But better late than never, right?
The past few weeks have made the Power Rankings pretty easy, all things considered. There is enough “this team beat that team” to make everything pretty much locked into stone, give or take a few results to come.
So, in the interest of being helpful, I’m going to give readers a little more than the rankings. I’m going to add a team’s chances of getting a bowl bid, and list the pros and cons of their candidacy, along with a potential bowl site.
And again, a disclaimer: The bowl bids are PREDICTIONS. I have no insider information, so don’t book your flights based on these GUESSES. Clear enough?
OK, then, here is a look at the league’s 13 teams, presented in the order I would rank them at this point in the season. …
1.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
(10-1, 7-0) (LW #1): The Huskies’ win over Toledo
merely confirmed what I had been thinking for a while: until somebody proves
otherwise, this is the MAC’s best team. The thing I like best about NIU is that they seem to bury people in the second half.
Their domination of the Rockets in the third quarter was nothing short of
impressive. Friday’s finale against Eastern Michigan
merely seals the deal on the top spot in this poll.
BOWL POTENTIAL: Extremely high. What’s not to like about a team that has won 10 in a row and combines big offensive numbers with solid defense? I predict the people at the GoDaddy.com Bowl will love having the Huskies on Jan. 6.
2. KENT
STATE
(10-1, 7-0) (LW #3): I saw Dri
Archer in person for the first time on Saturday, and I’ve only got one word
to describe him: WOW. If there has been a more electric performer in the MAC
over the past 30-some years, I’d love to hear the name. And remember, I’ve been watching this league closely since the 1980s. Even with Trayion Durham injured, Archer gives the Flashes at least a puncher's chance against ANY opponent.
BOWL POTENTIAL: Extremely high. Archer is a huge selling point, as is a nine-game winning streak and the potential for the team’s first MAC title in 40 seasons -– and just the second in program history. The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Dec. 26 should enjoy the flux of Flashes fans traveling to their first bowl since 1972.
3.
BALL
STATE
(8-3, 5-2) (LW #5): The
Cardinals have flown under the radar all season long, but this squad has earned
this spot. BSU has won five in a row, including solid victories
over Toledo and Ohio,
and the Cards also have wins over BCS AQ
schools South Florida and Indiana. One last challenge
remains, and that’s on the road against a wounded Miami
squad that has been dangerous at home. But at this point, I don't think that's enough to stop this team.
BOWL POTENTIAL: High. Winning five in a row, including the recent TV wins over Toledo and Ohio, is more impressive than the victories over South Florida (3-7) and Indiana (4-7). Doesn’t a meat-and-potatoes squad like this sound perfect for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 15?
4. TOLEDO
(9-3, 6-2) (LW #2): The
Rockets limped to the finish line, both literally and figuratively. The “figurative”
limp was back-to-back thumpings at the hands of Ball State and Northern Illinois, and the “literal” limp was the number of reserves
pressed into duty at key positions in the season-ending win over Akron. But credit the Rockets' depth for that win, and now Toledo has time to get healthy before jumping back into
the bowl season.
BOWL POTENTIAL: High. The signature win over Cincinnati helps the bowl resume, although losing two of its last three is a negative. The high-profile offense should prove attractive to the BBVA Compass Bowl played on Jan. 5, since that bowl will need a bit of a name to replace the Conference USA squad that won’t fill its spot.
5.
BOWLING GREEN (7-4, 5-2) (LW #6): The Falcons put up quite a
battle against Kent State, marking the second time this season BG may get some “juice”
despite losing (the other being the season opener against Florida). Still, the
Falcons had won six straight before the loss to the Flashes, including a win at
Ohio that was televised by ESPN. I think that easily clinches BG’s spot in the upper half of the league standings. Note that it did
NOT clinch second place in the East, because a tough finale against Buffalo
at Crew Stadium remains.
BOWL POTENTIAL: High. While the win over the Bobcats is the best the Falcons have to offer, BG’s nationally ranked defense should certainly catch the eyes of the Military Bowl -- get it? Defense? Military? -- to be played Dec. 27.
6. OHIO
(8-3, 4-3) (LW #4): Let me start by saying this is easily the best
sixth-place team in Mid-American Conference history. But a third bad game in four
weeks –- a stretch that included a meat-grinder of three games in 12 days -– has pushed this team down the MAC
pecking order. And injuries have played a HUGE role in OU's demise, as the
Bobcats have suffered too many injuries for even a deep program like this to
overcome.
