So long...farewell...auf weidersehen goodbye...

Well it's been a learning experience, but no matter how much I enjoyed the way blog has forced me to get to know teams around the MAC. The fact I seem to be stepping on the toes of other MAC bloggers takes the fun out of blogging.

Thanks to The Mac Daily and Lets Go Rockets for the support, thanks to LakeThePost for having me over to discuss EMU and Miami. But the crap slung at me from others, some of it deservedly so but most of it not, is too childish for me to tolerate. I suppose I've gotten too old for school yard taunts and cliques to be recreational.

I'm going restart Bull-Run where I will just deal with UB Football and Basketball, I know subject in far more depth and it will be nice to keep my UB fan hat on while I post. Plus as there is not a huge presence for UB bloggers so I doubt anyone will have a conniption fit if I talk about the same thing they do.

If you want to see news about the MAC please go to The Mac Daily, if you want detail on anything go to the blogs listed on this pages sidebar...

-Peace

30 Games in 30 Days: #18 Temple at Penn State

Temple	@ Penn State

When: September 19th

Where: State College Pennsylvania

All Time Series: Penn State 34-3-1

Last Ten Games:

Date	Temple	PSU
September 20, 2008	3	45
November 10, 2007	0	31
November 11, 2006	0	47
August 30, 2003	10	23
September 13, 1997	10	52
September 21, 1996	0	41
September 16, 1995	14	66
October 1, 1994	21	48
September 12, 1992	8	49
October 5, 1991	7	24

While its usually not at the top of the list Al Golden's name seems to end up somewhere in almost any conversation about possible coaches for Penn State when and if Joe Pa finally steps down (I swear the guy is Bionic). Golden has a nice collection of requisites for the Penn State job, Before being the youngest DC in division one while at Virginia he was a linebackers coach for Penn State, He was the captain of the 1991 squad and a Ridge Riley Award winner. Al Golden has deep recruiting roots in PA and has shown he can develop great football players (James Farrior, Jamie Sharper, Frank Chamberlin and Erik Storz). The only thing Al Golden does not have is a winning season(s) as a head coach.

There is no denying that what he has done at Temple is impressive, 2008 represented the best Owls season since 1990, his teams are winning civic awards, and the recruits are getting better every year. Still while finishing 3rd in the MAC East and going 1-3 out of conference was not bad enough to keep him off of the Syracuse radar a team like the Nittany Lions are going to have a higher standard.

Temple has not won a game in this series since before World War II and last season PSU cleaned Temple's clock when they blew up for 31 second quarter points en route to a 45-3 victory. Some of this is due to DiMichele going down so early in the first but the complete lack of a running game did not help backup Chester Stweart against a Nittany Lion defense picked him off three times and held the Owls to 138 offensive yards.

Temple will be a better team this year, I have them edging out Buffalo in the East but I don't envision a scenario in which they win this game. They should, however, keep it far more interesting than it has been in previous years (not that it would be particularly hard to do so, the filed goal last year were the first points in the last three meetings which were scores 123 to 3 in favor of PSU).

You can Tune Into the Big-10 network to watch the game, but really, do you want to watch this game on TV? If Temple ever gets its program going like it has the potential to this can someday be a true must see rivalry game, at the very least you can get a live look at Al Golden on the sideline of Beaver Stadium if you make the three hour drive.

30 Games in 30 Days: #19 Western Michigan at Michigan State

Western Michigan	@ Michigan State

When: November 7th
Where: East Lansing Michigan

All Time Series: Michigan State 5-0

Date	WMU	State
August 30, 2003	21	26
September 6, 1997	10	42
September 27, 1986	10	45
September 28, 1985	3	7
September 27, 1980	7	33

It was hard to pick between the game opener at Michigan or this game, one one hand I expect the Bronco's to beat the wolverines and a week one win over a Big-10 teams would be a nice kick off to the season but on the other hand a win over Michigan State could be the marque moment for the 2009 Bronco's.

This is a low risk high reward game for Western Michigan, by this point WMU has the potential to be 7-1 or 6-2, a win over Michigan State could start netting votes in some of the top 25 polls. A loss, on the other hand, does not hurt their chances at the MAC or at an at large should they not win the division. WMU has a recent habit of beating big ten teams late in the year Iowa (2007) and Illinois (2008) were both kept out of Bowl contention by a late season defeat.

