2024 Expectations

[BGSU33]

Interesting looking at championship game history by pods (a little bored today):
BG/UT/NIU - 21 appearances 11-10 (3 games BG vs NIU, no other pod had two playing in championship)
MU/OU/BSU - 13 appearances 5-8
Directional MI - 7 appearances 4-3
Akr/Buff/Kent - 7 appearances 2-5
(Marshal was 5-1 in 6 appearances to even out the numbers)

Looking to the future how will this hurt the top 2 pods when they are matched plus tough in-Pod games? Someone smarter than me should be able to program a simulation that would demonstrate whether these are fair or unfair groupings. I would hope the MAC office and member administrators went to that much trouble.

And on the BG sacrifices for the conference front we get moved from east to west in essence. Has any other school changed between East and West division like BG?

BG got placed in the toughest pod, without question. Your research backs that up and it also goes without saying for anyone who has followed the MAC. Northern Illinois and Toledo have consistently been two of the top teams in the conference for better part of the last decade plus. Any team that got paired up with those two would have it hands full. BG already had the task of facing Toledo annually, and NIU was often the West crossover we'd hope to avoid. Now BG will have to play both of them every year. If history continues to play out as it has (with UT & NIU being good), it's going to force BG to do one of two things. Either rise up and compete with them (which we finally seem to be at right now), or sink and get beat down by them, essentially eliminating any hope of ever getting to Detroit. If BG can keep pace, this could be the MAC's version of a super pod when compared with the other three. Either way, the road to Detroit got much tougher for BG with these pods. Before, BG just needed to finish atop the East (annually the weaker division) to get to Detroit. BG could afford to lose to Toledo (as it did in 2013, 2014 & 2015 when we went to the MACC) just as long as it took care of business in the East. Now, the pod BG doesn't want to face is the Ohio/Miami/Ball State pod. Ohio is always in the mix and now Miami has risen back up and is defending MAC Champion. The pods were created so every MAC school will go no more than three years without facing all the MAC foes. With the number of guys who decided to come back to try another run at the MACC. I sure as well hope BG can avoid the OU/MU/BSU pod this year. If BG can avoid that pod, I like our chances at getting to Detroit. If we don't avoid that pod and get it, I can see BG coming up short. The MAC said the crossover pod games will be announced by the end of January, with the full MAC schedules announced by the end of February. Now we sit and wait. But I have a feeling the MAC is going to stick us with the OU/MU/BSU pod.

[Roll Along!]

NIU is 17-21 in MAC play over the last 5 years. This is not the same program as the one we were facing from 2013-15. I'd rather be in our shoes than be in the same pod as Ohio (23-12 in the last 5 years) and Miami (24-11 in the last 5 years). Toledo, by the way, has been 23-11 in the last 5 years. Very comparable to Ohio and Miami.

[mbenecke]

I wish we were in the same pod as Kent, Akron, and Buffalo. Lol

[footballguy51]

NIU is 17-21 in MAC play over the last 5 years. This is not the same program as the one we were facing from 2013-15. I'd rather be in our shoes than be in the same pod as Ohio (23-12 in the last 5 years) and Miami (24-11 in the last 5 years). Toledo, by the way, has been 23-11 in the last 5 years. Very comparable to Ohio and Miami.

Exactly. I would actually argue that NIU is more frustrated than we are with their pod. UT has been at the top for quite a while, and we have made a nice rebound.

[BGSU33]

NIU is 17-21 in MAC play over the last 5 years. This is not the same program as the one we were facing from 2013-15. I'd rather be in our shoes than be in the same pod as Ohio (23-12 in the last 5 years) and Miami (24-11 in the last 5 years). Toledo, by the way, has been 23-11 in the last 5 years. Very comparable to Ohio and Miami.

While I agree NIU isn't the same program it was in 2013-15, neither is BG. Our program hasn't looked anything whatsoever like it did from 2013-15. Not even remotely close. No other school has had the success in the MACC like NIU has since 2010. NIU has been in the MAC Championship 9 times since then, winning the MAC title in 5 of those appearances. Both are conference-high numbers league wide. BG hasn't sniffed the MAC Championship since that 2013-15 window, while NIU has been back to Detroit twice since then and has won two more titles, including one just two years ago. NIU & UT have been to the MAC Championship a combined 16 times with 9 championships. There isn't another duo of current MAC schools that can rivals the success of NIU & UT combined.

That said, I would agree that the Ohio and Miami pod is also very tough as well. I would put that pod a close second right behind our pod. So yes, I'm very much hoping that BG avoids being dealt the OU/MU/BSU pod this year.