Rick Figurin
pigskinpress.com

Well, it was another wild ride in the MAC in 2009, although mostly in the eastern division. Let's take a moment and reflect on the season that was in the Mid-American Conference.

A force to be reckoned with-The MAC garnered national respect with three nice out-of-conference wins. Toledo over CU, NIU over Purdue, and Central Michigan over Michigan State. Bowling Green added another nice win over Troy in week #1 (let's just pretend the two shalackings by Boise State never happened).

Changing Faces- Ball State tumbled to the bottom of the west, while Ohio, Temple, and NIU all showed improvement. Central did what everyone expected, while Turner Gill's probable swan song in Buffalo was a bit bullish.

Fab Freshman- Temple's Brandon Pierce was scary good for the resurgent Owls, while Toledo's Eric Page rocketed his way to 82 receptions and huge expectations for his sophomore year.

You're in good hands...Kent's Brian Lainhart led the conference in interceptions again with 7. That makes 15 in three years!

Turner 'round and get out! It looks like Turner Gill could very well end up in Kansas, meaning that Ward Manuel needs to find somebody to keep this programs momentum going. Why not former Nortwestern coach Gary Barnett? he would excel at Buffalo,a nd has a proven track record at schools that don't have a deep winning tradition (see Northwestern and Colorado).

Rick Figurin
pigskinpress.com

A- Antonio Brown- Some would call last year a sophomore slump for the CMU WR/KR but the guy still put up over 2,300 total yards. Look for Brown to put up 2,500 yards and double digit TD’s in ’09,

B-  Big Ten Opponents- The MAC will get 13 cracks at the Big-10 this year. We expect a record number of wins.

C- Chandler Harnish- Which Harnish will show up for the Huskies, the Harnish of week one versus Minnesota (326 yards) or the post-injury Harnish who threw a lot of silly interceptions? Either way, if Jerry Kill doesn’t start taking a pass first approach with Harnish, he’ll have serious issues at QB; running a QB draw every other play is a great way to ruin a QB with an arm like Harnish,

D- Dan LeFevour- Arguably the best QB in MAC history. Lefevour and the Chips’ have a good shot at a MAC title, and a winnable non-conference schedule. Could get interesting with a week one victory over Arizona.

E- Empty Seats- Eastern Michigan, Akron, and especially Kent State need to start getting their communities to attend games. The MAC fan base seems to be dwindling while Sun Belt attendance is on the rise. With geography playing less and less of a role for at large bids, that will not fare well for the MAC in coming years.

F- Freddie Barnes- It’s Freddie’s show in Bowling Green in 2009. With the graduation of Corey Partridge, Barnes will be the go to guy for Tyler Sheehan. Barnes has to find a way to get in the end zone more often.

G- Galette, Junior- Galette is the latest in a burgeoning line of Temple defensive studs. If healthy this year, Galette will rack up double digit sacks and at least get a sniff as a possible late round draft pick in 2010.

H- Hiller, Tim- We’ll see what the Senior QB is made of without WR Jamarko Simmons, Brandon Ledbetter and Schneider Julien. Hiller should be fully recovered from his elbow injuries and poised for a rough, but solid season. Look for Hiller to be second MAC QB drafted in 2010.

I- Idaho vs. NIU- If you saw this game two years ago, it was wild! The rematch in DeKalb could be a close one as well. Idaho’s got some talent, and won’t forget the beating that Larry English and company put on them in Moscow...well, for most of the game!

J- Jacory Stone- Stone was a pleasant surprise for the Eagles in 2008 and with Andy Schmitt returning, is poised for 1,000 yards receiving. If the EMU offense continues to click like it did in its last two games of 2008, they could top last year’s win total.

K- Keller, Noah- Keller has a knack for being in on nearly every defensive play. It will be hard for the senior linebacker to top last year’s 104 tackles, but that’s a testament to the improvement of the Ohio defense.

L- Lewis, MiQuale- Lewis will be the focus of every defense in the MAC, at least until Kelly Page gets comfortable behind center. The Cardinals lose four starters on the offensive line, and Lewis will probably drop a bit in the rushing department.

M- Morgan Williams- Williams may be next Rocket RB to see an NFL roster, but that’s still a ways away. Williams and DaJuane Collins are the best RB duo in the conference, and the two will combine for close to 2,000 yards yet again. Look for Williams to garner first team all-conference honors.

N- November 11th/13th- Toledo at Central Michigan (Wednesday) and Temple at Akron (Friday). These two games will essentially decided the race in both the East and West. Don’t miss it!

O- Onyebuagu, Jason- This guy has done nothing but improve year in and year out! The NIU senior will be needed as the running game could be a little shakey. We expect this guy to be a late round selection in the spring draft.

P- Pitt at Buffalo- Now we’ll see what Turner Gill can do! Pitt will be a solid team, and Buffalo is riding last year’s momentum. Replacing Drew Willy is a tall order, but Gill should be able to scheme to a James Stark dominated offense and keep this game close.

Q- Quarterbacks- LeFevour, Hiller, and Andy Schmitt all have a chance to find an NFL roster. The MAC is still the conference of QB’s, but it’s starting to gain a reputation as the conference of DB’s as well.

R- Roosevelt, Naman- A lot of hype concerning this guy. Losing Drew Willy will cut his touches, and his stock. If QB Zach Maynard is smart he’ll make a connection with Roosevelt early and often.

S- Sewell, Almondo- Sewell was an impact player last season, and will explode in his junior year. Akron should improve on last year’s 31.3 point allowed on defense and contend for the East title.

T- Toledo- Looking at this team on paper, they are loaded with talent. Unfortunately, the same was true last season! If the defense can get some more sacks and shut down the pass a little more, they could be back in the bowl mix in 2009.

