College Football Predictions: MAC

As we move up the ladder of the Football Bowl Subdivision, the next conference to be explored is the Mid-American Conference. These schools play pretty good football in spite of flying under the radar of the Big Ten.

This conference currently has 13 football playing members. Not every team will play every other team in its division, so all conference games will count in the standings this year. The conference succumbed to the temptation of the Philadelphia market and added Temple last year for football only.

The class of the conference resides in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, where the Chippewas of Central Michigan return star QB Dan LeFevour as they attempt to defend their conference championship of a year ago. I don’t see any team in this conference as able to touch them this year. The West division has three teams (Ball State, Western Michigan, and Toledo) that will compete for second place. Northern Illinois will continue to rebuild, and Eastern Michigan will bring up the rear.

In the East, the Falcons of Bowling Green look to dominate the rest of their Ohio brethren along with the interlopers from Buffalo and Temple. The rest of this division will be pretty bunched up, with Miami getting a slight nod over the rest of the division for second place. Akron and Kent State will be competitive. Buffalo and Temple will continue to improve. Ohio is dangerous, but faces three road games in their non-conference schedule, at Wyoming, Ohio State, and Northwestern. The Bobcats will bounce back to an extent in the conference, but their conference schedule works against them, as well. It’s not always how good you are, but who you play, where you play them, and when you play them.

Projected Finish:

East
Bowling Green 8-4, 7-1
Miami, Ohio 7-5, 5-3
Buffalo 6-6, 4-4
Kent State 6-6, 4-4
Akron 5-7, 4-4
Temple 5-7, 4-4
Ohio 4-8, 3-5
West
Central Michigan 10-2, 8-0
Ball State 6-6, 4-4
Western Michigan 6-6, 4-4
Toledo 5-7, 4-4
Northern Illinois 2-10, 1-7
Eastern Michigan 1-11, 0-8

Next: WAC

NCAA Projections: MAC

Deep in the heart of the Midwest lies the Mid-American Conference. What many do not know is that the MAC is the third-largest Division 1-A conference in terms of total enrollment, and the fourth largest conference in terms of undergraduate population. The MAC is made up of 13 large public universities, 9 of which are in Ohio and Michigan.

I like the MAC. The MAC plays good football, albeit under the radar of more exposed conferences such as the Big Ten. The better teams here can hold their own with anyone, but the entire conference suffers from a lack of depth and a relative lack of resources. Don't be surprised if this conference pulls a couple of upsets over big-name schools this year. They have 18 games against Big Ten schools this season, in addition to other non-conference matchups.

The 13 teams are split into two divisions, with the division winners meeting in the MAC Championship Game, to be held in Detroit in December. This season, only games within the division will count in the conference standings.

In the East, the Fighting Frank Soliches, a/k/a the Ohio Bobcats, are my pick to win the division. Kent State will be pretty good as well, but they must travel to the banks of the Hocking River to take on Ohio in Athens. The teams in this division benefit from the presence of Temple and Buffalo. Both of these programs are the ultimate bottomfeeders in college football.

MAC East:
Ohio 9-3 5-1
Kent State 7-5 5-1
Bowling Green 6-6 4-2
Miami, Ohio 6-6 3-3
Akron 4-8 2-4
Temple 1-11 1-5
Buffalo 0-12 0-6

In the West, look for the Toledo Rockets to blast off once again. Northern Illinois should be pretty good again, and many pundits are picking Western Michigan to win this side of the MAC. Eastern Michigan looks to bring up the rear in this division. If only they were lucky enough to play Temple or Buffalo this year.

MAC West:
Toledo 10-2 5-0
Northern Illinois 8-4 4-1
Western Michigan 6-6 3-2
Ball State 4-8 2-3
Central Michigan 2-10 1-4
Eastern Michigan 1-11 0-5

Twisted

I was having a twisted thought last night, as there was no football on TV, and there wasn't even any baseball on, as the Astros were rained out in Philly.

Twisted and unstable: I think college football should be played outdoors, on grass, on Saturday. However, I like those Tuesday and Wednesday night games from the MAC and C-USA in a weird sort of way. I guess that's why ESPN puts them on those nights, as there are people like me that will watch them. And, a conference like the MAC would rather have people in Texas watch them on TV than make it easier for alums to go to a game in a far-flung college town on a weekend.

Give me the MAC!

The power of the Worldwide Leader In Sports....

Ready for that two or three weeks of football every night...