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Nick's 2007 MAC Football Picks - Week #12 Picks

> Nick's MAC Football Recap of Week #11 is now live!

MAC Notes:

McRae Climbs the List
Ohio RB Kalvin McRae jumped from eighth place into sixth place on the all-time MAC rushing list with his 109 yards in Wednesday’s loss to Akron. McRae boosted his total to 4,286 yards, just 82 yards from fifth place. McRae’s 44 career rushing TDs are sixth in league history and one behind the 45 rush TDs by Josh Cribbs of Kent State (2001-04).

Brown’s Town
Central Michigan freshman Antonio Brown has established a MAC freshman record with his 1,667 all purpose yards. The old standard was 1,550 yards by former Chippewa Jerry Seymour in 2003.

MAC Attendance Record Falls
Temple ’s hosting of Penn State established a MAC record for single game home attendance. A crowd of 69,029 attended at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The crowd exceeded the standard of 61,500 for the Sept. 1, 2007 audience at Soldier Field at the Northern Illinois vs. Iowa contest.

LAST WEEK (Nov. 6-10)
Central Michigan’s 34-31 win over Western Michigan secured the Chippewas place in the Dec. 1 Marathon MAC Football Championship game. Ohio fell out of the running with a 48-37 loss at Akron. Temple set a MAC record for single game attendance with its audience of 69,029 against Penn State. Northern Illinois stopped its five-game losing streak with a 27-20 win over Kent State. Bowling Green became bowl eligible with its sixth win via a 39-32 triumph over Eastern Michigan.

THIS WEEK (Nov. 14-17)
Four playing dates for MAC teams dot the calendar. Tuesday (Nov. 13) has Toledo at Ball State on ESPN2. Wednesday (Nov. 14) shows Akron at Miami on ESPN2. A Friday night (Nov. 16) contest has Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan (Comcast Local). Four games will be staged on Saturday (Nov. 17) with two East Division match ups in Bowling Green at Buffalo and Kent State at Temple. Non-conference action has Northern Illinois at Navy and Western Michigan at Iowa.

NEXT WEEK (Nov. 23-24)
The regular season concludes with two games on Friday and four games Saturday. Friday’s games are televised on ESPNU when Akron hosts Central Michigan at 11 a.m., and Bowling Green welcomes rival Toledo at 2:30 p.m. The Saturday contests have Buffalo at Kent State, Temple at Western Michigan, Miami at Ohio and Ball State at Northern Illinois.

IDLE THIS WEEK:
Ohio is the only MAC team not playing this week. The Bobcats close out the season Nov. 24 at home vs. rival Miami.

RAY GUY FINALISTS:
Three MAC punters were named (Nov. 1) to the finalist list for the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the nation’s most outstanding collegiate punter and is selected by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. Ball State’s Chris Miller, Toledo’s Brett Kern and Buffalo’s Ben Woods were recognized among the 10 finalists. The winner will be announced Dec. 28 and presented at the ESPN College Football Awards Show in Orlando, Fla.

SACK CHARTS:
Northern Illinois DE Larry English has 9.5 sacks this year, boosting his career total to 22.5. Those 22.5 sacks are 17th all-time in MAC history. Next on the list at 23 sacks is former Huskie Sam Kellar (1982-84). English had five sacks in one game, at Idaho on Sept. 22. English was named as the Bronko Nagurski national defensive player of the week for that performance.

Tuesday, November 13th

Toledo @ Ball State

WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Scheumann Stadium (22,500) RECORDS: • Toledo (5-5, 3-3 MAC) • Ball State (5-5, 3-2 MAC)

SERIES RECORD: Toledo leads, 16-15-1. The Cardinals won at the Glass Bowl last year, 20-17, the first BSU win in Toledo since 1991.

COACHES: • Tom Amstutz, 55-30 at Toledo (7 years), same overall. 3-3 vs. BSU. • Brady Hoke, 20-36 at BSU (5 years), same overall. 2-2 vs. Toledo.

TV: ESPN2. Clay Matvick (play by play), Ray Bentley (color) and Rob Simmelkjaer (sideline) will call the action.

