Over The Pylon

Who says the blogosphere is good for nothing but smarmy humor and pornography? Take for example the kick ass blogs of the MidAmerican Conference. We have a weekly little roundtable where the best and brightest in the MAC converge and answer queries from a host blog. We at OTP kicked off the roundtable this year with the 5 questions of awesome below. We’ll answer as well as recap some of the participants. Get it on, MAC blogs…

This week’s participants:

• UBBullRun (Buffalo)
• EasternEagles (EMU)
• FalconBlog (BGSU)
• Let’sGoRockets (Toledo)
• FireUpChips (CMU)
• TempleFootballForever (Temple)

Our questions and our answers…

1.) Life is all about wins. What is the one premier upset the MAC will achieve this season that could gain this conference some national respectability?
In some respects, the MAC is fighting an uphill battle. No matter who wins what, this entire conference is seen as sort of a weird side show amidst the Big 10 area. Is it fair? Probably not. But not having a dynasty like the old days with Marshall is hurting us a bit. Can Temple start to do that? They can, assuming they don’t bolt the MAC like so many other up and coming teams have.  So this year, unfortunately, won’t do anything to help the MAC, unless every school goes undefeated in nonconference play. And NIU dropped a turd in that punchbowl last night. Thanks a lot, Huskies.

2.) Talk about your own team for a minute… what’s three things the blogosphere and their readers should know about your respective beloved team this season?

• We’re not as bad as everyone is making us out to be. Sure, last year was brutal. But how quickly we all forget the way we helmet fucked all of you on the way to 12-0. Will we be undefeated? No. Will we be 2-10? No. I sincerely hope that some of the fans of other programs enjoyed last year. Because I can promise you I will enjoy this one immensely.
• Our third string running back could start on over 3/4ths of the conference’s teams. Between Quale Lewis, Corey Sykes, and Eric Williams, this three-headed monster is going to go wild out of the backfield. You’ve been warned.
• Stan Parrish isn’t on the hot seat. For starters, we can’t afford to buy him out. Second, he’s only had one year. Everyone take a deep breath and remember we aren’t the SEC

3.) What game on your schedule are you looking forward to the most? Why? If that game happens to be a nonconference game, what conference game are you looking forward to the most as well?
Selfishly, I am looking most forward to NIU and Buffalo for very different reasons. The NIU game, should we win, would make us an outside shot to get to Detroit for the MAC Championship. That one’s self explanatory. For Buffalo, it’s personal and a chance to exorcise some of the demons from the 08 MAC Championship Game. That contest and our implosion still makes me want to find a kitty cat and punt it into a blast furnace.

4.) Who, besides Dan LeFevour will hurt their team the most by their departure? Conversely, what freshman in the MAC are you most looking forward to seeing?
No one on Ball State since we lost basically no one. I think Tim Hiller leaving Western will hurt them. Though not as successful as the Nate Davis’s or the Dan LeFevour’s of the recent MAC history, he was WMU’s best and ultimately only player. The fact that we pissed all over his senior season and kept them from a Bowl still makes me warm and fuzzy inside. I am most excited about seeing Ball State freshman phenom Keith Wenning. He is a stud. A super stud. In fact, I heard he shits strawberry shortcakes and pisses 30-year old GlenLivet.

5.) MAC Power Poll… Rank ’em all, worst to first.
1.) Ball State
1.) (tie) Akron
1.) (tie) Bowling Green
1.) (tie) Buffalo
1.) (tie) Central Michigan
1.) (tie) Northern Illinois
1.) (tie) Eastern Michigan
1.) (tie) Temple
1.) (tie) Western Michigan
1.) (tie) Eastern Michigan
1.) (tie) Kent
1.) (tie) Toledo
1.) (tie) Ohio

Preseason polls are totally and completely ridiculous and arbitrary. Part of me wanted to be either extremely offensive, ridiculously inappropriate, or just not do it at all, but instead chose this middle ground of amiability to hopefully fill the void. Enjoy.

Highlights from the others after the jump, though you should follow the links above for their respective posts. It’s a good first edition if you’re looking for some MACtastic answers.
Question 1:

• FireUpChips thinks Temple over UConn will help, but the biggest help would be Eastern Michigan beating someone. Anyone.
• FalconBlog thinks Ohio over OSU or Toledo over Boise State.
• Most everyone else thinks one win won’t matter, assuming we get the one win that would potentially make people take notice.

Question 2:
Everyone thinks their team is far better than people think, most pundits are wrong, yadda yadda yadda. We do as well, so this isn’t a bad thing.

Question 3:

• BullRun wants payback for Temple. They are also the “closest team to a rival” for the Bulls.
• TempleFootballForever ironically doesn’t think the same, as he chooses Villanova. That’s right, Buffalo, you’ve been chosen behind an FCS school. That has to sting a bit, but kudos to TFF for igniting the dumpster fire that sometimes accompanies the Bulls fans along the fanhood trail.
• EasternMichiganEagles ironically is looking forward to playing CMU. That makes the grand tally of people eagerly anticipating this game at one. Unless of course you count all the people who get their jollies by watching a supremely undermanned team get manhandled and helmet fucked by another. Then it’s probably in the dozens!

Question 4:
Apparently Dan LeFevour does indeed walk on water as everyone believes there is virtually no one to compare in terms of the loss felt by Saint Dan ascending to the NFL, where his bitchass was cut will be cut without hesitation. Nate’s still on a roster. For now. Take that, CMU.

Question 5:
The MAC Power Poll showed itself to be quite the wonderment of variety. We’ll throw our ballot out since we gave a first place vote to everyone, but the following teams all received the top honors: Temple (LGR, FB, TFF)  Ohio (BR) NIU (EME) and the lone vote for Eastern Michigan (FUC). Also, EME picked BSU to be the worst team in the conference. An Eastern Michigan fan picked BSU as the worst? OMG cat… your thoughts?

Exactly.

Filed under: MAC Roundtable |