BOWL POTENTIAL: Medium. Losing two of its last three games, including a pair of games that weren’t tight, have dulled the luster of this team’s bowl resume. What works in the Bobcats’ favor is that there may not be enough bowl-eligible teams, and the season-opening win over Penn State remains in the ticket-buying public’s brain. For those reasons I suspect OU will play in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl after the Big East and Conference USA fail to provide teams.
7.
BUFFALO (4-7, 3-4) (LW #8): Don’t underestimate how impressive the
Bulls’ three-game win streak is. How many teams can bounce back from six
straight losses to win three in a row, basically ruining the bowl potential of
both Miami and Western Michigan? That’s what Buffalo
did. And yes, I think the Bulls are better than a team that needs only to win
its final game to become bowl-eligible as well. Here’s why: This squad has a
chance to win its fourth game in a row, too.
BOWL POTENTIAL: Ineligible.
8. CENTRAL
MICHIGAN (5-6, 3-4) (LW #11): Against
all odds, the Chippewas are one win away from bowl eligibility – and it will
take only a victory over 1-10 UMass to reach it. What’s more, the Chips have
pulled themselves up from the ashes of a 2-5 start to win three of their last
four games. But the only loss in that span, which came at home to Western
Michigan, does dull the luster of that recent hot streak.
BOWL POTENTIAL: Low. Most years, a one-point win at Iowa would add to a team’s bowl appeal. But this obviously isn’t most years, especially for Iowa. The Chippewas probably will get the win they need for bowl eligibility, but I believe they will need to have only 69 other teams earn bowl eligibility to actually get a bid. If that happens, I would guess CMU will land in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, although I again caution that I wouldn’t make bowl plans if I were a Central Michigan football fan.
9. MIAMI
(4-7, 3-4) (LW #9): The fight seems to have gone out of the RedHawks,
who have lost three in a row and five of their last six. I know this team has
struggled on the road … but losing at Central Michigan?
Really? Before that game, I would have cautioned Ball
State fans to proceed to Oxford,
Ohio, for the season finale with caution.
Now, I would be surprised if the RedHawks were able to spring the upset over the Cardinals.
BOWL POTENTIAL: Ineligible.
10. EASTERN
MICHIGAN (2-9, 1-6) (LW #10): Let’s give credit to the coaches at EMU
for continuing the fight as the Eagles lost a tough contest to Central
Michigan, then pulled off the upset at Western Michigan. This team has played
one of the league’s tougher schedules and has been competitive at times. But as
if there haven’t been enough hurdles for this team to overcome this season, one
more remains: The home finale against Northern Illinois.
Ouch.
BOWL POTENTIAL: Ineligible.
11.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (4-8, 2-6) (LW #7): The Broncos’ slim bowl hopes died
with a tough loss against an underappreciated Buffalo squad, and Bill Cubit’s chances of remaining coach
at WMU died the following week when his team lost at home to Eastern Michigan. While
it’s easy to say Kent State
was the biggest surprise in the MAC this
season, I would disagree. Many people thought KSU
would be good, but were surprised at how good; everyone thought Western
Michigan would be good, and NOBODY thought they would be this bad.
BOWL POTENTIAL: Ineligible.
12. MASSACHUSETTS
(1-10, 1-6) (LW #13): Congrats on winning the “Bottom Bowl," Minutemen.
The victory over Akron certainly
wasn’t pretty to watch, but it sure does look lovely in the “W” column. Call me
a glutton for punishment, but I’d like to see how UMass finishes the season in
its home game against Central Michigan –- of course, a
lot of that interest comes from taking one final look at the Chippewas.
BOWL POTENTIAL: Ineligible.
13. AKRON
(1-11, 0-8) (LW #12): The “Battle
for the Bottom” leaves the Zips, well, at the bottom … again. The addition of
coach Terry Bowden has created some
excitement, and UA has been presentable in most of its games this year. But you
don’t sponsor a football program to be “presentable,” so the stakes will be raised
for Akron soon. Perhaps as soon as
next season, which may not be fair. Such is the world of college football,
where coaches now are on a short leash to win quickly.
BOWL POTENTIAL: Ineligible.
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