PoopyRhinoPickle

2023 MAC All-Conference Teams Offensive Player of the Year: QB Randy Weiser, Miami (OH), Sr Defensive Player of the Year: DT Phillip Bell, Bowling Green, (Sr) All-MAC 1st Team QB: Randy Weiser, Miami (OH), Sr RB: Charone McDermott, Central Michigan, Sr RB: Garett Cordier, Ball State, Sr WR: Kyle Cave, Miami (OH), Sr WR: Justin Saffold, Toledo, Jr TE: Levi Bolden, Bowling Green, Sr OL: Justin Elmore, Eastern Michigan, Sr OL: Trevon Ingram, Buffalo, Sr OL: Alex Pamphile, Kent State, Sr OL: Jose Mazzoni, Central Michigan, Jr C Skai Esch, Akron, Sr DE: Will Lee, Western Michigan, Jr DT: Phillip Bell, Bowling Green, (Sr) DT: Curtis Garcia, Kent State, Sr DE: DeAndre Tuiasosopo, Toledo, Sr OLB: Seantrel Garate, Western Michigan, So ILB: Robertson Moore, Western Michigan, Jr ILB: JT Jungmann, Toledo, Jr OLB: Leyson Escobar, Bowling Green, (So) CB: Morgan Jefferson, Miami (OH), Sr FS: Dallas Maulet, Western Michigan, Sr SS: D'Montre Davis, Western Michigan, Sr CB: Nate Walker IV, Ball State, Jr K: Rudy Howell, Bowling Green, Sr P: Eric Eulls, Bowling Green, Sr All-MAC 2nd Team QB: Travis Kingery, Bowling Green, (So) RB: Joshua Tocho, Akron, Sr RB: Roy Clark, Miami (OH), Jr WR: Eric Luwawu-Cabarrot, Western Michigan, Sr WR: Lorenzo Whalen, Western Michigan, (Jr) TE: Adam Rice, Northern Illinois, Jr OL: Andy Lynch, Miami (OH), Sr OL: Cap Akoon-Purcell, Akron, Sr OL: Tony Varvaro, Northern Illinois, Sr OL: Adam Septimo, Ohio, Sr C Equanimeous Lee, Toledo, Sr DE: Damontae Lim, Bowling Green, Jr DT: Tyler Johnson, Western Michigan, Sr DT: Rene Mays, Kent State, Sr DE: James McKinnon, Miami (OH), Sr OLB: Michael Mata, Ohio, (So) ILB: Justin White, Buffalo, Sr ILB: Damien Chachere, Ball State, Sr OLB: Monte Morris, Ball State, (So) CB: Donald Dingus, Bowling Green, So FS: DJ Furbush, Akron, Sr SS: Robert Ervin, Ball State, Sr CB: Ryan Herget, Central Michigan, Jr K: Alex Parker, Ball State, (So) P: CJ Gallup, Central Michigan, Sr All-MAC 3rd Team QB: Scott Romero, Ball State, (So) RB: Patrick Onwuasor, Northern Illinois, Sr RB: Mike Darr, Ohio, (Jr) WR: Nick Fields, Bowling Green, Sr WR: Gregory Donnal, Central Michigan, Sr TE: Elijah Metu, Central Michigan, Sr OL: Jordan Marte, Bowling Green, (Jr) OL: Jamar Robinson III, Eastern Michigan, Sr OL: Evan Jerigan, Miami (OH), Jr OL: DJ Fitzgerald, Western Michigan, Sr C Boone Cannon, Western Michigan, Sr DE: Kapri Wheeler, Buffalo, Sr DT: Terrence Ramos, Central Michigan, Sr DT: Kerry Burns, Northern Illinois, Sr DE: William Carpenter, Northern Illinois, Sr OLB: Kevin Eatmon, Northern Illinois, Jr ILB: Zac Tate, Northern Illinois, Sr ILB: DeAndre Dunn, Ohio, Sr OLB: Sam Herrera, Eastern Michigan, Sr CB: Svi Liriano, Eastern Michigan, Sr FS: Tyler Garcia, Ball State, Sr SS: Austin Pena, Bowling Green, So CB: Zach Almonte, Akron, Jr K: TY Bisnowaty, Central Michigan, Jr P: Julio Fuller, Ohio, Jr

Welcome @Skye to the MAC! You're approved for Akron. The regular season just ended but fortunately for you Akron has qualified for a bowl game! You'll need to create an account on the interface using your same username and apply for the Akron CFB job. There are the following links for more information on the interface: Dev Diary - #38 Interface Update Dev Diary - #51 Interface Updates: Depth Charts and Gameplans For more information about how to set up your team and recruit, etc., check out this Google Doc and I would also recommend skimming through some of the more recent dev diaries. SimFBA New Member Instructions Looks like you're on the discord now, most discussion takes place there, feel free to reach out to myself or any mentors if you have any questions. @Kirby will update your avatar.

