12 Predictions for the MAC

My first post was regarding the Big 10. Because I am from the Midwest, and an Alumni of a MAC school, I felt it important to make the MAC the focus of my second post.

(Image courtesy unknown, click image to source)

#12 - Eastern Michigan will be bowl bound again after a "just shy of a win" 2017 season

Last year Eastern Michigan lost 6 games in a row, and they were all by a margin of 7 or fewer points. What does that mean? Regardless of, the School Record setter, Brogan Roback's exit to the NFL Eastern Michigan is good enough. Coach Chris Creighton has done tremendously for the Eagles; in a program that is one of the toughest to recruit for. Western Michigan, Central Michigan and the Big 10 "Brothers/Sisters" have enough geographical space between them to recruit successfully on the home front, especially with Harbaugh going nationwide for his top players. Eastern Michigan is typically left searching for JUCO, transfer and last chance players to sustain a roster. The Eagles picked up a Transfer from Iowa, who was lost in the fold at the bottom of the Hawkeye's QB depth chart. What is even more promising is an offensive line returning all starters. The Eagles will need to capitalize on that situation because 4 of 5 of the lineman are seniors. If Coach Creighton can't bring home a bowl berth, it could be another 2 years before the Eagles touch the post season again and repeat the success of there 29 year drought-ending 2016 season.

Bonus: EMU has a high chance to win the Michigan MAC cup with a Chippewas Squad that lost many starters, and a Broncos Squad that is predicted to be a two year build team with only 9 seniors.

#11 - Ohio will win their Division and likely the MAC Championship

If the Bobcats get a similar production from QB Nathan Rourke (161att. - 292 comp. - 17 TDs - 7 INTs-2203 yds), RB A.J. Ouellette (192 att. - 1006 yds - 7 TDs), and WR Papi White (36 rec - 631y ds - 3 TDs), then expect high stats, and big digits in the points column. It should be noted that Rourke, a sophomore, did not only own his position as QB, his rushing attack also created a lot of frustration for opposing DCs. Aside from 6 fumbles, Rourke posted a 132.9 QB Rating through the air, and 912 yards on the ground, with a whopping 21 TDs. While Ouellette may have posted 1000+ yard season and 7 TDs, Rourke helped to share the ground game workload. The +1.9 per-play margin was 10th nationally. Did I mention the Bobcats posted 7.1 yards per play on first down, and only allowed 5.3 yards in the same stat category. It shouldn't surprise anyone if the Bobcats see themselves ranked by season's end Of course this is assuming they are good enough to compete with their tough non-conference opponents: at Iowa, Utah, at Florida State, at BYU. Regardless these tough match ups should make them stronger after every one of those games. If they can pull off the impossible and beat at least 3 of these teams, they will not only improve their situation, but the MAC conference as a whole. Much of their final conference position will be dictated by the crucial game on October 13th on the road against NIU. The other glaring stat from 2017 is a bottom of the barrel ranking for stopping the pass. They weren't last in the nation, but they might as well have been. Ohio returns CB Jalen Fox and safeties Javon Hagan and Kylan Nelson. The box is young on the defense, but the secondary should be seasoned enough to help bail them out off the edge.

Bonus: Rourke also recorded 2 receptions for 19 yards and a TD. The face that he is only a Sophomore, makes him one of the toughest and most versatile QBs in the MAC and the Nation.

Nathan Rourke has the kind of tenacity and versatility to make him a sleeper for some 2018/19 Awards (Image Courtesy Austin Janning/WOUB)

#10 - The MAC West will be dictated by the play of the Michigan MAC teams

All three teams played very well against the NIU Huskies, who are predicted by most as the favorite to win the West. Eastern Michigan blew a 14 point lead late in the 4th quarter. I recall the announcer of the game, saying something along the lines of 'barring a complete collapse the Eagles should have this win in the bag', what followed was 14 unanswered points and a loss in overtime. Western Michigan went back and forth entire matchup in 2017 and it could have gone either way. Central Michigan beat the Huskies 31-24. With those three teams all fighting for position in the West, the Huskies are likely to come up short of division title. NIU also did not have to face Ohio last year, and they will face off mid season on October 13th in DeKalb, Illinois.

Bonus: It is possible for there to be a 3-way tie for the Michigan MAC trophy, and that would mean that each rival only won 1 out of 2 in-state rivalries.

Central Michigan Chippewas will try to keep the Michigan MAC Trophy in 2018, but it is really anyone's game. Regardless the three teams will have a huge role on the outcome of the MAC West and with a lot of cross divisional games the full conference (Image credit unknown, click for source).

#10 - It's the year of the Buffalo!...well, almost.

