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Well that was quite the week! On Tuesday, we had CMU prevent Ohio from clinching the MAC East. On Wednesday, we had EMU blowing a 21-0 halftime lead against NIU. On Saturday, we had College Gameday. Wow!
In the Pick’em, I had a bad week and pretty much played myself out of the Championship (lol, not really. The big points come in the MACCG and bowl season), but some of you had good weeks. Our winners last week were cwo262 and x22FABULOUS.
On to this week! A full slate of games, so big, big points!
Akron vs Ohio (ESPNU) - Maybe the Bobcats were waiting to clinch the East at Peden. Maybe they just wanted to crush their rival’s hopes in the most excruciatingly way possible. Either way, the Bobcats fell to 0-2 vs the Michigan MAC, yet hold that win over Toledo, and must win this one to avoid swinging the door wide-open for the RedHawks to take the East. That said, Akron sucks. Bobcats roll to Detroit.
Ball State vs Miami - Really, this is gonna hurt if the RedHawks win. Sure, they’ll be bowl eligible. They’ll be the first team to rebound from an 0-6 start to make it to a bowl game. But the MAC East will be gone due to the loss to the Bobcats to open MAC play. And that, my friends, was a very, very, very painful loss if you remember how it finished.
Central Michigan vs Eastern Michigan - I’ll never understand how these two teams played their games last week. How did CMU beat Ohio after sucking against the likes of Kent State? How did EMU blow a 21 point halftime lead to NIU AT HOME? Just, unreal. I like the Eagles on Senior Day to win the third and final leg of the Michigan MAC Trophy, which is already firmly in Kalamazoo for another year.
Northern Illinois vs Kent State - This season can’t end fast enough for the Golden Flashes. An FCS loss, injuries across the board, and that BG loss was probably the final nail in Paul Haynes’ coaching career. Maybe he gets a pass, but the Flashes haven’t been anything close to what they were when he took over. On the other hand, NIU is about to finish 3rd in the MAC West. Raise your hand if you thought that was gonna happen after the 1-6 start. It was a rough year, but Rod Carey might’ve saved his job and might get an APR bid in a bowl game. Things could’ve been MUCH worse.
Buffalo vs Bowling Green - Question for you Falcon fans: y’all wanna still fire Mike Jinks? He’s gonna avoid a double-digit loss season, AND could avoid the MAC East cellar with a win over the dismal Bulls. What’s more, the Falcons could finish THIRD in the East. It’s not a great season, but he’s a first year head coach. Cut him some slack. For the Bulls? Well, they’re looking to be the only MAC team with double-digit losses. How they beat Army, I’ll never understand. That Akron game was a product of the Zips’ awful run defense.
Toledo vs Western Michigan (ESPN2) - #BeatToledo, ‘nuff said. Winner goes to the MAC Championship. I like the Broncos’ defense a tad bit more than the Rockets’, and they have comparable offenses. This is your GOTW btw.