In short, while right now the game against MU looks more important (because its winnable) if the season plays out even close to how they should for the Bronco's a win here will be the one fans are talking about during the off season. Of course if the Broncos should falter early in the season this game could be the most meaningless of the year.

Western Michigan has never beaten the Spartans losing by an average of twenty points and beating them will be a tall order for Western Michigan. While the Spartans personnel losses include key personnel (Javon Ringer) they are few in number. Ringer was the Spartan offense last season but on the ground Michigan State still only managed 130 yards a game, with improved depth this year the Spartans don't expect the running game to fall off. The defensive strength of the Spartans is at linebacker so losses on the defensive line are not going to diminish that units performance.

So far I have not found any mention of TV coverage, MAC crossover games this late in the season are not going to get seeding over the big name conference match ups. The two schools are a little over two hours apart so it should be easy for Bronco's fans to make the trip for this game.

#30 Temple at Navy

#29 Morgan State at Akron

#28 Miami at Kent

#27 Toledo at Ball State

#26 Army at Eastern Michigan

#25 Ohio at Buffalo

#24 Ball State at WMU

#23 Eastern Michigan at Michigan

#22 Bowling Green at Miami

#21 NIU at CMU

#20 Akron at Buffalo

30 Games in 30 Days: #20 Akron at Buffalo

Akron	@ Buffalo

Where: Amherst, NY

When: October 17th

All Time Series: Akron 8-2

Date	Buffalo	Akron
November 13, 2008	43	40
October 27, 2007	26	10
November 9, 2006	16	31
October 8, 2005	7	13
October 9, 2004	21	44
September 27, 2003	21	38
November 16, 2002	10	21
November 17, 2001	14	41
November 11, 2000	14	49
September 11, 1999	10	17

Like most teams in the MAC East the Akron Zips spent years as the beneficiary of football futility coming out of Western New York. With the Bulls seemingly righting their ship the potential for a decent divisional rivalry is emerging. During the Football season Buffalo broke Akron's heart, and their back and The Zips returned the favor the following spring when they defeated Buffalo in the championship round of the MAC basketball tournament.

For UB this game is the first at home against an Eastern division team and, probably, the first in conference game Buffalo should be expected to win. If UB falters here they could be looking at an 0-3 to start divisional play with their next two games against the Broncos and the Falcons. In other words a loss to Akron could be the game that, for all intensive purposes, knocks them out of the divisional race.

Akron comes into this game with a bit more breathing room than the Bulls. Of their two divisional games before hand, one is a very winnable home game against Ohio. No game is a throw away but a loss here still give Akron two very winnable games (Kent, EMU) and another two should be able to compete in (home against Temple / away at Bowling Green).

In short should Akron manage to beat Ohio the week before they can lose to Buffalo and still have a very good shot at a 5-3 divisional record where as unless the Bulls shock Central Michigan, Western Michigan, or Temple, a loss at the hands of Akron realistically limits them to a 4-4 divisional mark.

Last year's game between Buffalo and Akron was one of the best games in the Mid American Conference, if not college football. The game sent the two teams on distinctly different trajectories with UB defeating Bowling Green the following week to clinch the MAC East and Akron falling out the the divisional race and bowl contention by dropping their last two games.

Two times in the first half UB went ahead by ten, 10-0 eleven minutes into the first quarter and 17-7 slightly more than ten minutes into the second. Akron would close and tie it at 17-17 early in the third. From that point the two teams just traded punches until Dennis Kennedy's one yard run with 23 seconds left sent the game into overtime. The teams continued to trade punches in overtime until Chris Jacquemain coughed up the ball on the first possession of the fourth overtime. UB would kick a field goal to end the game minutes later.

Its a three and a half hour drive from Akron to Buffalo which, for a Saturday afternoon game, leaves plenty of time to tank up and take 90 into Amherst for some pregame tailgating.

DiMichele has more competition for the Eagles Job

Yesterday the I briefly talked about the Philadelphia Eagles signing former Temple quarterback Adam DiMichele, today the Eagles made another quarterback move, this time signing Michael Vick. While its obvious this makes DiMicheles road to the pro's more difficult how it effects him in the near term is not yet certain. Vick will not be available until later into the preseason so there may be time for DiMichele to make an impression for the eagles and any other teams out there.

