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Nick's 2007 MAC Football Picks - Week #13 Picks

> Nick's MAC Football Recap of Week #12 is now live!

This Week’s MAC Football Schedule

Friday – November 23

Central Michigan at Akron, 11 a.m. – ESPNU
Toledo at Bowling Green, 2:30 p.m. – ESPNU

Saturday – November 24

Buffalo at Kent State, 1 p.m.
Temple at Western Michigan, 2 p.m.
Miami at Ohio, 2 p.m. – WSFJ/Ohio package
Ball State at Northern Illinois, 3 p.m. (CT) – CSN Chicago/Comcast Local

MAC QUICK NOTES

LAST WEEK (Nov. 14-17)
Miami’s 7-0 win over Akron, combined with Bowling Green’s 31-17 triumph over Buffalo, vaulted the RedHawks into the Marathon MAC Football Championship game on Dec. 1 at Ford Field. The RedHawks can win the East Division outright with a win Saturday at Ohio. The West Division will be represented by Central Michigan. Ball State became bowl eligible with its sixth win, a 41-20 conquest over Toledo. Eastern Michigan surprised Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant, 48-45. Temple won its fourth league game with a 24-14 triumph over Kent State. Western Michigan toppled Big Ten foe Iowa, 28-19, and Northern Illinois dropped a 35-24 contest at Navy.

THIS 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.

NEXT WEEK (Dec. 1)
The 2007 Marathon MAC Football Championship game will take place at Ford Field in Detroit. The game is slated for an 11 a.m. start time on ESPN2 and ESPN HD. Central Michigan (West Division) will be the designated home team and is the defending MAC Champion, having beaten Ohio 31-10 in last year’s game. Miami (East Division) is the designated visiting team and will be making its third appearance in the title game. In 2004 the RedHawks beat Bowling Green, and in 2005 lost to Toledo in its previous championship appearances.

IDLE THIS WEEK:
Eastern Michigan concluded its season last week with a 48-45 win at Central Michigan. The Eagles finished the 2007 campaign with a 4-8 record, three wins better than 2006.

Friday, November 23rd

Central Michigan @ Akron

Central Michigan (6-5, 4-1 MAC West, 5-1 MAC Overall) at Akron (4-7, 2-4 MAC East, 3-4 MAC Overall) - 11 a.m.

SITE: Rubber Bowl (31,000/AstroPlay) - Akron, Ohio

TELEVISION: ESPNU

SERIES RECORD: CMU leads 12-8-1 ... the Chippewas have won the last two meetings ... the most recent game was last year, a 24-21 Chippewa victory ... the Zips most recent win came in 2003 in Mount Pleasant, 40-28 ... CMU has won the last two meetings in the Rubber Bowl (2002, 2005).

COACHES: CMU-Butch Jones (6-5, first season); UA-J.D. Brookhart (22-25, fourth season).

CMU @ Akron - GAME NOTES:
The Chippewas dropped a 48-45 contest at home to Eastern Michigan last week ... the Zips lost a 7-0 defensive battle at Miami and did not allow an offensive score by the RedHawks ... DB John Mackey had two end zone interceptions ... the Zips had been allowing 30.8 points per game prior to the Miami contest ... the Chippewas offer the league’s No. 2 scoring offense, producing 33.5 ppg, but also have the league’s No. 12 team in scoring defense, allowing 38.5 ppg ... QB Dan LeFevour produced four scores last week vs. EMU with 3 rushing TDs and a passing TD, his 46 career scoring strike ... those 46 TD passes rank 18th all-time in MAC history ... LeFevour also ranks eighth in the MAC with his 64.2 rushing yards per game and third in rush TDs with 13 ... LeFevour set new CMU records for completions in a career and a season against EMU. He now has 528 career completions and 281 completions in 2007 ... Antonio Brown broke the school’s single season receptions record against EMU with 77, passing Bryan Anderson’s record of 73 set last season ... Anderson has 69 receptions this season.

