I may not be the most positive thinking person on the planet, but when it comes to preseason prognostications, I like to keep my options open. Especially now that BG football actually has some expectations on a regular basis, and has proven that they can hang with pretty much anything that’s given to them, I don’t see why thinking that an undefeated season is out of the question. Yet I keep hearing predictions from BG fans/students/alumni that “I think we finish 9-2, tops.”

I think this has come to irritate me more than anything in this soon-to-be past offseason. Individually, week by week, there seems to be a consensus that BG can beat each of the teams on it’s schedule. But yet when it comes to putting it all together, people want to play the doubting card. Maybe they really don’t have anything to look forward to in life, or maybe they get their rocks off more by correctly predicting losses than they do watching their school win football games, but it’s a pain in my ass.

I didn’t plan to do it this way, in fact, this post until about 25 words ago was going to be about BG hockey (more on that later), but here’s why this team can run the table, week by glorious week, EDSBS-style (What exactly is an “Orson Swindle” anyway, and what’s it doing in my soup?):

Game 1 at Wisconsin: At worst, everyone seems to be giving this the “BG really could win this game” treatment. Some folks in the national media are putting their money where their typing fingers are and picking a BG win outright. This game is so winnable, I’ll be fairly disappointed if they don’t win. Fortunately, win or lose, the streets of Madison will have beers waiting for me afterwards, but they’ll go down so much smoother with a “W”. On the field, Wisconsin has some question marks, and as long as BG can establish that they’re here to play, they should be all right. If they go up a couple scores, Wisky fans might be thumbing through the Michael Hutchence handbook before the fourth quarter starts. Prediction? BG 37, Wisconsin 24

Game 2 at Ball State: I made it up to this game last year, when Ball State had Dante Ridgeway carrying the offense. He got his 125 yards, his Cardinals got a mouthful of Brown and Orange. In fact, as cold and sleety and windy as it was, I think Mother Nature got credited with a few stops in keeping the BG offense from hitting 80. (51-13 was the final.) Unfortunately, this one is at Muncie, where even the best MAC teams have found trouble. It’s so bad for Toledo that they actually fear the place, and NIU got a scare at Ball State last year. The bad news is this is the total definition of a “tweener” game for BG, wedged between Wisconsin and Boise State on the schedule. The good news is, Gregg Brandon and everyone around BG is so hungry for a MAC Championship, that losing this game is not an option. Prediction? BG 57, BSU 14

Game 3 at Boise State: This one scares me more than any other on the schedule. Granted, a loss only ruins the shot at a perfect schedule, the MAC hopes would still likely be intact, and the Miami(OH) game down the road will probably have me in “light a candle at every church I pass” mode weeks before the game, but this might be the longest non-bowl road trip BG has ever made, and it’s easily the longest trip anyone on this team has made, bowls included, and BG’s record on the road hasn’t always been so spotless, even with the successes they’ve had. The optimist in me sees BG winning the expected shootout, the frosted side of me keeps thinking about Timmy Chang taking his 276,503 passing yards to Boise and setting an NCAA record with 3,211 picks in a game. But keeping with the bright side… BG wins it 44-35.

Game 4 vs. Temple: Is it October already? Are there rules about your homecoming game being your first home game of the year? Temple still has a football team? This one will be ugly, especially if it comes after a loss at Boise, with the Falcons itching to lay some smack down. Last year, BG won 70-16 in Philly, and it shouldn’t have been that close. Actually, it might have been closer, but a couple runs into the middle of the line to chew the clock late turned into touchdowns. I might head back for this game, to see old friends at homecoming, and to see how well the new scoreboard at the Doyt handles triple digits. Prediction? BG 66, Temple 17

Games 5-9 vs. Ohio U., at Buffalo, vs. Western Michigan, vs. Akron, at Kent State: These are all the same. The MAC’s bottom feeders, although the OU game might be interesting. They’ve shown flashes of competence here and there, but never quite put it together. Now they have Nebraska reject Frank Solich blowing the whistles in practice, and they’re really a wild card for the 2005 season. BG should have no trouble winning, but it won’t match the 72-21 dropped on the Kitties in ’02. BG has outscored OU 130-37 in the last three meetings, and loved every minute of it. Buffalo has supposedly been putting a program together somehow, but the results haven’t shown up, WMU used to be one of the class teams of the MAC but have been struggling for air of late, and the Akron/Kent State sister combination each lost pretty significant talent at quarterback, which is never good for teams that weren’t all that good to begin with.

Predictions? BG 48, OU 23…BG 57, Buffalo 13…BG 51, WMU 12… BG 44, Akron 10… BG 62, Kent 17 (and someone will have three picks for BG, it’s tradition)

Game 10 at Miami(OH): This is the bullseye game of the year. Without a win in Oxford, nothing else will really matter, and the Falcons will probably be sitting back hoping that South Carolina and Clemson get into another slapfight. Miami(OH) has more talent than they’re getting credit for, I think. They’ve got a pretty mediocre quarterback, but they’ve got playmaking receivers and a solid defense. Not to mention that BG has struggled mightily against Miami(OH) in recent years, but I think if title hopes are on the line, BG’s coaches will force all the “you need to prove you can beat these guys” and “this is for a title” talk down the Falcons’ collective throats and will them to a huge “W”. Prediction? BG 38, Miami(OH) 31

Game 11 vs. Toledo: If they have the East title in hand, BG will pound the Rockets. They learned too much about letting off the gas last year against these criminals to have it happen again. Being able to open things up and let ’em have it with a ticket to the MAC Championship game in hand (eliminating the ever horrifying pucker factor) lets Omar and the boys celebrate in style. If it’s a must win game, I think the Falcons have enough to out-talent the Rockets, and it’s in the Doyt. It’s a BG win. Prediction? With East won: BG 48, UT 24. Without East won: BG 37, UT 31

Even if I’m totally wrong, I’d much rather go into the season planning a victory parade than spending my time worrying when the other shoe is gonna drop.

Okay, now I’m awfully tired, but a note about hockey, since BG took a couple big hits this week. Junior defenseman Jonathan Sigalet signed a deal with the Bruins (to potentially play with his brother some more), and assistant coach Kevin Patrick took a similar job at Wisconsin.

Now I don’t follow BG hockey as closely as I once did, and I know they have plenty of depth at the defensive position, but the loss of a big man like Sigalet and Patrick, who worked mostly with the defense, can not be underestimated. The Falcons kept their heads above water thanks to 40-save nights from Jordan Sigalet on a regular basis through the last four years, so even with depth, I’m not so sure how hot the defense really is. Supposedly they’ve got a stud freshman goalie coming in by the name of Jimmy Spratt (which makes me think of “Hoosiers” for some reason, every time), and I hope he brought his armor. He’s gonna need it.