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Western Michigan's dreams of a spot in the MAC championship game took a serious blow last week when they dropped a 27-20 decision to Ohio. Making matters worse, Ball State, Northern Illinois, and Central Michigan were all victorious, leaving WMU in 4th place in the MAC West. On the other hand, the Huskies seem to have hit their stride and have rattled off three straight wins since their week 2 loss to Ohio. Thanks in large part to Garrett Wolfe's assault on the record books, the Huskies are now 3-1 in conference, and only a game behind Central Michigan for the lead. Western Michigan sits at 1-1 in league play and needs to enter this game with a sense of urgency. Dropping a game here will all but end their hopes for a conference title. The Broncos know NIU's gameplan and their 23rd ranked run defense is going to be tested. It doesn't bode well for WMU that Ohio's Kalvin McRae pounded the turf for 120 yards just last week. If McRae had their heads turning, it'll be a long day against Garrett Wolfe. Wolfe's season has been nothing short of special. In each of NIU's six games, Wolfe has broken off at least one run of 40-plus yards. While huge performances against the lousy defenses of Buffalo (263 yds) and Ball State (353 yds) standout, he's yet to be held under 160 yards and is amassing 8.6 yards per clip. The hype that Western Michigan garnered after wins against Toledo and Virginia is starting to lose its luster, as both of those teams have failed to live up to expectations. If Western Michigan hopes to rediscover its early season success, they'll need a great performance from senior QB Ryan Cubit. Northern Illinois ranks 115th against the pass and is one of only four teams without an interception. If Cubit can expose the weakness that is the Huskie secondary, WMU has a legitimate shot at winning this game. Too many ifs. Cubit will have some success, but the NIU ground game is dynamic and hasn't been slowed yet this season. Garrett Wolfe should continue his streak of 160 or more yards and and a couple of touchdown runs to his season total. Wolfe ran all over Western Michigan last season to the tune of 277 yards and 5 touchdowns. Half that should be enough to top the Broncos this season. Prediction: Northern Illinois 34, Western Michigan 21 Buffalo vs. Miami Welcome to the Irrelevant.com bowl. Buffalo's awful. Miami's winless. This game generates about as much enthusiasm as rhythmic gymnastics. Fortunately for the Redhawks, they've got some talent on the field. Ryne Robinson is one of the nation's most explosive receivers and despite his limited opportunities (7 chances), one of the best punt returners in NCAA history. Miami QB Mike Kokal has shown an accurate arm and should be able to find Robinson often enough to open up the running game for Brandon Murphy. Murphy, who's season has gotten off to a slow start due to injury and poor line play, should have plenty of room to run against Buffalo's 118th ranked run defense. Buffalo will try to let QB Drew Willy keep the game close, but the Redhawks pass defense has been surprisingly solid for an 0-6 squad. Three of Miami's six losses have been by a touchdown or less, and this should be the week they finally get over the hump. Prediction: Miami 31, Buffalo 13 Central Michigan vs. Ball State With Northern Illinois looking at a probable win at Western Michigan, both of the teams need to look at this contest as a must-win game. Central Michigan comes in with an unblemished 3-0 conference record and Ball State sits at third in the MAC West at 2-1. The Cardinals have made the permanent switch from senior Joey Lynch to freshman Nate Davis and the passing game hasn't missed a beat. Davis has shown remarkable composure and accuracy for a freshman. He's completing nearly 70 percent of his passes and has 12 touchdowns against 1 interception. He should have plenty of room to add to those stats against a Central Michigan team that's allowing 261.33 passing yards per game. One problem. Ball State can't stop anyone. They're the only team in the nation who's pass defense is allowing more than 300 yards a game (319.67). Central Michigan's fresman QB Dan LeFevour is gaining confidence, throwing for 655 yards and 7 scores over the past two games. Time of possession won't be much of a factor in this one as both teams will be able to pass at will. Central Michigan should be able to get enough stops to win. Prediction: Central Michigan 45, Ball State 28 Bowling Green vs. Eastern Michigan Anthony Turner and Freddie Barnes didn't get many chances to show off their athleticism last week against Ohio State, but Bowling Green managed to keep the game tight until the Buckeyes pulled away in the 4th quarter. Expect both players to have quite a bit more success against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles just don't have much worth talking about. Unfortunately, Eric Deslauriers hasn't been able to get any chemistry going with either of EMU's quarterbacks and their running game has been nearly non-existent. Bowling Green should handle Eastern Michigan in this one and remain in 2nd place in the MAC East behind Kent State. Prediction: Bowling Green 24, Eastern Michigan 7 Kent State vs. Toledo To call Kent State's season unexpected is a drastic understatement. After dropping their first two games to Minnesota and Army, Kent has strung together four straight victories and are looking to maintain their perfect conference record against a disappointing Rockets squad. Kent's success is due in large part to clutch play from QB Julian Edelman and a surprisingly tough defense. With Ohio, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan and Ball State remaining, a win against Toledo might be the first step in toward an undefeated MAC East title for Kent State. Toledo has some fire power, and should be able to keep the game close for awhile, but Kent State is on some kind of roll. The Rockets' defense will allow Edelman to move the Kent offense without much resistance and the Golden Flashes will move to 4-0 in conference play. Prediction: Kent State 30, Toledo 17 Ohio at Illinois Ohio comes into this game with high hopes after last week's 27-20 win over Western Michigan. Kalvin McRae finally got going with 120 rushing yards and the victory put the Bobcats in contention in the MAC East. A win here means nothing in conference standings but sure would help the team's confidence heading into a showdown with conference leader Kent State next week. Aside from the egg they laid against Bowling Green in a 21-9 loss in week 5, the Bobcats only other losses are to two undefeated BCS schools, Rutgers and Missouri. Illinois, on the other hand, has been hit or miss, and mostly miss all season. Their week 5 win over Michigan State on a last second field goal did more to cement the fact that Michigan State is once again an underachieving football team than prove Illinois to be much more than a Big Ten doormat. They've looked awful at times (33-0 loss to Rutgers) and been completely inept as well (blowing an 18 point lead against Indiana). Both teams struggle to stop the run so OU's McRae and IU's backs should both be able to eclipse 100 yards if given the opportunity. The game should be close, but I like Ohio to pull off the upset behind a steady diet of Kalvin McRae, and set up a pivotal contest with Kent State in week 8. If the game comes down to coaching decisions, the edge goes to OU's Frank Solich over the Illini's Ron Zook. Solich has at least shown an indication that the Bobcat's are moving in the right direction. Zook, on the other hand, has basically kept Illinois treading water in the flooded Big Ten basement. Prediction: Ohio 20, Indiana 17 This week's best bet... Northern Illinois -4.5 @ Western Michigan ----- |
 
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