Mid-America Nattering

Last Post at Mid-America Nattering

2008-04-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

Well, guys, this is it. I've decided that this will be the final post at Mid-America Nattering. First off, I've lost the drive to blog (which could probably just be chalked up to a boring offseason). But more importantly, I've just been so darn busy for the longest time and I can't post anything remotely insightful. I mean, check out the post underneath this one; it's not even really a post, it's just something to throw up there because I haven't typed up anything in two weeks. Actually, this is like the third time I've been on the Internet within the last two and a half weeks. Normally, I'll log on two or three times a day.

So, so long, my 5 loyal readers :( . However, you probably haven't seen the last of me. Probably like Brett Favre, I'll get that itch and start up something in the summertime. But, it won't be here, unfortunately enough. I'll always be open to the possibility of guest blogging for somebody else though and if you think I could do that, just drop me a line at saturdaysoundoffs@gmail.com.

Off-Topic: Favorite Sports?

2008-04-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

Just so you guys know, posting is going to be very infrequent until summer rolls around. Last year, I struggled keeping up with two blogs and it wasn't even an easy thing to do during the offseason.

Anyway, I made this post over at SSO and though I'd just re-post it here:

This would be my list here:

1. College Football-Duh. Nothing beats the passion, excitement, upsets, pageantry, etc. that college football presents. Nothing even comes close. Ah, just thinking of college football brings me to crisp, autumn, 65 degree October Saturday afternoons watching college kids leave every thing out on the field for their school.

2. MLB-Really looking forward to the Tigers this year. Although they have to figure out that bullpen issue. And, no, I'm not a bandwagon fan of Detroit. I suffered through the indignity of 2003. It wasn't pretty. Okay, so I know the players are the most overpaid prima donnas on the entire planet, but I like watching the sport in general.

3. NHL-It's basically a tie between the MLB and NHL. Wow, the NHL races have been something to watch this year, haven't they? I love the fights, checking, physical play, and fancy goals that you see in hockey. It is a great sport and it's really a shame that it's in the state it is right now. Here's an idea for Gary Bettman: GET OFF OF VERSUS.

4. College Basketball-I watch the regular season with a lot of apathy. It's almost too much to take in at times. I suppose it is comparable to watching too much Scrubs; it's okay in moderation :) . Nah, I only bring that up because I recorded all 8 broadcasted Scrubs episodes on my DVR and it's on TV four hours a day (2 on Comedy Central, 1 on WGN, and 1 on The WB). I got through three episodes. Scrubs is pretty funny if you like that dry, ironic humor that you might find in Office Space (my favorite movie). Okay, now I know I'm rambling, back to college basketball. The tournament is a lot of fun to watch anyway.

5. College Lacrosse-Lacrosse is a fun sport to watch. It's more fun to play and it would be even more fun to watch if you didn't get Johns Hopkins, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, or Syracuse playing each other every week. At least they'll be showing Delaware and Towson on ESPNU this Saturday. Part of the problem is a lack of parity (it's like women's college basketball). The talent is so concentrated because there isn't a large pool of players to choose from. Lacrosse is growing rapidly throughout the U.S. and you can see that on the west coast and especially in Ohio and some other surrounding Rust Belt areas.

6. NFL-Yeah, I would rather watch a college lacrosse game than the Superbowl. The NFL is kind of boring but then again, there's not a whole lot on TV on Sundays. I like wallowing in self-pity about my pathetic Detroit Lions, but the sport lacks the enthusiasm of college ball and I'm going to go postal if ESPN keeps talking about absolutely irrelevant NFL material. Oh, well Chad Johnson likes boxers instead of briefs, just so you know. And later on NFL Total Access on ESPN (the new name for Sportscenter), we'll take you through a daily routine of Peyton Manning because that's what the folks care about. ESPN is just extremely paranoid of losing viewers to the NFL Network that they obsess about the sport like TMZ obsesses over celebrities. It just gets tiring. But besides all of that, yeah, the NFL is alright.

7. College Baseball-I'll watch a game if it's on. Rice was playing Texas last night and some of those errors were downright painful to watch. Yikes. But the Big 10 Network will be airing some games so that's kind of cool. I usually try to watch the College World Series whenever I can. And no, I don't watch because of Erin Andrews. I think I've been over that previously on this site.

8. NBA-Honestly, I don't see how anybody can be a diehard NBA fan. They play no defense and when the day is done, the losing team is defeated by about 25 points making you wonder what the point of sitting through the entire game was. From time to time, I'll check out what the Pistons are doing and I have to say the race in the West is pretty intriguing, but I haven't sat through an entire NBA game since the 2005 NBA Finals (Pistons/Spurs).

9. Arena Football-I list the AFL here because it's almost an entirely different brand of football. Like the NBA or college baseball, if there's nothing else on, I'll watch a few minutes and switch over to the news. I guess it's kind of like American Dad. You decide to watch because you think Seth McFarlane is the epitome of comedic genius. Then, at the end of the show, you forget that he doesn't even try with that series. You hope you'll one day become a fan, but you never do :D .

10. Uhhhhh.......College hockey? I'm out of sports. Not much of a bowling, NASCAR, boxing, tennis, or golf fan over here.

Indiana Replaces Kentucky for New Akron Stadium Opener

2008-03-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

2008 AKRON FOOTBALL SCHEDULE INCLUDES CHANGES

Dropping the home and home agreement with Kentucky, thus changing the opponent for the first game at Infocision Stadium to Indiana highlights the announcement of the 2008 University of Akron football schedule.

Akron Athletic Director Mac Rhoades says the reason for the schedule shake-up is the fact that many non-conference games were scheduled before he arrived at the Hilltop, plus, the addition of Temple as a football-only member to the Mid-American Conference.

"Due to these circumstances, the University of Akron will not play the University of Kentucky in the 2008 season, nor will the Wildcats come to Akron in 2009 to open the University's new Infocision Stadium," said UA Athletic Director Mac Rhoades.

Since the deal with Kentucky is off, the Zips will open the 2008 season in Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Badgers of Wisconsin.

In addition to adding Indiana as the team to open up Infocision, the date for the 2009 home opener has been pushed back a week to September 19, 2009.

2008 Schedule

After opening up with Wisconsin, the Zips will play another BCS game against Syracuse before the first, and last, home opener at the Rubber Bowl against Ball State. Then, it's back on the road again to play Army in West Point before coming back to the Rubber Bowl to take on Cincinnati of the Big East.

In a strange move that I have never seen before, the Zips will have back-to-back bye weeks on October 25 and November 1 -- that is a LONG time to not play during the regular season.

Once again, the Zips will only have five home games in 2008 and seven on the road. Lets hope that changes when we are in the new stadium.

Summary

All and all, the Zips have a decent schedule with non-conference games against Wisconsin, Syracuse, Army and Cincinnati, with the Bearcats coming to the Bowl.

As for television, the Zips are scheduled to play on either ESPN2 or ESPN U three times, against Army, Toledo and Buffalo.

The last game at the Rubber Bowl will be Thursday, November 13, against Buffalo.

The only thing I do not like about the schedule, beside the usual five home games, is the back-to-back bye weeks in late October and Early November.

2008 University of Akron Football Schedule

University of Akron statement concerning changes in the 2008 and 2009 football schedules

Football Schedule News Release

'...WE COULDN'T MAKE ANY SHOTS...' Dambrot on KSU loss

Keith Dambrot says his Akron Zips obviously struggled in the 61-58 season-finale loss against Kent State before a packed house at the JAR.

"We struggled," said Dambrot. "We hung around defensively, and with our team having 37 bad minutes against their three bad minutes, that's when it became a game.

Now, the Zips are focused on the Mid-American Conference Tournament. With a first-round bye, the Zips will take on the winner of the Northern Illinois-Central Michigan game on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

"I think Central Michigan has the ability and the talent to make it far in this tournament," said Dambrot. "Whether they can win four in a row is a different story, though. Miami has enough to win four in a fow as well I think, but the different is who gets hot at the right time. Anyone can win four games if they are hot."

Coach Dambrot's News Conference

MAC Tournament Brackets

It's Been A While!

2008-03-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

I know I said earlier on Saturday Sound Offs that politics is the last thing I want to talk about on a sports blog, but as long as you poke fun at both sides, I'm cool. SMQ has a post on it that you should check out.

Even so, I know I should keep up more often with this blog and that I've gotten a little lazy when it comes to blogging in general. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more content up here pretty soon. I don't talk much about basketball, but I might get to it here pretty soon. Once summer comes around, maybe Mid-America Nattering will get moving.

Sorry, MAC Fans

2008-02-18T18:16:00.000-08:00

I made this post over at SSO, and figured I'd just post it over here at Mid-America Nattering:

Every single inch of It's-Not-That-Difficult-Just-Sit-At-Your-Computer-And-Type-For-30-Minutes has left me. Check back in a little while and hopefully I'll get some meaningful stuff written. Until then......I dunno, I've been watching hockey and Family Guy to get by the offseason. God, last night's episode with James Woods sucked. I've learned not to get disappointed with Family Guy anymore......I mean, Seth McFarlane is just losing it.

Well, I guess this could generate some discussion. What do you guys do during the offseason to keep yourselves busy? I try not to think about college football a whole lot during this time of year; I just supress it. Is that healthy, you think? Yikes

Thoughts and Prayers

2008-02-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

In wake of the recent tragedy at Northern Illinois, I just wanted to ask you guys to keep the students and university in your thoughts and prayers. Such a shame.

MAC Linkin': 2/08

2008-02-08T12:48:00.001-08:00

Gregg Brandon gets a contract extension. Falcon nation is estatic. I can't believe he's still coaching there. Not a big fan of Brandon over here....

Western Michigan finalizes a deal to play Illinois at Ford Field next year. Hopefully, the run defense will perform better than it did last year or that game might get kinda ugly.

Ohio's athletic director, Kirby Hocutt, announced that he'll be taking the same position at Miami (the one in Florida). We wish him well.

Temple was named #1 in recruiting for Scout.com (in the MAC, folks). Golden is quietly upgrading the talent base there. Their official Web site lists the signees.

Turner Gill's class is in and he's trying to get the play of his defense improved. Most of his recruits were on that side of the ball.

Jones, Genyk, Cubit Talk Recruiting

2008-02-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

I'll get a recruiting recap by tomorrow, but the three Michigan head coaches sounded off on their recruiting classes. The following sound bites come from the Huge Show which broadcasts daily from 3 to 6 in Michigan.

Jones Interview

Cubit Interview

Genyk Interview

MAC Bracket Busters

2008-02-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update on the Bracket Buster games to be played on ESPN this February. Ohio will face George Mason, Kent State will take on St. Mary's, Miami will face Valpo, and Akron will play Virginia Commonwealth.

Even though we don't talk much MAC basketball over here, one thing is for certain: These are some great games. All of these teams are cruising and the MAC can only hope for two bids this year (which I personally feel they should).

Joe Lunardi the other day had Ohio listed as his "last team in" for the NCAA tournament. Hopefully, the conference will be able to rebound from the last few years of disappointing postseason performances.

If I'm projecting this stuff right now, I predict Ohio gets a 12 seed while Kent State winds up with a 10. How does that sound, guys? One thing is for certain though, whichever MAC teams can win in these Bracket Busters, it will certainly go a long way in determining their NCAA tournament fate. Kent State has to beat St. Mary's to get in as an at-large, in my opinion. They all do, but the Golden Flashes need a big road win (against a ranked team no less).

Zips in Super Bowl

2008-01-31T19:32:00.001-08:00

ZIPS FANS ROOTING FOR GIANTS IN THE SUPER BOWL?

Akron football fans may not have had a personal interest in the MAC Championship game this year, but the same cannot be said about this Sunday's Super Bowl between the Patriots and the New York football Giants.

Two players who once roamed the sidelines at the Rubber Bowl will be roaming the pastures of the retractable roof (and retractable field) University of Phoenix Stadium .

Domenik Hixon, who caught the last-second desperation pass of Luke Getsy to win the 2005 MAC Championship, and Chase Blackburn, the former Zips defensive captain, traded in their blue and gold for the red, white and gray of the New York Giants, and will be taking on what some consider to be the best NFL team ever, the New England Patriots, in Super Bowl XLII.

Blackburn and Hixon are not the first Zips to appear in a Super Bowl. Dwight Smith picked off two passes, one for a touchdown, for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

UA PLAYERS TACKLE BIG GAME...The Buchtelite

HAVING TWO ZIPS IN SUPER BOWL HUGE FOR UA...editorial in The Buchtelite

<<<>>>

HEALING HIXON

Hixon was on the other end of the collision that put Buffalo's Kevin Everett in the back of an ambulance. ESPN.com reports that Everett wasn't the only one who needed to recover from that fateful play.

Does the MAC and Lacrosse Mix?

2008-01-29T07:05:00.000-08:00

So I'm following a discussion about the MAC on MACbbs. It's a great message board by the way and I've tried to sign up, but my IP address has apparently been banned. So I guess I have to contact an administrator....

But anyway, the poster brings up lacrosse and hockey, two sports that the MAC doesn't support. You would think Buffalo would have a big interest in both of the sports considering how popular lacrosse is in the northeast and it's a hockey-mad city that has produced a number of the top hockey athletes.

The hockey idea doesn't convince me. I realize that with the Big 10 Network needing some sort of live programming that creating Big 10 hockey seems like a smart idea. Right? This has a possibility of happening. If you think about it, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, plus Notre Dame would make a good hockey conference. Of course, this is only six teams so they might want to convince an Iowa or a Purdue to maybe start up hockey. But, this would leave some of the GLIAC schools and Bowling Green, Western Michigan, and Miami without a conference. So, that's where the MAC could come in. They would have a problem with the expenses of hockey though. I mean, could you see a school like Central Michigan, Kent State, or Ohio funding hockey programs? Buffalo seems like an obvious candidate, but you would have too much difficulty trying to get enough institutions on board in this scenario to make this a possibility.

But, lacrosse makes much, much, much more sense. A lot more sense. I don't believe funding the sport would be as expensive and lacrosse is a booming sport, especially in Ohio. Basically, the sport is growing across the country, but it would be nice to see the MAC lead the charge and be ahead of the curve.......FOR ONCE. It's going to be too late in 10 years or so when most major schools would have lacrosse teams. There's the possibility of creating some nice programs because Buffalo could feed off of what Syracuse can't get in lacrosse.

Of course, all of this is hypothetical and just random musings in my mind. I'm not sure whether or not this would happen at all, but it sounds great in theory.

MAC Senior Bowlers

2008-01-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

Well, the Senior Bowl begins here pretty soon (January 26th on the NFL Network). There also happens to be only two MAC players on the squads, one on each team. What are their prospects (pardon the pun) for the upcoming NFL draft?

Jason Jones: DT, Eastern Michigan (North)

Strength: Definitely, the strength for Jason Jones would be athleticism for his size. Of course, he still needs to do well at the combines and we don't have those exact stats, but Jones is a rock-solid 272 pounds at 6'5! He played DT at Eastern, but he sounds like he might switch over to DE in the NFL. Against Kirk Barton today (he's an OT from Ohio State), Jones was impressive. He's been progressively improving, or so it seems from what I've seen out of the NFL Network's production of the Senior Bowl practices.

Weakness: Transitioning to the exterior of the D-line. I'm not sure if this is going to be a problem or not. He doesn't seem to have too much trouble, at least in practice, but will he be able to pressure the QB and break through the initial line of defense as well as he has against actual NFL offensive lineman? We're not going to know that until later.

I was checking out Walter Football, and it said this about Jones going to the 49ers in the 4th round:

The 49ers were ranked 22nd against the pass because they couldn't get to the quarterback; no one on their defense had more than six sacks.

Kory Lichtensteiger: Bowling Green, C (South)

Strength: Fundamentals. This is what Kory Lichtensteiger made a living on for most of his career. He comes off of his stance very well, blocks well, doesn't make a lot of penalties, and is just a solid, all-around center.

Weakness: Feet movement and quickness. He hasn't had much of an issue with that this year because he was going up against teams like Buffalo and Toledo who, let's face it, have lesser defenses. He got tested early on in the Senior Bowl practice and didn't look like he was up to speed.

Can't really find much stuff out on the Web regarding Lichtensteiger since he's projected around the late fourth or early fifth round. I'm thinking a team like the Chiefs or Broncos could use a center like him.

MAC and the BCS

2008-01-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's almost February. You know what that means? The doldrums of the college football blogosphere. There has been about zero stuff worth posting with regards to football.

But, how about we gaze into our crystal ball and analyze any chance that a MAC team has at crashing the BCS party? Feel free to tell me how wrong I am in the comments.

Candidate #1: Miami.

The MAC Fan in Me Says: Why does Miami make for a solid candidate? Let's take a look at this season. Even though they were 1-4 versus BCS competition, there was a reason for that: injuries. The RedHawks really couldn't find a point in the season where all of their offensive stars were healthy. Daniel Raudabaugh will take over and he was solid filling in for Kokal last year. The defense should be ready to roll with nine of their key parts back including the entire LB corps (Joey Hudson and Clayton Mullins the most notable).

The Objective Pessimist in Me Says: Okay, those are great points, but this team was only 1-4 against BCS conference teams. And we're not talking Ohio State, Penn State, or Texas here. This team was the only team that could claim they lost to Minnesota (in overtime), they got shelled by Colorado 42-0, they lost a tight game to Vanderbilt, and they were owned by Cincinnati. Also, Syracuse was shaky at best in 2007.

Some Arbitrary Percentage of BCS-likeliness: 1%. This team could evolve into the best team in the MAC East, but they certainly won't compete for the BCS. There are too many holes across the board to be one of the best non-BCSers out there.

Candidate #2: Western Michigan.

The MAC Fan in Me Says: This year was a fluke and the Broncos should find themselves as one of the better teams in the conference for the 2008 season. Cubit really has this team going and he gained a lot of momentum for beating Iowa. The team at the end of the year looked like we expected coming into 2007 and that trend should carry over into next season. Just about everybody on defense is coming back and most are upperclassmen.

The Objective Pessimist in Me Says: It's Western Michigan. No offense to Bronco fans, but it'll be really tough to make a case for being BCS-worthy. The offense isn't even close right now as it was nearly anemic at times. The Broncos had one of the best run defenses in the nation and it was totally gashed in '07. Even though they get a ton of guys back defensively, it still won't be an adequate run defense.

Some Arbitrary Percentage of BCS-likeliness: 1%. Like Miami OH, they don't have nearly enough offensive explosiveness and the defense, while more consistent, still won't be good enough to get it done. We're talking about a team that doesn't quite have what it takes, but should be competitive in MAC play. They still have two holes on their schedule, but I'm getting a funny feeling about that Nebraska game to start the year. Even so, the Broncos will most likely win 7 or 8 games this year.

Candidate #3: Central Michigan.

The MAC Fan in Me Says: Well, you have to give them credit: They have been the best team in the MAC over the last two years despite some poor non-conference showings under Butch Jones. The defense returns enough guys to see significant improvement and more fundamentally sound plays on that side of the ball. The offense should continue to be one of the most explosive in the MAC with LeFevour and company coming back. One thing that went under the radar for the most part was the fact that the offense was more potent under Butch Jones in 2007 than it was under Kelly in 2006.

The Objective Pessimist in Me Says: Yeah, the razzle-dazzle offense is always a joy to see, but there are still some major defensive issues. I get the sense that Butch Jones has no idea how to coach that side of the ball. Add onto this the fact that they have to go on the road to face Georgia, Purdue, and Indiana, and a BCS bid looks very unlikely.

Some Arbitrary Percentage of BCS-likeliness: 5%. If they didn't play Georgia between the hedges, I might give CMU a better shot. That 5% is if they compete with Georgia (not losing by more than 20) and winning the rest of their games. Other than that, this team won't sniff the light of day regarding the BCS. The Chips just don't have a good enough defense to compete with the upper-echelon in college football. Expect them to beat Indiana, but lose to Purdue and Georgia pretty easily. Also, I'm not sure whether or not this will be the best team in the MAC next year.

Candidate #4: Bowling Green.

The MAC Fan in Me Says: Nine starters back on a young defense, a young stud in Tyler Sheehan, and the return of most of the team's dynamic offensive weapons. What's not to like? Of course the MAC schedules always come out late, but the MAC East doesn't really look like it will be as good as the West coming into 2008. This gives the Falcons a great shot at pulling out a MAC East championship. Look for that offense to shine this year.

The Objective Pessimist in me Says: 63-7. 63-7. 63-7. Bowling Green is already getting used to hearing this day in and day out. It was one of the most embarrassing performances in MAC history. Usually the GMAC Bowl showcases two of the best teams from the MAC and C-USA, but Tulsa just took them to the woodshed. The defense needs some major fine-tuning and, like CMU, I'm not sure Brandon has the defensive prowess to see that it happens.

Some Arbitrary Percentage of BCS-likeliness: 5%. I set the bar this low because of BG's schedule. They get to face a somewhat challenging non-conference slate with zero patsies. They get Minnesota at home and Pitt, Boise State, and Wyoming on the road. It's going to be tough, but I give the Falcons a slim, slim chance.

