ON CAMPUS IN OHIO: WEEK 14
By Bucklion
Weeks 13 Synopsis: Well, the nearly impossible has happened. Toledo knocked off Bowling Green, Akron beat Kent…and Akron, without Charlie Frye, improbably goes to the MAC title game representing the East to face Northern Illinois from the West. Toledo has accepted a bid to play in the GMAC bowl, however, so they will get to play one more game to try and rescue a season they have to consider disappointing, given their goals of a conference championship. Miami knocked off Ohio to create a 3-way tie for the East division, but the tiebreakers (which consist of head-to-head and conference winning percentage of teams played in the other division) went Akron’s way…and now it looks like Miami and Bowling Green will be home for the holidays. Cincinnati ended the season with a disappointing blowout loss to Rutgers to finish at 4-7.
Week 14 State Rankings:
1 (-) Ohio State (9-2, 7-1): BCS bound?
2 (-) Toledo (8-3, 6-2): Tough break to lose the MAC West at the end, but they are headed to the GMAC bowl.
3 (+1) Miami (7-4, 5-3): Unfortunately on the short end of tiebreakers…with Toledo’s bowl bid, their season is probably over.
4 (+1) Akron (6-5, 5-3): Could they win the MAC? Possibly, but they’ll have to beat Northern Illinois for the second time.
5 (-2) Bowling Green (6-5, 5-3): Loss to Toledo caps a bitterly, bitterly disappointing season for the Falcons.
6 (-) Cincinnati (4-7, 2-5): Team was competitive for most of the year, but blowout losses towards the end of the season were disappointing.
7 (-) Ohio (4-7, 3-5): The Bobcats made strides this year…can they build on it?
8 (-) Kent State (1-10, 0-8): Embarrassing campaign ends 0-10 versus D-IA. Are changes imminent?
Head-To-Head Matchup: Weeks 14
(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: 54-17 SU, 31-33 VL
Thursday, December 1st
MAC Championship Game at Ford Field
Akron (6-5, 5-3) vs. Northern Illinois (7-4, 6-2)
Line: Northern Illinois -13
Upset Alert: 5
Synopsis: Akron faces a tall task. After winning the tiebreakers and beating rival Kent State and getting themselves to the championship game, they face a Northern Illinois team that is on a roll. The Huskies have won 3 in a row, beating all of the competing teams in the West (Central Michigan, Toledo, Western Michigan) back-to-back-to-back to secure their bid. Akron comes in winners of 3 out of 4, beating East squads Bowling Green, Ohio, and Kent State…but tripping up against West doormat Ball State. The only team Akron beat from the West was…? Yep, you guessed it…Northern Illinois, who the Zips beat at home 48-42 to open MAC play in September. This time, they have to go to a neutral site (Detroit’s Ford Field) and beat a team on a major roll. It is not impossible, but one figures they’re going to have to pile up a lot of points like they did last time the teams played. Akron’s defense has played better later in the 2005 campaign, but the Huskies have scored at least 30 in 4 of their last 5 games, so look for a shootout in the title game, which should make it entertaining football to watch. Akron’s offense features a RB (Brett Biggs) and a WR (Domenik Hixon) who both gained 1,000 yards, and QB Luke Getsy has really come on, throwing for almost 2600 yards and 18 TDs to 11 INTs. Hixon caught 60 passes and scored 6 TDs, and Biggs scored 9 times this year. Northern Illinois features their own RB, Garrett Wolfe, who ran for 1318 yards and scored 14 TDs. QB Phil Horvath completed an astounding 71% of his passes for 1995 yards and 18 TDs to 8 INTs. Sam Hurd is their biggest weapon in the passing game, with 63 catches for 1048 yards and 12 TDs. In the end, both teams will be able to pile up points on the weaker defensive units, but the Huskies should win this one, behind their experience and confidence. As Toledo already accepted the conference’s 2nd bowl bid, this game is for all the marbles: the winner heads to the Motor City Bowl and gets a potential shot at a Big Ten team (probably Minnesota or Northwestern) and the loser probably goes home…and stays there.