Nick’s Pick: Central Michigan 31 – Akron 14

Line: Central Michigan by 3

Comment: The ‘Chips had a bad game against EMU and desperately need a win to ensure their bowl bid. The CMU/Akron rivalries through the years have been very close and most games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Akron just doesn’t have the offense to keep up with Central Michigan and the ‘Chips may be looking at some style points with a large-margin win prior to the MACC.

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

Friday, November 23rd

Toledo @ Bowling Green

Toledo (5-6, 2-3 MAC West, 3-4 MAC Overall) at Bowling Green (7-4, 4-2 MAC East, 5-2 MAC Overall) - 2:30 p.m.

SITE: Perry Stadium (24,000/FieldTurf) - Bowling Green, Ohio

TELEVISION: ESPNU (Sam Gore, Jim Hofher)

SERIES RECORD: BG leads 36-31-4 ... the Rockets have won the last three meetings overall ... among those three wins are last year’s game in Toledo (31-21) and at Perry Stadium in 2005 (44-41 in overtime) ... the Falcons last win was 31-23 in 2003 in Bowling Green ... the series began in 1919 and has been continuous since 1948.

COACHES: UT-Tom Amstutz (55-31, eighth season); BGSU-Gregg Brandon (37-23, fifth season).

Toledo @ BGSU - GAME NOTES:
BG has won three in a row and four of its last five games, most recently a 31-17 conquest of Buffalo ... the Rockets 41-20 loss at Ball State Nov. 13 snapped UT’s three-game winning streak ... the Falcons have already produced three more wins this year compared to last year (4-8) and the Rockets can surpass its win total (5-7) of last year with a win ... Aaron Opelt has been ruled out of the game for the Rockets, thrusting either Clint Cochran (144-of-129 passing for 1,756 yards and 12 TDs), or D.J. Lenehan (55-of-84, 576 yards, 4 TDs) into the spotlight ... UT’s Jalen Parmele is second in the MAC in rushing yards (129.9 ypg) and rushing TDs (14) ... the Falcons have averaged 38 ppg in their three recent wins and face a Toledo defense that ranks last in the MAC by allowing 39.4 ppg ... UT’s offense has averaged 609.7 yards of total offense in the last three games and point totals of 70, 52 and 20 ... led by Tyler Sheehan (2,898 yards, 20 TD passes), BG tops the MAC in passing offense, posting 290.9 yards per game with a league-high tying 25 scoring passes ... Sheehan’s 83-yard TD hook up with Chris Wright last week was the longest offensive player of the year for BG ... last week at Buffalo, BG’s defense held on a first-and-goal from the six-yard line to preserve the 14-point margin late in the third quarter.

Nick’s Pick: BGSU 51 – Toledo 34

Line: BGSU by 6

Comment: This is the MAC’s most fierce rivalry over the years and this year should be no different. Expect a lot of offensive fireworks in this contest as both offenses are solid while the defenses, especially Toledo’s, have been suspect at times this season. BG has not beaten the Rockets in a while and are due – also, Toledo’s defense is so bad that the Falcons may really pour it on this year. An 8-4 Falcon team would make one of the three MAC bowl bids too. BG by double digits this year.

Buffalo @ Kent State

Buffalo (4-7, 3-2 MAC East, 4-3 MAC Overall) at Kent State (3-8, 1-4 MAC East, 1-6 MAC Overall) - 1 p.m.

SITE: Dix Stadium (29,287/FieldTurf) - Kent, Ohio

TELEVISION: None

SERIES RECORD: KSU leads 8-7 ... the Bulls have won the last two, including a 41-14 contest last year ... the Bulls also won the most recent game played at Kent, 10-6 in 2005 ... KSU won four straight from 2001-04.

COACHES: UB-Turner Gill (6-17, second season); KSU-Doug Martin (15-30, fourth season).

