MAC Football

MAC Football Power Rankings: Week 8

There's some shuffling going on in the middle ranks as we wrap up another week of MAC Football.

By Bryan M. Vance Oct 20, 2013, 9:00am EDT

Rod Carey's Huskies remain the top dogs in our power rankings after another win.

Rank	Rank (Pv)	Team	Record	What We Learned
1	1	No. 23 NIU	7-0 (3-0)	The Huskies just keep on rolling. Cameron Stingily has an off day, no problem, Jordan Lynch just steps up with an NCAA record-breaking game. Sure, the game was close until about the final eight minutes, but then NIU ran away, and it was brutal. This team just knows how to win, especially with tis back against the wall.
2	2	Ball State	7-1 (4-0)	A slow start vs Western Michigan had some worried at first, but by the end of the first half the Cardinals offense was clicking. Keith Wenning, Jahwan Edwards and Willie Snead continue to be the best 1-2-3 punch in college football, but the loss to North Texas keeps them below NIU in the rankings.
3	3	BGSU	5-2 (3-0)	Bye week, nothing to see here.
4	5	Ohio	5-2 (2-1)	The 'Cats came out firing Saturday, only to find themselves in a race with a highly emotional and inspired team. But in the end, despite injuries Ohio proved once again that it is one of the top teams in the MAC. Tyler Tettleton was magnificent in his career day and his receiving corps is quickly developing into one of the best in the conference. With a tune up game at home this week against Miami, expect Ohio and Buffalo to be a very interesting showdown.
5a	4	Toledo	4-3 (2-1)	Toledo's non-conference schedule was brutal, and that keeps proving itself over and over again as teams like Missouri dismantle SEC foes. But, a sloppy defensive effort against a completely one-sided offense makes them take a slight dive backwards, though it likely won't last as a strong showing or two in the next few weeks could have the Rockets in the Top 4 once more.
5b	5b	Buffalo	5-2 (3-0)	This may seem ludicrous after a fifth straight win, and another big one at that, but the problem is the Bulls still haven't beaten anyone of substance. Ohio beat EMU by the same differential as the Bulls, but were facing an EMU squad that was fired up in the wake of tragedy. Buffalo is just a victim of a weak schedule so far. But with four of their last five games coming against bowl teams from last year, we'll found out real quick how real the Bulls are.
7	8	CMU	3-5 (2-2)	Two straight weeks of impressive fights, one successful, one falling short in the end, and it's clear this CMU team is starting to hit its stride. Cooper Rush is playing like a veteran now, and Saylor Lavallii is more than a Zurlon Tipton fill in, he's one of the nation's leading rushers. The defense still has some issues as a whole, but possess some of the best line backers in the conference. With three easy games at the end of the schedule, CMU could wind up stumbling its way into bowl eligibility, again.
8	7	Kent State	2-6 (1-3)	Kent State was outplayed from top to bottom by South Alabama, a team in its second season as an FBS school. Trayion Durham has vanished, and the banged up defense continues to get torched. This team's issues run deep, and they won't be solved anytime soon.
9	9	Akron	2-6 (1-2)	The Zips finally did it. After numerous close calls, Akron finally beat an FBS opponent. The problem, that opponent was Miami, and the Zips almost blew it. Akron is still a bottom dweller, but no longer THE bottom dweller.
10	10	EMU	1-6 (0-3)	Eastern showed a lot of heart Saturday vs. Ohio. Bronson Hill bulldozed his way through an intimidating Bobcats' defensive line. The problem, is most of that early success was fueled by emotion. EMU is still a struggling team with lots of holes. But it was nice to see them fight so hard.
11	11	UMass	1-6 (1-2)	UMass was steamrolled by Buffalo and continues to have an anemic offense worse than any team in the MAC. The Minutemen do have a conference win though, so it's hard to put them below the two winless teams in the MAC.
12	12	WMU	0-8 (0-4)	Man oh man, I don't know what else to say about the Broncos that hasn't been said already.
13	13	Miami	0-7 (0-3)	Miami has shown strides of success for several weeks now as the Don Treadwell firing has clearly been a good things for the team. With the offense starting to figure out its identity, Austin Boucher has improved in his more traditional role.

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