We could beat NIU.....

[Falcon137]

You beat just about everybody in conference play. Only one loss, really good season when you only have one conference loss.

..........but we did beat Akron!

Congrats on the 3rd place finish in the West. Nice to see all those recruiting titles you guys have won start paying dividends.

[h2oville rocket]

You beat just about everybody in conference play. Only one loss, really good season when you only have one conference loss.

..........but we did beat Akron!

Congrats on the 3rd place finish in the West. Nice to see all those recruiting titles you guys have won start paying dividends.

What the hell is a recruiting title?

[kdog27]

They still have our number

[Falcon137]

You beat just about everybody in conference play. Only one loss, really good season when you only have one conference loss.

..........but we did beat Akron!

Congrats on the 3rd place finish in the West. Nice to see all those recruiting titles you guys have won start paying dividends.

What the hell is a recruiting title?

The imaginary award your fans spout off about every year on signing day.

[Flipper]

Yep...the Rockettes yammer endlessly every February about being the recruiting kings of the MAC. Of course the quality of those classes are greatly diminished by the NCAA clearinghouse and the first semester of college coursework....

[mscarn]

They were awarded the bowl game based on the rules that we currently have.

They got in fair and square by the rules. Nobody is arguing that. Their performance in the game and the complete ineffectiveness of Lynch proved their team wasn't able to compete at that level and why the so-called rules suck and are in the process of being changed.

[footballguy51]

I'm not scrolling back to see who all said it, but I totally agree that we need to stop Lynch in the running game. He's an effective passer, but he's an excellent runner. I don't think he can beat us through the air, and I think we can gameplan to stop him in the running game. I may eat these words eventually, but like most people have said, the key to winning is to stop him in the run game and make him beat you in the pass game.

[jpfalcon09]

They were awarded the bowl game based on the rules that we currently have.

They got in fair and square by the rules. Nobody is arguing that. Their performance in the game and the complete ineffectiveness of Lynch proved their team wasn't able to compete at that level and why the so-called rules suck and are in the process of being changed.

Even so, they're the last team to be close to Florida State entering the 4th quarter, but people forget that as well. They have a more complete team this year and they're being punished for one game last year, its silly.

[Schadenfreude]

They were awarded the bowl game based on the rules that we currently have.

They got in fair and square by the rules. Nobody is arguing that. Their performance in the game and the complete ineffectiveness of Lynch proved their team wasn't able to compete at that level and why the so-called rules suck and are in the process of being changed.

This is a counterproductive attitude. The rule that gives us access is a great rule, and it will be a big, big setback for the MAC if it is eliminated, as I think is the case next year.

How NIU played (not great, but far from awful) is a side issue compared to whether or not they deserved a chance to show their stuff in the first place. They deserve a chance. They were in the top 15 and better than any Big East team. Why should a Big East or American team automatically qualify, but not a better team from the MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, or Conference USA?

That rule that got Northern Illinois in last year (and may get them in again this year), is a great rule. When a MAC team (or a Conference USA/Mountain West/Sun Belt team) has an exceptional season, that team ought to have access to one of the biggest bowl games to see how they measure up. Marshall didn't get that chance in 1999. Miami didn't get that chance in 2003. Now our conference has that chance, and college football is better for it.

I'm not exactly sure how it will work starting next year, but the very fact of a four team playoff -- with no realistic chance for a MAC school to squeeze into that show, no matter what they do on the field -- seems like a pretty big setback for us and our conference.

A four team playoff is not enough. That actually seems worse for us than the status quo.

Seems to me the best thing for us would be a 16-team playoff, with automatic bids for each conference, just like every other NCAA division and subdivision has. Glancing at the current BCS standings, that would probably put Northern Illinois against Missouri (at large) in the first round. Tough game, but not impossible for the Huskies. Why not play it out and see what happens?

[jpfalcon09]

They were awarded the bowl game based on the rules that we currently have.

They got in fair and square by the rules. Nobody is arguing that. Their performance in the game and the complete ineffectiveness of Lynch proved their team wasn't able to compete at that level and why the so-called rules suck and are in the process of being changed.

This is a counterproductive attitude. The rule that gives us access is a great rule, and it will be a big, big setback for the MAC if it is eliminated, as I think is the case next year.

How NIU played (not great, but far from awful) is a side issue compared to whether or not they deserved a chance to show their stuff in the first place. They deserve a chance. They were in the top 15 and better than any Big East team. Why should a Big East or American team automatically qualify, but not a better team from the MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, or Conference USA?

