Who will win the Gateway in 2005?

[igo4uni]

Ok, since there is a thread on this fine board about the potential OVC champions for 2005, I thought that we needed to discuss the fabulous Gateway Conference as well.

My predictions (Unbiased of course):

1. UNI
2. SIU
3. WKU
4. SMS
5. Indiana State
6. Illinois State
7. Youngstown Sate
8. Western Illinois
9. Delaware

peace

igo4uni

[ISUMatt]

1. WKU
2. SIU
3. UNI
4. ILS
5. WIU
6. SMS
7. YSU
8. INS

[igo4uni]

I don't know about those predictions, Matt.

Of course, I am drunk right now and don't know a lot about anything. :)

peace

igo4uni

p.s. I think that we need to ask for the guidance of Cap'n Cat on these predictions. :D

peace

igo4uni

[Killtoppers90]

I'm with Matt on this one, except I might move ISU above UNI because of the transfers they added this season.

[HensRock]

I don't know about those predictions, Matt.

Of course, I am drunk right now and don't know a lot about anything. :)

peace

igo4uni

p.s. I think that we need to ask for the guidance of Cap'n Cat on these predictions. :D

peace

igo4uni

Cap'n Cat, Cap'n Morgan, whatever works for you!

[Paladin1aa]

I see UNI & WKU close to each other. My early take --

1) UNI
2) WKU
3) SIU

[Saluki_man]

I hate to say it, but I think the winner this year is going to be WKU. The reason, they have both SIU and UNI at home.

Gateway projected standings
WKU
UNI
SIU
IL St
MSU
WIU
IN St
YSU


Top three make the playoffs. Between UNI and SIU, UNI has the weaker non conference schedule. For UNI to assure themselves to make the playoffs they need either to beat Iowa or to have the N. Arizona game mean something for both teams.

[TexasTerror]

WKU needs to shake off the dust from that big loss to the Bearkats in Huntsville and come out strong. They've got some solid pieces returning. The Salukis are always in the mix. Should be a fun year in the Gateway. You guys seem to have one exciting football conference and it's fun to hear about your teams.

[P2TheB]

I don't see UNI losing 3 games this year, although it's possible they could lose more I guess. UNI should go 3-1 in non-conference, and then win their home conference games (3-0) and then win at MSU and WIU (losing to WKU).

I think that the Western Kentucky vs. UNI matchup in Bowling Green will be huge. That game should be a CSTV game of the week. The UNI vs. SIU game in 'The Dome' should be a super game as well.

[Saluki_man]

It seems to me that the only two road games that mean any significance to UNI is the Iowa and the WKU games. All the other significant games are at home (SIU, N. Arizona).

[leatherneck177]

You all forget that when WIU has been picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the Gateway they have done their best. I know most do not think we have a lot coming back or anything to build on, but watch out. I do remember in 2002 when WIU was coming off a poor season with Sam Cleamons at QB. We went on to go 11-2, losing to WKU in the playoffs. So you never know, and it's not like WIU is a weak team by any stretch.

[Grizo406]

UNI on this one, because I'm going to start wearing a UNI T-Shirt at the Griz tailgates that the Cap'n and D1B attend.

[Reed Rothchild]

You all forget that when WIU has been picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the Gateway they have done their best. I know most do not think we have a lot coming back or anything to build on, but watch out. I do remember in 2002 when WIU was coming off a poor season with Sam Cleamons at QB. We went on to go 11-2, losing to WKU in the playoffs. So you never know, and it's not like WIU is a weak team by any stretch.


So, what happened last year?

[NEZ]

I'm glad to see you gave us honorary membership, I thought you would have had us higher on the list.

[igo4uni]

I'm glad to see you gave us honorary membership, I thought you would have had us higher on the list.

I was wondering if anyone was going to catch that!! :)

You're pretty sharp, Nez!!

peace

igo4uni

[igo4uni]

Reed Rothchild and P2B!!

Nice to see you fellas on the board. :) :) :) :) :)

peace

igo4uni

[igo4uni]

For UNI to assure themselves to make the playoffs they need either to beat Iowa or to have the N. Arizona game mean something for both teams.