Prediction: Northern Illinois 34, Akron 24
By Bucklion
Weeks 13 Synopsis: Well, the nearly impossible has happened. Toledo knocked off Bowling Green, Akron beat Kent…and Akron, without Charlie Frye, improbably goes to the MAC title game representing the East to face Northern Illinois from the West. Toledo has accepted a bid to play in the GMAC bowl, however, so they will get to play one more game to try and rescue a season they have to consider disappointing, given their goals of a conference championship. Miami knocked off Ohio to create a 3-way tie for the East division, but the tiebreakers (which consist of head-to-head and conference winning percentage of teams played in the other division) went Akron’s way…and now it looks like Miami and Bowling Green will be home for the holidays. Cincinnati ended the season with a disappointing blowout loss to Rutgers to finish at 4-7.
Week 14 State Rankings:
1 (-) Ohio State (9-2, 7-1): BCS bound?
2 (-) Toledo (8-3, 6-2): Tough break to lose the MAC West at the end, but they are headed to the GMAC bowl.
3 (+1) Miami (7-4, 5-3): Unfortunately on the short end of tiebreakers…with Toledo’s bowl bid, their season is probably over.
4 (+1) Akron (6-5, 5-3): Could they win the MAC? Possibly, but they’ll have to beat Northern Illinois for the second time.
5 (-2) Bowling Green (6-5, 5-3): Loss to Toledo caps a bitterly, bitterly disappointing season for the Falcons.
6 (-) Cincinnati (4-7, 2-5): Team was competitive for most of the year, but blowout losses towards the end of the season were disappointing.
7 (-) Ohio (4-7, 3-5): The Bobcats made strides this year…can they build on it?
8 (-) Kent State (1-10, 0-8): Embarrassing campaign ends 0-10 versus D-IA. Are changes imminent?
Head-To-Head Matchup: Weeks 14
(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: 54-17 SU, 31-33 VL
Thursday, December 1st
MAC Championship Game at Ford Field
Akron (6-5, 5-3) vs. Northern Illinois (7-4, 6-2)
Line: Northern Illinois -13
Upset Alert: 5
Synopsis: Akron faces a tall task. After winning the tiebreakers and beating rival Kent State and getting themselves to the championship game, they face a Northern Illinois team that is on a roll. The Huskies have won 3 in a row, beating all of the competing teams in the West (Central Michigan, Toledo, Western Michigan) back-to-back-to-back to secure their bid. Akron comes in winners of 3 out of 4, beating East squads Bowling Green, Ohio, and Kent State…but tripping up against West doormat Ball State. The only team Akron beat from the West was…? Yep, you guessed it…Northern Illinois, who the Zips beat at home 48-42 to open MAC play in September. This time, they have to go to a neutral site (Detroit’s Ford Field) and beat a team on a major roll. It is not impossible, but one figures they’re going to have to pile up a lot of points like they did last time the teams played. Akron’s defense has played better later in the 2005 campaign, but the Huskies have scored at least 30 in 4 of their last 5 games, so look for a shootout in the title game, which should make it entertaining football to watch. Akron’s offense features a RB (Brett Biggs) and a WR (Domenik Hixon) who both gained 1,000 yards, and QB Luke Getsy has really come on, throwing for almost 2600 yards and 18 TDs to 11 INTs. Hixon caught 60 passes and scored 6 TDs, and Biggs scored 9 times this year. Northern Illinois features their own RB, Garrett Wolfe, who ran for 1318 yards and scored 14 TDs. QB Phil Horvath completed an astounding 71% of his passes for 1995 yards and 18 TDs to 8 INTs. Sam Hurd is their biggest weapon in the passing game, with 63 catches for 1048 yards and 12 TDs. In the end, both teams will be able to pile up points on the weaker defensive units, but the Huskies should win this one, behind their experience and confidence. As Toledo already accepted the conference’s 2nd bowl bid, this game is for all the marbles: the winner heads to the Motor City Bowl and gets a potential shot at a Big Ten team (probably Minnesota or Northwestern) and the loser probably goes home…and stays there.
Prediction: Northern Illinois 34, Akron 24
