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Nick's 2006 MAC Football Picks - Week #8 Picks

This Week’s Schedule

Oct. 19 - Thursday

*Bowling Green at Central Michigan, 7:30 - ESPNU

Oct. 21 - Saturday

*Western Michigan at Ball State, 2:00 - Comcast Local

*Buffalo at Ohio, 2:00

Temple at Northern Illinois, 2:00 - CSN Chicago

*Toledo at Eastern Michigan, 3:00 - FSN Ohio

*Miami at Akron, 6:00- ESPN360

idle - Kent State

all times local to playing site

rankings from A.P./USA TODAY-ESPN polls

MAC West Division:
Central Michigan continued its quest for a West Championship with an 18-7 conquest of Ball State last week. The victory improved the Chippewas first-place record to 4-0, a full game ahead of Western Michigan at 2-1. CMU hosts East Division contender Bowling Green in a key game Thursday night on ESPNU at 7:30 (ET). Western Michigan is on the road for a game at Ball State in a race for the No. 2 spot in the division. The Toledo at Eastern Michigan matchup will provide the first conference win of the year for one of the 0-3 teams. Northern Illinois is out of conference this week, hosting future (2007) MAC East Division member Temple.

MAC East Division:
While division leader Kent State (4-0) is idle this week, Bowling Green (3-1) can apply pressure should the Falcons win Thursday night at Central Michigan. Ohio (2-1) is the only other East team with just one loss and the Bobcats will host Buffalo Saturday. Miami (1-2) is at Akron (0-2) where one of the teams will drop its third conference game of the season.

New Leaders:
Of the five MAC teams with no or just one conference loss, three have never appeared in the MAC Championship game since the league went to divisions in 1997. Those teams are West Division member Central Michigan and East members Kent State and Ohio.

Top Five:
Five former MAC quarterbacks were in the starting lineup for NFL teams this week and Bruce Gradkowski (Toledo) earned his first NFL win for Tampa Bay with a TD pass with 36 seconds left versus Cincinnati. Gradkowski joined established starters Chad Pennington (Marshall) of the New York Jets; Byron Leftwich (Marshall), Jacksonville; Ben Roethlisberger (Miami), Pittsburgh; and Charlie Frye (Akron), Cleveland. In addition, former Kent State signal caller Joshua Cribbs was tabbed earlier this year as the Special Teams Player of the Week for his kickoff returns versus Oakland.

Looking Ahead:
Four conference games and three non-conference contests are slated for Oct. 28. Cross-divisional contests have Ball State at Miami and Akron at Toledo. Within divisions Eastern Michigan is at Western Michigan and Ohio is at Kent State in what could be a showdown for first place in the East Division. Non-league games have Bowling Green at Temple, Buffalo at Boston College and Northern Illinois at Iowa.

Stop It:
Miami shook its six-game losing streak last week with a 38-31 win at Buffalo. Northern Illinois saw its four-game winning streak ended in a 16-14 defeat at the hands of Western Michigan.

Idle This Week:
Kent State is the lone team with an open week Saturday. The Golden Flashes return to action Oct. 28 by hosting Ohio.

Bowling Green (4-3, 3-1) at CMU (4-3, 4-0) - TH @ 7:30 pm

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

Television: ESPNU (Mike Gleason, play-by-play; Chris Martin, analyst).

Series: BGSU leads 21-16 ... the Falcons have won the last five in a row ... the last meeting came in 2004 in Mount Pleasant, a 38-14 Falcons’ win.

Coaches: BGSU-Gregg Brandon (30-14, fourth season); CMU-Brian Kelly (132-50-2, 18th season; 14-15, third season at CMU).

Notes:
The Falcons’ 24-21 win over Eastern Michigan last week marked the third time this season that BG has followed a loss with a win ... the Chippewas’ 18-7 win over Ball State moved the Chippewas MAC record to 4-0 for the first time since 1990 ... twice in CMU history (1979 and 1990) the Chippewas were able to go 5-0 and both years they won the MAC Championship ... CMU has won six consecutive games over MAC opponents from the state of Ohio ... both teams are in the title chase with new QBs at the helm ... CMU frosh Dan LeFevour ranks third in the MAC in passing efficiency at 132.0 (120-200, 60.0 pct., 1,401 yards, 11 TDs, 5 int.) ... BG signal caller Anthony Turner has rushed for 227 yards and passed for 810 yards and six touchdowns ... CMU has just one home game left (WMU Nov. 10) after this week ... this will be the first of three consecutive road games for BG (CMU, Temple, Akron).

Nick’s Pick: Central Michigan 34 – BGSU 23

Line: Central by 7

Comment: The ‘Chips see the light at the end of the tunnel and Coach Kelly has this program primed for a divisional title right now. Bowling Green is improving every week with several freshmen playing key roles throughout the two-deep line up. The Falcons will play this game well and this should be a very competitive ball game with Central pulling away at the end.

Western Michigan (4-2, 2-1) at Ball St. (2-5, 2-2) - Sat. @ 2 pm

Site: Scheumann Stadium (22,500/grass) – Muncie, Ind.

