MAC Championship Pick em

[Dr Z]

Feel free to make predictions below.

MORE THAN JUST A MAC TITLE?

The MAC Championship will be decided Friday night at Ford Field as the

No. 21 Northern Illinois Huskies take on the No. 17 Can't State Golden Flashes.

Records: Northern Illinois 11-1 (8-0 in MAC), Can't State 11-1 (8-0)

Kick-off: 7 p.m. EST

Television: ESPN

Spread: Northern Illinois by 5

Last meeting: Northern Illinois 40, Can't State 10 (2012)

Passing: The Huskies are averaging 237.6 yards per game while Can't State is averaging 160.7.

Rushing: Northern Illinois averages 245 yards per outing while the Golden Flashes are averaging 241.5 yards per outing.

Points per game: The Huskies are putting up 40.5 points per outing while Can't State is averaging 34.4 per game.

Points against per game: Northern Illinois is giving up 17.5 points per game while the Golden Flashes are giving up 23.5 points per contest

Using the Zips as the common denominator, NIU put up 100 more yards of offense on us, and gave up 150 less yards than Ken+ did.

[Wally B]

Placing my natural bias aside for the moment, I still see NIU coming out on top. Their tenacity seems to get lost in all the talk surrounding kents amazing run this year. Yes Can't toppled impending b10 Rutgers, they also lost to UK by a lot more than NIU's 1 point miss vs Iowa. While I'd like nothing better than to see a fellow MACster go to the Orange Bowl, my gut says to go w/ the Huskies...

[UAZipster0305]

Anyone have insight as to why Can't is ranked so much higher than NIU? Both have lost only one game early in the season with otherwise similar schedules and wins over BCS programs. However, Can't's got blown out by a terrible UK team whereas NIU only lost by 1 to respectable Iowa. Both are Top 25 worthy, I just think their current rankings should be reversed going into the MACC.

I think NIU wins this one in a game that is competitive into the last few minutes.

[Sergeant Zip]

Dri Archer is nursing an injured ankle but is expected to play Friday.

[Dave in Green]

@trimmy10, the BCS standings are mathematically computed from the Harris Poll, the USA Today Poll and five different computer rankings. Can't is 18th and NIU 19th in the Harris Poll, and they're exactly reversed in the USA Today Poll with NIU 18th and Can't 19th. So that's pretty much a wash.

The average of the five computer rankings has Can't 18th and NIU 23rd, so there's your margin. You'd have to talk with all the computer programmers to understand their various formulas for determining why the 11-1 record for Can't registers higher in the computers than NIU's 11-1 record. You can't just single out Kentucky's blowout of Can't or NIU's near miss against Iowa. Each of the 12 games each team has played contributes to the overall computer rankings, and the computers are unanimous in ranking Can't higher than NIU.

BCS Standings

[MDZip]

Both the human and computer polls started to "notice" Can't when they upset previously undefeated and ranked Rutgers. Probably accounts for the disparity. NIU has knocked off no one of note. As far as the MACC, I'm betting NIU wins it all (but I don't think they'll have enough of a bump to make it into a BCS game).

[johnnyzip84]

Jordan Lynch versus Roosevelt Nix should provide a truly intriguing match-up. I think NIU's defense will be the difference, as Archer did appear to be less than 100% against OU.

NIU 31

K.E.N.T. 24

[LZIp]

I think NIU will win, but will be rooting for Can't. Better for the conference to have somebody in a BCS bowl.

[g-mann17]

I think NIU will win, but will be rooting for Can't. Better for the conference to have somebody in a BCS bowl.

Could NIU jump 5 spots in the BCS standings by beating Can't?

NIU is 18 19 and BCS 21 (no wins over ranked opponents)

Can't is 19 18 and BCS 17 (win over then ranked 15)

Both teams need teams above them to lose, but say NIU blows out Can't, not impossible Can't has way more on the line, would that not justify NIU being 16 and Can't falling to 21?

[g-mann17]

@trimmy10, the BCS standings are mathematically computed from the Harris Poll, the USA Today Poll and five different computer rankings. Can't is 18th and NIU 19th in the Harris Poll, and they're exactly reversed in the USA Today Poll with NIU 18th and Can't 19th. So that's pretty much a wash.

The average of the five computer rankings has Can't 18th and NIU 23rd, so there's your margin. You'd have to talk with all the computer programmers to understand their various formulas for determining why the 11-1 record for Can't registers higher in the computers than NIU's 11-1 record. You can't just single out Kentucky's blowout of Can't or NIU's near miss against Iowa. Each of the 12 games each team has played contributes to the overall computer rankings, and the computers are unanimous in ranking Can't higher than NIU.

BCS Standings

The "computers" aren't complicated a formula

Rutgers is propelled by a win over Arkansas in Arkansas (SEC as a conference carries more points with the "computers") Can't beat up on Rutgers in New Jersey. 11-1 with a win over a ranked team that had 0 losses and a win over an SEC team. Simple "computer" logic.

[Dave in Green]

The "computers" aren't complicated a formula .....

The heck they aren't. They fooled me into thinking there were five when the BCS actually uses six. I miscounted.

[Dr Z]

I bet Ken+ gets some bad calls (early holds) in this game.

[johnnyzip84]

I bet Ken+ gets some bad calls (early holds) in this game.

I had wondered the same thing.

NIU has themselves to blame for not having a CLEAR shot to a BCS game. They BLEW the game against Iowa.

[LZIp]

Could NIU jump 5 spots in the BCS standings by beating Can't?

NIU is 18 19 and BCS 21 (no wins over ranked opponents)

Can't is 19 18 and BCS 17 (win over then ranked 15)

Both teams need teams above them to lose, but say NIU blows out Can't, not impossible Can't has way more on the line, would that not justify NIU being 16 and Can't falling to 21?

NIU isnt dead yet.. i think they will need Boise to lose as well as everything Can't needs. The biggest question would be if they would jump an idle Michigan.

[Class of 82]

I'll predict

NIU 31

Can't State 21

But I'll be rooting for K.e.n.t. Not because I like them (I don't... at all) but because it keeps the pressure squarely and unmistakeably on Akron to get the program on track. Plus, a K.e.n.t win should prove decisively that there can be light at the end of a pretty dark tunnel.