If this game were played today, this would have been for the Access Bowl

(08-03-2021 09:55 PM)Red Dragon Coog Wrote:  If this game were played today, this would have been for the Access Bowl

As it should have been. I am certain Miami was the best team in Ohio that season. Bowling Green beat Purdue and Northwestern that year and we came really close at Ohio State. But we lost to Miami twice, and it wasn't that close either time.

(08-04-2021 10:42 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(08-03-2021 09:55 PM)Red Dragon Coog Wrote:  If this game were played today, this would have been for the Access Bowl

As it should have been. I am certain Miami was the best team in Ohio that season. Bowling Green beat Purdue and Northwestern that year and we came really close at Ohio State. But we lost to Miami twice, and it wasn't that close either time.

Not necessarily, Miami came in ranked 15th and stayed that way after beating BG, who was 23rd. If BG won they'd have to move up to 17th in order to overtake TCU (19th) and Boise (18th), assuming you assign strictly by week-by-week team ratings at the time archived by Wikipefia.

Back then there were only four BCS bowls (including the title) instead of four NY6 plus two CFP semifinals. You'd probably get the following matchups using BCS rankings and the agreements at the time; depending on the season my Miami may have gone to the Cotton or Peach instead.

CFP (Rose/Sugar): 1 Oklahoma vs. 4 Michigan, 2 LSU vs. 3 USC
Orange: 9 Miami Florida vs. 8 Florida State (same as real life with the Big East/ACC tie-ins)
Peach: 7 Tennessee (SEC tie-in backup) vs. 5 Texas (at-large)
Cotton: 10 Kansas State (Big 12 tie-in) vs. 11 Georgia (at-large)
Fiesta: 6 Ohio State (at-large) vs. 15 Miami Ohio (top non-power team)

Regardless, Miami deserved a lot better than playing a fourth place C-USA team in Mobile (though Louisville would end the next season 11-1 and ranked 6th under Bobby Petrino).

I wish Miami would use that logo w/ the redhawk instead of just the boring M

Closest we've come since is #21 Northern Illinois vs #17 Kent St in 2012. Kent St lost by a TD in 2OT. Seems crazy they were that close to the Orange Bowl

The Miami/BGSU game was before my time so I did a Where Are They Now? Miami's coach was hired by Indiana but ended up resigning & dying of cancer. That was actually the first season for BGSU's coach. He had his ups & downs after that, but eventually moved on & is the current head coach of Colorado Mines at DII

(08-04-2021 02:41 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  That was actually the first season for BGSU's coach. He had his ups & downs after that, but eventually moved on & is the current head coach of Colorado Mines at DII

Gregg Brandon took over for Urban Meyer. He has been doing well at Colorado Mines. They regularly make the Division II playoffs, it appears.

The MAC was incredibly deep and relevant in 2003. BG hosted a gameday! When teams absent of the title game beat the likes of ranked Alabama and ranked Pitt... the title underdog would've jumped.

(08-06-2021 12:10 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  The MAC was incredibly deep and relevant in 2003. BG hosted a gameday! When teams absent of the title game beat the likes of ranked Alabama and ranked Pitt... the title underdog would've jumped.

Yea that was quite a year. BTW Maryland was ranked when we beat them, Alabama wasn't. Between Miami, Marshall, Toledo, BG and NIU that's the best top of the MAC I've ever seen.

(08-25-2021 03:28 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 12:10 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  The MAC was incredibly deep and relevant in 2003. BG hosted a gameday! When teams absent of the title game beat the likes of ranked Alabama and ranked Pitt... the title underdog would've jumped.

Yea that was quite a year. BTW Maryland was ranked when we beat them, Alabama wasn't. Between Miami, Marshall, Toledo, BG and NIU that's the best top of the MAC I've ever seen.

Alabama was ranked #21 when we beat them at their place.

(08-25-2021 03:28 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 12:10 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  The MAC was incredibly deep and relevant in 2003. BG hosted a gameday! When teams absent of the title game beat the likes of ranked Alabama and ranked Pitt... the title underdog would've jumped.

Yea that was quite a year. BTW Maryland was ranked when we beat them, Alabama wasn't. Between Miami, Marshall, Toledo, BG and NIU that's the best top of the MAC I've ever seen.

Thats right!
Id say the next best season was 2013 Where NIU started on a tear and beat Iowa and Purdue, then lost 2 down the stretch in the MACC against BG then in the bowl game vs. USU.

Ball State was 10-3 and beat Virginia (lost bowl)
BG was 10-4 (lost bowl)
UB went 8-5
Ohio went 7-6
Toledo went 7-5 against one of their couple schedules all time rated as a (+) schedule nationally but didnt go bowling.

If we just ended a little better, that was a season to remember.

(08-25-2021 04:41 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  

(08-25-2021 03:28 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 12:10 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  The MAC was incredibly deep and relevant in 2003. BG hosted a gameday! When teams absent of the title game beat the likes of ranked Alabama and ranked Pitt... the title underdog would've jumped.

Yea that was quite a year. BTW Maryland was ranked when we beat them, Alabama wasn't. Between Miami, Marshall, Toledo, BG and NIU that's the best top of the MAC I've ever seen.