Piece of cake. I am already predicting a big Panther win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City. ;)

peace

igo4uni

[purduecrum]

So, what happened last year?

Replacing Mr. Offensive Everything QB Russ Michna wasn't so easy and a D-IA transfer wasn't the answer. I think with one of the top backs in I-AA in Travis Glasford you have to consider WIU among the other top three-abbreviation (WKU, ISU, SIU, UNI) teams in the Gateway.

Worst-case scenario for WIU? They end up spoiling the playoff hopes by upsetting a few teams in conference play.

[Killsback]

The Gateway title still runs through Carbondale. We have the toughest Conference Schedule with UNI, WKU and WIU all on the road, but we had the same two years ago and still own the shared the title with UNI. We will be just as good defensively as last year and probably better on offense. Sambursky is back for his 7th year! Seems like it doesn't it?

[Saluki_man]

If SIU wins the gateway again, it has to play better on D. The two games at UNI and WKU are going to be difficult games, and if we win one or both, SIU will be sitting with at least a share of the title again.

With WIU, both sides of the ball have to be better, if I remember correctly SIU put up some big offensive numbers on that weak WIU D.

[Tribe4SF]

Got to go with UNI this year.

[TheValleyRaider]

I already did some predictions on the A-10 thread, so just for kicks here as well:

UNI
SIU
WKU
Il St
MSU
WIU
YSU
In St

[Killsback]

1. SIU 3 in a row (Who would have thought this five years ago)
2. UNI
3. WKU
4. WIU
5. MSU
6. Ill. ST.
7. Youngstown St.
8. Ind. State

The Gateway title comes through Carbondale!!

[Killtoppers90]

I honestly think that WKU will take it this year. Most of our 2 toughest games (SIU and UNI) are at the friendly confines. But we do have WIU and Ill. St away which are not pushovers.

[Cap'n Cat]

1. Northern Iowa
2. Western Kentucky
3. Western Illinois
4. Southern Illinois
5. Southwest Missouri
6. Illinois State
7. Indiana State
8. Youngstown State

Count on it! What a great conference - competitive as hell. Wish I could still suit up and playin that nice grass at Western Illinois, that noisy Dome in Cedar Falls, that superb stadium at Southwest Missouri and that classic venue, Stambaugh, in Youngstown!

No fat jokes, please. ;)

:) :) :) :) :)

[Cap'n Cat]

UNI on this one, because I'm going to start wearing a UNI T-Shirt at the Griz tailgates that the Cap'n and D1B attend.

Grizo,
D1B may have e-mailed you about it, but at the Indiana State game this year, they're honoring the 1985 semifinal team, which Cap'n Cat and current Head Coach Mark Farley captained. You and Pols and grizchik gotta come out for that one. It's on October 10. Montana has EWU at Missoula that day, but it would be great if you guys could make it.


:)

[Hansel]

Grizo,
D1B may have e-mailed you about it, but at the Indiana State game this year, they're honoring the 1985 semifinal team, which Cap'n Cat and current Head Coach Mark Farley captained. You and Pols and grizchik gotta come out for that one. It's on October 10. Montana has EWU at Missoula that day, but it would be great if you guys could make it.


:)

Is ralphie going? If I am still in Iowa at the time I would like to check it out, the thought of you pulling a tight jersery on would be worth the price of admission alone. :D :)

[GoGuins]

I like how everyone is picking YSU to finish in the cellar of the Gateway. I think they will surprise people this year. 4 of their 7 loses last year they had leads in the 4th qtr, but they just couldn't finish. Games they easily could have won, especially the UNI game where they got homered at home on the last play. They were a young team and have shored up their D-line which was a weakness last year. 9 starters back on offense and finally we are set at QB with Zetts. We are deep at RB and receiver and Purdue WR transfer Jameson Evans really stepped it up this spring. He's a tall, physical receiver we've lacked since Renauld Ray. Many weapons in O. But...will the defense improve? We shall see

[ISUMatt]

But...will the defense improve?

Thats the same million dollar question Illinois State faces also. O-Line, WR, and RB are STACKED!!! But can we stop anyone?!?!

