EVAN CROUTCH

[Observer]

The bitterness towards the MAC is laughable.  If you're going to the MAC your not going to win championships, you're not going to play in a bowl game.  You're going to get exposure to the NFL.  The team that YSU'ers love to hate, Kent State, has 10 guys on current 52 man rosters in the NFL 7 of those teams being playoff teams.  That's why you go to a MAC school.  That's more than YSU's history in totality.  If you want to make a roster go to Kent, if you want to make a practice squad go to YSU.  Its really quite simple.  And yes all that is from a 1 win football team.  No kid goes into their college football experience saying I just want to play and have fun, they go into it thinking they just might be the next big thing.  The bigger they go the better chance they have of signing a big contract.  If your program doesn't have this as a recruiting factor, it will lose kids to 1 win programs with this factor all day long.  4-20 year old championships don't interest kids anymore.

[kforbs126]

The bitterness towards the MAC is laughable.  If you're going to the MAC your not going to win championships, you're not going to play in a bowl game.  You're going to get exposure to the NFL.  The team that YSU'ers love to hate, Kent State, has 10 guys on current 52 man rosters in the NFL 7 of those teams being playoff teams.  That's why you go to a MAC school.  That's more than YSU's history in totality.  If you want to make a roster go to Kent, if you want to make a practice squad go to YSU.  Its really quite simple.  And yes all that is from a 1 win football team.  No kid goes into their college football experience saying I just want to play and have fun, they go into it thinking they just might be the next big thing.  The bigger they go the better chance they have of signing a big contract.  If your program doesn't have this as a recruiting factor, it will lose kids to 1 win programs with this factor all day long.  4-20 year old championships don't interest kids anymore.

This is exactly my thinking.  MAC has some good talent.  Also you could go to a bowl game with a crappy MAC team.  YSU hasn't done anything in many years.  No playoffs.  Become relevant again and local recruits will come. 

[penguinpower]

The MAC blows. I would rather be in the Sunbelt or Conference USA.  You have powerhouse teams like Kent, Akron and Buffalo.......serious football traditon there....... what a joke.  Regardless of their numbers in the pros we would take them to the woodshed and beat their asses.

[DavedS]

I have no bitterness at all towards the MAC--I'm just being realistic about how good they are--NDSU is better than the MAC--back before they were national champs they crushed MAC Western champions Central Michigan 44-14 and I'm sure most MVFC teams are very capable of beating most MAC teams.Mount Union in D3 either last year or the year before had 5 players on NFL rosters--hope people don't think we will suffer greatly because we lost Evan and I will be thrilled if someday he makes the NFL, like all these great MAC players have.

[Wick250]

The Associated Press Inland district team came out today.  That is only the first step toward the selection of all state performers.  This young man could only earn 2nd team status on that preliminary team.  That reinforces the opinions from those of us who have seen him play.  He could not start here.

Now for the MAC.  Consider this scenario.  Take the three top teams in the MAC and have them play NDSU, Illinois State, and UNI on neutral fields.  Would you be willing to bet anything significant that the MAC schools would win at least two of those games?

Now take the 4th to 6th best MAC teams and place them against SDSU, Indiana State, and YSU on a neutral field.  Same thing.  Would you bet that the MAC would win at least two of those games? 

Kent State has been very bad for about 40 of the past 50 seasons.  However, during that long span, they have produced many NFL players, including some big stars.  So why do you play college football?  To have a good team that wins games or to have a breeding ground for individuals to become professionals?  I choose the former.

[ysufan0505]

For all the ripping on the MAC.... They sure do throw out some good NFL talent... When's the last talented NFL player we had at YSU that actually stuck and played on an NFL roster in the last 10 years? Donald Jones maybe?

I mean, when you think of Antonio Gates and James Harrison and Josh Cribbs, even Julian Edelman from the Pats... they all went to Kent.

One of the best DE's/LB's in NFL history went to Akron in Jason Taylor.

Buffalo just had Khalil Mack drafted 5th overall.

Say what you want about the MAC, but they produce NFL star players.

[paladin]

The problem with th is discussion is its comparing apples and oranges. An outstanding player here or there does not make a better team. A team of good players beats a poor team with an NFL future star every time. Take 11guys to win a game with. Better team competition is why MVFC is ranked over MAC as game results speak for themselves in strength of schedules.

[YSUGO]

Nobody cares about FCS football, except FCS schools and that is a reach.  Its all about exposure and FCS cannot deliver that.  I would bet that the Bison want to go D1 ...We tried to go D1. Do u think a recruit really cares that on paper that our conference is better than the MAC.  He sees them on TV, and on the radio and in all forms of Media.  Its under Major College Football.  Try finding FCS.  We are not in the 90's anymore.   

[Penguin Nation]

Nobody cares about FCS football, except FCS schools and that is a reach.  Its all about exposure and FCS cannot deliver that.  I would bet that the Bison want to go D1 ...We tried to go D1. Do u think a recruit really cares that on paper that our conference is better than the MAC.  He sees them on TV, and on the radio and in all forms of Media.  Its under Major College Football.  Try finding FCS.  We are not in the 90's anymore.

^^^Nailed it...

If you can't be FBS, than play more FBS.  Beat Kent State and let NE Ohio know (including potential recruits) who the big dog in NE Ohio is.

[Dmorton]

Be thankful we have a program they we do.  All it takes is winning and the fannies in the seats will be back.  Oh yeah!  Stop playing all the weenie games!!!

[YSU1]

we are having a hard time being FCS.  Nearly half of our wins came against partial scholarship schools.  That does not help the program other than padding your win column. it is sad that so many schools moved up and we still cannot get into the play-offs.  not good

[HLecter]

No loss with this kid. 

[IAA Fan]

I do not consider any team we played this year a weenie game. These are the teams that the NCAA wants us to play ...so we need to do it. Who played more weenie games than Jim Tressel ...and he was the AD? Then when we did schedule a couple of good DII's we almost lost both times: Cal of PA and Carson-Newman. In fact everyone knows that when the NCAA by-law of a minimum of 7 DI wins came out ...it was affectionately called the "Tressel Rule". That was the commonly used name for it for several years.

[footballfan]

It's not a big loss anyway. Not fast/athletic enough to see the field. Special teams type player maybe.

How can you say he's not fast enough when the kid runs a 4.53 40 yard dash??