Bowl Game Eligible Team Record Remaining Opponents Bowling Green 7-3 Ohio, Toledo Miami (OH) 7-3 at Kent State, at Ohio Northern Illinois 7-3 UMass, Ball State Central Michigan 6-3 Eastern Michigan, Oregon, Western Michigan Ball State 6-5 at Northern Illinois Miami and Northern Illinois are the surprise teams here as both have exceeded a lot of people's expectations and locked up their first ever bowl game. Bowling Green and Central Michigan shouldn't really surprise anyone, given they both competed in the Playoffs last season but they both probably have 1 or 2 more losses than they'd like at this point in the season. Ball State is now eligible for a bowl game in 2 consecutive seasons, a solid accomplishment for the Cardinals. Not secured, but likely Team Record Remaining Opponents Akron 5-5 Toledo, Kent State Western Michigan 5-5 at Buffalo, at Central Michigan I know Akron has lost 4 in a row but I believe they're favorites in their 2 remaining games. Do I think they'll win both? It's possible they won't but I think they'll win at least 1. Western Michigan is definitely the favorite going into their game against Buffalo, and I would say it's a 50-50 matchup against Central Michigan. We'll see if OG Torres can do what Theo Scribner never could and defeat the Chippewas. Possible, but unlikely Team Record Remaining Opponents Ohio 5-5 at Bowling Green, Miami (OH) Kent State 4-6 Miami (OH), at Akron This will go down as bulletin board material for Ohio, a team still competing for a division championship, but they'll likely be underdogs in both their remaining games. They only need to win 1 but if I had to bet they'll lose both. I hope that doesn't come back to haunt me. Kent State needs to win against Miami and Akron. They've pulled off some upsets this season (ask Central Michigan and the fake Miami), but I think they drop both. Eliminated from Bowl contention Team Record Remaining Opponents Toledo 3-7 at Akron, at Bowling Green Buffalo 2-9 Western Michigan Eastern Michigan 2-9 at Central Michigan Not a lot of surprises here. I thought Toledo would win more games than they did (they have a surprising amount of talent on their roster), but reaching bowl eligibility is still a bit of a stretch for the losingest MAC team of all-time. Buffalo continues to struggle to find any success and even have taken a step backwards from 5-7 last season. Speaking of taking a step backwards, no team has done so more than Eastern Michigan. The Eagles went 8-5 last season and even had a bowl win. Back to the drawing board for them.

Week 11 results Ohio def. Kent State 17-14 Eastern Michigan def. Toledo 28-19 Bowling Green def. Buffalo 23-6 Ball State def. Central Michigan 41-29 Northern Illinois def. Western Michigan 12-7 Nevada def. Akron 17-7 BYE: Miami (OH) Week 11 Team of the Week: QB: Ball State Scott Romero - 19 of 25, 236 pass yards, 2 TDs, 0 Ints RB: Ball State Garett Cordier - 21 carries, 133 rush yards, 3 rush TDs, 5 catches, 60 rec yards, 2 rec TDs RB: Ohio Mike Darr - 29 carries, 133 rush yards, 1 rush TD, 3 catches, 16 rec yards, 1 fumble WR: Toledo DeAngelo Frankoff - 7 catches, 108 rec yards WR: Central Michigan Gregory Donnal - 3 catches, 93 rec yards, 1 rec TD TE: Northern Illinois Adam Rice - 8 catches, 57 rec yards DL: Ohio DE Jake Wahl - 11 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 sacks DL: Bowling Green DT Phillip Bell - 6 tackles, 5 TFLs, 1 sack DL: Kent State DT Rene Mays - 7 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack DL: Buffalo DT Russell Ford - 6 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks LB: Central Michigan ILB Armani Ferentz - 12 tackles, 5 TFLs LB: Western Michigan ILB Robertson Moore - 9 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF LB: Ball State ILB Damien Chachere - 7 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FR LB: Northern Illinois ILB Mackensie Thornburg - 3 tackles, 2 Ints DB: Northern Illinois CB Robin Mauldin - 5 tackles, 2 Ints DB: Western Michigan CB Omari Stanley - 2 tackles, 2 Ints DB: Eastern Michigan SS Ben Lombardozzi - 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Int DB: Ball State CB Robert James - 6 tackles, 1 Int K: Toledo Hroniss Wells - 4 of 4 FGs, 1 of 1 XPs P: Central Michigan CJ Gallup - 4 punts, 46.25 ypp, 3 pi20 MAC Snapshot West Division Team Conference Overall Week 12 Central Michigan 4-2 6-3 Eastern Michigan Western Michigan 4-2 5-5 at Buffalo Northern Illinois 4-3 7-3 UMass Ball State 3-4 6-5 BYE Toledo 2-4 3-7 at Akron Eastern Michigan 1-6 2-9 at Central Michigan It was a wild week in the West. In a slate of divisional games, every team lost to someone who was below them in the standings. It's one of the most balanced divisions in the country, but that also means no one is good enough to run away with it. CMU's defense had an uncharacteristic performance and gave up 41 points to @npklemm's Cardinals, who are really clicking now, scoring 72 points in their last 2 games. They have the chance to rest up now before taking on NIU for the Bronze Stalk in Week 13. Speaking of NIU, @Ape technically still has a shot at making the conference championship game, but their competition will be favored in both their games this week. WMU and @Jieret will feel hard done by the game in DeKalb, but they can take solace in the fact that their destiny is still in their hands the remainder of the season. Given they still play CMU Week 14, win out and they win the West. Division clinching scenarios: No team can clinch the West this week. If CMU beats EMU then NIU will be eliminated, having beaten NIU in Week 9. No matter what, the Week 14 matchup between WMU and CMU has significance, as is tradition. East Division Team Conference Overall Week 12 Bowling Green 6-0 7-3 Ohio Ohio 5-1 5-5 at Bowling Green Miami (OH) 4-2 7-3 at Kent State Akron 2-4 5-5 Toledo Kent State 2-4 4-6 Miami (OH) Buffalo 1-6 2-9 Western Michigan As wild as it was in the West, things went as expected in the East. Both Bowling Green and Ohio won their games, avoiding the trap game while looking forward to their matchup this week. I would say that Week 12 Bowling Green vs Ohio will determine the division but Ohio still needs to play Miami, a game that will be a difficult matchup for them but the Bobcats and @AFu01 have surprised a lot of people the 2nd half of the season. Bowling Green's win against Buffalo eliminated any hope of Miami reaching the MAC Championship, but you have to think the RedHawks will be eager to end the regular season 9-3 and put up some big numbers while doing so. Division clinching scenarios: If Bowling Green beats Ohio then they will win the East. If Ohio wins then it will come down to who fares better in Ohio vs Miami (Week 13) and Bowling Green vs Toledo (Week 14) with Ohio holding the head-to-head.