Television: Comcast Local (Ben Holden, play-by-play; Rob Otto, analyst).

Series: WMU leads 18-14 ... the Cardinals have won the last two meetings ... last year’s contest was a five-overtime 60-57 BSU victory ... BSU has won the last two games played in Muncie.

Coaches: WMU-Bill Cubit (45-23-1, seventh season overall; 11-6, second season at school); BSU-Brady Hoke (12-29, fourth season).

Notes:
The Broncos’ 16-14 win over Northern Illinois marked the third time in the last four games that WMU has been involved in a game decided by seven points or less ... WMU’s defense put a stop to Garrett Wolfe’s six consecutive games this season with 160-plus rushing yards by limiting him to 25 yards ... the WMU defense also picked off three Huskie passes and did not allow a touchdown until there was 1:19 left in the fourth quarter ... Ameer Ismail, Londen Fryar and E.J. Biggers had the picks for WMU last week as WMU increased its turnover margin on the year to +10 ... QB Ryan Cubit’s 251 passing yards was a season-high and his 29 completions a career best ... for the Cardinals, this marks their second consecutive outing versus the top two contenders in the West Division as BSU lost an 18-7 decision at Central Michigan last week ... QB Nate Davis continues to lead the MAC and rank fourth nationally in passing efficiency at 176.7 (86-120, 71.7 pct., 1,077 yards, 12 TDs, 2 int.) ... BSU’s 18 touchdown passes in its first seven games this season equals its 2005 total ... TE Darius Hill leads the MAC with eight TD receptions ... the Cardinals' seven points last week was the team’s lowest output this season.

Nick’s Pick: Western Michigan 28 – Ball State 21

Line: Western by 4

Comment: Through the years this has been a terrific series and most of the games have been very close. Expect more of the same this weekend. Western’s defense is far superior to Ball State’s "D" right now which will be the difference in this contest. Expect another close score though.

Buffalo (1-5, 0-4 MAC) at Ohio (4-3, 2-1 MAC) - Sat. @ 2 pm

Site: Peden Stadium (24,000/field turf) – Athens, Ohio

Television: None

Series: Ohio leads 8-4 ... the Bobcats have won the last two meetings and five of the seven since the Bulls began MAC competition in 1999

Coaches: UB-Turner Gill (1-5, first season); OU-Frank Solich (66-29, ninth season overall; 8-10, second season at school).

Notes:
This match up features former Nebraska head coach Frank Solich against former Husker quarterback great Turner Gill ... Ohio’s four wins this season equals the four victories it had last season and also in 2004 ... not since its 7-4 slate in 2000 has Ohio produced as many as five wins in a single season ... after rushing for an average of 66 ypg the first five games of the season, Ohio has produced back-to-back outings of 257 rushing yards versus Western Michigan and 124 rushing yards at Illinois ... three times under Frank Solich the Bobcats have won back-to-back games, but they have yet have to have a winning streak of three games ... the Bobcats 19.9 ppg allowed is 11 points lower than last season (30.5 ppg allowed) ... Buffalo played on Sunday in a 38-31 loss to Miami as the game originally scheduled for Saturday but was postponed a day due to heavy snowfall ... UB frosh RB James Starks went over 100-yards in a game for the first time with 113 rushing yards on 19 carries and he added 68 yards on five receptions ... the Bulls’ defense limited the RedHawks to a season-low 260 yards of total offense ... linebacker Ramon Guzman topped UB with 11 tackles and also had 1.5 tackles for a loss ... Guzman’s 8.0 tfl are tied for the fourth best in the MAC.

Nick’s Pick: Ohio 23 – Buffalo 13

Line: Ohio by 18

Comment: The Bobcats are flying high after their win over a Big Ten team while Buffalo is upset after dropping a game against Miami that they felt they should have won. Ohio’s defense will keep UB on the run most of the day but Ohio’s offense is not good enough yet to run away with contest.

Temple (0-6) at Northern Illinois (4-3, 3-2 MAC) - Sat. @ 2 pm

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

Television: CSN Chicago (Dave Kaplan, play-by-play; Tom Waddle, analyst; Mark Scafidi, sidelines).

Series: NIU leads 1-0 ... the Huskies won in 1989, 20-17, in Philadelphia.

Coaches: TU-Al Golden (0-6, first season); NIU-Joe Novak (58-63, 11th season)

Notes:
Temple last played on a Thursday night (Oct. 12) in a loss to No. 12 Clemson ... the Huskies are coming off a 16-14 loss at Western Michigan that snapped a four-game winning streak ... the Owls had some success in rushing versus Clemson as senior Tim Brown gained 121 yards on 23 carries versus the nation’s No. 7 ranked run defense ... Temple has played 20 true freshman thus far in 2006, the most in Division I-A ... Travis Shelton set a school record with 205 yards in kickoff returns on five returns for a 41.0 average ... this will be the first of back-to-back non conference games for NIU as Temple will join the MAC next year as a full football playing member and next week the Huskies take on Big Ten member Iowa ... Garrett Wolfe continues to lead the nation in rushing at 195.4 ypg and could be the first MAC player ever to top the national chart in that category ... in 1993 NIU’s LeShon Johnson led the nation in rushing at 179.6 ypg but that occurred prior to the Huskies joining the MAC ... the Huskies special teams provided scoring last week when Greg Turner blocked a Bronco punt into the end zone where Jarret Carter recovered for a touchdown ... the Huskies need three wins in their last five games to secure the program’s seventh consecutive winning season, which is its longest streak since joining major college football in 1969 ... the school record is 21 consecutive winning campaigns from 1929-1949.