UB @ Kent State - GAME NOTES:
Each team suffered a loss last week ... Kent State’s 24-14 loss at Temple was the Golden Flashes sixth consecutive defeat ... the Bulls 31-17 loss to Bowling Green was their second straight loss ... Buffalo has doubled its win total from last year and still has a chance at a share of the East Division Championship with a win and a Miami loss at Ohio ... QB Drew Willy had 19 completions last week and set a Buffalo single season record with his 224 completions on the season ... Willy also leads the MAC with a 67.3 percent completion rate, which is on target to rank in the top 10 single season efforts in MAC history ... James Starks became the first UB player in the I-A era to reach 1,000 yards in a season and could add to his current total of 1,049 ... Davonte Shannon’s 17 tackles (11 solo give him 108 on the season, another I-A first for a freshman at UB ... the Golden Flashes feature the league’s top individual rusher in Eugene Jarvis (135.1 yards per game; 1,486 rushing yards total) ... KSU will be starting its fourth different QB of the season with Anthony Magazu earning his first career start ... Magazu’s father, David Magazu, is the tight ends coach for the Carolina Panthers.

Nick’s Pick: Buffalo 26 – Kent State 17

Line: Kent State by 2

Comment: Kent State has to be the most disappointing MAC program this season while Buffalo has been the league’s pleasant surprise. KSU is just basically going through the motions to complete yet another dismal football season while UB is actually looking forward to the off-season to continue to build on the positives of their 2007 season. Give the “want-to” factor to the Bulls, and the win.

Temple @ Western Michigan

Temple (4-7, 3-3 MAC East, 4-3 MAC Overall) at Western Michigan (4-7, 2-3 MAC West, 2-4 MAC Overall) - 2 p.m.

SITE: Waldo Stadium (30,200/Field Turf) - Kalamazoo, Mich.

TELEVISION: None

SERIES RECORD: WMU leads 5-0 ... the Broncos won last year 41-7 in Kalamazoo and in 2005, 19-16 in Philadelphia.

COACHES: TU-Al Golden (5-18, second season); WMU-Bill Cubit (19-16, third season at school; 53-34-1, eighth season overall.)

Temple @ WMU - GAME NOTES:
Both teams are coming off of wins ... the Broncos surprised Big Ten member Iowa 28-19 in Iowa City last week ... the Owls won their fourth conference game with a 24-14 defeat of Kent State ... it marked the first time since 1967 that the Owls have won as many as four league games in a season ... Temple stands at the top of the MAC defensively, allowing 356.7 yards per game (the MAC record for most yards allowed per game by a MAC leader on total defense is 338.5 by Kent State in 1987) ... the Owls lead in both rushing defense (165.0 ypg) and passing defense (191.7 ypg) and are third in scoring defense (27.2 ppg) ... Broncos QB Tim Hiller is fresh off a 367 yard, three TDs, no interceptions passing game at Iowa ... it marked the fourth time this season he has thrown for more than 300 yards ... Brandon West piled up 291 all-purpose yards (116 rushing, 93 receiving, 82 kickoff return) to boost his season total to a school record 2,065 all-purpose yards, which also ranks as the eighth highest total in league history.

Nick’s Pick: Western Michigan 35 – Temple 16

Line: Western Michigan by 11

Comment: Western Michigan showed everyone last week with their win at Iowa what most MAC Insiders thought they would see from the Broncos all season long – a solid football team that would contend for a title. This game is essentially a momentum game going into the off-season and Western Michigan should be able to win that battle, especially with their offensive firepower.

> Find a nice selection of Western Michigan (WMU) apparel & merchandise online through VanDelay Sports.

Miami @ Ohio

Miami (6-5, 4-1 MAC East, 5-1 MAC overall) at Ohio (5-6, 2-3 MAC East, 3-4 MAC Overall) - 2 p.m.

SITE: Peden Stadium (24,000/Field Turf) - Athens, Ohio

TELEVISION: WSFJ/Ohio Package

SERIES RECORD: Miami leads 51-30-2 ... Ohio’s 34-24 win last year snapped a six-game winning streak in the series by the RedHawks ... Miami has won the last three games played in Athens.

