Nick’s Picks came back to life going 11-0 this weekend and raising my season record to 37-10. Sadly for the MAC we were on the wrong end of some blow out games but there were a few reasons to be optimistic. Ohio & Western had convincing non-conference wins and Miami went toe-to-toe with long-time rival Cincinnati for the first time in years.

Below is the latest weekly Power Poll along with weekly recap.

Week Four MAC Power Poll
1. NIU
2. Toledo
3. Bowling Green
4. Ohio
5. Central
6. Ball State
7. Akron
8. Western
9. Buffalo
10. UMass
11. Miami
12. Kent State
13. Eastern


Nick’s Pick: Michigan State 51 – Eastern 7
Actual Score: Michigan State 73 – Eastern 14
Initial Comment: The Eagles have no shot at winning this game and historically Michigan State does not run up the scores on their intra-state MAC foes. I expect early and often substitutions from the Spartans and a very comfortable victory.
Post Comment: Went as predicted

Nick’s Pick: Wisconsin 44 – BGSU 27
Actual Score: Wisconsin 68 – BGSU 17
Initial Comment: I’m intrigued by this contest…will the Falcon team that played very spirited last week show up in Madison or will the team that tripped on their shoelaces getting off of the bus at Western Kentucky be on the field?
Post Comment: Much worse than expected, clearly the team that Western Kentucky got off the buse

Nick’s Pick: Marshall 35 – Akron 27
Actual Score: Marshall 48 – Akron 17
Initial Comment: The Zips are the MAC’s most improved team and can win this game at home against their former MAC East foe…again, if you look at Marshall’s schedule this is really their “trap” game before they enter league play next week.
Post Comment: Disappointed in Akron’s effort

Nick’s Pick: Kansas 21 – Central 20
Actual Score: Kansas 24 – Central 10
Initial Comment: No real clue on picking this game…Kansas is horrible but the 37-point beat-down that Syracuse put on the Chips last week in Mount Pleasant means there are issues with this team too. Each team enters the game feeling they are the better team.
Post Comment: This game was 10-10 in the 4th quarter

Nick’s Pick: Buffalo 30 – Norfolk St 14
Actual Score: Buffalo 36 – Norfolk St 7
Initial Comment: NSU has lost to Maine, Liberty and William & Mary scoring only 20-points in those combined games. Buffalo struggled to beat Duquesne and really needs a good offensive outing before starting league play.
Post Comment: Went as predicted

Nick’s Pick: Penn State 34 – UMass 13
Actual Score: Penn State 48 – UMass 7
Initial Comment: The Minutemen nearly beat Colorado & Vanderbilt over the past two weeks; this week’s game will not be that close.
Post Comment: Went as predicted

Nick’s Pick: Cincinnati 54 – Miami 17
Actual Score: Cincinnati 31 – Miami 24
Initial Comment: Growing up in the 1970s & early 1980s I clearly remember Miami just dominating this series for so many years; now the tables have totally turned and the Bearcats have been the far superior program for more than a decade.
Post Comment: The RedHawks did not look like a winless team this weekend

Nick’s Pick: Toledo 37 – Ball State 31
Actual Score: Toledo 34 – Ball State 23
Initial Comment: A huge game in the MAC West as the winner will be still standing to make their game against NIU meaningful while the loser will be 1-3 and all but out of any MAC bowl discussion. Ball State has struggled offensively to date while Toledo’s defense has been abysmal. The difference is Toledo’s defense will not be facing a QB name Mauk or Kiel.
Post Comment: After nearly a three hour weather delay Toledo maintained control

Nick’s Pick: Ohio 24 – Idaho 16
Actual Score: Ohio 36 – Idaho 24
Initial Comment: The Bobcats offense has really struggled in 2014 and must beat a team like Idaho at home; the Vandals lost two straight shoot outs to UL-Monroe & Western Michigan. This game should be more low-scoring.
Post Comment: Went as predicted

Nick’s Pick: Western 38 – Murray St 20
Actual Score: Western 45 – Murray St 14
Initial Comment: Unlike last year where the Broncos lost at home to a FBS/I-AA foe they will not have too many problems with these Racers.
Post Comment: Went as predicted

Nick’s Pick: Arkansas 34 – NIU 26
Actual Score: Arkansas 52 – NIU 14
Initial Comment: A win at Arkansas will get the Huskies ranked…the Razorbacks put a whooping on Texas Tech last week and will not overlook Northern. If NIU wins then the discussions around another undefeated season begins.
Post Comment: Arkansas is a very good team but I was surprised that the Huskies were not very competitive

The more I see of Kent State under Paul Haynes, the more they remind me of Miami under Treadwell.

(09-21-2014 04:08 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  The more I see of Kent State under Paul Haynes, the more they remind me of Miami under Treadwell.

Not sure if you knew this, but Treadwell is now the running backs coach at KSU.