Candidate #5: Ball State.

The MAC Fan in Me Says: Okay, here we go; a BCS-worthy MAC team! Maybe. Ball State is returning boatloads of talent. Actually, make that everybody offensively. Dante Love, Darius Hill, Frank Edmonds, Nate Davis, you name it. They were young and explosive in 2007 and should be even better in 2008. The defense gets 8 guys back but that side will need to see major improvement before Ball State starts thinking about the BCS. Also, Indiana is the only team from a BCS conference on the slate, a game the Cards should win.

The Objective Pessimist in Me Says: This team was still horrible defensively and even though they competed against Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, and to some extent Rutgers, that's not good enough to get into the BCS. The only shot BSU would have is winning all of their games because there is no room for error on a schedule that isn't incredibly difficult. While the offense will explode, it probably won't be enough to make the BCS.

Some Arbitrary Percentage of BCS-likeliness: 10%. It sounds a little high, but the Cardinals should definitely be the class of the MAC plus an easy schedule. Even so, the offensive and defensive improvement should probably amount to 10 (or 11 including the title game) wins. I think this is a team that will be able to beat a BCS conference team (something the MAC has forgotten to do on a consistent basis since 2003).

CFN Rankings: MAC

2008-01-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

The always reliable CFN rankings came out the other day (yes, that's sarcasm, folks). Anyway, they consider themselves to be experts and here's how the MAC was ranked (BTW, this is my commentary, not what CFN said). (In the Notable Teams part, the "ahead" means teams that the MAC Team X was ranked ahead of; "behind" means they finished behind these teams):

#113: Northern Illinois

Notable Teams: Ahead-Minnesota, Duke; Behind-UAB, Rice, UL Lafayette

NIU was the lowest ranked MAC team this year and with good reason. The Huskies weren't a good team at all to begin with considering Garrett Wolfe was the entire offense last season. If you add onto the fact that they didn't have enough talent to compete for the MAC championship, their defense, specifically the line, was decimated by injuries.

#102: Kent State

Notable Teams: Ahead-Baylor, Tulane, Syracuse; Behind-Army, Colorado State, Middle Tennessee

Kent State was rolling early on looking a bit like they did in 2006, but the loss of Julian Edleman really hurt the running game. KSU had a ton of injuries at the QB position this year putting them in a tough spot. They did drop the final seven games, but the defense played pretty decent overall. The main reason the Golden Flashes ended the year as cold as they did was the lack of efficiency from the QBs. You have to give Doug Martin a pass here for having to throw almost all of the QBs on the roster out on the field at some point in time.

#99: Temple

Notable Teams: Ahead-Marshall, Iowa State; Behind-Notre Dame (by a spot), San Diego State, Louisiana Tech

Hey, they delivered by beating expectations, didn't they? I know Al Golden must be happy with the progress that Temple has been making. Not only did they save face in a lot of games that would have been total blowouts for the previous two seasons, but they even won four games. Golden showed just how committed he was to the program by staying at Temple and declaring himself not-interested in the UCLA job. Temple was able to do it by playing about as good defensively as anybody in the MAC down the stretch.

#93: Buffalo

Notable Teams: Ahead-Notre Dame, Colorado State; Behind-North Carolina, San Jose State

WOW. That's pretty much what I have to say. It's an absolute amazing turnaround. The Bulls were one of the worst teams in the nation during the 2006 season, just God-awful. But Turner Gill must have seen something in this crew. Now, you can argue all you want about the strength of the conference, but the very fact that this Bulls team competed with Baylor and Syracuse might have just been the most positive things to ever happen to this team at the FBS level.

#90: Akron

Notable Teams: Ahead-SJSU, North Carolina; Behind-Stanford, UTEP

J.D. Brookhart is supposed to be one of the best coaches in the conference. So, it leaves one to ponder, what happened? Akron took a step back from their MAC championship from 05 in the 2006 season, but this year was an unmitigated disaster for the Zips. Things looked like they were coming together for a while with a win against Army and arch rival Kent State along with solid showings against Ohio State and Indiana. Even with the miracle against Western Michigan, things really did take a turn for the worse going 1-5 down the stretch. I thought CFN brought up a good point about how Akron was competitive in most of their losses, but they included defeats against Buffalo and Temple (which are never good things, no matter how improved they might be).

#89: Eastern Michigan

Notable Teams: Ahead-Same as Akron; Behind-Same as Akron

I thought this ranking was a little high. Although, when you think about it, Eastern Michigan was a competitive football team. I know I'm a pathetic MAC homer trying to find the good in all of these teams when the conference was terrible this year, but they were able to find ways to compete with Northwestern, Michigan, Ohio, and Bowling Green. Also, don't forget, these guys won the three-way race to be declared MAC champion of the state of Michigan. They stunningly beat both Western and Central this year.

#88: Miami OH

Notable Teams: Ahead-Same as Akron; Behind-Same as Akron

Miami wasn't very good this year. I know they slammed Bowling Green, but the Falcons didn't have their heads screwed on for that game. The RedHawks basically were dealt a killer non-conference scheduling having to play Vanderbilt, Syracuse, Colorado, Minnesota, and Cincinnati. They were champions of the East, but they failed to qualify for a bowl game. The issue with Miami was offensive injuries. They took hit after hit on that side of the ball and you have to wonder what might have been if those guys remained healthy. They would probably be looking at bowl season...

#87: Toledo

Notable Teams: Ahead-Same as Akron; Behind-Same as Akron

Toledo was supposed to really break through and become legitimate competitors for the MAC West. Well, that didn't happen. The main reason was the defense; it was atrocious. But that side of the ball aside and even though next year should be the season things start to click again for this usual MAC powerhouse, they had a wonderful stretch during the middle of the year. They skated past Liberty and lost by 10 to Buffalo before they went on an offensive rampage. Ohio, Eastern Michigan, and Northern Illinois got torched giving up an average of 55 points a game! Even with that great offensive stretch, they lost hopes of going bowling by poor showings during the final two games against Ball State and Bowling Green.

#80: Western Michigan

Notable Teams: Ahead-Vanderbilt, Washington State, Ole Miss; Behind-Memphis, Wyoming, Nevada

If you're looking for the most disappointing team for the 2007 season, look no further from the guys from Kalamazoo. This team was projected by many to win the Mid-America Conference. The setback of the season occurred when Akron won the game on that miracle lateral on the kickoff. However, they really did make a strong finish to the year by hanging on against Central Michigan, spoiling Iowa's season, and defeating Temple. Look for these guys to get back on track in 08.

#77 (tied): Ohio

Notable Teams: Ahead-Arkansas State, Memphis, Wyoming; Behind-Miami FL, Northwestern, NC State

If you're looking for that one team that was probably a little better than two of the ones who went bowling (ahem, Ball State & Bowling Green, ahem), this could have been it. Even though the Bobcats finished an average 6-6, they were at least decent down the stretch with only one bad game against Akron from tasting the postseason for the second consecutive year.

#64: Central Michigan

Notable Teams: Ahead-Navy, Nebraska, Southern Miss; Behind-Bowling Green, Houston, Colorado

Hmmm, this one confused me a little. CMU dominated this entire conference with the wee exception of that inexcusable Eastern Michigan loss. Not really sure what CFN was thinking here, but I can understand them up to a point. I mean, this team did get slaughtered by North Dakota State, Clemson, Kansas, and Purdue in September. Their non-conference performance was ridiculous and CMU fans have to demand more out of this program. Those ones fall on Butch Jones' shoulders.

#63: Bowling Green

Notable Teams: Ahead-Kansas State, Arizona, Iowa; Behind-Georgia Tech, Pitt, FAU

How is this possible after that horrid showing from the GMAC Bowl? I digress, but even though they did get knocked out hard and cold in that game, it looked like they were so unprepared for that game. Maybe Brandon should have kept them fresh on fundamentals instead of "gadget" plays for Anthony Turner.

#58: Ball State

Notable Teams: Ahead-Pitt, Georgia Tech, Colorado; Behind-Indiana, Maryland, Louisville

I can see Ball State being the best team in the conference. They aren't as horrible as they looked against Rutgers because of the mismatch that future NFLer Ray Rice presented. But even so, that's not an excuse for getting your butt kicked. The Cardinals only bad loss in 2007 was against Central Michigan where the defense evaporated like water in the middle of the Sahara Desert. I'm still trying to figure out how CMU won that game 58-38...

Well, there you have it. CFN generally does some solid hindsight articles and I was kind of kidding earlier about the "reliable" ranking thing. You gotta hand it to Pete Fiutak & Co., they generally do a much better job than anything you'll find on ESPN.com. At least they back up what they say have some valid points.

MAC Fans, Hang Your Head In Shame

2008-01-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Dear God, what a painful time to be a fan of MAC football. I've never been more embarrassed about this conference in all of my 27 years of existence. The MAC had a chance to justify being a three bid league this past weekend and completely fell flat on their faces. After Central Michigan's inspiring comeback effort against an abysmal Purdue last month, Ball State and BG had the chance to represent the conference against superior competition. I'm not trying to say that Rutgers and Tulsa are good, but a win from either MAC school would be considered a big upset and a good win for the league.

The result: Bigger schools 115, MAC 37. Ouch. Bowling Green is just a terrible team that should not have gone bowling anyway, but thanks to the crappiness of my alma mater, they were granted the right to get blown out. Ball State also sucks and they made Ray Rice look like Barry freaking Sanders. Clearly, these two programs weren't ready for the big time. They should be given a 5 year bowl ban for rolling voer and dying on the football field. Losing is one thing, but showing no effort and desire at all is unacceptable. Seriously, maybe the MAC should go back to being just a one or two bid league...it's hard to justify why 3 teams get a bowl paycheck if they can't even compete.

And if you look up the definition or "terrible" in the dictionary, it's just the logo of the MAC. Maybe one day we will compete again...stranger things have happened.

Preview: GMAC Bowl

2008-01-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

Bowling Green Pulse

I was able to ask Bowling Green fan, Flipper, from Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba some questions and he responded with some of his thoughts on the game:

Passing is nice...we win more frequently when we manage to run the ball a bit. RB/WR/QB Anthoney Turner and TB Willie Geter will get some yards and keep that Tulsa offense on the bench. We''ll get opur share in the air, but we'll win if we can rush for 150 or so..

Special teams are vastly improved. Kick coverage is better...Iovinelli is a solid punter and Vrvilo has strong leg...I'd trust him out to 50 yards

We're missing our top DE, a starting OLB and a back up DT...so yeah, we're worried about stopping Tulsa.

I suspect we'll try to get pressure rushing 4 down linemen while dropping 7 into coverage....we tend to play a soft zone that gives up yards between the 20's. We did a great job in the red zone against Akron, Buffalo and Toledo....so I suspet we'll be very happy if we can contain them between the 20's and then bottle them up when the field gets shorter.

Anthony Turner will be the guy for us on offense....On defense, watch for safety PJ Pope...he's an interception machine

Background Info & History
If you guessed that the GMAC Bowl is sponsored by GMAC, congratulations! Your ability to deduce is worth beholding. GMAC was known as General Motors Acceptance Corporation and it dealt with all of the financial services GM provided. It's headquarters is in Detroit, Michigan. Today, it offers a wide range of financial services and I will, sooner or later, write them a thank-you letter for putting a stop to all of the God-awful Ditech.com commercials (they work together).

The history of this game dates back to 1999, but the most memorable, by far, GMAC Bowl was the game between future teammates, Byron Leftwich and David Garrard. Garrard would eventually become the starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he couldn't out-duel Leftwich and the Marshall Thundering Herd as they completed the second largest comeback in bowl history due to the 2006 Insight Bowl. Over the next four games, the bowl was generally lopsided towards the MAC with Marshall beating Louisville easily, Ben Roethlisberger and Miami OH beating Louisville, Bowling Green defeating Memphis easily, and Toledo whipping up on Mike Price's UTEP team. However, the trend would end last year with Southern Miss defeating Ohio 28-7. Let's just say that the GMAC Bowl hasn't provided us with the greatest match ups of all-time.

Bowling Green Storyline
Gregg Brandon was on the hot seat (sort of). And boy, did his team deliver.

One of the biggest issues with Bowling Green since the departure of Omar Jacobs was QB play. In 2005, Jacobs was hampered by an injury and during the stretch he was out, this team didn't produce. In 2006 when Anthony Turner became the full-time starter, Bowling Green was just mediocre. But, Tyler Sheehan was discovered in the game against Minnesota and that would turn the Falcons' misfortunes around taking them bowling for the first time since 2004.

The year began with a thrilling victory against Minnesota. Coach Brandon decided to go all Boise State on everybody and try for the two points in overtime. The conversion was successful and Bowling Green started off the year 1-0. After a defeat against Michigan State, Bowling Green was able to avenge their stunning loss to Temple a year ago with a 48-35 win.

But, soon after, their MAC East hopes would bedashed. After a drilling from Boston College, Bowling Green didn't even show up against Miami OH losing 47-14. That game put Miami in the driver's seat for the division crown and they never looked back. But, besides a loss to Ohio, Bowling Green found a way to win out for the rest of the year, ending the season as one of the hottest teams in the MAC.

Tulsa Storyline
Texas Tech? Hawaii? If you haven't seen Tulsa's offense yet this year, they would be able to give those teams a run for their money, statistically speaking.

The hire that made the most waves throughout C-USA in 2007 was that of former Arkansas offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. Malzahn brought with him a fast-paced, no-huddle spread system that is somewhat similar to Texas Tech's. It turns out the fit was almost perfect unlike his stint at Arkansas where he didn't have the pieces to run the offense to its maximum potential.

So the season started with my ill-fated upset pick of UL Monroe. The Warhawks gave the Golden Hurricane a 1st half battle, but Tulsa eventually pulled away. In an amazingly high-scoring battle, Tulsa out-lasted BYU 55-47. The reason that score was so shocking was because of BYU's defense. They had a great defense this year, but it goes to show you how potent this Tulsa offense can be.

Even with their ability to put up a ton of points though, Tulsa has had their run-ins with some awful football teams. Marshall, UAB, and SMU really struggled to compete this year, but all of them managed to lose to Tulsa by one score. This alarming trend was really put to rest with an easy shelling of Houston 56-7. That's probably the most stunning score of 2007, Stanford-USC excluded.

But the year ended with a disappointing loss to Central Florida in the C-USA title game. It should be interesting to see how they rebound from that loss in the GMAC Bowl.

Match ups of the Game

Tulsa Passing Game vs. Bowling Green Pass Defense-Tulsa usually wins by throwing and putting in a solid mix of running plays to keep the defense off-balance, but Bowling Green really needs to take their coverage skills to a new level facing off against this high-octane Tulsa attack. Paul Smith was thought to be a square peg to this offense's round hole, but it turns out he was an almost perfect fit becoming one of the most prolific passers in the game. His targets are Brennan Marion, Trae Johnson, Charles Clay, Dion Tolliver, and Jesse Meyer. Bowling Green's secondary might have their hands full trying to cover all of these athletes at WR.

Bowling Green Passing Game vs. Tulsa Pass Defense-As mentioned, there shouldn't be a whole lot of defense in this game. So, with that said, Tulsa's pass defense ranks 108th in the nation with Bowling Green's passing offense checking in at 19th. While the Falcons don't equip an offense quite as capable as Tulsa's, the Golden Hurricane can't play as well against the pass as Bowling Green does. Look for this to be a key match up.

Keep an Eye on...
Charles Clay. With all of the attention being paid to their top receiver, Brennan Marion, Charles Clay is an excellent freshman player.

Todd Graham and Gus Malzahn are always looking for ways to get the ball into his hands whether it be on sweep plays, screens, short dump offs, or options. With the new spread offense at Tulsa, he fits the system like a charm.

Anthony Turner. Since both teams will most likely be lighting up the scoreboard at this point, we might as well focus in on Anthony Turner.

He's the Bowling Green form of Charles Clay, basically. The Bowling Green offense looks for ways to get Turner the ball on sweeps, screens, etc.

The difference between Turner and Clay is that Turner can play a little QB. There are packages for Turner where he kind of does that read option kind of stuff. But unlike many teams with an athletic guy behind center, he's pretty good at chucking the ball, too. This extra dimension has been a pain for defensive coordinators all season long.

Must-See-Ometer
Even though I bet the ratings won't show it, this game should get a 8 out of 10 on the Must-See-Ometer for the casual fan. Defense? Screwwwwwwwww that!

Tulsa doesn't play any defense at all. They're giving up over five touchdowns a game. Five touchdowns a game! The Golden Hurricane are also having a tough time keeping teams from passing the ball at will. They're currently surrendering over 270 yards a game through the air. Bowling Green is statistically much better against the pass ranking 30th in the nation, but the MAC is not chalked full of passing juggernauts. They haven't faced a passing offense with the potency of Tulsa's. Don't forget, even though Bowling Green has a solid statistical defense, Tulsa ranks first in total offense. So this is a shootout of Wyatt Earp proportions.

Prediction

Even though there won't be much defense, the team with the better defensive performance will prevail. That will be Bowling Green. Even though Buffalo and Akron don't necessarily have explosive offenses, they have been much better all season against the pass, specifically. Tulsa will bomb away and come up with 450+ yards of total offense, but Tyler Sheehan and Freddie Barnes will hook up on a number of 15+ yarders.

There is one thing though that turns me off a little bit with this upset pick and that's 3rd down conversions. Tulsa is about 6% better compared to Bowling Green, so that's a thing to keep an eye on. I'll probably regret it, but I'm going with the Falcons by a score of 52-48 (1 confidence point).

AKRON PAYBACK!

2008-01-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

AND IT WASN'T EVEN THAT CLOSE!

"You heard the song, The Big Payback? Let's hope that's what it was. If not, Akron is pretty darn good." That's how Miami coach Charlie Coles summed up the game where his Red(skins)hawks had it handed to them last night by a score of 69-54.

For those who don't follow Akron basketball very close, Coles was referring to last season's Mid-American Conference Championship game, where Miami squeaked one out with a lucky shot at the buzzer to win 53-52 and go on to the NCAA tournament. As Miami made it to the dance, the Zips stayed home despite winning 26 games.

Gee, it seems that Akron's weak out of conference schedule seems to have had absolutely no impact on their ability to compete, and embarrass even the elite of the MAC, which Miami is considered.

For those who are disillusioned into thinking the MAC is going to get more than one bid to the tournament -- it really doesn't matter now, does it? Akron Coach Dambrot is holding firm on his scheduling strategy of negotiating a home and home contract, even with the bigger boys. Some people seem to have a problem with that. I agree, it is difficult to see some of the patsies on the Zips' schedule. What Dambrot is trying to do is not easy. It is going to be difficult in the early going as he builds his program. One thing must happen for his program to work -- the Zips must win. And that's HIS responsibility.

In the meantime, for those who don't happen to agree with Dambrot, I'd like to borrow a phrase from Mike and Mike on ESPN radio, "Just shut up!"

(photo: Lew Stamp/Akron Beacon Journal)

<<<>>>

AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- Steve McNees scored 20 points and was 6-for-6 from 3-point range as Akron coasted to a 69-54 win Saturday night over Miami of Ohio.McNees made three consecutive 3-pointers toward the end of the first half to kick off an 18-0 run for the Zips (11-3, 1-0 Mid-American Conference).He followed that with two free throws and another 3-pointer. Jeremiah Wood closed the run by adding a dunk and a layup just before halftime to put Akron ahead 41-19 at the break.Miami (6-7, 0-1) couldn't mount a threat in the second half.Eric Pollitz led the RedHawks with 12 points, while Tyler Dierkers and Michael Bramos each added nine.Wood scored 19 and Nick Dials added 10 points for Akron.

<<<>>>

ZIPS TAKE SQUAWK OUT OF THE REDHAWKS...Akron Beacon Journal

MC NEES'S 3s HELP ZIPS BEAT REDHAWKS WITH EASE...The Plain Dealer

ZIPS DEFEAT REDHAWKS...Cincinnati Enquirer

MEN'S BASKETBALL CRUISES TO 69-54 WIN OVER MIAMI (OH)...GoZips.com

AKRON DEMOLISHES MIAMI 69-54...UofAZips.com

New Polls!

2008-01-05T17:39:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I've got some new polls up. Be sure to vote!

If you'll look to the third column, you'll see there's a fan poll (that Blogger had to be really difficult about*). But, there's also a poll that runs until August asking you to pick the winner of the MAC in 2008.

*Me + Blogger=As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure why I'm using Blogger. I should be on Wordpress, but, oh well...

Preview: International Bowl

2008-01-04T21:01:00.001-08:00

Background Info & History

The International Bowl doesn't have a sponsor. But there are some interesting facts nevertheless. It is the first bowl game to be played outside of the U.S. since the Bacardi Bowl which was played in Cuba. The city of Toronto lobbied for a bowl game in 2004, but was turned down in favor of the Poinsettia Bowl. It tried once again in 2005 and was accepted along with the Papajohns.com Bowl and the New Mexico Bowl. This created the first ever International Bowl which consisted of a dominating first half performance from Cincinnati and a failed comeback bid from Western Michigan. Cincy won the game 27-24.

