2006 MAC Football Predictions

BGSU33 · Post by **BGSU33** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 7:27 pm

I see we have a thread going on for what people think BG will do this upcoming season, so I thought I’d get a different thread started to see what everyone thinks the conference standings will look like in 2006. After looking at the key returners in the MAC, the schedules for all the teams (who has home field advantage over who), coaching changes, etc., here’s my picks:

MAC EAST
1. Akron
2. Ohio
3. Bowling Green
4. Miami
5. Buffalo
6. Kent State

MAC WEST
1. Northern Illinois
2. Toledo
3. Western Michigan
4. Central Michigan
5. Ball State
6. Eastern Michigan

MAC Championship: Northern Illinois vs. Akron

MAC Champion: Northern Illinois

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:47 pm

I don't see Ohio winning more than 4 games all year. I am not convinced they have anything going....yet.

BGDrew · Post by **BGDrew** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:53 pm

There's a lot of JUCO talent on OU's team. I don't think they'll be near the top this year, but next year they'll be scary good.

In the West I actually think Toledo will win it with NIU in 2nd.

Spart43 · Post by **Spart43** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:03 pm

Ok, I have never partaking in this prediction stuff but here is my longshot picks.

MAC EAST
1. Bowling Green & Akron
2. Miami
3. Buffalo
4. Ohio
5. Kent State

MAC WEST
1. Northern Illinois & Ball State
2. Toledo
3. Central Michigan
4. Western Michigan
5. Eastern Michigan

BG gets the tiebreaker over Akron and NIU over Ball State.

So, go ahead and laugh. It won't be funny when I am right. We will see.

And no I didn't put alot of analysis into this.

Go Falcons!

San Diego Falcon · Post by **San Diego Falcon** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:18 pm

If OU has a winning record this year, I'll eat a bug (maybe Solich's tequila worm)

BGSU33 · Post by **BGSU33** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:30 pm

Spart43 wrote:Ok, I have never partaking in this prediction stuff but here is my longshot picks.

MAC EAST
1. Bowling Green & Akron
2. Miami
3. Buffalo
4. Ohio
5. Kent State

MAC WEST
1. Northern Illinois & Ball State
2. Toledo
3. Central Michigan
4. Western Michigan
5. Eastern Michigan

BG gets the tiebreaker over Akron and NIU over Ball State.

So, go ahead and laugh. It won't be funny when I am right. We will see.

And no I didn't put alot of analysis into this.

Go Falcons!

I'll be the first to say I hope you are right and that I am not, and no, I won’t be laughing at your picks or anyone else's for that matter. That is what is fun about making predictions, because many of them don’t pan out by people like us or the “experts” that make them. Last year in football and basketball in the MAC, pretty much everyone pegged BG and Ohio to run away with the MAC, respectively. It turned out to be Akron in football and Kent State in basketball. As for Akron winning the MAC in football, I don’t think anyone saw that one coming this past season – including Akron fans. I picked Miami to win the MAC East last year and for BG to finish second. I thought we’d come up short, and we did, but no way did I expect to go 5-3 in the MAC or 2-3 at home. Heck, I remember the heat I took from some people for picking Miami to win the East….I can only imagine the things people would have said if I had picked Akron last year.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 9:30 am

Spart43 wrote:Ok, I have never partaking in this prediction stuff but here is my longshot picks.

MAC EAST
1. Bowling Green & Akron
2. Miami
3. Buffalo
4. Ohio
5. Kent State

MAC WEST
1. Northern Illinois & Ball State
2. Toledo
3. Central Michigan
4. Western Michigan
5. Eastern Michigan

BG gets the tiebreaker over Akron and NIU over Ball State.

So, go ahead and laugh. It won't be funny when I am right. We will see.

And no I didn't put alot of analysis into this.

Go Falcons!

I'll take that Spart! Looks good from here. Hope it ends up that way.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 9:39 am

BGDrew wrote:There's a lot of JUCO talent on OU's team. I don't think they'll be near the top this year, but next year they'll be scary good.

In the West I actually think Toledo will win it with NIU in 2nd.

Just because a team imports a load of JUCO talent doesn't mean they're gonna be good. Look at Temple...they have tons of JUCO's every year.
I'm not saying there isn't talent in Athens. I'm just saying nothing they've shown has convinced me they will be a major player in the East in 2006. Yes, they beat Pitt last year....but got drilled by 20+ points by BG, CMU, Akron and a couple others.

Spart43 · Post by **Spart43** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:38 am

I just don't see OU doing much this year either. I have tried a number of times to get in contact with their coaches. My youngest, Austin, has a full academic scholarship to go there and wanted to walk on the team at WR. But they just continue to ignore us. No call backs and no answered email. Looks like he will go to Marietta and play there and get ready for med school.

I was impressed with Ball State last year and think they will show some stuff this year. Don't know if they lost a lot of players or not.

As for Buffalo, I think they are on the rise and will surprize some people this year.