U- Upsets- Central at Michigan State, Colorado at Toledo, and UConn at Ohio-just a few of the upsets the MAC will pull. The MAC schedule is loaded with upset possibilities!

V- VanDerMeulen, Mike- The most talented underclass lineman in the league. VanDerMuelen will look even better when Toledo puts up 2,000 on the ground.

W- West, Brandon- Four returning starters on the line will put West over 1,200 yards on the ground…that is If Western can find a second receiver besides Juan Nunez to pull in passes.

X- X-factor- Running back DeVoe Torrence could surprise some around the conference, as the Ohio State transfer may open up the passing game enough for Akron to win the East. Torrence really could be the X-Factor in Akron’s success.

Y- Young Teams- Only 123 of the 312 starting positions (including kickers and punters) are scheduled to be seniors in 2009.

Z- Zombo, Frank- Zombo was first team all-MAC last season, and will repeat the same this year. Zombo is quick off the snap and uses his lower body better than anyone in the league.

by Rick Figurin/ 2007
pigskinpress.com

All the cool kids are doing it. The Mountain West was first, the Big Ten was second, and in the monkey-see-monkey-do world of sports media, the other power conferences must have a little something up their jersey sleeve as well. But the question is, is an exclusive conference sports station worth it? In all honesty, nobody knows. But by golly, let’s take a gander at the T.V. question and whether it’s for everybody, especially the little guys.

Let’s begin our journey with a look at the Mountain West. You know, that conference that sticks it to the big boys every year and still can’t get any respect. Well, a couple of years ago the MWC decided to start their own network, The Mountain. If you are unfamiliar with this venture your not alone. The conference made the mistake of bringing cable giant Comcast in on the deal, hence, no coverage on DirecTV or Dish Network. Commisioner Craig Thompson says talks are ongoing with both satellite providers, but no cigar thus far. The MWC rolled the dice, letting go of an ESPN package that was better than most MWC fans give it credit for. Did they have to play Thursday night games? Yeah, but it was gaining tradition…and tradition is priceless. Oh for the days of CSU/Air Force on a Thursday night.
Lesson Learned: If you start a network, make sure you own it!

Our next contestant is the Big Ten Conference. The Big Ten Network is set to launch in August, and show lots of football. As a matter of fact they’ve recently released their prime time schedule for 2007. It includes marquee matches like Indiana State at Indiana and Duke at Northwestern. In our opinion, it’s a way to get some national attention for Big Ten Programs who are overshadowed by their much more celebrated brethren. Don’t get us wrong it will be a great for the die-hards, but for the average fan, we’ll stick to Michigan vs. Ohio State on ABC.
Lesson Learned: If you start a network put your big games on there for the world to see.

So Let’s get to the rub. We know the BCS power conferences will follow suit, but probably with the same formula. So who would this be most beneficial for? In our opinion, two conferences could really benefit, the WAC and the MAC. You might be asking, “what about the Sunbelt and C-USA?” Well, C-USA has a pretty sweet deal with CSTV and the Sun Belt isn’t financially or perceptually in a position to be thinking about TV. However, the WAC and MAC could be perfect partners!

Here’s why the MAC should jump in. The MAC has name recognition, and major market support. With names like Roethlisberger, Turner, Leftwich, Moss and Pennington, people are familiar with the conference. Not to mention, many Michigan, Ohio State, and Illini fans still follow other schools in the state besides their beloved. The MAC is garnering more and more attention from scouts and fans as the talent level increases. Unfortunately, their TV contract is not as desireable as one would hope for.ESPN schedules teams before the season, which generally means little coverage of the teams who are actually making noise come November. Outside of ESPN, the regional package isn’t as available as it should be with stations like the Ohio Sports Network and a myriad of Comcast Locals that are almost impossible to hunt down outside of their immediate coverage area. With your own network, you can show only the games that matter while keeping other un-broadcasted games as part of local package access.

How does it help the WAC? Well, if you are anything like me this is becoming an intriguing conference: Boise breaking the BCS code, Fresno’s fearless scheduling, Nevada’s screwy pistol offense, Colt Brennan, San Jose State showing signs of life; the possibilities are endless. Did you notice 17 players were drafted into the NFL from the WAC this spring? The brand of football in this conference is on the up-and-up and now is the time to strike.

So how would it work? It’s simple. There are 3 hours of time separating most WAC and MAC schools. With a dual network, you could run 4 football games on Saturday by simply moving start times back or forward one hour. For example, at 11:00 am ET the network broadcasts NIU at Toledo. When the game ends, it’s roughly 11:00 am PST. At that time, you start your WAC match-up, say Fresno at SJSU. That game ends at roughly 5:00 pm EST, which is when you see the MAC match-up of the week. When it ends, you play your WAC match-up of the week. Four games, great coverage, selections made one week prior instead of in April, and coast-to-coast coverage; you can’t beat it!

Other Benefits. During the week, teams that are not chosen for Saturday broadcast can have tape-delay replays of their weekend games. If two institutions want to designate a game as a weekday match-up before the season starts, that is an option as well. During the week, press-conferences analysis and a nightly show designated to coverage of athletics from both conferences would be great for publicity. In addition, it may be easy to get DirecTV in on the deal to counter Comcast’s Mountain. Don’t have DirecTV? I promise you every sports bar in town will have it.

Could this happen? Why Not? Both conferences have the clout to garner the finances and could easily woo sponsors; after all, it’s college football. But would two conferences be willing to work together? We like to think yes, but in the prideful world of college athletics it would take some humble vision from both Rick Chryst and Karl Benson to make this happen. We are well aware that existing contracts need to be honored first, but both conferences could double their pleasure by keeping their ESPN plan in place as well. For the benefit of college football fans from Philadelphia to Honolulu, let’s hope it happens.