Preview 2006 – Mid Majors

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Last year the Mid Majors were addressed here on multiple occasions; however, it appears that neither the voters from the AP or the Coach’s poll read this site since this year the preseason polls have 13 different Mid Major teams receiving votes.

Not surprisingly, West Virginia, Louisville*, and TCU are the top three, and the only teams actually making the top 25 in either poll. In relative order of votes, Utah, Boise State, Tulsa, Fresno State, UTEP, BYU, Northern Illinois, Memphis, Rutgers, and Nevada finish out the Mid Majors recognized by at least one group of voters.

Why am I picking on the Mid Majors? It all started with in 2003 with Trev Alberts’ proclamation that the MAC should be a BCS conference. Discounting the fact that half the conference doesn’t even meet the attendance requirements to stay in IA, the MAC teams, or any other Mid Majors for that matter, have done nothing on the field to warrant that type of praise. Unfortunately, Trev’s comments seemed to have struck a nerve with other members of the media who continue to hype the Mid Majors every year. Sure the media has ulterior motives; someone has to fill all those Thursday night slots, and without interest in Mid Majors, we wouldn’t have football on ESPNU. Nevertheless, the problem is that the Mid Majors seem to be held to a lower standard than BCS schools. NC State for instance will take some grief for it’s out of conference schedule, which includes Akron, USM, E. Carolina, and Appalachian St. Three of those teams are as tough as any team Tulsa, a “quality� Mid Major faces, yet like most other Mid Majors, instead of being criticized for the weakness of their schedule, they will be probably be pitied for not having the “opportunity� to play better teams.

Despite sentiment to the contrary, the reality is that Mid Majors virtually never beat good BCS teams. Last year out of 69 regular season games where a Mid Major (including the Big East) played a team with a winning record from a BCS conference, the Mid Major won only twice (TCU over OU & New Mexico over Missouri). Lower the threshold to a BCS team with at least five wins, and it adds four more wins for the Mid Majors: Middle Tennessee over Vandy; WVU over Maryland; and Louisville over both Oregon State and North Carolina. In fact in all the 108 contests versus BCS teams, the Mid Majors (including the Big East) won only thirteen, and only Louisville won more than one. The other BCS teams that lost to a Mid Major include Duke (twice), Washington, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Arizona – not exactly impressive wins last year.

On the other hand, supposedly good Mid Majors lose to bad BCS teams. Boise St. lost to Oregon St., Nevada was blown out by Washington State, Navy lost to Maryland and Stanford, Akron was blown out by Purdue, and Memphis lost to Ole Miss and Tennessee, and of course, Utah lost to North Carolina. Some of these losses by themselves aren’t awful, but since these teams don’t have any quality wins to offset the losses, it further solidifies the rise of the Mid Majors as a myth.

With thirteen Mid Majors receiving votes in the polls, it’s worth looking more closely at each team.

