ON CAMPUS IN OHIO: WEEK 7
By Bucklion
Week 6 Synopsis: Well, what can one say? The Buckeyes lost a heartbreaker at Happy Valley, despite one of the best defensive performances in years. The RedHawks similarly came up short in a big conference game in DeKalb. Toledo and Bowling Green managed convincing wins, and Akron squeaked out of Buffalo with a win in what would have been an embarrassing game to lose. Ohio was flat against the Falcons, and Cincinnati had nothing for seemingly beatable Pitt. Put it all together, and it wasn’t a good week for football fans in the Buckeye state. Several teams have a chance to bounce back with key wins this week, though.
Week 7 State Rankings:
1 (-) Ohio State (3-2, 1-1): Need to lay a spanking on Spartie…is the offense up to the challenge?
2 (+1) Toledo (4-1, 2-0): Despite terrible loss in Fresno, the Rockets are now in control of the MAC West. A trip to Ball State awaits.
3 (+1) Bowling Green (3-2, 2-0): A good win against the pesky Bobcats puts them in early control of the MAC East. A trip to Buffalo is in line this week.
4 (+2) Akron (3-2, 2-1): A less than impressive squeaker at Buffalo, who never should have moved to I-A. They get a Miami team who is on the ropes.
5 (-3) Miami (2-3, 1-2): Unfortunate loss in DeKalb…now all but out of the conference race. A huge game with Akron this week that is a must win if Miami has postseason aspirations.
6 (-1) Ohio (2-3, 1-1): Hard to expect that the Bobcats could win at Bowling Green. Now they play enigmatic Central Michigan…is this one winnable?
7 (-) Cincinnati (2-3, 0-1): Couldn’t beat Pitt…now they get UConn, one of the better teams in the conference.
8 (-) Kent State (1-4, 0-3): Kent travels to Navy to face the Academy. Ouch.
Head-To-Head Matchups: Week 7
(NOTE: Upset alert is from 0-10, with 10 being "Red Alert…better concentrate on these guys" and 0 being "Here’s your 400 thousand for an ass-whuppin’….thanks for coming")
Prediction record: 24-8 SU, 11-19 VL
Saturday
Michigan State (4-1, 1-1) at Ohio State (3-2, 1-1)
Line: Ohio State -6 ½
Upset Alert: 5
Synopsis: Hard to not at least take an upset bid by the Spartans seriously, but the Buckeyes will be looking to both salvage their season and make a statement that they are still a big player on the national stage after a tough loss. Michigan State has a great offense and a nice win over Notre Dame, but the Buckeye defense will create some turnovers and win this game. The offense should also be able to move the ball on a questionable Spartans D. The game will be close, but at home, the Buckeyes will make a strong showing.
Prediction: Ohio State 27, Michigan State 17
Ohio (2-3, 1-1) at Central Michigan (3-3, 2-1)
Line: Central Michigan -6
Upset Alert: 3
Synopsis: It’s officially impossible to figure out Central Michigan…they have won 3 games…all on the road, including at Miami and Akron, but have lost both home games, including a bad loss to Eastern Michigan. This week it’s the Bobcats, who must travel out of state after laying an egg at Bowling Green. Central is 2-0 against the state of Ohio (both in Ohio), and have back-to-back games against the Buckeye state again, with Ohio this week and Toledo two weeks later. Look for Central to win this game on the basis of their success moving the ball against decent competition, their momentum built with their back-to-back road wins (Akron and Army) and the unreliability of the Bobcat offense. If the Bobcat D plays a perfect game, they could win, but it appears that Central will be too much in this game, setting up the showdown with Toledo at home two weeks later.
Prediction: Central Michigan 35, Ohio 24
Bowling Green (3-2, 2-0) at Buffalo (0-5, 0-2)
Line: Bowling Green -24
Upset Alert: 1
Synopsis: The Falcons are still in control of the MAC East with an undefeated conference record. This was supposed to be the year, with a bevy of returning starters, that Buffalo proved they could play in D-IA. They haven’t, and it isn’t even close. They’ve scored a grand total of 31 points in 5 games, and 21 of those were against pitiful Western Michigan. Still, the Bowling Green defense is suspect at best, so don’t expect a shutout, and the Bull defense has played a couple of solid games against Rutgers and Akron. The only way for the Bulls to salvage a terrible year is to win at least one conference game…they had their chance last week, and they have seemingly no chance this week.
Prediction: Bowling Green 42, Buffalo 14
Kent State (1-4, 0-3) at the Naval Academy (2-2)
Line: Navy -13
Upset Alert: 1
Synopsis: Navy seems to have gotten it together a bit…winning their last two after dropping their first two. Kent comes of a bye week, and still hasn’t beaten a I-A team. If that isn’t bad enough, here comes the Naval option, which they never prepare for otherwise. The Academy breezes through this game.
Prediction: Navy 31, Kent State 10
Akron (3-2, 2-1) at Miami (2-3, 1-2)
Line: Miami -14
Upset Alert: 8
Synopsis: Hard to figure how this could be a 14 point spread, considering how underachieving Miami has been. Akron barely squeaked by at Buffalo last week, but at 2-1 they still have a shot at the division. Miami basically needs to win out if they want any shot at it, so this is a must-win for both teams. On paper, Miami looks to ride their offense to a victory, but given how resourceful Akron has been, this one is a long way from a sure thing. If the Akron defense can play well enough, Miami is vulnerable, but look for the veteran group to pull it at out the end.
