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Prediction That Will Make Me Look Dumb: Toledo Will Win the West

If I put this in writing I can't deny it when it blows up in my face, so here goes: Kareem Hunt is enough of a monster on his own to shock the west and Toledo will win the division.

It might be wishful thinking because I love watching this guy run, but I can't shake the feeling that he'll bounce back and have a 2014-esque season. Remember that 2014 season? If you weren't a MAC loyalist you were probably watching a random weekday game and suddenly said "Whoa...this 'Hunt' guy is incredible." That's what happened to me (albeit in 2013) and suddenly I had the Rockets on my radar for the past three years. I moved during the 2014 season and wasn't able to watch much college football but would periodically check to see how "that 'Hunt' guy" was doing - turns out he was putting up 8 yards per rush. Not bad.

Hunt was rightly named the #1 MAC player in the countdown that just ended and there really isn't a close 2nd. Even last year, when he totaled "only" 973 yards on 5.5 yards per carry. Here's the thing: He missed two games from a suspension and then got injured, which nagged him for a bit. In his absence Terry Swanson proved his mettle, going for 900+ yards of his own on a ho-hum 6.5 yards per carry. Hunt's worst season was the kind of season most backs would kill for. He's coming into this season with what's being called the division's best O-Line, he has QB Logan Woodside back in the picture, and the new head coach is a former offensive coordinator who will be keen to figure out creative ways to get Hunt and Terry Swanson - who is also a stud - in space. The recipe is there for this offense to be explosive. The defense, of course, is another story.

I'm not foolish enough to think that Toledo is the favorite or that Western Michigan is going to just disappear in spite of their steady climb to success. The Rockets need some pieces to fall their way, but they were two scores from an undefeated season last year so it's not unthinkable. NIU will obviously be in the hunt as well, but Toledo will be able to outgun everyone on the way to the MAC title.

Try not to remind me of this in four weeks when they drop a winnable game early.

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