2022 PoopyRhinoPickle's Preseason MAC Power Rankings

[PoopyRhinoPickle]

Happy Friday all. The 2022 season is right around the corner so I am going to be taking a look at the MAC conference rosters and try to assess where these teams stack up against each other. I believe the user coached teams will largely separate themselves from the rest of the conference, but there is still lots of intrigue to happen this season. What are your thoughts on how the conference will play out?

 

:miamiu:

12. Miami (OH)

Last season: 5-7 overall, 2-6 conference

Key returning players: OT Cameron Demby, CB Frank Flande, K Baker Gallegos

Key losses: QB Joely Dykstra, WR Daniel Morris, FS Xavien Frazier

2021 Yards per game: 247 (10th)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 413 (12th)

 

Miami's offense will likely look quite a bit different than last year's. In 2021 QB Joely Dykstra led the team in rushing, a feat that is unlikely of this season's starting QB. Sources inside the program make it sound like there is a 3 way battle between Seniors Adam Bridwell, Corey Sanders, and Junior Randy Weiser; none of whom will tear up defenses with their legs. There is a lot of mediocrity at the WR position, where they will need someone to break out to impact games. One of the bright spots on offense is 3 star OT Cameron Demby, who looks to pave the way for what will likely be a RB-by-committee approach. The defense has 2 players to look for in FS Jason Johnson and CB Frank Flande. Both players are talented enough to cause headaches for opposing QBs, but most of the starters are gone from a poor defense that allowed the most yards per game in the conference last year.

 

11. Buffalo

Last season: 4-8, 3-5

Key returning players: FB Craig Crosby, OT Trevon Ingram, DE Reggie Newton

Key losses: QB Adam Boyle, RB Devonte' Turner, TE Josh Hawkins, FS Hunter Smith

2021 Yards per game: 353 (6th)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 381 (10th)

 

Buffalo had a decent offense in 2021, led by a balanced dose of Boyle and Turner. The question is will they be able to replicate it while improving on the defensive side of the ball? Presumed QB starter Jeff Whitehead is very talented but has a very different skillset than last year's Boyle. Questions remain on how he'll fit into the Bulls' offensive scheme. Junior RB Brad Thomas looks to be the leading candidate to replace Turner, but they also have stud FB Craig Crosby. If they alter their playbook they have the pieces to move the ball on the ground on offense but that is a big if. They have some talent on defense (four 4 stars) but none of them are Seniors and they're going to have to step up despite their youth.

 

:easternmichigan:

10. Eastern Michigan

Last season: 5-7, 3-5

Key returning players: ILB De'Aaron Gomez, ILB Eddie Wisniewski, FS Mike Christian

Key losses: QB Ryan Swanson, RB Mike Merrifield, DE Elieser Blake, DT John Fusco

2021 Yards per game: 248 (9th)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 322 (4th)

 

Eastern Michigan had a very forgettable season in 2021. Their offense was incredibly bad at moving the ball on the ground, gaining only 846 yards on 361 carries (2.34 ypc). I don't have the confidence that they'll get better QB play this season out of either Senior Tyler Clarkson or Junior Treston Kleber. They have a lot more talent on the field this year (5 A players in 2022, 1 A player in 2021), but will we see that play out on the field? They do have a strong core returning on defense in ILBs De'Aaron Gomez and Eddie Wisniewski, with Gomez being the leading returning tackler in the entire MAC conference. Throw in FS Mike Christian, who can play both the run and the pass (45 tackles, 3 interceptions in 2021) and their are some good pieces on defense.

