You know my opinions on this particular conference guys. I will avoid this one like the plague.
Mid-American Conference Preview
08/07/2007 08:43 AM
By: Chance Harper
Once among the darlings of the mid-major gridiron scene, the Mid-American Conference is still trying to adjust to the loss of Marshall and Central Florida a couple of years back. But things are looking up for the MAC in 2007, and quarterbacks could help put the conference back on the college football map.
It looks like the MAC is on the road to recovery.
2007 Preview: Mid-American Conference
The conference that gave us quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich has fallen on hard times. Marshall and UCF bolted two years ago for Conference USA, which is insulting enough. Then the MAC saw strong programs in Miami-Ohio, Toledo and Bowling Green hit the skids.
But there is hope for the former darling of the mid-major scene -- and quarterbacks will once again play a central role.
The biggest story of the 2007 season should be the resurgence of the RedHawks. Big Ben’s former team fell to 2-10 (4-8 against the spread) last year, saddled by an injured offensive line that allowed QB Mike Kokal to be sacked 49 times. Kokal still managed to complete nearly 59 percent of his passes in his first full year running the RedHawks’ offense. He should blossom this year behind a healthy line and with senior running back Brandon Murphy also returning after an ankle injury kept him grounded for most of 2006. Getting back on top of the weak MAC East is a possibility; getting back to the pay window is even more likely.
The Rockets are pointing at a revival of their own. Like Miami-Ohio, a 12-year streak of winning records was snapped when Toldeo went 5-7 (5-6 ATS) in 2006. Unlike the RedHawks, Toledo has an established strong defense and just needs things to improve on the other side of the ball.
Sophomore Aaron Opelt and junior Clint Cochran will battle for the starting quarterback job; both should be much improved having survived last year’s debacle. And a fairly forgiving schedule should see the Rockets get right back into winning territory.
The Falcons round out the troika of bounce-back teams. Their 4-8 record straight up and ATS was an anomaly for coach Gregg Brandon, who was forced to use 27 freshmen thanks to a spate of injuries. Bowling Green even lost to Temple. Things will almost certainly improve on the strength of that experience. The schedule is once again a killer with seven road games, but there have been enough upgrades on offense, in the kicking game and on Brandon’s coaching staff for the Falcons to beat their share of spreads.
As the familiar threesome makes its rise back up the standings, someone will have to move in the other direction. That someone could very well be the Ohio Bobcats. They are already being tagged as a one-season wonder after winning the MAC East at 9-5 (7-5-1 ATS). Being on top of the East was nothing to brag about in 2006. Ohio was the only team to score more points than it allowed, and it barely managed that with an average winning margin of 1.6 points.
The Bobcats did it all on the ground, too, with 147 rushing yards per game and just 129 through the air. Ohio might still defend its title in the weakened East, but handicappers will be looking for juicy fade opportunities.
The Central Michigan Chippewas are the other team in danger of a letdown. They stormed the West at 10-4 (12-2 ATS) last year, a performance so powerful that it cost them coach Brian Kelly, now with the Cincinnati Bearcats. How well you think Central Michigan will do in 2007 depends almost entirely on your opinion of Kelly’s replacement, Butch Jones. The talent is certainly there to win the conference, especially with Dan LeFevour (26 TD, 10 INT) returning for a highly anticipated sophomore season. Jones spent one year under Kelly before taking over the top job, and he also learned at the feet of West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, so don’t put too much stock in CMU to skip a beat.
The same can’t be said for Kent State and Ball State. These two teams are both expecting big things in 2007; the Golden Flashes had the MAC’s best defense, while the Cardinals were the second-most profitable team at 8-3 ATS. Hold up a minute there, partner. Kent State will sorely miss 300-pound tackle Daniel Muir, now with the Green Bay Packers, and Ball State has a seven-game away slate and not enough defense to support hotshot QB Nate Davis.
The rest of the MAC should be roughly more of the same. Temple, Buffalo and Eastern Michigan will stay locked in the basement, at least for one more year, while Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Akron will hover around .500. But it’ll be a fun ride anyway.
