MAC Football Power Rankings

By Matt Sussman
TMD Columnist


(1) Central Michigan, 9-2, 7-0 MAC -- Let's give some more praise to Antonio Brown. His 180 all purpose yards per game (180) ranks top five nationally, and his punting return average (18.47 per return) is better than anyone else out there.
Next game: November 27 vs. Northern Illinois (ESPN 360)


(2) Temple, 8-2, 6-0 MAC -- If the Owls were to play the Chippewas in the MAC championships game (a likely scenario), do I see Temple winning? Probably not. But just once, I wanted to see what it felt like to slot these dudes first. Since they've won eight in a row, and they rolled through Akron, posting a season-high 56 points, so perhaps they've earned it. Regardless, this just feels weird.
Next game: November 21 vs. Kent State


(3) Ohio, 7-3, 5-1 MAC -- Their 30 takeaways lead the entire country. Imagine if they didn't also provide 20 of their own turnovers, which ranks near the bottom third of the FBS. They can still win the division by winning the rest of their games, including that final week at home against Temple.
Next game: November 21 vs. Northern Illinois


(4) Northern Illinois, 7-3, 5-1 MAC -- In its last six games, NIU has allowed 81 points and went 5-1. They've done their job so far, but road trips to Athens and Mount Pleasant will be the ultimate test to see how strong a bowl these guys earn.
Next game: vs. November 21 at Ohio


(5) Kent State, 5-5, 4-2 MAC -- The puzzling loss to Akron may have derailed their unlikely divisional contention, but winning out would give then seven wins for the first time since 1987.
Next game: November 21 at Temple


(6) Bowling Green, 5-5, 4-2 MAC -- A rare win againt Miami (just their second in their last 11 games, and for some reason, both on the road) gives the Falcons nothing but home games ahead of them. Can Freddie Barnes catch Manny Hazard? At 117 receptions, he'll need 26 more in two games to break the Houston receiver's record for most catches in a season.
Next game: November 20 at Akron (ESPNU)


(7) Western Michigan, 5-6, 4-3 MAC -- Speaking of records, how about Brandon West? His 3,569 rusning yards, 952 receiving yards, 17 punt return yards, and 3,088 kickoff return yards give him 7,626 all purpose yards, besting DeAngelo Williams' Division I record.
Next game: November 23 vs. Ball State (ESPN2)


(8) Toledo, 4-6, 2-4 MAC -- Mired in a three-game losing streak, injuries to Aaron Opelt have left the team searching for success under center. Eric Page probably can't do it alone, but they have been using him sporadically in the wildca... sorry, I can't use that word. They'll be using him in the "Wild Launch" formation. Until I can think of a better name, that'll be the name of the package.
Next game: November 20 vs. Eastern Michigan


(9) Buffalo, 4-7, 2-5 MAC -- The narrow Tuesday loss to Ohio was probably a game they'd have won last year ... or next year. But with all the mental mistakes that complement their nearly 414 yards of offense per game (second in the MAC), it's just not their year.
Next game: November 27 at Kent State (ESPNU)


(10) Akron, 2-8, 1-5 MAC -- It's amazing how quickly a season can turn on a dime after a rivalry win. So what if they lost their next game by 39? They ruined Kent State's season!
Next game: November 20 vs. Bowling Green (ESPNU)



(11) Miami, 1-11, 1-7 MAC -- One doesn't think of Miami football and think "pushover." Yet their 35-14 loss to Bowling Green suddeny gives them three 10-loss seasons in four years.
Next game: End of season


(12) Ball State, 1-10, 1-6 MAC -- In 1998, Tulane University went 12-0 under the tutelage of Tommy Bowden and quarterback Shaun King. The next year, the departure of their coach and QB left them 3-8, at the time the worst decline in FBS history. Doesn't that sound like Ball State? Brady Hoke and Nate Davis leave, and a 12-2 team is suddenly in danger of losing 10, maybe 11 games. (An astounding fact when I looked this up: the offensive coordinator of that '98 Tulane team? None other than Rich Rodriguez.)
Next game: November 24 at Western Michigan (ESPN2)


(13) Eastern Michigan, 0-10, 0-6 MAC -- And then there was Eastern Michigan. It's quite amazing how one of their closest chances to win was against, of all teams, Northwestern, the first team to beat Iowa. If they are going to avoid their first winless season since 1981 -- which seems incredibly long ago, given their tradition of struggling -- it's going to have to come from Alex Gillett, who finally put up some impressive yards against WMU, throwing for 186 and running for 105.
Next game: November 20 at Toledo



1. Dan LeFevour, CMU QB: 2,189 passing yards, 64.1% completion, 18 TD, 5 INT; 567 rushing yards, 13 TD

2. Bernard Pierce, Temple RB: 1,308 yards, 5.9 yards/carry, 15 TD

3. Freddie Barnes, Bowling Green WR: 117 receptions, 1,285 yards, 12 TD; 2 rush TD

4. Chad Spann, Northern Illinois RB: 830 yards, 6.3 yards/carry, 16 TD

5. Brandon West, WMU RB: 2,220 all-purpose yards (1,062 rushing), 10 total TD

6. Antonio Brown, CMU WR: 1,802 all-purpose yards (734 receiving), 12 total TD

7. Brian Lainhart, Kent State FS: 44 solo tackles, 5 INT, 4 FF

8. Tyler Sheehan, Bowling Green QB: 3,189 yards, 64.1% completion, 19 TD, 6 INT; 4 rush TD

9. Tim Hiller, WMU QB: 2,895 yards, 61.1% completion, 22 TD, 9 INT

10. Adrian Robinson, Temple DE: 27 solo tackles, 10 sacks, 4 FF

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