That rule that got Northern Illinois in last year (and may get them in again this year), is a great rule. When a MAC team (or a Conference USA/Mountain West/Sun Belt team) has an exceptional season, that team ought to have access to one of the biggest bowl games to see how they measure up. Marshall didn't get that chance in 1999. Miami didn't get that chance in 2003. Now our conference has that chance, and college football is better for it.

I'm not exactly sure how it will work starting next year, but the very fact of a four team playoff -- with no realistic chance for a MAC school to squeeze into that show, no matter what they do on the field -- seems like a pretty big setback for us and our conference.

A four team playoff is not enough. That actually seems worse for us than the status quo.

Seems to me the best thing for us would be a 16-team playoff, with automatic bids for each conference, just like every other NCAA division and subdivision has. Glancing at the current BCS standings, that would probably put Northern Illinois against Missouri (at large) in the first round. Tough game, but not impossible for the Huskies. Why not play it out and see what happens?

A 10-team playoff with play-in games of 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9 would work. Every conference gets a representative and you're seeded based upon ranking/SOS/whatever.

This year you could have:
#1 Florida State vs. #8 Fresno State/#9 Marshall
#4 Oklahoma State vs. #5 Stanford

#2 Ohio State vs. #7 UCF/#10 UL-Lafayette
#3 Auburn vs. #6 NIU

Problem solved in my mind.

[mscarn]

They were awarded the bowl game based on the rules that we currently have.

They got in fair and square by the rules. Nobody is arguing that. Their performance in the game and the complete ineffectiveness of Lynch proved their team wasn't able to compete at that level and why the so-called rules suck and are in the process of being changed.

This is a counterproductive attitude. The rule that gives us access is a great rule, and it will be a big, big setback for the MAC if it is eliminated, as I think is the case next year.

How NIU played (not great, but far from awful) is a side issue compared to whether or not they deserved a chance to show their stuff in the first place. They deserve a chance. They were in the top 15 and better than any Big East team. Why should a Big East or American team automatically qualify, but not a better team from the MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, or Conference USA?

That rule that got Northern Illinois in last year (and may get them in again this year), is a great rule. When a MAC team (or a Conference USA/Mountain West/Sun Belt team) has an exceptional season, that team ought to have access to one of the biggest bowl games to see how they measure up. Marshall didn't get that chance in 1999. Miami didn't get that chance in 2003. Now our conference has that chance, and college football is better for it.

I'm not exactly sure how it will work starting next year, but the very fact of a four team playoff -- with no realistic chance for a MAC school to squeeze into that show, no matter what they do on the field -- seems like a pretty big setback for us and our conference.

A four team playoff is not enough. That actually seems worse for us than the status quo.

Seems to me the best thing for us would be a 16-team playoff, with automatic bids for each conference, just like every other NCAA division and subdivision has. Glancing at the current BCS standings, that would probably put Northern Illinois against Missouri (at large) in the first round. Tough game, but not impossible for the Huskies. Why not play it out and see what happens?

I'm all for a MAC team crashing the party, including the national championship party, if they have an genuinly exceptional season. Losing to Iowa and beating Tennessee-Martin, Army and Kansas is not exceptional. Beating Iowa, Purdue, Idaho and Eastern Illinois is not exceptional. Running the table in the MAC is and it's too bad they chose to play a timid non-conference schedule when the debate could have been ended had they actually beat someone people respect. Kent scheduled LSU. Buffalo scheduled Ohio State. They were years in advance but you knew these teams were going to be amazing years in advance, too.

I want the MAC to earn national respect, not whine for it or have it handed to them by a mathmatical formula.

[Schadenfreude]

Beating Iowa, Purdue, Idaho and Eastern Illinois is not exceptional. Running the table in the MAC is and it's too bad they chose to play a timid non-conference schedule when the debate could have been ended had they actually beat someone people respect.

That is not a timid schedule. There was no way to know a few years ago that Purdue would suck this much now. And Iowa has a very good football team. That was a very good win.

Northern Illinois did everything they could do. They didn't schedule nonconference games as timidly as Ohio State and a lot of other schools. They are a Top 15 team -- about as good as Michigan State and better than any American Conference team.

They deserve access if they win the MAC.

[Lord_Byron]

In the playoff format beginning next year, there is one spot guaranteed for the best "group-of-five" team.

