North Texas vs Ball State

North Texas vs. Ball State

What HAPPENED???

I was ready to watch a full plate of college football, with the South Carolina vs. NC State, then the Oregon vs. Boise State, but there was another game that I had a chance to watch, that being North Texas vs. Ball State.

And I was quite amazed to see that a team that was 1-11 last year, that being North Texas, could go up to Ball State and beat them…in their own house, after the amazing season that the Cardinals had last year.

To refresh your memory, Ball State was actually ranked near the end of the season last year, and had a perfect record to finish the regular season. A perfect 12-0 While at the same time, North Texas wins only ONE game last year, and that game was to Western Kentucky, a team that was in their first year in Division IA (or FCS or whatever the call it). And even then, they still gave up 40 points, winning 51-40.

This matchup folks, should not have been nearly as entertaining as it turned out to be. And the stats may well show that the North Texas Mean Green had the advantage in time of possession (30 minutes to 13), and offensive yards (512 to 309), but you just have to wonder if something else was going on…mentally.

I know Ball State is a better team than that, we saw that last year, but I gotta tell ya, since they finished the season 12-0, they have gone 0-3 since then, almost as if winning isn’t as important as it used to be… or maybe the Cardinals believe that going perfect has no real reward.

Disagree? Back up to last year and follow me.

Coming out of the Mid-American Conference, they started out beating Northeastern but got their first good win by beating Navy 35-23. Now I know Navy isn’t a top 25 caliber team, but they are better than average, so this win was indeed a strong step for Ball State. They would score 40+ points the next 3 games, including a win over Big 10 member Indiana, and then shut out Toledo 31-0.

At this point the nation was slowly taking notice of Ball State, and the slight possibility of them being a “BCS buster”, a term I hardly agree with, since the current BCS bowls actually ALLOW a non power conference school with a great record in…. hardly BUSTING in if you are allowed…but that is another story.

Anyway, Ball State is 6-0 before running off 5 more wins in a row, and nobody is even close to touching them. Now the talks were about how teams like Boise State, Utah and now Ball State should be included in the BCS bowls. But others argued that the soft conference and weak strength of schedule would never allow Ball State to play in a BCS, no matter how they fared.

Their last regular season game was against Western Michigan, a game they win easily to go to their conference championship. By beating Western Michigan 45-22, they proved that they were indeed one of the best teams in the nation, clearly the best in their conference. I mean, how many other teams can claim they have gone perfect in the season? Not a very long list of teams, to be sure.

But here is where the problems may have started for Ball State. Last year I remember reading that no matter how good Ball State finished, they were contractually obligated to certain bowls, none being the BCS or the high dollar bowls. Whether they were 12-0 or 7-5, as the conference champion they had no choice but to go to one of the bowls designated for the Mid-American Conference.

Consider what that must have meant to those guys playing for Ball State.

The reward for perfection, is literally nothing. You play the schedule in front of you, you win all the games, you go perfect, and in the end, you go to a lesser bowl than maybe you should have. It seemed to imply that nothing Ball State could do is worth a real reward. Call it a glass ceiling if you will.

Now I won’t argue it because personally I felt that Ball State didn’t play a tough enough schedule to be considered into any BCS formula. And with Utah and Boise State also then undefeated, how could anybody consider Ball State? No doubt, an awesome season, but in the end, it was not considering of greater rewards.

Imagine how a team that worked so hard would feel if their best efforts resulted in them going to a bowl that is hardly a reward for a perfect team. Is it possible that the morale and drive for perfection tapped off with Ball State when they realized that their post season was pre-determined? How would YOU feel?

If there is any truth to this, it might explain what happened when Ball State played Buffalo in the conference championships. To Ball State, there really was nothing to play for, to Buffalo, there was everything to play for, and it showed. Buffalo crushed Ball State 42-24 to win the conference championship.

But it went further than that.

Ball State played Tulsa in the post season, losing 45-13. The team that was swatting every opponent in front of them like flies was now hardly putting up a fight. It almost seemed like they were still shocked that their 12-0 perfect season meant nothing to anybody outside Ball State University. Something mentally had to have happened for this team to have done so well, to have fallen so fast.

So fast forward to last night, playing North Texas.

Is it conceivable that Ball State still felt that going perfect has no reward, that all you really have to do is win your conference to go to a pre-determined bowl? Is it also possible that they saw a 1-11 team and assumed that they could win this game without a great effort, and on THEIR home field.

