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YSU Penguin Athletics / FCS Football playoffs

« on: November 25, 2017, 06:34:02 PM »

UNI up 33-0 over Monmouth (9-2) at halftime. The Big south is garbage... UNH only beat CCSU 14-0. Colonial not nearly as deep as the Valley. In other news, SD having a tight one with Nichols and Weber Stte and WIU duking it out. Here’s hoping those two can hold on/ turn it around and help MVFC great to 3-0 in Round 1

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Top 15 FBS/FCS match ups for 2016

« on: July 22, 2016, 08:26:55 PM »

I thought this was an interesting read... YSU v. WVU listed as #12 with a shoutout to the Pitt game last season...

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/15-best-fbs-vs-fcs-football-games-2016

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YSU Penguin Athletics / YSU/MVFC Preseason Rankings

« on: July 17, 2016, 09:09:38 PM »

This board has to liven up a bit here...

What's everyone's thoughts on some of the predictions for the season. I just made my annual trip to Barnes and Nobles to nab the season preview magazines and here's what they're saying...

-Sporting News; YSU 6th in the MVFC, unranked nationally. Derek Rivers listed as the Top NFL Prospect in the League. (Rest of MVFC - #1 NDSU, #4 UNI, #10 Illinois State, #12 SDSU, #16 W. Illinois)

-Lindy's Sports; YSU 6th in the MVFC, ranked #24 nationally. Sites YSU as possibly being able to slink from the middle of the pack to the upper tier of the league. (Rest of MVFC - #1 NDSU, #4 UNI, #6 SDSU, #17 W. Illinois, #20 Illinois State)

-Compughterrankings.com; YSU ranked #22 nationally. (Rest of MVFC - #1 NDSU, #3 UNI, #5 SDSU, #6 Illinois St, #14 W. Illinois)

I also saw a couple individual posters (that were not YSU faithful haha) at various sites that had YSU as a Top 10 contender! The funny thing is based on 1 or 2 big games we honestly could go anywhere from Top 5 to completely unranked... I guess its like that when 5 or 6 of our conference teams are in the Top 25.

I know Game 1 is a month and a half away but Duquesne is ranked #22 in Lindy's Sports Preseason Rankings and seems to be a continually improving program (coming off close playoff loss to William & Mary after making the FCS postseason for the first time in program history). Was listed as a Top OOC matchup on another site (I cant remember which). Also, they gave us a game a couple years ago (34-23). I think it may be a little overhyped if you actually know about the disparity between the MVFC and any mid-major FCS conference but its an intriguing matchup nonetheless. And the biggest thing is that it should give us at least some indication of how the season will go.

On a side note, Illinois State and North Dakota State were listed as the #3 and #5 FCS recruiting classes respectively... the rich keep on getting richer I guess.

Any thoughts?

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YSU Penguin Athletics / MVFC Non-Conference Schedule Comparison

« on: July 25, 2015, 01:46:45 PM »

It's always fun to see those first few weeks of the season and put our guys out there on a more national stage.  The last several years have demonstrated the MVFC's dominance in the FCS world... but that's a badge that must be earned every season and I know there are some teams on the conference's OOC schedule that would love to see that happen. Here's a comparison of each teams' non conference schedule...

North Dakota State:
8/29 - @Montana (Big Sky)
9/12 - Weber State (Big Sky)
9/19 - North Dakota (Big Sky)
*three Big Sky match ups?! I wonder if they could just decide to give NDSU two conference championships 

South Dakota State:
9/5 - @Kansas (Big 12)
9/12 - Southern Utah (Big Sky)
9/26 - Robert Morris (NEC)

Youngstown State:
9/5 - @ Pittsburgh (AAC)
9/12 - Robert Morris (NEC)
9/19 - Saint Francis (NEC)

Northern Iowa
9/5 - @Iowa State (Big 12)
9/12 - E. Washington (Big Sky)
9/19 - Cal Poly (Big Sky)