Week 10 results Kent State def. Buffalo 14-10 Ball State def. Eastern Michigan 31-7 Northern Illinois def. Toledo 24-13 Cincinnati def. Bowling Green 34-26 Texas A&M def. Miami (OH) 16-14 Western Michigan def. Akron 21-3 Army def. Ohio 20-14 Week 10 Team of the Week: QB: Northern Illinois Steven Diaz - 26 of 40, 345 yards, 3 TDs, 1 Int RB: Bowling Green Zach Graterol - 25 carries, 102 rush yards, 5 catches, 56 rec yards RB: Toledo Christopher Merritt - 15 carries, 99 rush yards, 2 catches, 4 rec yards WR: Western Michigan Lorenzo Whalen - 8 catches, 118 rec yards, 1 rec TD WR: Northern Illinois Tani Hill - 7 catches, 108 rec yards, 1 rec TD TE: Northern Illinois Adam Rice - 5 catches, 86 rec yards, 1 rec TD DL: Kent State DE Juan Caminero - 9 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack DL: Western Michigan DT Tyler Johnson - 5 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1 sack DL: Ball State DE Teddy Parry - 4 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack DL: Ball State DT JJ Jarrett - 6 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF LB: Kent State OLB Andrew Rodriguez - 3 tackles, 1 FF, 1 Int LB: Toledo ILB JT Jungmann - 9 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1 Int LB: Miami (OH) ILB Jordan Jenkins - 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Int LB: Bowling Green OLB Leyson Escobar - 3 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 2 FRs DB: Northern Illinois FS Chris Neasman - 5 tackles, 1 Int DB: Ball State FS Tyler Garcia - 4 tackles, 1 FR, 1 Int DB: Eastern Michigan CB Sandy Murphy - 4 tackles, 1 Int DB: Bowling Green SS Austin Pena - 7 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 FF K: Bowling Green Rudy Howell - 4 of 5 FGs, 2 of 2 XPs P: Akron Jen-Ho Decker - 9 punts, 49.7 ypp, 8 pi20 MAC Snapshot West Division Team Conference Overall Week 11 Central Michigan 4-1 6-2 at Ball State Western Michigan 4-1 5-4 at Northern Illinois Northern Illinois 3-3 6-3 at Western Michigan Toledo 2-3 3-6 Eastern Michigan Ball State 2-4 5-5 Central Michigan Eastern Michigan 0-6 1-9 at Toledo Not much has changed in the standings since we last checked in. CMU beat NIU in Week 9 to keep their place at the top but had a bye in Week 10. If the Chippewas can maintain course and not drop any games they could still find themselves in the College Football Playoff. We saw more of a balanced attack from WMU last week as QB-turned-RB David Ponce de Leon had a whole 13 carries against Akron. This week's matchup between WMU and NIU is pretty much the MAC Game of the Week as @Jieret tries to lock up bowl eligibility on the road against the Huskies. Speaking of the Huskies, congratulations to @Ape on finally getting that monkey off his back and hitting 6 wins against Toledo as QB Steven Diaz had one of his better games of the season. Ball State and @npklemm were able to get back to their winning ways against EMU after having lost 4 in a row. They have a chance to shake up the MAC West standings against CMU this week and be bowl eligible for the 2nd straight season. EMU is just counting down the days until the end of the season. It's been a tough year for a team that finished 8-5 in 2022. East Division Team Conference Overall Week 11 Bowling Green 5-0 6-3 at Buffalo Ohio 4-1 4-5 Kent State Miami (OH) 4-2 7-3 BYE Kent State 2-3 4-5 at Ohio Akron 2-4 5-4 at Nevada Buffalo 1-5 2-8 Bowling Green Bowling Green will be looking to put their disappointing loss to Cincinnati in the rearview mirror, it was their first loss to a team from Ohio since losing to Yusei Asencio's Ohio in Week 12 of 2021 (11 games). Since we last had a MAC Round-UP, they lost stud RB Frank Robinson to ANOTHER injury, but they'll be looking to have him back by the end of the regular season. They have a chance to figure out some kinks on offense against a Buffalo team that is really struggling. Ohio and @AFu01 hit a speed bump against Army after having won 4 of their previous 5. They'll continue to try to keep the pressure on Bowling Green ahead of their Week 12 matchup that looks likely to decide the MAC East. Miami's high flying offense came to a grounding halt against Texas A&M as Randy Weiser only threw for 126 yards in a game that could've proved Miami was for real outside the MAC. A 9-3 regular season is still possible for the RedHawks, something nobody saw coming at the beginning of the year. Things have really come off the rails at Akron as the Zips have lost 3 straight after being in the running to win the division. I say it's karma for all their recruiting shenanigans.

to be fair my gameplan was aimed at stopping him.