I won’t doubt for a second that there was some overconfidence, I mean, you don’t get afraid of a 1-11 team that comes in your home town, especially when you were 12-0. It had all the makings of a 56-3 beat down…but something else was going on, and I believe some of it might be in the heads of the Ball State Cardinals.

Could they be wondering, “what’s the point of going perfect”?

And in so, could they have lost that edge that gave them such a great year last year? In the regular season last year, the FEWEST points the Cardinals scored was 24, against Western Kentucky (ironic….). Yet in the post season, this same team scored only 24 points, then 13 points…last night they scored 10.

And let’s not forget that North Texas still had to show up to win, and a great win it was, no doubt. But now you wonder, what will Ball State do the rest of the season… with Army and Auburn on the schedule, they need to figure out if they are committed to winning, or still sulking from being dissed in a perfect season.

Only time will tell….

Florida Atlantic vs Central Michigan in MC Bowl

2008 Motor City Bowl

Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan

The MAC gave the nation a nice ride with Ball State, but there were several other teams that had pretty good records, one being Central Michigan. Their reward is the post season, and a game near home against one of 200 different Florida teams in Division I…

(just kidding, there are only 149 division I teams in Florida)

This bowl game matches up a team from the Sun Belt vs. a team from the MAC, and on paper, this really looks like a tough game for Florida Atlantic. But for sake of argument, let’s look at the resumes of both teams:

As mentioned, the Sun Belt gives Florida Atlantic to this bowl. Consider that in the FBS (Division I), there are 11 conferences and 4 independent teams. Of those conferences, the Sun Belt is almost nationally known as the least of the FBS conferences. If there was a second weakest, it would be a nice debate between Conference USA and the MAC.

And from this Sun Belt Conference comes a 6-6 team, Florida Atlantic Owls. The started out the year against then #11 Texas, losing big (52-10). But that was to be expected.

Their first win of the season came against UAB, which is a decent win for this team against a Conference USA team. But the next four games would be quite brutal…

A shutout to Michigan State, 17-0, then a big loss to Minnesota 37-3 before a third away game loss in as many weeks to Middle Tennessee State 14-13.

Things were not looking good for the Owls, now 1-4, and all losses away. It seemed that what they needed was some “home cooking”. But that was not to be, losing to Troy at home 30-17. Now at 1-5, the season for the Florida Atlantic Owls looked bleak. Already two games down in conference, only one win, what was there left to play for?

But this is a team with resolve, and showed that in the next game…and several after that.

Turning things around, the next win was on the road, beating Western Kentucky 24-20, then beating Louisiana-Monroe 29-28. The winning continued with a victory over North Texas 46-13, and against Louisiana-Lafayette 40-29. All of a sudden things were turning around for the Owls, and were now 5-5 with 2 games remaining.

They would split games, losing to Arkansas State before winning in overtime against Florida International 57-50. But it was enough, they were going bowling. Six teams on the schedule will be in bowls, and the Owls went 1-5 against them.

So what of Central Michigan?

An 8-4 team out of the MAC, this team faced many tough challenges throughout the season. A win against Eastern Illinois started the season as expected until they ran into then #2 ranked Georgia, losing 56-17.

Two away games were split as the Chippewas won against Ohio 31-28, but turned around and lost to the Big 10 foe Purdue 35-25. With a record of 2-2, they were doing fine, as whispers around the conference began to swell about Ball State….

But Central Michigan would then go on an incredible SIX game winning streak, dispatching every team in their way, regardless of what conference they came out of.

Buffalo fell to the Chippewas 27-25 as did Temple (Owls…interesting…) 24-14. The winning continued as Central bests Western Michigan 38-28 and raising their record to 5-2, and starting to get a little attention as well.

Three away games added to the greatness of this team, beating on the road, Toledo by one point, Big 10 foe Indiana by 3, and Northern Illinois in overtime by 3 points. It had all set up a HUGE game at home, with ranked Ball State (and conference rival) coming to their house.

But alas, it was not in the Chippewas’ favor, losing 31-24, and then losing the final game of the year to Eastern Michigan 56-52. Half of the season was faced playing teams that would eventually go to a bowl, so just as Florida Atlantic, they are battle tested.

But who is in favor? It kinda seems obvious.

Remind me where they are playing again…Detroit? As in MICHIGAN?

Central Michigan may be considered the 4th best team in the MAC, following Buffalo, Ball State and Western Michigan. Florida Atlantic was the fourth in a weaker conference, this could be a blow out. The Chippewas have seen owls before, and beat them before, this could be a repeat…but then again, that’s why they PLAY the game.