Illinois State:
9/5 - @ Iowa (Big Ten)
9/12 - Morgan State (MEAC)
9/19 - @ E Illinois (OVC)

Indiana State:
9/5 - Butler (Pioneer)
9/12 - @Purdue (Big Ten)
9/19 - SE Missouri State (OVC)

Southern Illinois:
9/5 - @Indiana (Big Ten)
9/12 - @SE Missouri State (OVC)
9/26 - Liberty (Big South)

Western Illinois:
9/3 - E Illinois (OVC)
9/12 - @Illinois (Big Ten)
9/19 - @Coastal Carolina (Big South)

Missouri State:
9/5 - @Memphis (AAC)
9/12 - Chadron State (Div 2 - RMAC)
9/19 - @Arkansas State (Sun Belt)

South Dakota:
9/5 - @Kansas State (Big 12)
9/12 - @UC Davis (Big Sky)
9/19 - Drake (Pioneer)

Now that looks like 7 Big Sky, 4 Ohio Valley, 4 Big Ten, 3 Big 12, 3 NEC, 2 AAC, 2 Pioneer, 2 Big South, 1 Sun Belt, 1 MEAC, 1 RMAC (Div 2). So...

(1) What's everyone's thoughts on the overall strength of the MVFC non-conference schedule and implications on playoff picture...

(2) Thoughts on any specific team's OOC schedule?

(3) Also, what OOC matchups is everyone looking forward to? My personal list goes like this:
I. 9/12 - Northern Iowa vs. Eastern Washington
EWU had a great season last year and should prove to be a tough task for the Panthers.  Will be an earlier season feeler of whether UNI will be the team that "just makes the playoffs" or is poised to make an actual deep run in the post season.

II. 9/19 - Western Illinois @ Coastal Carolina
I like this matchup because WIU seems to be a team on the rise in the conference and I've heard a number of people call them the Dark Horse of the MVFC. CCU on the other hand has been a Big South power and considered to be a team on the rise nationally, playing a competitive 32-39 game against NDSU in the playoffs last season.  If WIU somehow managed to go down to Conway, SC and compete (dare say it win), what a boost for that program... and the conference.

III. 9/26 - Southern Illinois vs. Liberty
I put this one down mostly because I can't stand the Big South (long story...) nor Liberty for that matter (longer story.....).  But last season's playoff berth (and first round victory) has given the Flames fans a ton to brag about this offseason.  It would be nice to see a mid-level MVFC team (one that lost 5 conference games last season) beat em up to prove a point.

Runner-up: YSU @ Pitt... 2012 worked out well... don't think this second go around will be as easy but still excited to see the matchup again... and contrary to 2012, I have had a lot of Pitt fans telling me that they are actually keeping a close eye on this game.

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YSU Penguin Athletics / How good is the MVFC

« on: September 21, 2014, 01:06:19 AM »

Now that non-conference play is winding down and everyone's looking forward to their conference foes, I wanted to get an early evaluation of the conference... How does the MVFC stack up here in 2014.  And from what I can see pretty darn well.  In fact, I'm thinking it looks to be the deepest the conference has ever been...

MVFC overall non-conference record (vs. FCS): 22-1
Two FBS Wins (NDSU and Indiana St)
Two Top 25 wins (#22 and #4) and a close loss to #4 (by South Dakota, typically lower tier in the MVFC)

Typical front-runners:
NDSU has been...well... NDSU. Beat #4 Montana
SDSU is still a mystery but history has shown us to have faith in the 'Rabbits
UNI has close loses to Hawaii and Iowa... now just need to starting earning some Ws back in FCS

Typical Mid-Tier:
YSU... say what you will but Illinois is 3-1 and Duquesne will be a playoff team come the end of the season.
Ill St... Havent played anybody overly difficult but have the pieces to have a good season
Ind St... beat Ball State and Tenn Tech
Mizz St... Solid wins over Central Arkansas and SWSU
Southern Ill... Destroyed SE Mizz St who then turned around and beat #3 SE Louisiana

Typical Lower-Tier:
Western Illinois... Actually outgained Northwestern, with turnovers ruining a chance at yet another close FBS game for the MVFC... Currently 2-2
South Dakota... Win over #22 N. Arizona and close loss to #4 Montana

You look at the schedule this year and it just seems like there is never a "week off" for the Quins (which is as much a good thing as it is a bad thing).  Looking at the depth of the conference (at least through the first 4 weeks), it would be criminal to not invite at least 4 teams to the postseason...

