Florida Atlantic at Central Michigan (-7)
Somebody (that's backing FAU, preferably) please talk me out of going big on CMU. Here's my reasoning...
1) FAU's quarterback has a completion percentage of 53 percent on that year. That's awful.
2) FAU's quarterback doesn't run, period...he hasn't ran for more than 10 yards in a game. Any defensive coordinator worth his salt can at least come up with a decent gameplan for a guy that is pretty inaccurate and doesn't leave the pocket.
3) FAU's schedule has been insanely weak this year. Their six wins that made them barely bowl eligible: UAB (by 15), at Western Kentucky (by 4), at Louisiana-Monroe (by 1), North Texas (by 33), Louisiana-Lafayette (by 11), and Florida International (by 7 in OT).
They beat Western Kentucky by FOUR POINTS. Western Kentucky got beat by North Texas, one of the worst teams in college football. They were crushed by Texas (okay, acceptable), Michigan State (okay, acceptable), and Minnesota (eh...normally acceptable, but 37-0???). Sure, those losses can be expected, but I guarantee you CMU would have at least been competitive against MSU and Minnesota, and would have put up more than the THREE (count 'em, three) points that FAU mustered combined against the two teams. In FAU's last road game, they went to Arkansas State and got beat by two touchdowns by a pretty darn mediocre Arkansas State team. FAU's schedule is pathetic, and I didn't even mention the Louisiana Hyphen schools that they tiptoed by.
4) Central Michigan has played a few too many close games and struggled to close teams out. But they beat a very good Western Michigan squad by 10 and then went on the road for three consecutive weeks and beat Toledo by one (nothing special), Indiana by four (nothing special, but at least major conference talent), and Northern Illinois by three (tough place to win when it's your third road game in a row.) They also lost at Purdue by only a touchdown, and Purdue had close games with damn near every Big 10 team. Again, the Big 10 and the other teams I mentioned are obviously nothing special, but if CMU can hang with or barely beat those teams, they shouldn't have too much troubling with FAU.
5) Finally, the game is at Ford Field in Detroit. What could be better for the CMU guys then to go the biggest stadium in Michigan on a national stage in front of nearly all of their fans and crush an FAU team that hasn't played a road game half as far away all year?
And yes, I realize that the public is all over CMU...but I fail to see another reason beside that to not bet them big!
Somebody (that's backing FAU, preferably) please talk me out of going big on CMU. Here's my reasoning...
1) FAU's quarterback has a completion percentage of 53 percent on that year. That's awful.
2) FAU's quarterback doesn't run, period...he hasn't ran for more than 10 yards in a game. Any defensive coordinator worth his salt can at least come up with a decent gameplan for a guy that is pretty inaccurate and doesn't leave the pocket.
3) FAU's schedule has been insanely weak this year. Their six wins that made them barely bowl eligible: UAB (by 15), at Western Kentucky (by 4), at Louisiana-Monroe (by 1), North Texas (by 33), Louisiana-Lafayette (by 11), and Florida International (by 7 in OT).
They beat Western Kentucky by FOUR POINTS. Western Kentucky got beat by North Texas, one of the worst teams in college football. They were crushed by Texas (okay, acceptable), Michigan State (okay, acceptable), and Minnesota (eh...normally acceptable, but 37-0???). Sure, those losses can be expected, but I guarantee you CMU would have at least been competitive against MSU and Minnesota, and would have put up more than the THREE (count 'em, three) points that FAU mustered combined against the two teams. In FAU's last road game, they went to Arkansas State and got beat by two touchdowns by a pretty darn mediocre Arkansas State team. FAU's schedule is pathetic, and I didn't even mention the Louisiana Hyphen schools that they tiptoed by.
4) Central Michigan has played a few too many close games and struggled to close teams out. But they beat a very good Western Michigan squad by 10 and then went on the road for three consecutive weeks and beat Toledo by one (nothing special), Indiana by four (nothing special, but at least major conference talent), and Northern Illinois by three (tough place to win when it's your third road game in a row.) They also lost at Purdue by only a touchdown, and Purdue had close games with damn near every Big 10 team. Again, the Big 10 and the other teams I mentioned are obviously nothing special, but if CMU can hang with or barely beat those teams, they shouldn't have too much troubling with FAU.
5) Finally, the game is at Ford Field in Detroit. What could be better for the CMU guys then to go the biggest stadium in Michigan on a national stage in front of nearly all of their fans and crush an FAU team that hasn't played a road game half as far away all year?
And yes, I realize that the public is all over CMU...but I fail to see another reason beside that to not bet them big!
uke1:
