Week #2 MAC Recap

[IBleedMACGreen]

Nick’s Week #2 MAC football recap has been posted in the MAC Football Picks section of VanDelay Sports. While MAC football teams struggled in Week #2, unfortunately Nick picked many of the teams to struggle as well as he went 7-3 for the week. Check out the entire Week #2 recap at VanDelay Sports.http://www.vandelaysports.com

[johnnyzip84]

Ranking the MAC Teams after Week #2Strength of the MAC is in the east division thus far 1. Ohio - As the MAC’s only undefeated team; they get the early #1 nod 2. BGSU - Two solid efforts at Big Ten stadiums; could be this year’s surprise 3. Miami - Should be 2-0; difficult loss but season looks promising 4. Ball State - Plays so much better on the road then at home 5. Can't State - Lots of yards but lots of mistakes at Kentucky 6. Central Michigan - Needed the win against Toledo; now where do they go? 7. Akron - Quality defense to date; suspect offense 8. Western Michigan - Preseason MAC favorite is not looking good at all 9. Buffalo - Is this team no longer a doormat? Impressive in week #2 10. NIU - How will their home debacle effect the rest of their season 11. Eastern Michigan - Decent defense, very little offense 12. Temple - Look good against Navy; looked awful against Buffalo 13. Toledo - Poor coaching, poor discipline, poor everything to date

These power rankings are pretty interesting. I think teams like Toledo and Western are probably a little better than what this list is saying. We often make too much out of the 1st few games, particularly when they're against stiff opposition. The conference games will sift out the contenders. Having said that, it does appear like the MAC East is the stronger of the two divisions and that it'll be a dogfight at the top all year. People use the phrase "keep your head in the game" quite often. I think the team in the East that does the best job of "keeping its head in the SEASON" will come out on top. I foresee many close contests and much shuffling of the divisional order before a champ is crowned. Quite frankly, it should be very exciting with certainly 5 teams capable of winning it (Zips, Flushes, BG, Miami, OU). Even Buffalo looks to be improved (that road game up there looks tougher after this past week). So I hope we can keep the D playing hard (could keep us in every game) while the O can somehow get a little traction.

[skip-zip]

Ok...someone help me out here. We beat Bowling Green and Miami fairly easily last year, and they both finished near the bottom of the MAC East. Yet, this year everyone is thinking they are both two of the top teams in the league.How have they made up so much ground, in one year?? I'm thinking that can't be possible.

[Valpo Zip]

skip-zip,we beat Can't 35-3 2 years ago on frozen turkey bowl day, they pound us early october the following season. That's college for you, teams change quickly.Now i am not saying that they should be better than us (i hope they won't) but saying that we beat them last year so we should beat them this year is not a very good argument my friend.

[johnnyzip84]

Tyler Sheehan has obviously made a huge difference at BG. I think, with the lack of depth we are all aware of in the MAC, this CAN lend itself to big swings in win-loss records from year to year. Both BG and Miami had a lot of injuries last year. Historically, though, they are among the best in the conference.

[skip-zip]

skhorbotly....I wasn't making that argument at all. I was just curious if anyone had any insight into how those two teams have improved so quickly. johnnyzip...yes, I am aware of how good those two programs are historically. I'm an old man, so I've been around the Zips, and MAC football long before we even joined the conference. Thanks for the insight. I'm sure that some key injuries can really kill a season.Although..I sure wish those two teams would have stayed at the bottom a little bit longer

[johnnyzip84]

I'm an old man, so I've been around the Zips, and MAC football long before we even joined the conference.

I'm sure I would qualify as an "old man" to a number of posters here, but age is such a subjective thing, don't you agree skip-zip? After all, I was in one of the card sections that were discussed a few weeks back. Like a lot of us, I've seen Dennison, Faust, Owens, and JD. I don't mention this to validate my thoughts or opinions, just to give you a frame of reference.Back to the issue, I think we just have to look at the games BG and Miami have played thus far this season. Yes, it is still early (we con't know how good or bad Minnesota is) but it looks like both have "righted the ship" and since we play both on the road this year, our MAC schedule is looking to be more daunting than at the beginning of the year.I will add one thing. It seems like VanDelay's and such sights tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the tradition-rich MAC programs like Miami and BG. Maybe I'm just a paranoid Zip fan, but this is what I see.

[skip-zip]

JohnnyZip...my student days go back to the Dennison era as well. If Miami and Bowling Green are indeed back in the mix, then the MAC East has gotten considerably stronger over the last couple of years. That's not good news. And we play both of them on the road. We also now know that it appears Can't may just pick up where they left off last year, and people are saying that Buffalo is no patsy anymore.This is going to be a dogfight (no Mike Vick reference here).