Toledo (5-5, 3-3 MAC) enters the Ball State game playing its best football of the season. The Rockets have scored 165 points in their current three-game winning streak, including a 70-21 win over Northern Illinois on Oct. 27 and a 52-28 triumph over Eastern Michigan last Saturday. Against the Eagles, senior RB Jalen Parmele racked up 168 yards and three TDs, his sixth straight 100-yard game. Sophomore Stephen Williams (150 yards) and junior Nick Moore (119) each gained over 100 yards in receiving. Sophomore QB Aaron Opelt has looked sharp since missing two-plus games with an injury. He has thrown for 867 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions in the last three games.
Ball State (5-5, 3-2 MAC) has been very consistent this season and could easily have a winning record. Of the Cardinals’ five losses, two have been by a single point (14-13 to Miami and 41-40 at Nebraska). They feature a potent passing attack, with sophomore QB Nate Davis throwing for 2,785 yards and 22 TDs this year. His favorite target is junior Dante Love, who has caught 73 passes and scored seven times. Ball State lost at Indiana, 38-20, last Saturday despite 14 receptions for 177 yards by Love.

Nick's Pick: Toledo 42 - Ball State 41

Line: Ball State by 6

Comment: In recent seasons, UT would enter Muncie flying high and then fall flat on their faces and lose to an underdog Cardinals team. This year, that trend may be reversed. Ball State has not played well at home during the Hoke era but the Rockets are 0-3 on the road, so something has to give. Expect some major offensive fireworks Tuesday night and don't be surprised if the team with the ball last - wins. This publications sees UT in a squeaker at BSU.

> Browse our online selection of MAC football team hats & merchandise!

Wednesday, November 14th

Akron @ Miami

Akron (4-6, 2-3 MAC East, 3-3 MAC Overall) at Miami (5-5, 3-1 MAC East, 4-1 MAC overall) - 7:30 p.m.

SITE: Yager Stadium (24,286) - Oxford, Ohio

TELEVISION: ESPN2 (Rece Davis, Lou Holtz, Mark May, Rob Stone)

SERIES RECORD: Miami leads 12-5-1 ... the Zips 24-13 win last year ended a five-game losing streak to the RedHawks ... Miami has won eight of the last 10 meetings dating back to 1997.

COACHES: UA-J.D. Brookhart (22-24, fourth season); MIA-Shan Montgomery (14-19, third season).

Akron @ Miami - GAME NOTES:
Even with a loss Miami would remain alive for the Dec. 1 title contest depending on the outcome of the Bowling Green and Buffalo contest ... the RedHawks will have had an 11 day layoff since their last game, a Nov. 3 win at home over Buffalo (31-28) ... the Zips snapped a three-game losing streak Nov. 7 with a 48-37 triumph over Ohio ... in that win over Ohio, sophomore RB Alex Allen busted out for a career high 96 yards and three TDs on 14 rushing attempts ... Bryan Williams added 80 rush yard on 16 carries for an offense that is averaging only 132 rush yards per game ... the passing game was highlighted by Chris Jacquemain who passed for a season second-best 196 yards, and Jabari Arthur, who grabbed eight passes for 129 yards ... Miami also received solid performances from Cory Jones, who rushed for 124 yards on 19 carries and Dan Raudabaugh (20-26 passing, 259 yards, 2 TDs) in its win over Buffalo ... the RedHawks are looking for their third appearance in the MAC Championship game (2003, 2004).

Nick’s Pick: Miami 24 – Akron 20

Line: Miami by 9

Comment: In one of the most bizarre MAC seasons ever, wouldn’t really be something if Akron wins this game and the whole MAC East race becomes one big cornucopia of “scenarios” going into the final week of the season? I wouldn’t be surprised if that really does happen since there is not much difference between these two teams on paper. Considering Miami is at home and has a real shot at not only the MACC but also the GMAC Bowl, this publication gives the “want-to” nod to the RedHawks in a close contest.

Friday, November 16th, 2007

Eastern Michigan @ Central Michigan

Eastern Michigan (3-8, 2-2 MAC West, 2-4 MAC Overall) at Central Michigan (6-4, 4-0 MAC West, 5-0 MAC Overall) - 7 p.m.

SITE: Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,255/FieldTurf) - Mount Pleasant, Mich.

TELEVISION: Comcast Local (Ben Holden, Rob Otto)

SERIES RECORD: CMU leads 53-25-6 ... the last three meetings have went overtime ... CMU won last year 24-17 ... EMU was victorious in 2005, 23-20, and in 2004 in a four-overtime game at Ford Field 61-58.

COACHES: EMU-Jeff Genyk (12-33, fourth season); CMU-Butch Jones (6-4, first season).

