Post by Trojan Warrior on Nov 22, 2013 5:25:04 GMT -6
There are no playoffs in major college football, but don’t tell that to the Hilltoppers.
The Western Kentucky football team has been forthright and honest about what these final two weeks of the football season mean: Winning is a must, just as if it truly were some sort of playoff system.
“I’ll tell you what, I think right now, this is kind of our playoff. We have to win,” WKU offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm said. “We have to treat it like that every week.
We’ve got to go win this game and worry about this game and find a way to win.
“Sometimes you can win in a great fashion, other times you can just find a way to win. We’ve got to find a way to win this game and things will take care of itself.”
No, WKU’s season doesn’t end with a loss Saturday at Texas State (6-4, 2-3 Sun Belt Conference). But the way the Tops see it, at 6-4 overall and 2-3 in league play, they’re behind the curve when it comes to making a postseason bowl when surveying a crowded landscape of bowl eligible teams.
WKU would be on thin ice finishing the season at 7-5 and would likely be left home this winter at 6-6. Now, 8-4? That would make all the difference.
“We need two wins to get us any chance to a bowl,” junior quarterback Brandon Doughty said. “That’s our mentality. From what’s happened in the past and how we got snubbed two years ago (at 7-5 in 2011), we’re treating every game as a must-win. It’s an important game because it’s the next one.”
What makes the next two weeks even more important is that WKU will be battling teams in similar situations trying to close their years out with strong performances and strong resumes.
The Bobcats have games against WKU and Troy – the Trojans need one win to become bowl eligible as well – and next week’s opponent for the Tops is a 6-4
Arkansas State team that hosts Georgia State (0-10, 0-5 SBC) this week and still has a chance to win a conference title.
Sure, WKU can hope that the rest of the conference will stumble over the final few weeks of the season (two losses by a 5-5 Louisiana-Monroe team and at least one more by a 3-6 South Alabama team would help as well), but the Tops can’t leave anything to chance with 66 Football Bowl Subdivision teams already vying for 70 spots and 24 still mathematically alive to reach the minimum six wins.
“At the end of the day we’re going to have to win these next two games – and definitely this game,” WKU junior tight end Mitchell Henry said. “If we don’t, there is no bowl. We’re going to have to take care of our business first.”
“It’s kind of like coach (Bobby) Petrino says – this is a playoff game, these next two games, and this is the first round. We’re definitely going to have to win these to get to a bowl game.”
WKU can finish no higher than a tie for second this year, its final one in the Sun Belt Conference, by virtue of Louisiana-Lafayette having five league wins at this point. The Tops would have to finish 4-3, have Arkansas State lose both its final games and have ULM lose at least one of their two remaining contests. (Full Article)
The Western Kentucky football team has been forthright and honest about what these final two weeks of the football season mean: Winning is a must, just as if it truly were some sort of playoff system.
“I’ll tell you what, I think right now, this is kind of our playoff. We have to win,” WKU offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm said. “We have to treat it like that every week.
We’ve got to go win this game and worry about this game and find a way to win.
“Sometimes you can win in a great fashion, other times you can just find a way to win. We’ve got to find a way to win this game and things will take care of itself.”
No, WKU’s season doesn’t end with a loss Saturday at Texas State (6-4, 2-3 Sun Belt Conference). But the way the Tops see it, at 6-4 overall and 2-3 in league play, they’re behind the curve when it comes to making a postseason bowl when surveying a crowded landscape of bowl eligible teams.
WKU would be on thin ice finishing the season at 7-5 and would likely be left home this winter at 6-6. Now, 8-4? That would make all the difference.
“We need two wins to get us any chance to a bowl,” junior quarterback Brandon Doughty said. “That’s our mentality. From what’s happened in the past and how we got snubbed two years ago (at 7-5 in 2011), we’re treating every game as a must-win. It’s an important game because it’s the next one.”
What makes the next two weeks even more important is that WKU will be battling teams in similar situations trying to close their years out with strong performances and strong resumes.
The Bobcats have games against WKU and Troy – the Trojans need one win to become bowl eligible as well – and next week’s opponent for the Tops is a 6-4
Arkansas State team that hosts Georgia State (0-10, 0-5 SBC) this week and still has a chance to win a conference title.
Sure, WKU can hope that the rest of the conference will stumble over the final few weeks of the season (two losses by a 5-5 Louisiana-Monroe team and at least one more by a 3-6 South Alabama team would help as well), but the Tops can’t leave anything to chance with 66 Football Bowl Subdivision teams already vying for 70 spots and 24 still mathematically alive to reach the minimum six wins.
“At the end of the day we’re going to have to win these next two games – and definitely this game,” WKU junior tight end Mitchell Henry said. “If we don’t, there is no bowl. We’re going to have to take care of our business first.”
“It’s kind of like coach (Bobby) Petrino says – this is a playoff game, these next two games, and this is the first round. We’re definitely going to have to win these to get to a bowl game.”
WKU can finish no higher than a tie for second this year, its final one in the Sun Belt Conference, by virtue of Louisiana-Lafayette having five league wins at this point. The Tops would have to finish 4-3, have Arkansas State lose both its final games and have ULM lose at least one of their two remaining contests. (Full Article)