A tough end to your schedule for sure

Week 8 results Miami (OH) def. Akron 33-7 Ohio def. Toledo 24-21 Kent State def. Central Michigan 21-13 South Alabama def. Buffalo 33-19 Western Michigan def. Eastern Michigan 21-7 Bowling Green def. Ball State 28-13 Bye: Northern Illinois Week 8 Team of the Week: QB: Miami (OH) Randy Weiser - 22 of 29, 382 pass yards, 4 TDs, 0 Ints RB: Ohio Mike Darr - 27 carries, 200 rush yards, 1 fumble, 5 catches, 48 rec yards RB: Bowling Green Frank Robinson - 30 carries, 130 rush yards, 3 rush TDs, 2 catches, 9 rec yards WR: Miami (OH) Kyle Cave - 10 catches, 190 rec yards, 2 rec TDs WR: Western Michigan Lorenzo Whalen - 10 catches, 145 rec yards, 2 rec TD TE: Ohio Nerlens Fort - 7 catches, 45 rec yards DL: Toledo DE DeAndre Tuiasosopo - 9 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 1 sack DL: Ball State DE Ricky Marte - 6 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks DL: Kent State DE Kendrick Avery - 5 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 sacks DL: Central Michigan DT Terrence Ramos - 8 tackles, 3 TFLs LB: Bowling Green OLB Leyson Escobar - 7 tackles, 5 TFLs, 4 sacks LB: Kent State ILB Mark Siemian - 9 tackles, 2.5 TFLs LB: Toledo ILB JT Jungmann - 7 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF LB: Miami (OH) ILB - 7 tackles, 2.5 TFLs DB: Ohio SS Nikola Jorge - 12 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF DB: Eastern Michigan CB Svi Liriano - 8 tackles, 1 Int DB: Eastern Michigan SS Ben Lombardozzi - 9 tackles, 1 FF DB: Ohio CB Jonathan Parks - 6 tackles, 1 Int K: Buffalo Johnny Bentley - 4 of 4 FGs, 1 of 1 XPs P: Eastern Michigan Deone Musa - 11 punts, 48 ypp, 10 pi20 MAC Snapshot West Division Team Conference Overall Week 9 Central Michigan 3-1 5-2 Northern Illinois Western Michigan 3-1 4-3 at Temple Northern Illinois 2-2 5-2 at Central Michigan Toledo 2-2 3-4 Illinois Ball State 1-4 4-5 BYE Eastern Michigan 0-4 1-7 at Ohio Don't look now. We have a directional Michigan battle at the top once again. After CMU's shocker loss to Kent State last week they find themselves in a vulnerable position with WMU breathing down their neck and the battle for the Victory Cannon at the end of the season could continue to have massive consequences in the West Division. CMU vs NIU will be a big one as well this week with a loss all but eliminating @Ape and the Huskies from a shot at the MAC Championships game. We have a week with some non-conference action as both WMU and Toledo see themselves taking on a couple talented teams from elsewhere in the country. @Jieret's battle against @SandyToez's Temple team will be a good test against a talented AAC team, especially on the road. The Broncos have some momentum, having won 3 in a row, but Temple has to be feeling good having just knocked off previously undefeated Memphis in Week 8. Ball State will take the week to regroup, the Cardinals have lost 4 straight and you know @npklemm is tearing his hair out trying to get things back on track. East Division Team Conference Overall Week 9 Bowling Green 4-0 5-2 Akron Ohio 3-1 3-4 Eastern Michigan Miami (OH) 3-2 6-2 Buffalo Akron 2-2 5-2 at Bowling Green Buffalo 1-3 2-6 at Miami (OH) Kent State 1-3 3-4 Iowa There are some surprises in the East Division standings this late in the season. I don't think many expected Ohio to be in 2nd after Week 8, but credit to @AFu01 they've won 3 of their last 4 and you have to like their chances this week against EMU, arguably the worst team in the conference. Miami (OH) is another bit surprise as their continued their tear across the Midwest, beating a good Akron team last week and being the first MAC team to reach bowl eligibility. Their only losses have come against good teams in Bowling Green and Central Michigan, and other than a Week 10 matchup against Texas A&M, they are going to be favored in their remaining games so don't be surprised if we see a 9 win Miami team. Speaking of Bowling Green, their matchup against Akron this week is big, you know the Falcons would like to pay back difficulties recruiting against Akron, meanwhile the Zips would like payback against the team who won the Division last season. Akron vs Bowling Green has become a nice rivalry up to this point. Can Kent State continue to wreak havoc on people's seasons? They stomped Miami (FL) on the road and pulled off the upset against Central Michigan last week, so don't be surprised if they put up a fight at home against Iowa. Of course they could also get steamrolled.

Bowling Green Week 1: OPEN Week 2: OPEN

Some of these AI classes look better than their rankings show, it'll be interesting to see how they fill them out.

