Western Illinois at North Alabama ... Thoughts?

[ManeMan]

I love this matchup..and would love any input. Most people on this board know nothing about UNA, but might know about WIU. Any insight is much appreciated.

[JSUSoutherner]

TUNA*

[ManeMan]

TUNA... You Jax State guys ..or girls will never let that live that down. We’ll see you soon😳

[ST_Lawson]

I love this matchup..and would love any input. Most people on this board know nothing about UNA, but might know about WIU. Any insight is much appreciated.

I know about UNA...great deal of success at DII level, hosted the DII championship game at their stadium for quite a while, has an excellent band (I've got a couple of friends who were in the UNA band in the '90s), finishing moving up to FCS and surprised Southern Utah to start the season last year. Also, pretty much the same color scheme as WIU.

Lots of question marks with this game. WIU graduated a decent number of really good players last year, but also brought in quite a few transfers this year (which is always a "crap shoot").
UNA has too much support to not succeed at the FCS level eventually, but it's hard to say if they're quite there yet.

Most predictions have WIU winning by a couple of scores, I think, but there's so much "new" about this game (first DI game that UNA has hosted) that it feels like it could be closer than most predictions.

[clenz]

WIU lost a **** ton. Look to be a 7th place MVFC

Should be pretty damn close.

If it is a blowout in favor or WIU I'm going to crush the doubt button on everything I've been sold on UNA

[HAL_9000]

I think this should be a good game. So much unknown for both UNA and WIU. I don't have a grasp on WIU yet they could be an 8-4 team or a 4-8 I have no idea.

I doubt there will be many 'Neck fans that make the trip to Florence as I think the Colorado State game the following week is what more folks will be taking vacation days and buying airfare for.

Anyway I'll go out on a limb and predict a purple and gold win!

[JSUSoutherner]

I think this should be a good game. So much unknown for both UNA and WIU. I don't have a grasp on WIU yet they could be an 8-4 team or a 4-8 I have no idea.

I doubt there will be many 'Neck fans that make the trip to Florence as I think the Colorado State game the following week is what more folks will be taking vacation days and buying airfare for.

Anyway I'll go out on a limb and predict a purple and gold win!

Oh hold on, this game is in Florence?

Too bad it's on the same night as the SELA game. If it was on Saturday I might've drove up to Florence.

[ST_Lawson]

Anyway I'll go out on a limb and predict a purple and gold win!

A risky pick, but I think you might be right.

[Bisonator]

This game should tell us a lot about both teams chances this season. UNA has a really tough non-con schedule. This should be a good litmus test for how well their transition is going. WIU is in full rebuild mode but who knows how that will go, as someone else said they could be an 8-4 team or just as easily a 4-8 team. I'm gonna have to flip a coin on this one......

[SU DOG]

I hope I'm wrong, but I think the Lions will need a couple more years to really have a good FCS roster. They played above their level some last year, but had some pretty heavy losses due to graduation. One thing you can count on is that they WILL get there(being VERY competitive in FCS). Earlier I had thought that they might could take this game, but after further consideration, and without knowing anything about WIU, I believe that UNA might beat the spread, but not the Leathernecks.

[ST_Lawson]

I love this matchup..and would love any input. Most people on this board know nothing about UNA, but might know about WIU. Any insight is much appreciated.

Add a poll, if you can. Make it the game thread.

[ManeMan]

It’s true, last year we won some games should have lost and lost some games we should have won(Campbell and D2 West Florida). I don’t think any UNA fans know quite what to expect this year. Thanks for all the input. Can’t wait to kick it off next week.

[Redbird 4th & short]

UNA wey went 7-3 but only played 5 FCS games last year, so padded their win column with 4 D-II wins and 3 very easy FCS wins. Sure they beat SUU by 4, but SUU finished 1-10. And they battled NDSU for a bit but lost by 31 ... I'm betting my last paycheck, NDSU took foot off gas pedal much moreso than usual blowout. But then UNA lost easily to 6-5 Campbell (30-7) .. a team who had two D-II wins, so just 4-5 in D-I and just 1-4 in Big South. Also got crushed by KSU (49-0). Lost easily to 3-8 Gardner-Webb. Then lost to a 6-5 D-II team and barely beat a 4-6 D-II by 3 to finish the season.

