Here is a look at the league’s 12 teams, presented in the order I would rank them at this point in the season. Where it says “LW” that means Last Week … but obviously in this case it means final ranking last season.
Here we go …
1. OHIO
(3-0, 0-0) (LW #3): We may not agree on a lot of the information that
follows, but we can agree on this, right? The Bobcats opened the season with a
win at Penn State,
then clobbered New Mexico State
before claiming a wild-and-woolly win at Marshall.
On offense QB Tyler Tettleton and RB
Beau Blankenship have been
rock-solid, and the defense has done enough good things to keep things rolling.
Ohio has reached the cupcake
portion of its schedule with games against Norfolk
State, UMass, Buffalo
and Akron, so focus – and avoiding
injuries – will be the main concern at this point.
2. TOLEDO
(2-1, 1-0) (LW #2): After watching the Rockets knock off Bowling Green
at the Glass Bowl, Falcon fans have been buzzing the last couple of days about
“what’s wrong with BG?” To me, the answer is simple: It’s not what’s wrong with
BG, it’s what went right with Toledo
– a good team that played a good game. The big numbers allowed by the defense
don’t concern me because in their first two games they played strong offensive
clubs in Arizona and Wyoming.
But the Rockets seem to have settled on Terrance
Owens at quarterback, and so far that decision looks smart. After
dispatching with Coastal Carolina Saturday, they will be tested at Western
Michigan the following week.
3.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS (2-1, 0-0) (LW #1): The Huskies gave Iowa all the
Hawkeyes could handle in the season opener at Soldier Field, but that loss is
looking less impressive as Iowa struggles. I’m probably too negative about the
win over Army, a team some are predicting will win a bowl team, but I would
have liked a more impressive showing by NIU in that contest as well. QB Jordan Lynch seems to be settling in as
the replacement for Chandler Harnish,
which is good news for the offense. I look forward to seeing how Northern
Illinois fares in a home game against Kansas
this Saturday.
4.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (1-2, 0-0) (LW #6): I thought the Broncos would do
better in their two games against Big Ten teams, but WMU lost at Illinois to
open the season and then lost at Minnesota last Saturday. The effort against
the Gophers was solid, though, and MAC
football fans understand that Minnesota
coach Jerry Kill knows how to coach
football. Western Michigan may have found a runner to
compliment QB Alex Carder as RB Dareyon Chance carried the ball 29
times for 144 yards against Minnesota.
The Broncos will be home the next two weeks, but they will be challenged by
UConn this week and Toledo next
week.
5.
BALL STATE (2-1, 1-0) (LW #5): The Cardinals put together a great
rally to knock off Indiana last week, but that IS Ball State’s third
consecutive win over Indiana – and this IS Indiana. Truth be told, I was more
sold on the Cards’ effort in the win over Eastern Michigan,
although the Eagles have struggled to start this season. I also like the way Ball
State managed to score a good quantity
of points (27) at Clemson. I like how RB Jahwan
Edwards has stepped up to handle the running load and give QB Keith Wenning some time to develop. It
will be interesting to see how the Cardinals hold up against a solid South
Florida team Saturday.
6. KENT
STATE (1-1, 0-1) (LW #7): Glad to see that goofy play in the win over
Towson isn’t on TV replays as much any more, but I was more disappointed in the
Golden Flashes’ showing at Kentucky the following week. I’ve had several people
tell me KSU was more than competitive in
that game before letting things slip away, but things did slip away. This team
is built on its defense and its running game, and that defense will face a
stern test when it faces the successful Buffalo
offense. I must admit I look forward to seeing the KSU
defense against the Bulls’ offense on ESPNU Wednesday.
7. BOWLING
GREEN (1-2, 0-1) (LW #10): The Falcons earned this spot in the
rankings based on one game: the season opener at Florida,
when they gave the nationally ranked Gators all they could handle. In fact, had
the Falcons played better … unfortunately, now we can say that about all three
games BG has played this season. The Falcons were good enough to overcome their
troubles and beat Idaho, but they
weren’t good enough to do that against Toledo.
