Springing back to life---Falcon Football picked 5th in East by MAC Media

Well, the news is out. The gurus in the MAC media awakened us all to MAC football again by making their picks for this season. Always--always, always, always, always--these picks are more about last year than this year. No one, for example, saw Kent coming last year, or WMU, for that matter.

So, below you can see how the MAC picked. My comments:

First, on the Falcons. Given what is known now, I just don't think you can argue the pick too much. Should Temple have gotten a first place vote and not BG? No, course not. Could we have been fourth? Yeah, maybe.

The question is, based on what we KNOW today, was the pick reasonable? And I submit it was.

Falcon fans believe that our defense was young and is rallying as it matures, and is going to be fast and have some talent. But there is no reason for an observer to know that, or even believe it until they see it.

Falcon fans believe that with with new tools on offense, one of the QBs will take control, and we can start to move the ball again like we used to. But there is no reason for an observer to know that, or even believe it until they see it.

Falcon fans believe that the special teams will be better. But, even if the kickers are better, poor execution by the other 10 guys on punts and kickoff returns still needs to be corrected. And there is no reason for an observer to know that, or even believe it until they see it.

So, you get the idea. Based on what people have seen, there is no reason to think we are going to be much better. As fans, we believe it could happen--and it could.

As for the rest of the picks, I will weigh in briefly. I will make my own picks sometime close to when the season starts, but for the sake of comment.

• The West remains the dominant division in the MAC.
• I like WMU a lot. They are now well coached and Darnell clearly had talent there.
• CMU may struggle. They lost quite a bit.
• The Rockets will be interesting. They could still win the West.
• I think OU is overrated, and any of five (or maybe four) teams could win the East. I feel the same way about Kent, maybe more.
• There is a good chance that we won't really know what we have until October 13th. Our early schedule includes three games against the Big East and Big Ten, and one against a I-AA team. Assuming we get our revenge against Temple, the teams first test will be in Oxford against the Red Hawks...a crucial game in the new format.
  
• Finally, under the new format, with only games in the division really counting, the pressure is on for all of those games. And injuries and little ups and downs will play a huge role--and what week they happen will really matter.

WEST (6-5-4-3-2-1 point value)

School Points First Place Votes

1. WMU 175 15

2. CMU 173 10

3. Toledo 138 6

4. Ball State 134 4

5. NIU 90 1

6. EMU 46 -

EAST (7-6-5-4-3-2-1 point value)

School Points First Place Votes

1. Ohio 216 15

2. KSU 203 13

3. Akron 171 6

4. Miami 163 1

5. BGSU 130 -

6. Temple 64 1

7. Buffalo 61 -

MAC Championship Game Winner:

Western Michigan 11

Central Michigan 10

Ohio 6

Toledo 5

Kent State 2

Akron 1

Temple 1

More Austin Calhoun

Check out the June 19th post on Austin Calhoun from the Izzo shootout. Continues to look like someone who can be a dominant MAC player.

Orr lands early Hoop verbal

Coach Orr has landed his first hoop recruit (for the 08-09 season), and this one looks like a good one. He's a 6'7 forward from Southfield, MI, and looks to be the kind of player we simply have not gotten in years. Check this our from mlive.

A player with some high-major offensive skills is headed to the MAC -- 6-foot-7 senior Austin Calhoun of Southfield has committed to Bowling Green. Calhoun was all the rage in June, staking claim to top 10 status in the class of 2008 with a lights-out shooting performance at the Izzo Shootout. With his ability to do everything from defend the post to knock down shots from 22 feet, Calhoun has three-position potential at the next level.

Gotta like the sound of that. Inside/outside scorer who plays D. Three position potential. Nice. Nice.

From The Blade, here is what his Mom said:

"He liked the coaches and he wanted to go someplace where he would be able to develop his basketball skills, and he felt Bowling Green would be a good opportunity for that to happen," said Calhoun's mother, LaTanya Cash-Calhoun.

Good get, Coach Orr. Let's go to the Big Dance.

Panoramic Doyt View

Grant, webmaster supreme of Ay-ziggy-zoomba.com, the spiritual home of the Falcon Nation, posted this...one of those controllable, panoramic views of the Doyt. If this doesn't get your, bored, off-season, missing Falcon football heart pumping, turn in your passport!

Ball State Trouble

As you know, we don't really post on other MAC schools here. But once in a while, something is so significant that you can't ignore it. The situation at Ball State is one such situation, which Ronny Thompson is apparently running amok with the hoops program. I won't insult the outstanding work of Ray Mernagh on hoopwise.com by even excerpting it--read it here in its entirety.

The integrity of the MAC has always been its calling card. We compete hard, but fair. We keep athletics in perspective. When we don't, it isn't tolerated. This situation worries me greatly for our conference. Stay tuned.