[Cap'n Cat]

Games they easily could have won, especially the UNI game where they got homered at home on the last play.

UNI toyed with YSU last season like Muhammad Ali boxing Mother Teresa. The eventual outcome was never in doubt. And, yes, I did see the game.

[Killsback]

Capn' Cat,

Still no respect for the Salukis eh? We will just have to show you once again this year. I don't know what it will take for you to give us some RESPECT.

[Cap'n Cat]

Capn' Cat,

Still no respect for the Salukis eh? We will just have to show you once again this year. I don't know what it will take for you to give us some RESPECT.

Killer, no smack intended, but manhandling UNI like we did SIU for decades would get the Dawgs a mountain of respect from me. SIU has never done that....to any team.....ever.

:)

[igo4uni]

Oh yeah I'm gonna be there. What date is it?

Oct. 15, Indiana State*, UNI-Dome, 4:05 p.m. (Homecoming)

Well, well. Looks like the makings for an AGS get together not seen since Cap'n and DIB headed out to Missoula.

I'll be there.

peace

igo4uni

[Paladin1aa]

My complete outlook at this stage(& it may change)

1)UNI
2)WKU
3)SIU
4)ILS
5)YSU
6)WIU
7)MSU
8)INS

Top 2 may be inter-changable. Bottom 2 are inter-changable. Mid 4 are very close and some surprises are ahead.

[Cap'n Cat]

My complete outlook at this stage(& it may change)

1)UNI
2)WKU
3)SIU
4)ILS
5)YSU
6)WIU
7)MSU
8)INS

Top 2 may be inter-changable. Bottom 2 are inter-changable. Mid 4 are very close and some surprises are ahead.


I think you're right, pallee!

:)

[galojay]

I think WKU is going to definitely be in the running. Topper's only lose eight starters off last season's squad.

Topper's looking for their 10th straight winning season and sixth straight playoff birth (2nd most running).

[Cap'n Cat]

I think WKU is going to definitely be in the running. Topper's only lose eight starters off last season's squad.

Topper's looking for their 10th straight winning season and sixth straight playoff birth (2nd most running).

No one ever looks forward to playin' the Tops.


:(

[Paladin1aa]

GFC has enough balance that Co-Champs are possible. A key injury or ineligibility could make all this academic. Tops have some road games that may be interesting. SIU might be better ( not stronger) than some think.

Should be entertaining.

[Killsback]

Palladin,

Agree about SIU. We won't necessarily be stronger, but we may be better than last year. The defensive line and linebackers are intact. We lose only Jacobs from our running back stable leaving Turner, Jackson and Whitlock. All of our receivers are back and the main man Sambursky is back. Sambursky is the defending Gateway Offensive Player of the Year and is finally a senior. I m sure some teams never thought he would be a senior. The Gateway title for this third year in a row comes through Carbondale, although it my have to be won at UNI.

[Hansel]

Oh yeah I'm gonna be there. What date is it?

Oct. 15, Indiana State*, UNI-Dome, 4:05 p.m. (Homecoming)

Wow- homecoming no less, I have heard great tales of Homecoming at UNI

[igo4uni]

Wow- homecoming no less, I have heard great tales of Homecoming at UNI

"The cameras were installed in part because of large crowds on College Hill during Homecoming weekends. At times, the crowds have become unruly and have been known to riot."

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2005/04/08/news/metro/0c7ab5edec1a879e86256fdd004fa156.txt

It's never boring in Cedar Falls on Homecoming weekend. Students from Iowa and Iowa State even come up for the festivities.

peace

igo4uni

[Cap'n Cat]

Palladin,

Agree about SIU. We won't necessarily be stronger, but we may be better than last year. The defensive line and linebackers are intact. We lose only Jacobs from our running back stable leaving Turner, Jackson and Whitlock. All of our receivers are back and the main man Sambursky is back. Sambursky is the defending Gateway Offensive Player of the Year and is finally a senior. I m sure some teams never thought he would be a senior. The Gateway title for this third year in a row comes through Carbondale, although it my have to be won at UNI.