We've reached the mid-point of the 2023 season so I thought I'd do a Power Ranking especially since I didn't do a preseason one. First let's look at the current standings: West Team Conference Overall East Team Conference Overall Central Michigan 3-0 5-1 Bowling Green 3-0 4-2 Toledo 2-1 3-3 Ohio 2-1 2-4 Western Michigan 2-1 3-3 Akron 2-1 5-1 Northern Illinois 2-2 5-2 Miami (OH) 2-2 5-2 Ball State 1-3 4-4 Buffalo 1-3 2-5 Eastern Michigan 0-3 1-6 Kent State 0-3 2-4 12. Eastern Michigan - 1-6, 0-3 Points per game: 20.4 (9th in MAC); Points allowed per game: 32.3 (12th); Yards per game: 375 (8th); Yards allowed per game: 424 (12th) Team MVP: QB Teston Kleber - 751 pass yards, 3 pass TDs, 6 Ints, 642 rush yards, 5 rush TDs Not much good to say about the Eagles here. Their only win of the season came in a 16-0 Week 1 game against Western Illinois and it's been all downhill since then. They've had a couple close ones against Old Dominion (27-34) and Northern Illinois (21-27) but there's few positives to take from close losses. They've had one bright spot the entire season and that's their rush offense, which is #2 in the conference with 267 a game and over 5 yards a carry. On the other side of the ball their defense is last in the conference in points allowed per game (32.3) and yards allowed per game (424). Their remaining schedule doesn't do them any favors, still having to play Western Michigan, Ball State, Toledo and Central Michigan. 11. Buffalo - 2-5, 1-3 PPG: 21.4 (6th); PAPG: 22.9 (10th); YPG: 313 (11th); YAPG: 340 (4th) Team MVP: ILB Justin White - 55 total tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF For brief moments Buffalo seems to have a little something going for them. Week 1 they beat Colgate 63-0. That was followed up with a heartbreaker, losing 38-41 at Virginia. Week 6 they pull off a surprise beating Northern Illinois 17-13. The next week they laid an egg, getting shut out 34-0 by Akron. The truth is they just don't have enough talent to compete week-in and week-out. Their quarterback, Zeke Hughes, is the worst in the league, only completing 39.6% of his passes with a QB rating of 66.67. Both conference lows. If it weren't for ILB Justin White (55 total tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF) this team wouldn't have anything going for it. 10. Kent State - 2-4, 0-3 PPG: 20.0 (10th); PAPG: 20.5 (t8th); YPG: 381 (7th); YAPG: 354 (6th) Team MVP: DT Curtis Garcia - 25 total tackles, 15 TFLs, 5 sacks With these bottom 3 teams you could just about swap them around any order you wanted to. What separated Kent State for me was their throttling of Miami (FL) in Miami. Outside of that, their only win came week 1 against FCS opponent Illinois State. Notice a trend amongst these bottom 3 teams? Kent State has never really had much success, they're the 2nd losingest team in MAC history behind Toledo , so there really haven't been expectations around the program. They like to run the ball, averaging 275 rush yard per game (#1 in the MAC), so that's cool I guess. 9. Ohio - 2-4, 2-1 PPG: 13.8 (12th); PAPG: 20.5 (t8th); YPG: 257 (12th); YAPG: 388 (12th) Team MVP: ILB DeAndre Dunn - 46 total tackles, 10 TFLs I was torn on what to do with Ohio. On the one hand, they have the worst offense in the conference (13.8 points per game, 257 yards per game) and their offense last season was historically bad. But then I had to look at their wins: they have the head-to-head against Buffalo and hey! They beat Akron! Somehow! Credit to @AFu01 on that win. QB Jordan Gordon is completing 47.3% of his passes with 7 pass TDs to 9 interceptions, and they're averaging 3.3 yards per carry on the ground. They still have Kent State and Eastern Michigan to play so I think they'll still increase their win total. 8. Ball State - 4-4, 1-3 PPG: 22.0 (4th); PAPG: 20.1 (7th); YPG: 396 (5th); YAPG: 376 (9th) Team MVP: RB Garett Cordier - 796 rush yards, 4 rush TDs, 371 rec yards, 4 rec TDs Things started pretty well for Ball State. After week 4 they were 4-1 with a win over then-top 5 ranked UCLA. Things have ground to a halt since then with 3 straight losses by a combined total of 10 points. Redshirt sophomore QB Scott Romero has performed well being 2nd in the MAC in completion % (64.0%), 5th in pass yards per game (278), 3rd in QB rating (142.01), and throwing for 16 pass TDs to only 4 interceptions. The future is bright for Romero but I know @npklemm will want him to improve his consistency throughout the season for Ball State to win more games. RB Garett Cordier leads the conference in total rush yards (796) so they have good balance on offense. Their schedule doesn't do them any favors as they still have to play Bowling Green, Central Michigan and Northern Illinois. They'll have to get a win off 1 of those 3 to reach a bowl game. 7. Western Michigan - 3-3, 2-1 PPG: 20.8 (8th); PAPG: 19.2 (6th); YPG: 400 (3rd); YAPG: 344 (5th) Team MVP: ILB Robertson Moore - 52 total tackles, 13 TFLs Western Michigan is a pretty easy team to sum up this season. @Jieret wants to throw the ball until OG Torres' arm falls off. While that tactic has lead to him leading the conference in pass yards per game, it's not necessarily leading WMU to as much success as they've had in the past. Granted, that was unlikely to happen once stud QB Theo Scribner went to the NFL. Either way, Torres has broken the MAC record for pass completions (50) and attempts (80) in a game, but he's only completing 48.8% of his passes leading to a pretty inefficient offense. Combine that with the 2nd worst rush game in the conference and you have yourself a 3-3 team. They're right on the cusp of being able to reach bowl eligibility but they'll likely have to pull off an upset to make it happen. 6. Toledo - 3-3, 2-1 PPG: 21.2 (7th); PAPG: 25.7 (11th); YPG: 337 (9th); YAPG: 415 (11th) Team MVP: WR Justin Saffold - 48 catches, 809 rec yards, 5 rec TDs What is this? Toledo ranked this high halfway through the season? They're the losingest team in MAC history (5-19 all-time coming into this season). Well Toledo returned a lot of players with a lot of experience and redshirt junior QB Jeremy McNitt has proven to be a somewhat competent leader of the offense. They snuck a pair of 3 point wins against both Western Michigan and Ball State, giving Toledo faithful the crazy idea that they might be able to reach a bowl game. I favor them in their game against Ohio this week and against Eastern Michigan in week 11 as well so it's going to be close. Junior WR Justin Saffold has had a breakout season with 809 receiving yards and 5 receiving TDs in just 6 games. 5. Northern Illinois - 5-2, 2-2 PPG: 18.6 (11th); PAPG: 18.6 (4th); YPG: 322 (10th); YAPG: 367 (8th) Team MVP: ILB Zac Tate - 55 total tackles, 13 TFLs Northern Illinois was riding pretty high after their first 5 games. They were 5-0 with solid non-con wins against Texas Tech, UNLV and Boise State. The wheels came off a bit after that with a week 6 shocker loss to Buffalo, followed up by a 20-40 loss to Miami (OH). Coach @Ape is eager to get Northern Illinois to their first bowl game and you have to think that with 5 wins already, he can do it. Their conference schedule isn't getting any easier with games against Central Michigan, Toledo, Western Michigan and Ball State, but they have their last non-con game game UMass in week 12. RB Patrick Onwuasor hasn't quite found the same success he had last year when he rushed for over 1,300 yards, but combined with senior QB Steven Diaz, I think they'll reach at least 6 wins. 4. Miami (OH) - 5-2, 2-2 PPG: 28.4 (2nd); PAPG: 17.0 (3rd); YPG: 473 (1st); YAPG: 325 (2nd) Team MVP: QB Randy Weiser - 2217 pass yards, 18 pass TDs, 7 Ints AND CB Morgan Jefferson - 16 total tackles, 7 Ints This is the true surprise team of the season so far. Initially, I thought Miami's success was due to playing 2 FCS teams at the beginning of the year and their high flying offense would slow down. I was wrong! Outside of 2 losses against Central Michigan and Bowling Green, QB Randy Weiser, RB Roy Clark, and WR Kyle Cave have lit up the scoreboard. Weiser is 1st in completion % (65.7%), 2nd in pass yards per game (317), and 1st in pass TDs (18) and QB ratings (150.23). On top of that WR Kyle Cave is 1st in receiving yards (951) and TDs (9). With games left against Buffalo, Kent State, and Ohio still, I like their chances of finishing 3rd or better in the MAC East. 3. Akron - 5-1, 2-1 PPG: 21.7 (5th); PAPG: 16.2 (2nd); YPG: 397 (4th); YAPG: 332 (3rd) Team MVP: RB Joshua Tocho - 687 rush yards, 6 rush TDs, 204 rec yards, 1 rec TD Some things change, Akron football stays the same. One of the consistently good teams and easily the most underrated program in the conference continues to find ways to be near the top of the standings. If it weren't for a bizarre loss to Ohio in week 4 they'd be higher in this ranking. Week 8's game against Miami (OH) is must-see viewing for those interested in how the MAC will play out. Junior QB Quandre Quintanilla has consistently managed the offense well with RB Joshua Tocho leading the conference in rush yards per game (115). On top of that the defense in #2 in the conference in points allowed per game (16.2) and #3 in yards allowed per game (332). After Miami they'll travel to Bowling Green for a chance to make the East race very interesting. 2. Bowling Green - 4-2, 3-0 PPG: 30.0 (1st); PAPG: 19.0 (5th); YPG: 419 (2nd); YAPG: 363 (7th) Team MVP: QB Travis Kingery - 1737 pass yards, 13 pass TDs, 4 Ints, 19 rush yards The reigning MAC champions have had an interesting start to the season. On the first drive of the first game star RB Frank Robinson went down and missed the following 4 games. They were able to make it through that 5 game stretch with a 3-2 record and all Robinson did on his first game back was run for 316 yards (3rd all-time in the MAC) on 24 carries against Eastern Michigan. His return has given some juice to Bowling Green's season at just the right time too. Their week 8 matchup against Ball State and week 9 against Akron could very well dictate how successful the season will be. Redshirt sophomore QB Travis Kingery was more than adequate leading the offense while Robinson was out, but the defense hasn't performed as well as expected for a unit that had a lot of returning pieces from a College Football Playoff run just a year ago. DT Phillip Bell leads the MAC with 19 TFLs in just 6 games, look for him to be a highly rated prospect in next year's NFL draft. 1. Central Michigan - 5-1, 3-0 PPG: 24.7 (3rd); PAPG: 13.0 (1st); YPG: 393 (6th); YAPG: 269 (1st) Team MVP: DT Terrence Ramos - 17 total tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 4 sacks Things didn't look great after a week 0 loss to Northwestern, but since then the Chippewas have just ground down every team they've played. Led by the best defense in the conference and one of the best in the country Central Michigan is in the driver seat to win the West. They don't have to play Akron or Bowling Green in a crossover game which is a huge advantage as well. It's not to say this team won't drop any games though. QB Brandon Alexander leads the conference in interceptions with 10 in 6 games and their rush game has been disappointing up this point in the season with leading rusher Charone McDermott only averaging 3.75 yards per carry. They have tough conference games left against Northern Illinois, Ball State and Western Michigan, plus a week 13 matchup against Oregon. I expect them to drop at least 1 more.