That has to end – and quickly – as BG now travels to face a Virginia Tech squad
that was nationally ranked before suffering an embarrassing loss at Pitt last
week.
8. MIAMI
(1-2, 0-0) (LW #9): It is dangerous to rank a team with this much
talent this low in the poll, especially when QB Zac Dysert seems to be playing well early this season. Losses at Ohio
State and at Boise
State certainly are no shame. I
thought the RedHawks would do more against Southern Illinois,
although I’m probably nit-picking there. Miami, which may have a problem if
injured WR Nick Harwell doesn’t
return soon, but it does have a couple of weeks to put everything together as
it opens with UMass this Saturday and is at Akron the following week.
9. BUFFALO
(1-1, 0-0) (LW #12): The Bulls really seem to be playing well
offensively, opening some eyes with their effort in their season-opening loss
at Georgia. The
success of RB Brandon Oliver isn’t a
surprise, but the early performance of QB Alex
Zordich has been a mild surprise – and a pleasant one for the Bulls.
Unfortunately, giving up 34 points to Morgan
State was a surprise as well, and
that one was less pleasant. The offense will be challenged by Kent
State Wednesday, so it may be up to
the defense to step forward this week.
10. EASTERN
MICHIGAN (0-3, 0-1) (LW #8): After last
season the expectations have been raised for the Eagles, and so far the
expectations seem WAY too high. I’m willing to forgive the season-opening loss
at Ball State
(good team, on the road, season opener), but I’m not willing to forgive a home
loss to Illinois State.
I realize the Redbirds are ranked in the FCS,
but still … at home? That’s a game EMU has to win. The Eagles just were too
sloppy to win at Purdue, and Michigan
State looms this week. This team
may have the toughest schedule in the league – plays the West Division, two of
the top teams in the East (Ohio
and BG) and still has MSU and Army. This could get ugly.
11.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (1-1, 0-0) (LW #11): The Chippewas struggled at
times, but they did manage to win their opener against Southeast Missouri State
– does that mean the glass is half-full or half-empty? A loss to Michigan
State followed, and now CMU had a
week off before playing at Iowa. This
team turns the ball over just too much for my taste, and doesn’t have the
offensive weapons to overcome those mistakes. But the biggest problem? After Iowa,
the Chips open MAC play at Northern
Illinois and at Toledo.
Where is the game that can help turn this team around quickly?
12. AKRON
(1-2, 0-0) (LW #13): Congrats to the Zips on escaping the basement of
the Power Rankings, a spot they held for all of last season. But let’s not kid
anyone: This squad is still much closer to the bottom than it is the top. They
trailed UCF 35-0 at halftime before losing 56-10 in their opener, and the
team’s only win came against FCS member Morgan
State, which also was mugged by Buffalo
one week earlier. We will see on Saturday if Tennessee
is as merciful to the Zips as they were to Morgan
State.
13. MASSACHUSETTS
(0-3, 0-0) (LW NR): This FBS stuff isn’t as easy as it looks, is it?
Of course, it may have helped if the Minutemen had scheduled a breather at some
point in the non-conference season. Or was Indiana
at home supposed to be a breather? Well, it turned into a 45-6 loss instead,
and UMass has been outscored 145-13 in its first three games. This team will
need to get things turned around, or it will have little to look forward to
this season beyond its Nov. 10 match-up at Akron
that could decide which team is the worst in the MAC
in 2012.
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Pretty fair assessment, mine look as follows:
Ohio
Toledo
NIU
Ball State
BG
WMU
Kent
Miami
Buffalo
CMU
Akron
EMU
UMass
Posted by: Jeremy | 09/18/2012 at 03:35 PM
No major complaints, Jeremy. A couple of questions: First, why Western Michigan behind BSU & BG? Second, why EMU behind Akron?
Not arguing. Just asking.
Posted by: John_Wagner | 09/18/2012 at 03:45 PM
I think Western should have beaten Minnesota this past week, and EMU is behind Akron due to losing to an FCS school, albeit a good FCS school.
Posted by: Jeremy | 09/20/2012 at 05:33 PM