Unchartered Territory: FlyingHigh's Western Mustangs (NCAA11 PS2)

[Flyinghigh]

NCAA Board of Directors vote, change is coming.

Indianapolis, Indiana (AP) - The NCAA Board of Directors, led by Commissioner Myles Brand, voted 7-2 in favour of having CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport)'s University of Western Ontario Mustangs join the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision in place of the Rice Owls for the 2010 season. Rice, who have been playing in Conference USA since leaving the WAC in 2004, will drop down to FCS and play in the SWAC. The reason for the Owls leaving the FBS remain unclear, although rumours of the lack of transparency around Rice's 2008 & 2009 accounting records have been heard amongst college football writers. Navy will break from it's independent status and will replace Rice in C-USA. Western will compete as an independent.

While promoting one of the FCS' top teams seemed like the obvious option, the NCAA board have cited the "unique opportunity to grow college football in unchartered territory" as their main reason for extending an invitation to the Western Mustangs. The NCAA recently began having the International Bowl at the Skydome in Toronto, Ontario. The success of this bowl game has allowed the board to be optimistic about the performance of a Canadian University in the NCAA from a marketing standpoint. On the field, however, Western have their doubters.

Going 5-3 last year in the OUA, Western last won the Vanier Cup (Canada's National Collegiate Championship) in 1994. While the The University of Calgary (8-0), University of Laval (7-1) and Queens University (7-1) all seemed like better choices from a competitive standpoint, the NCAA acknowledged Western's location (London, Ontario, 2 hours from both New York and Michigan), large enrollment rate, and stadium as the factors that won them the bid. The Mustangs will play at TD Waterhouse Stadium, which is set to have a full renovation to its playing surface this summer.

"The NCAA is a tradition rich association. We pride ourselves on history and culture," said NCAA Commissioner Myles Brand "With that being said, change can often be the catalyst for even greater success. Our board of directors see the participation of a Canadian institution as a potential key in growing college football on an unprecedented scale."

Coach FlyingHigh will lead the Western Mustangs in their inaugural season as an FBS school. With the announcement coming so close to the 2010 season, The Mustangs will play a schedule largely made up of FCS schools for it's first and second years in the FBS. Coach 'High has been at the school 5 seasons and sports a lifetime record of 31-22. "I'm stoked for this opportunity." said High. "How can you not be? We're excited to represent Canada in one of the most exciting landscapes in North American sports." When asked about the transition from 3-down football to-4 down football, 'High seemed dismissive, yet optimistic: "This just gives us an extra down we're not accustomed to having."

Naturally there has been a lot of pushback on this decision from the NCAA. "American's can be a proud bunch," said NCAA Commissioner Brand. "But there are already Canadian roots in our game. Look at players like Doug Flutie. Hell, Bronco Nigurski was Canadian!"

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Game: NCAA Football 11
Console: PS2
Quarter Length: 7 minutes

House Rules
Recruiting: I can recruit Canada freely. I can also recruit Michigan + New York, but only from cities/towns that are remotely close to bordering Ontario (Buffalo/Niagara Falls, Windsor/Detroit, Port Huron/Sarnia). American recruits cannot make up more than 60% of my recruits. I am allowed 1 recruit per season from anywhere equal to the number of school prestige stars minus one. I.E, if I get to 3-Star Prestige, I can have 2 recruits from anywhere.

Starting Roster: Create-a-team cup cake base, with some real names from Western's 09/10 team added in. Ratings will be untouched (mostly 45-62 rated players)

In Season Suspensions: Must comply with NCAA's suggested punishment for all infractions.

Players Leaving/Transfering: Cannot stop players from transferring elsewhere or joining the NFL draft. Can only accept transfers from mid-majors OR players that are from Michigan, New York or Canada.

Scheduling: While an independent, must schedule 4 home and 8 away games in inaugural season. Second season will be 6 home and 6 away. Additionally, a rivalry game against the University of Buffalo will be scheduled each year titled "The Battle for the Golden Barrel".

Conference Invitation: Must accept any invitations to conferences.

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Editors Note: There is a very clear inspiration from Careless Whisper's Carnegie Tartan Dynasty. So shoutout to them for the dope 'nasty and inspiration. I'm also going to be simming the first season and only doing in season recruiting so I can avoid the painful process of playing with an absolutely piss poor unusable roster.

