The MAC is coming off an extremely competitive weekend with a 5-6 record in 11 non-conference games. The six losses were each within one score and by a combined 22 total point. How wonderful would that have been to have a few more non-conference wins?

This week Nick’s Picks puts his 29-7 record to the test as once again there are some very tight and close-call games; I see the tide turning in the MAC’s favor for many of these. Let’s hope the conference can continue to build on its brand of being that “giant killer” and that more positive recognition for the league follows.


Nick’s Pick: Bowling Green 38 – Purdue 30
Comment: Matt Johnson had his third 400-yard passing performance against Memphis last week and it should continue this week against a very poor Purdue team. While the Boilermakers are a mess right now, so is BG’s defense so this game will be closer than most Falcon fans would like.

Nick’s Pick: Michigan State 30 – Central Michigan 20
Comment: Central has had magic in the past winning in East Lansing on two previous occasions and I give props were they are due; this team is much better than I thought they would be under first year coach John Bonamego. MSU may not want to sleep walk against these Chips who are certainly fired up to make this game interesting.

Nick’s Pick: NIU 23 - Boston College 20
Comment: This is a game of two similar teams as both have good but not great offenses and each has solid and underrated defenses. NIU’s confidence has to be sky-high right now after their near win in Columbus and leaving another P5’s house with a close loss will not be accepted by Rod Carey.

Nick’s Pick: Marshall 20 - Kent State 13
Comment: I’ve been very impressed with KSU’s defense these past two weeks and expect them to perform well against a Marshall team that is not nearly as good as last year’s team. Unfortunately for KSU they just don’t have the offensive playmakers to win a game like this so unless their defense and special teams score points, they will lose a tight and low scoring affair.

Nick’s Pick: Western Kentucky 35 – Miami 23
Comment: Will the real RedHawks please stand up? Are they the team that nearly beat Cincy or the team that got waxed at Wisconsin? One thing for sure, Western Kentucky is a very good non-P5 program and getting a win in Bowling Green, KY will not be easy.

Nick’s Pick: Buffalo 20 – Nevada 17
Comment: I’m stepping out on a limb here as I believe in new coach Lance Leipold and the program he is building at UB. This is a team that is opportunistic and thus far does not beat itself. Nevada played well in their 44-27 loss at Texas A&M and may not be taking the Bulls as seriously as they should.

Nick’s Pick: Ohio 17 – Minnesota 16
Comment: Minnesota is a rare team that could easily be 3-0 or 0-3 as each of their games have been that tight. Ohio has yet to be really challenged this season by a truly physical team. Expect a low scoring affair with QB Derrius Vick making the plays when needed to pull out a win.

Nick’s Pick: Notre Dame 36 – UMass 24
Comment: UMass looked good and lost a real heartbreaker to Temple. Every year ND barely beats a team they should really man-handle and I believe this is the week where an unknown team pushes the Fighting Irish to a game much closer than the so-called experts would believe.

Nick’s Picks: Ohio State 52 – Western Michigan 13
Comment: OK, last week I picked OSU to thump NIU and was dead wrong, this week, you have to believe that Urban Meyer has challenged his team to look like and play like a true #1 team. Sorry Western, you picked the wrong week to play the Buckeyes.

Nick’s Pick: Eastern Michigan 33 – Army 28
Comment: OK Hurons/Eagles, after losing a 14-point lead to Old Dominion and a 17-point lead to Ball State, the football gods must be kind to you at some point. Considering Army is winless and lost to non-scholarship I-AA Fordham already, this has to be the week EMU holds the lead and wins.

Nick’s Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette 34 – Akron 21
Comment: The Zips have the defense and several quality playmakers on the offensive side to win the MAC east. Sadly, they are very poor in the QB area which just happens to be the most important offensive position. The Ragin-Cajuns are a good team and will win at home.

Nick’s Picks: Toledo 41 - Arkansas State 36
Comment: Of all of my picks this week this is the one game I am least sure of…Toledo has had so many penalties and dropped balls that it’s going to bite them in the bucket if they don’t get it fixed quickly. ASU may be the best team in the state of Arkansas right now and certainly have the offense to light it up, unlike Arkansas or Iowa State. This is a game where the Rockets could really thump ASU or if they make the same mistakes of last week, really get thumped.

Nick’s Picks: Northwestern 27 – Ball State 16
Comment: Don’t count out the Cards to win this game. Of note, Northwestern won 19-10 at Duke last week, the Wildcats seventh non-conference victory versus a Power 5 opponent since 2012 which is the most by any P5 team.

Nick’s Pick: Michigan State 30 – Central Michigan 20
Comment: Central has had magic in the past winning in East Lansing on THREE previous occasions and I give props were they are due; this team is much better than I thought they would be under first year coach John Bonamego. MSU may not want to sleep walk against these Chips who are certainly fired up to make this game interesting.