 

:toledo:

9. Toledo

Last season: 2-10, 1-7

Key returning players: ILB JT Jungmann, CB Pete Ciuffo, SS Dwyane Black

Key losses: RB Jerald Garner, DT PJ Hale, CB Hechavarria

2021 Yards per game: 169 (12th)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 355 (9th)

 

Toledo might be the team that I am most interested in seeing how they do this season. Yet again, they have the least talent in the entire conference (only 2 players who are A overall, up from 1 last year!). I have the feeling, however, that they will be much improved on the offensive side of the ball. The Rockets struggled to move the ball at all last season (last in the conference in yards) and managed to score fewer than 9 points a game. It can only go up for the team this year. Part of that hope is that Toledo's coach last season redshirted the best QB on their roster in Sophomore Jeremy McNitt. Around McNitt is enough average talent to win at least a couple MAC games, remember 2 MAC wins would be more than they had last season. Where their real strength lies is on the defensive side of the ball. Sophomore ILB JT Jungmann was their leading tackler last season and was able to cause some disruption in the backfield (14 TFLs). CB Pete Ciuffo had 5 interceptions last year as a Sophomore and don't count out Junior DE DeAndre Tuiasosopo, who had 4 sacks as well. Are they winning the MAC West? No, but I expect them to win more games this year with the least talented roster in the conference.

 

:kentstate:

8. Kent State

Last season: 5-7, 3-5

Key returning players: OG Gonzalez Roberts, DT Trayce Martinez, DT Curtis Garcia, P Aaron Smith

Key losses: RB Jalen Johnson, CB Cam Reynolds, K Russell Wright

2021 Yards per game: 275 (8th)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 334 (6th)

 

Much of Kent State's success last season came through average QB play, the efforts of RB Jalen Johnson, and an average defense. That 5-7 record also came from one of the more talented rosters in the conference last year. This season they have less talent but they did manage the top rated AI recruiting class, so they have that going for them. QB Keion Ernsberger looks to be the starter for this year, but possesses only an average arm. It wouldn't surprise me if the Golden Flashes look to move the ball on the ground this year with the help of Ernsberger and stud OG Gonzalez Roberts. The key to their defense will be their star DTs Trayce Martinez and Curtis Garcia making it hard to run the ball while CB Walter Guy tries to lock down the opponent's most talented receivers.

 

:northerillinois:

7. Northern Illinois

Last season: 5-7, 3-5

Key returning players: WR Brad De Jong, TE Delino Bertolet, DT Cayson Rodgers,

Key losses: QB Darius Paredes, DE Michael Dyson, FS Tyquan Chandler

2021 Yards per game: 213 (11th)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 303 (2nd)

 

This is probably an optimistic placing for Northern Illinois. They have the 2nd most talented roster in the conference on paper with 8 players who are rated A overall. Their top 2 receiving options are back in TE Delino Bertolet and WR Brad De Jong, along with talented OT Tony Varvaro and OG Alex Bradley. They return 6 starters from a really good defense that could potentially be better than it was last year. DT Cayson Rodgers is their leading returning tackler, but look for OLB Zak Martin to make a big jump in 2022. CB pairing Isaiah Williams and Lyndon Portis are arguably the best in the conference. Their OOC schedule didn't do them any favors, having to travel to Texas A&M and Illinois while hosting Troy and Arizona, they have by far the most difficult OOC schedule in the conference.

 

6. Akron

Last season: 9-4, 6-2

Key returning players: WR J'Mon McCoy, DE Maurice Vereen, CB Kendrick Hull

Key losses: QB Josh Pennel, RB Christian Adams, OG Mitch Johnson, FS Matt Perez

Postseason: lost to Old Dominion 42-48 in bowl game

2021 Yards per game: 452 (2nd)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 386 (11th)

 

Akron was a real surprise last season, led by stellar play from QB Josh Pennel. If it weren't for a shock loss to Toledo in week 12 Akron would have played in the MAC Championship instead of Ohio, having beat Ohio 39-28. They have more players rated A overall this year than last year (6 in 2022, 4 in 2021), but I don't see them repeating the success they had, largely due to the loss of Pennel. Throw in the loss of RB Christian Adams who had 853 rushing yards to go along with 853 receiving yards. All of this isn't to say they won't be good, however. They return all-conference candidates WR J'Mon McCoy (978 rec yards in 2021) and TE Joe Clemens, and one of the better O-lines in the conference, but the question still remains if they have the QB who can take advantage of those pieces. On defense, their leading sack artist, DE Maurice Vereen, is back and look for CB Kendrick Hull to perform well this season. This wasn't a very good defense last year, so they'll need to see better play to keep them in games since they won't be able to rely on the offense nearly as much.

