Midseason MAC Power Rankings

[PoopyRhinoPickle]

 

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.