Thats right!
Id say the next best season was 2013 Where NIU started on a tear and beat Iowa and Purdue, then lost 2 down the stretch in the MACC against BG then in the bowl game vs. USU.

Ball State was 10-3 and beat Virginia (lost bowl)
BG was 10-4 (lost bowl)
UB went 8-5
Ohio went 7-6
Toledo went 7-5 against one of their couple schedules all time rated as a (+) schedule nationally but didnt go bowling.

If we just ended a little better, that was a season to remember.

If NIU beats BG in the MAC Championship game, we are very likely BCS bound for a 2nd straight year. That epic collapse in a high sweepstakes game was the start of Rod Carey's inability to win in the postseason. He would consistently underachieve and we would get blown out in postseason games. It was sad how uncompetitive we were in so many postseason games (2013 MAC Championship, Utah State bowl game, Marshall bowl game, 2015 MAC Championship game, Duke bowl game, Boise State bowl game, and UAB bowl game).

(08-25-2021 04:50 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(08-25-2021 04:41 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  

(08-25-2021 03:28 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 12:10 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  The MAC was incredibly deep and relevant in 2003. BG hosted a gameday! When teams absent of the title game beat the likes of ranked Alabama and ranked Pitt... the title underdog would've jumped.

Yea that was quite a year. BTW Maryland was ranked when we beat them, Alabama wasn't. Between Miami, Marshall, Toledo, BG and NIU that's the best top of the MAC I've ever seen.

Thats right!
Id say the next best season was 2013 Where NIU started on a tear and beat Iowa and Purdue, then lost 2 down the stretch in the MACC against BG then in the bowl game vs. USU.

Ball State was 10-3 and beat Virginia (lost bowl)
BG was 10-4 (lost bowl)
UB went 8-5
Ohio went 7-6
Toledo went 7-5 against one of their couple schedules all time rated as a (+) schedule nationally but didnt go bowling.

If we just ended a little better, that was a season to remember.

If NIU beats BG in the MAC Championship game, we are very likely BCS bound for a 2nd straight year.

It was an ironclad lock. NIU only needed to finish top-16, and was #14 BCS entering that game. #14/#15 in the polls and #2/#5/#9/#10 in the computers.

The most depressing game in NIU history.

(08-25-2021 04:38 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Alabama was ranked #21 when we beat them at their place.

Turner was a beast. Alabama tacklers were just bouncing off him.

(08-25-2021 04:38 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(08-25-2021 03:28 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 12:10 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  The MAC was incredibly deep and relevant in 2003. BG hosted a gameday! When teams absent of the title game beat the likes of ranked Alabama and ranked Pitt... the title underdog would've jumped.

Yea that was quite a year. BTW Maryland was ranked when we beat them, Alabama wasn't. Between Miami, Marshall, Toledo, BG and NIU that's the best top of the MAC I've ever seen.

Alabama was ranked #21 when we beat them at their place.

NIU's special teams made the difference that day.

(08-25-2021 04:38 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(08-25-2021 03:28 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 12:10 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  The MAC was incredibly deep and relevant in 2003. BG hosted a gameday! When teams absent of the title game beat the likes of ranked Alabama and ranked Pitt... the title underdog would've jumped.

Yea that was quite a year. BTW Maryland was ranked when we beat them, Alabama wasn't. Between Miami, Marshall, Toledo, BG and NIU that's the best top of the MAC I've ever seen.

Alabama was ranked #21 when we beat them at their place.

I stand corrected, thanks. As I recall they were like 1-1 at the time and I forgot that teams like that get ranked at the beginning of the season instead of having to go 11-1 to be ranked.

(08-26-2021 10:07 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(08-25-2021 04:38 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Alabama was ranked #21 when we beat them at their place.

Turner was a beast. Alabama tacklers were just bouncing off him.

BG should have knocked off o$u when Turner was their QB... Matter of fact, NIU and Toledo also came close to coming out of the Shoe with a W... - Always root for the MAC vs. the bucknuts !!

(08-27-2021 01:03 PM)FMRocket Wrote:  

(08-26-2021 10:07 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(08-25-2021 04:38 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Alabama was ranked #21 when we beat them at their place.

Turner was a beast. Alabama tacklers were just bouncing off him.

BG should have also knocked off o$u when Turner was their QB... Matter of fact, NIU and Toledo also came close to coming out of the Shoe with a W... - Always root for the MAC vs. the bucknuts !!

Also Miami 2000, Marshall 2004, and Ohio 2008 came close….
Then there was the Miami 1911 game. (3-0 loss by MU)

The MAC was incredibly deep in those days. Very good teams every year, and on a national level. jmo.

(08-25-2021 04:38 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(08-25-2021 03:28 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(08-06-2021 12:10 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  The MAC was incredibly deep and relevant in 2003. BG hosted a gameday! When teams absent of the title game beat the likes of ranked Alabama and ranked Pitt... the title underdog would've jumped.

Yea that was quite a year. BTW Maryland was ranked when we beat them, Alabama wasn't. Between Miami, Marshall, Toledo, BG and NIU that's the best top of the MAC I've ever seen.

Alabama was ranked #21 when we beat them at their place.

At 20:30... few minutes left in the game, Alabama ball down by three, 4th and 11.

I admire how NIU brought the house - No 'prevent defense'. Sealed the win.