The Big Sky got that last year and everyone but Eastern Washington got killed their first game. I think the MVFC is more than deserving, even if that means sending an 8-4 to the postseason. Only problem is I think the Missouri Valley is going to pull a traditional SEC (I hate to use that example) and beat each other up.  Let's just hope the committee has more sense than to just look at records and play favorites...

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YSU Penguin Athletics / So what's happened...

« on: October 20, 2012, 09:28:22 PM »

I'm really interested to hear everyone's feelings about the SIU game... I can say that personally, it was draining. I'm not the accusatory type, I try not to lynch mob after bad games (calling for the coaches' jobs and such) and I understand this is a hard game to play (AKA, not the guy in the stands yelling, "come on, how could you drop that pass?!").  But, tonight has been a cultivation of a well of disappointment for a lot of Penguins fans.  4-0 and on top of the world diminished to 3 straight losses in some of the most unexemplary fashions imaginable... as if being a Northeast Ohio sports fan wasn't bad enough already. Here's what I've got on my mind after these passed three weeks...

1) What is going on in the halftime locker room? Three straight weeks held scoreless in the 3rd and 4th quarter? It just seems as if the offense never comes out to play the second half.  Sure, the defense hasn't played great.  But when the offense never tastes the endzone drive after drive, I can understand the difficulty that must come from having to slug back onto the field to try and defend a lead...

2) I discovered one big thing from tonight... we run the slowest no-huddle offense I have ever seen.  I played in the no-huddle in college and the whole point is to control the tempo of the game.  Speed it up when your down, slow it down when your up. That's the rule.  So, why is it that YSU down two scores with under 8 minutes to go is taking at least 20+ seconds to get each play off.  If that's how it's going to be, I would prefer we go back to a traditional offense, huddle up and keep it simple.

3) I have met the QB outside of football and he seems like a great kid and a great athlete.  Truly, he does have "ability" and "skill."  But the last few weeks have taught me that he has trouble leading this team... emotionally and by example.  I dont like to call out players, but what can a person say?  This is Division 1 football and there needs to be some accountability for performance.  In three of the last four games, you heard the opposing coaches say that they were making adjustments coming out of halftime that they felt gave them a great chance.  I'm willing to bet that part of that plan was to make our QB win or lose the game... try to attack the run and mis-direction and make the QB beat them... and aside from UNI, he didn't do that.

4) Coaches... what happened to the attitude and swagger of this team? Coaches exist for three reasons... to call plays, prepare players for games and motivate/inspire their teams. Needless to say, we have failed in all three of these areas. Buck has to stop somewhere guys... and to coin a phrase from one of my football favorites (remember the titans) "attitude reflects leadership... Captain."

5) "Fans," two questions... (1) where are you and (2) do you really care if we win or lose?  And yes, I am probably to blame here as well.  But after sitting in front of a "Penguin fan" who did nothing but down our team for four quarters, I really began to wonder if I had confused the YSU season-ticket seats with the Southern Illinois fan section.  If you would like to comment on how bad everyone played, a forum like this is a great place to do it... after the game!  When you are there (which most of you were not), please at least try to help get our guys motivated.

After all that, I hope everyone is still excited for the last half of the season.  I do believe we have a shot... a slim one but a shot and we as YSU fans NEED to care what happens.  Sure it's been disappointing, but the truly faithful will stand strong through it. Stand strong. SDSU in a week...