It may not be the Big Ten, but one thing's for sure: There is plenty of seating available. The Mid-American Conference has always been like that — not just for the fans, but also for the teams. Not since the turn of the century has the MAC football championship seen a team make the game more than twice in a row. Seven teams in the last five years have won a division. That's the kind of parity that is fun for the whole family.
Granted, Central Michigan has won the thing the past two years, and by all fair assessments it will probably happen again. But the odds of who wins the MAC East is just like the geography of the schools within the division: vast, wide open and sometimes without running water.
MAC West
It feels like CMU quarterback Dan LeFevour has been in school so long he's going for his law degree, but he's only a junior. The double-threat QB is probably good enough to start for either of Michigan's Big Ten schools this year. This team feels a lot like BGSU felt about five years ago. Great offense, horrible defense. (The Chips gave up 48 points to Eastern Michigan last year.) If they can be solid on both sides of the ball, they will have three straight titles.
If anyone can take them down, look for Ball State. I've been saying “watch out for the Cardinals” for about three years now, but I really mean it this time. Nate Davis throwing to Dante Love should be fun to watch all year. Plus they might have the best punter in the nation, Chris Miller. Nov. 19 will be key for them, when they play CMU. The winner of that game probably wins the division.
And what about UT, known more commonly as “the only reason you're probably reading this preview.” The team has gone 5-7 the last two years, so the chip on the Rockets shoulders might be more of a whole potato. Gone is the running styling of Jalen Parmele, but they have playmakers left on both sides of the ball, so while I'm guessing the Rockets won't factor into the championship race, they could scrape together seven wins for a bowl bid.
Then there's Western Michigan, which always seems to get forgotten in the division, and I'm going to forget it as well. The best thing the Broncos have going for them is that they're coming off a season finale shocker win at Iowa. Their biggest challenges are games at both CMU and Ball State. A game against Northern Illinois in November could throw off their equilibrium. They might get to seven wins, but it won't be easy.
And if it's OK with you, I'm just going to pat EMU and NIU on the head and wish them the best of luck.
MAC East
The media folk say BGSU should win the wide-open East. Great, now, the Falcons have expectations. I like it better when nobody sees them coming. That way, if they falter, nobody notices. Tyler Sheehan, Freddie Barnes, Anthony Turner and Corey Partridge might be my favorite Falcon foursome in quite some time. But the team has an image problem, given that two football players were indicted after they broke into an apartment and threatened to shoot the tenants if they weren't given marijuana. There are so many things wrong with that last sentence, it should be on the back page of Highlights Magazine.
If it's not BGSU, then Miami is the obvious choice, since the RedHawks kind of won the division last year. The name of their game, unlike most other contending teams, is defense. They allowed just over 18 points a game against MAC foes, which is almost a touchdown better than their division rivals. The games might be boring with the RedHawks in uniform, but the fans will appreciate the division wins. I hate saying this, but they probably will repeat the division title.
The surprise team could be Temple. They won four games last year, including one against Miami. To boot, the Owls and head coach Al Golden are returning 21 of 22 starters. They may definitely go underneath Northwest Ohio's radar, because they don't play BGSU or UT. And even though they joined an already-crowded conference a couple years ago, making scheduling and conference depth a nightmare, Temple might actually hold its weight with a second place finish ... or maybe even first.
I'll also give a puncher's chance to Ohio, because it underachieved last year, but its defense is strong enough to stifle some of the best offenses in the league. But the Bobcats probably finish with a .500 record
Meanwhile, Buffalo, Kent State, and Akron can fight over whom I will make fun of the least.
In the end, Central Michigan will probably win the MAC Championship, and the four bowl teams will probably be CMU, Miami, BGSU and ... you know what? Temple. Temple will go to a bowl. The competition is wide enough for that to happen.