Two MAC place kickers named on the Lou Groza Award watch list

Toledo Kicker Alex Steigerwald (per LGR) and Northern Illinois senior kicker Mike Salerno (per HuskieWire) have been named to the Lou Groza award watch list.

30 Games in 30 Days: #21 Northern Illinois at Central Michigan

NIU	@ CMU

When: November 27
Where: Mount Pleasant, Michigan

All Time Series: Northern Illinois 12-11

Last 10 Games:

Date	CMU	NIU
November 12, 2008	33	30
September 29, 2007	35	10
November 17, 2006	10	31
November 5, 2005	28	31
October 16, 2004	10	42
October 11, 2003	24	40
October 19, 2002	0	49
October 27, 2001	24	33
November 18, 2000	6	40
October 16, 1999	27	31

This is one of many key late season games for in the MAC West. Like the Ball State at Western Michigan match up which takes place only a few days prior, the outcome of this game will probably have implications for the top four teams (NIU, CMU, WMU, and Ball State) in the MAC West. Whoever did the scheduling for the MAC could not have done a better job setting up the end of the season on the Western side of the slate.

Northern Illinois will probably be vying for at at large bowl spot with Division rival Ball State and whoever is behind in the Western / Central Michigan race for the division. The Huskies have seven games that they should win before they square off with CMU, which should be enough for a Bowl bid, but given the MAC's performance last season it may take eight wins to guarantee one of the at-large spots.

Central Michigan is the favorite to win the division but they have Western Michigan nipping at their heels and a very punishing schedule. Six of Chips first nine games are on the road including divisional rival WMU, Defending MAC Champion Buffalo, and East Contender Bowling Green. Adding to their in conference slate of games the Chips have a difficult set of out of conference games with Arizona, Michigan State, and Boston College on the road. If the Chips should falter against Buffalo and/or Western Michigan they may very well be fighting, along with the Cardinals and Huskies, for an at large instead of the division.

Last season's game between these two teams was a classic. The Chippewas needed overtime to defeat Northern Illinois after the Huskies rolled off 24 unanswered points in the last 16 minutes of the game but Josh Gordy's interception of Chandler Harnish on the first overtime possession allowed Central Michigan to salvage the victory.

The loser of this game will find themselves missing out on either the division or the bowl picture, if the game is half as exciting as last years its a must see contest.

Its a heck of a road trip from DeKalb to Mount pleasant (seven hours) so any Husky fans wanting to make the trip are going to have to take the day off, pack up the car, and drive safely. If you cant make it to the game it has been picked up by ESPN360/ESPNU.

--

#30 Temple at Navy

#29 Morgan State at Akron

#28 Miami at Kent

#27 Toledo at Ball State

#26 Army at Eastern Michigan

#25 Ohio at Buffalo

#24 Ball State at Western Michigan

#23 Eastern Michigan at Michigan

#22 Bowling Green at Miami

Former Temple QB DiMichele Signs Free Agent Contract with Eagles

Adam DiMichele, who started three years for the Temple Owls, has signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. DiMichele was originally signed as a rookie free agent by the Eagles taking part in almost all spring practices before being released on June 11. Kevin Kolb's recent MCL sprain gives the Owl's fourth all time passer a second chance with the team.

"I can't put it into words. I was at home eating a sandwich with my family, and my phone rang. The Eagles wanted to bring me in as soon as possible. I have no details yet, but I'm not worried about it. It's just another opportunity for me. I'm excited, and my family is excited." -- Adam DiMichele

DiMichele has himself had a hard time staying healthy missing eleven complete games over his last two seasons and parts of others.With his limited playing time he still managed an impressive thirty touchdowns against only sixteen interceptions in the thirteen games he did play.

The Eagles host the New England Patriots on Thursday, August 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field. Donovan McNabb will start and probably play into the second quarter. Following McNabb A.J. Feeley's will likely play the bulk of the game. DiMichele may get some playing time in the fourth quarter if Andy Reid holds true to form; In last years pre-season opener against Pittsburgh Andy Reid gave significant opportunity to all three of his quarterbacks.