EMU @ CMU - GAME NOTES:
The Chippewas look to go through the MAC season undefeated and could be the first league champion to be perfect since the 2003 Miami RedHawks (8-0) ... the Chippewas will have been idle for 10 days, last playing Nov. 6 with a 34-31 win over Western Michigan ... CMU has not lost a home MAC game since Nov. 5, 2005 to Northern Illinois ... the Eagles dropped a 39-32 decision to Bowling Green Nov. 9 (Friday) for their second consecutive loss ... Pierre Walker rushed for a career-best 155 yards on 31 carries vs. the Falcons ... Walker has rushed for 399 yards in the last three games and has scored a touchdown in each of the last three games ... EMU has a +7 turnover margin, second best in the MAC, a league-best 49 ypg in penalties ... CMU QB Dan LeFevour leads the MAC in total offense (316.5 ypg) and is coming off a 235 yards passing and 72 yards rushing game at WMU ... LeFevour, just a sophomore, became CMU’s career leader in total offense (6,717 yards) ... Antonio Brown established a MAC freshman record for all-purpose yards (1,667).

Nick’s Pick: Central Michigan 35 – Eastern Michigan 23

Line: Central Michigan by 13.5

Comment: This game is for the mythical “Michigan MAC Trophy,” presented by our good friends from The MAC Report Online. Eastern has the defense to slow down Central but when it comes to MAC West games over the past two seasons, the ‘Chips have lost just once. Expect CMU to win the game in a fairly close and entertaining contest.

MAC Matchups - Games for Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007

Kent State @ Temple

Kent State (3-7, 1-3 MAC East, 1-5 MAC Overall) at Temple (3-7, 2-3 MAC East, 3-3 MAC Overall) - Noon

SITE: Lincoln Financial Field (68,532/Natural Grass)

TELEVISION: None

SERIES RECORD: Kent State leads 1-0 ... the Golden Flashes won 28-17 last year in Philadelphia.

COACHES: KSU-Doug Martin (15-29, fourth season); TU-Al Golden (4-18, second season).

Kent State @ Temple - GAME NOTES:
Kent State suffered its fifth consecutive loss in a 27-20 defeat at Northern Illinois last week ... Temple dropped a 31-0 home game to #25 ranked Penn State, the Owls second straight loss after a three-game win streak ... the Owls lead the MAC in total defense (380.0 ypg allowed) and the Golden Flashes are second (386.8 ypg allowed) ... KSU’s offense is fueled by the league’s top rusher in Eugene Jarvis (142.9 ypg) ... the Flashes lost starting QB Giorgio Morgan in the first quarter and went with back-up Jon Brown (16-34, 132 yards, one TD, one int.) ... Temple’s QB Vaughn Charlton completed 26-of-43 attempts for 238 yards and no interceptions last week vs. the Nittany Lions, who have the nation’s seventh ranked team in total defense ... a win for Temple would give the program four victories in a season for the first time since 2002.

Nick’s Pick: Kent State 30 – Temple 22

Line: Temple by 2.5

Comment: At some point, Kent State has to stop the bleeding and get back into the win column. Considering how much emotion and energy Temple put into last week’s home game with PSU (nearly 70K fans), I’m guessing there isn’t much in the tank and that KSU can get a late season win to kick start their off season.

> Owl fans can find a nice variety of Temple hats & merchandise online through VanDelay Sports.

Bowling Green @ Buffalo

Bowling Green (6-4, 3-2 MAC East, 4-2 MAC Overall) at Buffalo (4-6, 3-1 MAC East, 4-2 MAC Overall) - 1 p.m.

SITE: UB Stadium (29,013/Sportexe Momentum) - Buffalo, N.Y.

TELEVISION: None

SERIES RECORD: BG leads 3-1 ... UB won the first-ever meeting in 2000, 20-17 ... the Falcons

have won the last three, including a 48-40, triple overtime contest last year.

COACHES: BGSU-Gregg Brandon (36-23, fifth season); UB-Turner Gill (6-16, second season).

BGSU @ UB - GAME NOTES:
Both teams need a win to stay alive in the competition for the MAC East Division Championship ... the Falcons have won their last two games and are looking for their first three game winning streak since the middle of the 2005 season ... despite a 31-28 loss at Miami in its most recent (Nov. 3) game, the Bulls have a school-record four wins as a I-A program ... UB’s Drew Willy is third overall, and top among East Division QBs, in pass efficiency (133.9) by completing a league-high 68.1 percent (205-301) for 2,208 yards, 12 TDs and six interceptions ... his counterpart, Tyler Sheehan, is averaging 265 passing yards per game with 2,650 yards and 18 TDs ... UB ranks ninth in the MAC in passing offense (206.5 ypg) but tops the league in pass efficiency (153.3) ... the Bulls also offer the league’s No. 5 rusher in James Starks (91.2 ypg) ... BG is 5-1 when rushing for 100 yards in a game but is averaging 122 ypg rushing overall ... the Falcons lost the league’s leader in tackles LB John Haneline (10.7 tpg) and replaced him in the starting lineup with freshman Glenn Stanley, who responded with 18 tackles at EMU.