    Despite my belief that WVU is over-rated, giving them top 25 consideration is reasonable. They did have a good record last year, and they did have wins over two good teams. Also, if you subscribe to the school of thought that a preseason poll is a prediction of where a team will be ranked at the end of the year rather than a gauge of how good a team is then with the ridiculously light schedule WVU has, they should be ranked high. And the schedule is ridiculously light. If not Maryland, the contest at Mississippi State might be their 2nd toughest game.
    I believe Louisville is definitely the class of the Big East and the Mid Majors. They have one of the best QB/RB combos in the country and a very manageable schedule. They play their toughest game early in the season at home against a Miami team that from the outside appears to be in disarray. Top to bottom, this team isn’t that talented, but against their schedule and with the two superstars on offense, they should do pretty well. The biggest loss is monster sacker Elvis Dumervil who had an unbelievable twenty sacks last year.
    Despite an 11-1 record last year, ranking TCU is a joke. Sure they beat OU last year, but don’t forget the Sooners were absolutely pathetic in their first two games. In fact, OU’s passing game was so bad they didn’t even attempt a pass in the 2nd half of their win over Tulsa the following week. TCU lost to SMU last year and needed overtime to beat both Utah (7-5) and BYU (6-6). Also, they narrowly edged a 5-7 San Diego St. team 23-20. Despite arguments to the contrary, this was not a BCS caliber team last year unless you’re ranking purely on record, and they will be no better this year. Like WVU, they have a pathetic schedule with their toughest game, by far, against Texas Tech, which gives TCU a chance at another good record.
    Utah is another team that doesn’t merit the attention it gets. Surprisingly, it seems they still get respect based on the 2004 team. Ironically, that team’s two key components (Urban Meyer & Alex Smith) haven’t lived up to expectations since leaving Utah. Regardless, expectations for Utah remain high. Like WVU, if you only watched the bowl game, you would have high expectations for this team. However, a look at the whole season would leave you unimpressed. Although the polls like Utah better than UCLA, a win in the opener over the Bruins would give Utah more unwarranted credibility. Since the Utes don’t play anyone else, this is another team that could finish high based on record alone.
    Boise State is yet another over-rated team from an over-rated Mid Major conference. Unfortunately, the blowout in Athens is all but forgiven, and these guys are primed for another strong record. The Broncos replace Georgia with Sacramento St. It would be wonderful if they actually lost so we wouldn’t have to hear anything else about these kids and their blue turf, but the probability is low. Like most of the other “quality� Mid Majors, these guys are at the top of their conference and will have a good record. They still aren’t a good team though you’d never know it since they don’t play anyone.
    While we’re on the WAC, lets talk Fresno State. The Bulldogs catchphrase “Anyone, anywhere, anytime� should be preceded by “we’ll lose to…� That’s a little harsh, but in all seriousness, this team lost its last four games including losses to Nevada, Louisiana Tech, and Tulsa – not exactly a gauntlet. They also lost a four-year starter at QB, their top three rushers, and their leading tackler. Historically, they do play good teams close, but they’ll lose to Oregon and LSU, and those two losses should relieve us of any BCS conversations for the Bulldogs.
    Tulsa actually falls between Boise St. and Fresno St. in the polls, and here is yet another team who had a good record because of a light schedule. This, you may recall is the team that lost to an OU team that didn’t even have to throw a pass in the 2nd half. Tulsa gets everyone back plus an even easier schedule trading Minnesota and Oklahoma for Stephen F. Austin and BYU. That is certainly a step in the right direction for this mediocre team to finish with a good record.
    Speaking of BYU, do the voters not know that neither LaVell Edwards or Norm Chow is coaching in Provo anymore? Why else would someone vote for a 6-6 team that returns only 12 starters including 4 on defense? BYU will very likely lose its first three games at Arizona, vs. Tulsa, and at BC.
    Congratulations to Mike Price for a fabulous reincarnation both for himself and his team. Following three 2-win seasons, Price has taken the Minors to two straight bowls. He has many of his players back, and with no dominant team in C-USA, he has as good a chance as any at the title. The closest thing to a clear loss on the schedule is Texas Tech. Don’t bet the under on that game.
    Northern Illinois was Trev Albert’s favorite team back in 2003. They were 7-5 last year but still at the top of the MAC. Should a team that lost to Akron (twice) and Ball St. get votes for the top 25?
    Memphis is also a bonehead pick. Here’s a team that was a one-man show last year. Perhaps whoever is responsible for the 5 points the Tigers received in the Coach’s poll doesn’t realize that DeAngelo Williams is gone as is their QB from last year.
    Rutgers must be a case of simply trying to pick a dark horse. The Scarlet Knights were better than usual last year finishing in a three-way tie for 3rd in the Big East. Hey but they did beat Buffalo.
    Why not give Nevada a couple of votes, they’re no better or worse than most of the teams here. They were 9-3 last year, but for a team with only three losses, they were all amusingly lopsided (55-21 by Wash. St.; 42-21 by Colorado St.; 49-14 by Boise St.).

