1. Win in Mt Pleasant for the first time since 2011
2. Winning record in MAC home games for the third time this century (these are all teams we beat last year so it's not insane)
3. Beat WMU, CMU, and Toledo in the same season (never happened before)
If all three of these quests are completed, the chances of a trip to Detroit are pretty good. The optional 4th quest would be: win at Buffalo for the first time since 2010 (this one feels like a definite loss to me).
Postscript(ish): having three of the four marquee rivalries in the conference played on a weeknight is an insult to the communities that are the lifeblood of our conference. Most of what midweek games will ever be is one or both of two things. First, fodder for ESPN / CBS to run while talking about CFP rankings (it's not a coincidence that the first ranking show and midweek game are on the same night). Second, a completion to the cycle that will allow people to bet on football seven days a week. If this be the TV contract we're stuck in for the next four years so be it, but the conference ought to pitch a rethink to the networks (whether they'll listen is a different question entirely). Put marquee rivalries on Saturday afternoons. If that means playing them in October, fine. If that means moving a midweek game to Saturday, even better. I know the theory is there's less competition on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, there's less attention, less attendance, and a clearly inferior product compared to the weekend games in a conference that already has issues with on field quality. Saturday MAC games are a dose of what makes college football great. They have authenticity, and they're within reach of us commoners. That has to be worth something these days. Certainly beats being the freak conference that'll do anything for a little money.
Side quests for EMU this year:
1. Win in Mt Pleasant for the first time since 2011
2. Winning record in MAC home games for the third time this century (these are all teams we beat last year so it's not insane)
3. Beat WMU, CMU, and Toledo in the same season (never happened before)
If all three of these quests are completed, the chances of a trip to Detroit are pretty good. The optional 4th quest would be: win at Buffalo for the first time since 2010 (this one feels like a definite loss to me).
Postscript(ish): having three of the four marquee rivalries in the conference played on a weeknight is an insult to the communities that are the lifeblood of our conference. Most of what midweek games will ever be is one or both of two things. First, fodder for ESPN / CBS to run while talking about CFP rankings (it's not a coincidence that the first ranking show and midweek game are on the same night). Second, a completion to the cycle that will allow people to bet on football seven days a week. If this be the TV contract we're stuck in for the next four years so be it, but the conference ought to pitch a rethink to the networks (whether they'll listen is a different question entirely). Put marquee rivalries on Saturday afternoons. If that means playing them in October, fine. If that means moving a midweek game to Saturday, even better. I know the theory is there's less competition on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, there's less attention, less attendance, and a clearly inferior product compared to the weekend games in a conference that already has issues with on field quality. Saturday MAC games are a dose of what makes college football great. They have authenticity, and they're within reach of us commoners. That has to be worth something these days. Certainly beats being the freak conference that'll do anything for a little money.
I could see Toledo being a 1-loss team going into the MAC championship game.