ON CAMPUS IN OHIO: WEEK 13
By Bucklion
Weeks 11-12 Synopsis: Hail to the Buckeyes!!! Yes, of course the loudest message resonating across the state the past 2 weeks was the Buckeye thumping of Northwestern followed by their dramatic, last-minute victory over the hated Wolverines. It sets the Buckeyes up nicely for a potential BCS at-large bid, and closes the 2005 campaign with co-Big Ten champions. Both teams, Ohio State and Penn State, can look back with a lot of pride on the campaign, as well as asking a few what-ifs as both teams were just a play or two away from being undefeated. Still, both teams rebounded nicely from setbacks, and the Buckeyes close the season as one of the nation’s most dominant teams.
Elsewhere in the state, things have not been so rosy recently. Cincinnati got whupped on by West Virginia to close their home season, then lost a competitive game to South Florida Saturday. The losses leave Cincinnati outside the bowl eligibility window, and ensure that the Bearcats will close their season next weekend at Rutgers. The MAC is a mess. Bowling Green took control of the MAC East with a convincing win over rival Miami, but still closes with a toughie against Toledo. Akron won the MAC East “elimination game” against Ohio, positioning themselves for a possible division tie if BGSU loses their final contest to Toledo. Miami closes at Ohio and still could finish in a division tie also. Ohio’s loss drops them to 4-6, outside the possibility of a winning record. Toledo failed to wrap up the MAC West by losing to Northern Illinois…now they must beat Bowling Green to stay alive in the division race, because the 2 teams they are tied with play each other to close the season. Kent State officially hit rock-bottom, taking what has to be one of the most embarrassing losses in school and conference history, a 10-6 loss to a Buffalo team that fired their coaching staff and was winless to that point. All the MAC teams still have a game to play, starting Monday night, and all 6 play other Ohio schools to close the season.
Week 13 State Rankings:
1 (-) Ohio State (9-2, 7-1): Win for the ages in Ann Arbor sets up a potential BCS bid and closes a successful 2005 campaign.
2 (-) Toledo (7-3, 5-2): Loss to Northern Illinois muddles the West picture. They must beat Bowling Green to get to the championship game.
3 (+1) Bowling Green (6-4, 5-2): The Falcons now have bounced back and control their own destiny in the MAC East. A win over Toledo sends them to the MAC title game. A loss, and they could still have a 3-way tie.
4 (-1) Miami (6-4, 4-3): The RedHawks crashed with a resounding thud against the Falcons, and now they must beat Ohio and have Toledo beat Bowling Green to finish in a division tie.
5 (+2) Akron (5-5, 4-3): The Zips have been a tough team to figure out this season, and they drubbed Ohio last week to climb to within a game of Bowling Green in the East. If they beat Kent State, they will finish with a winning record again this season.
6 (-1) Cincinnati (4-6, 2-4): Playing the Big East’s big boys caught up to the Bearcats at the end of the season. Still, the team showed plenty of life this year, and there is still a chance to close with a win against Rutgers that could net them a tie for 5th.
7 (-1) Ohio (4-6, 3-4): The Bobcats put up a good fight this season, but Akron proved to be too much for coach Solich’s charges this year. They close with a Miami team that needs to win to hold any hope of sharing the division, so don’t expect more than 4 wins to close the season. Still, the team showed some spark and some talent this year, and coach Solich appears to have the team on the right track.
8 (-) Kent State (1-9, 0-7): It’s impossible to see how this team or this season could have been worse for the Flashes…the loss to Buffalo is as bad as it gets. Can they rebound against archrival Akron? Not likely.