Beg to differ, Killer. Your road to the title came to screeching halt in the GFC Titletown, Cedar Falls, in '03.

http://home.comcast.net/~walkersjournal2/hawaii_2001/images/end-of-road-in-lava.jpg

[Killsback]

I also beg to differ Capn'. We did win the title in 03, it was a shared title, but we got rings....6-1 and 6-1. You got the automatic bid, but we both won the title. Then last year the first team ever to go 7-0 in the Gateway was....SIU! So, we intend to three-peat.

[P2TheB]

Killsback-

You lose Jacobs and Jackson. Terry Jackson signed with the Titans last week I believe.

UNI loses 10 starters off last year's team. However, two of those were at O-line, where UNI rotated a plethera of guys in and out, so there shouldn't be too much of a drop in experience (could be wrong), and two were on the D-line where UNI has now gone to a 3-4, which really means we lost only 1. UNI brings in the #1 recruiting class in the nation, and rumors are swirling about a 1-A linebacker transfer from a Florida school coming in. UNI still has two scholarships available, so I assume something will be done with those two sometime this summer.

[Killsback]

SIU loses 4 starters on offense..Jacobs did not start and Jackson was third string. We lose four of five O-lineman, but we played so many last year because of our large margin of victories that we re fine there. On defense we lose Moreland and Akisanya, but everone else is back. We had a great recruiting year also and barring a catastrophic injury to Sambursky, we will be just fine. Can't wait for the season to start. Our toughest games are on the road as they were two years ago but we won at WKU and WIU before falling by 3 at UNI.

[Killtoppers90]

WKU is returning 17 of 22 starters from last season, so I plan on a good season in the Gateway this year. Plus, having SIU and UNI at home never hurts!

[Cap'n Cat]

Don't know about anyone else, but it's kinda fun watching two YSU guys fight here. Kinda like what happened when Rome collapsed!

I'll just sit back and watch! :D

http://www.lauranumeroff.com/images/art/cat_chair_400.jpg
"So (meow), tell me about that Penguin O-Line again?"

[Paladin1aa]

To the Pitt question -- this will be an excellent money game for the Guins and a loss.

Last year ,Furman caught a break to go against a weak Pitt team and pushed them to the wire. No such luck this year . Pitt will be a top 25 team and very good in several positions. But even with a loss,YSU will get a good experience with its young guys.

YSU will be competitive this year, but they are a year away yet. The turn-around will be 2006 and could be enormous.

[Reed Rothchild]

Don't know about anyone else, but it's kinda fun watching two YSU guys fight here. Kinda like what happened when Rome collapsed!

I'll just sit back and watch! :D




Where is I-AA Fan/Pete's Weekly when you need him? :D

[Cap'n Cat]

Where is I-AA Fan/Pete's Weekly when you need him? :D

Hey, Reed - watch it - you're gonna get you're little medical school hind-end banned from there..............we've seen him lurkin' here.

:(

[polsongrizz]

Man, is this the smack board? You guys need to get laid and settle down...

[GoGuins]

I saw Paladin and IAA Fan at the YSU spring game last Friday sharing a Coke and a smile :D

[Saluki_man]

Hey Cap'n Cat, if you really think that WIU is going to be that much better than last year you better make sure that D doesn't have those types of holes it did. WIU will be better, but not get to the top three.

[leatherneck177]

I will find it very hard to believe that we will go 4-7 again. We did have serious problems on defense, however those problems can be attributed to bringing in a new defensive coordinator (CU's Vince Okruch) coming in two weeks before the season, senior FS Chris McNutt missing the entire season (he was able to get a medical redshirt and will be back this year), the lose of several long time starters (in which we played young players all last year), and the fact that since we couldn't pass the ball at all everyone keyed Travis Glasford. Nonetheless, stuff like this happens to every team every year. But 4-7 again will not happen. I can see a 7-4 season.
Also, SIU has a nice team. But to point out that Jacobs and Jackson did not start is ridiculous. They may not have taken the first snap of the game, but you would be lying to not acknowledge the fact that Jacobs, Jackson, and Whitlock all contributed equally to wear teams down. SIU will be good, but two years with no proven playoff success does not warrant much talk in my book. It's one thing to talk big about a team, but one that has been dumped in the first round to consecutive years needs to prove that they can compete nationally when it counts.

