Ole Miss game a positive for Jacks

[jackfan51]

When I first heard that NAU had added Ole Miss to the 09 schedule, I could not believe it. Being a student at NAU, I immediately thought of how awesome it will be to watch my school play against a big time SEC team like Ole Miss. I’m almost positive I cant be the only student excited about this either. I feel this game will create a much needed buzz around the football team and hopefully lead to a higher level of school spirit on campus. Games against UofA and Ole Miss will be tough on the guys(sure that’s a no brainer) but it is my experience with sports, that playing higher competition gives coaches insight to weak spots that need to be worked on which might not be noticeable against a team like Ft Lewis which will help the team when competing against the tougher big sky teams. It will help recruiting also; guys want to play in the big time, when they don’t play for those big time schools they want to play against them. So when NAU begins to recruit, a big positive would be for that player to hear that they are not going to a place in complete obscurity. Although it would be a stretch for NAU to beat either UofA or Ole Miss, upsets have happened before…just ask Michigan.

09’ the year of the Lumberjack

 

[dbackjon]

Being able to play a SEC is going to be good exposure for the Jacks. Ole Miss is going to be a very good team though.

 

[king]

Good exposure?? yes, but is it worth getting the crap beat out of you and putting your guys in a vonurable position where they may suffer an injury and thus weaken their conferance chances? I'm all for playing great teams, but I think one per season is enough. It will be hard enough battleling Montana and Weber and by adding Arizona and Ole Miss to the mix, it just might be too much for the Jacks. Those guys will be banged up and on crutches by the time the season ends.

 

[JMU Dukes]

Depends on what you mean by good exposure. If you mean getting the school's name out there, then yes. But experience for the team, that's debatable in my mind. I'm coming out to NAU for grad school this fall, and am trying my best to catch up on the team. However, I went to JMU and come in with a focus for how IA games have been for us.

IA money games the first week or two of the season are fine, gets the school a nice check and really exposes what needs to be worked on before conference play starts, something that wouldn't be seen with a DII or lowly IAA. That's assuming of course that Souers plays to win IA games, unlike Mickey Matthews. I have never seen a JMU team that opens up the playbook past page seven, so I have no idea what it feels like to actually try. One money grab is fine, and maybe another IA at the MAC or SunBelt level. But playing a BCS school so deep in the season seems completely asinine and counterproductive.

For an upset to happen, one of the main things that needs to be in place is complacency. Michigan lost because they did not respect the Appies and looked past them, while Moore had just led them to their second title. They were still being featured in ESPN ads until recently and I can guarantee no other BCS team wants the next Michigan. Will that level of upset happen again? It's possible, but it won't happen for quite some time.

 

[AnAlum]

There is no "wrong" reason to take on a BCS team. Whether money, exposure, recruiting, any 1AA school is foolish not to put an Ole Miss on the schedule. To the BCS school, it's a cake walk and a W (except if you're Mich taking on Appy St.).

It took a few decades before ASU would add NAU to their schedule and now that they have, they've continued to feast on them, but NAU has been able to add a few dollars to the AD coffer, while giving Souers something to tout to prospective recruits. Don't underestimate the power of having top teams on the schedule. Many recruits to 1AA schools were passed over by the big boys and this is a chance to say they played against top competition.

Now, will NAU give Ole Miss a battle? Not likely, but I'm not going to miss it. It's a 6-hour drive for me to Oxford. Go Jacks!!!

 

[mtjack]

Ole Miss beat the U of Florida last year. They're consistently picked towards the top of their league and in the ranks of the top 25 by multiple media outlets.

Barring freak snow/ice storms in Oxford and a healthy dose of divine intervention, I'm going out on a limb here and saying it's a guaranteed loss. Enjoy the experience, play hard, give a bunch of players a shot to perform under the bright lights and return to Flagstaff with, hopefully, everyone's head and limbs still attached.

Due to the state budget situation and it's effects upon funding for universities, that fat paycheck with all of those zeros that NAU will receive has to be helpful.

I don't know if I like it as a fan, especially being that late in the conference season, but it is what it is and will happen regardless. I'll root for the Jacks on their venture into a whole different world of sports fanaticism. SEC football is pure nuts. Anyone (boosters) who gets to travel to this game should be in for a treat.

Go Jacks!