COACHES: MIA-Shan Montgomery (15-19, third season); OU-Frank Solich (18-18, third season at school; 76-37, ninth season overall.).

Miami @ Ohio - GAME NOTES:
Miami is playing for an outright East Division Championship ... the Bobcats are looking to avoid a losing season and beat Miami in back-to-back seasons for the first time since a three-game streak from 1982-84 ... Miami is the MAC leader in league-only games in scoring defense (15.3 ppg allowed), rushing defense (113.5 ypg allowed), total defense (311.2 ypg allowed) and pass efficiency defense (111.6 rating) ... the RedHawks defense will be challenged by Bobcat RB Kalvin McRae, the league leader in rushing TDs (18) and scoring (114 points) and is third leading overall rusher with 1,322 yards ... in games decided by seven points or less this year, Miami is 5-2 ... the RedHawks 7-0 shutout of Akron was the RedHawks first shutout since a 49-0 triumph over Indiana State in 2004 ... in its last five games, Ohio has averaged 37.2 points per game but has just a 3-2 record during that time ... Miami’s Clayton Mullins, who caused the fumble that led to the only score in the Akron game, ranks sixth in the MAC with 12.5 tackles for a loss.

Nick’s Pick: Miami 21 – Ohio 17

Line: Ohio by 2

Comment: In one of the better MAC rivalries, Miami is playing to secure a bowl bid while OU is hoping to beat their arch-rival for a rare two-peat in this series. Miami’s defense should be able to hold a very average Bobcat offense and hold on to a victory and their 7th win of the season.

Ball State @ Northern Illinois

NIU logo Ball State (6-5, 3-1 MAC West, 4-2 MAC Overall) at Northern Illinois (2-9, 0-4 MAC West, 1-5 MAC Overall) - 3 p.m. (CT)

SITE: Huskie Stadium (24,000/Field Turf) - DeKalb, Ill.

TELEVISION: CSN Chicago/Comcast Local (Dave Kaplan, Bob Chmiel, Ken McReynolds)

SERIES RECORD: BSU leads 18-14-2 ... the teams have split the last two meetings ... NIU has been the victor in seven of the last eight encounters ... the visiting team has won the last three games.

COACHES: BSU-Brady Hoke (21-36, fifth season); NIU-Joe Novak (62-75, 13th season).

Ball State @ NIU - GAME NOTES:
The Cardinals have been idle since a Nov. 13, 41-20 win at home over Toledo ... the Huskies dropped a 35-24 contest at Navy last week ... BSU can reach the 7-win plateau for the first time since an 8-4 record in 1996 under current Indiana head coach Bill Lynch ... the 2002 team was 6-6 ... Cardinal QB Nate Davis leads the league in pass efficiency and could join Brian McClure (BGSU 1982-83), and Marshall’s Chad Pennington (1997-99) and Byron Leftwich (2000-02) as the only back-to-back winners since pass efficiency was established as a statistical category in 1979 ... Davis, a sophomore, has 43 career TD passes and needs two more to jump onto the MAC’s all-time top 20 list ... his top target this year is Dante Love, who tops the MAC with his 99.5 receiving yards per game and is second with 9 TD receptions ... at Annapolis, the Huskies forced the Midshipmen into a season-high three punts ... workhorse Justin Anderson handled the ball on 46 of the Huskie’s 79 plays, gaining 140 yards on a season-best 39 carries and grabbing seven passes for 36 yards ... Alex Kube is the first Huskie frosh in 31 years to lead the team in tackles with his 111 stops ... WR Matt Simon had his fourth career 100-yard day receiving and hauled in two TD passes from backup QB Ryan Morris.

Nick’s Pick: Ball State 49 – NIU 20

Line: Ball State by 9

Comment: Ball State can smell their first bowl invite in more than a decade and they will be scoring at will against a much-depleted Huskie defense. The Cardinals are a team with a mission and play much better on the road than at home. BSU will win big.

> Find a nice selection of Ball State merchandise & hats through VanDelay Sports.