running just east of Yager Stadium) is the Talawanda Creek. This creek was the primary water source for Miami’s football coaches as it helped nourished many into the Cradle of Coaches brotherhood. A few Miami football players eventually learned of this magical water, and indulged in their curiosity. Travis Prentice had some and said it made him score touchdowns. Ben Roethlisberger had some and said it made him grow taller. Even some of Miami’s basketball players learned about and tried it. Wally Szczerbiak tried some and said it made him good looking. Devin Davis tried some and said it gave him majestic deadlocks.

Miami has taken the water onto the road for select football games as well, filling up a tanker in Oxford which follows the team bus to their destination. Once there, when needed, they spray the magical H2O into the air during the contest. In 2003 they did it in BG, froze up our field and won the MAC Championship 49-27. In 2006, they did it again and caused our field to flood and turn to mud, making our kicker slip on a game-winning field goal attempt in a 9-7 defeat. It was the last time BG would ever play on grass at home. Last year in 2010 they did it once more, causing a thick fog to build up and won 24-21 on a last-second field goal. Rumor even has it that in 1994, CMU punter Craig Fischer drank a bottle of it at halftime (no one is quite sure where or how he got it) and he swears to this day that it fueled his body on his 73-yard rumble for TD to rip out BG fans’ hearts in a 36-33 loss. Fischer is believed to still be an avid runner today because of drinking that water.

That brings us to last year.....Searching for answers as to how to get things turned around with his team, then-head coach Mike Haywood made his team swim in Talawanda Creek after their 1-11 season in 2009 and last year became the first team in NCAA history to go from double-digit losses to double-digit wins! Remarkable!!!

However, as magical as this water is for Miami, it has been known to backfire on the RedHawks when tampered with or in the wrong hands. Prior to BG’s game in Oxford in 2005, a Miami frat boy mistakenly misidentified BG’s Omar Jacobs as Devin Davis (must have been the hair), and gave him a bottle of the water. Jacobs drank the water, it cured his then-dislocated shoulder, allowing him to loosen the valve on the water taker outside the stadium during pregame, causing it to spray all over Yager Stadium. Jacobs released so much water into the air that it delayed the game for two hours. Jacobs then dried off his hands on Miami’s punting unit’s towels, causing the squad to botch three punt attempts that led to three safeties for BG and the Falcon won 42-14!

So never, ever underestimate the power of the magical water in Oxford!!! (And yes I had fun writing this).

[Flipper]

Fun read...but I think we all would have preferred four paragraphs on the slut water...

[Falconfreak90]

I've checked out 3 or 4 publications and BG is picked to finish anywhere from 4th to 6th in the East. Can't wait to get Steele's mag next Thursday. 90 days to go...

[orangeandbrown]

On paper, it is reasonable to pick us low. The games will take place among actual human beings, and, as always, I am optimistic that we are on the way back.

[Flipper]

On paper, it is reasonable to pick us low. The games will take place among actual human beings, and, as always, I am optimistic that we are on the way back.

Agreed...Phil Steele did say that he thought Clawson was doing a fine job and that the talent level was possibly higher than it was in 2009. I tend to think...like many...that we'll be better this year but we're probablty a year away from contending again.

[Sub-Zero]

Lets be crystal clear. There is very little that our program offers with Clawson to suggest a high rating from the likes of Phil Steele.

[Flipper]

Really? That's odd..the comments I read from Steele re Clawson were really complimentary...did you see something else?

[Dimes]

The Miami magic must be The North Face jackets and vests.