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Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan Forget game of the week, this is the MAC's game of the year. With the sun ready to disappear over the horizon on the 2006 college football season, Western Michigan and Central Michigan will battle for the MAC West crown and a berth in the conference championship game. With a win here, Western Michigan (7-2, 5-1) will have played themselves into a rematch game with eventual MAC East champs, Ohio. Central Michigan (6-3, 5-0), on the other hand, will be hoping to remain the only team with an unblemished MAC record. While it's possible the loser of this contest could still win the MAC West (with a lot of help), the Broncos and Chippewas know what's on the line here. They've both gained a lot of respect within the conference this season, but winning the West would be a huge step for either program. Western Michigan will likely try to establish the run, as Mark Bonds (933 yards, 7 tds) has proven to be the anchor of the Broncos' ground game. However, if they plan on leaving Mount Pleasant with a victory, they'll need for senior QB Ryan Cubit to have a solid day. Cubit has stepped up to the plate against the MAC's other poor pass defenses with 250+ yards against Miami, Northern Illinois, and Ball State. Central Michigan's corners have struggled in coverage all season, which bodes well for Cubit. Central Michigan will rely heavily on Dan LeFevour. The freshman QB has carried the Chippewas in any way possible this season, and has shown steady improvement as a passer. After throwing an interception in each of his first four starts, LeFevour has posted 13 touchdowns against only two INT's since. If Central Michigan can manage to move the ball on the ground at all with Sneed and LeFevour, it should loosen up the Broncos' secondary enough for LeFevour to make plays with his arm. Neither team has what could be called a bad loss in their ledger. Central Michigan has dropped games against the Big Ten (Michigan), ACC (Boston College), and SEC (Kentucky). Western's only losses came against Indiana and MAC East leader Ohio. Western Michigan has the MAC's best overall defense, but has gotten stagnant from time to time offensively. Central Michigan has put up points, and their week 1 game against Michigan may help them prepare for this contest. LeFevour was knocked around and harrassed for four quarters in Ann Arbor, and the Broncos will likely be after him as well. Ultimately, I'm going with the playmaker who touches the ball the most. In a battle of quarterbacks I think the freshman LeFevour edges the senior Cubit in a tight contest. If mid-majors received more respect this contest would garner at least regional coverage on an ESPN or ESPN 2, but it won't. I'll save the "give the little guys more respect" tirade for another article and pick my winner. Central Michigan shows more balance than Western Michigan can muster and Dan LeFevour makes enough plays to give his team the edge in the final seconds. Prediction: Central Michigan 24, Western Michigan 21. Kent State @ Virginia Tech The feel good team in the MAC this season has suddenly taken a turn south. The Kent State Golden Flashes-in-the-pan have dropped two in a row, including an embarrassing rout at the hands of Buffalo. Now they have the good fortune of making the trip to Blacksburg to take on the Hokies in front of a notriously hostile crowd. The Flashes gave up 41 unanswered points to a Buffalo team that needed overtime to score a touchdown on Temple. Turnovers and poor field position, two things that were staples of the Kent State football program prior to this season, have suddenly returned. While the Hokies have had their moments of mediocrity this season, Frank Beamer has his team playing well and RB Brandon Ore has been the biggest reason for that. The freshman has rushed for 489 yards and six touchdowns over his last three games -- all wins. Beamer will pound the ball with Ore and hope QB Sean Glennon limits his mistakes. While Kent State may keep this one close for a while, their season is over, their heads are hanging, and a trip to Blacksburg is not exactly what team physicians prescribe to cure the lingering hangover from that loss to Buffalo. Prediction: Virginia Tech 34, Kent State 14 Eastern Michigan vs. Navy In case you haven't heard, Navy likes the run. While their style of play isn't exactly the type that drives fans wild, it's been effective. Eastern Michigan, despite their one win, has shown some improvement this season. If they expect to beat Navy, they'll need a huge day from Eric Deslauriers and a solid performance from their defense. Navy will show EMU looks they haven't seen this year and try to run left, right, and through the middle of a weak defense. There's no reason to believe this Navy team will have trouble running the ball against Eastern Michigan, and while their defense will allow the Eagles to score, it won't be enough. The Eagles are left scratching their heads and are sent to the showers with another tally in the loss column. Prediction: Navy 28, Eastern Michigan 14 ----- |
 
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