Head-To-Head Matchups: Weeks 13
(NOTE: Upset alert is from 0-10, with 10 being "Red Alert…better concentrate on these guys" and 0 being "Here’s your 400 thousand for an ass-whuppin’….thanks for coming")
Prediction record: 50-17 SU, 29-31 VL
Monday, November 21st
Miami (6-4, 4-3) at Ohio (4-6, 3-4)
Line: Miami -9
Upset Alert: 2
Synopsis: Miami must win to get themselves to 5 wins and hope for a Bowling Green loss to finish in a tie for the East crown again this season, and then they would have the better overall record, as well as a win over Akron. Ohio showed significant improvement this season, upset Pitt, and has demonstrated plenty of life in coach Solich’s first season, and yet they will finish 4-7 if they lose. Look for the RedHawks to play with a purpose after falling flat last week, and Bobcat fans should take heart in the fact that Ohio looks to be a team that everyone will need to take seriously in the coming years. Miami wins this one to cap a disappointing season, and a bowl could be a possibility, depending on the tie-ins and extra spaces available.
Prediction: Miami 34, Ohio 18
Tuesday, November 22nd
Toledo (7-3, 5-2) at Bowling Green (6-4, 5-2)
Line: Bowling Green -6 ½
Upset Alert: 8
Synopsis: Stakes don’t come any higher than this game, because the winner probably goes to the championship game (and will for sure if it is Bowling Green), while the loser may very well see their season come to an end. Both of these teams probably feel disappointed in this season, and how they have played down the stretch, given that many felt these were the elite teams in the conference. It will be interesting to see what happens with this game, considering Bowling Green’s win last week and Toledo’s trouble in recent weeks, though on paper Toledo is probably the more complete team, and appeared to be cruising to the title game just 3 weeks ago. Right now, Toledo is tied with Western Michigan, who the beat, and Northern Illinois, who beat them last week, and are a half game ahead of Central Michigan, who also beat the Rockets. Western and Northern close the season against each other, so one of those teams will finish 6-2, and Northern would have beaten the Rockets. So, obviously this is a must-win for Toledo, and look for them to close the season with a W and then root like crazy for Western Michigan the following night.
Prediction: Toledo 31, Bowling Green 27
Thursday, November 24th
Kent State (1-9, 0-7) at Akron (5-5, 4-3)
Line: Akron -12
Upset Alert: 1
Synopsis: Well, this may be a rivalry game and all, but don’t look for much of a contest here. Akron has been up and down all year, but their convincing win over Ohio last week keeps them in the MAC East race, and gives them plenty of extra incentive Saturday. In fact, because it is a rivalry game, their temptation to take a team lightly that lost to Buffalo last week will be much less, so it will work distinctly to their advantage. There is no way in the world that Kent State should be able to compete with Akron this weekend, but one figures they will as they desperately try and formulate something to point to in order to keep 2005 from becoming a total loss. Alas, the end result will be predictable, and the Flashes will be 0-10 against I-A teams. Akron holds a win over Bowling Green, so if Toledo wins that Tuesday, the Zips could tie for the division for the second year in a row…a veritable miracle in the absence of Charlie Frye.
Prediction: Akron 27, Kent State 17
Saturday, November 26th
Cincinnati (4-6, 2-4) at Rutgers (6-4, 3-3)
Line: Rutgers -14 ½
Upset Alert: 6
Synopsis: Rutgers generated quite a buzz after they got off to a 6-2, 3-1 start that included a win over Pitt and road wins over Syracuse and UConn. Alas, much of the wind has been sucked from the sails as they have dropped their last 2, one to South Florida and then a humiliating 56-5 rout by Louisville. So, the Knights are bowl eligible, but in the end they are still a team that lost to Illinois, holds a D-IAA victory, and could finish with a losing conference record. Cincinnati is finishing a brutal stretch, and is coming off games against the conference heavyweights 3 out of the past 4 weeks. Bearcat fans will probably see a competitive game here, as the Knights are far from a dominant club. It’s too bad that the new kids on the block got stuck with 4 conference road games, because if this one was at home, they could probably pull it out. Alas, the Knights will be anxious to show bowl committees that they should be excited by the prospect of their selection. Good luck with that.
