About a million years ago, in February and March, I published some previews of MAC – East and West – to start a series of previews for 2020 that took a few months longer than expected and in some cases quickly became obsolete.
The predictions in those previews were based upon graphs that collapsed a few months ago, and the lists are probably not up to date anymore, but the stories I discussed in each of those previews are still up to date and still worth reading. Now that the conference is finally starting its short season on Wednesday, let’s update the forecast and discuss some of the most interesting stories for this seven-week sprint.
MAC East
ForecastsSP+:
1. Ohio: 69th, 4:30 a.m. Planned victory
2. Buffalo: 78th, 4.28 Expected victories
3. Miami, Ohio: 113th, 3.03 Potential winner
4th Kent State: 114th, 3.02 Potential winner
5. Akron: 125th, 1.54 is expected to win
6. Bowling Green: 126th, 1.40 victories expected.
Will the gods of hand-to-hand combat in Miami smile again?
The biggest difference between these figures and the evaluation of the pre-season coaching surveys: Miami is one of the favorites in the preseason game which, according to the coaches, is repeated as the Eastern champion, but in SP + say last year’s success is smoke and mirrors.
The Redhawks went 5-0 in one game and won four conference wins – two trends that are very difficult to maintain. For head coach Chuck Martin it was a sudden comeback in the middle. He won seven games in a row with one point and lost nine games in a row. Miami was absurdly young last season and the continuity should make the Redhawks a better team. But the god of chance may not be so kind this time in the fourth quarter, and that is why there are numbers like Ohio and Buffalo.
Speaking of pre-season polls…
Here are some quick calculations for you: In the vote on the coaches there were twelve votes, and we can safely assume that the last place in each division got one point, and the fifth place – two, with the exception of the first – six points. It is a simple and easy points system.
1 Related
Akron got a first place and 17 points. This means that one coach voted for Akron as Eastern winner, while the other 11 voted for Zips as last. I’m sure this is the first time in the history of coaching surveys that this has been done without any research. I have the vision of a coach who literally lists teams in alphabetical order, a theory that gets at least some help from the fact that the best team in the Western division in alphabetical order, the Ball State, also took first place in the standings.
(The mood of the cardinals is legitimate in the first place, because they are likely to be quite good. However, let me believe that the voting takes place in alphabetical order).
Is there a quarterback in Ohio?
The fact that Frank Solitch still doesn’t have a MAC name is both crazy and statistically improbable. His Ohio Lynx has been in the MAC Top 4 seven times and five times in a row since 2007. They became second in 2017 and first in 2018 and 2019. But in the conference championships they are 0-4, and in the last two years they haven’t even played in the championship. They always lose the game they shouldn’t lose.
From top to bottom, Solicz could have the healthiest program in the conference right now, and if he has a solid quarterback, Ohio could be a favorite again.
Fault! The file name is not specified. Armani Rogers gave a spectacular track and field demonstration at UNLV. AP Photo/David Zalubovsky
The starter seems to be one (or both) of two players: redheaded rookie Curtis Rourke and UNLV transfer Armani Rogers. Rourke is the younger brother of Nathan Rourke, who started between 2017 and 19 years old, averaging 2500 yards and almost 900 yards per season. He was brilliant, and we can assume that the little brother – as small as possible at 1.80 m, 211 pounds – has the same strengths and weaknesses. However, it’s tempting to add Rogers. At UNLV Rogers never developed as a passenger (and was seriously injured), but he shone with spectacular athletic performance. Ohio’s heavy system could be perfect for him. If one of these players goes up, Ohio will be the eastern favorite. If not, give me a strong, physical buffalo.
MAC West
ForecastsSP+:
1. West Michigan: 86th, 3.72 estimated victories
2. Balance sheet: 84th, 3.65 Victory announced
3. Toledo: 96, 3.54 Expected victories
4. Central Michigan: 91st, 3.21 planned
5. East Michigan: 116th, 2.42 expected
6. Northern Illinois: 117th, 1.89 wins expected.
Test rides in university football ?
All four teams are expected to be within half of their respective victories. The last four received between 50 and 54 votes in the trainers’ survey. The West can be solved by a series of raffles in a few weeks.
I love what Chris Creighton did, but this season he’s got a lot of work to do. NIU is looking for traction (and sales) after slipping to 5th – 7th and 115th place in SP+ last season. But it is very difficult to divide the other four teams.
Can the Toledo Training Ring reverse the defense?
If the team eventually escapes with the West, I think Toledo will probably win. Missiles have a long history – for losing 6-6 and 114 in SP+ last year, they were 66 or more for six consecutive seasons and won 39 games from 2014 to 17 – and are almost always at or near the top of the MAC rankings.
But I was fascinated by rockets, especially the wrestling coach Jason Candle, who was buried in his defense headquarters. New defence coordinator Vince Cehres moves from Division III to the head coach of Mount Union after 95-6 years. Craig Kuligowski, an independent defense coach and linebacker, worked as a TFL coach in Missouri, Miami and Alabama for the 2019 season. How can these coaches immediately change the situation in the defensive SP+, which has gone from 54th to 121st in just two years?
Biggest matches of the week
In the first week of MACtion there are no obvious bandits – no Ohio Buffalo, no Ohio Miami, no fighting between the top four in the West. Even if there are a few who are close to the bandits: Ohio is on its way to Mount Pleasant to land in downtown Michigan at 7pm. and on Wednesday at ESPN, and Miami will have the opportunity to test their close-range skills against Ball State at home, also at 7pm. AND Environment (CBSSN). It should be a very entertaining and informative evening in the Midwest.
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