Rutgers Storyline
The International Bowl? How could a team possibly be motivated after having much bigger things on their mind?

The Scarlet Knights were one of the preseason favorites to take the conference. Last year, these guys took the college football world by storm, finishing one overtime away from representing the Big East in the BCS. Now, sitting at 7-5, they'll be looking at the International Bowl. Rutgers was one of the more disappointing teams in the nation.

Even though they devoured patsies early on like Norfolk State, once they ran into their first two tests in Maryland and Cincinnati, Rutgers quickly dropped to 3-2. It wasn't the start they were looking for at all.

But, if you're cold, is there a better opponent to play than Syracuse? The Orange got steamrolled against Rutgers and the very next week, then #2 USF went down in Piscataway. Was Rutgers back on track? Not really, they got hammered against West Virginia the very next week.

Closing out the year, Rutgers fell by a field goal to Louisville. And we all know about Louisville's struggles this year. It will be interesting to see if Rutgers will get ready to play in this ballgame.

Ball State Storyline
This is the breakthrough season Brady Hoke was looking for!

The Cardinals of Ball State hadn't been to a bowl game since 1996 when they lost to Nevada in the Las Vegas Bowl. So, let's just say that Hoke has done a nice job in getting the program to another level.

Ball State struggled to get any kind of offense in their Thursday night opener against Miami OH. The RedHawks won the game by a score of 14-13. These guys were able to bounce back by beating Eastern Michigan and winning a thrilling game against Navy.

What was a shocker at the time, Ball State was a point away from being tied with Nebraska in Lincoln. This could mark one of the more important games in Ball State history even though we know how bad Nebraska was defensively; it's still Nebraska at home.

Soon afterwards, the Cardinals won three of four in conference play despite getting whacked by eventual MAC champions Central Michigan, 58-38. Ball State ran into two Big 10 bowlers, Illinois and Indiana, and they did play pretty admirably. The Cards closed out the year with wins against Toledo and Northern Illinois.

Match ups of the Game

Rutgers Running Game vs. Ball State Rush Defense-If there's one match up that we'll probably see domination in, it'll probably be with Ray Rice and the running game. Even though Rutgers has thrown the ball a lot more than they did in 2006, Ray Rice is still the focal point of the offense. Ball State has had their troubles against the run this year ranking 99th.

Ball State Passing Game vs. Rutgers Pass Defense-Not only will Rutgers likely run the ball down Ball State's throat, the Cardinals will have a tough time completing a lot big plays downfield. The Scarlet Knights are ranked second in the nation in pass defense, 11th in pass efficiency defense. Ball State is 22nd in passing offense, so something will have to give.

Keep an Eye on...
Darius Hill. As mentioned before, Ball State's passing game will have to churn some big yards if they want a legit shot at knocking off 2006's Cinderella darlings.

Rutgers has one of the best secondaries in the country, but they cannot, repeat, CANNOT, forget about Ball State's tight end, Darius Hill. Dante Love at WR might get more attention, but Hill basically acts as a WR.

Hill is big, strong, fast, and athletic. He even looks like a receiver instead of your stereotypical TE. Nate Davis loves utilizing mismatches that Hill creates with LBs in coverage. Rutgers can't afford to do that. Hill averages about 70 yards receiving per game.

Jamaal Westerman. Westerman just happens to be an Ontario native, so expect him to be playing with a purpose.

Ball State's offensive line has been pretty decent this year giving Davis a comfortable amount of time in the pocket. But, even though they are 42nd in sacks allowed, Westerman is the Rutgers sack master. He, along with Eric Foster, will be the guys Ball State must neutralize.

Must-See-Ometer
For those reading at Mid-America Nattering, I try basing this scale on how the common fan would view the game. To me, most MAC games are ones I try to see because I am a fan of the conference as a whole. But, I just wanted to clear that up.

Anyway, this game gets a 5 out of 10 on the Must-See-Ometer. Even though Rutgers adds some interest to the game, they didn't make any noise this year save for their win against USF on Thursday night. Ball State had better bring their A-game or it might get a little ugly with the Rutgers rushing attack and how well they play pass defense. There really isn't much about this game that would get a common fan jacked up.

Prediction

Rutgers is going to win. Ball State will put up a fight early and might even lead at halftime, but the rushing game of Ray Rice is probably going to wear the Ball State defense out. Mike Teel has really emerged as a passer, I'm not sure the Ball State offensive line will hold up as well as they have this season, and the secondary for Rutgers is too good to let Ball State rack up the passing yards. Rutgers will pound their way to victory, 34-24 (30 confidence points).

MAC Linkin': 1-4

2008-01-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

The International Bowl's official site released a short, mini-preview of the bowl game. You can find that in PDF form here.

I also noticed a pretty cool site dedicated to Rutgers RB, Ray Rice.

MAC Report Online issued their preview of the GMAC Bowl out a while ago. Check it out!

Let's talk some basketball. Toledo is ready to open up their MAC season on a high note by defending their regular season MAC title against the struggling Ball State Cardinals.

It's probably old news to you guys that follow the MAC regularly, but Al Golden made it clear that he's sticking with Temple after UCLA offered him the job. Of course, Rick Neuheisel is now the head coach for the Bruins.

The National Post, a Canadian newspaper, did a write up of how the International Bowl will try to be marketed.

Jones Staying, Chagrin Aplenty

2008-01-03T22:08:00.000-08:00

If you guys didn't hear, Butch Jones was retained as the head coach of Central Michigan. Also, this is the worst thing that could have happened to the Chippewa football program. Well, almost the worst thing.

In just a few seasons, Grand Valley State head coach, Brian Kelly, was able to turn around CMU football. The previous regime of Mike DeBord was just an absolute debacle and one that is taboo around Mt. Pleasant. But Kelly revived the once dead football school and generated a buzz not seen around mid-Michigan for quite some time.

But, when Kelly decided to leave for the greener pastures of Cincinnati and the Big East, CMU thought it would be a good idea to hire Butch Jones. The consequence would be felt by the Chippewa defense.

Let's compare stats here: CMU was 58th in scoring defense under Kelly in 2006, but with Jones at the helm, CMU ranked 111th in scoring defense. I'm not sure if there was a larger dropoff in defensive production in the entire nation. The offense saw some improvement, by about five points a game, actually. But that doesn't change the fact that CMU was just lost on the defensive side of the ball. Not to mention horrid games which displayed an unpreparedness unseen since DeBord getting whipped against Kansas, Purdue, Clemson, and North Dakota State.

The Fiesta Bowl was what caused this to happen. Interim head coach Bill Stewart was able to take the interim part off of his title when West Virginia offered him the job. Of course that had a ripple effect on Central Michigan's program. Unfortunately for us Chippewa fans, we can still see more of the same from one of the most fundamentally unsound defenses in the nation for the next few years. Hooray.

Sorry Guys...

2008-01-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry for all of the infrequent posting lately. I'll try to get something up in the next few days. Especially with the MAC bowls coming up.

Go Falcons, go Cardinals!

Preview: Motor City Bowl

2007-12-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

Background Info & History
There are three sponsors to the Motor City Bowl. As you might be able to infer, the Motor City Bowl takes place in Detroit so it only seems natural that the "Big 3" automakers, Chrysler, Ford, and GM all co-sponsor the event.

The history of the Motor City Bowl has its roots in the Cherry Bowl which only lasted a few seasons. A bowl game in Detroit was resurrected in 1997 and it was played in the Pontiac Silverdome until 2001. The first ever game in the bowl's history was a 34-31 win for Ole Miss against Marshall. As a matter of fact, after that loss, the Thundering Herd went on to win the next three Motor City Bowls. Probably the best Motor City Bowl game to this date was the Northwestern/Bowling Green game played in 2003 where Josh Harris led the Falcons to a 28-24 victory. The most recent game, in 2006 (which yours truly attended), CMU defeated at-large Middle Tennessee State in front of a 54,000+ record crowd.

CMU Storyline
You want to talk about schizophrenic football teams? Look no further than Central Michigan.

The Chippewas were downright awful against their non-MAC foes. The average score of their OOC games against Purdue, North Dakota State, Clemson, and Kansas was 52.75 to 14.25 (this doesn't count their victory against Army). In MAC games, CMU won on average 47.9 to 33.1. So something is screwy there.

Who knew Kansas was going to be so good? When I first saw that score, as a CMU fan, I began freaking out thinking that Butch Jones was a complete and total failure. I thought North Dakota State would beat Central Michigan, but the way they did it was extremely shocking. Let's just say CMU looked like a sinking ship.

Once MAC play was on the schedule, it was much smoother sailing for this vessel. The CMU offense cut through the helpless arm-tackling of lesser MAC defenses like a hot knife through butter on their way to a second consecutive MAC West title.

This team faced off against Miami OH for a MAC championship game. The RedHawks were hanging in there for a while, but you have to give the Central defense credit for playing the best defensive game all year.

Purdue Storyline
Another year, more failed expectations for Purdue.

Much of this is pinned on Joe Tiller. Speaking of Tiller, this is a homecoming for the head coach. He's from the Toledo area and used to be a big fan of the Detroit Lions who used to own the NFL which may come as a surprise to non-NFL historians.

Anyway, Purdue was a hot football team. They ran into Ohio State and Michigan, two teams the Boilermakers have been able to avoid for the last two seasons. The game against Iowa was the real litmus test as to whether or not the team was for real. Northwestern and Iowa got smoked so it looked like this team was on the right track.

Uh-oh. This is when Purdue took a turn for the worst. Penn State smothered the offense and controlled the game on both sides of the ball. Then, Brian Hoyer showed unprecedented success at QB as Michigan State won, 48-31. If not for the heroics of Austin Starr, Purdue would have the Old Oaken Bucket and a plane ride to Phoenix.

Match ups of the Game

Purdue Passing Game vs. Central Michigan Pass Defense-If you've been following Central Michigan at all this year, you should be able to pick up that they can't defend the pass at all, especially one as potent as Purdue's 18th ranked passing offense. The Boilermakers will come at the Chippewa secondary with Dorien Bryant, Selwyn Lymon, Dustin Keller, and Greg Orton.

CMU Passing Game vs. Purdue Pass Defense-Now, just read what I said about Purdue's offense and CMU's pass defense and flip it around. While Purdue doesn't have as bad of a secondary as the Chips possess, Dan LeFevour has a tremendous target in Bryan Anderson with whom he'll hook up a couple of big plays tonight.

Keep an Eye on...
Dan LeFevour. Think of him as a poor man's Tim Tebow (which is a good thing). LeFevour obviously wasn't playing as many quality opponents as Tim Tebow has, but his stats are almost as impressive. He's the only QB in the NCAA that has ran for 1000+ and threw for 3000+ joining Vince Young in that category.

LeFevour will be a load for the Purdue defense to handle mainly because of his dual-threat status. The sophomore has a good-sized arm and he's not lightning quick but he will hurt you on the ground. Purdue is merely average against the run but they are shaky against the pass (ranked 70th).

This is probably your third best match up of the game right here. Cliff Avril is an excellent pass rusher and the best player for Purdue defensively.

He averages half a sack per game, but, the Central Michigan offensive line has proved to be rather sturdy.

CMU ranks 16th in sacks allowed. Part of that is LeFevour's escapability and quick-decision making, but the Chippewas have the best offensive line in the Mid-America Conference.

If Avril has a big day, CMU's offense won't be as explosive as most project it to. If CMU can handle Avril's pass rushing ability, they'll move down the field with ease.

Must-See-Ometer

The Motor City Bowl receives a 6 out of 10 on the Must-See-Ometer. If you like offense, you've come to the right place.

Even though these two teams have met already, there are a few reasons to believe this will be a better football game:

• CMU is playing in their own backyard.
• CMU is the hotter team. Purdue has dropped three straight going from 7-2 to 7-5.
• Motivation. CMU is bound to be the more excited team. Can you imagine Purdue being pumped up for this?

Prediction

The three items mentioned above only point to this being a closer game. When Purdue and Central met in September, the game was 38-0 in the third quarter. The final score is a bit misleading.

The bottom line is whether or not CMU's defense will play like they did against Miami OH. Granted, Miami OH is no Purdue, but it was their best defensive game of the season. If the CMU offense stays hot, look for this to be closer than last meeting.

Regardless, Purdue has too much offensive firepower and more athletes on defense compared to Central Michigan. Look for Purdue to pull away big in the 4th quarter. Boilermakers win, 45-31.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T07:28:00.000-08:00

2008 MAC Schedules Thus Far

2007-12-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not being able to post in a while, slow day in MAC football news. These schedules are via NationalChamps.net:

Akron:
8-30-08 at Wisconsin
9-6-08 at Syracuse
9-13-08 at Kentucky
9-20-08 ARMY
9-27-08 CINCINNATI

Initial Thoughts: It's tough. The Zips haven't really been shy in terms of scheduling BCS teams. Wisconsin and Cincinnati are basically out of the question, but with Kentucky's loss of Andre Woodson, they should become exponentially easier to beat. Syracuse is Syracuse and that should be a close game. The only home games that Akron gets on their non-conference schedule are those against Army and Cincinnati.

Bowling Green:
9-6-08 MINNESOTA
9-20-08 at Wyoming
9-27-08 at Boise State
TBA at Pittsburgh

Initial Thoughts: The Falcons have also had to settle for a plethora of road games. The Minnesota game might be a revenge trip for the Golden Gophers for what BGSU did to them last year. The road game against Wyoming is winnable if they can figure out that Cowboy defense. Boise State on the Smurf Turf probably won't be that close and the same can be said against Pittsburgh.

Buffalo:
8-28-08 UTEP
9-6-08 COLGATE
9-20-08 at Missouri

Initial Thoughts: Buffalo still has one opening left as well. If there's any time you want to play UTEP, it's late in the year where it appears the team begins to melt down, but Turner Gill's crew will have to take them on during week one. Colgate is very winnable but a little dangerous at the same time. If Buffalo isn't colossally worse compared to last year and they show up, they should win. The Missouri game will be a outright beatdown.

Kent State:
8-28-08 BOSTON COLLEGE
9-6-08 at Iowa State

Initial Thoughts: Kent State still needs two more non-conference opponents, but these two are tough enough. The game against Boston College will be played at home. If we rewind to 2006 for a second, you might recall that Central Michigan gave BC a run for their money. The Golden Flashes will make a return trip to Ames to face the Cyclones who have been struggling over the last two seasons.

Miami:
8-28-08 VANDERBILT
9-6-08 at Michigan
9-20-08 at Cincinnati
10-4-08 WESTERN KENTUCKY

Initial Thoughts: The RedHawks will get to take on two of the same BCS conference teams they played in the 2007 season. This time though, Vanderbilt will make the trip to Oxford. That's a trap game for the Commodores, should be a fun one to see. Call me nuts if you wish, but if Michigan doesn't snatch Terrelle Pryor and they're still learning that Rich Rodriguez spread system, Miami might be able to challenge them. During October, Miami wraps it up against Western Kentucky which is a dangerous game. The Hilltoppers redshirted a bunch of players with experience last year and they weren't half bad anyway.

Ohio:
8-30-08 at Wyoming
9-6-08 at Ohio State
9-20-08 at Northwestern

Initial Thoughts: Ohio, like Bowling Green, will have to make the trip to Laramie. It's going to be tough to go out there because Joe Glenn's bunch is always difficult to beat at home. Ohio also gets to face two Big 10 teams in Ohio State and Northwestern. There's still an opening left on this schedule.

Temple:
9-6-08 CONNECTICUT
9-20-08 at Penn State
9-27-08 at Kentucky
11-1-08 at Navy
TBA at Army

Initial Thoughts: If there's any game that might be for retribution, it could be the Temple/UConn game. It was quite obvious that Bruce Francis came in bounds and that Temple beat UConn, but it appears that wasn't the case. Temple gets another shot at Penn State and Navy this time on the road.

Ball State:
9-6-08 NAVY
9-20-08 at Indiana
10-11-08 at Western Kentucky
TBA Army @Chicago, IL

Initial Thoughts: The Cardinals were just listed as the Dark Horse sleeper of the NationalChamps.net Early Bird Top 25 and for good reason. They won't really get tested in the non-conference slate though. Navy and Indiana won't be easy, but those are games Ball State should win. If the Cardinals can get by these two teams, or even split the two games, they might be looking at a 9 or 10 win season.

Central Michigan:
9-6-08 at Georgia
9-20-08 at Purdue

Initial Thoughts: CMU still has two openings left, but it's not like the schedule isn't difficult enough. The Chippewas have two great opportunities to make some national noise against probable top 5 Georgia next season and, you guessed it, Butch Jones & Co. have to take on Purdue yet again. That would be the third time in two seasons.

Eastern Michigan:
9-6-08 at Michigan State
9-20-08 at Maryland

Initial Thoughts: If Eastern wanted to get to a bowl game, they would have to schedule a soft non-conference schedule. Turns out that's not what they're doing. The Eagles will get to participate in an intrastate battle between their rivals from East Lansing and they get to hit the road into ACC territory to battle the Terps. There are still two openings and, for the sake of not embarrassing themselves, they should try to get Florida International and North Carolina A&T or something :D .

Northern Illinois:
8-30-08 at Minnesota
10-4-08 at Tennessee
11-22-08 NAVY

Initial Thoughts: The Huskies still have an opening left, but they'll probably lose all three of these games. The game against Minnesota might be interesting, but they'll most likely fall short there. They get to face Navy this time at home. Jerry Kill will have this team a lot better if they can stay healthy, but they're still not good enough to go bowling.

Toledo:
9-6-08 at Arizona
9-20-08 FRESNO STATE
9-27-08 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
10-11-08 at Michigan

Initial Thoughts: If you like offensive shootouts, tune in if you can for the Toledo/Arizona game. It's somewhat bizarre, which adds a little excitement to the game; it's pretty rare that the MAC gets to take on the Pac-10. The FIU game should be a blowout and the Fresno State match up could be one of the better ones in 2008, seriously.

Western Michigan:
8-30-08 at Nebraska
9-13-08 at Idaho

Initial Thoughts: Western Michigan still needs a couple teams on this schedule, but the game against Nebraska could be a huge trap game. That would be Bo Pelini's debut and Nebraska was atrocious defensively last season. The Broncos have to travel to Moscow, Idaho to face the Vandals which should be anything but a stiff test.

MAC All-Stars

2007-12-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

Heading the list this year would be Ohio's Kalvin McRae. McRae was easily the best running back in the Mid-America Conference (this side of Eugene Jarvis) racking up close to 120 yards per game. McRae will be headed to the Hula Bowl this year taking place in Hawaii (duh). With him, he'll be taking all of his records and accomplishments capping off a great senior year at Ohio.

Also participating this year will be Toledo OT, John Greco in the East-West Shrine game. And, darn, I can't find a freaking updated Hula Bowl roster anywhere, so if you guys find one in the meantime, tell me!

The All-MAC Basketball Team (1990-current)

2007-12-17T17:31:00.000-08:00

I was going to take some time off from MAC blogging duties due to blogger's block and a lack of time due to the holidays. But fear not, I've come up with a great topic. I am going to list my 12 man, All-MAC hoopsters from the last 17 years of basketball action. Let's get going...

Coach: I've got to go with my sentimental favorite and the dean of MAC coaches, Mr. Charlie Coles. Honestly though, I don't think Charlie would have any idea how to work with this much talent.

The Bench:
PG Antonio Daniels (Bowling Green) - Now with the Wizards, Daniels was a machine in college and it was no surprise to me that he was taken #4 overall in the NBA Draft.
SG Brian Tolbert (Eastern Michigan) - From the teams that put Ben Braun on the coaching map, Tolbert was the main marksman on the EMU team that defeated Duke in the NCAA tournament.
G Craig Thames (Toledo) - I'm not sure on exact stats because Thames played in the early 90's, but it seemed like Thames averaged about 40 ppg and single-handedly beat Miami every year.
SF Bonzi Wells (Ball State) - I was fortunate enough to see Wells play while I was in school and the kid, eventhough he's kind of a fat ass now, was a flat out stud while he was at Muncie. He would be a starter on most teams, but not this one...definitely the 6th man.
F Antonio Gates (Kent State) - My least favorite player of all time in the MAC. Don't get me wrong, I love him in the NFL, but I hated the guy so much on the basketball court. He had an odd shot, you couldn't defend him because of his size and speed, and he was almost always knocking down big shots at the end of games.
PF Devin Davis (Miami) - You all remember Devin. The guy that brought dreadlocks into the MAC and a low post bruiser for four years. Led Miami to a tournament win over Damon Stoudamire and Arizona, which I was in attendance for and still remains one of the greatest games I've ever been to. Rumor has it that Devin is one of the best players in Spain currently.
PF - Anthony Stacey (Bowling Green) - Another guy I hated but respected. Stacey was just a mauler on the blocks that could make jumpers, too. An absoulte disaster to defend. When you combined he and Daniels, it's no wonder that they won the conference in 2000 (but were knocked out of the MAC tournament by the 8 seed Redhawks!).

