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Nick's 2006 MAC Football Picks - Week #3 Picks

FRIDAY - September 15th

Kansas @ Toledo

Kansas (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Toledo (0-2, 0-1 MAC) - 8 pm

Site: Glass Bowl (26,248/NeXturf) – Toledo, Ohio

Television: ESPN - Series: KU leads 2-0 ... the Jayhawks won in 30-7 in 1991 and 63-14 in 2004.

Game Notes:
The Rockets are playing their home opener after road losses at Iowa State and Western Michigan ... the Jayhawks are on the road for the first time after home wins over Northwestern State and Louisiana-Monroe ... KU was 0-4 on the road last year ... Toledo TE Chris Hopkins has 17 receptions for 239 yards and three TDs ... QB Clint Cochran has a MAC-leading 72.2 completion percentage rate (57-of-79) ... Jalen Parmele is coming off a 111-yard game on 17 carries, an average of 6.5 ypc at WMU ... in 2004 UT also started the season 0-2 before rebounding for a 9-4 record and the MAC Championship.

Nick’s Pick: Toledo 24 – Kansas 16

Line: Toledo by 4

Comment: Toledo was shocked last week in Kalamazoo while Kansas played lethargic at home against La-Monroe. Kansas has gone 1-9 over the past ten years in their road openers. Look for Toledo to snap out of their loss funk and begin their road to recovery. Don’t underestimate their last meeting with KU – a 63-14 shellacking in Lawrence. The juniors and seniors remember that game well.

SATURDAY - September 16th

Eastern Michigan @ Northwestern

Eastern Michigan (0-2, 0-1 MAC) at Northwestern (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) - 1 pm

Site: Ryan Field (47,130/grass) – Evanston, Ill.

Television: None;

Series: first meeting

Notes:
Jeff Genyk returns to Ryan Field, a place he called home from 1993-2003 as an assistant coach ... the Eagles are looking for their first-ever win against a Big Ten team and are coming off a 52-20 loss at Michigan State ... the Wildcats opened their season with a 21-3 win at MAC member Miami then lost their home opener last week to I-AA New Hampshire 34-17 ... this will be EMU’s third consecutive road game to start the season and fourth straight dating back to last year ... the Eagles QB duo of Andy Schmitt and Tyler Jones combined to complete 18-of-30 pass attempts for 191 yards and a TD at MSU ... Jones is averaging 5.4 ypc on 32 rushing attempts for 173 yards, the sixth highest total in the MAC ... Eric Deslauriers has 16 receptions in two games, boosting his career total to 190.

Nick’s Pick: Northwestern 42 – EMU 23

Line: Northwestern by 17

Comment: The worst possible outcome happened to EMU from last weeks games – Northwestern lost at home to I-AA New Hampshire. They will take out their frustrations on the Eagles who do not have a lot of firepower this season.

Ball State @ Purdue

Ball State (1-1, 1-0 MAC) at Purdue (2-0, Big Ten) - 1 pm

Site: Ross-Ade Stadium (62,500) – West Lafayette, Ind.

Television: ESPN360; Series: PU leads 6-0 ... all six games have been played at Purdue ... the last meeting was a 59-7 Boilermaker triumph in 2004.

Notes:
A missed PAT was the difference in the Cardinals 24-23 loss to Indiana while Purdue outlasted MAC member Miami in overtime 38-31 ... BSU QB Joey Lynch tops the MAC in passing efficiency (152.5), completing 25-of-44 pass attempts for 368 yards and four TDs with just one interception ... Lynch has also completed 63 percent of his career pass attempts, the fifth highest active percentage in I-A ... the Boilermakers have won their last four home games and have scored 96 points in two games this season ... this is the Cardinals first road game ... BSU has won its last two road games dating back to last season.

Nick’s Pick: Purdue 37 – Ball State 23

Line: Purdue by 17

Comment: The Cardinals are vastly improved this year and had a chance to beat Big Ten foe Indiana last week. Purdue struggled with Miami (OH) and would have lost the game in regulation had it not been for a partially blocked FG attempt in the final seconds. Look for a stronger Purdue effort this week but expect the 'Cards to make a good game of it.

