MAC Power Rankings: Week 11

1. Central Michigan – The Chips’ ticket for Detroit is all but punched, as CMU needs to win just one of the in-state clashes against WMU and EMU to advance to the title tilt. Both clashes should be emotional, but with the way Central has rolled conference opponents this year, I don’t see them losing both. So the question is: how good can they be the rest of the year, and who will be the opponent in Detroit? The defense still ranks 114^th nationally in yards and 113^th nationally in scoring; can they hone the attack in preparation for a title run?
2. Ball State – The Cardinals went for the Big Ten over the last two weeks, a disappointment to many in the MAC still hoping the league would accrue one signature non-conference victory this year. Still, the Cardinals should finish 7-5 with wins over Toledo and NIU. Ball State has been great at protecting the football this year (7^th nationally in turnover margin), and will make an enticing bowl participant if the International or GMAC bowls pick them up.
3. Miami – I’ve seen the Redhawks in person three times this year, and every time, they’ve won intense, down-to-the wire battles with defense. This week, the Redhawk D stuffed Buffalo with the MAC East on the line, and now two more wins will give the ‘Hawks a division title. Daniel Raudabaugh’s passes have more zip on them every time I come to town, and the D deserves a lot of credit for stuffing James Starks after the initial 92-yard run.
4. Buffalo – So close. The Bulls were three points away from locking up the MAC East for all intents and purposes, but came up just short with a valiant effort at Oxford. The defense wasn’t quite tough enough to contain Miami on the edges, but the Bulls never quit, getting 10 points in the last 34 seconds of the first half, and almost pulling it out at the end. Naaman Roosevelt is going to be a big, big-time player.
5. Ohio – My trip to Athens this weekend came just as Ohio is peaking, and I think I’ve got a scenario figured out that would still bring the East title to The Plains. Either way, the Bobcats are running and stopping the run better now, and might get a chance to play spoiler on the season’s final weekend against Miami. Kalvin McRae is third in the MAC in rushing yards, but leads the league in hilarious facial expressions.
6. Bowling Green – The Falcons are still the league’s most mercurial team, sandwiching brutal losses to Miami and Ohio between convincing wins over Kent, Akron and Temple. The BGSU secondary hasn’t gotten much league-wide attention, but sophomore P.J. Mahone is 4^th nationally with 6 INT, and the unit is 2^nd in the MAC against the pass.
7. Toledo – Offensively, the Rockets haven’t been held under 28 points since September 15^th against now #4 Kansas. So, they should be a MAC leader, right? Well, the defense hasn’t met a missed tackle it didn’t like, and no one in the Glass City has heard the term “coverage sack” since 2006. 115^th nationally in sacks (with 9), and 118^th in TFL (with an awful 4.2 per game), the Rockets need to create negative plays to win this week at Ball State.
8. Eastern Michigan – Jeff Genyk is making baby steps with the EMU program, but are they coming quickly enough? The defense is a solid unit, but just got bombed over and over again by Toledo this weekend en route to surrendering 52 points. How do these things happen, just 7 days after the unit holds WMU to a 2-point safety? You got me.
9. Western Michigan – Although I’d vote for Kent State, a lot of MAC observers would say the Broncos are this year’s biggest disappointment. That can all change if Western beats Central to kick off a three-game run that culminates in a MAC West title. To do it, they’ll need to beat Central, have EMU beat Central, and hope that Ball State loses twice. In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, “good luck with allll……that.”
10. Temple – The Owl D kept Temple in it Friday night at Peden, but the offense misses QB Adam DiMichele. With Penn State coming to town this weekend, the chance of going .500 is almost 0. For my money, Temple needs to beat either Kent State or WMU in the season’s final two weeks to cement all the momentum it built up this year over the offseason.
11. Akron – You get the feeling the Zips have never quite recovered from their little two-game roller coaster on which they won and lost a game in the final seconds. Carlton Jackson and Chris Jacquemain might consider these last three games an audition for next year’s starting job; hopefully for Akron, one of the two steps up and wins the job. QB by committee hasn’t worked this year.
12. Kent State – After an impressive debut against CMU, let’s see how freshman Giorgio Martin improves with the help of a bye week before facing NIU this weekend. Kicker Nate Reed has been a bright spot, with 15 of 20 FGs on the year.
13. Northern Illinois – Larry English really should get some serious consideration for MAC defensive player of the year. English has 8 of NIU’s 13 sacks; imagine what he’d be able to accomplish on a team with other defensive weapons that demanded attention. Not only has the rest of the Huskie pass rush been non-existent, but the entire D only has 6 picks in 9 games. NIU’s offense can occasionally move the ball behind Justin Anderson, but they don’t get big plays; that kind of handicap demands a turnover hungry defense.