The Buffalo Bulls stopped opponents behind the line a little over 14% of the time. That's the bad news. The good news? That was last season, and they return 7 starters on defense. Better news: 4 of them play in the box. The Bulls will have a .500 season. Or, at least they will have to have at least a .500 season this year, because most of those returning starters this year, will graduate at the end of the 2018 season, leaving 2019 with questionable prospects for success. With non-conference games against Delaware State, at Temple, and at Rutgers, that should be 3 easy wins. Additionally there are conference clashes against Kent State and at Bowling Green. That's 2 more wins that are in the "should win" category. One more win puts them at .500.

Bonus: WR Anthony Johnson returns after an outstanding 2017 campaign (76 rec., 1356 yds., and 14 TDs). This was a part of a 22nd national rank in passing per game. Buffalo might just be one of the toughest home games for the highly touted Ohio Bobcats, who were ranked 110th nationally in stopping the pass. A win against Ohio could completely move the Bobcats out of a top 25 rank, and any chance of going to the MAC Championship.

Anthony Johnson was not only one of the top members of the UB receiving core, but nationally one of the best. His senior season should only bring more high flying stats, as long as Tyree Jackson can continue to get him the ball downfield. (Image courtesy of UB Athletics)

#8 - Akron will finish in last, sorry Zips!

Akron had a very solid .500 season overall last year, with 6 wins in MAC play. This year however they are debuting an older, but inexperienced offense, with only 4 returning starters, only one of them is a skilled position player, WR Kwadarrius Smith, who posted 726 yards and 7 TDs. Many of the starters are upperclassman, but have no starting experience. On Defense they are pretty loaded with experience and talent in the box and a flashy Senior Safety, Jordan George, who recorded a whopping 5 interceptions in 2017. The best stat for Akron was their TO margin at +10 (19th nationally). However they will have to be better in offensive production (121st ranked offense in 2017), if they expect to make 2018 a successful season. Don't expect too much out of the young QB Kato Nelson. Even if Nelson is the clear starter, he didn't even eclipse the 1000 yard mark or post double digit passing TDs. It should also be noted that Akron will travel to face the Frost-reformed Nebraska Cornhuskers, as well as Northwestern and Iowa State. All three are very tough road games.

Bonus: There really isn't a bonus for Akron in 2018, but 2019 should be a solid year with a team that will be loaded with experience. They will still lose a lot of 1 year starters in the senior class, so expect the Zips to be very young in 2019, but loaded with talent.

Don't expect WR Kwadarrius Smith to make up for the lack of spark from the inexperienced Akron Zips (Image courtesy AP)

#7 - Bowling Green will go Bowling

The pieces are there Sophomore QB Jarret Doege was 63.8% with 1381 yards, 12 TDs and only 3 INTs. That was his first year starting. The toughest part of their schedule is the non-conference games. They will be on the road against Oregon and Georgia Tech. and Host Maryland. The biggest question mark will be the defense. In 2017 the Falcons gave up an average of 506.6 yards/game, all while scoring 27 or more points. The defense returns a very experienced secondary, lead by Safety Jamari Bozeman but the box is young. The second biggest question mark is the special teams, who lost all their impact players, including punter Joe Davidson who had a net average of 42.3.

Bonus: The Falcons will have an unlikely .500 season with a stellar group of coaches who bring with them some of that Texas style football.

Look for Jamari Bozeman to lead the secondary in 2018 (Image credit, BLADE/LORI KING)

#6 - Ball State might be the biggest sleeper team in the nation

Ball state's 2017 season was defined by injuries. Regardless, the play-calling was there, but they just could not pull off success with the personnel pieces they had. They can be a breakout team if they stay healthy, and have a load of talent available. If they can do that, they will be slated to compete in the tougher west division. The switch to 3-4 defense is also concerning, but it was a move designed to cater to their lack of defensive talent up front. But a 3 man rush will be tough against teams like Notre Dame, Indiana, NIU, Central Michigan...everyone on their schedule except for Central Connecticut State, Western Michigan, and Kent State. Sleeper is the best way to categorize the Cardinals because they may not wake up either.

Bonus: The depth at RB is astounding, and WR Yo'Heinz Tyler is 6'4" and more WR talent could follow in the coming years with Mike Neu who was a member the New Orleans Saints staff.

WR Yo'Heinz Tyler might be the spark Ball State needs for recruiting and winning (Image Courtesy unknown, click image for source)

#5 - Miami (Ohio) is the definition of a make or break team in 2018

Miami of Ohio has all the tools in terms of experience, and they turned their 2-5 start around to finish 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the MAC in 2017. Miami of Ohio has had successful seasons in the past, and many good coaches have built their resume in the "Cradle of Coaches", before going on to become great Head Coaches elsewhere. To name a few: Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Jim Young, Randy Walker, Jim Tressel, John Harbaugh and Ron Zook. But it has been 2 years since a bowl appearance, and almost 8 years since the Red Hawks won a MAC championship, or even appeared in that game (they did it with an interim coach, Lance Guidry).

Bonus: Chuck Martin does still have a 90-40 Career Record overall, but hasn't posted a winning season since arriving at Miami. he came close in 2016 when he tied for 1st in the East but by a beat out win did not make it to the Conference Championship game. Now that I think about it...we're not sure this is really a bonus point at all.

