Memorial Day is fast approaching, which can only mean one thing.

Football. Of course. I mean, why wouldn’t it?

The guys at CollegeFootballNews.com are always thinking about football, and they’ve just released their preview of the 2007 grit iron gridiron Falcons. As you might expect following last season’s trainwreck, the CFN crew isn’t exactly predicting a return to dominance for this year’s team.

Dig this:

Last year was about reloading; this year is about producing. The East, the easier of the two divisions, is certainly winnable by anyone with some offensive pop, and defensive consistency, and while Bowling Green might still be a year away from being a title contender, it should be far better.

Makes some sense, right? As hard as 2006 was to stomach, at least Gregg Brandon et al were able to get a bunch of reps for Anthony Turner, Freddie Barnes, Chris Bullock, Jacob Hardwick, Jarrett Sanderson, Jahmal Brown and a bunch of other young players. And they’re right. This year’s team should be far better.

But here’s where I get off the CFN train:

The season will be a success if … the Falcons win six games. The young team has the potential to improve by at least two games after the 4-8 season as long as it doesn’t get too down after an almost-certain rough start. As long as they win the games they’re supposed to, and are able to come up with at least one good home win over a top MAC team like Ohio or Toledo, six wins is a more than attainable goal.

6-6 is a success? As far as I can tell, this team’s ready to win right now.

Oh, they’re not going to be as good as the team that won in West Lafayette. They’re not going to be as good as the team that embarrassed Memphis in the GMAC Bowl. They’re not going to crack the Top 20. If things go terribly wrong, they could lose nine games. But look around the MAC. Who’s clearly better?

As TG knows all too well, I’ve got a soft spot for Kent State, but the Flashes lost their best receiver and arguably their three best defensive players from a team that went 6-6 and lost to Buffalo by four touchdowns. Ohio won the division in ‘06, but lost most of its strong linebacker corps and 40% of its offensive line. Akron’s clearly rebuilding, having lost quarterback Luke Getsy and four starting offensive linemen. Miami went 2-10 last year and lost its only big-time offensive weapon in Ryne Robinson. Buffalo and Temple are Buffalo and Temple.

Does that make BGSU the favorite to win the East? Probably not, but it certainly makes a division title and a bowl game a realistic goal.

Now then. Onto the other sports.

  • Head coach Fred Thompson took time out of his busy schedule as a quasi-presidential candidate to announce this season’s recruiting class for the men’s soccer program. Seven players, five of whom are defenders and midfielders. A pretty good idea for a team that gave up two or more goals in 14 of its 19 matches last season, including an 8-2 debacle against Akron in the MAC tournament. Ryan Davis, a defender/midfielder, will probably make the most immediate impact. Davis is a smallish JUCO transfer who set an assists record at Owens College last year. Among the other recruits is forward Andrew Klancic of Aurora, Illinois, who took time out from his job at Stan Mikita’s Donuts to be named to the All-Sectional team last year.
  • Defenseman Andrew Krelove of the US Hockey League’s Des Moines Buccaneers is BG-bound. From what I’ve been able to glean, Krelove appears to be a defensive-oriented player, which (much like the soccer recruits) seems to fit well with the program’s needs. If you get a minute, feel free to stop by his myspace page and say hi. I’m sure he’d love to have more friends.
  • In a completely non-sports-related note, the wind farm in Bowling Green has been a big success. Shocking news, I’m sure, for anyone who’s ever had to walk from the ice arena to West Hall in February.

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