30 Games in 30 Days: #22 Bowling Green at Miami

Bowling Green	@ Miami

When: November 12th

Where: Oxford, Ohio

All Time Series: Miami 27-15-4

Last 10 Meetings

Date	Miami	BG
October 18, 2008	27	20
October 13, 2007	47	14
November 15, 2006	9	7
November 15, 2005	14	42
December 4, 2003*	49	27
November 4, 2003	33	10
November 3, 2001	24	21
October 14, 2000	24	10
October 9, 1999	45	31
October 10, 1998	24	12

*MAC Championship Game

Why this game? Two new coaches for two venerable MAC teams, Miami (1948, second oldest member), and Bowling green (1952, Sixth oldest member). In the 54 years that both teams have been members one or the other has been the Conference champion 22 times. The Timing of this game so late in the season will also add weight to its outcome.

Bowling Green has new leadership on the sideline is, in no small part, due to Greg Brandon's epic meltdown after the Buffalo Game. His 44-30 record belies the fact that he had not won an outright division title in five seasons, and that his last three seasons the falcons had record of 18-19. Even with the recent record up until the Buffalo loss there were only whispers about replacing Brandon but after the worst press conference of all times there was little doubt change was coming:

"That crowd was pitiful and I'm so disappointed. The fans that showed up, that's awesome because they're the true fans. Our kids deserve so much better than that. To be in a championship with so much on the line and [having] that kind of crowd, disgusts me," -- Gregg Brandon

He is replaced by Dave Clawson who has had a very successful career at the FCS level vastly improving the Fordham and Richmond football teams winning a total of 3 conference titles in eight seasons before spending one season under Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee.

Miami's coaching change was anticipated far earlier in the season as the RedHawks Shane Montgomery finished his career with a four year 17-31 record including two 2-10 records. He resigned his position at the end of November and in early 2009 took up the offensive coordinator duties for the Akron Zips. Montgomery's replacement, Mike Haywood, has spent time as an assistant coach at some of college footballs big name programs (LSU, Texas, and Notre Dame). While this is his first time as a head coach he has an impressive list of mentors through his career including S Nick Saban, Mack Brown, and Lou Holtz.

Last year Bowling green was a hairs breath from division title. While it was the collapse against Buffalo that cost Bowling Green the upset division the loss to Miami kept them out of a Bowl Game. Bowling Green, in a tie game, deep in Miami Territory through a late interception off of which Miami would drive for the go ahead score.

Bowling Green is expected to compete for the MAC East division title and this game is late enough in the year to be a make or break contest. Miami could drive a stake through the heart of the Falcons as they have the past two seasons (their head to head victory in 2007 game Miami the East Division and their 2008 win kept the Falcons out of a Bowl).

These two schools are three hours apart so Falcon fans wishing to make the trip will have to, at least, take the afternoon off if they want to be at the game, for those unable to make the trip there is always espnu.

#30 Temple at Navy

#29 Morgan State at Akron

#28 Miami at Kent

#27 Toledo at Ball State

#26 Army at Eastern Michigan

#25 Ohio at Buffalo

#24 Ball State at Western Michigan

#23 Eastern Michigan at Michigan

BSU Men's Golfer Ross Cosat Wins Indy Amateur

Ive talked several times this summer about Eric Steger and in just about every mention the name Ross Cosat has come up. He finished in the top four at the Indy Armature match play championships, played well at The Indiana Golf Association Public Links tournament finishing seventh. This time he took it all winning Indiana Golf Association Indianapolis Amateur at Winding River Golf Course in Indianapolis.



The Ball State senior shot a 66-67 to win the event:

Tournament	Score	Place	Points
IGA Indianapolis Amateur	66-67--133	1	0
IGA Match Play Championship		3	15
IGA Public Links Championship	70-67--137	7	7
Indiana Open Championship	74-74-71-71--290	9	7.5
E-Z-GO Indianapolis Open	79-78--157	17	0
Indiana PGA Monticello Open	76	22	0
Indiana Amateur Championship	71-76-78-72--297	36	5

The event did not yield any points for the IGA John K. David Player of the Year where he currently stands 12th, teammate Steger stands second.