I'm happy to give Haynes another year or two. The team is extremely young this season and the whole tragedy of Jason Bitsko really through them off. I'm sure KSU was the only FBS team to miss a week of practice in late August.

(09-21-2014 04:58 PM)thanksjim Wrote:  

(09-21-2014 04:08 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  The more I see of Kent State under Paul Haynes, the more they remind me of Miami under Treadwell.

Not sure if you knew this, but Treadwell is now the running backs coach at KSU.

I'm happy to give Haynes another year or two. The team is extremely young this season and the whole tragedy of Jason Bitsko really through them off. I'm sure KSU was the only FBS team to miss a week of practice in late August.

Yeah, I did. I'm happy that he was able to find work, he always seemed like a nice guy who was just woefully inadequate for the job. That, and his current employment status reduces the buyout we have to pay him. While he may have killed our program, I mostly blame our old AD who hired him instead of Pete Lembo.

The Bitsko situation is indeed a tragic obstacle that is extremely difficult to overcome, but some of the qualities that Treadwell and Haynes share are eerily similar. Both were (are in Haynes' case) first time head coaches at the time of hiring (not including Treadwell as MSU interim). Both were alums from their respective schools. Both took over programs that were struggling until they had a great season from a second-year coach, who then left for a P5 school. Both went 4-8 their first season despite returning many players, including some who would later play in the NFL.

I pray for KSU's sake that Haynes pans out better than Treadwell, but from what I've seen he seems a lot like him. I know that a league like the MAC sees a lot of parity from year to year, but a coach under most conditions should be able to inherit a team with double-digit wins and keep it towards the top of the conference at least for a year.

Nick, this is the second year in a row that Miami-UC was decided in the final minutes. We were tied with under 5 minutes to go last year in Oxford, probably the highlite of the year.

Michigan State 73 – Eastern 14 [-0.5]
EMU looked Horrible. Even when MSU was playing 3rd string in the 1st half. WTF?

Wisconsin 68 – BGSU 17 [-1]
BGSU played like this was W. Ky. BGSU had no excuse to lose like this. Completely raped.

Marshall 48 – Akron 17 [-1]
Akron's supposed to improve. Looks like they are the same as last year, or maybe a dip down. Completely dominated to the nth degree. Bad.

Kansas 24 – Central 10 [-1]
It'd have a neutral effect on the conference if it was Kansas State, possibly a +0.5. But this is Kansas. CMU was supposed to improve as it seemed vs Purdue. Apparently, NOT.

Buffalo 36 – Norfolk St 7 [+0.5]
Buffalo held back any thoughts they would be totally horrible, by not having a close game at all. Made up a bit for earlier this season.

Penn State 48 – UMass 7 [-0.5]
Penn State doesn't have an offense much. Awesome D, though. 28-7? That's what would be expected of an improved UMass. UMass went down to the wire with Vandy & Colorado. This made them look worse.

Cincinnati 31 – Miami 24 [+1]
This is the help the MAC needs. Miami-OH becoming a competitive team. Didn't seem that way in the Michigan game, but it's good they're out of the basement.

Toledo 34 – Ball State 23 [+0.5, -0.5]
BSU isn't great, and it was confirmed. Nothing surprising here. BSU's D is decent, but their O lacks a lot.

Ohio 36 – Idaho 24 [0.0]
Just confirms that Ohio isn't a great team this year. Going on the road way out to Idaho can turn what should be a solid win to a close win (see NIU last year) for some teams. But this was at Ohio. If anything, it leans on the negative side, but nothing was expected for Ohio anyway.

Western 45 – Murray St 14 [+1]
Point spread was 14 points. WMU doubled that, and showed, like Miami-OH, that they're not going to be in the basement and they'll be competitive (albeit young & sloppy, but passionate w/ great running game)

Arkansas 52 – NIU 14 [-1]
NIU was supposed to make this competitive. Sure, not rabid competitive if Arkansas is to be the competitive team folks expected after the first couple weeks... but man, it was disappointing for them, and it knocked the conference a bit. It'd be a neutral thing if they lost 42-28, even with Arkansas always being a step ahead the whole game. Losing by 38? Wow. Unless Arkansas goes 6-2 or better in the SEC -- not good for the MAC with that margin, if NIU is again The team of the conference this year.

Overall MAC Conference Trend: -2.5

MY RANKINGS (numbers indicate margin between):
1. NIU
1.5. Toledo
2.5. Bowling Green
4. Ball State
4. Akron
5. CMU
5.5. Ohio
6. WMU
6. Miami-OH
6. Buffalo
6.5. UMass
7.5. Kent State
9. Eastern

I was disappointed in our performance but i know that no one else in the MAC has as dominant of an OL and DL as Arkansas.

Our special teams are atrocious though. Missed FGs, PATs, and now a kick return for TD. We have a lot of improvement to make there.