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VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
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Nick in Cleveland Offline
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Post: #1
VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
I no longer have the time to keep up the website but wanted to keep tradition alive and post on this forum my PigSkin Preview. More high-level than in-depth but provides my initial thoughts of how the season will play out. Hopefully I'll have the time to keep up with Nick's Picks during the season if my career and family obligations open up a few minutes each week.

Read and comment...

================================

2014 MAC PigSkin Preview

EAST
1) Bowling Green
2) Ohio
3) Akron
4) Buffalo
5) Kent State
6) Miami
7) U-Mass

West
1) Toledo
2) Northern Illinois
3) Ball State
4) Western Michigan
5) Central Michigan
6) Eastern Michigan

MAC Championship
Bowling Green over Toledo


For more than a decade the MAC has had overwhelming preseason favorites with elite quarterbacks, such as NIU’s Jordan Lynch last season; or in previous years like Miami’s Ben Roethlisberger, Central’s Dan LeFevour, Toledo’s Bruce Gradkowski or Marshall’s Byron Leftwich and Chad Pennington. That will not be the case this year as there is no dominating quarterback returning. In fact, this year the parity in the MAC should be at its highest level in several seasons making this conference more wide open than it has been in nearly two decades.

Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson might be the league's best returning signal caller this year and leads twelve returning starters from last year's championship team. New coach Dino Babers will be implementing his version of the Baylor offense and the Falcons have the skill players to successfully run that up-tempo style. Defensively the Falcons must replace most of their defensive line but have two solid linebackers returning to lean on in Gabe Martin and DJ Lynch.

Ohio has been a rock of consistency under Frank Solich and will be once again contending for their first conference title since 1968. The Bobcats have a favorable schedule to make a title run and play in their sixth straight bowl game behind a dependable defense and favorable schedule.

Kyle Pohl leads an Akron team that may have turned the corner under Terry Bowden. The Zips lost a heartbreaker at Michigan early in the year and then upset Toledo to close out the season with a 4-4 conference record, their best finish since 2005.

Buffalo, coming off an impressive 8-5 campaign must replace 1st round NFL draft pick Khalil Mack at linebacker, which will not be an easy task. Sophomores Jarrett Franklin and Brandon Crawford have huge shoes to fill as his replacement. Kent State returned to form last season going 4-8 after their record-breaking 11 victories in 2012. This offensively challenged team will once again struggle to reach .500

After three surprisingly uncompetitive seasons under Don Treadwell, Miami now looks to former Notre Dame assistant Chuck Martin to bring the RedHawks back to prominence. Martin owns a NCAA D-II National Title at Grand Valley State and brings in several impact transfers from the Fighting Irish who will contribute this fall.

UMass is going retro to look for future success. Gone is Charlie Molnar after two unproductive seasons of trying to build a FBS program and back is former Minuteman head coach Mark Whipple. Whipple led UMass to a I-AA national title in 1998 before becoming a long-time NFL assistant coach.

In the west division Toledo must find a new quarterback. Whoever wins that starting role will certainly have plenty of quality skill players at their disposal including sophomore sensation Kareem Hunt at running back. Ultimately the Rockets will only go as far as their much maligned defense will take them. Northern Illinois graduated a bevy of talent from a class that went 46-8 from 2010-2013 but don’t count out Rod Carey’s Huskies as they have played in four-straight MAC Championship games and may well again. Receivers Da’Ron Brown and Tommylee Lewis will help transition the successor of all-everything Jordan Lynch at quarterback.

Ball State finished last season with 10 wins for only the third time in their 90-year history. Replacing 2nd team All-MAC quarterback Keith Wenning will be a challenge so expect the Cardinals to lean heavy on running-back Jahwan Edwards.

Western struggled mightily last season under first year head coach PJ Fleck, who was the youngest coach in Division I FBS. Don’t expect the Broncos to repeat their dismal 1-11 record considering they return their entire secondary, but expecting a winning season will be a stretch.

Central Michigan has not transitioned well from the spread offenses of Brian Kelly and Butch Jones that produced three MAC championships from 2004 through 2009. Switching over to a power offense similar to what Michigan State utilizes has produced just a 19-30 under Dan Enos since 2010.