Zips Men's Soccer Ranked No. 1 in Preseason Poll

Well the bar has been set pretty high by the Akron Zips soccer team who, Despite losing the top scorer in the nation and maybe best goal keeper in the Akron history history, are Top Drawer Soccer, which awarded the Zips a No. 1 in their 2009 pre-season poll Tuesday. (from gozips.com)

"Caleb Porter’s program gets the nod as the #1 selection in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Tournament 48 Men’s College Soccer pre-season ranking, continuing the Mid-American Conference school’s rise to nationally-elite status over the past few years. Despite losing all-everything forward Steve Zakuani, standout goalkeeper Evan Bush and others, the Zips continue to bring in top recruiting classes each season and should be able to more than make up for the loss of the departing seniors." -- Top Drawer Soccer

The Zips, who were ranked No. 9 in the final CSN and NSCAA/adidas polls a year ago, return seven of their 11 starters most noteaballyAnthony Ampaipitakwong, Sarkodie and Darlington Nagbe – from a team that recorded the second-highest win total in school history in 2008.

The Full top drawer pre-season rankers are as follows

2009 Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Poll

1. Akron
2. St. John's
3. Creighton
4. California
5. Maryland
6. Indiana
7. Wake Forest
8. Northwestern
9. North Carolina
10. UC Santa Barbara
11. UIC
12. South Florida
13. Notre Dame
14. Connecticut
15. Tulsa
16. Virginia
17. Louisville
18. SMU
19. Dayton
20. UCLA
21. Boston College
22. San Francisco
23. Dartmouth
24. Michigan
25. Denver
26. Duke
27. Michigan State
28. George Mason
29. Ohio State
30. Santa Clara

Five MAC wideouts named on Biletnikoff watchlist

Five Mid American conference receivers were put on the 2009 Biletnikoff Award Watch List. The Fred Biletnikoff Award has been presented since 1994 to America's top college football receiver by the TQC Foundation, Inc. (The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc.), an independent not-for-profit organization.

A national selection committee consisting of over 150 journalists, commentators, broadcasters, and former players selects the award winner. No member of the board of trustees of the foundation has a vote. Any college player who receives the football through the forward pass is eligible (wide receiver, running back, tight end) to be selected as the award winner, although every winner since 1994 has been a wide receiver.

Not since 1997 when then Marshall's Randy Moss won the award has a player form the MAC won this award. This years Nominees from the MAC are:

Antonio Brown, Central Michigan:



Last year the then sophomore came up just short of a thousand yards for the second straight year (950 in 2007, 998 in 2008) but in terms of overall yardage he was ranked fourth in the nation. Brown is also a proficient returner with leading the nation in punt return yardage (20.5 ypr) last year and taking one punt back for a touchdown, He also is an All MAC kick returner. He is so diverse as a player that he is just one of just two players in NCAA history to earn all-conference first-team honors at three positions in the same season

Naaman Roosevelt, Buffalo:


Roosevelt gained national attention for his walk off Hail Mary reception against Temple last year but his 1,402 years receiving was good for fourth in college football and his 13 touchdowns tied him for eighth in the FBS. Last year he set single-season school records for receptions (104), yards receiving (1,402) and receiving touchdowns (13) and came on strong late in the year with five of his seven 100+ yard games.

Taylor Price, Ohio:




Taylor Price enters his Senior following a 2008 campaign where he managed 694 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions, his most notable game was against MAC East rival Akron where he caught eight passed for one hundred yards and three touchdown to help the Bobcats walk away with a 49-42 decision. With the loss of Tight End Andrew Mooney, whoever wins the Bobcats starting quarterback job may have to rely more heavily on the wide outs this season, so there is room for Price to go over a thousand yards this year if that's the case.

Jacory Stone, Eastern Michigan:



The performance of Jacory Stone in 2008 gives hope to Eagles fans for 2009. His 943 receiving yards was in the top fifty nationally among all receivers (43) and more than double his sophomore numbers. His performance in the late season loss to Temple and win against Central Michigan, a combined 28 catches for 248 yards, were two of his best games. He will face both teams again and should not have too much trouble getting himself over a thousand yards for his senior campaign.