And now, your All-MAC, post 1990, starters...

PG Earl Boykins (Eastern Michigan) - One of the most exciting players that I've ever seen on a basketball court. Just a lightning bolt that could penetrate, kick, play defense, and run you off the gym. A fine catalyst for this team.
SG Trevor Huffman (Kent State) - I don't think I ever saw Huffman miss a shot in his 4 years at KSU. The guy was awesome. He was the biggest reason for Kent State's amazing run to the Elite 8 in 2002. We want Earl to drive and kick it out to Trevor...money.
C Chris Kaman (Central Michigan) - He was a project until the 2002-03 season when everything came together and he became unstoppable. The guy was quick, had an arsenal of low post moves, and could swat shots with the best of them.
SF Wally Szczerbiak (Miami) - Possibly the best college basketball player that I've ever seen. Wally was a true leader, an excellent marksman, could create off the dribble, played fearless defense, and basically did whatever he could to win. It's too bad his legs haven't held up throughout his career because he could have been very special in the NBA.
PF Gary Trent (Ohio) - The only 3 time MAC player of the year in the history of the conference. Trent could not be stopped in his tenure at OU. He was a beast and may be a starter on the all-MAC team of all time. He was that good and I'll never understand why he couldn't put it together in the NBA.

Wow, what a team. What a conference. If you think I forgot someone, feel free to drop some knowledge in the comments. It's hard for me to include recent players because the talent has been down overall the past 5 years.

Jerry Kill

2007-12-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

The MAC welcomed a new head coach to the fraternity.

Here's a sample from the NIU Web site:

"It's a great opportunity to come here to Northern Illinois and be able to be a part of the program that Coach Novak has built and to join the Huskie family. This is an exciting time for my wife and I," Kill said. "After meeting with Jim [Phillips] and President Peters and seeing their commitment to the football program, with the facilities, the academic support system and everything that has been put in place, I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be the head coach at Northern Illinois. "

That coach would be Southern Illinois' top man, Jerry Kill. His tenure at SIU is pretty impressive. I have a little background info on him with his start coaching at Saginaw Valley State. All I can say is the guy is a winner.

Kill has put his Salukis in the FCS playoffs for the last five years. And for you Northern Illinois fans, don't fret; the guy knows how to pound the football. The SVSU Cardinals were a rushing machine back when he was here in the mid-90's.

Opponents You Should Know

2007-12-12T14:31:00.001-08:00

I'm going to take two players from each postseason MAC opponent and shed some light on them. Chances are, you're already aware of the best MAC players, but what about some guys on Rutgers, Purdue, or Tulsa that might change the game?

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Offense: Ray Rice

Obviously, you've probably heard of this Heisman candidate once already. Even though Rutgers has gotten a lot more done through the air than they had in 2006, Rice is still the main focus of the offense.

We're talking about a guy that was ranked third nationally in individual rushing yard with close to 145 per game! That's impressive and it's going to be difficult for Ball State to contain in the International Bowl.

Rice's only 200+ yard game came against Army, but the Scarlet Knight RB was close to 200 many times. The only time he didn't run for over 100 yards was their game earlier in the season against Norfolk State and coach Schiano didn't want to run the risk of him getting hurt.

Defense: Jamaal Westerman

Westerman didn't have a monster year as expected, but he was a factor in most of the games he played.

This junior DE had 6 sacks all year long with about 95 yards lost for the opposing offense in his TFL.

Jamaal comes in at 6'3 and weighs 252 pounds. He's going to be a load for Ball State's offensive line to handle. It'll be very interesting to see if the Cardinals, who rank 47th in sacks allowed, will be able to neutralize Westerman.

Purdue Boilermakers

Offense: Dorien Bryant

The Boilermakers are all about the pass as Central Michigan has learned first-hand.

Bryant, a probable NFL prospect, leads the way for the Purdue passing attack. Even though Joe Tiller's spread offense utilizes multiple receivers, Bryant is the biggest attention-grabber.

Dorien is currently tied for 18th in receptions per game which is pretty impressive considering how much Purdue likes to spread the ball around to all possible targets.

Bryant is also dangerous in the return game as he ranks 15th in the country!

Defense: Terrell Vinson

Cliff Avril may very well be the best player on Purdue's defense, but Vinson will probably have the most pressure of any player.

If you stop and think, Central Michigan passes and passes and passes. Even though Avril's pressure on LeFevour will be a huge factor, Vinson is the top cover-corner on the football team.

Vinson ended the year with five INTs even though he hasn't managed to find one for the last three games. He's also found his way to the QB for two sacks and Terrell also has defended 11 passes. That's a good thing meaning the QBs shy away from him.

Possibly the best one-on-one matchup in the Motor City Bowl will be Terrell Vinson on Bryan Anderson.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Offense: Paul Smith

There has to be a reason why Tulsa has the best statistical offense in the nation and besides Gus Malzahn's brilliant mind, QB Paul Smith would be the next answer.

Smith currently leads the #3 passing game in the nation and he ranks, individually, third in total offense.

Not impressive enough? Consider the fact that Smith has tossed 42 TDs and only 19 picks (which is pretty decent when you take into account all of his pass attempts).

Of course he wouldn't be able to do this without talented wideouts like Brennan Marion and Trae Johnson, but the rapid speed at which Smith picked up this new offense is something worth noting.

Defense: Tulsa LBs

Even though Tulsa's defense has given up a bunch of yards and a bunch of points, they have some defensive talent that could be the difference in the GMAC Bowl outcome.

First, Alain Karatepeyan ranks 26th individually in tackles for loss per game. That's somewhat impressive.

Then, LB Chris Chamberlain has himself about 11 tackles a game which ranks sixth in the country.

Finally, rounding out their LB trio, Nelson Coleman has himself over 10 tackles a game. If these guys can disrupt Bowling Green's short passing game, it could be a long night for the Falcons.

We've All Seen This Before

2007-12-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Keith Dambrot,

You had a great 2006-2007. Your Akron Zips basketball team had an amazing 26-7 record. If it hadn't been for the shot heard round the world by Miami's Doug Penno, you would have won the MAC and went to the NCAA Tournament. But it wasn't meant to be. You didn't win the tournament. You didn't win the conference during the regular season. So you sat at home during the March tournaments.

I listened to you complain for what seemed like days following the MAC Tournament. You argued that Akron deserved an at-large bid. You said how hard it was to schedule good teams. You said that no one wanted to play Akron. You beat into the ground the fact that no major conference team wanted to schedule a home and home with the Zips. And why would they? What have you done? Who have the Zips beaten over the past decade? Your gym is a dump. YOU HAVE TO GO OUT AND PLAY PEOPLE IN THEIR GYM IF YOU WANT RESPECT. Let's take a look back and see your out-of-conference schedule last season.

Arkansas-Little Rock, Gardner Webb, Tiffin, Niagara, Oral Roberts, Binghamton, Winston-Salem State, UIC, St. Francis (Pa.), Nevada, Loyola Marymount, Youngstown State, and Austin Peay in the Bracket Buster.

The selection committee told you that this was a terrible schedule. There is a reason that you, as a 26-7 team, weren't even being discussed on Selection Sunday. You are a pompous jerk. Currently, numbers 1 and 2 in strength of schedule in the nation are Toledo and Miami. Those two schools know how to do it. They know what needs to be done to draw a potential at large bid. You have to take your shots at the "big boys" to gain respect. But did you learn your lesson? Well, let's see...the 2007-08 Akron Zips OOC schedule:

USC Upstate, Portland State, Tennessee State, Binghamton, Temple, Wyoming, Winthrop, North Carolina Central, UIC, North Carolina A&T, Austin Peay, Youngstown State, and Dayton

With the exception of Dayton, once again you have no quality opponents. There are no teams from major conferences yet again. So good luck in the MAC tournament, Coach Dambrot. Because you could finish 28-5 but with this crappy schedule, you will be sitting at home come March yet again.

Grow a pair and start scheduling teams that people have heard of. This is indefensible. You have no one to blame but yourself. In a 4 day stretch coming up later this month, Akron plays NC A&T and YSU at home while Miami plays at Illinois and at Kansas. But hey, I'm sure you'll get a strong look by the Selection Committee. I have absolutely zero respect for you or your cowardly program.

Sorry, Don, but it's true and I had to get that off of my chest. If Coach Dambrot is too afraid to play a tough schedule, he and this program will never be taken seriously.

Update on Northern Illinois

2007-12-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

According to the Daily Chronicle, Dan McCarney tops the list of coaches that Northern Illinois is looking for.

This would be an interesting choice. The guy did some good things at Iowa State and it was unfortunate that he got canned the way he did there. The Cyclone program is a difficult one to handle and he did so pretty well.

So far, the NIU head coaching search doesn't include Craig Bohl, either. Bohl is the head coach at North Dakota State, but the article claims that NIU hasn't looked into him that deeply.

It's an interesting situation, that's for sure.

School Allegiance - The Constitution

2007-12-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

As a follow-up to my column on where one's loyalty should lie when his/her school plays a more prominent program, whether it be from their home state or another, I am posting below an excellent set of criteria originally posted on the MACbbs.

The preamble was authored by your's truly...the criteria, which I believe to be spot on, was authored by Ian Elia. Enjoy!

We the people, in order to form a more perfect conference, establish justice, insure mental tranquility, provide for the common good, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our choice of secondary education, do ordain and establish this Constitution for loyalty to the Mid-American Conference.....

(A.) Children of all ages have the freedom to choose their favorite college from their birth until age 18 or their freshman year of college (which ever comes first). At said time, the student must choose to be a fan of the school he or she attends and abandon all fandom of childhood favorite school.

1. In situations where the student attends a satellite campus (examples: UNC-Charlotte) that does not sponsor a D-1A football team, said student may choose to be a fan of a D-1A program at another campus within same academic system (UNC- Chapel Hill). The student will also be allowed to root for the other campus' basketball team as well, however the student must root for the basketball team that plays on their own campus if the two ever meet face to face.

2. If a student grows up a fan of a D1 school (example: Eastern Michigan) and attends a school in a lesser division (example: Wayne State) the student is permitted to retain said allegiance to he D1 school under the provision that they would root for their alma mater if they ever played the D1 school head to head. This provision is also applicable in the reverse as well.

(B.) Every American man or woman can freely root for the institution they received their masters [or doctorate] degree from over the institution they received their undergraduate degree.

(C.) If a student attended two or more undergraduate institutions the student can root for the teams of all institutions however the fandom of the degree granting institution takes precedent over that of the other institutions.

(D.) If you have a degree from one school (example: Akron) you automatically forfeit your right to be a fan of another institution (Ohio State) that plays in the same NCAA division (or subdivision) unless said alumni begins pursuing another undergrad, graduate, or post graduate degree with the other institution.

(E.) Every American man, woman, and/or child can not tactically root for different college football and basketball programs (example: USC football, Duke basketball) unless said man, woman, or child either:

1. Has attended both institutions
2. Has attended one of the universities and lives in the immediate community of the second university which is economically and socially impacted by the second school.
3. Has attended one of the universities and has a parent or parents who have worked for the second institution.
4. Has attended one of the universities and has a parent or sibling who have played athletics for the other university.

It Wasn't Meant To Be

2007-12-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

Well, Miami University's football season is officially over after being steam-rolled by Central Michigan in the MAC Championship game. Did the Redhawks deserve to go bowling? Even as the biased homer that I am, I say hell no. This team wasn't very good. They won the East with smoke and mirrors. The offense was anemic at best. We had a heck of a young defense this year but due to the offensive ineptitude, they spent way too much time on the field this year and were worn down in 4th quarters. But there is always next year. And that's what I'm going to discuss today.

On offense, the Redhawks have to replace a few offensive lineman but the core of the unit returns. The running game will be a bit of a question mark considering we played half of the season this year with our 4th and 5th string RB due to injuries. The WR were, for the most part, all freshman and sophomores so with a year under their belts, they should be much more reliable next year. The big change is that the awkward and inaccurate arm of Daniel Raudabaugh will be back to his more comfortable role of backup QB and in comes the stud. That's right, it's the dawn of a new offensive era in Oxford with redshirt freshman QB, Clay Belton, slated to take over the reigns. Belton (left) is a HUGE 6'5" lefty with excellent mobility and a cannon for an arm. While I am not a big Raudabaugh fan at all, I have to give him props for not getting injured this year which would have burned up Belton's redshirt. You are reading that correctly, Miami only had one QB on the roster after the awfulness of Mike Kokal went down early in the season. But, back to Belton, you are hearing it here first. He is going to be the MAC's version of Vince Young. Mark it down, Clay will turn heads.

Defensively, most of the starters return. While the defensive line loses the pass rushing skills of Craig Mester, big Martin Channels will still be stuffing the run in the middle. And of course, our Big 3 Linebacking Corps of Joey Hudson, Caleb Bostic, and MAC Defensive Player of the Year, Clayton Mullins all return and will once again cause havoc to opposing offenses. These 3 guys form the best linebacking trio in the conference and could be the three best overall in the league. The secondary loses Jerrod Gaines at CB but the other 3 guys all return to the #1 defense in the MAC.

The amazing thing about the Miami football program is that 44 of the players on the team this past year were either redshirt or true freshman. There were only 13 seniors on the team. That's amazing. The fact that they won the MAC East this year with that much youth is truly an exceptional feat.

I hate to say it, but if the team takes a step backwards in 2008, this could be it for coach Shane Montgomery. It has been entirely too long since Miami has been to a bowl game (only 3 years but still, that's unacceptable). The pieces are there with that linebacking corps, a big time young QB who has had a year to learn the system, and a stable of rapidly developing WR's.

So although 2007 has ended in disappointment for Miami Redhawk football, the future is bright indeed. Is it August yet?

MAC Bowl Bids Announced

2007-12-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

And a congrats to Central Michigan on winning the MAC title! I'll share some thoughts on the bowl pairings later this week. But as for now....

Motor City Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Purdue
International Bowl: Ball State vs. Rutgers
GMAC Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa

2007 MAC Championship Preview

2007-11-30T13:27:00.000-08:00

When: 11:00 AM, ESPN2

Central Michigan: The Chips are finally getting an opportunity to do what they've been aiming for all season long. The MAC title game is finally here and we might get to see a focused Central Michigan team for the first time since their exciting victory against Western Michigan.

The Chips stumble into the title game with a loss to Eastern Michigan and one of those closer-than-it-should-be games against Akron (and the Zips just about outplayed them).

This game will probably come down to Dan LeFevour. The sophomore QB runs for about 70 yards a game individually in rushing which shows his ability to get out the pocket. The Chippewa offense focuses on a lot of short to mid-range passes which allows LeFevour to often hit those with high accuracy. This could be a problem for Miami.

As for the rest of the offense, Justin Hoskins has really developed into the premier back of the CMU offense. Ontario Sneed is also very effective when called upon as shown in the game against Akron last week when he ran for 100 yards. The offensive line is 14th in the nation in sacks allowed which tops the MAC.

However, with all of the praise the offense has been receiving, there's some negative news to pass along regarding the defense. A Pop Warner team might find a way to score 10 points so let's just say that Miami might be able to score. Comparing the scoring defenses, CMU gives up TWO more touchdowns than Miami does! That's an alarming stat and Jones really needs to find some solutions to this defense if the Chips plan on taking the next step into Boise State/Hawaii/BYU territory. Red Keith is the only guy on the defense that is really stepping it up.

Miami RedHawks: Obviously, the biggest story about Miami this season has been the injuries on offense. Miami isn't really as bad as their 20 points per game mark might make it look like because these guys have been absolutely devastated by ailments.

The QB situation is now, if you haven't heard, in the hands of Daniel Raudabaugh. The running game has struggled for most of the year, but Cory Jones and Austin Sykes have done the best they can. Currently, Miami is only rushing for 137 yards per game. Even though the Miami offense hasn't been great, Eugene Harris and Dustin Woods are pretty explosive targets.

The defense has done its job with the offense struggling due to injuries. This team is 47th in scoring defense and they should hold up better than most expect to against the explosive Central Michigan offense. It's very possible that the game could be won or lost in the middle of the field. Miami has a few field generals at LB in Joey Hudson and Clayton Mullins. If they can disrupt the intermediate passing game of CMU, the RedHawks should be in good shape to become 2007 MAC champions.

Prediction: Central will be able to move the football, but they don't do so at will. Miami's defense will come up with a surprising performance. Also, something to chew on until Saturday, you have to gauge Miami's motivation factor. If they drop to 6-7, it will be Ball State going to the GMAC Bowl. Miami's bowl destiny is in their own hands and they will take advantage. I'm sure you've heard the cliche of "defense wins championships." CMU has no defense. Miami wins in a close one, 34-30.

ALL MAC TEAM

2007-11-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

Buffalo's Turner Gill is the MAC Coach of the year as named by the MAC News Media Association. Other honors go to Central Michigan Quarterback Dan LeFevour, who was named Offensive Player of the year. Clayton Mullins of Miami was named Defensive Player of the year.

Mid-American Conference News Release

In other football news, the MAC also issued a news release announcing that the conference bowl invitations will be made public after the championship game this weekend.

Other quick updates...

Akron and Miami are the only two MAC teams to make the Mid-Major top 25 teams. The Zips climbed four spots this week to #13 while the RedHawks advanced three spots to #15. Ohio and Kent State also received votes.

Mid-Major Top 25

Miami is the top-ranked MAC team on this week's Sagarin ratings. The RedHawks come in at #52. Overall, the MAC is ranked #14 out of 31 basketball conferences.

Sagarin Ratings

Basketball Fever Spreading Through Oxford

2007-11-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

I'm throwing it out there already. After 4 games, here it comes. Miami is going to roll through the MAC this season and make the Dance. You can have your Jeremiah Wood's, your Kasheif Payne's, your Leon Williams, even your Mike Scott's. It doesn't matter. No one boasts a duo as potent as Michael Bramos and Tim Pollitz.

This Miami team is really good. No one else in the conference will be able to boast the quality wins of a Xavier and a Mississippi State (hell, Akron and OU probably aren't even playing anyone in the RPI top 200!) with the potential for a couple more large wins before conference play. The Redhawks are back. It took 8 years PW (Post Wally), but they are back and better than ever.

How do you defend this team? Want to sag on the best player in the MAC, Tim Pollitz (he was hands down the MVP in the conference last year but was shafted by the overrated Romeo Travis)? OK, Mike Bramos, Kenny Hayes, and Alex Moosmann will bury you from beyond the arc. Want to play zone? No problem there, Pollitz and the vastly improved Tyler Dierkers will pick you apart with their great court vision and ability to find wide open cutters.

And don't forget the Charlie Coles style of play either. He will always force our tempo on you. Miami has not allowed a team to hang 70 points on them in 38 games and counting. This is not a trend, it's a way of life. The team defense concept is something that after a decade of playing it, MAC opponents are still trying to figure out how to beat it. There just aren't enough opportunities to score.

Like always, it's damn near impossible to win in the comfy confines of Millett Hall. Even when the Redhawks have been weak over the past few years, you could always count on a win when we took the court at home. Now that the talent is there, I don't see that changing. Not this year. I'll be pissed if we lose ANY home game this year (that includes you on Wednesday, Dayton Flyers).

The only, and I mean ONLY, thing that could derail this team from a 20 win season is an injury. Tim Pollitz has a gimpy knee but the coaching staff won't force him to play/practice on it to keep him fresh for the stretch run. This could also be a benefit as limiting Timmy's minutes could improve the growth of young big man, Dwight McCombs.

I know I shouldn't be doing this because bad things happen to people who are too cocky, but the MAC title goes through Oxford this season. Good luck trying to win down there.

Playing Catch-Up

2007-11-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

Hey, sorry fellow MAC fans! I've been getting sort of lazy with the blog plus I've got this basement that will occupy me all winter. Big thanks to GMoney and Don though for helping me out!

Anyway, I have to admit I watched only part of the CMU/Akron game and only part of the Bowling Green/Toledo game and I'm probably not the most fit to comment. I was watching the Colorado/Nebraska, Mississippi State/Ole Miss, and LSU/Arkansas games more attentively.

So, I'm just going to throw some random MAC items floating around in this blogger's head:

It really is a shame that Joe Novak's tenure had to end the way it did.

This was from the article on NIU's official Web site:

"I feel good about this decision," Novak said. "It's time. It's the right time for me personally, for my wife [Carole] and family, and for this program. Everyone says you know when it's time and this is it for me.

"Overall, it's been a wonderful ride," he continued. "There have been good days and bad days, but a lot more good than bad. I'm leaving the program in better shape than I found it, which you always want to do. We accomplished some things, but there are some things we didn't get done, too."

I am a little confused by the timing of it all. If he waited for another year to announce his retirement, he could've rode off into the sun set as Northern Illinois shouldn't be nearly as bad as they were in 2007 with all of the youth and injuries.

