MAC Favorites in 2014

[thewebboy]

As we all know, BG is set up nicely to make a run at the MAC again next year. We do lose some good defensive players and a few OL. A lot of young talent coming back, plus some high-profile recruits that will likely play right away.

Taking a look around the MAC, a lot of good teams are losing their best players...

• NIU loses Lynch/Ward.
  Ball State loses Wenning/Snead.
  Toledo loses Owens/Reedy/Fluellen.
  Buffalo loses Mack/Oliver/Neutz.
  Kent loses Archer

That is a lot of talent leaving the league this year. Most would say BG is the favorite going into next season. Which teams do you think could give us a run for our money?

[Falcon137]

Ohio losses a bunch also.

Akron could be the surprise team next year. With a little better schedule they could have been bowling this year. The MAC didn't do them any scheduling favors. Opened with BG and Ohio. Then got crossover games against, NIU, Ball State, and Toledo. Next year they have a tough non conference slate; Penn State, Marshall, and Pitt. But, with a favorable MAC schedule, I think they can get to 7 or 8 wins.

Toledo is my pick in the West. I think a BG / UT rematch in Detroit is likely.

[MarkL]

I see that team up north on a downward trajectory. Matt Campbell reminds me a lot of Gregg Brandon, and 2005 BG was their 2013. How can a team with such a loaded and deep offense only win 7 games and fall apart down the stretch? Coaching and lack of motivation.
In the west, the rising power is WMU. Not this year but soon their recruiting will pay off. I imagine the best of the west will still be NIU and BSU. Even with their losses they are good teams with lots of depth.
In the east, we are positioned to be bullies. On the way down is Ohio and on the way up is Akron. Their year reminded me so much of our 2011 and we all know what came next. Most of their team is returning and they finished hot. The x factors are KSU and UB. I don't think either will be great next year and UB will take a step back but KSU has a bright future. So ... my way too early 2014 standings ...

West:
NIU
BSU
That team up north
WMU
CMU
EMU

East
BG
Akron
KSU
Ohio
UB
That team down south
UMass

[Beaker]

I would be shocked if any team other than Akron is in the mix with us for the East. They clearly got things on the right track last year and I don't think they lost a whole lot. With the new stadium, they have been getting better talent, coaching staff has been there a few years and brought some stability that the program needed and they have a good QB that got better as last year went on. I'm betting our game at their place next year will decide the East.

As for the West, I see that as wide open, without an obvious, heavy favorite.

[BGSU33]

I was just thinking about this the other day. I think BG will be the best team in the East and Toledo will be the best team in the West. It would be great to see that matchup in the MAC Championship. However, since both teams play each other, it means one team is assured a conference loss meaning the losing team can’t really afford to slip up in the MAC if they want to make the MACC. And it is time to end this four-game losing streak to UT!

With teams heading into next season with new starters, new additions to the team, injured players returning and even some with new coaches, it’s hard to say having not seen some of these players or coaches perform. Another thing to consider in terms of predicting standings is who plays who, and who doesn’t play who. Some teams have more difficult schedules than others. I also think picking 2-5 in the MAC East is tough because I think all four of those teams will be close in talent next year and you could mix and match any of them.

MAC East
1. Bowling Green – defending MAC Champ, on paper looks to be best team in the East
2. Ohio – in the thick of the MAC race every year, also has all the big MAC East games at home in BG, UB and UA
3. Buffalo – trending upward for three seasons, but plays BG and OU on the road
4. Akron – the dark horse team in the East, could surprise and finish higher, hosts BG but plays at OU and UB
5. Kent State – swing team, could see KSU finish as high as 2 or as low 5 or anywhere in between
6. Miami – rebuilding mode, give the nod over UMass because they get them at home, can't see Miami staying this bad for too much longer
7. Massachusetts – still a work in progress, but old coach returns to restore UMass as it once was

MAC West
1. Toledo – best team in the West, don’t let some of the skill position losses fool you, lots of depth at those spots such as RB Hunt proved
2. Northern Illinois – obvious loss is Lynch, if they find a decent QB to do half of what he did they should still return a decent team
3. Central Michigan – quietly becoming a factor in the West again, back-to-back 6-6 regular season finishes but could top that
4. Ball State – takes a step back but still a solid team, could finish higher but I expect more of a middle-of-the-pack finish
5. Western Michigan – a year away from climbing back into contention, but lots of young talent being molded
6. Eastern Michigan – nowhere to go but up, don't see EMU finishing higher than anyone in the West

[kdog27]

I think it will be BG vs NIU again in Detroit. That is if we can end this losing streak to UT. If it hits 5...

[bgsufalcon24]

I think it will be BG vs NIU again in Detroit. That is if we can end this losing streak to UT. If it hits 5...

It could hit 5 seeing as we have to go to the Glass Bowl in 2014, but even if it does, victories against all the other schmucks on the schedule gets us to Detroit. (Any takers on Miami going 8-0 or 7-1 in the MAC? Didn't think so.)

Not that I'm trying to devalue this game...losing to UT again this year really p*ssed me the f*ck off. But clearly it made the team very angry as well, because we played like world beaters in the 5 games after the UT loss. I guess the main point is, a loss to Toledo doesn't necessarily eliminate us from the MACC, whereas a defeat against say, Akron, Buffalo, or Ohio in theory could.

[kdog27]

Well I hope Babers puts more stock in this game than Clawson did. Never really seemed important to him or the players and the records and performances backed that. Yeah we can still win the MAC with a loss in this game but F that.

[Class of 61]

I don't agree with your evaluation of how DAVE and the PLAYERS took the UT as "not important". Sometimes the matchups just didn't work out....we fell behind 21-0 in 2013, rallied to take a lead, but lost on a late UT drive. Admittedly, we seemed to allow some big plays in that drive, but sometimes you've also got to give the other team some credit. What you seem to be saying is that the kids and coaches saw this as "just another game". I don't buy it.

[BGSU33]

I don't agree with your evaluation of how DAVE and the PLAYERS took the UT as "not important". Sometimes the matchups just didn't work out....we fell behind 21-0 in 2013, rallied to take a lead, but lost on a late UT drive. Admittedly, we seemed to allow some big plays in that drive, but sometimes you've also got to give the other team some credit. What you seem to be saying is that the kids and coaches saw this as "just another game". I don't buy it.

I agree. BG self-destructed in the UT game and served that one up on a big, fat, orange and brown platter for UT to take from us. All the HUGE penalties, taking FG's off the board and giving them TD's, drives that we stopped but then gave them a fresh set of downs on COSTLY personal fouls, costly dropped passes by Burbrink on the first drive that would have given us 1st and goal and instead we turned it over on downs, another huge drop by Joplin on the long pass on our last drive that he could have scored a TD on, the false start on 4th and goal from the half-yard line, not being able to stop them on 3rd and 26 and then 4th and 9 on their last drive that they scored the game-winning TD on, etc., etc., etc. Toledo may have won the game, but we sure made it easier for them too. I'm not going to sit here and say they didn't deserve to win, because they did with all the mistakes we made. But that was 100% a game BG woulda/coulda/shoulda won. Period. And we need to end this losing streak as if it hits 5 next season, it will be the first time ever and will mark the longest losing streak in the history of the series vs UT!