Akron @ Central Michigan

Akron (1-1, 0-0 MAC) at Central Michigan (0-2, 0-0 MAC) - 1:00

Site: Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,199/field turf) – Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Television: Comcast Local; Series: CMU leads 10-9-1 ... the Chippewas have won four of the last five meetings ... the most recent encounter was a 31-17 CMU victory in 2005.

Notes:
The defending MAC champions play their first league game on the road after a 20-17 win at North Carolina State last week while the Chippewas lost at Michigan 41-17 ... CMU has dropped its last two home games dating back to last year ... Akron will be playing its third consecutive road game ... the Chippewas will play three consecutive road games following this contest ... the Zips top the MAC in rushing defense, allowing 78.5 ypg in contests against Penn State and N.C. State ... Zips RB Dennis Kennedy is tied for the league lead in rushing TDs with four, including the game-winner on the game’s final play at N.C. State.

Nick’s Pick: Akron 33 – Central 31

Line: Akron by 1.5

Comment: Through the years this has been a very evenly played game and this year should be no different. Basically, flip a coin here and don’t be surprised if there is OT. This should be billed as the "game of the week," but give the nod to the Zips who are playing with tremendous confidence right now.

Kent State @ Miami

Kent State (0-2, 0-0 MAC) at Miami (0-2, 0-0 MAC) - 2 pm

Site: Yager Stadium (24,286/field turf) – Oxford, Ohio

Television: None

Series: Miami leads 43-10 ... the series has been continuous since 1955 ... the RedHawks have won the last four straight and 16 of the last 17 meetings ... KSU’s lone win in that time was a 24-20 contest in 2001 at Oxford.

Notes:
One team will win its first game of the season ... for Kent State a victory would snap its 11-game losing streak ... after averaging 45.9 ypg rushing last year, the Golden Flashes are rushing for 165.0 ypg this season ... Eugene Jarvis, listed at 5-feet, 5-inches in height, leads KSU with 158 yards in two games ... Jarvis is the shortest starter in the nation among I-A schools ... Miami QB Mike Kokal had a breakout game at Purdue, throwing for four TDs while completing 29-of-43 attempts for 355 yards ... last year’s leading rusher for Miami, Brandon Murphy (1,122 yards), missed his second consecutive game last week ... the RedHawks are averaging just 2.6 rushing yards per attempt and are the only MAC team without a rushing score this season ... Ryne Robinson ranks first nationally in receiving yards per game (152.5) and third in receptions (9.0).

Nick’s Pick: Miami 45 – Kent St 21

Line: Miami by 11

Comment: Miami should have won last week at Purdue and looked like the team most RedHawk fans thought they would see this fall. KSU football is a mess right now. Miami has dominated the series through the years and this week’s game may not be pretty.

Related VanDelaySports.com Links:

Week #3 MAC Football notes

Week #2 MAC Football recap

2006 MAC Football Pigskin Preview

2006 Preseason All-VanDelay team

Western Michigan @ Virginia

Western Michigan (1-1, 1-0 MAC) at Virginia (1-1, 0-0 ACC) 3:30 pm

Site: Scott Stadium (61,500/prescription athletic surface) – Charlottesville, Va.

Television: ESPN360; Series: UVA leads 2-0 ... the Cavaliers have wins in 2003 (59-13) and 2005 (31-19).

Notes:
The Broncos won their MAC opener for the first time since 2003, beating Toledo 31-10 last week ... the 10 points allowed to the Rockets was the lowest since 1982, a 17-10 Bronco victory ... the Cavaliers are coming off a 13-12 overtime win versus Wyoming when the Cowboys missed a PAT ... WMU QB Thomas Peregrin has attempted 27 passes with no interceptions and may start if regular Ryan Cubit’s hand injury (out last week) keeps him sidelined ... Cubit also missed last year’s UVA game ... Marks Bonds has rushed for 195 yards in two games with a career-high of 134 versus Toledo ... last year Bonds rushed for 119 yards at Virginia, a game the Broncos trailed 24-19 after three quarters before losing 31-19.