(09-23-2015 02:24 PM)Nick in Cleveland Wrote:  Nick’s Pick: NIU 23 - Boston College 20
Comment: This is a game of two similar teams as both have good but not great offenses and each has solid and underrated defenses. NIU’s confidence has to be sky-high right now after their near win in Columbus and leaving another P5’s house with a close loss will not be accepted by Rod Carey.

Did you not watch NIU's first 2 games?

Despite CMU's past successes against MSU, that game's margin is going to be a lot wider than 10 points.

The WMU-OSU score sounds about right.

You are correct Chip, it is three THX for catching.

I still remember the picture of Herb Deromode being carried off after that first win in the early 1990s, I believe the score was 20-3

(09-23-2015 06:04 PM)Nick in Cleveland Wrote:  You are correct Chip, it is three THX for catching.

I still remember the picture of Herb Deromode being carried off after that first win in the early 1990s, I believe the score was 20-3

correct nick msu was nationally ranked then as well, herb gave a famous speech telling the players prior to kickoff how msu did not want them, they were not good enough for msu etc, had the team riled up and kicked sparty up and down the field all game! Then CMU did it again the following yr!

I still like MSU in this tilt, I think we are missing some special playmakers yet but I do expect cmu to keep this one fairly close

(09-23-2015 04:38 PM)niubrad00 Wrote:  

(09-23-2015 02:24 PM)Nick in Cleveland Wrote:  Nick’s Pick: NIU 23 - Boston College 20
Comment: This is a game of two similar teams as both have good but not great offenses and each has solid and underrated defenses. NIU’s confidence has to be sky-high right now after their near win in Columbus and leaving another P5’s house with a close loss will not be accepted by Rod Carey.

Did you not watch NIU's first 2 games?

And how is BC's D underrated? They're #1 in the country in yards against (even if two of their games were against FCS teams).

I'll go along with you on this one, Nick.

GreenSteve.

NIU is in TOUGH against BC. 2nd road game in a row after a big road loss. BC will cover the 4 1/2.

BTW - Saw the Memphis /Cinn game last night, BG got beat by a VERY GOOD team in Memphis. BG, UT are still the teams to beat in the MAC.

The fact that BC's starting QB is out for this game (and for the year) is NIU's saving grace in this game. BC will have an even tougher time scoring than NIU will.

(09-25-2015 10:40 AM)Policiious Wrote:  The fact that BC's starting QB is out for this game (and for the year) is NIU's saving grace in this game. BC will have an even tougher time scoring than NIU will.

The guy they had in there was pretty inexperienced too, wasn't he?

BC's starting QB was a first-year sophomore starter. But for a poor option pitch they'd've lost 7-0 to FSU. I'd go way under 43 points in that game.

Calling UB a team that doesn't beat itself is strange. Lots of bad penalties in the two FBS games last two weeks, and they were only down to start because of two very out of character mistakes from Licata. Kind of living on big plays right now.

Another tough day for the Nickster as I went heavy on the MAC and the MAC went light on me. An 8-5 record takes the year to date effort to 37-12 (75%) year to date.


Nick’s Pick: Bowling Green 38 – Purdue 30
Actual Score: Bowling Green 35 – Purdue 28
Initial Comment: Matt Johnson had his third 400-yard passing performance against Memphis last week and it should continue this week against a very poor Purdue team. While the Boilermakers are a mess right now, so is BG’s defense so this game will be closer than most Falcon fans would like.
Final Thought: Nailed it; QB Johnson had another 400-yard effort

Nick’s Pick: Michigan State 30 – Central Michigan 20
Actual Score: Michigan State 30 – Central Michigan 10
Initial Comment: Central has had magic in the past winning in East Lansing on two previous occasions and I give props were they are due; this team is much better than I thought they would be under first year coach John Bonamego. MSU may not want to sleep walk against these Chips who are certainly fired up to make this game interesting.
Final Thought: This score is not at all indicative of how close this game was…Central had two FGs blocked and thoroughly dominated the 1st half but somehow trailed the Spartans 17-7…MSU put up the final 13-points in the final period

Nick’s Pick: NIU 23 - Boston College 20
Actual Score: Boston College 17 – NIU 14
Initial Comment: This is a game of two similar teams as both have good but not great offenses and each has solid and underrated defenses. NIU’s confidence has to be sky-high right now after their near win in Columbus and leaving another P5’s house with a close loss will not be accepted by Rod Carey.
Final Thought: As predicted, it was a defensive affair that sadly for NIU, was won by BC

Nick’s Pick: Marshall 20 - Kent State 13
Actual Score: Marshall 36 – Kent State 29 (OT)
Initial Comment: I’ve been very impressed with KSU’s defense these past two weeks and expect them to perform well against a Marshall team that is not nearly as good as last year’s team. Unfortunately for KSU they just don’t have the offensive playmakers to win a game like this so unless their defense and special teams score points, they will lose a tight and low scoring affair.
Final Thought: KSU dominated statistically and should have won the game but were done in on penalties (two targeting) at the exact wrong times.