In 2017, they went 5-5 against all D-II teams.

So if they lost a lost of seniors, I think they are in for some trouble against WIU .. even if WIU eventally finishes 7th in MVFC. Absent any other intel, I'll take WIU by at least 2 TDs .. more wouldn't surprise me in least, but WIU lost a fair amount too.

[IBleedYellow]

So should we call them UNA or TUNA?

Because TUNA sounds way more fun.

[JSUSoutherner]

So should we call them UNA or TUNA?

Because TUNA sounds way more fun.

TUNA. Always TUNA.

[HAL_9000]

BIG TUNA.xnodx

Lol as Andy Bernard would say!

[mvfcfan]

All I know is I wish the OVC would expand to 14 and add both of these schools. EIU is my second favorite team and I got to see us play UNA this past season in basketball in Charleston. I'm guessing we'll be playing them in Florence this upcoming season. We already play WIU every year (typically twice) for the axe which is a traveling rivalry trophy. Both just seem like natural fits for the OVC.

[JSUSoutherner]

All I know is I wish the OVC would expand to 14 and add both of these schools. EIU is my second favorite team and I got to see us play UNA this past season in basketball in Charleston. I'm guessing we'll be playing them in Florence this upcoming season. Both just seem like natural fits for the OVC.

Hard pass on WIU.

[Thumper 76]

Hard pass on WIU.

Yeah JSU might lose their streak of OVC championships xlolx

[JSUSoutherner]

Yeah JSU might lose their streak of OVC championships xlolx

Not even that. If half of what I've heard about WIU's athletics/university management is true that's a potato I want nothing to do with.

[Thumper 76]

that's a potato I want nothing to do with.

That’s the weirdest goddamn saying I’ve ever heard.

[JSUSoutherner]

That’s the weirdest goddamn saying I’ve ever heard.

You have never heard of hot potato?

[Thumper 76]

You have never heard of hot potato?

I’ve never heard of a phrase quite like that

[IBleedYellow]

Lol.

That's a statement people say?

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[leatherneck177]

Truth.


Yeah JSU might lose their streak of OVC championships xlolx

[mvfcfan]

Yeah WIU is the type of school you'd want in the OVC just because of their football program.

As far as the school itself goes, I blame that more on their terribly run state than WIU itself.

[Thumper 76]

Lol.

That's a statement people say?

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Right?

[dgtw]

They wouldn’t be my first choice, but I wouldn’t object to WIU in the OVC if someone left. I would not want the league to expand. I think 12 is plenty and if the non-football schools left I wouldn’t cry.

But I would go for Kennesaw State and UNA before WIU. I would also prefer Chattanooga or Samford but neither of them would even consider it.


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[Bisonoline]

Right?

Youve never heard of a controversial subject called a hot potato? As in I wouldnt touch that--its a hot potato.

[clenz]

Youve never heard of a controversial subject called a hot potato? As in I wouldnt touch that--its a hot potato.
No.

[ST_Lawson]

As far as the school itself goes, I blame that more on their terribly run state than WIU itself.

http://giphygifs.s3.amazonaws.com/media/IoQBWXhpwsd0c/giphy.gif

I've spent a not-insignificant amount of time looking at the numbers for things like enrollment (for all IL public universities) and funding levels from the state, going back 2 decades. I can say with a pretty high amount of confidence that the drop in enrollment for all of the state's "regional" public universities (WIU, SIU, EIU, NIU) corresponds pretty closely with the reduced levels of funding in that timeframe. The 2+ years of complete budget impasse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Budget_Impasse) caused the enrollment at those universities to essentially "fall off a cliff"...something from which the state universities are only now starting to recover from. Not only did you have reduced (or in some situations, nonexistent) funding which hurt the schools directly, but there was also a crisis of confidence in the state and it's ability to fund it's higher ed, leading to many families choosing to send their kids out of state.

