MAC East Pieces: Akron "Football" Is #1

Links about all the MAC East schools. Some of these items have admittedly aged for a couple days, but c'mon, we just launched yesterday. Give us some time to breathe and reflect.

Akron — Depending on what side of the ocean you live in, Zips football is either awful or unbeatable. American football? Well ... finishing not-last in the East would be nice for them. But European football? They're the preseason No. 1 in the country. Their only loss last year was in the championship game to Virginia, who was preliminarily voted right behind the Zips. Guess this means they're also favored to win the MAC.

Bowling Green — Feature stories on punters play so well in the sticks. In this case their fourth down man is Bryan Wright, Michigan's outgoing kickoff specialist who's using his "Greg Paulus graduate year" to punt for the Falcons.

Buffalo — The re-rebuilding mode (they dissembled so much, they're practically starting from Lego One) continues as the team is now practicing in full pads. After that? Using a football. And then: OTHER TEAMS. In other Buffalo news, Bulls blog UB Bull Run snuck Hustle Belt's vote into its preseason MAC poll, a hastily assembled list of predictions that I'll probably change in a couple weeks. Sure was nice of them to invite me, given that I, y'know, haven't really done anything yet.

Kent State — Hey, there's plenty of time to mention their upcoming season. But look to the past! CBS Sports cited one-time Flashes quarterback extraordinaire Julian Edelman as a potential breakout player among second-year dudes. I'm not sure if Chris Steuber meant to select one man from each round in the 2009 Draft, but that was the result and Edelman, a seventh-round selection, started seven games at wideout for the Patriots. He'll be expected to continue a strong NFL lineage among Josh Cribbs and Antonio Gates as "KSU athletes who become NFL stars by not doing exactly what they did in college."

Miami — Football coach Michael Haywood seems to treat his running back depth chart like Jerry Seinfeld's fictional girlfriend's speed dial. He bumped two guys down the depth chart because they were one of the few that failed their conditioning test. I'm just saying, it wouldn't hurt to bring some breakfast croissants to the next practice, for the coaches. Not as a bribe, but as a "thank you for being an awesome coach."

Ohio — They've just never been a team known for passin' the ball. Defense? Punting? Nonuple option? Sure. I suppose that's all going to change with this year's Biletnikoff Award watch list citing two MAC wide receivers: Eric Page of Toledo and the Bobcats' own LaVon Brazill. Early speculation for the senior? He's got some talent, but if his quarterback can spot him when he's open, he'll end the season with a Brazillion yards.

Temple — You hear a lot these days in the news about teams scheduling two-game series into the future, but the Owls have decided to lock up four -- four! -- dates with the Rutgers Fighting Rutgers from 2015 to 2018. Perhaps it's part of Temple's "you coulda had this sweet action all year round" tour, as the Big East jettisoned their poorest member but is now a Midwest force after a breakout 2009. It's probably wise not to get any quotes from Al Golden on this story, since he'll be coaching Notre Dame by then.