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Nick's 2007 MAC Football Picks - Week #8 Recap

Does anyone want to win the MAC this year? Miami was in the driver’s seat and lost at upstart Temple, so now there are four teams with one-loss in the MAC East. Meanwhile, Temple has won three in a row for the first time since 1990. BGSU is the only East team that has a winning record in 2007, and is there a bigger disappointment than Kent State this year? How many games have the Flashes lost due to multiple turnovers and/or extremely untimely penalties, especially in the red-zone?

In the MAC West, division leader Central Michigan got crushed for the fourth time this season in a non-conference game. Ball State had a huge win over Western Michigan which knocks the Broncos out of any MACC contention. The Cardinals are the only West team with a winning record.

The bottom line is yuck! Too much parity in the league right now along with a silly rule that only divisional league games count in standings lead to far too many tie-breaking scenarios that are already being reviewed. In non-conference action, the league has had few decent non-conference wins.

All in all, it’s not been a very good season for MAC football unless you are Buffalo or Temple, two teams who can finally see light at the end of a long tunnel of futility.

Actual Score: Northwestern 26 – EMU 14

Nick’s Pick: Northwestern 31 – EMU 21

Line: Northwestern by 9

Notes:

Northwestern had more total offense than EMU; 516-381
EMU Freshman Kyle McMahon was 28-of-48 for 282 yards; making his first start he also carried 13 times for 44 yards and a pair of touchdowns

Actual Score: Wisconsin 44 – NIU 3

Nick’s Pick: Wisconsin 33 – NIU 20

Line: Wisconsin by 23

Notes:

NIU, losers of four straight, suffered its worst defeat since a 73-7 setback at Kansas State in 1998 - the Huskies didn't get a first down until just over a minute to play in the first half; Wisconsin held a commanding 431-99 yard edge in total offense
NIU’s Justin Anderson, the nation's ninth leading rusher with five straight 100-yard games, had just 14 yards on 13 carries while Wisconsin gained 331 rushing yards compared to minus 13 yards on 18 carries for Northern Illinois

> Look to VanDelay Sports for NIU merchandise online and Big Ten Fans carries Wisconsin Badgers apparel.

Actual Score: Temple 24 – Miami 17

Nick’s Pick: Miami 34 – Temple 22

Line: Miami by 6.5

Notes:

Miami dominated the stats; 370-298 in total offense; 22 first downs to 11; 34 minutes of time of possession versus 26 for Temple; 86 plays to 53 plays run
Miami scored a first-half touchdown and then was held from scoring until Tom Crabtree's 1-yard touchdown catch with 1:19 left; Miami then recovered an onside kick, and Nate Parseghian added a 33-yard field goal with nine seconds left; Miami recovered a second onside kick, but that play was wiped out by a penalty; The RedHawks then recovered a third onside kick but Daniel Raudabaugh's last-ditch pass attempt was intercepted by Dominique Harris; the Owls earned the victory despite losing starting quarterback Adam DiMichele who fractured his left shin bone

Actual Score: Clemson 70 – Central Michigan 14

Nick’s Pick: Clemson 45 – Central Michigan 34

Line: Clemson by 17

Notes:

Clemson had 35 first downs to just 15 for Central; the Tigers had 656 yards of total offense to just 292 for the ‘Chips
Clemson had a very balanced attack rushing for 341 yards and passing for 315

Actual Score: Ball State 27 – Western Michigan 23

Nick’s Pick: Ball State 45 – Western Michigan 41

Line: Ball State by 1

Notes:

Frank Edmonds scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:07 remaining to lift Ball State over Western Michigan; the Cardinals' Nate Davis was 25-of-48 passing for 358 yards and two touchdowns; Donte Love led Ball State with 11 catches for 101 yards. Louis Johnson had three receptions for 110 yards and a score
Western Michigan running back Brandon West finished with a career-high 171 yards rushing on 21 attempts; Tim Hiller passed for 237 yards and the score but threw three interceptions and was sacked four times - Ball State did not turn the ball over. For the season, the Cardinals have MAC-low seven turnovers

Actual Score: BGSU 31 – Kent State 20

Nick’s Pick: Kent State 26 – BGSU 23

Line: Kent State by 6

Notes:

BG's Willie Geter ran for 203 yards and scored the game's first touchdown as the Falcons beat Kent State in a game in which they never trailed; Geter had runs of 50 yards and 44 yards and also caught four passes for 51 yards
Eugene Jarvis rushed for 171 yards on 33 attempts, while Edelman added 110 yards on 17 carries for the Golden Flashes

Actual Score: Syracuse 20 – Buffalo 12

Nick’s Pick: Buffalo 23 – Syracuse 21

Line: Syracuse by 4

Notes:

The Orange put up 444 yards of total offense to 359 for UB; Drew Willy passed for 286 yards, no TDs or INTs for the Bulls
Syracuse had lost its first four home games by a combined 176-60; A.J. Principe kicked field goals of 31, 33, 29 and 32 yards for Buffalo

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Actual Score: Toledo 43 – Ohio 40

Nick’s Pick: Toledo 42 – Ohio 41

Line: Toledo by 1.5

Notes:

Alex Steigerwald kicked a 40-yard field goal as time ran out to give Toledo a 3-point victory; Jalen Parmele ran for 241 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Aaron Opelt added 204 yards passing and one touchdown - Toledo's offensive attack produced 473 yards
Kalvin McRae ran for 182 yards and three touchdowns for Ohio; the Bobcats had eight turnovers; OU had 562 yards of total offense

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Ranking the MAC Teams after Week #8

1. NONE - No one deserves to be ranked #1 in the MAC this season

2. Ball State - Their offense can take them far, but still may not win the West

3. Miami - What happened in Philadelphia?

4. Central Michigan - Just play MAC games and quit embarrassing the league in OOC games

5. BGSU - Never count this team out this year

6. Akron - Controls their own destiny at this point

7. Western Michigan - A huge disappointment this season

8. Buffalo - If you can’t beat Syracuse this year, you never will

9. Temple - Showing the MAC that they do in fact belong

10. Kent State - Far too talented to be rated this low and a 3-5 record

11. Eastern Michigan - The Eagles just can’t seem to get started (wins) but do play close games

12. Toledo - Jalen Parmele may be the MAC’s best player

13. Ohio - Eight turnovers in the Glass Bowl?

14. NIU - Injuries have devastated this program in 2007

by Nick Gerogosian

published 10.21.2007

Nick's 2007 MAC Football Picks & Recaps

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