[Killsback]

This thread was about the Gateway winner not who could do what in the playoffs. Terry Jackson had 90 carries in 10 games, meaning he did not even play in two games. He had a total of 57 carries against Gateway teams. he was not a starter, in fact Whitlock and Jacobs were 1-2 and Jackson and Turner were 3-4.

We should be just as good this year as were were last year and Coach Kill is trying some different things to get this team playoff ready this time around. Don't forget that we do have a National Championship (1983) on our resume. We are getting there again.

[GoGuins]

Yea, we're cool Cat :D

http://www.ysu.edu/sports/spirit/images/pandp.jpg

[Saluki_man]

WIU will probably go 7-4 and finish 4th in the gateway. Unitll their D proves they can stop somebody with consistantcy, they wont be able to get past the top three.

SIU's playoff problems can all be atributed to the D not stepping up. If the secondary for SIU can step it up and play better this year, we will win in the playoffs.

[Pantherpower]

Hello all,

Here's my stab at it:

1)UNI
2)WKU
3)SIU
4)SMS
5)YSU
6)WIU
7)IlSU
8)InSU

Panthers could be/should be/may be/can be/will be scary good this year. :spank:

[D1B]

UNI
WKU
SIU
WIU
YSU
ISU
SWMS
InSu

No smack, but curious what some thoughts are regarding YSU playing Pitt. YSU havn't really been in the big game thing in a while. IMO, it takes some regular shots at it to have a chance of winning or at least benefiting from a loss. I hope YSU wins.

Good luck to all Gateway teams.

[Killsback]

Keep thinking that SIU will be 3rd. I am curious why everyone thinks the Salukis will drop from the top spot? We did not lose much on offense and our defense should be better than last year which was top 10 in the nation.

[Saluki_man]

The only reason I have droped SIU to thrid is both WKU and UNI are on the road. Both places are very tough to play and if we get wins in either game I will be surprised.

[Chi Panther]

UNI
WKU
SIU
SMS
WIU
YSU
ILSU
INSU

[siugrad99]

Ok Boys reality check time for Saluki Fans.... Our Schedule is Tough and we have most of our tough games on the Road. It is honestly not out of possibility that we finish the season with 4 losses like UNI and are on the outside looking in because of it. We all know, even if we don't want to believe it that UNI would have done some damage in the playoff's had they been able to win 1 of their close games, and SIU might be in that same situation this season. If we can win our 1A game @ WMU (very winnable) then I think we make the playoff's as an at large. Will be tough to win the conference with the big bullseye on your back. That being said I HOPE that after 2 years of getting schooled in the playoffs Kill has learned something and will get our secondary playing better & not abandon the running game up 10 against EWU :o). I think SIU took too much advantage of our beating the daylights out of people last year and rested our starters to much. When you only play 2 1/2 quarters a game it can catch up with you in a close game where you have to grind it out for 4 quarters.
So my predictions for the conference :

UNI
WKU
SIU
ISU
MSU
WIU
YSU
Does it matter this far back ?

The WIU Kool Aid drinkers who talk about their all mighty Glasford better watch tape of how SIU COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN your little man anytime he tried to get across the line of scrimmage. I believe it was something like 23 carries for 39 yards. I would also venture to bet if I looked into how many yards he gained last season that a large chunk were against the little sisters of the poor and not teams with a good defense. So unless he learns how to run through someone he will never be on par with many other great Gateway Conference Backs.

Finally I know it's only May, but I am hoping that this season fans of the Gateway can rally together like we did in the playoffs and root for each other to do well. Of course we want our team to win, but lets try and keep our emotions in check to a point and not turn into morons before we play one another. In the end we all want our teams to do well, but we also want to see the Gateway do well and bring back the National Championship in 2005.

Best of Luck All & Go Salukis !

Clem

[4zach2b]

I think Illinois State will win because of their new recruits!!!!