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Not very easy, but better than @ Toledo and @ WMU I suppose. EMU is losing Roback so that helps with that game some. CMU loses Morris. NIU will challenge for the MAC West.

Khalil Mack, Eric Fisher, TY Hilton, Blake Bortles, TJ Watt, Dede Westbrook.

Kendal Briles (OC) was hired away from FAU to Houston. I predict a BIG dip in offensive production by FAU next season if the offense reverts to anything like it was when Kiffin was at Tenn/USC/Bama.

Elijah McGuire

Josh Davis is having a ridiculous game.

what the hell Poke

That was a rough first half. Based on the season so far, I have a hard time believing the 2nd will be better.

I noticed both Patton and one of the walk-ons got time before Cotton. The big boys from WMU are causing problems.

Tracker is updated to include Arslanian as a scholly player. Per a source close to the team, he was a "blueshirt" commit last year. Estimating 10 scholarships left over now for 2018. Quick reminder on what the different "shirts" mean as well. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/recruiting/2016/01/31/college-football-recruiting-redshirt-greenshirt-grayshirt-blueshirt/79603750/ Zips Football Scholarship Chart.xlsx

I think all 3 P5 teams will be a long shot to beat next season. Northwestern is going to finish the season ranked in the teens. We all know ISU is on the come up. Nebraska is probably the weakest (and NIU did just beat them this season), but they made a home run hire in Scott Frost, who just led UCF to an undefeated season and bowl win over Auburn. We shouldn't get too worked up by the starting OOC 1-3 next season. Last year's OOC was tough, this is tougher. Like skip, my calendar is marked vs Illinois in 2019.

Welcome back Keener. Go Zips.

i saw those as well B&G. I was wondering if it was the players moving on of the coaches that decided they didn't want to honor Haynes' offers for them?

I will admit that Getsy in the future is intriguing to me. Him going from GB WR coach to Miss St OC for a few years aligns almost too perfect if Bowden can't continue to elevate. Players love coaches who have been in the NFL. I will add, in what I have read (not very much), it seems like it is mostly just a title rather than regular OC duties for now. Moorhead is supposedly calling plays. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/luke-getsy-to-be-hired-as-mississippi-states-offensive-coordinator-and-wide-receivers-coach/ar-BBHqd9l

Well it seems that it was just an extension and not a raise, so I don't know what there is really to make a stink about considering a football coach would have to be employed regardless. But I'd never put anything past the mass of crybabies out there. Bowden's contract puts him at the bottom of the MAC. The only coach lower is Leipold in Buffalo. Haynes' was a whole $88 annually lower. I would imagine Sean Lewis' contract is higher. Looking at his contract and what he's done with the program thus far, its been quite a bargain just for him to takes us from horrible to average/slightly above average MAC program. If he could take us to a true contender in the next few years..... https://projects.newsday.com/databases/long-island/college-football-coaches-salaries-contracts/?where=conference=MAC&order=2017_guaranteed_pay_DESC&offset=0

I think all of that is pretty fair. The scope of this discussion is really 18 and 19, because we would be in the same predicament we thought we were going to be in '18 for '20, in that its really not realistic to expect a coach to be able to recruit on the last year of his contract, so I would expect something (extension of firing) prior to the '20 season. The timeline is perfect as well for most of us, in that we wanted to give Bowden a few more years to see if he can elevate the program to a real top program in the conference. No less than a 6 win season for sure, another conference championship appearance, and another bowl win are what I would want to see to consider another extension. I'm kind of on the fence about a 9 win season, but I think I'll throw that in there as well. I'd agree 2019 seems more realistic for that. In 2018 we have Nebraska, Northwestern, and ISU on the OOC schedule and Nebraska is the most winnable. Crazy times we live in! Once again, only looking at 18 and 19 seasons.

The unpredictability of CFB is what makes it so great.

Toledo down 34-0 to Appy State early in the 4th. Should Candle's "head roll"?

Damn...no real complaints about the loss tonight (outside of the defense the last play). Princeton's record isn't that great but they have played a pretty decent schedule thus far. Even with our best teams, our realistic expectations would have been to go 2-1. Let's get the last one and get the away record-monkey off of our back.

Worried about another horrible 2nd half there for a little, but we've tied it back up and this one is looking like it will come down to the end.

I didn't catch it with my owns eyes, but according to ESPN's boxscore, Sayles got the start tonight. Groce seems to have good awareness in that regard, as he's already made 2 adjustments to the starting lineup this year in Parrish for Patton and Sayles for Poke.

The Rockets are having an Ohio-esque game so far vs Appy St.

Parrish is bringing it so far. Let's see how this one ends up...

At this point in the season, the way I see it is we've got decent enough play at 4 of the 5 starting positions. Utomi, Ivey, and usually to a lesser extent, Duvivier are known quantities and are always going to bring something to the table. Cotton has shown he is capable enough of spelling Duvivier and seems to continually improve. I think we can get okay-enough production out of Sayles/Poke at the 5 on any given night. Obviously depth is an issue as well as expected. We really only have 2 bench players that you can count on to give you something and that is Cotton and Sayles. Patton and Marc should have been redshirted this year, but obviously couldn't due to lack of depth. Prime candidates for red-shirts next year, IMO with 4 new players coming into the fold. Parrish is the one position where I think we really need better play from. He's shown he's capable of it, but hasn't provided much as of late like he did earlier in the year. Maybe its a mid-season slump. Maybe he's better off being the 6th man, but I think as he goes, this team will go this year. It's unfair to ask that much of him, and i still think he's going to have a bright future no matter what, but it just is what it is due to our lack of depth and youth.

Don't believe we've scored yet this half, maybe 2 points.

Because there was a common shooting foul prior to that (allegedly).