Nick’s Pick: BGSU 34 – Buffalo 26

Line: Buffalo by 1.5

Comment: Boy have the times changed in just one year. If you were to go back two or three seasons ago, BGSU would be favored by 20-30 points. UB is getting better at a very quick rate and just may win this game against the Falcons to hold onto 2nd place in the MAC East. But the Falcons have a real shot at an 8-4 record and earning a bowl bid so that motivation gives this publication the reason to pick BG.

Western Michigan @ Iowa

WMU logo Western Michigan (3-7, 2-3 MAC West, 2-4 MAC Overall) at Iowa (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) - 2:35 p.m. (CT)

SITE: Kinnick Stadium (70,585/Natural Grass) - Iowa City, Iowa

TELEVISION: Big Ten Network (Mark Nelly, Glen Mason and Marshall Harris)

SERIES RECORD: WMU leads 1-0 ... the Broncos won 27-21 in 2000 in Iowa City.

COACHES: WMU-Bill Cubit (18-16, third season at school; 52-34-1, eighth season overall.);

UI-Kirk Ferentz (61-48, ninth season overall; 73-69, 12th season overall).

WMU @ Iowa - GAME NOTES:
The Broncos have lost three in a row but have a chance to stall the Hawkeyes bowl opportunities ... Iowa has won three in a row ... WMU is playing its second Big Ten foe this year, also having hosted Indiana on Sept. 8 ... Broncos QB Tim Hiller is coming off a 311 yard passing game and is fourth in the MAC in TD passes (16) and passing yards per game (237.7) ... Brandon West has 1,774 all-purpose yards and needs 166 yards to set a school record ... Jamarko Simmons needs 113 yards to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the season ... LB Boston McCornell is 13 stops shy of 100 for the season and would become the first WMU player since Jason Babin (115) and Kevin Ford (111) in 2003 to accomplish the feat ... Iowa’s Jake Christensen has 2,020 passing yards and 14 TDs this year and Albert Young leads the rushing game with 873 yards.

Nick’s Pick: Iowa 33 – Western Michigan 17

Line: Iowa by 14

Comment: At the beginning of the season I thought WMU would have a chance to win this game late in the season. Not anymore. Western will make some plays to make the game interesting, but in the end, it’s Iowa to the victory.

Northern Illinois @ Navy

NIU logo NIU (2-8, 0-4 MAC West, 1-5 MAC Overall) at Navy (5-4, Independent) - 3:30 p.m.

SITE: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000/Field Turf) - Annapolis, Md.

TELEVISION: CSTV (Pete Medhurst, Scott Zolak)

SERIES RECORD: First meeting.

COACHES: NIU-Joe Novak (62-74, 13th season); Navy-Paul Johnson (42-29 sixth season at school; 11th season 104-39 overall).

NIU @ Navy - GAME NOTES:
The Huskies snapped their five-game losing streak last week with a 27-20 win over Kent State last week ... the Midshipmen defeated North Texas 74-62 last week in the highest scoring regular season game in I-A/FBS history and have won two in a row, winning at Notre Dame, 46-44, Nov. 3 ... NIU’s Justin Anderson (1,096) extended the school’s streak of consecutive 1,000-yard rushers to nine, which is the longest in the country in I-A (FBS)... NIU rushed for 235 yards last week and did not allow a sack in 29 pass attempts ... Anderson picked up 98 yards and David Bryant added 110 yards on 28 carries ... Huskies QB Dan Nicholson had his best game of the season last week, completing 21-of-28 attempts for 275 yards, two scores and no interceptions ... Navy leads the nation in rushing with 357 yards per game and set school records with 572 rush yards and eight rush TDs at North Texas ... Navy has a 30-19 win over Temple and a 34-31 overtime loss to Ball State ... Sunday, Navy accepted a bid to the Dec. 20 San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego ... this will be the fifth consecutive bowl for Navy ... NIU played TCU in the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl.