Back at it again after the midpoint of the 2023 season! Week 6 results Miami (OH) def. Eastern Michigan 35-24 Buffalo def. Northern Illinois 16-13 Central Michigan def. Ohio 15-0 Akron def. Ball State 28-23 Kent State def. Miami (FL) 35-10 Byes: Bowling Green, Toledo, Western Michigan Week 6 Team of the Week: QB: Miami (OH) Randy Weiser - 35 of 47, 458 pass yards, 3 TDs, 1 Int RB: Kent State Jalen Armah - 12 carries, 140 rush yards, 4 rush TDs, 9 rec yards RB: Akron Joshua Tocho - 26 carries 142 rush yards, 3 rush TDs, 9 rec yards WR: Miami (OH) Kyle Cave - 9 catches, 251 rec yards, 2 rec TDs WR: Akron Kenley Jones - 5 catches, 105 rec yards, 1 rec TD TE: Central Michigan Elijah Metu - 8 catches, 69 rec yards, 1 rec TD DL: Ohio DE Erik LeCure - 7 tackles, 2 TFLs DL: Central Michigan DT Terrence Ramos - 3 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 sack DL: Northern Illinois DE William Carpenter - 3 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack DL: Kent State DE Kenrick Avery - 2 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 sacks LB: Miami (OH) ILB Jordan Jenkins - 15 tackles, 2 TFLs LB: Eastern Michigan ILB Eddie Wisniewski - 12 tackles, 2 TFLs LB: Buffalo ILB Justin White - 9 tackles, 5 TFLs LB: Akron ILB Avery Gonzalez - 7 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 sack DB: Kent State CB Justin Hernandez - 5 tackles, 1 FF, 1 Int DB: Ball State SS Robert Ervin - 8 tackles, 1 TFL DB: Akron CB Zach Almonte - 4 tackles, 1 Int DB: Ohio FS John Soria - 3 tackles, 1 Int K: Central Michigan TY Bisnowaty - 2 of 3 FGs, 1 of 1 XPs P: Akron Jen-Ho Decker - 7 punts, 48.71 avg, 5 pi20 MAC Snapshot West Division Team Conference Overall Week 7 Central Michigan 3-0 5-1 Bye Northern Illinois 2-1 5-1 at Miami (OH) Toledo 1-1 2-3 at Ball State Western Michigan 1-1 2-3 Kent State Ball State 1-2 4-3 Toledo Eastern Michigan 0-2 1-5 Bowling Green Steady as she goes for Central Michigan as they come out of week 6 with an uninspiring win over Ohio. The real shocker of the week was Buffalo getting their first FBS win of the season over Northern Illinois, dashing @Ape's hopes of locking up bowl eligibility for NIU. Ball State and @npklemmwere disappointed in their loss against Akron but they can take comfort in the fact they lost to one of the winningest programs in MAC history. More of the same for Eastern Michigan as their running offense will look to pull off a big upset against Bowling Green on Thursday. East Division Team Conference Overall Week 7 Bowling Green 2-0 3-2 at Eastern Michigan Ohio 2-1 2-4 Bye Akron 1-1 4-1 Buffalo Miami (OH) 1-2 4-2 Northern Illinois Buffalo 1-2 2-4 at Akron Kent State 0-2 2-3 at Western Michigan Bowling Green is coming off a bye as they'll be looking to use the week to recover and finally have Frank Robinson back at their disposal. Ohio should be proud of not letting the CMU game get out of control, but ultimately their offense wasn't able to get things done against a stout Chippewa defense. Things are back on track for Akron after beating one of the leaders in the West. They have a talented roster and should look to push Bowling Green, but they don't have any room for error after a loss against Ohio earlier in the season. The high flying offense of Miami keeps getting things done and QB Randy Weiser and WR Kyle Cave are proving me wrong by continuing to put up massive numbers. Buffalo surprised quite a few last week by upsetting Northern Illinois, they have a chance to prove it wasn't a fluke at a good Akron team. Arguably the performance of the week belongs to Kent State. They destroyed an ACC opponent on the road in Miami, a scoreline that surprised many, and probably caught @Jieret's attention. They'll be looking to get some momentum going heading into Kalamazoo.

