Not a great week for my predictions last week, and an even worse one for the MAC. The league suffered two losses to FCS programs ... ouch. Ball State and Akron, please step your game up.
Ohio State 45, Ohio 10: After seeing the Bobcats in person last week, I came away very unimpressed. Starting QB Boo Jackson looked lost at times while filling in for an injured Phil Bates (thumb) against Toledo, so I can't imagine what he'll look like against the Buckeyes.
Purdue 35, Ball State 14: Ok, so the Cardinals will have a tough time stepping their game up this week. Purdue has been very underwhelming in its first two contests (a loss to Notre Dame before edging Western Illinois), but Ball State, well, check out the Liberty game.
Temple 14, Connecticut 13: The Owls are the best team in the MAC right now, while UConn has been shaky at best. You can call this one an upset if you want, but you can't deny Temple looks like it's going places.
Penn State 31, Kent State 10: The Flashes will be without RB Eugene Jarvis, who also sat out last week with a groin injury. On the other side, RB Evan Royster needs to show the Nittany Lions they can count on him.
Illinois 27, Northern Illinois 13: Huskies coach Jerry Kill was released from the hospital late last night, and whether or not he will coach in this game is still up in there air. I know Kill is a fighter, but it might be best for him to take this week off and get better. Best wishes to him in his recovery.
Miami 24, Colorado State 17: This game has been billed by ESPN.com as the "Pillow Fight of the Week." The Rams have been outscored 75-9 in losses to Colorado and Nevada. Now, they have to travel two time zones east for this contest. I'd say that favors the RedHawks.
Central Michigan 34, Eastern Michigan 16: The Eagles' losing streak stands at 14 games, and there's no end in sight (at least not this week or next at Ohio State). But if there's a silver lining for EMU fans, it's that Western Kentucky became a FBS program a few years back, and the Hilltoppers own the nation's longest current skid at 22 games.
Central Florida 19: Buffalo 3: The Golden Knights bring one of the nation's top ranked defenses to Buffalo, which has struggled with sophomore QB Jerry Davis behind center. The Bulls couldn't get anything going offensively last week at Baylor, and that will most likely continue against UCF.
Kentucky 66, Akron 10: The Wildcats hung 62 on Western Kentucky last week, so there's no reason to believe they can't put even more points on the board this week against the Zips. Akron has struggled of late, but first-year coach Rob Ianello might not have seen rock bottom yet.
Bowling Green 28, Marshall 27: The Herd hung with Ohio State for a quarter, then should have beaten West Virginia last week. The Falcons have struggled to find an identity in losses to Troy and Tulsa. My head is telling me Marshall, but my gut is saying BG. All indications point to a good turnout at the Doyt, which could tip the scales and give the Falcons their first win of the season.
Western Michigan 31, Toledo 28: This could prove to be the game of the day in the MAC. Arizona QB Nick Foles tore apart the UT defense in Week 1, then the Rockets responded by making Ohio QB Boo Jackson look like a pee-wee signal-caller last week. Broncos sophomore QB Alex Carder looks like a mixture of the two (talented and can make the big play; but young and will make mistakes). If Carder takes care of the ball, I'll give the nod to the Broncos winning on a last-second FG.
Last week: 7-3
Season record: 19-4 (.826)
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