Nick’s Pick: Western Kentucky 35 – Miami 23
Actual Score: Western Kentucky 56 – Miami 14
Initial Comment: Will the real RedHawks please stand up? Are they the team that nearly beat Cincy or the team that got waxed at Wisconsin? One thing for sure, Western Kentucky is a very good non-P5 program and getting a win in Bowling Green, KY will not be easy.
Final Thought: It was 49-7 at the half…check please!

Nick’s Pick: Buffalo 20 – Nevada 17
Actual Score: Nevada 24 – Buffalo 21
Initial Comment: I’m stepping out on a limb here as I believe in new coach Lance Leipold and the program he is building at UB. This is a team that is opportunistic and thus far does not beat itself. Nevada played well in their 44-27 loss at Texas A&M and may not be taking the Bulls as seriously as they should.
Final Thought: Buffalo had their chances but fell short; I knew I was stepping out on a limb and sadly that limb broke.

Nick’s Pick: Ohio 17 – Minnesota 16
Actual Score: Minnesota 27 – Ohio 24
Initial Comment: Minnesota is a rare team that could easily be 3-0 or 0-3 as each of their games have been that tight. Ohio has yet to be really challenged this season by a truly physical team. Expect a low scoring affair with QB Derrius Vick making the plays when needed to pull out a win.
Final Thought: The second straight week that the Gophers beat a MAC team by a FG, this time with a TD in the final 30 seconds.

Nick’s Pick: Notre Dame 36 – UMass 24
Actual Score: Notre Dame 62 – UMass 27
Initial Comment: UMass looked good and lost a real heartbreaker to Temple. Every year ND barely beats a team they should really man-handle and I believe this is the week where an unknown team pushes the Fighting Irish to a game much closer than the so-called experts would believe.
Final Thought: ND rushed for over 450 yards and had so many big plays as the Irish dominated from the 2nd quarter forward.

Nick’s Picks: Ohio State 52 – Western Michigan 13
Actual Score: Ohio State 38 – Western Michigan 12
Initial Comment: OK, last week I picked OSU to thump NIU and was dead wrong, this week, you have to believe that Urban Meyer has challenged his team to look like and play like a true #1 team. Sorry Western, you picked the wrong week to play the Buckeyes.
Final Thought: A little closer than expected…Western has played a brutal non-conference schedule.

Nick’s Pick: Eastern Michigan 33 – Army 28
Actual Score: Army 58 – Eastern 36
Initial Comment: OK Hurons/Eagles, after losing a 14-point lead to Old Dominion and a 17-point lead to Ball State, the football gods must be kind to you at some point. Considering Army is winless and lost to non-scholarship I-AA Fordham already, this has to be the week EMU holds the lead and wins.
Final Thought: This is a pathetic loss for EMU. After two near wins against ODU & Ball State, getting crushed by a team that has already lost I-AA non-scholarship Fordham is embarrassing.

Nick’s Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette 34 – Akron 21
Actual Score: Akron 35 - Louisiana-Lafayette 14
Initial Comment: The Zips have the defense and several quality playmakers on the offensive side to win the MAC east. Sadly, they are very poor in the QB area which just happens to be the most important offensive position. The Ragin-Cajuns are a good team and will win at home.
Final Thought: Very surprised and very happy for the Zips to get the win; Thomas Woodson passed for two TDs and ran for another. It Akron’s offense ever gets it going, they will contend in the MAC East for a divisional run.

Nick’s Picks: Toledo 41 - Arkansas State 36
Actual Score: Toledo 37 - Arkansas State 7
Initial Comment: Of all of my picks this week this is the one game I am least sure of…Toledo has had so many penalties and dropped balls that it’s going to bite them in the bucket if they don’t get it fixed quickly. ASU may be the best team in the state of Arkansas right now and certainly have the offense to light it up, unlike Arkansas or Iowa State. This is a game where the Rockets could really thump ASU or if they make the same mistakes of last week, really get thumped.
Final Thought: Toledo’s defense dominated A-State and their only TD came on kickoff return

Nick’s Picks: Northwestern 27 – Ball State 16
Actual Score: Northwestern 24 – Ball State 19
Initial Comment: Don’t count out the Cards to win this game. Of note, Northwestern won 19-10 at Duke last week, the Wildcats seventh non-conference victory versus a Power 5 opponent since 2012 which is the most by any P5 team.
Final Thought: Nailed it…the Cardinal’s missed two FGs and extra point, and as I noted before “don’t count out the Cards to win,” they certainly had their chances.

How dare you claim wins for all the games you predicted correctly? (Thought I'd get it out of the way).

(09-27-2015 05:20 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  How dare you claim wins for all the games you predicted correctly? (Thought I'd get it out of the way).

Well that's how Nick rolls.