Stephen Williams, Toledo:


Best vid I could find, let me know if you have something better
Stephen Williams fell off a bit last year in total yardage (781) but his eight touchdowns, first on the team, were huge throughout the year. His best two efforts of the year came in losing games (114 yards two touchdowns against Fresno and 136 yards with two touchdowns against Akron). With the departure of Nick Moore Williams becomes the main weapon for Aaron Opelt and should break a thousand this year.

2009 Biletnikoff Award Watch List

---

Kris Adams, UTEP
Seyi Ajirotutu, Fresno State
Brandon Banks, Kansas State
Doug Beaumont, Louisville
Arrelious Benn, Illinois
Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas
Antonio Brown, Central Michigan
DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss
Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
Tyron Carrier, Houston
Eric Decker, Minnesota
Jacoby Ford, Clemson
Cortez Gent, Florida Atlantic
Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
AJ Green, Georgia
Rashaun Greer, Colorado State
D'Andre Goodwin, Washington
T.Y. Hilton, Florida International
Shay Hodge, Ole Miss
Jerrel Jernigan, Troy
Damaris Johnson, Tulsa
Julio Jones, Alabama
Brandon LaFell, LSU
Detron Lewis, Texas Tech
Kerry Meier, Kansas
Dennis Pitta, BYU
Taylor Price, Ohio
Aldrick Robinson, SMU
Naaman Roosevelt, Buffalo
Greg Salas, Hawaii
Jordan Shipley, Texas
Jacory Stone, Eastern Michigan
Golden Tate, Notre Dame
Damian Williams, USC
Stephen Williams, Toledo
Ryan Wolfe, UNLV

30 Games in 30 Days: #23 Eastern Michigan at Michigan

EMU	@ Michigan

Where: Ann Arbor, MI
When: September 19th

All Time Series: Michigan 3-0

Date	EMU	Michigan
October 6, 2007	22	33
September 17, 2005	0	55
September 19, 1998	20	59

I went back on fourth on this one, this series has no real history, the game will likely not decide any MAC teams fortune, and I doubt it will be close but the 'in state' David and Goliath coupled with coaching connections makes it relevant. Maybe Michigan gets caught looking ahead to its conference opener against Indiana and EMU is able to play scrappy for awhile but in the end a big ten team, even a struggling one, has too much depth for most mid majors to hang around with, especially programs as downtrodden as Eastern Michigan.

Ron English Now	And Then

For Michigan this will be the second of three instate games this year. Mid American West contender Western Michigan opens their season in Ann Arbor, EMU makes the trip in week three, and the wolverines make the trip to Michigan State in week five. Its a shame that they could not swap Central Michigan for Delaware state.

Eastern Michigan comes in to Ann Arbor the week after travelling to Northwestern, and one week before the open conference play by hosting Temple. Last year Toledo shocked Michigan and a loss to a, then, low tier MAC team has really stung MU fans. Expect Michigan to not overlook any team from the MAC this year, unfortunately for the Eagles I don't see them beating Michigan unless they catch the wolverines looking past them.

Michigan football is a shadow of where it usually is and a stronger team like Western *might* be able to take advantage of this but the Eagles, who have occasionally played great games, would have to have to play as hard as they did last year against Central Michigan to even be in this one.

The last time these teams met the Eagles kept the game close until well into the third quarter when an Andy Schmitt touchdown run made the score 16-14 in favor of the wolverines. The wolverines would roll off 17 third quarter points to shut the door, some of the highlights of that game including an amazing fake hand off by Schmitt which fooled Englishes defense, the camera, and the announcers:

Hopefully the Eagles can keep it close again but unless Michigan has a second terrible year I don't see Eastern Michigan holding on too long.

#30 Temple at Navy

#29 Morgan State at Akron

#28 Miami at Kent

#27 Toledo at Ball State

#26 Army at Eastern Michigan

#24 Ball State at Western Michigan

MAC-Smack Pre Season top 25

My Totally unaffiliated, unabashed, and irrelevant

Pre-Season top 25

1.		Florida
2.		Texas
3.		Oklahoma
4.		Alabama
5.		USC
6.		Penn State
7.		LSU
8.		Ohio State
9.		Virginia Tech
10.		Mississippi
11.		Oklahoma State
12.		California
13.		Georgia
14.		Oregon
15.		TCU
16.		Georgia Tech
17.		Boise State
18.		Utah
19.		Florida State
20.		North Carolina
21.		Nebraska
22.		Brigham Young
23.		Cincinnati
24.		Iowa
25.		Michigan State

This is the MAC-Smack SWAG (Scientific Wild @#$ Guess) preseason top 25 Poll. With OTP, TFF, LGR and OAB all being officially respectable members of the CBS Blog Poll I thought there might be room in the ranks of the insignificant for me. Congrats to the MAC bloggers I mentioned.