 

:ohio:

5. Ohio

Last season: 12-3, 8-1 (Conference Champions, College Football Playoff participants)

Key returning players: WR Jerald Paulsen, DE Shawn Dominguez, OLB Xavier Gipson

Key losses: QB Yusei Asencio, WR Humberto Mauger, WR Myles Pressley

Postseason: defeated Texas State 34-14 in 1st Round of College Football Playoffs, lost to Tulsa 31-33 in Quarterfinals

2021 Yards per game: 538 (1st)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 345 (7th)

 

Ohio had a magical run in 2021. MAC Champions and they won a CFP game to make it to the Quarterfinals before losing to eventual National Champions Tulsa by 2 points. I'm expecting a big drop off in play this year, largely due to the graduation of QB Yusei Asencio (in case you've been living under a rock, he threw for 7,044 yards and 55 TDs last year). They still have some talent. WR Jerald Paulsen, who had 2,341 (!) receiving yards last year, is back. They have returning starters at every level on defense in DE Shawn Dominguez (27 TFLs in 2021), DT Dalvin Clement, OLB Xavier Gipson, and FS Jason Saubert. I'm certainly not delusional though, I see no chance that they can replicate their CFP run. Devonte' Wesley is the leading candidate to take the starting QB position and he is known more for his ability to run the ball than throw it. Look for Junior CB Jonathan Parks to be a leader in the secondary along with Saubert.

 

4. Bowling Green

Last season: 7-6, 5-3

Key returning players: QB Dexter Reed, OG Jared Simon, OLB Sandy Rankin, CB Kenneth Edwards

Key losses: RB Jurickson Elflein, WR Matt Brown, DT Chris LaDouceur

Postseason: defeated New Mexico 13-10 in bowl game

2021 Yards per game: 365 (5th)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 286 (1st)

 

Bowling Green has the tools in place to compete for, if not win, the MAC East. It starts with the return of QB Dexter Reed, who went 6-3 in the 9 games he started last season. Their #2 WR in Nick Fields returns this season and the WR room should be strengthened by the availability of Jordan Suter, who redshirted last year. You could argue the Falcons have the strongest O-line in the conference with the return of OT Elijah Greene and OG Jared Simon. The challenge on offense will be replacing Jurickson Elflein, who led the MAC Conference in rush yards despite starting 4 games as QB. Much of the best defense in the conference is back, but the loss of DT Chris LaDouceur can't be overstated given his ability to make plays in the backfield (15 TFLs, 8 sacks). OLB Sandy Rankin led the conference in sacks and is back to wreak havoc on QBs. The word on the street is that the coaching staff is looking to rely heavily on the #2 recruiting class in the country to bolster a secondary that lost 3 starters to graduation. A difficult OOC schedule, including 3 bowl teams in Tennessee, Ohio State, and Cincinnati, will test just how high of a level this team is ready to compete at.

 

3. Ball State

Last season: 5-8, 5-4 (West Division Champion)

Key returning players: DT Scott Hall, DE Teddy Parry, CB Nate Walker IV

Key losses: QB Jay Larkin, RB Anthony Fisher, ILB Leon Chavez, CB De'Vondre Grilli

2021 Yards per game: 368 (4th)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 352 (8th)

 

Ball State was one of the more fascination case studies in college football last season. They won their division with a 5-7 record, after a 3-way tie with Central Michigan and Western Michigan. They played an incredibly difficult OOC schedule, taking on Cal, Kansas, Purdue, Old Dominion, and starting the season 0-5. They were close to unstoppable in the second half of the season, nearly taking down Ohio in the MAC Conference Championship game, led by good QB play from Jay Larkin and outstanding output from RB Anthony Fisher (over 2600 yards of total offense). You could argue they'll be even better this year, and will take on a much easier OOC schedule. It will likely hinge on the play of redshirt Freshman QB Scott Romero. If he plays as well as coach npklemm hopes, and can get the ball into the hands of RB Garett Cordier, look for Ball State to win quite a few games this year, given they have the easiest schedule of the West Division leaders. Their defense should be stronger with the development of DT Scott Hall and OLB Zach Collins. The question will be, is their secondary good enough to take them to a conference championship?

