Directional Michigan

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"Directional Michigan" is a term used in college football to describe the three similarly named public universities competing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level in the Mid-American Conference's West Division. [ [http://www.mac-sports.com/ Mid-American Conference] ] While staying competitive in their own conference and against non-BCS conference opponents, all three have traditionally been unsuccessful against BCS conference opponents. [http://www.cmuchippewas.com/attachments1/3993.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=10500 2007 Football Media Guide: Chippewa Records, Honors and History (105-148)] , Central Michigan Athletics, Accessed August 4, 2008.] [http://www.emueagles.com/sports/football/2008/9-Record2.pdf 2008 Eastern Michigan University Football Media Guide: Section 9 -- All-Time Records 2] , Eastern Michigan University Intercollegiate Athletics, Accessed August 4, 2008.] [http://www.wmubroncos.com/pdf5/134825.pdf?ATCLID=1546662&SPSID=24299&SPID=1922&DB_OEM_ID=4600 2008 Bronco Football Media Guide :History (pp. 155-196)] , ESPN.com, Accessed August 4, 2008.] The term has found repeated use in ESPN.com's Bottom 10 rankings [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom101 Bottom 10: Hibernation no option for Bears] , ESPN.com, September 7, 2004.] [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom10042 Bottom 10: Owls soar to the top spot] , ESPN.com, September 13, 2004.] [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom10044 Bottom 10: Hit Me Baby One More Time] , ESPN.com, September 27, 2004.] [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom10046 Bottom 10: I Don't Get No Respect] , ESPN.com, October 11, 2004.] [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom10048 Bottom 10: Assume the position] , ESPN.com, October 25, 2004.] [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom10049 Bottom 10: Wasted away again in Margaritaville] , ESPN.com, November 1, 2004.] [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom10041122 Bottom 10: The Allure of the Bottom 10] , ESPN.com, November 22, 2004.] David Duffey, [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2144061 Bottom 10: The Bottom 10 jumps the couch] , ESPN.com, October 11, 2005.] David Duffey, [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3003847 Bottom 10: Wolverines ignite a Bottom 10 house party] , ESPN.com, September 4, 2007.] , has been picked up by other sportswriters, [ [http://wvgazette.com/Sports/Marshall/200806190824 The Charleston Gazzette] "Travel costs put pinch on budgets", Doug Smock, June 20, 2008] [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/sioncampus/10/25/weekend.primer/index.html Sports Illustrated On Campus] "Game of the Weak" October 25, 2007] [ [http://media.www.pittnews.com/media/storage/paper879/news/2005/10/11/Sports/Rivalries.You.Didnt.Know.About-1786331.shtml The Pitt News] "Rivalries you didn't know about" Geoff Dutelle & Brian Weaver, October 11, 2006] and has worked its way into college football fan lore. [ [http://www.michigandaily.com/content/letters-editor-201 The Michigan Daily News] "Shake up season with night and nonconference games", Eric Sheneman] [ [http://www.motleycollegefootball.com/index.php?page=2005Week07 Motley College Football] "2005 Week 07", Dave Wannstache] Fans and sportswriters of other sports such as basketball are also using the term freely. [ [http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/new/story/joel_knows_sunday_review30871 College Basketball by Collegehoops.net] "Joel Knows: Sunday Review", Joel Welser, January 28, 2007]

The three schools that make up the "Directional Michigan" moniker are:
*Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.
*Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.
*Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

In recent years, CMU and WMU have improved. Central Michigan improved their record to 6-5 in 2005 and 10-4 in 2006, culminating with a MAC football championship and a Motor City Bowl victory. [ [http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/mac/central_michigan/yearly_results.php?year=2005 College Football Data Warehouse] Central Michigan University Yearly Results] Western Michigan increased their win total to 7 in 2005 and finished 2007 8-5, receiving a berth in the 2007 International Bowl. [ [http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/mac/western_michigan/yearly_results.php?year=2005 College Football Data Warehouse] Western Michigan University Yearly Results] Eastern Michigan has continued to struggle however, finishing 4-7 in 2005 and 1-11 in 2006. [ [http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/mac/eastern_michigan/yearly_results.php?year=2005 College Football Data Warehouse] Eastern Michigan University Yearly Results]

A fourth university, Northern Michigan University in Marquette, is not normally included in the group despite its similarly directional name. It competes at the Division II level as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. [ [http://www.gliac.org/ Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference] ]

Recently, other regional colleges, such as the University of Southern California [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=2397102 Ivan Maisel refers to USC as a directional school] ] have been referred to as directional school as well, despite a successful football program. Both the University of Central Florida, and the University of South Florida, have begun referring them themselves strictly by their acronyms (UCF & USF respectively) to avoid the "directional" moniker more commonly found in the other divisions. [ [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/100406/col_5416634.shtml "Trend points at no direction"] ]

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