In the ACC, you’ll get no respect for playing UNC or Wake Forest; however, those teams are much more likely to knock off a good team than most of the “quality” Mid Majors with the possible exceptions of Louisville and WVU. Those UNC and Wake teams with losing records scored victories against several solid BCS teams including Clemson, NC State, Virginia, and Boston College. No Mid Major defeated an opponent of that quality during the regular season.

All of these Mid Major teams do have quality players, quality coaches, and put a good product on the field. Often they have innovative offenses designed by up and coming coaches that make for some very interesting game watching. However, it’s simply unreasonable to hold these teams to a different standard than a BCS school. Playing good BCS teams close and beating a few BCS teams with losing records shouldn’t be enough to warrant consideration in the polls.

More NCAA Politically Correct Nonsense

First they take away “offensiveâ€? mascot names; now they’re taking away “disrespectfulâ€? division names? Who is running the show at the NCAA? Are the players at Appalachian State (the committee chair was from that institution) belittled by the fact that they have an extra “Aâ€? in their NCAA division designation? Is this somehow an affront to the masses, who are for the most part in favor of a playoff (i.e. championship) in I-A? Please join me in refusing to bow into this latest NCAA nonsense of “Football Bowl Division” and “Football Championship Division” and continue to use the traditional I-A and I-AA designations.

*For those of you new to the site, I don’t recognize the Big East as a BCS conference since the three best teams in the conference are now part of the ACC.

'06 Football General NCS Football

11 Responses to Preview 2006 – Mid Majors

  1. whitefang 08/24/2006 at 8:41 PM #

    The “Division I Football Championship Division” is stupid. But I just turned down an offer this week from a former HS teammate of mine who was a Division 2 (remember that?) All-American from App State years ago to go to the State game with him this year. I would rather State lose to ANYBODY rather than App State INCLUDING UNC. I am really looking forward to being called an idiot on this site in 9 days IF we kick their ass. But if it goes as I am afraid it will, State fans over here in NW NC are going to have to move east. After all we will be in the “Non-Championship Division.”

  2. Dan 08/24/2006 at 10:24 PM #

    Did you guys just call WVu a mid-major? Lol! I dont know if that was supposed to be tongue and cheek, but that is pretty funny.

    I know the Big East lost VT and Miami, but calling WVu a mid-major is a pretty large insult.

  3. choppack1 08/24/2006 at 11:12 PM #

    Nice thoughts – I don’t know if I’d consider Louisville or WVU mid-majors. Louisville seems to have graduated and the WVU just happens to be in the big east – they’re a program w/ great attendance and a solid tradition. I’ll put it this way, you take out the new teams in the ACC and they’d be competing for the conference title every year.

    Excellent point though on how the mids don’t catch any flack for weak schedules – in b’ball or football. It really just goes to show you how incapable our mainstream media is of true analysis.

  4. CarnifeX 08/25/2006 at 9:47 AM #

    What are the criteria for being a “mid major”? Is there attendance requirements? Crappiness requirements?

  5. BJD95 08/25/2006 at 10:08 AM #

    I don’t know if the Big East teams are technically mid-majors, but I most certainly don’t consider them equivalent to the power conferences. My dream playoff system would only give automatic berths to the Big 12, ACC, SEC, and Big Ten. MAYBE the PAC-10. But the Big East for sure would have to earn their berths just like the true mid-major conference champs.

    And while I am far less harsh than TigerFan in judging mid-majors, I do agree with not granting them preferential treatment. I am fine with judging them by their Sagarin rankings (which do back up my opinion that the 2004 Utah team was indeed very, very good).

    Kudos to Texas Tech – traditionally very weak in their scheduling philosophy – for agreeing to play both TCU and UTEP.