 

2. Central Michigan

Last season: 8-5, 5-3

Key returning players: DE Casey Jeffress, DT Miguel Peterson, OLB David Brown Jr,

Key losses: RB Tanner Lake, C Damontae Teheran, FS Kyle Headley

Postseason: defeated Arkansas State 21-10 in bowl game

2021 Yards per game: 341 (7th)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 322 (3rd)

 

A lot has been made about the amount of talent on Central Michigan's roster this season. They have a league-high of 9 players who are rated A overall, 5 of which are on defense. They have 3 of the 5 5 star players in the entire conference and the only ones who aren't true Freshman, and they will likely have more players taken in the NFL draft over the next few years than any other MAC team. Having said that, they had much more talent in 2021 than any other team and regularly underperformed (they started 2021 as #1 in my Power Rankings but finished #4) and lost some games they had no business losing (Oklahoma, Eastern Michigan). They definitely have enough talent this season to beat most, if not all, MAC teams they play even without a coach, and their defense is one of the few in the league who will be able to stop Western Michigan's offense. It will come down to if the Chippewas can finally click on offense. Last year QB Brandon Alexander was pretty average in the 11 games he played, can he figure it out this year? They also lose do-it-all RB Tanner Lake, who accounted for over 2,500 yards of total offense. Can Senior RB Mark Davis replace that? WRs/TEs remain a question mark with no one really stepping up last year. The O-line is strong, led by Sophomore 5 star OT Deolis Francisco and Senior C Scott Dozier. Where CMU really is loaded is on the defensive side of the ball. They have A overall players in 4 star Senior DE Casey Jeffress, 4 star Senior DT Miguel Peterson, 5 star Junior OLB David Brown Jr, 5 star Sophomore CB Ryan Herget, and 3 star Senior CB David Spain. Those are very talented players at every level of the defense. To compare that to the rest of the conference, they have just as many or more A overall players on defense as 8 other MAC teams do on their entire roster. I think they'll win a lot of games, but I think teams with user coaches will find a way to beat them when it matters.

 

:bronco:

1. Western Michigan

Last season: 8-5, 5-3

Key returning players: QB Theo Scribner, WR Durham Simmons, DT Paul Reed

Key losses: RB Stephen Addae, WR Marcus Ekstrom, OT Justin Paul

Postseason: defeated Troy 23-21 in bowl game

2021 Yards per game: 432 (3rd)

2021 Yards allowed per game: 327 (5th)

 

I have big expectations for Western Michigan this year and the main reason for that is the return of starting QB Theo Scribner. He threw for 4,563 yards last season and has their #2 WR from 2021 back as well with Durham Simmons (1033 rec yards). Look for Simmons and speedster WR Andy Anderson to give CBs fits all season, particularly Anderson's ability to take the top off defenses (almost 20 ypc in 2021). The Broncos will be looking to replace Stephen Addae at RB, and it looks like it'll be a competition that might come down to the practice the day before the season opener. WMU boasts a strong O-line as well with Junior OT DJ Fitzgerald and Senior OG Josh Maddox looking to protect Scribner. On defense, look for Western Michigan's D-line to set the tone with the return of stud DT Paul Reed. Pass rush was a clear priority for head coach Jieret in the offseason as they brought in 5 star Freshman Seantrel Garate (1 of 2 Freshman 5 star recruits in the conference). Time will tell if the coaching staff feels the need to redshirt Garate or if they think he's ready to play this season. Junior CB Chandler McKay and Senior SS TY Mercer are the leaders of the secondary that was 2nd best in the MAC last year. The Broncos' defense has the pieces in place to make enough stops for Western Michigan to win a lot of games this season.