Nick’s Pick: Virginia 23 – Western Michigan 16

Line: Virginia by 9

Comment: Western turned some heads last week with their 21-point thumping of Toledo. Virginia has not looked good against Wyoming or Pitt this year. Western is playing with extreme confidence right now and is a very well coached team. Don’t be surprised if for the second consecutive week a MAC team beats an ACC team on the road.

Ohio @ Rutgers

Ohio (2-0, 1-0 MAC) at Rutgers (2-0, 0-0 Big East) 3:30 pm

Site: Rutgers Stadium (41,500/field turf) - New Brunswick, N.J.

Television: MSG; Series: Ohio leads 1-0 ... the Bobcats won the only previous meeting, held in 1937, 13-0.

Notes:
The Bobcats are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 1997 (Kent State and Maryland) ... Rutgers has won three consecutive regular season games and eight of its last 12 regular season contests dating back to last year ... both squads are coming off wins against teams from the same state as Ohio topped Northern Illinois 35-23 and the Scarlet Knights grounded Illinois 33-0 for its first shutout since 2002 ... Ohio hasn’t won successive road games since 1997 when it won at Eastern Michigan, Akron and Northern Illinois during an 8-3 season ... Austen Everson’s 322 passing yards last week was the most by an OU signal caller since 355 yards in 1985 by Dennis Swearingen versus Ball State.

Nick’s Pick: Rutgers 28 – Ohio 14

Line: Rutgers by 16

Comment: Rutgers is one of the most improved football programs in college football. They are a legit team and Ohio will need to play a high quality game to be in this thing. The Bobcats played outstanding at NIU last week and if they have another performance of that level this week, an upset certainly could happen. Look for Rutgers to win in a very physical game.

Bowling Green @ Florida International

BGSU (1-1, 1-0 MAC) at FIU (0-2, 0-1 Sun Belt) 6 pm

Site: FIU Stadium (17,000/astroplay) – Miami, Fla.

Television: none

Series: first meeting

Notes:
This is the home opener for the Panthers, who are coached by former NFL quarterback Don Strock ... in his first start last week, Falcons QB Anthony Turner accounted for 331 yards (204 pass, 127 rush) of total offense and four TDs (3 pass, 1 rush) ... dating back to last year, BG has played two of its last three games into overtime ... FIU has dropped consecutive one-point games – 21-20 at South Florida and 7-6 at Middle Tennessee State ... BG leads the MAC in rushing with 287.5 ypg ... the Falcons last topped the MAC rushing charts in 1991 (202.9 ypg).

Nick’s Pick: BGSU 27 – FIU 21

Line: BGSU by 5

Comment: The Falcons have not played very well this year and they have been horrible on the special teams side. FIU is just a few points away from being 2-0. This is not a bad team and the Panthers have the talent to win this game if BG continues to slip within their special teams area. Look for a very closely contested game.

Buffalo @ Northern Illinois

Buffalo (1-1, 0-1 MAC) at Northern Illinois (0-2, 0-1 MAC) 6:30 pm CT

Site: Huskie Stadium (28,000/field turf) – DeKalb, Ill.

Television: CSN Chicago; Series: NIU leads 4-1 ... the Huskies have won the last four meetings, the most recent in 2003 (40-9) ... UB’s win came in the series opener in 1968 by a 3-0 score.

Notes:
UB is coming off its most productive road performance in MAC history after scoring 40 points in a triple overtime loss (48-40) at Bowling Green ... the Huskies have given up 35 points in back-to-back games in losses to Ohio and Ohio State ... NIU running back Garret Wolfe tops the nation in rushing yards (183.5 ypg) and all-purpose yards (240.5 ypg) ... UB ranks 11th in the MAC in allowing 218 rushing yards per game ... Bulls QB Drew Wiley has not thrown an interception nor a TD pass in 56 attempts, completing 34 passes for 326 yards ... UB blocked four kicks at BG – two PATs, a field goal attempt and a punt.

Related VanDelaySports.com Links:

Week #3 MAC Football notes

Week #2 MAC Football recap

2006 MAC Football Pigskin Preview

2006 Preseason All-VanDelay team