  6. Dan 08/25/2006 at 10:33 AM #

    Speaking of mid-major quality football institutions:

    http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/478750.html

    “Not that there is anything wrong with that”- Jerry Seinfeld & George Costanza

  7. WV Wolf 08/25/2006 at 10:41 AM #

    West Virginia has been a consistently successful program for many years now both as an independent and in the Big East under Don Nehlen and Rich Rodriguez. The Mountaineer football program is going to keep doing what they’ve always been doing, no matter who has left or joined their conference, nothing has changed in Morgantown. To call WVU a mid-major is an insult in my opinion. Tell Steve Dunlap and Curt Cignetti that their alma mater is a mid-major, I’m sure they would appreciate that.

  8. cfpack03 08/25/2006 at 10:45 AM #

    ^ how in the hell do you rank that sort of thing? ridiculous.

    but to the topic, I absolutely agree. We get ranked for playing the D2 champs, SMU, and Akron, but TCU can play even weaker teams and talkingheads act like its an accomplishment.

    whitefang, didn’t App graduate a bunch of starters from last yrs’s team? I remember hearing something like that. I won’t speak to the coaching comparision, but as far as talent, we are superior. There’s no way we lose that game.

  9. LSUTigerFan 08/25/2006 at 11:13 AM #

    Based on several comments above, it is worth an explanation of Mid Major.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid_Major#Football

    Essentially any non-BCS school. Notre Dame, which is part of the BCS, is not considered a Mid Major. The Big East is lumped into the Mid Majors because as a conference, they are not deserving of BCS status. Before losing Miami, Va Tech, and BC, many people considered the Big East the weakest BCS conference from top to bottom. After losing those teams, they clearly no longer deserve BCS status.

    This is not intended to be a slap in the face to West Virginia, which historically is a solid program. They were through no fault of their own shafted by the conference realignment. They have strong tradition, good fan support, a history of playing competitive football, and as a program are BCS worthy.

    Louisville as a program is not in the same category as WVU. They are certainly headed in the right direction, but don’t have the history, tradition, or fan support of WVU. On the field, they’ve played great football lately, but their impressive records have come against mediocre competition for the most part, and they still tend to lose against the tougher opponents on their schedule. They would be competitive in a BCS conference but wouldn’t likely put up 9 win seasons right off the bat.

    http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/louisville/index.php

    Lumping the Big East into the Mid Majors is not an indictment of either WVU or Louisville but the overall depth of that refurbished conference.

  10. Dan 08/25/2006 at 11:44 AM #

    Personally I agree that the Big East in “not deserving” of BCS consideration. However, like it or not, the Big East is a part of the BCS. Its ridiculously inaccurate and a little self serving to assert that the Big East is a mid-major. Its not. And WVu? They beat the SEC champ last year? What does that say about the SEC?

    The whole thing is so argumentative that its impossible to let it pass in order to actually get to the rest of the article. A better article would have actually focused on the best teams of the true mid-major conferences. That would be something new. Can Akron repeat? UCF? The article is in fact just a slap at the Big Least.

    At the same time, it doesnt pass the “smell test”. Just saying the phrase “WVu is a football mid-major” smells like a false statement. It has no “truthiness” whatsoever. It reeks of error. It was a nice try and all, but no one is going to buy it and you shouldnt be selling it. The whole article is just a self-labeled SEC guy bashing the conference champ that just got through beating the best the SEC had to offer. Maybe if WVu falls on its face this year, the argument can hold water. But not yet.

  11. TomCat 08/26/2006 at 6:33 PM #

    Mid-major or non-mid-major, how about we settle it on the field in a playoff? Oh- that would mean it wouldn’t be settled by a beauty contest to decide who makes it to the title game anymore. College football is so completely disfunctional it’s ridiculous. As long as Duke is considered “BCS” team and Louisville or is now West Virginia is being touted as “mid-major” that is absolutely ridiculous. There has to come a point and time when some sanity comes to the concept and the BCS crumbles like the Kremlin. I don’t care if a team comes from Tulsa or Tennessee- decide it ON THE FIELD.

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