This might come to a surprise to some folks, but Novak had a losing record during his time at NIU. Most of those losses came in his first season when he went 3-30 which shows you what kind of challenge he was up against.

Obviously, his most notable season as a head coach was 2003 and 2004 where he went a combined 19-5 and he won the old Silicon Valley Classic (which, in my opinion, was anything but a classic).

Anyway, coach Novak will be missed and the potential replacements are yet to be rumored-off. It'll be interesting to see where the university turns.

------------------------

Here's how the bowl picture is shaking down for the MAC:

Motor City Bowl: Michigan State vs. Central Michigan

Obviously, it would be in the Bowl's best interest to have two Michigan schools face off against each other. MSU + CMU = Sellout. I was at the 2006 Motor City Bowl and the Chippewa fans flocked in some pretty good numbers. If those were MSU fans instead of MTSU fans, Ford Field would have easily sold out.

International Bowl: Rutgers vs. Bowling Green

Rutgers would draw the most fans across the border into Toronto, but I think the Bowling Green folks could make it up there was well. The International Bowl could easily go with UConn here, but the Scarlet Knights would be the most attractive team. Bowling Green would have to go bowling at 8-4 and, I'm not 100% positive, but I think the Falcons would travel better than, say........

GMAC Bowl: Ball State/Miami OH vs. UCF

Personally, I'm a little undecided on the MAC title game. Central Michigan either isn't as good as we thinking judging by their last few games against Easten Michigan and Akron or they just weren't focused. The RedHawks loss last week to Ohio was devastating to their bowl hopes meaning that they would most likely have to beat CMU to get a bid. Keep in mind, Akron in 2005 was playing for their bowl survival and the loser of that game, Northern Illinois, didn't get invited to go bowling.

Ball State will be cheering for the Chippewas as they sit back at 7-5. Should Miami OH win, Ball State might end up going to the Papajohns.com Bowl but that would also require both the Sun and Gator Bowl selecting a Big East team (and Rutgers beating Louisville next week).

The GMAC Bowl usually takes the C-USA championship loser and that could be UCF or Tulsa. These two teams are pretty evenly matched but I'd put my money on that Golden Hurricane offense.

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Also, if you didn't see over at Saturday Sound Offs, Brian Kelly has my full support to become the next head coach at Michigan.

As we saw at Central over the past few seasons (and at Grand Valley State), he's about as innovative as coaches come and he knows how to push the right buttons.

GVSU was always a good program, but he took it to the next level. Central Michigan was wallowing in mediocrity and in three seasons, they became MAC champions.

Even if the Michigan job is not in his best interest, I wish him the best in whatever he does.

FIRE UP CHIPS!

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Also, I'll throw in some stuff from the CCHA for the heck of it:

Captain's Blog (an interesting red from Miami RedHawk captain, Ryan Jones)

Western Michigan earned a split over the weekend against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Click here for the box score of Game 1 and here for the box score of Game 2.

Ranked Bowling Green dropped a tough one last Tuesday against Notre Dame.

Akron closes out '07 with loss to CMU

2007-11-24T13:17:00.001-08:00

DISAPPOINTING LOSS AT THE BOWL CLOSES OUT '07

Disappointing? You bet. Zips fans, this one anyway, were looking for one thing, just one thing, to take as a positive as the current season comes to a close. Unfortunately, the one positive I found is leaving -- Jabari Arthur. Once again, Arthur came up big, keeping the Zips in the ball game until the defense collapsed in the final minutes allowing Central to drive down the field two times for a score.

Chris Jaquemain, once again, struggled and made rookie mistakes. Crediting him with making a few big passes to Arthur, he still is holding on to the ball too long and throwing into double coverage when other receivers are open.

What made the Central Michigan loss especially hard to take was that the defense, the Zips strong-point, imploded. Chippewa quarterback Dan LeFevour did just about whatever he wanted in the closing minutes of the game. Granted, LeFevour is a talented quarterback. I guess his talent level is higher than that of our defense.

Another season at the Bowl has come to an end. The Zips, once again, hover around the .500 mark with a 4-8 record. And, once again, the season that just ended leaves Zips fans with a dissatisfying taste in their mouths.

Video Replays...ESPN

Akron -Central Michigan Box Score

Akron-Central Michigan Game Stats

AKRON DROPS SEASON FINALE...GoZips.com

ZIPS LOSE LATE 12-POINT LEAD

MAC West champ Central Michigan rallies...The Beacon Journal

Area college football results...Canton Repository

LeFevour leads Chippewas past Zips...The Plain Dealer has to use a wire story to report on the Zips game played a half hour away from Cleveland. The New York Times -- NOT.

(photo: Ken Love, Akron Beacon Journal)

Previews: Akron/CMU, Toledo/BGSU

2007-11-23T05:41:00.000-08:00

I've got more basement work to do, so I'll just link the previews:

Saturday Sound Offs

Happy Thanksgiving MAC Fans!

2007-11-22T09:40:00.001-08:00

Bear With Me Here....

2007-11-21T19:53:00.000-08:00

Hey, this time I've got a legitimate excuse for not posting since Saturday morning!

I'm trying to finish my basement so sorry for the lack of keeping up with the blog. I think I'll just leave it up to Don and GMoney, they've got it covered :) .

Who Deserves The Third Bowl?

2007-11-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

With the MAC East and West already crowning their respected champions, there still is a question about which team will receive the thrid bowl bid. In my mind, this is a two team race for the likely Toronto road trip in January. By losing to Ball State last week, I am eliminating Toledo from the discussion. Let's analyze this and figure out who deserves it more.

The contenders are Bowling Green and Ball State.

Bowling Green's case:
The Falcons have the best overall record in the MAC this year at 7-4. Considering this was widely viewed as a rebuilding year, 7 wins (with the potential for an 8th) is a major plus for the program. BG features the prolific passing of QB Tyler Sheehan and the steady hands of Freddie Barnes. They have been competitive out of conference with a win at Minnesota and respectable showings versus both Michigan State and Boston College. There is no doubt that they can put points on the board as they average over 31 per game. An entertaining offense is always attractive for bowl representatives. If the teams aren't that great, will they at least make a fun, interesting game.

The case against Bowling Green:
Like it or not, BG fans aren't the most supportive. They don't travel either. And that's a big negative to bowl reps. I saw the Falcons in person this year down in Oxford and they looked terrible. They played uninspired and were shredded by an offense that makes the 49ers look dynamic. The running game is also anemic. The big rivalry game this Friday with the Rockets will loom large for the Falcons' case.

The case for Ball State:
You could make a strong argument that Nate Davis is the best quarterback in the entire conference. He's a flat out stud. Although they are 6-5, you can't hate on the schedule. All 5 of their losses have come against bowl teams (if Nebraska beats Colorado this week). A one point loss in Lincoln to the then-ranked Huskers as well as losses to Indiana, Illinois, Miami, and Central Michigan is admirable. They've also beaten Navy. The Cardinals average 430 yards a game and 32 points which, like I said earlier, is attractive. WR Dante Love has a shot at a pro career as well.

The case against Ball State:
They NEED a win this weekend at Northern Illinois and a loss by the Falcons to help their cause. Like most MAC schools, the Cardinal faithful don't travel well but who knows, they haven't been excited about football for awhile. Ball State also lacks any semblance of a running game. Just looking at their schedule, they beat the teams that they should and lost to the teams that should have as well. They could have used a signature win (Nebraska).

Quit messing around, who's getting the third spot?
I still think this is up in the air. If Bowling Green beats Toledo on Friday to get to 8-4, the brown and orange can go get some passports. If they lose and Ball State takes care of business like they should up in DeKalb, Nate Davis gets another game on national tv. Personally, I would take Ball State regardless of this weekend's games and it has nothing to do with my hatred toward BG. Nate Davis is a guy that you can promote, Sheehan lacks that quality.

Zips draw first-round bye

2007-11-19T16:27:00.001-08:00

UA ZIPS SOCCER TEAM SEEDED #14 IN NCAA TOURNAMENT

The University of Akron Zips drew a first-round bye as the NCAA announced the pairings for the men's national soccer championship tournament. The Zips will play the winner of the Colgate-South Florida game in Tampa, FL on November 28.

NCAA News Release

Soccer Tournament Brackets

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'IT'S GOING TO BE A SHOOTOUT...' BROOKHART ON CMU GAME

On the loss versus Miami (Ohio) last Wednesday...
“When you look back on the game, its crazy. The interception that Chris Jacquemain threw we were down at the 25, second and nine. If he just runs the ball we are third and four and who knows whether we get a first down or not. Worst case scenario would have been Igor Iveljic kicking and then we are probably up 3-0 and win 3-0. But we made a decision to make a change, tried to make something happen to get some points going. We didn’t protect overly well, the ball got loose. It was the only touchdown of the game. Never would I have imagined that low scoring of a game out of that contest.”

On senior wide receiver Jabari Arthur...
“He is really different than anyone else I have been able to coach. I think he has gotten so good, purely on a want to basis. He wants to be good at whatever he does. He has that personality and that attitude towards school. He isn’t the fastest; he doesn’t have the greatest flexibility and he is not a natural hands guy. All those things that you need to be great are not real god given for him as a receiver. I think it’s a real testament to the kind of guy he is. He has worked on his speed, he’s worked on his hands, he’s worked on his route running and he has become extremely effective at it. I think it’s the way he will be the rest of his life. What he chooses to be good at, he will be good at. He’s a smart kid, bright and vibrant. I don’t think I’ve had a bad moment with him. He takes full advantage of the student-athlete experience. He is looking for a good opportunity in the NFL but if it doesn’t work out, he is very well prepared.”

On the senior class...
“It is going to be sad to see some of these guys go. These guys were a big part of that first year when we tried to develop a mentality here. One of the first things we did was try to develop a defensive mentality that I think is showing up. We have made huge strides in that area. I think we got a toughness factor about the defense. These kids overcame a lot and they’ve been through a lot in changing a program. They will be able to look back and say that we were the guys that had to find a ride to practice in the beginning, had to bring our clothes to the P.E. locker room and now we are sitting here having been part of advancing this program to the indoor facility and after winning a championship getting offices approved and continuing to do well and have enough faith in the program to build a stadium. They have a lot to be proud of.”

On the 2007 season as a whole...
“We were very close this season to having a number of wins that we didn’t have. I believe we made some adjustments in the program that were necessary. We knew that there was some transition to this year and these were kids that have been enjoyable to coach. We haven’t had cancer on the team, our locker rooms been good, the attitude has been outstanding, I would coach these kids again. Are we missing some things? Yes, two NFL receivers who didn’t find it important to go to school. That obviously hurts. I made a decision to dismiss six others. They were talented kids and it hurt in depth. Was it the right thing to do? Yes, it was right for the future of the program. I talked with Mack Rhoades and we agreed upon it. Because of those things there were some limitations and we had some things to overcome. We were close to doing that in a number of games. The disappointing thing to me is that we suspended three players throughout the year and two of them were quarterbacks. That limits your chance for success. A different commitment level has to be there at that position. Do we have a bunch of good kids? Absolutely, I would coach them again and look forward to continuing to coach these guys.”

On facing Central Michigan on Friday...
“They are extremely talented. They are throwing up 44 points in a league game. I think it’s going to be a shootout and your going to have to score a lot of points to win. The quarterback (Dan LeFevour) is clearly the best in the league. He makes it happen, both running and throwing the ball. He has very good skills. There are two running backs and a number of receivers that can make some things happen. They will move the ball effectively.”

(source: Akron Media Relations, photo: Jeff Harwell, Zips Sports Photography)

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AKRON GAME PROVES DANGEROUS

CM-LIFE, which has proven itself to be one of the better student newspapers in the MAC, reports that after the let down against EMU, the Akron game is very dangerous. After last week's let down against Eastern, the Chips shouldn't be taking anything for granted. The Akron-CMU game is scheduled for an 11 a.m. kickoff this Friday.

COSTLY MISTAKES

Central Michigan, the Zips next opponent, made costly mistakes in their loss to Eastern Michigan last week. CM-life.com

EASTERN HAD MORE TO PLAY FOR

In what reeks as a rationalization, CM-Life.com says the Eagles beat the Chipps because they had more on the line. Uh-huh...yeah.

(photo: Dave Williams, CMU Athletics)

<<<>>>

ZIPPY WINS AGAIN

For the 10th straight week, Zippy has won in the Capitalonebowl.com Mascot competition. This week, Zippy has a stiff challenge from Hairy Dog of Georgia, who is in second place in the overall standings. Vote for Zippy!

<<<>>>

Game Previews: Week 12

2007-11-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

When: 12:00 PM ET

Why You Should Care: You can make a case for Kent State that they have had one of the most disappointing seasons in the MAC for 2007. This team was really expecting to compete for a MAC East championship, but they only have two conference wins to show for it. Temple on the other hand has surprised a lot of folks by winning three games.

Kent State Will Win Because…: Temple’s offense is atrocious. The Owls rank 115th in scoring offense! The Golden Flashes have a mediocre defense, but they shouldn’t break too much of a sweat playing against this Temple offense.

Temple Will Win Because…: Kent State is down to their fourth-string QB right now! Jon Brown has to fill in for Julian Edelman, Anthony Magazu, and Giorgio Morgan. All of these guys have succumbed to injuries. Temple also has a solid run defense and if Kent State becomes too one-dimensional, the Temple defense should have its way with KSU.

Keep an Eye on…: Dominique Harris. This DB is one of the best defensive players on the Temple football team and since there’s not going to be a whole lot of offense in this game, the defenses will be the story of the day.

Prediction: Temple will come oh-so painstakingly close to pulling this off at home, but I think Eugene Jarvis will provide just enough of a spark for the Kent State offense. As long as Brown doesn’t make too many mistakes, Kent State should be fine. I like them even with their fourth-stringer, 23-17.

When: 1:00 PM ET

Why You Should Care: Buffalo’s hopes of going bowling for the first time slipped big-time with their loss to Miami OH two weeks ago. With a bye week sandwiched in between, Buffalo should be ready for a hot Bowling Green team that loves chucking the ball all over the place.

Bowling Green Will Win Because…: If Willie Geter is ready to go, put this one in the bank. The guy is great at darting up and down the field and he’s one of the best horizontal runners in the MAC. Even so, Tyler Sheehan and the passing game will be the modus operandi against Buffalo’s 67th ranked pass defense. The Falcons lay claim to the 15th ranked passing offense.

Buffalo Will Win Because…: These guys are the team of destiny, aren’t they? Even if they don’t win the MAC East, you’d have to hope these guys will earn their first .500 season at the FBS level ever. Bowling Green’s rushing defense is horrid so if James Starks can have a big day, they might just win this game.

Keep an Eye on…: Naaman Roosevelt. This guy has big-play potential written all over him. He’s got a knack for making the game-changing play for Buffalo and his ability to return kicks makes him very dangerous. Look for him to bust some big gains.

Prediction: Buffalo will hang around, but Bowling Green’s offensive ability will prove too tough to halt. The Bulls don’t have enough defensively to get the job done. Look for BGSU’s running game to do a little bit. In the end though, the Falcons will take it, 40-22.

When: 2:30 PM ET, CSTV

Why You Should Care: Can Northern Illinois get any momentum rolling after a win against Kent State? This offense is struggling mightily to get anything going and a game against Navy just might turn that around. Navy is Navy and it will be a huge test for the down Huskies.

Northern Illinois Will Win Because...: Even though they haven't been able to put up any points on the board this season, Navy's defense is one of the worst in the FBS. Delaware and North Texas just absolutely had their way with this unit. Northern Illinois should be able to cross the 30-point line for just the third time this season.

Navy Will Win Because...: It doesn't help that Northern Illinois ranks 108th in rushing defense........yikes. I'm sure you guys know what Navy has the most potent rushing attack in all of college football. Plus the game is in Annapolis.

Keep an Eye on...: Reggie Campbell. Whenever this guy touches the ball, he makes the most of it. The guy can fly and I wish good luck to the Northern Illinois defense trying to contain him.

Prediction: Northern Illinois will move the football, but unfortunately for them, they won't stop Navy. The Middies will win, 52-28.

When: 3:30 PM ET, Big 10 Network

Why You Should Care: Iowa could be on the verge of locking up a bowl bid if they go 7-5 with Western Michigan totally tanking in a year of high expectations.

Western Michigan Will Win Because…: Iowa isn’t that great at defending the pass and that’s what Western Michigan does the best. The Broncos also shouldn’t break a sweat defending the Iowa offense because of its lack of playmakers. The Hawkeyes are 110th in total offense and they were only able to get 16 against Northern Illinois….

Iowa Will Win Because…: They’re the Big 10 team, they’re at home, and they have a much better defense than Western Michigan’s offense. The Broncos will be going up against a stiff defense that just doesn’t allow too many things to happen. Iowa is 16th in scoring defense.

Keep an Eye on…: Mitch King. This Iowa D-lineman should find some gaps in the pass protection because Western currently ranks 96th in sacks allowed.

Prediction: Western might be able to hang around for a little while, but the bottom line is they don’t have the horses to beat a team like Iowa. The Hawkeyes are playing for their bowl lives on senior day, so fat chance, WMU. Iowa wins, 30-10.

Preview: Eastern Michigan vs. Central Michigan

2007-11-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

When: 7:00 PM ET

Why You Should Care: Does Eastern Michigan have any fight left in them? The season has pretty much gone according to plan, but the Eagles must not be happy. They might be able to catch a team that has already clinched the MAC West title (and probably a Motor City Bowl bid). The Chips don't have anything left to play for besides pride against their in-state rival.

Eastern Michigan Will Win Because...: They have been able to move the ball somewhat against bad defenses. They have shown this over the last two weeks against Toledo and Bowling Green. Luckily for them, the Chippewa defense has been atrocious all season long and if they're looking for a game that could inject some life into the EMU offense, this is the game that they want to play.

Central Michigan Will Win Because...: They're a lot better. This team looks like last year's CMU team (in MAC play). The offense is clicking on all cylinders right now and they're not having any issues scoring with Dan LeFevour back there. The Eagles have played a little bit of defense at different points in the season, but overall, this isn't a very good unit we're talking about here.

Keep an Eye on...: Dan LeFevour. He should be able to torch the EMU defense with his legs and his arm.

Prediction: Central Michigan will have way too much firepower at home to be stopped. In a pretty boring game due to the lack of competitiveness, CMU will win 38-18.

A Great Week For The Redhawks

2007-11-15T07:46:00.001-08:00

I attended last night's "worst game ever". Man, that sucked. I'm still trying to unthaw as the wind was frigid and ruthless. 7-0? Are you serious? 7-0!!! But you know what, nothing can bring me down right now. I'm on cloud nine (whatever that means).

Miami athletics are experiencing one helluva perfect week.

Let's start with Tuesday night. It was the first game of the basketball season for Charlie Coles and the boys and into Millett Hall came local rival, Xavier. X used a big run to close the first half fueled by Miami turnovers and ineptitude. Down 11 at half, I was ready to turn the game off. Not so fast. The Redhawks flat out dominated the final 20 minutes behind the new 3-headed scoring monster of Tim Pollitz, Mike Bramos, and Kenny Hayes. When Drew Lavendar missed his running lay up as time expired, I could almost picture every Miami alumnus jumping around their living room/bar, high-fiving anyone in sight, and feeling a sense of jubilation that hasn't been felt in awhile. It was different from the MAC Championship game last year. In a way, it was better. Because this game showed our fans and students, this team is really freaking good and we will be killing teams all season. I couldn't be more excited. And did you see the student section??? When the hell did Miami get students that cared about OUR teams??? I love it! This is going to be a special season for the Red and White.

And now onto last night. Words can't describe how much that game sucked to watch. Last year, I attended the N'Western/Miami game which was 0-0 at half. But it wasn't 0-0 in the 3rd. Or 0-0 INTO THE 4TH!!! The temperature dropped about 20 degrees during the game while the wind picked up about 15 mph. The concession stand ran out of coffee and only had the highly menstrual hot chocolate beverage. Disgusting. Even with a Redhawks win, very few things went right. At about 6 pm, my dad and I are tailGREATing and Rece Davis and Mark May walked right by. No more than 5 feet away. Dad said something to May Day about the Redskins but he totally ignored him. No sign of Lou Holtz though which I found strange since he was doing coverage (likely terribly). There was no hangover effect with the students either. A decent amount of kids made it out and were still pretty raucous. I give them a lot of credit, I love this new student enthusiasm. The Miami defense was fantastic. Akron's offense may be terrible, but still, a shutout is a shutout. Great effort.

And you know what the best part of all is? Our Magic Number is 1. Go Falcons!!! Beat those Bulls!!! Let us get killed by Central Michigan in the MAC Championship game!!!

What a great week. There have been almost too many bad weeks so I'm going to enjoy this.

Miami 7, Akron 0

2007-11-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

TURNOVERS RULE AKRON-MIAMI GAME

The Zips defense was great. The offense, on the other hand, seemed to have never make it to Oxford, stuck somewhere in suburban Dayton on the trip down to southwest Ohio. Perhaps the offense watched the game on ESPN2 from a bar in Huber Heights, the world's largest community of brick homes. The only consolation was that Miami's offense was just as bad.

