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A couple months back, I took a look at some entirely-too-early bowl projections and commented that the MAC could once again have a banner year in terms of the lower bowls. A similar picture is still in the works as we have progressed in the season. Three teams (Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan) have all attained bowl eligibility thus far, with Toledo and Bowling Green close behind at 5 wins apiece. Ohio and Akron are both 2 wins away, though it remains to be seen if they can even maintain their momentum at this point in the season.
Buffalo and Ball State, both of whom were early favorites to get a bowl, are virtually out of the picture entirely unless they win the MAC Championship.
The rest of the picture from there? Hella murky. As before, I will provide both projections and their normal tie-ins in ascending order by calendar date. This time, I will leave the commentary up to ya'll in the comments section.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl-- Boise, ID, 12/20/2014
MAC at-large vs. Mountain West at-large
SB Nation: Bowling Green Falcons vs. Nevada Wolfpack -or- CBS: Akron Zips vs. Air Force Falcons
Raycom Media Camelia Bowl-- Birmingham, AL, 12/20/2014
MAC 3 vs. Sun Belt 3 (ACC backup)
SBN: Akron Zips vs. Arkansas State RedWolves -or- CBS: Toledo Rockets vs. Texas State Wildcats
Boca Raton Bowl-- Boca Raton, FL, 12/23/2014
C*USA at-large vs. MAC 4/5
SBN: UAB Blazers vs. Ohio Bobcats -or- CBS: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Central Michigan Chippewas
Popeye's Chicken Bahamas Bowl-- Nassau, BAH, 12/24/2014
C*USA at-large vs. MAC 4/5
SBN: Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Toledo Rockets -or- Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. Western Michigan Broncos
Quick Lane Bowl-- Detroit, MI, 12/26/2014
ACC at-large vs. B1G at-large (MAC backup)
SBN: Boston College Eagles vs. Western Michigan Broncos (WMU replaces B1G at-large. No CBS projection.)
Armed Forces Bowl-- Fort Worth, TX, 1/2/2015
American vs. Army/Big XII 7/B1G at-large
CBS: Houston Cougars vs. Ohio Bobcats (Ohio replaces Army/Big XII 7/B1G at-large. No SBN projection.)
GoDaddy.com Bowl-- Mobile, AL, 1/4/2015
MAC 1 vs. Sun Belt 2
SBN: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. South Alabama Jaguars -or- CBS: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
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Just kidding. I will provide a little bit of commentary.
There a couple of major surprises here. Neither poll holds much faith in Toledo or Bowling Green, with both schools only being selected by one poll for one bowl despite being preseason favorites to meet in the MAC Championship. Meanwhile, both polls believe that Northern Illinois will still win the MAC Championship, even though they were not projected to win their division. SB Nation does not believe that Central Michigan will go bowling, even if they finish 8-4. The biggest surprise in the poll is Ohio being chosen to replace a slot normally reserved for a Big XII 7, B1G at-large, or Army despite a poor showing in conference play this season.