The B1G-MAC Swap, Week 9: As Bloomington Turns

A week ago on the B1G-MAC Swap we were treated to a delightful visit from the chrome-domed Indiana Hoosiers and their wonderfully eccentric offence. Fast forward a week, and after we sent up a new team to the B1G, our pal Jesse Collins over at Off Tackle Empire decided Indiana could use a bit more training in the MAC.

I present to you, Week 9's B1G-MAC Swap.

OTE, where kickers are cool

Off Tackle Empire

Follow

Jesse: I've been trying to figure out the bottom of the Big Ten this week. In general, I could easily argue out sending you Illinois every week until Tim Beckman is fired, but 1) that's not very fun, and 2) it would more or less go against my, "don't relegate a team on BYE" rule. Yes, I made that last rule up just now, but roll with it for now.

With last week's results, we're basically down to choosing between Iowa, Rutgers, and Indiana. Iowa was bad, and is looking worse on offense by the second, but they made it respectable and I think Maryland might be decent. Rutgers was outclassed by Ohio State, but there's a chance that Ohio State is just that good and also it's hard to demote a Rutgers team that is still decent enough record wise.

That means we're left with the Indiana Hoosiers. A team who fits the MAC better than any other B1G team and a beautiful assortment of chromed out hats. I present you with Kevin Wilson's band of merry men. Hopefully that spices things up for you.

Bryan: I was really hoping for Rutgers, and their shoe-in-mouth AD because the MAC with an AD like that would get its own reality TV show on Bravo. But the Hoosiers do feel like a MAC team. Some amazing offensive weapons, a paltry defense, and the ability to at once amaze and horrify you on any given night.

So last we checked, I believe we had Indiana as a step below the top teams in the MAC West. How do the Hoosiers stand now?

Jesse: Well, it sort of depends how you feel about Tevin Coleman. Personally, I think he has a legitimate claim to top RB in the nation. His per carry numbers, big play potential, and raw rushing totals are all among the best in all of football, and he looks damn good every time they hand it off. The problem is that Indiana is starting a Zander Diamont at quarterback. Zander. Diamont. That is not a made up name that I just threw out there to see if you're awake, and this poor kid had to learn on the fly against Michigan State.

But, to answer your question. This team is still probably a step below the top teams in the MAC West. Look, the Hoosier defense is allowing just an absurd amount of yards and points to opponents. After the Missouri game, I thought that perhaps they had turned the corner. Turns out Missouri's offense sucks and so does Indiana's defense. More importantly, with an offense that is even more one-dimensional than ever, I just think this team is going to end up beat to a bloody pulp by the end of the year. That is sort of sad, too. Wilson is still a good coach, but just has zero idea how to defense. Maybe you all can help him with that.

Bryan: I Googled "What is a Zander Diamont?" and the first thing that pops up is some article in the IndyStar telling me about how his Soap Opera actor father believes in Zander's future as the Hoosiers' quarterback.

That's probably the best acting Don Diamont has ever done. Bravo to him.

But I'm a little less confident in Indiana as being a No. 2 MAC West team. I think Toledo, the only unbeaten team in MAC play, is clearly the top squad now, but WMU (I know we promoted them, but damnit, this doesn't have to be logical) is probably No. 2, and even as bad as NIU has looked at times, the Huskies are still right there. Same with CMU, which is still a treasure chest of talent.

But that offense, with Coleman back there, can do some serious damage to every single MAC defense not based out of Akron. So, I'd say an overall finish somewhere between 4-5, with a MAC West finish anywhere from 2-4. Yes, the MAC West is substantially better at foolsball than the East. Even with EMU.

I think that wraps this week's B1G-MAC swap up. We watched our baby boy P.J. Fleck grow up, you got to get rid of some of the ugliest helmets known to man. I'd say this is a win-win.

Jesse: Totally okay with that. Enjoy our friends from Bloomington this week. As a preview to what happens next week when we reconvene, Illinois plays football again Rutgers goes to Nebraska!

————

To read Part 1 of this week's B1G-MAC Swap, head on over to OTE. And you can find EVERY B1G-MAC Swap ever here in our archives.