It figures that the first touchdown by either side was scored by the defense. Unfortunately, it was the Miami defense who scored with 9:38 left in the third quarter after the ball was knocked out of the hands of Zips quarterback Carlton Jackson on the first series of downs after replacing starter Chris Jacquemain. Jackson was under intense pressure from the Miami D-line, when he made a bad situation worse by trying to pass the ball, not getting enough forward motion on his arm, thus causing the fumble. That was it for Jackson. He found himself back on the bench after the mistake, which seems to permeate the Zips offense this year.

A quick three and out by the Zips with Jacquemain back at the helm followed by a poor rugby punt by John Stec, gave the RedHawks great field position and control of the game.

The defense kept the Zips in the game led by captain John Mackey, who displayed a never-ending supply of guts and leadership while recovering from a torn ACL. Mackey was outstanding with two end-zone interceptions. But despite the red-zone turnovers by the RedHawks, the Zips couldn't cash in with an offense that would take one step forward and two steps back.

When it was all over, both teams committed seven turnovers, three for Akron, four for Miami. Five of the turnovers were interceptions thrown by the inexperienced quarterbacks of both teams. Jacquemain threw the ball 33 times, completing only 12. The RedHawks' Dan Raudabaugh wasn't much better with a 16 for 31 night.

With the win, Miami clinches the MAC East title. You have to wonder how the game could have turned out if the Zips had the least bit of offense.

Not much else to say about an ugly, ugly game.

RedHawks' defense delivers only points...The Akron Beacon Journal

Miami wins East in thriller...The Plain Dealer

RedHawks' D allows Zips (creative...not)...Cincinnati Enquirer

(action photos: Associated Press; John Mackey: Jeff Harwell, Akron Sports Photography)

2007-11-13T17:04:00.001-08:00

AKRON AT MIAMI OF OHIO

There is a lot on the line for Miami of Ohio as they meet the Zips in another mid-week, made for TV appearance on ESPN2. If the RedHawkSkins win this game, in which they are favored by nine points, their MAC East Division record would improve to 4-1 -- so -- Akron, which has been out of the divisional race since the Temple game, has a chance to play spoiler again, as it did with last week's victory over the Ohio U Snobkittens. Akron's victory over OU spoiled a chance for the MAC East Championship to be on the line when Miami meets their arch-rival in Athens next week.

With a victory, Miami of Ohio would come within one game of clinching, at least a share, of the MAC East title for the fourth time in the last five years. The Zips fortunes in "The Cradle of Coaches" has not been very impressive, losing the last six out of seven games in Oxford.

The RedHawks have won their last three contests at Yager Stadium, defeating Syracuse (17-14) and Buffalo (31-28). Miami has not won four consecutive games on its home field since it won five in a row at Yager during the 2004 season.

Miami tops the MAC in scoring defense, allowing 26 points per game through 10 contests. Through five conference games, the RedHawks have yielded a league-leading average of just 16.4 points.

DUELING QBs

Like Akron, Miami has had two quarterbacks leading their offense -- sophomore Dan Raudabaugh and Senior Mike Kokal. The season started with Raudabaugh as Kokal's back-up, however, head coach Shane Montgomery used both on a regular basis. Raudabaugh and Kokal have combined for 2,830 yards passing and 11 touchdowns. Both chalked up an impressive performance in a three-overtime, 41-35 loss at Minnesota, with a combined 30 completions in 52 attempts for 418 yards. The two-quarterback sho ended, however, when Kokal injured a knee in game six against Kent State. Since then, Raudabaugh has started every game, leading the RedHawks to two wins and two losses.

Defensively, Miami runs a 4-3. The D-line has a nice mix of two sophomores, a junior and a senior, who can put pressure on the quarterback. Against Buffalo, the Miami D-line had six sacks, adding to their MAC-leading tally of 25.

Miami is also strong in the specialty phase of the game. Junior punter Jake Richardson ranks seventh in the nation with an average of 45.6 yards per kick. Eugene Harris, a freshman, ranks second in the MAC in punt returns, averaging 11 yards per return.

REDHAWKS HAVE BLUE BLOOD

You will notice two famous names on the Miami roster. Junior linebacker Chris Shula, who is normally a back-up, starting only one game against Vanderbilt, is the grandson of NFL Hall of Fame coach and John Carroll grad Don Shula. Another name you may recognize is Nate Parseghian, Miami's starting place kicker. Yes, Nate is the grandson of former Notre Dame coach and Miami alum (and Akron native) Ara Parseghian.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Miami is going to be a tough game for the Zips. Akron's young offensive line, although improving, is going up against a formidable foe in Miami's front four. The Zips' defense is taking on a potent passing attack guarded by the only offensive line to ever earn the MAC East Division Players of the Week Award. A talented RedHawk team, combined with the fact that the Zips look forward to playing in Oxford about as much as General Custer vacationed at Little Big Horn, means a long night for the blue and gold.

Akron at Miami game notes

Preview: Toledo vs. Ball State

2007-11-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

Just a quick announcement here, but sorry for not getting the previews for the Kent State/NIU and Penn State/Temple games. GMoney, by the way, correctly predicted a Northern Illinois upset, but it never made its way onto here. The reason? Well, I drifted away into to sleep while watching the remaining minutes of the Rutgers/Army game last Friday night.

Then, I didn't have access to a computer on Monday so I wasn't able to recap the weekly action! So, once again, I'm a slacker :(

When: 7:30 PM ET, ESPN2

Why You Should Care: This game certainly does provide a lot of intrigue with the MAC bowl picture up in the air at this point. Ball State sits at 5-5, Miami OH sits at 5-5, and Toledo sits at 5-5. It's beginning to look like Bowling Green will get one of those 3 MAC bids up for grabs (or 4 if Louisville can't become eligible) assuming they can force a split against Buffalo and Toledo which isn't a given. CMU is a lock for the Motor City Bowl. So the MAC is in a state of flux when it comes to its bowl representations. Plus, if you like offense this is your game! Ball State and Toledo are loaded offensively, but neither defense has had a lot of luck this year.

Toledo Will Win Because...: This team is about as hot as they come offensively as they've been racking up the yards. The Cardinal defense gives up about 435 yards a game! The Rockets have been averaging about 46 points a game over their last five.

Ball State Will Win Because...: As much as you can say about Ball State's defense, they are 5th in turnover margin. Plus, Toledo's defense has been downright terrible, 115th in the nation in points allowed per game. Nate Davis should have a career day.

Keep an Eye on...: Jalen Parmale. Most MAC people are aware of what Parmele can do, but those who will be tuning in for the first time to Toledo football will be impressed. He should be primed for a big day because, let's face it, Ball State's run defense isn't all that spectacular....

Prediction: Toledo's defense and lack of home field will prevent them from pulling out the victory. I'm sure most of us remember that great finish these two teams had last year, but just expect more scoring this go-around. Ball State will come up with one more crucial defensive stop, offensive play, and turnover to win a close game. Ball State wins, 41-35.

MACwire

2007-11-11T10:01:00.000-08:00

OWLS BETTER BUT CAN'T BEST LIONS

It had been 13 years since Penn State played Temple in Philadelphia, and it will take all of, oh, 13 hours to forget yesterday's ho-hum addition to the one-sided series. The Nittany Lions scored a 31-0 victory over the improved Owls at Lincoln Financial Field, but if there's anything to remember about the game, it's not how Penn State went about boosting its record against Temple to 33-2-1. The Philadelphia Inquirer

LIONS AND OWLS FANS STAKE OUT TURN EARLY

If you wanted to tailgate at yesterday's sold-out Penn State-Temple football game, you had to get in line. The Philadelphia Inquirer

TEMPLE SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD IN LOSS TO PENN STATE

Twenty-fifth-ranked Penn State's Rodney Kinlaw ran for a career-high 168 yards and a touchdown as the Nittany Lions beat a Temple, 31-0, on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. The attendance of 69,029 was the largest home crowd in the history of Temple football and the largest home crowd in Mid-American Conference history. Owlsports.com

PENN STATE POST GAME INTERVIEWS (video)...PennLive.com

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HUSKIES DOUBLE THEIR PLEASURE

Northern Illinois University's 27-20 victory over Kent State won't make big headlines, not like Illinois' 28-21 toppling of top-ranked Ohio State. Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, IL)

ANDERSON ETCHES NAME INTO BOOKS

Northern Illinois University tailback Justin Anderson disappointed his offensive line by not scoring a touchdown on his historic carry. Starting right guard Onyebuagu said the line discussed Anderson passing the 1,000-yard mark with a long touchdown run. Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, IL)

FLASHES FALTER AGAINST NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Northern Illinois rolled up over 500 yards of total offense to hold on for a 27-20 Mid-American Conference win on Saturday over the visiting Kent State Golden Flashes. Record-Courier (Kent-Ravenna, OH)
(photo: Kate Weber/Daily Chronicle)

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In MAC Basketball Action...

ROCKETS SQUEAK OUT OPENER

UT shoots 61.5 percent in first half, holds off Missouri St. The Blade

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KNIGHT GETS 22 IN FALCONS WIN

Chris Knight scored 22 points in his personal homecoming as Bowling Green opened up a big first-half lead before settling for a 78-67 win over Belmont yesterday. The Blade

FALCONS DOWN BELMONT 78-67, TO GIVE ORR FIRST WIN AT BGSU

The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team led from start to finish, posting a 78-67 win over Belmont University Saturday evening (Nov. 10). The non-conference contest was held at Fifth Third Arena on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. BGSU Athletics

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TOO PHYSICAL: BRONCOS WHISTLED FOR STYLE, FAIL TO ADJUST IN LOSS TO PACIFIC

The Broncos committed 28 fouls Saturday night in a 90-76 season-opening loss to Pacific here in the first of three games at the World Vision Invitational. The Kalamazoo Gazette

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UMASS DOWNS HUSKIES

The Minutemen held control of the game for the previous 35 minutes, knocking down 14 three-pointers and scoring 31 points off NIU turnovers on their way to the 102-87 non-conference triumph at the McLeod Center. The Chronicle (DeKalf, IL)

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DETROIT MERCY 61, KENT STATE 60

Detroit Mercy senior point guard Jon Goode nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Titans a surprising 61-60 victory over Kent State on Saturday. Detroit Free Press

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Today's MAC Basketball Action

Preview: BGSU vs. EMU

2007-11-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

When: 7:30 PM ET, ESPNU

Why You Should Care: Is Bowling Green going to separate themselves from the pack with a win tonight? They've been a very on-and-off style football team while Eastern Michigan hasn't been able to score against anybody (besides Ohio). The Eagles will try to make their season seem at least somewhat decent with another surprising MAC victory.

Bowling Green Will Win Because...: Eastern Michigan has an average pass defense, but the Falcons should be able to exploit it anyway. As of the moment, we're talking about the #11 passing offense in the country led by the explosive sophomore, Tyler Sheehan.

Eastern Michigan Will Win Because...: If there's anything you can say Eastern Michigan does well besides punting, it would be their ability to run (even though they're 75th in the nation there). Bowling Green has been having all kinds of trouble stopping the run so Pierre Walker might have a good day.

Keep an Eye on...: Anthony Turner. We all remember Turner as the QB of the 2005 team when Omar Jacobs succumbed to an injury and as the starter during the 2006 season. Coach Brandon figured he could be best utilized as their Antwaan Randle El. He gets a bunch of touches and he has the athleticism that might burn Eastern's defense a few times.

Prediction: Eastern has the potential to make things interesting if they can get something out of the passing game, whether it be with Kyle McMahon or Andy Schmitt. Even so, Bowling Green will have way too much offensive pop to be stopped tonight. Falcons win, 37-20.

Lou Holtz = Nostradamus?

2007-11-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

How did he do that?

MAC Basketball Already Underway!

2007-11-08T00:43:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it, Wednesday night Buffalo barely squeezed out a victory over Ohio Valley winning 89-82 in the Coaches vs Cancer Classic. Junior swingman Greg Gamble scored a career high 25 points in the victory.

The Bulls face UConn today @ 9 PM EST on ESPN U. It should be interesting to watch, because UConn barely won their game over Morgan State 69-65. A perfect opportunity for the Bulls to upset the unsuspecting Huskies. Buffalo also put together a deal that would send UConn to play @ Buffalo next year because of this game.

Akron & Miami OH are still in their pre-season slates playing Walsh University and California (PA) respectively on Thursday. Xavier plays @ Oxford on Tuesday and Akron plays in Alaska in a week.

Friday

Brown visits EMU for their season opener at noon. Then a couple night games happen at 7 PM with Ball State hosting last year's surprise team Butler and NMSU visiting Athens for Ohio's opener. I expect a ton of points being scored in that game!

NIU must play 3 games in 3 days in the BTI Kickoff Tournament starting with an 8:15 game against UNI @ Cedar Rapids, IA. Get your scoreboards ready for that one! UMass & Cal Poly are the other opponents on the weekend for the Huskies.

Bowling Green also has a 3-game slate @ the Peggy Cronin Classic in Cincinnati. They play Western Carolina at 9 and then Belmont on Saturday & Cincinnati on Sunday.

Saturday

Toledo kicks off their season at 7 PM hosting the Missouri State Bears who are ranked #7 in the Mid-Major poll. Kent State is still in exhibition mode until next Sunday's Chicago Invitational, as they are playing @ Detroit-Mercy at 7 pm as well.

NIU and Bowling Green continue their tourney games, while Western Michigan heads west for the World Vision Invitational @ Eugene, OR. They start off with Pacific, Pepperdine on Sunday and then they play #12 Oregon on Monday.

Sunday

NIU & Bowling Green wrap up their tourneys, while WMU is in their 2nd game against Pepperdine. EMU hosts Radford at 4 PM.

I'll recap some of the games and look at the upcoming matchups at the beginning of next week sometime.

Breezy

Wednesday Preview: Ohio vs. Akron

2007-11-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

When: 7:30 PM ET, ESPN2

Why You Should Care: Ohio was sort of left for dead a little bit ago. However, they've managed to string 3 victories in their last 4 games, that one loss coming on a heatbreaker of a meltdown to Toledo. Akron is struggling right now and they're looking to get some consistency on offense.

Ohio Will Win Because...: Akron's rushing defense is ranked 88th in the nation and the Bobcats have Kalvin McRae. Can somebody say, mismatch? The Zips haven't been spectacular against the run so Coach Solich should exploit that. In this little run, Ohio hasn't played a lot of defense, but maybe a 7-point-allowed game against Temple last Friday will turn that around.

Akron Will Win Because...: J.D. Brookhart is too good of a coach to have this poor of a season. Akron should be a whole lot better than this and there's no excuse to losing to Buffalo and Temple in the same season (even though both are mightily improvded). The Zips have had issues at QB especially, but they did get some offense generated against Bowling Green.

Keep an Eye on...: Let's keep our eyes peeled for Brion Stokes. He hasn't been a huge force on defense, but the guy has a lot of ability and he's one of the best LBs in all of the Mid-American Conference.

Prediction: Don't expect a scoringfest. Neither team has a great offense and I do think that the Zip defense will show up and play tonight in the Rubber Bowl. My only fear is that they won't have an easy day stopping McRae. Expect Kalvin to rush for about 150+ tonight on their way to a solid victory. Ohio wins, 27-17.

Wow! CMU/WMU Analysis

2007-11-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

Holy cow! Where do we begin?

First off, if you didn't see it, you really missed out on a special game. Just about everything in the game was really fun to see (well, besides maybe the second quarter).

It starts off very heated because it is indeed a rivalry game. Things are a little chippy, Hiller spoke of a "clean" hatred for one another, and of course the biggie tonight and the probable game-changer for the Broncos: Jamarko Simmons' ejection.

Simmons was ejected for "kicking" (more like a "get-away-from-me" kind of shove and he happened to have his foot entangled) Red Keith, the Central Michigan linebacker. He sort of did an acting job because there's no way he was shoved that hard by somebody's foot and it didn't look like he exerted enough force on Keith to really move him that far. Anyway, the ref saw this and ejected Simmons. Simmons couldn't control his frustration and was sent to the lockeroom.

Western Michigan did start out strong scoring early and taking a 7-0 lead. The Broncos had a shot at taking a 10-0 lead off of a Dan LeFevour INT, but the snap was bobbled and they lost possession. Central responded with a FG near the middle of the second quarter. The receivers were not helping Hiller or LeFevour out at all. Both teams suffered a ton of dropped passes all of the way until the third quarter. Also, I haven't seen either team play as well defensively as these teams did for the first three quarters of the game. It was refreshing to see because CMU has been getting torched and Western has totally stunk defensively so far this season. I did notice one thing and Ray Bentley pointed out was the fact that CMU didn't burn a timeout which caused all sorts of confusion. They were in the red zone and had to settle for a FG instead of a TD.

The fourth quarter was when things really began to heat up. Western knocked a FG through the uprights to tie things up at 10 a piece. At this point in the game, Dan LeFevour starting ripping through the Western defense. It really wasn't pretty, but the Broncos did respond time and time again on offense. The spearing penalty really hurt Western on one of CMU's scoring drives and Bryan Anderson really stepped up to the plate being the only Chippewa who could catch a pass longer than 5 yards tonight....

Anyway, a great rush prevented Tim Hiller from making a wise choice, so he flung a football right at Calvin Hissong. He couldn't take it into the endzone though and CMU had to settle for a FG. I turned the channel over to Dennis Miller's new show on Versus for a second because even I had lost hope for the Broncos. The instant I flip it back to ESPN2, I see a fantastic catch by Herb Martin which put the Broncos within three points.

And, with a bit of foreshadowing in the mix, LeFevour failed to call a timeout (audibling instead) while the play clock was running low which caused all kinds of confusion. The blockers on the left side didn't pick up their blocks and LeFevour fumbled the ball right into Western's hands. Western scored on a dash from Brandon West which included two hideous arm tackles.

So, the score is now 31-27 and it looks like all hope is lost. After all, it's about time that something goes Cubit's way.

Turns out that wasn't the case. Wilson bit on a combo of the LeFevour pump fake and the great route running by Bryan Anderson. One accurate bomb later from the sophomore QB, CMU was setting up shop inside the one yard line with a little under a minute to go. CMU tried a QB sneak that probably was a TD and, after much reviewing, was ruled incorrectly due to lack of substantial evidence to overturn the call. The Chippewas tried it one more time (reminding me of the "Bush Push" which Bentley pointed out) and that should've been stopped due to FORWARD PROGRESS. It's clear that he was stuffed and the refs should have blown the whistle. Instead, LeFevour gets pushed into the endzone and after yet another review, the play stood.

But wait! It's not over. After a failed lateral on the kickoff return, the Broncos had two seconds. They were actually pretty successful on some of the laterals after a Tim Hiller completion and I started thinking, "Hmmmmmmm........Trinity/Millsaps, perhaps?" But, it didn't work out that way. Western suffered yet another devastating blow.

There are a few things we can take away from this game. Central Michigan finally played some defense which I suppose is newsworthy. Western Michigan played a little bit of that too by not getting steamrolled in the early going. I think both teams have some good resolve and they know how to bounce back from adversity. The Broncos had nothing to play for in this game besides embarrassing a despised rival and they played with an amount of intensity I haven't seen before. Central Michigan never lost faith that they could win and I think the coach, Butch Jones, deserves some credit for that.

One thing is for sure: This game cracks my all-time favorite-game list. No, it's not just because they're MAC teams, this was just a great rivalry game that won't be forgotten up here at least.

Where Does Akron Go From Here?

2007-11-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

Now that any hope of winning something for the trophy case is over, it's time for coach J.D. Brookhart to start thinking of what needs to be done this year to lay a solid foundation for next year. And there is much to do.

Needs:

A starting quarterback that displays leadership skills. Can that role be filled by either Jacquemain or Jackson? Perhaps Jacquemain can mature to the point of being effective. Many of his mistakes were the mental errors of a rookie. In my opinion, Jackson shoud be at another position.

An offensive line.

With the loss of Jabari Arthur, receivers.

With the loss of John Mackey, someone to blitz and perhaps even more important - lead!

Rethinking the 3-3-5 defense.

Yes, coach Brookhart has to use these remaining games to right the ship. It starts this Wednesday night against Ohio U.

I sensed at the Bowling Green game that the Zips had given up, especially on defense. We know the D has talent. So, their play at BG can be nothing more than a lack of having the right attitude, as witnessed by defensive captain John Mackey chewing their butts out on the sideline. I'm not sure the offense ever had the talent this year, so whether or not they have raised the white flag on the season is difficult to determine.

Is thinking about next year giving up on the current season? No, not from a development stand point. But whatever arrangements Brookhart is going to make, he had better start now. It's too difficult to do this while the season is underway. He could actually look at this as an opportunity to improve.

We all knew going in to this season that the Zips were young, especially on offense...had to find a new starting quarterback...had to start developing a predominately new offensive line.

