Starting this blog as a one-man musical in August 2010 did not yield me the requisite time to cobble together dedicated team previews. For this, I apologize and vow that it won't be like this next year. You will, however, be subjected to off-the-cuff predictions of every game involving a MAC team. I'm not a total cad.
And really, it's the only way to go through season predictions. You can't just assert, "yeah, such-and-such team can probably win seven games." Well, they call can win seven. Actually, technically any team can win 12 games. Plus the MAC championship. Plus a bowl game. So, 14 games. Anybody want to go that far off the reservation and say a MAC team will go 14-0?
Predicted wins in bold. Teams against FCS teams in italics. Blank boxes are bye weeks.
|
MAC East |
Akron Zips |
Buffalo Bulls |
Bowling Green Falcons |
Kent State Golden Flashes |
Miami RedHawks |
OHIO BOBCATS |
Temple Owls |
| Week 1 | Syracuse | Rhode Island | @Troy | Murray State | @Florida | Wofford | Villanova |
| Week 2 | Gardner-Webb | @Baylor | @Tulsa | @BC | EMU | Toledo | CMU |
| Week 3 | @Kentucky | UCF | Marshall | @Penn State | Colorado State | @Ohio State | UConn |
| Week 4 | @Indiana | @UConn | @Michigan | @Missouri | @Marshall | @Penn State | |
| Week 5 | NIU | @BGSU | Buffalo | @Miami | Kent State | @EMU | @Army |
| Week 6 | @Kent State | @OHIO | Akron | @Cincinnati | BGSU | @NIU | |
| Week 7 | @OHIO | @NIU | @Temple | @Toledo | @CMU | Akron | BGSU |
| Week 8 | WMU | Temple | Kent State | @BGSU | OHIO | @Miami | @Buffalo |
| Week 9 | @Temple | Miami | @CMU | Ball State | @Buffalo | UL-Lafayette | Akron |
| Week 10 | @Ball State | @OHIO | Temple | Buffalo | @Kent State | ||
| Week 11 | Ball State | Miami | Army | @BGSU | |||
| Week 12 | Miami | EMU | @Toledo | @WMU | @Akron | @Temple | OHIO |
| Week 13 | Buffalo | @Akron | WMU | OHIO | Temple | @Kent State | @Miami |
| Overall | 4-8 | 4-8 | 5-7 | 7-5 | 3-9 | 7-5 | 9-3 |
| Conf | 3-5 | 3-5 | 4-4 | 5-3 | 3-5 | 5-3 | 7-1 |
|
MAC West |
Ball State Cardinals |
Central Michigan Chippewas |
Eastern Michigan Eagles |
Northern Illinois Huskies |
Toledo Rockets |
Western Michigan Broncos |
| Week 1 | SE Missouri | Hampton | Army | @Iowa State | Arizona | @Michigan State |
| Week 2 | Liberty | @Temple | @Miami | North Dakota | @OHIO | Nicholls State |
| Week 3 | @Purdue | @EMU | CMU | @Illinois | @WMU | Toledo |
| Week 4 | @Iowa | @Northwestern | @Ohio State | @Minnesota | @Purdue | |
| Week 5 | @CMU | Ball State | OHIO | @Akron | Wyoming | Idaho |
| Week 6 | WMU | @Virginia Tech | @Vanderbilt | Temple | @Boise State | @Ball State |
| Week 7 | EMU | Miami | @Ball State | Buffalo | Kent State | @Notre Dame |
| Week 8 | @Toledo | @NIU | @Virginia | CMU | Ball State | @Akron |
| Week 9 | @Kent State | BGSU | Toledo | @WMU | @EMU | NIU |
| Week 10 | Akron | WMU | @CMU | |||
| Week 11 | @Buffalo | @Navy | @WMU | Toledo | @NIU | EMU |
| Week 12 | NIU | @Buffalo | @Ball State | BGSU | Kent State | |
| Week 13 | @Toledo | NIU | @EMU | @CMU | @BGSU | |
| Overall | 3-9 | 5-7 | 1-11 | 8-4 | 7-5 | 6-6 |
| Conf | 1-7 | 4-4 | 1-7 | 6-2 | 6-2 | 4-4 |
Post-predictive thoughts:
• This is going to be a down year for a bunch of teams, which usually results in parity. Hence, all teams should feel good about this season. Even you, Ball State.
• Astute observers will notice that this makes my conference winners Temple and Toledo. A showdown between TU and UT will decide which is the proper order of those two letters.
• This also gives us seven (six!) bowl-eligible teams. But no more than five -- and probably four -- will get the additional ceremonial postseason opponent.
• I had "Michigan" under the BG column in bold, briefly. Just to see what it would feel like. Then I unbolded myself back to reality.
• In about two weeks I'm going to hate some of these picks. Okay ... all of them.
• Formatting tables is a highly-irritable succubus.
What are your predictions, for some or all teams? Exactly how full of baloney are these tables?