Otp Previews The Sunbelt

[OverThePylon]

Seeing as how we square off with you guys in a week or so, it's time for our preseason projections of FBS. We sat down and predicted every game for every team. This is how it shook out for the Sun Belt. Feel free to voice your opinion on the site! I'm sure you'll have one...

SunBelt Predictions

Also would love to have any of you guys not able to make the game over to OTP for a Liveblog of the game. Very interactive, very cool. Polls, user content, etc. It's a great companion to the ESPNU broadcast.

One more week to Football!!!

[Mean Green 93-98]

Hopefully you'll be wanting to make a massive overhaul of those predictions on September 4th.

[OverThePylon]

Hopefully you'll be wanting to make a massive overhaul of those predictions on September 4th.

I tell you what, doing some research on the SunBelt made me have a whole new appreciation for that conference. It seems like parity is all over the place. Whomever wins that conference will have earned it.

[greenminer]

I tell you what, doing some research on the SunBelt made me have a whole new appreciation for that conference. It seems like parity is all over the place. Whomever wins that conference will have earned it.

I'll take Edge's predictions for what it's worth: from someone who clearly has no interest in the conference.

Biggest Surprise This Season: It’s a tie between 1) Middle Tennessee takes the #2 spot from Arkansas State after a week 12 win, and 2) I watch one Sun Belt game this year.

[untStein]

Those predictions look pretty solid. I'm afraid the one for us is dead on.

[Guest JohnDenver]

I always find it funny for one mediocre conference calling the another conference mediocre and predictions laden with backhandedness ("suprise prediction: I will watch one Sunbelt game."). Ditto, I will only watch one MAC game. Last year, I watched zero MAC games, wait, I did watch Tulsa destroy BSU in the bowl game (and I only watched that because I have the in-state connection to Tulsa).

[Censored by Laurie]

I always find it funny for one mediocre conference calling the another conference mediocre and predictions laden with backhandedness ("suprise prediction: I will watch one Sunbelt game."). Ditto, I will only watch one MAC game. Last year, I watched zero MAC games, wait, I did watch Tulsa destroy BSU in the bowl game (and I only watched that because I have the in-state connection to Tulsa).

I'll assume you meant 2 (BSU and Ohio)...but great point.

Suck it MAC.

[Guest JohnDenver]

I'll assume you meant 2 (BSU and Ohio)...but great point.

Suck it MAC.

Man, you would have figured that I would know who is in the MAC off the top of my head, with how they are such a destination conference. My bad.

However, my first prediction may be correct. Being that Ohio is our first home game and first time in 8 months that I will see some of my friends, I may not actually be able to watch the game by the 6pm kickoff.

[OverThePylon]

Man, you would have figured that I would know who is in the MAC off the top of my head, with how they are such a destination conference. My bad.

However, my first prediction may be correct. Being that Ohio is our first home game and first time in 8 months that I will see some of my friends, I may not actually be able to watch the game by the 6pm kickoff.

The good news for me at least is that with the responses in this thread, we have extra motivation to BRING IT next week.

Anyone who wants to have the argument that the Sun Belt is on the same level as the MAC... I welcome it. That's an ignorant asinine comment to even try to make.

[Mean Green 93-98]

The good news for me at least is that with the responses in this thread, we have extra motivation to BRING IT next week.

Anyone who wants to have the argument that the Sun Belt is on the same level as the MAC... I welcome it. That's an ignorant asinine comment to even try to make.

Nobody is saying that the Sun Belt is world beaters, but the MAC is hardly out of the Sun Belt's league. Florida Atlantic did beat Central Michigan in their bowl meeting last year, so I'd say they matched up just fine.

[greenminer]

The win over Indiana last year marked Ball State's first OOC win over an FBS opponent going back to 1975, bringing their non-MAC record (not including FCS) to 1-48. They also have a couple of non-IA losses in there, but I like to think NT fans (and now Michigan!) can appreciate a tough FCS team The database has records dating back to 1975, and in other pages explains they have played football since the 1920s.

We certainly have nothing recent to brag about. I was just putting the pillow-fight perspective into this epic war that is about to unfold.

Edited August 25, 2009 by greenminer

[Guest JohnDenver]

It appears that SBC v MAC has 14 games, with 7 for each. link.

