Most of the MAC played six straight to open the season, but three stragglers (Buffalo, Kent State, and Western Michigan), took a little longer.
Buffalo
Record: 2-5, 1-2 MAC
Highlights: Road win at Bowling Green, #1 pass defense in the league, #4 total defense.
Weak Points: 42-0 shutout to Temple, #12 scoring offense despite mid-pack total offense numbers.
Grade: D. Buffalo’s non-conference schedule has turned out to be pretty decent, as Baylor and UCF are both playing well, but Buffalo is struggling under their new coaching regime no matter how you slice it.
Remaining Games: Miami, at Ohio, Ball State, Eastern Michigan, at Akron
Best Case: 3-2 for a decent 5-7 finish.
Worst Case: 2-3 with a loss to one of the bad teams at the end.
Prediction: 3-2. The next two games are tough ones, but the stretch at the end should give the Bulls something to build on for 2011.
Kent State
Record: 3-4, 2-2 MAC
Highlights: Defeated rival Akron, sound win over Bowling Green, #1 in rush, pass efficiency, and total defense in the MAC.
Weak Points: Shutout by Penn State despite holding them to 24, #12 in total offense
Grade: C. Kent State has had a tough schedule to this point, and has beaten the teams they should beat, but they’ve missed a few opportunities to improve the record.
Remaining Games: Ball State, Temple, Army, at Western Michigan, Ohio
Best Case: 5-0. If the defense steps up and the offense comes around, there’s nobody left that they absolutely cannot beat.
Worst Case: 1-4. On the flip side, none of the last four are easy games either.
Prediction: 2-3 to end the season 5-7. Kent State just hasn’t been consistent enough to predict too many wins down the stretch.
Western Michigan
Record: 3-4, 2-1 MAC
Highlights: Blowout wins over Akron & Ball State, #1 scoring offense & passing offense in the MAC
Weak Points: 0-3 against out of conference FBS teams, defensive stats in the bottom five. Poor rushing stats makes team one-dimensional
Grade: C-. Western really hasn’t played many games against teams that should be on the same level, although double-digit losses to Toledo and Idaho don’t look good.
Remaining Games: Northern Illinois, at Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, at Bowling Green
Best Case: 4-1, for a 7-5 record and a potential bowl bid.
Worst Case: 2-3, as the schedule is soft enough to prevent a complete disaster.
Prediction: I think they will go 4-1 and should find an at-large bowl somewhere out there.