Ball State vs Buffalo MAC Champs

Ball State loses to Buffalo

Interesting situation…and how things seem to change just when you think you have figured it out.

Going into the MAC Championship, it seemed all to easy to think that Ball State would go undefeated. There were very high dreams for this team only a couple of weeks ago. And nobody thought much about Buffalo, so it would have been easy to just write off the game and assume that Ball State was going to win, and go 13-0.

At least that seemed the idea about 2 or 3 weeks ago.

Consider how things have changed:

In early November Ball State faced and defeated Miami OH and there was talk that IF this team goes undefeated, should they be considered for a BCS Bowl or National Championship. I blogged on these thoughts before, and I felt that even undefeated, they did not deserve a National Title shot, but a BCS…maybe, but only if Utah and Boise State fell off.

Ball State then plays arguably the two best teams in the MAC, in Central Michigan and Western Michigan, and beats them both. So with a trip to the MAC Championship, there was talk about whether they would play Boise State in the Humanitarian Bowl, which was wisely declined.

I mean, come on, I ain’t taking MY team to YOUR house to play ball, especially if you almost never lose there.

But in early October, Buffalo was going through some very tough times. Sure, they had not had a winning season EVER in Division I, but there was some talk that possibly, just possibly, the head coach might be on the verge of losing his job. Foolish talk for a team that had never seen a better than .500 record, but there it was.

Also consider as well that the head coach was one of rapidly declining African American coaches in Division I, thus continuing to prove that sadly college football in division I is run by people who have ethical issues that perhaps they need to get over.

Still, Buffalo was 1-5, and not looking too good. Yet they pulled together a string of wins, FIVE to be exact, to win their division. Yet the argument was that maybe they still didn’t deserve to play in the MAC Championship…because the other division, the West Division, was clearly better. Some even said on ESPN that they ought to change the rules to allow the best two teams in the championship…regardless of which division they are in.

I even agreed as well, to my discredit.

So today Ball State puts their perfect record on the line, against a Buffalo team that seems quite unworthy. And yet…the final score, 42-24...Buffalo wins.

MAJOR congrats to you guys in Buffalo…I bow deeply to your success.

And I also applaud Ball State for their season, and I hope they do not forget that they did in fact have a perfect season by the end of the regular season. Few teams get that high mark.

But could this have been forseen? Maybe, even though I didn’t look at the signs.

Signs?

Well yeah. Two things happened that could have made some impact on this game. We like to think that all things are settled on the field of battle… not always so. Sometimes the battle begins before the men take the field. How so?

One half is on Ball State. This team went from one of the darlings of the NCAA to being kicked out of the BCS…or rather, just denied. I won’t argue that they deserved to be overlooked with teams like Utah and Boise State, but what may have happened here is the team may have felt the bitter sting of rejection. No longer was there a BCS reward, no matter how well they played. The MAC had affiliations and it seemed that Ball State was…sentenced… to a lesser bowl. Perhaps the team had a let down once they realized that for all they did, it was in the NCAA’s eyes, just an average season.

On the other end, did anybody ever look at who Buffalo played? It is true they were 1-5 at one point, but look who they played. Losing to Pittsburgh 27-16 at Pittsburgh, losing AT Missouri 42-21, losing AT Central Michigan 27-25. These are very credible games, and masked the true team that would play tonight.

An overtime loss to Western Michigan in OVERTIME made it look like this team was a failure. And when Buffalo started winning, many argued that it was against teams that were under .500 anyway. So how good was this team if they lost to good teams, and beat poor teams?

Was it possible that they were building some strength. Is it possible that maybe Buffalo had to be tested by the good teams to be prepared for the best of the MAC? And, at the same time, was it possible that Ball State underestimated Buffalo, or maybe, just maybe, lost the edge they had when they realized that no matter what happened, they were not invited to a major bowl?

Who am I to make such guesses, but if those two elements came together, it could have created the result we now have. Buffalo has their best season ever…while ironically so has Ball State. Odd, because didn’t they both start out in 1999 with the worst records they ever had?

At any rate, I enjoyed watching it, and although there is rumors of Ball State playing Notre Dame, and that Buffalo may well go to the International Bowl, I wish them both success. I know the MAC didn’t get as much attention as the WAC or MWC, but to be sure, they gave their fans a great season.

Congrats Buffalo, the new MAC Champions.

Congrats Ball State, for your undefeated regular season.