[Flyinghigh]

Mustangs struggle in inaugural FBS season, lone wins come against CIS Competition

Western Mustangs 2010 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Aug 28	at New Hampshire	Lost, 35-0
Sep 4	vs Howard	Lost, 45-17
Sep 11	at Buffalo	Lost, 35-6
Sep 25	at Cornell	Lost, 20-3
Oct 2	vs Ottawa	Won, 38-35
Oct 9	vs Wilfrid Laurier	Won, 24-6
Oct 16	at Eastern Illinois	Lost, 35-17
Oct 30	at UMass	Lost, 43-3
Oct 30	at Ohio	Lost, 41-7
Nov 6	at Central Michigan	Lost, 59-0
Nov 13	vs Maine	Lost, 21-17
Nov 20	at Brown	Lost, 31-17

London, Ontario - Report by Cory Schuler (AP) - As the 2010 NCAA Football season comes to a close, FlyingHigh's Western Mustangs will have little time for self-reflection as the recruiting window opens almost immediately.

In what can only be described as lacklustre but expected, The Mustangs finished the season 2-10, with their only wins coming against CIS schools Ottawa (FCS East) and Laurier (FCS Northwest). While the hope was to secure the schools first ever win against FBS or FCS competition, the Mustangs never really came close to making that a reality. A 20-3 loss to Cornell and a 21-17 loss to Maine looked close on paper, but the Mustangs were never really in those games.

After redshirt sophomore Quarterback Tyler Wiggins went down with an injury in the first half of Western's game against Ottawa, it was fellow sophomore Steven Smith that took the helm for the purple and silver. Smith would go on to throw for 1117 yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in the Mustangs final 7 games.

Sophomore RB Curtis Fletcher had an okay season running the rock. He amassed 557 yards and 3 touchdowns, playing in 9 of Western's 12 games.

The defense can only be described as inconsistent. Graduating Senior MLB Bryce Hill led the way with 74 tackles, 5 TFL and 1 sack. One of the few that transitioned well to NCAA football, Hill will be missed in Western's 2011 campaign. Juniors Ryan Pruitt (LOLB) and Kevin Hall (DE) were amongst the defensive statistic leaders and will be back next year.

So what's next for Coach FlyingHigh? Life in the NCAA has proven to be no joke thus far. Failing to land a single in-season recruit, 'High will turn to the recruiting trail this spring to hopefully bring in some new blood.

Western Mustangs - Individual Statistics Stats - 2010
Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	LONG	TD	INT	RAT
Steven Smith (So.)	126/236	1117	4.7	111.6	64	9	12	95.6
Tyler Wiggins (RS So.)	76/144	805	5.5	161	70	3	9	94.1
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
Curtis Fletcher (So.)	127	557	4.3	15	0	3	46.4	1
Jerrius Robinson (Sr.)	20	170	8.5	50	1	2	14.5	1
Colton Lewis (So.)	20	85	4.2	14	0	0	7.0	1
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	DROPS	YDS/G	YAC
Chris Arnold (Jr.)	86	878	10.2	4	70	12	73.1	494
Luke Guidry (Fr.)	62	491	7.9	2	64	12	40.9	332
Adam Bailey (Fr.)	29	282	9.7	2	41	9	25.6	172
Josh Morris (So.)	13	112	8.6	1	31	6	10.1	62
Pedro Crawford (So.)	8	41	5.1	1	19	3	6.8	10
	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
Defense	SOLO	AST	TOT	SACK	TLOSS	PD	INT	TD
Bryce Hill (Sr.)	74	-	74	1	5	2	2	0
Ryan Pruitt (Jr.)	55	-	55	1	0	0	0	0
Kevin Hall (Jr.)	49	-	49	3	15	0	0	0
Ryan Walton (So.)	42	-	42	1	2	0	1	0
eremy Moncur (Jr.)	41	-	41	5	12	4	0	0
Joey Carey (Sr.)	39	-	39	0	0	8	3	0
	Field Goals				Extra Points
Kicking	FGM	FGA	PCT	LONG	XPM	XPA	PCT	PTS
Wilson Rio (So.)	10	22	45	49	17	17	100	Pts
Punting	PUNTS	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	BP	IN20	TB
Kirk Thibodeaux (Fr.)	73	3125	42.8	67	2629	0	23	5

[Careless Whisper]

Glad to see another throwback dynasty on here, and glad to be of some inspiration for it too! I'm definitely following, looking forward to seeing how you build Western up!

