Normally I like to write my previews over Thursday and Friday, to space things out, allow for general time wasting, etc. Then my network connection puked yesterday as soon as I got the Pub column written, which meant no connection to write or research these previews. So I will now attempt to write five posts in a row, including a preview of tonight’s WAC game. We’ll see how far we get.
Now, onto the MAC. We have a mostly in-conference schedule, which should keep things pretty interesting all day Saturday. Here’s what we’re looking at:
Noon
Miami at Northwestern- Northwestern is by no means a powerhouse this year, but lets not forget that Miami is pretty much terrible. A win here would be a huge upset, and Northwestern would become the laughingstock of the Big 10.
Eastern Michigan (0-1) at Central Michigan (2-0)- This game looked a little more interesting back when Eastern almost upset Northwestern, but since then they haven’t looked good at all. Nice chance for Central to jump out to 3-0 in the league.
1 PM
Ball State (0-1) at Temple (2-0)- Ball State looked nothing like an 0-4 team in a slump last week, losing to Toledo in a shootout. Temple, on the other hand, has come alive in the last two games, so this should actually be pretty watchable. Temple has been thriving on MAC competition lately, and I suspect that will continue.
3:30 PM
Gardner-Webb at Buffalo- If this game won’t stop the bleeding for Buffalo, nothing will.
Bowling Green (0-1) at Kent State (1-0)- In a wide open East division, this is a very important game. BG has lost two winnable games in a row, while Kent State benefited from having Miami as the first game on their schedule. Beating the Falcons would establish Kent State as a legitimate threat in the East.
6 PM
Ohio (1-0) at Akron (0-1)- Ohio beat Bowling Green in a shootout last week, while Akron is stuck in a 2 game losing streak after falling to Indiana and Central Michigan. Akron will need to surprise the Bobcats if they want to get their season going in the right direction.
7 PM
Western Michigan (1-1) at Toledo (1-0)- Western is picking up the pieces after a 38-3 shellacking at Northern Illinois, and a trip to the Glass Bowl isn’t going to help. Toledo’s offense may be more explosive even than NIU’s, although their defense is suspect. I expect to see Toledo pull away in another shootout.