Nick’s Pick: Navy 40 – NIU 20

Line: Navy by 15

Comment: The Huskies got a much-needed and much-deserved win last week at home against Kent State while Navy needed to put up 74 points IN REGULATION to beat North Texas after their very emotional win at Notre Dame two weeks ago. NIU will play Navy tough but Navy is much better than the Huskies at this point in time and will cruise to victory.

> Owl fans can find a nice variety of Northern Illinois Huskies merchandise through VanDelay Sports.

MAC Players In NCAA Rankings - (top 25 only)

Rushing

5. Eugene Jarvis, KSU ......................... 142.9

7. Jalen Parmele, UT ............................ 130.6

12. Kalvin McRae, OU ........................ 120.1

25. Justin Anderson, NIU ..................... 109.6

All-Purpose Yards

4. Dante Love, BSU ............................. 198.3

7. Jalen Parmele, UT ............................ 196.7

12. Brandon West, WMU ..................... 177.4

17. Antonio Brown, CMU .................... 166.7

18. Eugene Jarvis, KSU ....................... 165.9

Total Offense

8. Dan LeFevour, CMU ....................... 316.5

14. Nate Davis, BSU ............................ 300.4

Scoring

8. Kalvin McRae, OU ............................ 10.4

24. Jalen Parmele, UT .............................. 9.0

Receptions per game

7. Jamarko Simmons, WMU .................. 7.70

10. Dante Love, BSU ............................. 7.30

11. Jabari Arthur, UA ............................. 7.20

13. Antonio Brown, CMU ...................... 7.10

25. Bryan Anderson, CMU .................... 6.20

Receiving Yards per game

11. Jabari Arthur, UA ............................. 98.7

12. Dante Love, BSU ............................. 96.6

14. Stephen Williams, UT ...................... 95.6

20. Jamarko Simmons, WMU ................ 88,7

Interceptions

6. P.J. Mahone, BG.................. .56 (9 g/5 int)

8. Ryan Downard, EMU .................55 (11/6)

11. Josh Gordy, CMU...................... .50 (8/4)

11. Reggie Corner, UA ................. .50 (10 /5)

11. B.J. Hill, BSU ......................... .50 (10/5)

Kickoff Returns

4. Bryan Williams, UA ........................... 33.2

18. Jalen Parmele, UT ............................ 28.4

20. Antonio Brown, CMU ...................... 27.8

25. Chris Garrett, OU ............................. 27.4

Punting

2. Chris Miller, BSU .............................. 46.2

3. Brett Kern, UT ................................... 45.9

3. Jacob Richardson, MIA ...................... 45.6

7. Andy Dittbenner, NIU ........................ 44.8

10. Jim Laney, WMU ............................. 44.3

Sacks

9. Larry English, NIU ..... 0.9 (9.5 sack/10 g)

20. Trevor Scott, UB ..................... 0.8 (10/8)

Tackles per game

14. John Haneline, BG ........................... 10.7

15. Daniel Holtzclaw, EMU ................... 10.6

20. Clayton Mullins, MIA ...................... 10.5

23. Bryant Haines, BSU ......................... 10.3

23. Thomas Keith, CMU ........................ 10.3

Tackles for a loss per game

9. Larry English, NIU ............................ 1.60

11. Jason Jones, EMU ............................ 1.55

14. Larry Hutchinson, UB ...................... 1.50

22. Brion Stokes, UA ............................. 1.40

25. Brandon Crawford, BSU .................. 1.30

Field Goals per game

15. Michael Braunstein, OU .................... 1.7

16. Nate Reed, KSU ................................. 1.7

18. Igor Ivelijic, UA ................................. 1.6

MAC Teams In NCAA Rankings - (top 25 only)

Total Offense

13. Toledo ............................................. 464.2

Passing Offense

15. Bowling Green ............................... 292.7

18. Ball State ........................................ 282.2

Rushing Offense

12. Toledo ............................................. 223.0

16. Kent State ....................................... 213.8

Turnover Margin

5. Ball State .............................................. 1.3

23. Eastern Michigan ............................... .64

25. Toledo ................................................. .60

Kickoff Returns

16. Central Michigan ............................. 24.1

17. Kent State ......................................... 24.0

20. Western Michigan ............................ 23.9

23. Akron ................................................ 23.6

24. Ohio .................................................. 23.6

Punt Returns

7. Akron .................................................. 17.0

Net Punting

4. Toledo ................................................. 39.2

6. Eastern Michigan ............................... 38.8

13. Buffalo ............................................. 38.0

Scoring Offense

20. Toledo ............................................... 36.5