Left photo: Jeff Griffith/US Presswire
Lost Lettermen is counting down and ranking all 124 FBS college football teams from best to worst by comparing each to a well-known song. We will examine one team per day through the summer in the lead up to the 2012 season. Today’s team: The Ball State Cardinals.
Overview:
2011 Record: 6-6
Head Coach: Pete Lembo
Returning Starters: 12 (8 offense, 4 defense)
Key Players: QB Keith Wenning, RB Jahwan Edwards, DT Nathan Ollie
Schedule:
8/30: Eastern Michigan
9/8: @ Clemson
9/15: @ Indiana
9/22: South Florida
9/29: @ Kent St.
10/6: Northern Illinois
10/13: Western Michigan
10/20: @ Central Michigan
10/27: @ Army
11/6: @ Toledo
11/14: Ohio
11/23: @ Miami (Ohio)
Skinny:
Under first-year coach Pete Lembo, Ball State finished the 2011 campaign with the same amount of wins as it did with Lembo’s predecessor, Stan Parrish, in his final two years at the helm. It might just be a matter of time before Lembo can have the same amount of success in Muncie, IN, as he did at prior head coaching stops with Elon and Lehigh. Ball State returns sophomore quarterback Keith Wenning, who had over 2,700 yards last year. If Wenning can limit his erratic throws and find some chemistry with a new crop of receivers in Willie Snead, Jack Tomlinson and Jamill Smith, the Cardinals have an outside shot at eclipsing the six-win mark. However, with road games against Clemson, Toledo and MAC champion Northern Illinois, Lembo probably won’t see much improvement on Year One until Year Three.
Over the past five seasons, Ball State has recorded two winning years, two losing seasons and a .500 campaign in 2011. Its best year during that stretch? In 2008, current Michigan coach Brady Hoke led the Cardinals to 12 wins and a berth in the MAC Championship Game. Since Hoke’s departure, the Cardinals have been up and down and, in 2012, the name of the game once again is uncertainty. Or better yet, “Hot n Cold,” as in Katy Perry’s top hit. For the Cardinals, expect them to be out of any type of contention for the MAC title sooner rather than later.
FBS 124 Countdown
#124: UTSA is … Rebecca Black’s “Friday”
#123: UMass is … Clay Aiken’s “Invisible”
#122: South Alabama is … Rednex’s “Cotton Eye Joe”
#121: Texas State is … Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out?”
#120: New Mexico is … Double Take’s “Hot Problems”
#119: Florida Atlantic is … Rammstein’s “Du Hast”
#118: Memphis is … Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog”
#117: Akron is … LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out”
#116: UNLV is … Wayne Newton’s “Remember When”
#115: UAB is … Jay-Z’s “99 Problems”
#114: MTSU is … Jessica Mauboy’s “What Happened to Us?”
#113: Tulane is … The Game’s “My Life”
#112: Idaho is … Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart”
#111: Buffalo is … Bruno Mars’ “Don’t Give Up”
#110: UL Monroe is … Bubba Sparxxx’s “Ugly”
#109: Rice is … Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor”
#108: Central Michigan is … Kid Rock’s “Only God Knows Why”
#107: Colorado State is … Aaliyah’s “Try Again”
#106: Miami (OH) … is Nick Lachey’s “What’s Left of Me”
#105: New Mexico State is … Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”
#104: Fresno St. is … Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping”
#103: Indiana is … John Mellencamp’s “American Fool”
#102: Troy is … Ruben Studdard’s “Flying Without Wings”
#101: Army is … Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”
#100: San Jose State is … The Mamas & The Papas “California Dreamin”
