Yes, I'm an alum and biased....but I'm also an alum who still harbors anger at the BCS for drawing out the Playoff Process approval and implementation this frigging long.....So just wanted to praise NIU and the MAC for providing a couple teams that could really piss people off if one of them somehow gets to a #16 ranking after this week....If only NIU had finished off Iowa in game 1 of the season, hard to believe but they would be a top 12 team right now and winning Friday in Detroit would have secured them in a BCS bowl.....a guy can dream I suppose...

Either way, good job Coach Doeren, Jordan Lynch, and the rest of the boys. Lay it on Kent State and let's keep our fingers crossed for some magic....

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GOB: "My God, what is this feeling?"
Michael: "Could it be love?"
GOB: "I know what an erection feels like, Michael. No, it's the opposite. It's... it's like my heart is getting hard."

It's fun for sure. I was attending Miami when Roethlisberger was in '03 when they only lost to Iowa in the season opener and finished the year top 10. I'm pulling for a MAC team to make a BCS bowl. Good for the entire conference.

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Team Cutler.

Spanky + cluv8484 = Definite MATCH!!!

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

How is it that NIU loses a very close game to Iowa for its only loss and Kent State gets throttled by Kentucky yet Kent State is ranked high enough to actually get in the BCS with the championship win and NIU probably wont.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Their other BCS-conference game was a win at Rutgers while NIU's was a win at home vs. Kansas. That's probably the biggest factor.

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I think Kent was pretty highly regarded from the start of the season as well, which plays a roll

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

It is hard to believe that the only thing that would separate a team from being a BCS team or not a BCS team is an inability to beat Iowa.

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You know me like that.

I thought everyone had Solich and Ohio U as the big favs in the MAC?

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Shows the greatness of the College football Bowl system.

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It actually does. It's by far, the most important regular season in sports.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Which is why they are getting away from it. Slowly but surely.

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Which is a bad thing for the MAC, because unless it goes to 16 teams, they might as well create another playoff for the non-BCS schools.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

It's not like an undefeated MAC school would ever have a shot at a title under the current format. Even though the regular season is sooo important. Unless your an SEC school, then you can afford a loss and get back in the picture.

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The new system won't be any worse for the MAC than the current system. If anything, it makes it slightly easier to get into a big $$$ bowl.

The system is already "anti-Mac" and similar programs, yet they occasionally find a way to sneak a team in and get a piece of the pie.

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Look how excited they are for a shot at a BCS bowl. That goes away unless it's a 16 team playoff. I'm not sure a MAC school has ever been in the top 8 in the BCS prior to the bowl games.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

That could be cool if non BCS schools could still crash the BCS but would otherwise be in a 16 team playoff. Call the first round the first round and then the next 7 games over 3 weeks could take the names and locations for 7 shitty bowl games.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Right now, NIU is in good shape if they can get into the top 16. With a new system, they would need to be top 4 or top 8. That's nearly impossible given the schedule the MAC plays. They'd probably need 3 out of conference BCS wins or a major win against a team like Oregon or Alabama.
It will get worse. Let's say it's an 8 team playoff. The "big money games" become the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and title game. The payouts would go to the top 8 teams conferences. NIU, with a win, has a good shot at being in one of the top 5 bowl games this year.

The new playoff system is a power grab by the Big Ten, SEC, and Pac 12 to destroy the Big East, limit the accessibility of the smaller conferences, and severely weaken the ACC(likely) or Big 12(less likely).

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

You're talking in hypotheticals. I'm talking about what's actually gonna happen with the new 4-team playoff.

The opportunity for a berth in on e of the big-$$$ games will be about the same as it is now. A smaller-conference team will need (almost) a perfect season to get in to one of the 6 big bowls, which will be the big big-$$$ games.

It will be essentially impossible for them to get into the 4-team playoff spots, just as it is now. But it's gonna be next-to-impossible for many of the the "big time" programs to get one of those 4 spots as well.

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90+% of the BCS conference schools get excited for a shot at a BCS bowl too.

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The 4 team playoff moves them down 2 more spots in the bowl heirarchy. It's not as bad as an 8 team playoff, but it still makes a difference.

The bowls are already signing deals. I believe the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl have already cut off any possibility of a non-BCS team from ever playing there again. The Fiesta and Sugar Bowl are likely to do the same, if they haven't already. All of these bowls were actually released from restrictions with the new playoff.

An 8 team playoff would only be worse for the non-BCS schools(and in reality, many BCS schools including Purdue).

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Not everything is a shot at NIU. Calm down.

NIU should be excited. I'm excited for NIU too, if it happens.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Except there will be 6 "big bowls" now instead of the 5 BCS bowls.

Didn't they recently announce that there is going to be a "reserved" spot for a "best of the rest" team? Meaning a team from the lesser conferences will be guaranteed a spot no matter what, whereas now there is no guarantee unless several criteria are met? That seems like it makes it easier for a smaller conference team to get in, not harder.

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Nobody said it was a shot at NIU. Read better.

You made a separate post to point out "how excited they (MAC teams) are" to get a BCS opportunity. But it's true for every school not named Alabama, Ohio State, and.......very few others. Just pointing that out.

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Yes, replacing the Big East automatic qualifier I believe.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I narrowed it to 12 teams with the top 4 getting a first round bye. I would totally watch this. Most of these teams can be fun to watch and then with the added incentive and interest I think it could work.

The 2012 UMN Cup

Rd 1

#1 Kent State (bye)

#8 Arkansas State vs #9 Ball State
#5 San Jose State vs #12 Toledo

#4 Boise State (bye)

#2 NIU (bye)

#7 Fresno State vs #10 Middle Tennessee
#6 San Diego State vs #11 Louisiana Tech

#3 Utah State (bye)

Rd 2

#1 Kent State vs #8 Arkansas State
#4 Boise State vs #12 Toledo
#2 NIU vs #7 Fresno State
#3 Utah State vs #6 San Diego State

Semi finals

#1 Kent State vs #4 Boise State
#2 NIU vs #3 Utah State

Championship

#2 NIU vs #4 Boise State

#2 NIU 2012 UMN Cup Champions

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Arkansas State got screwed.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

Go Hawks

By their cousin again?

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

As someone stated, the new system will give 1 spot to one of the group of 5...

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... inal-games

_________________
GOB: "My God, what is this feeling?"
Michael: "Could it be love?"
GOB: "I know what an erection feels like, Michael. No, it's the opposite. It's... it's like my heart is getting hard."