From what I've read on the Internet, many Zips fans have given up on Brookhart. The swager and confidence that they had in him after the 2005 MAC Championship, Motor City Bowl and victory over NC State in 2006 has been reduced to many of them asking, "Is J.D. the man?"

I was not looking for a MAC championship this year...just progress. The Zips, so far, have displayed neither. Clearly, the highlight of the 2007 season was winning the Wagon Wheel back from Kent State. In these final three games -- against Ohio, Miami and Central Michigan -- I'm holding out hope that now that the chance for a championship is history, the chance for progress is not.

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Tuesday Preview: CMU vs. WMU

2007-11-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

When: 7:30 PM ET, ESPN2

Why You Should Care: Is Western Michigan going to roll over in this game? Trying to cap off a disappointing season (and a tough early OOC schedule), they could at least stop a little bit of the bleeding with a win over hated rival, Central Michigan. CMU has been great in MAC play, but awful out of it and, obviously, this is a conference game (meaning good CMU might show up).

Central Michigan Will Win Because...: The Chips aren't keen on running the football, but when they do, expect some fireworks. Western Michigan had a good rushing defense last year, but for some reason in 2007, they're just awful. Standing at 96th against the run, Justin Hoskins should have a good day. Plus, any time you've got Dan LeFevour, you have a chance to win football games. Western's offense has really been sputtering over the last few games here and Tim Hiller isn't getting a lot of help around him.

Western Michigan Will Win Because...: It's tough to say with the way they played against Eastern, but these guys have a real good chance to stick it to the defending MAC champions and play spoiler for a little bit. Ball State is still alive if they can defeat the Chips tonight. Hiller has some skill, it's just a matter of getting him in the right situations. They need to establish the running game as well. Also, Central Michigan's defense has done absolutely next to nothing all season long getting trounced when offenses execute halfway decently.

Keep an Eye on...: Red Keith. The guy just makes plays all over the place. By far and away the best CMU defender, Keith has a chance to keep the Bronco offense from doing too much tonight.

Prediction: This might be a little lower scoring than predicted. I think the weather situation might have an effect on that. The forecast calls for below-freezing temps (low 30's, high 20's), 10+ mph wind, and sleety/rainy/snowy forms of precipitation. However, this won't stop Dan LeFevour cold in his tracks (no pun intended). He'll be able to run and run and run and run against the Broncos and Hoskins has the potential for a big game. Still, with this being an in-state rivalry and all, Western won't roll over as badly as they did against Eastern. It'll be a battle, but Central will wind up on top at Waldo Stadium by a score of 34-28.

Youtubage: Part 1

2007-11-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

Well, being a boring Tuesday, I figured this post might exert some kind of excitement for you. It's a video of the Ohio/Toledo epic that was an absolute joy to see.

Ugh...Monday....

2007-11-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

Just cluin' you guys in, I'm going to recap the MAC action after Wednesday's Ohio/Akron game. I'll kind of be recapping a week and a half of football, but.............That's the plan, so there. :D

I'll get back to you guys then.

Deep Inside Central Michigan

2007-11-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Ah, yes, it's Tuesday once again and it's time for your old pal, GMoney, to drop some MAC knowledge on all you fools. Needless to say, I'm giddy as hell after the Redhawks win over Buffalo this past Saturday. I got back to the bar from Hineygate just in time to see Drew Willy fumble away his hopes and dreams and celebrated with 2 quick shots of Goldschlager and an Irish Car Bomb...not good.

Anyway, I survived and today I've got something special for you. That's right, insider information!!! For that, I've enlisted the help of Scott Rex, assistant Sports Information Director at Central Michigan. Scott and I played high school football together and since I succeeded in not letting him get sacked too much, I figured he owed me an interview. Here we go, sit back and learn about the Chips.

1. Brian Kelly left last season to be the head cheese at Cincinnati. In response, CMU hired West Virginia WR's coach, Butch Jones, to run the show. What kind of different things are the Chips doing on offense and defense under the new regime?

The biggest difference, I think, is on offense. It is a very up-tempo style that really limits a defense's ability to substitute. The scheme is not in the same mold of the run-and-shoot Buffalo Bills of our youth, but it is a no-huddle, spread attack that often uses four or five receivers. We lost a pair of deep threats in Damien Linson and Obed Cetoute from last year's team, so there is more of a focus on the intermediate passing game and creating mismatches with our receivers. I think there is also more of a commitment to the running game this season, which may sound strange with having a player like Dan LeFevour at quarterback.

The average fan probably does not see a huge difference in our defensive scheme from the past, but our linebackers are asked to do a lot both in coverage and in putting pressure on the quarterback. Our entire defense has really struggled with injuries all season. We have had nine different players start at least one game in the secondary alone this year, and that is almost exclusively due to injuries.

The great thing about Butch is that he was here before as an assistant, so a lot of our older players were already familiar with him. He also helped recruit Dan LeFevour before going to West Virginia.

2. I would say that last year was QB Dan LeFevour's coming out party. The guy was unstoppable. But it appears, at least through the box scores, that he's had an up and down sophomore season. What has changed? Has he been dinged up at all? Also, I love the way he plays. He kind of reminds me of a Tebow-type, doesn't mind the contact QB. You are a former high school quarterbacking great, who does LeFevour remind you of?

Dan's been healthy all year. His greatest attribute is his intelligence, but even he admits that worked against him a little early in the year and he was over-thinking in some situations. He has gotten more comfortable with the offense as the year has gone on and our retooled offensive line has not allowed a sack in four games entering Tuesday night's game at Western Michigan. Of the five starters up front, by the way, two are redshirt freshmen, one is a junior in his first season as a starter, and another is a junior who started at right tackle the last two years but moved to left tackle this season.

Back to LeFevour though. He is such a methodical player that a lot of times you don't realize the type of numbers he's putting up until you look at the box score at the end of the game. He just works his way through his progressions and is willing to take a 5-yard throw underneath if that is what is there. I wouldn't say that we design a lot of runs for him, but he can pick his spots and is faster than you would expect when he's in the open field.

It's tough to compare him with any one quarterback. He is the equivalent of a basketball gym rat in that he is always studying tape and seems to be ready for anything a defense will show him on any given week. Like I said before, he is an extremely smart kid and has this calmness about him on the field that is uncanny for a sophomore. He was a running back growing up, but moved to quarterback as a high school sophomore and was a varsity backup. This really is just his fourth season as a starting quarterback, so he is still continuing to grow into the position.

3. CMU is having somewhat of a strange season. The Chips are playing great in the MAC, but when they go out of conference, it's been pretty ugly. Now, I'm not going to say that they are terrible because losing at Purdue, Clemson, and Kansas is nothing to be ashamed of. But losing 44-14 to North Dakota State at home??? Come on, explain that one. Also, being an Ohioan, Kansas is never on tv yet I keep telling everyone I know that they are for real (Why, I have no idea). Are the Fightin' Mangino's the real deal?

North Dakota State came into our place with something to prove. They are a great football team, and I would expect them to win a I-AA national title sooner rather than later. They were big up front, physical, and had excellent athletes at the skill positions.

I think Clemson is a very underrated football team. Everybody knows about the running backs, but their defense is as fast as I've seen. The gameday atmosphere there is incredible too. As for Kansas, yeah I think they are for real. Reesing does a good job of managing their offense and they can run the ball pretty well. Obviously they have the ability to throw it too, which Nebraska found out last weekend. The defense is fast and physical. Aqib Talib could play for anyone in the country. Unfortunately for him, I think he gets lost in the mix a little bit because there are still a lot of people that just don't want to believe in the Jayhawks.

4. Finally (I said this would be quick), I've been to a few football games, in my younger days, up in Mt. Pleasant but it's been awhile. One thing that always stood out was the exubernace and intensity of the students at the game. It's refreshing that at least one school in the MAC has students that care! My question is, is it still like that? And if it is, do you think any of them would transfer to Miami to wake up our students? FIRE UP CHIPS!

Our student support is the best in the MAC. Their tailgating lot opens three hours before kickoff, and they start lining up to get into the lot at least an hour before that. The student seating section is now in the south end zone (closed end of the stadium), and they always fill those sections and spill around the corners of the end zone as well. When our players take the field before the game, they run out of the locker room in the north end zone all the way to the student section in the south end to help get the students fired up. It's a pretty cool thing to see. We led the MAC in attendance last season, and our students were a big reason for that. I hope that no one here ever takes the support we get for granted, because we do have a loyal fan base both on campus and in the community and surrounding areas.

Thanks a lot for your time, Scotty, time for you to focus on beating up on those Broncos. I hope to be going to head-to-head with you over the MAC title come December.

Friday Previews: Week 10

2007-11-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be using the same format that I've been using over at SSO for these MAC Games, FYI.....

When: 7:00 PM ET (Fri.)

Why You Should Care: Will Temple continue their stunning streak of success? It's pretty unbelievable what they've been doing over the past few weeks against Northern Illinois, Akron, and Miami OH (ooh, sorry GMoney, but that's what I always call these guys :) ). Ohio on the other hand played a pretty decent game against Bowling Green on the road. The Bobcats are trying to surge back for a unlikely, yet still possible, attempt at a bowl bid.

Temple Will Win Because...: Why not? Temple has been playing really well lately, so there's no reason they shouldn't continue that heading into Peden Stadium. The Bobcats' Kalvin McRae will have a tough time running against Temple's run defense which has been one of the better ones in the MAC so far.

Ohio Will Win Because...: Ever since getting trounced by Buffalo, Ohio has really turned it up a notch offensively. Even if Temple has been decent against the run lately, they're going up against the best running back in the Mid-America Conference in Kalvin McRae. Theo Scott brings an added dimension to the attack for the Bobcats. Temple probably won't be able to do two very crucial things in this ballgame: protect the QB and win the special teams battle.

Keep an Eye on...: Kalvin McRae. This is the third time we've mentioned this guy in this tiny preview, but he's the definite X-factor of this game. If Temple can limit the damage that McRae will inevitably do, they might be okay.

Prediction: In the end, the Owls won't have enough offense to win the game. They're only averaging about 20 points per game right now going up against Ohio's suddenly efficient offense. Plus, this game is in Athens, Ohio. The edge certainly goes to the Bobcats, expect them to win. Ohio takes it, 27-13.

When: 7:30 PM ET, ESPNU (Fri.)

Why You Should Care: Bowling Green's bowl hopes rest on this one game. As of the moment, they're standing at 4-4 with their latest loss coming against Ohio last week in somewhat unimpressive fashion. Akron on the other hand will need to win out in order to be bowling in December (or January).

Akron Will Win Because...: The special teams game certainly plays to their strengths. Akron is one of the top kick and punt returning teams in the nation and that will be to their advantage. Bowling Green does have a potent attack, but the Zip secondary has been pretty solid all season long.

Bowling Green Will Win Because...: Akron's offense is about as exciting as watching paint dry. No offense intended to J.D. Brookhart's bunch, but their offense has really struggled to get moving. Tyler Sheehan has been having a rough go-at-it over the last couple of weeks, but he should be good to go at home. The bottom line is that Akron shouldn't be able to score enough points to hang on in this game.

Keep an Eye on...: John Haneline. While this unit won't get tested all that much, it'll be up to Haneline to make sure that the Falcon defense doesn't get complacent and take the Akron O too lightly. If he can make his tackles and disrupt Akron's gameplan, Bowling Green should be in control tonight.

Prediction: This is simply a gut feeling, but I'm going to go ahead and take Akron tonight. Look, the MAC is nuts right now. All signs point to Bowling Green in this game, so that, in effect, is making me take Akron. Satisfied with the reasoning? I am. Zips win, 28-24, it'll be a good football game.

When: 12:00 PM ET, Big 10 Network

Why You Should Care: Can Ball State compete with a Big 10 team? They've pretty much shown that they're capable against Illinois last week, but they can obviously do better. Last year, the Cardinals gave Indiana a real run for their money, so this could turn out to be a great matchup.

Ball State Will Win Because...: Ball State does have one of the more potent offenses in the nation. They didn't do as well as they could have against Illinois last week. Nate Davis ran all over the place with his legs and he might have similar success against the Hoosiers. Indiana ranks second in sacks, but the BSU protection has really been good so far this season.

Indiana Will Win Because...: I'm sorry to say this to our MAC readers, but, they're a Big 10 team; Ball State is from the MAC. Not really trying to sound pejorative, but it's the way it is. They have more talent across the board. Right now, Ball State ranks 116th against the run and that spells doom when going up against Kellen Lewis.

Keep an Eye on...: Darius Hill. He's one of the most athletic tight ends in the nation who looks more like a WR. Indiana has a decent defense, but they might struggle containing Hill who has a knack for a big catch every now and then.

Prediction: In the end, Ball State won't have enough in the tank. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see them compete a little bit better than they did against Illinois. The only thing keeping the Fighting Illini from winning that game by 20 points was the Fighting Illini. I see Ball State playing much better, but the Lewis-Hardy connection will be too tough to withstand. Indiana wins, 37-28.

When: 3:00 PM ET, ESPN Gameplan

Why You Should Care: The MAC is one the line in this one, literally. Buffalo can, stunningly might I add, take absolute control of the MAC East. A win here would allow for them to split the final two games of the season against Bowling Green and Kent State and they're in the MAC Championship game. But Miami OH is eager to pull a Lee Corso and tell them, "not so fast, my friends." The RedHawks are still alive and well in the chase.

Buffalo Will Win Because...: It's Cinderella. Come on. They're the classic team that is just absolutely inexplicably good that shouldn't be. The stats aren't there, but they're winning week in and week out. Turner Gill has done the best coaching job in the MAC, hands down. Drew Willy has been efficient and not many teams have been able to shut him and his efficient arm down.

Miami OH Will Win Because...: They're the better team. I hate to rain on Buffalo's parade, but the RedHawks do have the most talent on the field tomorrow. Eugene Harris has been playing very well and he won't be stopped easily. Even though the Bull defense has been decent over the course of October, Daniel Radabaugh has been baptized by fire and should be ready to face the challenge.

Keep an Eye on...: James Starks. Currently, Miami OH is 84th against the run and Starks has been as hot as they come. Against Syracuse and Akron, he was decent and it's possible that he may have cooled off a little bit, but the guy still has the potential to hit the 150+ yard mark tomorrow.

Prediction: Buffalo will hang in there, but they won't get enough from the offense in the end. Miami OH should take care of business in Oxford, but you never ever count Cinderella out of any game. They always find ways to win, but the string of good fortune will end at the hands of Shane Montgomery. The RedHawks were okay against Vanderbilt and the momentum will carry. Miami OH takes it at home, 30-17.

When: 7:00 PM ET

Why You Should Care: In what is a common theme this week, the MAC bowl situation is in flux. Central Michigan, Miami OH, Akron, Bowling Green, Ohio, Ball State, Buffalo, and Toledo are all vying for position. With a victory against the Eagles this week, Toledo just might be on the track to get back to bowl eligibility. Eastern though has been playing well lately highlighted by a decent effort against Northwestern and victory last week against Western Michigan.

Eastern Michigan Will Win Because...: They're beginning to see what defense is like under Jeff Genyk. They didn't let a Northwestern team that was just rolling offensively do that much on Ford Field and they held Western Michigan to a safety for two points. They've got the horses, at LB with Holtzclaw and at DT with Jason Jones, to at least keep them from scoring 70 points and gaining 812 yards in this game.

Toledo Will Win Because...: Aaron Opelt is beginning to catch fire. The Rockets have been tremendous offensively and Tom Amstutz should be pleased. They're also at home. Jalen Parmale is the 9th ranked rusher individually going up against a bad run defense in Eastern Michigan's. Right now, the Eagles are 81st against the run.

Keep an Eye on...: Barry Church. The QB situation at Eastern Michigan isn't really in good shape with Schmitt still a bit banged up and Kyle McMahon being a true freshman. Even though the Eagles will rely mostly on Pierre Walker, Church could be a pain in the side to the EMU QBs with his ability to fly around the field.

Prediction: Eastern will move the football and they won't let the Toledo offense do as much as they did against Northern Illinois, but it won't matter. The bottom line is that the Eagles won't be able to stop Parmale with a lot of success. Eastern's offense just isn't very potent and they won't be able to stay with Opelt and the rest of the offense. Rockets wins, 33-21.

GMoney's MAC Picks & Scores:

Akron 27, BG 24.
OU 16, Temple 10.
Miami 23, Buffalo 14.
Toledo 30, EMU 17.
IU 42, Ball St. 34.

Akron at Bowling Green Preview

2007-11-01T17:13:00.001-07:00

OCTOBER WAS NOT KIND TO FALCONS

Everything I've been reading on Bowling Green lately has been really depressing for the Falcons. At the end of September, they were 3-1 with wins over Minnesota of the Big Ten (11), Temple and Western Kentucky in addition to a respectable performance against Michigan State. But since then, they have been hammered by Boston College and Miami, beat a limping Kent team, then lost to Ohio at home. Yes, October has been a tough month.

Injury Woes

The Falcons fortunes turned during the Western Kentucky game when quarterback Tyler Sheehan injured his shoulder. Since then, BG is 1-3. Sheehan's production has diminished. Since the Western game, he has thrown more interceptions (6) than touchdowns (5). Still, head coach Gregg Brandon has no intention of benching Sheehan in favor of backup quarterback, freshman Anthony Glaud.

In addition to a limping quarterback, the Falcons are also working through an injury to freshman running back Willie Geter, who has been hobbling on a bad ankle sprain.

Same for the Zips

It is not like Akron has been setting the world on fire either. After a respectable showing against Ohio State and emotional victories over Kent State and Western Michigan, the Zips have completely lost their mojo by getting waxed at UConn and suffering two conference setbacks to Temple and Buffalo. The Zips are also banged up on defense.

Match Ups

Despite their injuries, BG still has the MAC's top passing offense, averaging 300 yards per game. They'll be going up against the MAC's top pass defense in Akron, giving up only 198.5 yards per game. Offensively, the Falcons have been moving the ball, ranking fourth in total offense (401.4) compared to the dismal performance of the Zips offense, averaging 293 yards per game - last in the MAC. Comparing the defenses, Akron holds the edge, giving up 28.4 points per game to BG's 34.4 ppg. The Falcons' defense has been yielding almost 428 yards a game to the opposition, compared to 383 yards for the Zips. Lately, the BG defense hasn't been showing much, but then again, neither has the Zips offense.

Offense must come alive

This is the game where the Zips offense must show something...anything! If quarterback Chris Jacquemain struggles, coach J.D. Brookhart has got to relent and put in Carlton Jackson, who hasn't played substantial minutes since the Kent State game. At UConn, Jackson was benched for breaking a team rule, and he hasn't seen daylight since. Akron has got to exploit their best offensive weapon, receiver Jabari Arthur and balance out the pass with effective use of running back Bryan Williams. If Carlton Jackson gets in, his running ability will be another offensive threat. It's time to take some chances.

<<<>>>

AKRON AT BOWLING GREEN - THE TALE OF THE TAPE

Akron (3-5, 2-2 MAC) at Bowling Green (4-4, 2-2 MAC), 7:30 p.m. ET

Site: Doyt Perry Stadium

Series: Bowling Green leads 8-7 (Last meeting: Akron 35, BG 28)

Radio: SportsRadio 1350/Akron, WERE 1490/Cleveland

Television: ESPNU

Line: BG favored by 7

Outlook: A couple of weeks ago this game was setting up as potentially being one that would decide the winner of the MAC East but both teams have stumbled badly down the stretch with Akron dropping back-to-back divisional games against Temple and Buffalo while Bowling Green has dropped two of its last three divisional games. Both teams will need significant help to get back into the race. The Zips got a lift last week with the surprise return of DB John Mackey who was thought to have been lost for the season but Mackey's return was not enough. The Zips offense ranks last in the MAC, averaging only 293.4 yards per game and outside of WR Jabari Arthur, who is second in the MAC with 95.6 yards receiving per game, has been completely ineffective this season, scoring barely above 19 points per game, 11th overall in the MAC. The Falcons meanwhile have been probably the most inconsistent team in the MAC, looking like world beaters one week and then crashing and burning the following week, much as they did against Ohio at home in their most recent setback. To make matters a bit more dicey for the Falcons, BG may be without freshman RB Willie Geter who suffered a sprained ankle against the Bobcats and may also be without leading WR and return man Corey Partridge due to a thumb injury. QB Tyler Sheehan has struggled lately but BG still possesses the MAC's top passing offense, averaging 300 yards per game which presents an intriguing matchup, facing Akron, the MAC's top passing defense, allowing only 198.5 yards per game through the air. Both teams are struggling and if it weren't for their last second miracle finish at Western Michigan, the Zips would be on a four-game losing streak. Not much confidence in choosing either side here, but we will go with the Falcons at home. (source: MACReportOnline.com)

MACWire

2007-11-01T17:08:00.001-07:00

MACReportOnline previews Week #10 action.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer previews the Temple-OU game.

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Miami wins the recruiting derby for an offensive lineman from Lakota West High School ...so reports the Pulse-Journal in Mason, OH.

