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You thought the MAC had chances to impress the nation the last two weeks? You thought a few victories over Power Five teams was a good springboard into conference play?
Don't get too far ahead of yourself, because Week Four could be a big one for the MAC, and with two-thirds of the conference's teams on the road, it's a big weekend for you, the couch-bound viewer or the intrepid Midwest traveler headed to see your team play a ranked opponent. Or Purdue.
Can we all agree that Northwestern is overrated at #17? Maybe we can't. I can agree with myself, at least. Maybe you can talk about it in the comments. Maybe we can definitely agree that Pat Fitzgerald is the Northwesterniest and all things considered Ball State is a pretty good nightcap on the MAC slate. Other ranked opponents hosting the MAC include #1 Ohio State (Western Michigan) and #2 Michigan State (Central Michigan) again, and #6 Notre Dame bringing in UMass.
Maybe you can look past the four ranked opponents and see three upsets in the making. Hope you enjoyed your fun, northwest Ohio, because there's more coming, and more joining the party. Bowling Green catches a Purdue team that already boasts a transitive loss to Ohio, Northern Illinois catches Boston College with even fewer quarterback than the five-sevenths of a quarterback they started the season with, and Ohio could probably beat Kent State by more than three, Minnesota. That's teams #2, 3, and 4 in the Hustle Belt Power Rankings.
In G5 action, Marshall, Western Kentucky, and Louisiana-Lafayette should all be fun for Kent, Miami, and Akron. Nobody knows anything, really, about Buffalo or Nevada yet, and Eastern hosts Army in the "Our outside rushing attacks got Jeff Quinn fired woo" Bowl.
| Time | Home | Away | TV/Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | #2 Michigan State (3-0) | Central Michigan (1-2) | Big Ten Network |
| 12:00 PM | Purdue (1-2) | Bowling Green (1-2) | Big Ten Network |
| 1:00 PM | Boston College (2-1) | Northern Illinois (2-1) | ESPN3 |
| 3:30 PM | Minnesota (2-1) | Ohio (3-0) | Big Ten Network |
| 3:30 PM | #6 Notre Dame (3-0) | Massachusetts (0-2) | NBC |
| 3:30 PM | Kent State (1-2) | Marshall (2-1) | ESPN3 |
| 3:30 PM | Western Kentucky (2-1) | Miami (1-2) | CBS Sports Network |
| 3:30 PM | Buffalo (2-1) | Nevada (1-2) | ESPN3 |
| 3:30 PM | #1 Ohio State (3-0) | Western Michigan (1-2) | ABC/ESPN2 |
| 6:00 PM | Eastern Michigan (1-2) | Army (0-2) | ESPN3 |
| 7:00 PM | Louisiana Lafayette (1-1) | Akron (1-2) | ESPN3 |
| 7:00 PM | Toledo (2-0) | Arkansas State (1-2) | ESPN3 |
| 8:00 PM | #17 Northwestern (3-0) | Ball State (2-1) | Big Ten Network |
Your Pick 'em spreads for this week:
#2 Michigan State (93%) over Central Michigan
Bowling Green (90%) over Purdue
Northern Illinois (77%) over Boston College
Minnesota (70%) over Ohio
#6 Notre Dame (94%) over UMass
Marshall (93%) over Kent State
Western Kentucky (87%) over Miami
Buffalo (74%) over Nevada
#1 Ohio State (96%) over Western Michigan
Eastern MIchigan (61%) over Army
Louisiana-Lafayette (73%) over Akron
Toledo (94%) over Arkansas State
#17 Northwestern (93%) over Ball State
Top three high team selections:
1. Bowling Green - 57.1%
2. Toledo - 27.1%
3. Northern Illinois - 7.1%
Top three low team selections:
1. Western Michigan - 24.3%
2. UMass - 21.4%
3. Kent State - 12.9%
It all starts at noon with Chips-Spartans. Unless you don't have the Big Ten Network. Then it starts at 1:00 with Huskies-Eagles. Worst case 3:30 with Minutemen-Fighting Irish. Point is it'll start eventually.