Chuck Martin has the resume to boast, but he needs to come through in 2018 to get the Cardinals Rolling into the future. Injuries dictated the 2017 season, can they stay healthy? (Image credit Getty Images)

#4 - The winner of division will actually be tied with another team, and get to the Championship by beating the team they tied with.

This prediction is a little wordy, but bear with us as we explain. Northern Illinois (West) gets in or doesn't get in by winning or losing to the 2nd place team, our guess is Toledo or Western Michigan. Ohio gets in or doesn't get in by winning or losing to Buffalo or Miami (OH). One of our most confident predictions is that a team from Michigan or Ohio will be playing in the Championship (if we have to tell you that is a punchline, then you need to visit wikipedia).

Bonus: For #MACtion fans, the conference is possibly the most competitive it has been in a while if not ever. We expect to only see half of our predictions be wrong because the Group of 5 is the hardest level of play to predict, with lack of TV coverage and notice. That makes MAC football some of the most entertaining to watch. Think back on the SEC in 2017. It would be hard to find fans who could claim that 2017 was competitive for the SEC. With the Big 10 being so competitive as well, the Midwest is easily the most competitive area of the country for football right now. There are 10 FBS and FCS football teams in Ohio alone and 5 FBS programs in Michigan. That doesn't even touch what the Grand Valley State, a D-II Program, has accomplished. Brian Kelly spent 13 years at GVSU before leaving for Central Michigan University, and amassing a 118–35–2 record.

Central Michigan upset the Kansas in 2017, but turned around and lost to Syracuse (Image courtesy of Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports)

#3 - Eastern Michigan can, and very likely will be the toughest win for their opponents.

Unlike last season where EMU lost their leads, it will be in reverse. Eastern started to show signs of finishing, but still came up short. Those few breaking plays will start to sway in their favor at some point, as long as the QB situation is solid enough. If not, expect a lot of short TE action with newly acquired junior transfer Thomas Okudkoya and lightly experienced Bryce Kemp (6 REC, 119 yds., 1 TD). The Eagles offensive scheme is built around the mentality of a quickly collapsing pocket, but the line returns all starters this season, and a new QB, trying to fill the shoes of the absent Roback, is going to need time to build a passing game. They had great success with TE action last season in clutch moments. Senior RB Ian Eriksen (179 att., 810 yds., 8 TDs) was on the Doak Walker Award watch list last year, he will return, and take on a much increased role, with a passing development and building year. Expect him to be more active in the backfield passing game.

Bonus: The Eagles can only go up. The fact that Coach Creighton wants to stick around, and had a huge breakout season in 2016. The Eagles were on a 29 year bowl drought..2 years is tolerable. The Eagles get a chance to showcase their talent against a very improved Purdue squad after opening against a lower classed Monmouth team who is actually very talented in their own division. Between the two opening games they should have plenty of preperation to be tough against their later conference foes. You can still expect a bitter loss against San Diego State in week 3.

Ian Eriksen looks to improve on a standout 2017 season, and will likely have to carry a huge load with the exit of Brogan Roback (Image Credit to the Charlotte Observer/Getty Images)

#2 - Ulysses Gilbert will the be the best player on the worst team.

If you haven't seen Akron LB Ulysses Gilbert in action, the guy has wheels, quickness and the head to play at the next level. Right now Maxx Crosby of EMU and Sutton Smith of NIU are the biggest names on MAC defenses. Expect them to be overshadowed by Gilbert. Gilbert posted 141 tackles, 9.5 TOFL, 5 sacks, 5 QB hits, 4 pass breakups, and 3 int. for 69 yards returned in 2017. Expect his senior season to be just as good if not better.

Bonus: Maxx Crosby had 11 sacks, and Sutton Smith had 14. So if they are being overshadowed by Gilbert...that speaks volumes. If you want to see Gilbert's junior season highlights you can visit here.

Ulysses Gilbert...I rest my case (Image Credit Unknown, click image for source)

#1 - The MAC will have one Heisman candidate at some point in the season, but still not likely to finish a finalist or win.

We explained, earlier in this article, our argument for the talent that is Nathan Rourke. Hands down, Rourke is the most talented QB and possibly the most athletic in the MAC. QB Tyree Jackson of Buffalo, and QB Gus Ragland at Miami aren't bad either. However, Ohio has more talent surrounding their QB to give him the tools he needs to display Heisman numbers.

Bonus: It's not really a bonus, but lets not forget this is the MAC conference we are talking about, and if Rourke can compete against their tough non-conference foes, or even win, there shouldn't be any question as to why Rourke will be in the discussion. Besides, every conference deserves at least one preseason Heisman possibility.

QB Nate Davis was the last MAC player to even touch the Heisman discussion...that was 10 years ago in 2008 (Ball State quarterback Nate Davis (Image credit, Chris Bergin/ The Star Press)