And last year the SBC was 3-0 versus the MAC. And it wasn't one SBC team beating all other MAC teams... it was a variety.

2008/12/26 Central Michigan 21 - Florida Atlantic 24 L !! Motor City Bowl !!

2008/09/27 Toledo 16 - Florida Intl 35 L

2008/09/20 Kent 27 - Louisiana Lafayette 44 L

Arguing about which mediocre conference is above the other, is pure asinine. Deluding yourself to thinking that a good year at BSU means the MAC is a *good* conference is just crazy. Feeling you have earned (from two consecutive winning seasons) the ability to be backhanded towards another conference is all silly. BSU's previous winning season was 1996, with an 0-fers thrown in there. Not to mention that 8 of your 12 wins were against teams with a losing record (7 of those were from the mighty MAC) and one against a FCS team.

Let us SBC teams bow in the presence of awesomez.

[untjim1995]

It appears that SBC v MAC has 14 games, with 7 for each. link.

And last year the SBC was 3-0 versus the MAC. And it wasn't one SBC team beating all other MAC teams... it was a variety.

2008/12/26 Central Michigan 21 - Florida Atlantic 24 L !! Motor City Bowl !!

2008/09/27 Toledo 16 - Florida Intl 35 L

2008/09/20 Kent 27 - Louisiana Lafayette 44 L

Arguing about which mediocre conference is above the other, is pure asinine. Deluding yourself to thinking that a good year at BSU means the MAC is a *good* conference is just crazy. Feeling you have earned (from two consecutive winning seasons) the ability to be backhanded towards another conference is all silly. BSU's previous winning season was 1996, with an 0-fers thrown in there. Not to mention that 8 of your 12 wins were against teams with a losing record (7 of those were from the mighty MAC) and one against a FCS team.

Let us SBC teams bow in the presence of awesomez.

I don't think it is unreasonable to believe that the MAC will fall considerably in the next few years. Just like the Big Ten, the cities that make up the MAC are dying up there and the growth is moving away from Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, etc. The southern and western states will see their numbers continue to boom because the growth is already there and more is coming. The best non-AQ leagues are out west and the best BCS AQ leagues are in the southeast and southwest. I just don't see how the MAC schools will not get hurt by this reality--and substantially.

[aztecskin]

The good news for me at least is that with the responses in this thread, we have extra motivation to BRING IT next week.

Anyone who wants to have the argument that the Sun Belt is on the same level as the MAC... I welcome it. That's an ignorant asinine comment to even try to make.

So, what? He is gonna Blog Harder?

I doubt anyone on the BSU ( haha BS University lol) team is reading this thread and getting their panties ruffled because we said we are on par with their conference.

Oh Internet. You are so crazy.

Edited August 25, 2009 by aztecskin

[KAjunRaider]

Same post by this Ball State juggernaut is on the Blue Raider message board : http://forums.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=349&...8&t=4648694

We removed his sh*tty link

[KAjunRaider]

I don't think it is unreasonable to believe that the MAC will fall considerably in the next few years. Just like the Big Ten, the cities that make up the MAC are dying up there and the growth is moving away from Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, etc. The southern and western states will see their numbers continue to boom because the growth is already there and more is coming. The best non-AQ leagues are out west and the best BCS AQ leagues are in the southeast and southwest. I just don't see how the MAC schools will not get hurt by this reality--and substantially.

I think half of Michigan and Ohio are here in Murfreesboro now. Never thought I'd miss the Southern accents so much. Northern accents are much worse yoooose guyyyys.

You would not believe the Ohio State and Michigan para"fan"alia I see around here.

[yyz28]

[Guest JohnDenver]

In honor of what he is selling on OTP.

[meanrob]

Well, i for one love MAC football. Mostly because early in the season it's the MAC vs the Big Ten for the early TV games and usually there is an upset in there somewhere. Toledo crushing Penn State comes to mind.

However, the MAC today isn't the MAC of four or five years ago. I think it just runs in cycles and they are down and i did think them calling us mediocre was pot meet kettle.

They've got a 50 year head start on the Sun Belt and i'd say we've closed the gap pretty fast, if there even is a gap.

Hope we can prove that our first two games.

Still, love me some MAC.