Toledo will have a great running game and will be run first all year and it will be tough to stop them.

This is all based on nothing in particular.

BG will just get better and better as the year goes on. The young players will mature by the mid point and really be ready for that november schedule. We will most likely lose to Wisc. and OSU and will stumble maybe in two other games, but you will all be very happy with this team in November. The schedule is going to work out to our advantage by seasons end.

Just hope Corey will be healthy all season so he can really show his stuff.

bgsufalcon24 · Post by **bgsufalcon24** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 1:28 am

My 2006 MAC Predictions

MAC East
1.Bowling Green
2.Akron
3.Ohio
4.Miami
5.Kent State
6.Buffalo

Really there are 4 contenders in what should be an extremely weak East division. You have the overacheivers from last year in Akron, the up and comers in Ohio, and the two teams that got shaken up in the offseason in BG and Miami. I really don't like Miami's team going into this season, and I'm not really sold on Ohio as long as they don't bring it on the field. That leaves BG and Akron, and the November 4 game at the Rubber Bowl could decide the division title.

MAC West
1.Northern Illinois
2.Central Michigan
3.Ball State
4.Toledo
5.Western Michigan
6.Eastern Michigan

The MAC West is MUCH tougher than the East this season, with 4 possible title contenders. WMU is screwed without Hiller, so they appear headed for regression, while EMU won't contend at all. Ball State is getting better, while CMU didn't lose much from their team last season, both of those teams will be tough. Toledo shouldn't be any worse than last season, but given the toughness of the West they might be as bad as 4th. Bottom line is, one of the teams from 2-4 is gonna get pounded by conference competition, which is in stark contrast to the East where BG and Akron should be on a collision course all season at the top. The undoubted favorite in the MAC West and the whole MAC is Northern Illinois, as along with one of the tougher defenses in the conference, they return the best RB and best QB in the MAC going into the season. Even in the stacked West, they should run away with the division

MAC Championship - Bowling Green vs Northern Illinois
I hate to say it, but if we manage to not lose by more than 20, we played well in this one. Northern Illinois to steamroll to MAC Championship.

svillefalcon · Post by **svillefalcon** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 1:41 am

i agree with your picks 24 but get lucky to loose by less than 20...c'mon...i know garret wolfe is very good, but NIU's defense will not be anything to be scared of...basically if you can keep wolfe under 200 yards rushing...you have a good chance of beating NIU...its not like USC is in our conference. I mean, we were supposed to steam roll to the MAC title last year, and we didnt even get into a bowl (even though we got snubbed) still...things dont always work out they way they are "supposed to." Who in the world picked Ak-"rowdy" was gonna win the MAC title in 2005. I doubt a lot of people outside BG are thinking we can win it...but who knows...

bgsufalcon24 · Post by **bgsufalcon24** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:05 am

svillefalcon wrote:i agree with your picks 24 but get lucky to loose by less than 20...c'mon...i know garret wolfe is very good, but NIU's defense will not be anything to be scared of...basically if you can keep wolfe under 200 yards rushing...you have a good chance of beating NIU...its not like USC is in our conference. I mean, we were supposed to steam roll to the MAC title last year, and we didnt even get into a bowl (even though we got snubbed) still...things dont always work out they way they are "supposed to." Who in the world picked Ak-"rowdy" was gonna win the MAC title in 2005. I doubt a lot of people outside BG are thinking we can win it...but who knows...

Well, maybe that statement was somewhat sarcastic. But one thing is for sure, Northern Illinois in my mind is by far the best team in the MAC heading into next season, and the MAC Championship is there's to lose. Yes there definently could be some mayhem on the way there that stops them, causes other teams to rise up while others who should contend fail miserably. It happens every year. That's why the predictions made by people like you and me often mirror the previous season a bit too much, and fall by the wayside. Just think about all those idiots picking the White Sox to win the WS in MLB this season, knowing full well that baseball hasn't had a repeat champion since 2000, and only two repeat champions in the last 2 decades. Stupid.

That being said, I stand by my predictions. The only real reason I said we might get whalloped by NIU, that was basically to show the divide between what should be a tough West division and a rediculously weak East division. In my view, we should and will get to the MAC Championship this season, but it will be extremely hard to win, even if NIU doesn't win the West, because Central Michigan (your pick as I understand it), Toledo, and Balls Tate would all be tough.

bigzipguy · Post by **bigzipguy** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 6:39 am

If some of you expect to make it to MACC, your defense has to be a lotttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt better!!!!!!!

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:01 am

bigzipguy wrote:If some of you expect to make it to MACC, your defense has to be a lotttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt better!!!!!!!

Not if everyone in the division is terrible.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:20 am

My predictions for the MAC is that the East will suck, and the West will be marginally better. The championship will go to either UT or NIU. The best team in the East will be Akron. Wolfe for POY. We'll all get drunk and have fun at the tailgates, but BG will be a 6-6 team, beating those they should and losing to those they should.