Nick’s Pick: NIU 45 – Temple 7

Line: NIU by 34

Comment: Temple is just the answer that a hungry NIU program needs right now after three straight road games. Garrett Wolfe may have had a bad day last week at Kalamazoo but he will run wild against the Owls as the Huskies will have a laugher this week.

Toledo (2-5, 0-3 MAC) at EMU (0-6, 0-3 MAC) - Sat. @ 3 pm

Site: Rynearson Stadium (30,200/field turf) – Ypsilanti, Mich.

Television: FSN Ohio (Michael Reghi, play-by-play; Bob Chmiel, analyst; Jeff Phelps, sidelines).

Series: UT leads 23-10 ... the Rockets have won six in a row ... the Eagles last won in 1999 at the Glass Bowl 20-13 ... the series has been continuous since 1977.

Coaches: UT-Tom Amstutz (47-23, seventh season); EMU-Jeff Genyk (8-20, third season).

Notes:
One team will win its first MAC team while the other will extend its losing streak ... the Rockets have fallen in their last three games wile the Eagles have dropped six in a row ... three of EMU’s losses have come by a total of 18 points (8, 7, 3) with one an overtime loss ... Eagles’ DE Jason Jones leads the nation in tackles for a loss with 2.6 per game ... WR Eric Deslauriers caught 10 passes for 173 yards and two TDs at Bowling Green last week to become the school’s career leader in receptions (217) and receiving yards (2,859) ... Deslauriers needs 133 receiving yards to move into the top 10 all-time in MAC history and his receptions currently ranks ninth all-time ... the Rockets’ Steve Odom has a reception in 44 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the nation ... UT has its streak of 12 consecutive winning seasons in jeopardy ... in the 40-14 loss at Kent State, freshman QB Andy Opelt made his second straight start and completed 16-of-27 attempts for 135 yards and two TDs ... UT suffered four turnovers at KSU to drop to -6 on the season, ranking last in the MAC ... LB Mike Alston leads the MAC in sacks with 5.5, is second in tackles for a loss with 10 and also has two recovered fumbles this season ... Jalen Parmalee’s 5.0 ypc is tied for third in the MAC among the leaders.

Nick’s Pick: Eastern Michigan 29 – Toledo 16

Line: EMU by 2

Comment: For the past two seasons no MAC team has had tougher luck than Eastern Michigan. The Eagles were less than ten points away from 7-4 last season and have three tough losses already this season. Toledo is a mess in every phase of the game right now and while the Rockets have more talent, EMU sees this week’s game as a way to finally get over the hump. Look for the Eagles to win and for the Rockets to continue their down spiral for the ’06 season.

Miami (1-6, 1-2 MAC) at Akron (2-4, 0-2 MAC) - Sat. @ 6 pm

Site: Rubber Bowl (31,000/astroplay) – Akron, Ohio

Television: ESPN360

Series: Miami leads 12-4-1 ... the RedHawks have won the last five in a row and eight of the last nine ... in each of the last five wins Miami has scored at least 30 points.

Coaches: MU-Shane Montgomery (8-10, second season); UA-J.D. Brookhart (15-14, third season).

Notes:

The RedHawks are coming off their first win of the season, a 38-31 triumph at Buffalo on Sunday as the game was postponed from Saturday due to excessive snowfall in the Buffalo area ... Akron was idle last week and last played Oct. 7 with a 20-14 loss at Cincinnati the result ... the Zips have lost two in a row ... Miami’s Ryne Robinson goes into the game needing 11 receiving yards to become the school’s career leader (has 3,121, second to Martin Nance’s 3,131) and 122 yards to become the all-time NCAA leader in punt return yards (has 1,640, second to 1,761 by Wes Welker of Texas Tech [2000-03]) ... QB Mike Kokal leads the MAC in total offense with 248.8 ypg ... the Zips have not lost three games in a row since the start of the 2004 season ... Luke Getsy is the MAC leader in passing yards per game (232.5) and is third in passing touchdowns (10) ... true freshman David Harvey has latched onto five of those TD passes and has a MAC-leading 23.7 yards per catch (21 rec., 498 yards) ... Harvey’s 157 yards in kickoff returns earlier this year versus North Texas is also the best single-game performance this year in the MAC ... Harvey has a 44.0 average (6-264) on kickoff returns but does not meet minimum requirements to qualify for NCAA rankings.