Over the last 10 years, the only public state universities (out of 12) to actually increase their enrollment were U of Illinois and UIC (U of I @ Chicago). Illinois State was essentially "static", growing by less than 1% over the last decade...everyone else dropped. UIS (U of I @ Springfield) and SIU-E (Edwardsville) dropped by a few %, and everyone else (the "directionals" plus Chicago State, Governors State, and Northeastern Illinois) dropped by some pretty large amounts. At SIU, WIU, and Chicago State, the drops were even worse due to bad press from conflicts between administration, boards, and faculty/staff.

As of right now, the governor who chose to essentially "shut it down" rather than try to negotiate a working budget is gone, with a new governor in place who, so far, appears to be more willing to work with the lawmakers and negotiate to keep things running. WIU's Board of Trustees have been entirely replaced, the old president has stepped down and the new "acting" president has been doing a lot to help get people excited about Western Illinois again. It's going to take years of work (and luck) to dig out of the situation we're all in, but it looks at this point like things are starting to turn around.

To get back to the earlier point, yes, Western has problems, but I'm fully confident that if you were to check back in 5 years or so, we'll be in a much better situation than we have been over the same amount of previous years.

[Redbird 4th & short]

Yeah WIU is the type of school you'd want in the OVC just because of their football program.

As far as the school itself goes, I blame that more on their terribly run state than WIU itself.
unfortunately, all too true .. the historical corruption, fraud, and waste at all levels (state, Cook County, City of Chicago) is embarrassing. I think we're up to 4 convicted governors since the 1960's ... frankly disappointed that we can't put one away every decade, but were close and trying hard !!!

[ursus arctos horribilis]

I know of the hot potato as well but shortening it to just potato doesn't make sense or takes away from the meaning at least.


hot potato. A problem so controversial and sensitive that it is risky to deal with. For example, Gun control is a political hot potato. This term, dating from the mid-1800s, alludes to the only slightly older expression drop like a hot potato, meaning “to abandon something or someone quickly” (lest one be burned).

On topic, I'm looking forward to this game and want to see how both teams look for sure. I think new/young guys sometimes come out really fired up and surprise in games so on both sides this is gonna be interesting to see what we have in the first game for each.

If we are doing game threads nd so forth try and put a poll up if you can and also if anyone has info. on where to watch or listen to games this is a great place to put that out to members.

[HAL_9000]

Former Governor Rauner did in my opinion an act so reprehensible (The starving of Public Universities for over two years) that I believe he ought to be a candidate for yet another former Illinois Governor to go to prison.

It will take at least a decade for Illinois Regionals to recover and they may never recover.

Illinois has got to win the prize for most corrupt polititians of any State. Now I know not all are corrupt some are just clueless ***holes.

Different note. WIU is fine where it is but it would be a better fit geographically in the OVC than JSU. JSU is an outlier and really with the Gamecocks great tradition of athletics and great facilities they would be better off as a member of the Sunbelt in my humble opinion.

[JSUSoutherner]

Former Governor Rauner did in my opinion an act so reprehensible (The starving of Public Universities for over two years) that I believe he ought to be a candidate for yet another former Illinois Governor to go to prison.

It will take at least a decade for Illinois Regionals to recover and they may never recover.

Illinois has got to win the prize for most corrupt polititians of any State. Now I know not all are corrupt some are just clueless ***holes.

Different note. WIU is fine where it is but it would be a better fit geographically in the OVC than JSU. JSU is an outlier and really with the Gamecocks great tradition of athletics and great facilities they would be better off as a member of the Sunbelt in my humble opinion.

The Sunbelt wants nothing to do with us.

[ST_Lawson]

The Sunbelt wants nothing to do with us.

Because everyone but the top 2-3 teams would get their butts handed to them?

[JSUSoutherner]

Because everyone but the top 2-3 teams would get their butts handed to them?

No, because they'd all get their butts handed to them.

[JSUSoutherner]

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[UNAPride]

UNA 26
WIU 17

ROAR LIONS!!!