08/07/2007 08:43 AM
By: Chance Harper
Once among the darlings of the mid-major gridiron scene, the Mid-American Conference is still trying to adjust to the loss of Marshall and Central Florida a couple of years back. But things are looking up for the MAC in 2007, and quarterbacks could help put the conference back on the college football map.
It looks like the MAC is on the road to recovery.
2007 Preview: Mid-American Conference
The conference that gave us quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich has fallen on hard times. Marshall and UCF bolted two years ago for Conference USA, which is insulting enough. Then the MAC saw strong programs in Miami-Ohio, Toledo and Bowling Green hit the skids.
But there is hope for the former darling of the mid-major scene -- and quarterbacks will once again play a central role.
The biggest story of the 2007 season should be the resurgence of the RedHawks. Big Ben’s former team fell to 2-10 (4-8 against the spread) last year, saddled by an injured offensive line that allowed QB Mike Kokal to be sacked 49 times. Kokal still managed to complete nearly 59 percent of his passes in his first full year running the RedHawks’ offense. He should blossom this year behind a healthy line and with senior running back Brandon Murphy also returning after an ankle injury kept him grounded for most of 2006. Getting back on top of the weak MAC East is a possibility; getting back to the pay window is even more likely.
The Rockets are pointing at a revival of their own. Like Miami-Ohio, a 12-year streak of winning records was snapped when Toldeo went 5-7 (5-6 ATS) in 2006. Unlike the RedHawks, Toledo has an established strong defense and just needs things to improve on the other side of the ball.
Sophomore Aaron Opelt and junior Clint Cochran will battle for the starting quarterback job; both should be much improved having survived last year’s debacle. And a fairly forgiving schedule should see the Rockets get right back into winning territory.
The Falcons round out the troika of bounce-back teams. Their 4-8 record straight up and ATS was an anomaly for coach Gregg Brandon, who was forced to use 27 freshmen thanks to a spate of injuries. Bowling Green even lost to Temple. Things will almost certainly improve on the strength of that experience. The schedule is once again a killer with seven road games, but there have been enough upgrades on offense, in the kicking game and on Brandon’s coaching staff for the Falcons to beat their share of spreads.
As the familiar threesome makes its rise back up the standings, someone will have to move in the other direction. That someone could very well be the Ohio Bobcats. They are already being tagged as a one-season wonder after winning the MAC East at 9-5 (7-5-1 ATS). Being on top of the East was nothing to brag about in 2006. Ohio was the only team to score more points than it allowed, and it barely managed that with an average winning margin of 1.6 points.
The Bobcats did it all on the ground, too, with 147 rushing yards per game and just 129 through the air. Ohio might still defend its title in the weakened East, but handicappers will be looking for juicy fade opportunities.
The Central Michigan Chippewas are the other team in danger of a letdown. They stormed the West at 10-4 (12-2 ATS) last year, a performance so powerful that it cost them coach Brian Kelly, now with the Cincinnati Bearcats. How well you think Central Michigan will do in 2007 depends almost entirely on your opinion of Kelly’s replacement, Butch Jones. The talent is certainly there to win the conference, especially with Dan LeFevour (26 TD, 10 INT) returning for a highly anticipated sophomore season. Jones spent one year under Kelly before taking over the top job, and he also learned at the feet of West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, so don’t put too much stock in CMU to skip a beat.
The same can’t be said for Kent State and Ball State. These two teams are both expecting big things in 2007; the Golden Flashes had the MAC’s best defense, while the Cardinals were the second-most profitable team at 8-3 ATS. Hold up a minute there, partner. Kent State will sorely miss 300-pound tackle Daniel Muir, now with the Green Bay Packers, and Ball State has a seven-game away slate and not enough defense to support hotshot QB Nate Davis.
The rest of the MAC should be roughly more of the same. Temple, Buffalo and Eastern Michigan will stay locked in the basement, at least for one more year, while Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Akron will hover around .500. But it’ll be a fun ride anyway.
shady, shady, shady...