So here goes....here is how the Falcon football season will unfold.
Look, because of who we are and what we need to get to support the athletic department, this is never going to be easy. And it's not. First, our non-P5 but FBS game last year was Marshall at home. This year we open at a quality Liberty program. (They played UT in their bowl game and lost 21-19.)
Then, we have Eastern Illinois at home. We've all been asking why we can't play losing FCS teams, and this team was 2-9 last year.
Then we go to the Big House, followed by defending East champ OU at the Doyt. Then, a three-game road streak including at Georgia Tech (a nightmare last time), followed by @Miami and @UB. The Bulls, FWIW, seemed to be really bulking up on players.
So, 7 games in, two home games...do we get 3 wins there? Seems like you'd need to. Then its Akron, an improving Ball State, @ Kent (they've routinely smoked us), UT and @WMU.
Look it we are as good as we hope, a 6-6 season would be beating Liberty, EIU, Miami, UA, BSU and WMU. If you are looking at 8...@UB? OU at home? UT at home? @Kent?
The thing is that this won't change. Babers won ten, but he won TWO road Big Ten games. That's what we would need to be looking for. It's not easy, but the key is the MAC record. We were 5-3 last year. One game better and we're in the hunt.
We simply cannot have an non-schedule where we're only favored in 1 out of 4 games. Playing two P5 road games is bad enough when Toledo only plays one. Add one of the best, if not the best, G5 on top of that with a coach making $4 million per year (when Loeffler makes 500K) is just cruel and only positions the team for failure.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I was surprised when I looked this up....I assumed most teams in the MAC play 2 P5 games...in fact, 6 of the 12 teams play only 1. Even Kent, who played 3 last year, is down to 1. Not sure how they are financing that, but it would be great to get that boot off our neck. If Kent and EMU can pull it off....even so, the MAC
ReplyDeleteAK 2P5 1G5 1FCS
BG 2P5 1G5 1FCS
UB 1P5 2G5 1FCS
KS 1P5 2G5 1FCS
MU 1P5 2G5 1FCS
OU 1P5 2G5 1FCS (note their P5 game is at home)
BS 2P5 1G5 1FCS
CM 2P5 1G5 1FCS
EM 1P5 2G5 1FCS
NI 2P5 1G5 1FCS
UT 1P5 2G5 1FCS
WM 3P5 0G5 1FCS
Great info...I also don't think people are aware of how many MAC teams are no longer beholden to the 2 P5 road game model.
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