"The highest-ranked champion from the so-called "Group of Five" mid-major conferences (American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt) is guaranteed a berth if the group's top team is not in the playoff."

I know it's only Wikipedia, but I'm confident with the cite. (but not necessarily the site)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Football_Playoff

[HuskieJWN]

They were awarded the bowl game based on the rules that we currently have.

They got in fair and square by the rules. Nobody is arguing that. Their performance in the game and the complete ineffectiveness of Lynch proved their team wasn't able to compete at that level and why the so-called rules suck and are in the process of being changed.

This is a counterproductive attitude. The rule that gives us access is a great rule, and it will be a big, big setback for the MAC if it is eliminated, as I think is the case next year.

How NIU played (not great, but far from awful) is a side issue compared to whether or not they deserved a chance to show their stuff in the first place. They deserve a chance. They were in the top 15 and better than any Big East team. Why should a Big East or American team automatically qualify, but not a better team from the MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, or Conference USA?

That rule that got Northern Illinois in last year (and may get them in again this year), is a great rule. When a MAC team (or a Conference USA/Mountain West/Sun Belt team) has an exceptional season, that team ought to have access to one of the biggest bowl games to see how they measure up. Marshall didn't get that chance in 1999. Miami didn't get that chance in 2003. Now our conference has that chance, and college football is better for it.

I'm not exactly sure how it will work starting next year, but the very fact of a four team playoff -- with no realistic chance for a MAC school to squeeze into that show, no matter what they do on the field -- seems like a pretty big setback for us and our conference.

A four team playoff is not enough. That actually seems worse for us than the status quo.

Seems to me the best thing for us would be a 16-team playoff, with automatic bids for each conference, just like every other NCAA division and subdivision has. Glancing at the current BCS standings, that would probably put Northern Illinois against Missouri (at large) in the first round. Tough game, but not impossible for the Huskies. Why not play it out and see what happens?

I'm all for a MAC team crashing the party, including the national championship party, if they have an genuinly exceptional season. Losing to Iowa and beating Tennessee-Martin, Army and Kansas is not exceptional. Beating Iowa, Purdue, Idaho and Eastern Illinois is not exceptional. Running the table in the MAC is and it's too bad they chose to play a timid non-conference schedule when the debate could have been ended had they actually beat someone people respect. Kent scheduled LSU. Buffalo scheduled Ohio State. They were years in advance but you knew these teams were going to be amazing years in advance, too.

I want the MAC to earn national respect, not whine for it or have it handed to them by a mathmatical formula.

I think you're a little off base. Iowa has turned out to be quite a formidable team, nothing from a patsy. Purdue, that didn't turn out well, there was no way when that was scheduled the athletic department thought Purdue would be a 1 win team. They aren't that far removed from a bowl team. Plus, NIU has played Wisconsin when they were a top 5 team in recent years, and has scheduled Nebraska and Ohio State. You expect them to be good.

I'm not saying Eastern Illinois is an exceptional win, but the amount of respect North Dakota State has right now, those two teams are more than likely playing each other in the FCS title game. I'd also wager they are better than half of the teams in the MAC this year. Give respect where it is due, NIU played the schedule they were given and did things many/no MAC teams can't do/have ever done. Two BigTen road wins, they won 7 road games, and went undefeated in conference play. Your team accomplished none of these feats.

If they were a flash in the pan, I'd say they don't deserve going to the BCS, but they've won 25 straight in conference, 24 straight regular season games, have gone 31-1 in regular season MAC games over 4 years, and have 2 straight conference titles. They have a top 10 scoring team and a top 40 scoring defense. They've also gone 4-4 in their last BigTen games, so it's not like teams are compeletely overmatching them, outside of FSU, which has NFL talent all over the field.

Good luck Friday, I think it will be an excellent game. But before you say somebody is undeserving, you might want to fact check, also look at some of the other BCS buster schedules, are they that much better than NIU's?

[Schadenfreude]

In the playoff format beginning next year, there is one spot guaranteed for the best "group-of-five" team.

"The highest-ranked champion from the so-called "Group of Five" mid-major conferences (American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt) is guaranteed a berth if the group's top team is not in the playoff."

I know it's only Wikipedia, but I'm confident with the cite. (but not necessarily the site)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Football_Playoff

Thanks for finding that. So this preserves our position with the BCS bowls.

I still think the a four (and only four) team playoff marginalizes all of our conferences quite a bit, though.