Prediction: Rutgers 28, Cincinnati 27
By Bucklion
Weeks 11-12 Synopsis: Hail to the Buckeyes!!! Yes, of course the loudest message resonating across the state the past 2 weeks was the Buckeye thumping of Northwestern followed by their dramatic, last-minute victory over the hated Wolverines. It sets the Buckeyes up nicely for a potential BCS at-large bid, and closes the 2005 campaign with co-Big Ten champions. Both teams, Ohio State and Penn State, can look back with a lot of pride on the campaign, as well as asking a few what-ifs as both teams were just a play or two away from being undefeated. Still, both teams rebounded nicely from setbacks, and the Buckeyes close the season as one of the nation’s most dominant teams.
Elsewhere in the state, things have not been so rosy recently. Cincinnati got whupped on by West Virginia to close their home season, then lost a competitive game to South Florida Saturday. The losses leave Cincinnati outside the bowl eligibility window, and ensure that the Bearcats will close their season next weekend at Rutgers. The MAC is a mess. Bowling Green took control of the MAC East with a convincing win over rival Miami, but still closes with a toughie against Toledo. Akron won the MAC East “elimination game” against Ohio, positioning themselves for a possible division tie if BGSU loses their final contest to Toledo. Miami closes at Ohio and still could finish in a division tie also. Ohio’s loss drops them to 4-6, outside the possibility of a winning record. Toledo failed to wrap up the MAC West by losing to Northern Illinois…now they must beat Bowling Green to stay alive in the division race, because the 2 teams they are tied with play each other to close the season. Kent State officially hit rock-bottom, taking what has to be one of the most embarrassing losses in school and conference history, a 10-6 loss to a Buffalo team that fired their coaching staff and was winless to that point. All the MAC teams still have a game to play, starting Monday night, and all 6 play other Ohio schools to close the season.
Week 13 State Rankings:
1 (-) Ohio State (9-2, 7-1): Win for the ages in Ann Arbor sets up a potential BCS bid and closes a successful 2005 campaign.
2 (-) Toledo (7-3, 5-2): Loss to Northern Illinois muddles the West picture. They must beat Bowling Green to get to the championship game.
3 (+1) Bowling Green (6-4, 5-2): The Falcons now have bounced back and control their own destiny in the MAC East. A win over Toledo sends them to the MAC title game. A loss, and they could still have a 3-way tie.
4 (-1) Miami (6-4, 4-3): The RedHawks crashed with a resounding thud against the Falcons, and now they must beat Ohio and have Toledo beat Bowling Green to finish in a division tie.
5 (+2) Akron (5-5, 4-3): The Zips have been a tough team to figure out this season, and they drubbed Ohio last week to climb to within a game of Bowling Green in the East. If they beat Kent State, they will finish with a winning record again this season.
6 (-1) Cincinnati (4-6, 2-4): Playing the Big East’s big boys caught up to the Bearcats at the end of the season. Still, the team showed plenty of life this year, and there is still a chance to close with a win against Rutgers that could net them a tie for 5th.
7 (-1) Ohio (4-6, 3-4): The Bobcats put up a good fight this season, but Akron proved to be too much for coach Solich’s charges this year. They close with a Miami team that needs to win to hold any hope of sharing the division, so don’t expect more than 4 wins to close the season. Still, the team showed some spark and some talent this year, and coach Solich appears to have the team on the right track.
8 (-) Kent State (1-9, 0-7): It’s impossible to see how this team or this season could have been worse for the Flashes…the loss to Buffalo is as bad as it gets. Can they rebound against archrival Akron? Not likely.