Great content. Luck has been against me this class, fortunately the last 2 classes give me a little slack where I had no positions that were do-or-die. That WMU class tho...

Hey everyone, welcome back to my weekly MAC round-up post. Sorry I missed early season media, I moved halfway across the country and haven't had the time to do it so there's lots to catch up on! Week 5 results Northern Illinois def. Kent State 13-10 Western Michigan def. Ball State 23-20 NC State def. Eastern Michigan 38-21 Akron def. Rutgers 21-16 Ohio def. Buffalo 20-9 Central Michigan def. Toledo 27-17 Bowling Green def. Miami (OH) 27-7 Top performers from Week 5 QB OG Torres - Western Michigan - 30 of 54, 433 pass yards, 2 TDs, 1 Int QB Travis Kingery - Bowling Green - 22 of 35, 333 pass yards, 3 TDs, 2 Ints, 7 rush yards RB Patrick Onwuasor - Northern Illinois - 22 rushes, 150 rush yards, 53 rec yards, 1 rec TD RB Garett Cordier - Ball State - 33 rushes, 157 rush yards, 1 rush TD, 26 rec yards, 1 rec TD RB Joshua Tocho - Akron - 31 rushes, 187 rush yards, 1 rush TD, 36 rec yards, 1 rec TD WR Eric Luwawu-Cabaroot - Western Michigan - 12 catches, 206 rec yards, 1 rec TD WR Lorenzo Whalen - Western Michigan - 10 catches, 177 rec yards, 1 rec TD WR Justin Saffold - Toledo - 12 catches, 171 rec yards TE Levi Bolden - Bowling Green - 7 catches, 135 rec yards, 1 rec TD DT Kerry Burns - Northern Illinois - 13 total tackles, 3.5 TFLs OLB Seantrel Garate - Western Michigan - 10 total tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 sacks ILB Justin White - Buffalo - 9 total tackles, 4 TFLs DT Phillip Bell - Bowling Green - 5 total tackles, 4 TFLs MAC Snapshot West Division Team Conference Overall Northern Illinois 2-0 5-0 Central Michigan 2-0 4-1 Toledo 1-1 2-3 Western Michigan 1-1 2-3 Ball State 1-1 4-2 Eastern Michigan 0-1 1-4 Looking at the standings after Week 5 there are a few surprises and some things we might have expected in the East. Let start at the top and acknowledge the job that @Ape has done with Northern Illinois. You can't say they don't deserve to be where they are with good non-conference wins against Texas Tech, UNLV, and Boise State, but it certainly is a surprise for me. If I would have done a preseason MAC power ranking like in years past I probably would have had them ranked in the 8-10 range at the beginning of the year. Now, it wouldn't surprise me if they came back down to Earth, they still need to play CMU, Toledo, WMU, and Ball State, and their 5 wins have come by a combined 24 points, but I still think they can beat some of those West teams they have left. Give credit where credit is due, they've matched a school record already for wins in a season (5-7 in 2021, 4-8 in 2022) and I expect them to easily reach bowl eligibility. Central Michigan is about where you would expect them to be, they can compete with any school in the country talent-wise, but like to drop games along the way. QB Brandon Alexander is already the MAC career record holder with 30 interceptions and he has 8 in 5 games this season so expect that team to go as far as he takes them. This isn't your grandfather's Toledo team. The losingest program in MAC history might not look like they're contending for much but they've largely been competitive in all their games and were able to get a win against Western Michigan. Redshirt junior QB Jeremy McNitt (290 YPG, 9 TDs, 2 Ints) has the ability to sneak up and surprise some teams this year. Speaking of Western Michigan, @Jieret is ready to throw QB OG Torres until his arm falls off. He already set a MAC record with 80 (!) pass attempts in a game and is on pace to set a record for pass attempts per game for an entire season. The problem is that at 50.7 completion percentage it's leading to a pretty inefficient offense and bringing Jieret from his Theo Scribner-induced fever dream back to reality. Ball State and @npklemm arguably have the best MAC win of the season so far beating UCLA 26-20 in Week 3. They dropped a game against Western Michigan but they still have a lot to play for and will be hoping to represent the West in the MAC Championship Game. They don't have the easiest crossover schedule, still having to play Akron and Bowling Green (not to mention CMU and NIU), but an offense led by Scott Romero and Garett Cordier has the potential to keep them in every game if they can nail down their consistency. Eastern Michigan is pretty bad. Their only win has been against FCS Western Illinois. QB Treston Kleber has been impressive on the ground though, being 2nd in the conference with 461 rush yards at 7.44 yards a pop. As a team, they're 2nd in the country in rush yards but their defense has given up the most points in the conference. East Division Team Conference Overall Bowling Green 2-0 3-2 Ohio 2-0 2-3 Akron 0-1 3-1 Miami (OH) 0-2 3-2 Kent State 0-2 1-3 Buffalo 0-2 1-4 Once again, we'll start at the top. It's tough what to make of Bowling Green's season so far. Arguably their most important returning piece on offense, RB Frank Robinson (1,798 total yards, 19 total TDs in 2022), was injured on the first drive of the first game of the season and missed the following 4 games. Would he have made a big difference in their losses? You could see them beating Texas State with him but probably not Georgia. Redshirt sophomore QB Travis Kingery has been able to carry the offense up to this point all while leading the conference in QB Rating. The return of Robinson will provide a lift for a rush game that has been putrid. For a team that has won 12 straight games against MAC opponents expect them to be favored in most of their remaining games. Ohio and @AFu01 will be pleased to find themselves undefeated in conference play after starting the season 0-3. Their Week 4 win against Akron will go down as one of the more surprising of the season with Akron being one of the winningest programs in conference history and Ohio coming off a historically bad offense in 2022. If Akron can recover in conference play look for them to contend for a division title. QB Quandre Quintanilla and RB Joshua Tocho have formed quite the formidable pair having beat decent teams in non-conference (Fresno State, App State, and Rutgers). Crossovers against Ball State, Western Michigan, and Toledo will likely determine how successful this season is. Miami's record is a bit skewed having 2 wins against FCS teams early in the year. QB Randy Weiser has performed well and their offense has some great weapons (RB Roy Clark and WR Kyle Cave), but I think a lot of their numbers will drop as they play better opponents down the stretch. An additional bright spot is CB Morgan Jefferson who already has 7 interceptions through just 5 games. Kent State and Buffalo are similar teams in that they want to pound the rock on the ground but with both their lone wins coming against FCS schools, look for it to be long seasons for both of them. I wouldn't be surprised to see Buffalo sneak a win or two against some MAC schools though! Week 6 Matchups Thursday: Northern Illinois at Buffalo Miami (OH) at Eastern Michigan Friday: Akron at Ball State Central Michigan at Ohio Saturday: Kent State at Miami (FL) Bye: Bowling Green, Toledo, Western Michigan League Leaders Passing Yards 1,680 - Scott Romero - Ball State - 137 of 223 (61.43%), 11 TDs, 3 Ints, 6 games played 1,669 - OG Torres - Western Michigan - 144 of 284 (50.7%), 10 TDs, 4 Ints, 5 games played 1,594 - Travis Kingery - Bowling Green - 126 of 197 (63.96%), 12 TDs, 4 Ints, 5 games played Rushing Yards 667 - Garett Cordier - Ball State - 134 carries (4.98 ypc), 3 rush TDs, 6 games played 461 - Treston Kleber (QB) - Eastern Michigan - 62 carries (7.44 ypc), 4 rush TDs, 5 games played 457 - Austin Kelly - Buffalo - 72 carries (6.35 ypc), 4 rush TDs, 5 games played Receiving Yards 700 - Justin Saffold - Toledo - 42 catches (16.67 ypc), 5 rec TDs, 5 games played 562 - Kyle Cave - Miami (OH) - 34 catches (16.53 ypc), 6 rec TDs, 5 games played 533 - Eric Luwawu-Cabarrot - Western Michigan - 45 catches (11.84 ypc), 3 rec TDs, 5 games played Total Tackles 48 - ILB Damien Chachere - Ball State - 11 TFLs, .5 sacks, 6 games played 39 - ILB Zac Tate - Northern Illinois - 7.5 TFLs, 5 games played 38 - ILB Robertson Moore - Western Michigan - 9 TFLs, 5 games played Tackles For Loss 14 - DT Phillip Bell - Bowling Green - 26 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 5 games played 12.5 - ILB Justin White - Buffalo - 35 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF, 5 games played 11 - ILB Damien Chachere - Ball State - 48 tackles, .5 sacks, 6 games played Sacks 5 - OLB Kevin Eatmon - Northern Illinois - 18 tackles, 5 TFLS, 5 games played 4.5 - DE Luis Teague - Toledo - 14 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 5 games played 4 - OLB Michael Mata - Ohio - 13 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 1 FR, 5 games played Interceptions 7 - CB Morgan Jefferson - Miami (OH) - 13 tackles, 1 PBU, 5 games played 3 - 5 players (Ball State CB Nate Walker IV, Buffalo CB Joe Richards, Bowling Green CBs Christian Minaya and Donald Dingus, Toledo CB Pete Ciuffo)

