MAC Linkin': 2/08

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.

MAC Senior Bowlers

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

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

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.

Preview: GMAC Bowl

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).

MAC Linkin': 1-4

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.

2008 MAC Schedules Thus Far

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.

Opponents You Should Know

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.

MAC Bowl Bids Announced

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

Playing Catch-Up

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.


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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.

Previews: Akron/CMU, Toledo/BGSU

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

Saturday Sound Offs

Game Previews: Week 12

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.