Head-To-Head Matchups: Weeks 13
(NOTE: Upset alert is from 0-10, with 10 being "Red Alert…better concentrate on these guys" and 0 being "Here’s your 400 thousand for an ass-whuppin’….thanks for coming")
Prediction record: 50-17 SU, 29-31 VL
Monday, November 21st
Miami (6-4, 4-3) at Ohio (4-6, 3-4)
Line: Miami -9
Upset Alert: 2
Synopsis: Miami must win to get themselves to 5 wins and hope for a Bowling Green loss to finish in a tie for the East crown again this season, and then they would have the better overall record, as well as a win over Akron. Ohio showed significant improvement this season, upset Pitt, and has demonstrated plenty of life in coach Solich’s first season, and yet they will finish 4-7 if they lose. Look for the RedHawks to play with a purpose after falling flat last week, and Bobcat fans should take heart in the fact that Ohio looks to be a team that everyone will need to take seriously in the coming years. Miami wins this one to cap a disappointing season, and a bowl could be a possibility, depending on the tie-ins and extra spaces available.
Prediction: Miami 34, Ohio 18
Tuesday, November 22nd
Toledo (7-3, 5-2) at Bowling Green (6-4, 5-2)
Line: Bowling Green -6 ½
Upset Alert: 8
Synopsis: Stakes don’t come any higher than this game, because the winner probably goes to the championship game (and will for sure if it is Bowling Green), while the loser may very well see their season come to an end. Both of these teams probably feel disappointed in this season, and how they have played down the stretch, given that many felt these were the elite teams in the conference. It will be interesting to see what happens with this game, considering Bowling Green’s win last week and Toledo’s trouble in recent weeks, though on paper Toledo is probably the more complete team, and appeared to be cruising to the title game just 3 weeks ago. Right now, Toledo is tied with Western Michigan, who the beat, and Northern Illinois, who beat them last week, and are a half game ahead of Central Michigan, who also beat the Rockets. Western and Northern close the season against each other, so one of those teams will finish 6-2, and Northern would have beaten the Rockets. So, obviously this is a must-win for Toledo, and look for them to close the season with a W and then root like crazy for Western Michigan the following night.
Prediction: Toledo 31, Bowling Green 27
Thursday, November 24th
Kent State (1-9, 0-7) at Akron (5-5, 4-3)
Line: Akron -12
Upset Alert: 1
Synopsis: Well, this may be a rivalry game and all, but don’t look for much of a contest here. Akron has been up and down all year, but their convincing win over Ohio last week keeps them in the MAC East race, and gives them plenty of extra incentive Saturday. In fact, because it is a rivalry game, their temptation to take a team lightly that lost to Buffalo last week will be much less, so it will work distinctly to their advantage. There is no way in the world that Kent State should be able to compete with Akron this weekend, but one figures they will as they desperately try and formulate something to point to in order to keep 2005 from becoming a total loss. Alas, the end result will be predictable, and the Flashes will be 0-10 against I-A teams. Akron holds a win over Bowling Green, so if Toledo wins that Tuesday, the Zips could tie for the division for the second year in a row…a veritable miracle in the absence of Charlie Frye.
Prediction: Akron 27, Kent State 17
Saturday, November 26th
Cincinnati (4-6, 2-4) at Rutgers (6-4, 3-3)
Line: Rutgers -14 ½
Upset Alert: 6
Synopsis: Rutgers generated quite a buzz after they got off to a 6-2, 3-1 start that included a win over Pitt and road wins over Syracuse and UConn. Alas, much of the wind has been sucked from the sails as they have dropped their last 2, one to South Florida and then a humiliating 56-5 rout by Louisville. So, the Knights are bowl eligible, but in the end they are still a team that lost to Illinois, holds a D-IAA victory, and could finish with a losing conference record. Cincinnati is finishing a brutal stretch, and is coming off games against the conference heavyweights 3 out of the past 4 weeks. Bearcat fans will probably see a competitive game here, as the Knights are far from a dominant club. It’s too bad that the new kids on the block got stuck with 4 conference road games, because if this one was at home, they could probably pull it out. Alas, the Knights will be anxious to show bowl committees that they should be excited by the prospect of their selection. Good luck with that.
Prediction: Rutgers 28, Cincinnati 27