There's a few instances in the standings of games counting as more than 1 game is seems. Bowling Green and Miami (OH) are 3-2 and Tulsa, SMU, Temple and ECU haven't played 7 games either. It's carried over into stats as well:

Week 4 - Kyle Cave out for 1 game Week 5 - Kyle Cave plays Sidenote suggestion: change the injury length phrasing to "Week" instead of "Game" given that there are byes.

Robert Smalls SG Ohio USA 6-5 Selected attributes Shooting 3s Perimeter Defense

Looks like an OT game didn't post the final score, similar to last season. @Rocketcan

Bowling Green game vs Georgia. Attempted a 66 yard FG when my slider is set to 51.

This is a MAC hate crime.

I don't think the /2 should be there if we want to record tackle stats how everyone else records them.

I’m honored by this praise but I think it’s still a bit early for us. Only 2 of my recruiting classes and a sophomore QB!

Ole Miss punted twice from within the opponent's 20 yard line

From the Bowling Green vs Tulsa spring game: Offensive holding penalty leads to just redoing the play.

Bowling Green OOC Schedule Week 1A: Maryland @RobSun08 Week 1B: Indiana @Piercewise1 Week 2A: at St. Mary's @Migi Week 2B: at Temple @SandyToez Week 3A: Illinois @nemolee.exe Week 3B: at Wisconsin @kwheele Week 4A: at Utah State @Ewade Week 4B: South Dakota State @Minnow Schedule complete!