Hiller, Lewis represent the MAC for Walter Camp

Tim Hiller	MiQuale Lewis

Two Mid American Conference Seniors made the Walter Camp "watch List". The award which started in 1967 (and was won its first two years by O.J. Simpson) is awarded every year to the player seen as the 'player of the year' by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

No school that is currently not in a BCS conference, outside of Notre Dame, has ever won this award so its going to be a major task for them to be taken seriously as contenders. Should Hiller eclipse his totals from last year or Lewis lead the league in rushing and touchdowns they may have a chance but short of the publicity that a BCS bowl run has its difficult to get the national attention for such awards.

Last year MiQuale Lewis rushed for 1,701 yards (3rd in the nation) and scored 22 touchdowns (Tied for first). He also caught more than 30 passes for three hundred yards making him one of the most potent threats in all of College football. This year he will have to make due with a new line and without Nate Daivs who left early for the NFL draft.

Tim Hiller set seven Western Michigan passing records in 2008 He ranked tenth in the nation in yardage (3725), 7th in touchdowns (36), and 24th in quarterback rating (143.81). Off the field he earned a 4.0 GPA as an undergraduate and is well on his way to his MBA. Hiller will have to go through the year wideouts Jamarko Simmons and Schneider Julien. He will also be missing Tight end Branden Ledbetter. But he does return most of his offense outside those positions.

2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Watch List”
Jahvid Best, RB, Junior, California
Arrelious Benn, WR, Junior, Illinois
Eric Berry, DB, Junior, Tennessee
Sam Bradford, QB, Junior, Oklahoma
LaGarrette Blount, RB, Senior, Oregon
Dez Bryant, WR, Junior, Oklahoma State
Daryll Clark, QB, Senior, Penn State
Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Junior, Georgia Tech
Mardy Gilyard, WR, Senior, Cincinnati
Jermaine Gresham, TE, Senior, Oklahoma
Max Hall, QB, Senior, Brigham Young
Tim Hiller, QB, Senior, Western Michigan
Jerry Hughes, DE, Senior, TCU
Kendell Hunter, RB, Junior, Oklahoma State
MiQuale Lewis, RB, Senior, Ball State
Taylor Mays, DB, Senior, USC
Colt McCoy, QB, Senior, Texas
Kellen Moore, QB, Sophomore, Boise State
Todd Reesing, QB, Senior, Kansas
Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Sophomore, Oregon State
Evan Royster, RB, Senior, Penn State
George Selvie, DE, Senior, South Florida
Jordan Shipley, WR, Senior, Texas
Rusty Smith, QB, Senior, Florida Atlantic
Jevan Snead, QB, Junior, Mississippi
Brandon Spikes, LB, Senior, Florida
C.J. Spiller, RB, Senior, Clemson
Golden Tate, WR, Junior, Notre Dame
Tim Tebow, QB, Senior, Florida
Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Senior, Missouri

MAC News 8/10/2009

Dog Days of Summer:

The rather nice mid-western summer has ended just in time for football camps so now, instead of pleasant days in the 70's MAC football players are running their drills in heat indexes of over one hundred degrees.

On Saturday three NIU huskies were treated and released for dehydration after practices ended, there seemed to be no serious threats to health but when temperatures start getting on ninety and the humidity is as high as it has been its best not to take chances.

Akron practiced Sunday in a heat index of 111 degrees, UA head coach J.D. Brookhart.said ""I think we started a little slow due to the heat, However, the team picked up the pace and we had another good practice."

Central Michigan

Central Michigan director of track and field/cross country Willie Randolph today announed the three coaches who will complete his 2009 staff.

Among them are former Olympian Dione Henley, University of Oklahoma coach John Ridgway, and graduate assistant Kristen Paulsen.