Team preview: Western Michigan

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(All information as of June 20, 2008)

If it appeared like every week was a bowl week for Western Michigan in 2007, you would not be far off. Five of the 11 Football Bowl Subdivision teams the Broncos faced went on to play in bowl games as they played the 10th hardest schedule in the country.

A pair of three-game losing streaks and too many turnovers (17 interceptions, 12 fumbles) along the way kept the Broncos from taking part in a bowl for the second straight year.

Instead, their signature game of the season came with a 28-19 upset of Big Ten power Iowa -- in Iowa City -- in mid-November. Quarterback Tim Hiller threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Broncos to victory, giving them a 2-0 record all-time against the Hawkeyes.

The victory, coupled with a season-ending win over Temple, might not have salvaged the 2007 campaign, but it has the Broncos upbeat about their future.

"It gives you some hope," fourth-year head coach Bill Cubit said. "We didn't quit and played some pretty dominant games to finish off the season."

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