MACtion Week 7 Weekend Watchability

Wasn’t last weekend the best? Multiple touchdown favorites ending up in one-possession games, top five programs getting upset, and even in our little corner of the football landscape, wildness beyond belief in the form of a 7OT game that went from matinee to night game thanks to Buffalo and Western Michigan deciding that regulation time and 6 OTs wasn’t enough.

This weekend you’ve got 11 MAC teams in action with 5 MAC-on-MAC contests and EMU wrapping up their out of conference season against Army. Here’s what’s on tap for Week 7 and where you should spend your watching minutes...

Must See TV
Toledo Rockets @ Central Michigan Chippewas (Saturday, 3:30PM)

For the Rockets, this is the next in line for their run to Detroit, but being a conference game on the road, it is must watch for a whole host of reasons. CMU was the dark horse pick for the MAC this season and though the Chips’ 2017 hasn’t fared the way we thought it would, the talent is still there. Do not be surprised at all if this is a close game and even a potential upset.

Worth a Watch
Eastern Michigan Eagles @ Army Black Knights (Saturday, 12:00PM)
Northern Illinois Huskies @ Buffalo Bulls (Saturday, 3:30PM)

Any game featuring Army and their option attack is worth a watch if only for a throwback of sorts to football yesteryear. When run with precision, it’s a thing of beauty. When mistakes happen they are big ones and wildly entertaining. This game will also let you see which EMU team you should expect for the back half of the season.

Buffalo/NIU gets our second-highest billing for much the same sort of rationale. I’m not entirely sure what to make of either team yet, but the opportunities for them to define themselves are getting less and less with each passing week. I’m also thankful this is a home game for the Bulls because traveling out of Buffalo to anywhere lengthy after a 7OT game would be the worst.

If There’s Nothing Else On
Ohio University Bobcats @ Bowling Green Falcons (Saturday, 3:30PM)
Akron Zips @ Western Michigan Broncos (Saturday, 3:30PM)

Talk about two different feelings around a program. BG is likely riding high after winning their first game of the season and putting a little slack in the hangman’s firing noose for Mike Jinks. Ohio, on the other hand, after a home loss to CMU all of a sudden doesn’t look like the runaway favorite in the MAC East. There’s a little chaos now thanks to last week, but a BG win over the Bobcats would throw that division into complete disarray. Worth keeping your eye on, on the off chance something crazy happens.

Akron beat Ball State last week, but this season has proven that’s not a huge accomplishment in and of itself. Now the Zips get to prove their mettle against one of the best in the conference when they head to Kalamazoo for the WMU Broncos. While everything on paper seems to point to a WMU win, it’s worth checking out to start to see if the Broncos handle business or leave the door open. Akron is a talented team and worth score tracking while you’re doing other things.

Are You Sure You Want to Do That?
Miami-Ohio Redhawks @ Kent State Golden Flashes (Saturday 3:30PM)

Look, Miami, I’m appreciative of your willingness to help out Bowling Green last week get their first win of the season, but a one-time gift that turns into two-time charity may mean we’re in the midst of a crummy football pattern. The RedHawks are 2-4 and need a rebound after whatever last week was in the worst way. For Kent State, at 1-5, this could go a long way to quieting those outside the football family grumbling about a lack of success on the field. But this is going to painful to watch unless you’re a tried and true supporter of these two programs. And even then, it’s still going to sting.