Eastern is turning to Chris Creighton to pump some life into a program that hasn’t had a winning record since 1995. Creighton has had success at the lower levels of NCAA D-III and FCS Non-Scholarship football programs but has never faced a rebuilding job that has consumed the past six coaches.


Of interest: In the past four seasons ten different MAC teams have gone to bowls
07-09-2014 07:41 PM
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masttg Offline
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Post: #2
RE: VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
So VanDelay must think that Fleck is a better coach than Creighton. I'd bet against that.
07-09-2014 08:33 PM
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pono Offline
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Post: #3
RE: VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
i hope not, but western has more talent than eastern
07-10-2014 04:12 AM
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cmufanatic Offline
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Post: #4
RE: VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
(07-10-2014 04:12 AM)pono Wrote:  i hope not, but western has more talent than eastern

bank on it, WMU will not be ahead of CMU 01-wingedeagle
07-10-2014 07:16 AM
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Motown Bronco Offline
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Post: #5
RE: VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
Yeah, hate to say it, but even MAC West #4 might be too generous a spot for the Broncos prediction. I've also considered that we draw the top two teams from your MAC East projection in crossovers.

We're climbing back from a rather deep hole here: Even beyond the 1-11 record last season, a number of those losses weren't even competitive and one narrow home loss was to an FCS bottom feeder. IF Fleck turns out to be a fine X's and O's coach, it'll still take 1-2 years to cultivate the fresh recruits we brought in. I think anything more than 4 wins overall this year will be pure gravy.
07-10-2014 07:33 AM
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niu79 Offline
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Post: #6
RE: VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
About the 26th year in a row that VanDelay has picked Toledo to win the West.
07-10-2014 08:45 AM
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rocketinchitown Offline
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Post: #7
RE: VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
(07-10-2014 08:45 AM)niu79 Wrote:  About the 26th year in a row that VanDelay has picked Toledo to win the West.

eventually the chips fall as they may and the Rockets win the West.

imagine a Rockets-Falcons MAC championship-then Ford Field might be rocking
07-10-2014 11:10 AM
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ColinApocalypse Online
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Post: #8
RE: VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
I see no problem putting us ahead of the Eagles, but the Chips too? I just don't see that this year.
07-10-2014 11:31 AM
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Nick in Cleveland Offline
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Post: #9
RE: VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
"About the 26th year in a row that VanDelay has picked Toledo to win the West"


2013
1. NIU
2. Ball St
3. Toledo
4. Western
5. Central
6. Eastern
posted on MAC/BBS and not the VDS site which is mostly dormat now

2012
1.Toledo
2.NIU
3.Ball State
4.Eastern
5.Western
6.Central
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/m...view-2012/

2011
1. Toledo
2. NIU
3. Central
4. Western
5. Ball St
6. Eastern
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/m...view-2011/

2010
1. NIU
2. Toledo
3. Central
4. Ball St
5. Western
6. Eastern
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/m...view-2010/

2009
1 Central
2. Western
3. Toledo
4. NIU
5. Eastern
6. Ball St
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/m...view-2009/

2008
1. Ball St
2. Western
3. Central
4. Toledo
5. NIU
6. Eastern
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/m...view-2008/

2007
1. Western
2. Ball St
3. Central
4. Toledo
5. NIU
6. Eastern
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/m...view-2007/


I believe going back 8 years shows that your statement is not even close to being true so forgive me for not going all the way back to 1998 when I began doing these MAC previews...but thanks for asking
07-10-2014 03:09 PM
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Lord Stanley Offline
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Post: #10
RE: VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
(07-09-2014 07:41 PM)Nick in Cleveland Wrote:  MAC Championship
Bowling Green over Toledo

[Image: tumblr_lnkfftwsP21qjax5yo1_500.gif]
07-10-2014 05:39 PM
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niusfactuary Offline
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Post: #11
RE: VanDelay's 2014 MAC PigSkin Preview
If you guys want a real laugh, go back and look at the VanDelay recruiting rankings through the years. Would be better off throwing darts.
07-10-2014 09:07 PM
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