[Flyinghigh]

Quote: Originally Posted by Careless Whisper

Glad to see another throwback dynasty on here, and glad to be of some inspiration for it too! I'm definitely following, looking forward to seeing how you build Western up!

Yeah man - the throwback PS2 era is the only way, imo! Thanks for following man.

[Flyinghigh]

Clarke, McBride feature in recruiting class that can only be described as "Meh"

Jerel Clarke//Tyler Parker//Jacory McBride//Miles McCray

Written by Tim Funk for ESPN.com - After a fairly pathetic start to life in FBS football, it was evident from the jump that the 2011 recruiting trail would be crucial for the Western Mustangs. Losing 15 seniors to graduation, Coach FlyingHigh continually stressed how crucial landing replacements at each position, and then some, would be ahead of the 2011 NCAA Football Season.

"It's taken some adjusting when it comes to recruiting in the NCAA landscape, but we're happy with our recruiting class this year. Sure it could have been a bit bigger, but the guys were bringing in are all excited to play their college football in the purple and silver." said Coach High.

To the shock of many, Coach High was able to land 4* FS Jerel Clarke from Monroe, Michigan. Clarke, who drew interest from Michigan State, Maryland and Cincinnati, ultimately chose Western. When asked about his commitment, Clarke had this to say: "I like what Coach High is building. I ain't never back down from a challenge before and this seems to be the biggest in the NCAA. Plus my moms is from Toronto, which is close to campus."

After Clarke, the Mustangs recruiting class seems pretty underwhelming at first glance. However, Coach High insists the 7 2* recruits he landed will fit well in both Western's offensive and defensive schemes.

"Almost all of these guys will be day 1 starters. I know defensive co-ordinator Tom Shiples is stoked to feature a whole new linebacking corps, stud safety and 2 new faces on the D-line next season." said High. The Mustangs struggled to keep opposing offenses off the scoreboard last season. With the Mustangs rumoured to have a much tougher schedule this upcoming season, their defense will be crucial.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Mustangs failed to land a single QB recruit, which is said to make their boosters a little uneasy. It will likely be Wiggins or Smith under center to start the 2011 season, but 2* WR Jacory McBride will look to be a fun target for either of the QB's. Standing 6'5 with the ability to jump out of the stadium, McBride totalled 1421 Yards and 8 TD's in his senior season. He won British Columbia's Scott Stapleton Trophy as the provinces best high school player.

Summer training camp starts July 31st for the Mustangs, who will reveal their 2011 schedule shortly before.

Tim Funk, reporting for ESPN.

Western Mustangs Recruiting - 2011
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Jerel Clarke	FS	HS	Monroe, MI	6'3	210
Tyler Parker	T	HS	St. Catharines, ON	6'6	304
Jacory McBride	WR	HS	Abbotsford, BC	6'5	182
Miles McCray	MLB	HS	Pontiac, MI	5'11	232
Jake Luke	OLB	HS	Halifax, NS	6'4	225
Erik Coley	OLB	HS	London, ON	6'3	235
Sam Parsons	DT	HS	London, ON	6'2	267
Andrew Riggs	DE	HS	Lewiston, NY	6'3	242
Tyrone Walter	RB	HS	Toronto, ON	5'8	180

[Careless Whisper]

Hard to pull in a recruiting class with both quantity and quality at the start of these builds, but I think Western did pretty nicely all things considered. The four-star safety is a HUGE get and should be a foundational piece, while those two-star prospects should be able to contribute right away. QB is obviously the big hang-up - even an athletic two-star guy there will raise the team's ceiling considerably, so I bet that's the biggest focus heading into the next recruiting cycle.

[Flyinghigh]

Quote: Originally Posted by Careless Whisper

Hard to pull in a recruiting class with both quantity and quality at the start of these builds, but I think Western did pretty nicely all things considered. The four-star safety is a HUGE get and should be a foundational piece, while those two-star prospects should be able to contribute right away. QB is obviously the big hang-up - even an athletic two-star guy there will raise the team's ceiling considerably, so I bet that's the biggest focus heading into the next recruiting cycle.

Thanks for following man! Super stoked on the 4* safety get. My corner's are *** so hoping that he'll be able to provide good coverage in the secondary. QB is definitely the priority. Hoping there are a few guys that I can go after in-season that fit within my recruiting parameters.

I had some issues with NCAA 11 so I've spent some time porting this over to NCAA 07. Finally all done that, so going to get back to posting soon.