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Ball State is preparing for Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis...take it from Akron...good luck!

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Surviving in the MAC requires defending the pass, which makes the University at Buffalo’s East Division title bid both unexpected and extraordinary...reports the Buffalo News.

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After a distraction last week with Vanderbilt, The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Miami RedHawks(skins) are back to MAC action this week with Eastern Division upstart Buffalo.

WKBW-TV7 reports that Buffalo is all abuzz over the success of the Bulls this year.

MAC Games on TV this week

2007-11-01T01:58:00.001-07:00

Hi let me first introduce myself, I'm currently a Junior at Northern Illinois University (NIU, not UNI!) and am currently a student of one of the best business schools in the country. No matter how much we suck (especially this year), I try and make every home NIU Huskie Football game (and some away ones too). I also have a cleverly named blog, Red and Black Attack following all aspects of Huskie sports. I love this crazy MAC conference and will try and follow our basketball team a lot more this season.

Before this week, the #4 Arizona State @ #5 Oregon game was only going to be shown on Fox Sports Northwest and Arizona. The MAC deals with the same regional problems, unless ESPN decides to pickup games of national interest. The other option for teams in the MAC conference is to show games during the week so that they can be picked up for a national audience. However, this is controversial, because it affects not only the attendance of the games being played, but the academic integrity of the players that may have to miss some classes to get ready for the games. MAC games next week during the week include CMU @ WMU on Tuesday and Ohio @ Akron on Wednesday, both of which will be on ESPN2

All times EST

Friday:

7:30 - Akron (3-5, 2-2) @ Bowling Green (4-4, 2-2) -7

Why you should watch: It will be interesting to see which team will bounce back from their losses the previous week in which Ohio beat Bowling Green 38-27 and Akron losing to Temple and Buffalo 2 straight weeks. It will be Akron's 2nd of 3 games in a 12 day span and this game is vital for them to win. Also, make sure to watch Senior DB John Mackey try to come back from an ACL in just one month for Akron. BGSU QB Tyler Sheehan should be back 100% from his shoulder injury ready to fire down the field. A loss by BGSU would eliminate the Falcons from the MAC Championship.

Saturday:

12:00 - Ball St. (5-4) @ Indiana (5-4) -6.5

Why you should watch: Both teams are hungry to become bowl-eligible for the first time since the 90's so watch out this game could go back and forth all day. Ball State is 0-40 against teams from BCS conferences, and is looking to get their first tomorrow. Indiana should be in a sour mood after getting blown out last week by Wisconsin 3-33. Last year Indiana squeeked by in a 24-23 victory.

3:00 - Buffalo (4-5, 4-1) @ Miami (OH) (4-5, 3-1) -7

Why you should watch: Well, ESPN 360 isn't exactly on real TV, but it's free to watch online and is of great quality. Also will be shown locally on the Ohio News Network (whatever that is...) GMoney already did a preview on this game right HERE on this site a few posts down.

And if you're rollin' in dough, these games will be available online via All-MACcess $8 PPV:

Friday
7:00 - Temple (3-5, 3-2) @ Ohio (4-5, 2-3) -7.5
Can Temple win its 4th straight game???

Saturday
7:00 - EMU (3-6, 2-2) @ Toledo (4-5, 2-3) -7.5
Which suddenly surging cellar dweller will put a positive note on their season?

MACWire

2007-10-30T19:43:00.001-07:00

FINAL MONTH CRUCIAL FOR THE FALCONS

Once you read this article in The Toledo Blade, you'll feel the Zips are going to run away with this one. But reality tells us the Zips are in the same difficult position as the Falcons, and still, BG is 7 point favorites!

<<<>>>

FALCONS BATTLING INJURIES AND DEFENSIVE WOES

Maybe there is hope for the Zips yet this Saturday...BG News reports.

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FALCONS SEEK STRONG FINISH...Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune.

The Sentinel-Tribune also reports on the shoulder injury of BG quarterback Tyler Sheehan.

<<<>>>

MAC BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Even though the Zips lost the MAC basketball player of the year (Romeo Travis) they should still compete for the MAC East title again...so says The Sports Network in their MAC basketball preview. Included in the preview is a team by team breakdown. Not a bad read.

<<<>>>

Bowl Eligible

The Muncie Star-Press reports that the winner of the Indiana-Ball State game will chalk up their sixth win, thus becoming bowl eligible. What's going on in the Hoosier state?

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FORMER KENT COACH HONORED IN THE GREAT WHITE NORTH

Jim Corrigall, who coached the Golden Flashes from 1994-99, was recently named to the All-Time All Argos team by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. By the way the Flashes were playing when Corrigall was their head coach, you would have thought they were playing by Canadian rules! Article in the Record-Courier.

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REDHAWKS NUMERO UNO!

Congratulations to the Miami hockey team for being ranked number one in the whole danged country...Oxford Press reports.

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BOBCATS FACE QUICK TURNAROUND AFTER WIN

OU and Temple duke it out in what will be an interesting MAC East contest...The Athens Messenger.

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UT TALKS AGAIN OF A WINNING SEASON

After destroying Northern Illinois last week, the Rockets are gaining some self-respect...The Toledo Blade reports the season may not be a total loss after all.

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Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com

The Ohio State dilemma-Zippy or Brutus?

2007-10-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

You were raised in Ohio - more than likely rooted for the Buckeyes as a youth. Then, you graduate high school and then go to a college that’s not Ohio State! Even worse, you go to a Divison I school that’s in the state of Ohio. So what happens when the school you attended plays the Buckeyes?

That’s the position many Mid-American fans are put in whether you are from Ohio and dealing with Ohio State, Michigan and dealing with, well Michigan or Michigan State. I'm not sure if the same dilemma impacts MAC fans in Illinois, Indiana, PA or New York. I know that in my state, it's a major issue.

MAC Inferiority Complex

It didn't take long for the smack to start the week Akron played Ohio State.

One Buckeye fan posted a welcome to Zips fans on the Akron fan site, Zipsnation.org. He wrote:

“Just wanted to stop by to say welcome to the shoe and here’s to a well played injury free game. I do not know a lot about your team. What do you consider to greatest strengths? Weaknesses?

The poor guy was slayed. I already know what Zip fans are thinking. What, we’re suppose to know what “the shoe” is? You don’t know a lot about our team — but we’re suppose to know everything about the storied Buckeyes.” What would happen if we posted on the Buckeye forum, “Welcome to the Bowl.” Would Buckeye fans know what that means?

Playing a Big 10(11) team always seems to get into a discussion about the inferiority complex of MAC fans. I’ve lived it. I’m tired of it.

No one has fought this fight more than I. While attending the Akron-Ohio State NIT game at St. John Arena in 1989, I got into a verbal joust with a Buckeye fan, who, seeing my Akron gear came up to ask, “Are they the Akron….Zips?”

I shot right back, “Is this Ohio State, home of the condescending A-holes?” (except I didn’t say A-hole)

I went to Akron in the Division II days. Now that we have climbed the ranks to D-I in all sports, I asked myself, why should I be an Ohio State fan? My school is technically on the same level. And it is MY school.

Enough time has passed since I started thinking this way that I have an emotional disconnect with Ohio State. I really don’t care if they win or lose - even to Michigan! However, I’ve been rethinking that lately.

Since Jim Tressel became head Buckeye coach, I’ve really tried to get behind Ohio State. I respect Tressel - know him from the many years he spent beating us at Youngstown State. In addition, he holds sheepskin from The University of Akron, earning his Master’s Degree while he was an assistant under Jim Dennison - another man to be respected.

So, that should be enough to be an OSU fan - right? But what happens if Tressel leaves or retires? Pretty thin reason to follow a university’s football team.

The Solution?

Here’s where I’m currently at with this conundrum - I think. As an Akron and MAC fan, I always root for a MAC team when they play out of conference. I even rooted for Kent State over Iowa State (sorry). So, when Ohio State is playing in the Big Ten or another out of state team, I shall root for the Buckeyes. However, if they’re playing a MAC school, my allegiance lies with the conference.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m going to go out and buy up all the Ohio State gear I can find (I would like a Woody hat, but don’t think I could wear it in public - yet).

This is going to have to grow on me and maybe I can still be talked out of it. Until then, I’m hoping to find peace with the Ohio State dilemma, but it has taken a long time to get here.

MAC Linkin'

2007-10-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

Ball State blogger, Doug Zeleski, reports what Ron Zook had to say about Nate Davis (before the game, but relevant nonetheless I suppose)

The Akron Beacon-Journal describes the recovery of DB, John Mackey.

Drew Ellis writes about the Central Michigan victory against Kent State last week.

OhioBobcats.com reports MAC East Player of the Week award winners.

MACReportOnline.com sounds off on the MAC's OOC performance (it's a week old, but interesting as well).

Buffalo Circling The Wagons

2007-10-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

A little introduction about myself…I’m a 2003 Miami University alumnus who will never ever refer to my alma mater with the suffix “of Ohio”. We are the real Miami, dammit. That being said, I love the Mid American Conference. I make a point to get to at least a couple of Redhawk football games each year as well as a few hoops game and have enjoyed the MAC basketball tournament at The Q for the past 3 years. I also run my own blog, sexily titled, The Money Shot. Needless to say, I jumped at this opportunity quicker than Super Tecmo Bowl Thurman Thomas because this is a conference that I love to discuss. While my topics will heavily favor the Red and White, I look forward to my weekly column each and every Tuesday. But enough about me, let’s get going with some MAC Smack.

To channel my inner-Harry Doyle, “in case you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attendance, you haven’t,” the MAC East race will largely be decided this Saturday afternoon in the friendly confines of Yager Stadium. That’s right, the East has been flipped upside down this year as two of last season’s bottom feeders, Miami and Buffalo, will face off for the lead and the inside track to the MAC Championship game. Which led me to wonder: how in the hell is Buffalo up at the top? I did some research. Let’s compare the last 2 seasons on offense for the Bulls

2006: 163.5 yards passing/game, 7 TD’s, 9 INT’s.
81.5 yards rushing/game, 14 TD’s
Points for: 18.3 Points against: 35.9
2007: 205.3 yards passing/game, 11 TD’s, 6 INT’s
138.8 yards rushing/game, 15 TD’s
Points for: 24.0 Points against: 27.3

So what does this mean? This means that head coach, Turner Gill, has got good balance on the offensive side and has cut down on the mistakes that have doomed this program for years. Drew Willy has been the QB for the past two years and James Starks is still the feature back. So they have both seen the lows and are now finally experiencing the highs. And luckily for them, the talent is finally there. Hell, they are averaging 100 yards more per game this season! That’s right, Buffalo has finally built up a stockpile of talented players that Gill has meshed into an effective offensive unit. Willy is not running for his life this year and the results are staggering. He is not having to force throws. WR Namaan Roosevelt is making plays all over the field. And the holes for Starks have allowed the Bulls offense to sustain drives and keep their undersized defense off the field.

The defense is lead by a couple of rock solid safeties in Mike Newton and Davonte Shannon. Now I have not seen a lot of the Bulls this year, but the proof is in the box scores. This defense is vastly improved. While they may not be suffocating, the Bulls defense can come up with 3 and outs when needed. That is something that could not be said in the pre-Gill days.

And that brings us to head coach Turner Gill. For my money, this is the coach of the year in all of college football thus far. If you can get Buffalo to 4-5, you are doing something right. You know how to coach. You know how to recruit. You know how to motivate. You know how to build confidence in a place where losing has been the norm. If you think Tom Osborne is not following the Bulls sitting high atop his throne in Lincoln, NE, you are crazy. We could all be looking at the next Cornhuskers head coach right in western New York.

But can the Bulls keep the winning streak going in Oxford on Saturday (in my mind, not bloody likely)? We will have to wait and see. I would never bet against a team this hot and playing with such emotion like Turner Gill has them playing with now. Win or lose, Gill has been a miracle worker and will soon be rewarded with a well deserved promotion and a handsome pay day.

MAC Power Rankings

2007-10-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

Teams appear to be separating themselves as we continue along conference play. Here is how I see it now.

1) CMU 5-4 LW(3) The Chips continue to play great against other MAC opponents. I still can not figure out how Clemson hung 70 on this team.
2) Ball State 5-4 LW(1) The Cardinals lost to a strong Illinois squad. Ball State features the only other MAC squad above .500.
3) Buffalo 4-5 LW(5) The Bulls are 3-0 in the East after a decisive win over the Zips. The Bulls could go bowling for the first time ever.
4) Miami 4-5 LW(4) The Redhawks fell to Vandy and have their showdown with Buffalo next week. This should be the game of the week for the MAC.
5) Temple 3-5 LW(6) Bye Week
6) Toledo 4-5 LW(10) WOW! The Rockets have been revived! 63 points in three quarters, 70 overall. Dominating!
7) EMU 3-6 LW(9) Impressive win over WMU. I thought EMU was improved but did not believe they would be able to handle WMU. A convincing 19-2 win.
8 ) BG 4-5 LW(2) After getting thumped by Miami, losing to Ohio has to shake the confidence of the Falcon faithful.
9) OU 4-5 LW(12) Big win over BG but still alot of things need to fall right for the Bobcats to get back into the title race.
10) Akron 3-5 LW(7) Personally, I feel disgusted with the loss. I was irritated with the loss to Temple but thought the Zips would bounce back. A decent defense with a shaky offense. The Zips are not championship material this season.
11) WMU 3-6 LW(8) A 17 point loss combined with allowing 255 yards rushing equals big problems. The Broncos are disappointing this season. The team had such a rapid improvement rates the previous two season, this year they took a step back.
12) Kent 3-6 LW(11). The team has some talent but relied heavily on their quarterback. Now that he is injuried the Flashes are going to figure out a way to win.
13) NIU 1-8 LW(13). Not much to say. Anhilated by Toledo.

A MAC Team Ranked #1?

2007-10-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

After sweeping its third series in a row, Miami is now the No. 1 team in the nation. This is the first time since January 30, 2006 that the RedHawks have been in the top spot for the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll.

Thanks to a 6-0 record, Miami received 506 points and 30-of-34 first-place votes to overtake the University of North Dakota for top billing in the poll.

Those are my boys!!! Way to go, Redhawks!!!

Recappin' the MAC: Week 9

2007-10-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

On TV......

Ohio 38, Bowling Green 27

In what was a somewhat-poorly executed game with some flashes of brilliance for each team, Ohio wound up victorious.

The game certainly wasn't exiguous in terms of excitement. Bowling Green and Ohio each made multiple mistakes that kept the game interesting. ESPN Gameplan switched after the Louisiana Tech/Utah State game was over, so the beginning of the first quarter was unavailable in my parts, but if you saw this game, you'd notice that Kalvin McRae is a huge game-changer. Almost every time he touched the ball, he was penetrating the front four and getting to the linebackers. It seemed that whenever he did get stuffed, he was able to turn that potential loss into a minor gain which is exactly what any coach would want from his running back. Early on, the offensive lines for each team were winning the battle in the trenches with Willie Geter getting to the edge and creating some plays.

The decision to bench Brad Bower turned out to be a great one with Theo Scott filling in fairly well. His decision-making was solid even though he was never really asked to do that much. His ability to scramble made life difficult for Bowling Green whereas with Bower, that option isn't exactly available. Scott's only crucial mistake wasn't exactly a poor decision, but it was a risky throw. He seemed like he forced the ball that got intercepted by John Haneline.

Even though Kalvin McRae was tremendous and became the Bobcat's all-time leading rusher, you couldn't help but get the sense that Bowling Green shot themselves in the foot far too often. As you might have noticed, Bowling Green really hurt themselves with Ohio/Toledo-esque fumbled punt returns. Gregg Brandon tried mixing things up with a gadget play that they've tried before I believe, but that got intercepted. Bowling Green's intricate offense was rolling when Geter got to the outside and when the screens developed. This was obvious on the touchdown pass where Ohio's all-out blitz backfired for a touchdown.

Of course, the major turning point of this game was the interception by Kris Luchsinger. Tyler Sheehan had his arm basically karate-chopped and the ball floated in the air before it was picked off. It was a thing of beauty for the Ohio defense.

Ultimately, this wasn't a well-played game, but Ohio did outplay Bowling Green on BGSU's homefield. This game was huge for each team's hope of going bowling, but you come away with the feeling that Gregg Brandon's bunch has rebounded from 2006. Even though they weren't good enough to come away with the win, the passing game is back on track with Sheehan. This QB has all of the physical tools and with a year under his belt by 2008, he should be one of the MAC's best. Ohio on the other hand looked like Nebraska, pounding Kalvin McRae consistently up the middle.

Illinois 28, Ball State 17

Ball State couldn't quite hang on in this valiant effort against Big 10 foe, Illinois.

After a very uneventful first quarter, Illinois opened up the scoring on a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown. On that very drive, Juice Williams gashed open the Ball State run defense for two runs of twelve yards in the process.

Soon after, Ball State responded with a Jake Hogue FG and an INT return from Mike Dorulla. Unfortunately in this game though, Frank Edmonds had to leave the game twice so the Ball State rushing attack was a little bit weakened.

Once BSU was down 21-10, Nate Davis started lighting up the Illini defense. Dante Love made some big catches, but Darius Hill was the recipient of the 24-yard TD pass. However, Jake Hogue missed a huge FG in the latter stages of the game that really swung the momentum. The Cardinals in effect got shut down offensively in the 4th quarter and that was that.

Arrellious Benn hurt the Ball State D more often than not and they also utilized him properly as a decoy. Also on the Illinois side, Juice Williams continued his poor reads and that showed on the INT return.

As for Ball State, they can take away from this game the fact that they were able to compete against one of the better Big 10 teams on the road (during homecoming no less). Nate Davis showed why he was the best QB in the MAC with his rushing ability. He didn't have a great day passing, but he was effective enough to keep them in the game. I know Brady Hoke probably isn't worried about gaining moral victories, but whatever momentum they got from this game will be used next week against Indiana.

And the Rest.....

Buffalo 26, Akron 10

Man, what is the deal with Buffalo? Turner Gill has been doing a magnificent job with the Bulls program that Jim Hofher struggled so much to turn around. Drew Willy was the exact opposite of Chris Jacquemain throwing for 125 yards and 3 TDs compared to Jacquemain's 185 yards and 2 INTs. Akron opened up the scoring with a TD run from Alex Allen, but Buffalo closed out the game with a 26-3 run.

Central Michigan 42, Kent State 31

Central Michigan is the most schizophrenic football team of all time. It's not like the Chippewas are FIU-dreadful or anything, but they've played like it in the non-conference schedule. Well, good-CMU showed up Saturday with a solid drumming of Kent State. Dan LeFevour was tremendous with a 77% completion percentage and 359 yards passing. The Golden Flashes are a little bit depleted at QB with the injury to Julian Edelman, so Giorgio Morgan filled in and did a nice job.

Vanderbilt 24, Miami OH 13

Miami OH came through with a solid effort against Vanderbilt unlike the one they experienced in Boulder a few weeks ago. The Miami OH offense got shut down late after they took a 13-10 lead in the 3rd quarter. Earl Bennett became the SEC's leading receiver, so Miami OH gets that dubious distinction.

Eastern Michigan 19, Western Michigan 2

In what is probably the most disappointing season of any MAC team, Western Michigan suffered yet another tough defeat. After opening the game 2-0 on a safety, the Broncos just couldn't hold onto the football. Due to six, that's correct, S-I-X turnovers, Eastern eventually got the best of WMU. The Eagles didn't let Tim Hiller do anything. Kyle McMahon wasn't exactly spectacular, but he got the job done.

Toledo 70, Northern Illinois 21

Has Northern Illinois ever been this bad under Joe Novak? It seems that every year, he manages to field a decent team. With their lone win coming against Idaho, they gave up an FBS season-leading 812 yards of offense to Toledo! The Rocket's offense didn't need a "show-me" kind of effort with the way they've been playing, but the 2007 Huskie defense is good for any team trying to pad their stats.

Hey....

2007-10-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Just a heads up, I'm going to begin blogging here on Sunday recapping the action. Not sure if I have enough time to preview all of the games today, so we'll save that for next week.

(EDIT: Actually, make that Monday, I DVR'ed the Ball State/Illinois and Bowling Green/Ohio games and I have yet to see those, so I'll get back to you guys on Monday)

Welcome!

2007-10-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hey, this is Eric here from Saturday Sound Offs.

Blogging has been a lot of fun (especially when you have no life to live! :D j/k). So, along with my home blog, I've decided to begin this blog about my passion for the Mid-America Conference.

Helping me out will be Dan from AK-OLDIES.org and Breezy from Red and Black Attack. I've contacted some others who might be interested, so these bloggers probably won't be all that will be members of the team.

As you might have noticed, it's titled "Mid-America Nattering" which means we want you to get involved with our idle chatter! If you feel you can contribute to the blog, feel free to drop me a line at (for now) saturdaysoundoffs@gmail.com. If not, feel free to leave a few comments.

I hope this venture winds up being pretty cool like my SSO experiment. Later!