Prediction: Miami 27, Akron 24
Toledo (4-1, 2-0) at Ball State (1-4, 1-1)
Line: Toledo -19 ½
Upset Alert: 2
Synopsis: Ball State has been terrible, save the 60-57 win in a million overtimes last week against Western Michigan. Will that momentum be enough to carry them this week? Uh, no. Toledo is clearly the best team in the MAC this year, which honestly is not saying a whole lot, but after allowing only 3 points to Eastern last week, there’s no reason to believe the Rockets are going to do anything but pummel the Cardinals, on the road or not.
Prediction: Toledo 41, Ball State 12
Connecticut (4-1, 1-0) at Cincinnati (2-3, 0-1)
Line: Connecticut -8
Upset Alert: 3
Synopsis: The Bearcats have had a rough go, winning 2 games by a total of 6 points and getting blown out 3 times. Enter UConn, who has been one of the surprises of 2005 in the post-Orlovsky era. The competition hasn’t exactly been stellar, but they stayed competitive with Georgia Tech and blew out Syracuse to open conference play last week. The Bearcat defense will be under heavy pressure, because the UConn D has 2 shutouts and gave up 7 and 13 in their other 2 wins. It is clear that the Bearcats aren’t ready to contend in the Big East this year, and it will be more clear after this game is over.
Prediction: UConn 31, Cincinnati 13
By Bucklion
Week 6 Synopsis: Well, what can one say? The Buckeyes lost a heartbreaker at Happy Valley, despite one of the best defensive performances in years. The RedHawks similarly came up short in a big conference game in DeKalb. Toledo and Bowling Green managed convincing wins, and Akron squeaked out of Buffalo with a win in what would have been an embarrassing game to lose. Ohio was flat against the Falcons, and Cincinnati had nothing for seemingly beatable Pitt. Put it all together, and it wasn’t a good week for football fans in the Buckeye state. Several teams have a chance to bounce back with key wins this week, though.
Week 7 State Rankings:
1 (-) Ohio State (3-2, 1-1): Need to lay a spanking on Spartie…is the offense up to the challenge?
2 (+1) Toledo (4-1, 2-0): Despite terrible loss in Fresno, the Rockets are now in control of the MAC West. A trip to Ball State awaits.
3 (+1) Bowling Green (3-2, 2-0): A good win against the pesky Bobcats puts them in early control of the MAC East. A trip to Buffalo is in line this week.
4 (+2) Akron (3-2, 2-1): A less than impressive squeaker at Buffalo, who never should have moved to I-A. They get a Miami team who is on the ropes.
5 (-3) Miami (2-3, 1-2): Unfortunate loss in DeKalb…now all but out of the conference race. A huge game with Akron this week that is a must win if Miami has postseason aspirations.
6 (-1) Ohio (2-3, 1-1): Hard to expect that the Bobcats could win at Bowling Green. Now they play enigmatic Central Michigan…is this one winnable?
7 (-) Cincinnati (2-3, 0-1): Couldn’t beat Pitt…now they get UConn, one of the better teams in the conference.
8 (-) Kent State (1-4, 0-3): Kent travels to Navy to face the Academy. Ouch.
Head-To-Head Matchups: Week 7
(NOTE: Upset alert is from 0-10, with 10 being "Red Alert…better concentrate on these guys" and 0 being "Here’s your 400 thousand for an ass-whuppin’….thanks for coming")
Prediction record: 24-8 SU, 11-19 VL
Saturday
Michigan State (4-1, 1-1) at Ohio State (3-2, 1-1)
Line: Ohio State -6 ½
Upset Alert: 5
Synopsis: Hard to not at least take an upset bid by the Spartans seriously, but the Buckeyes will be looking to both salvage their season and make a statement that they are still a big player on the national stage after a tough loss. Michigan State has a great offense and a nice win over Notre Dame, but the Buckeye defense will create some turnovers and win this game. The offense should also be able to move the ball on a questionable Spartans D. The game will be close, but at home, the Buckeyes will make a strong showing.
Prediction: Ohio State 27, Michigan State 17
Ohio (2-3, 1-1) at Central Michigan (3-3, 2-1)
Line: Central Michigan -6
Upset Alert: 3
Synopsis: It’s officially impossible to figure out Central Michigan…they have won 3 games…all on the road, including at Miami and Akron, but have lost both home games, including a bad loss to Eastern Michigan. This week it’s the Bobcats, who must travel out of state after laying an egg at Bowling Green. Central is 2-0 against the state of Ohio (both in Ohio), and have back-to-back games against the Buckeye state again, with Ohio this week and Toledo two weeks later. Look for Central to win this game on the basis of their success moving the ball against decent competition, their momentum built with their back-to-back road wins (Akron and Army) and the unreliability of the Bobcat offense. If the Bobcat D plays a perfect game, they could win, but it appears that Central will be too much in this game, setting up the showdown with Toledo at home two weeks later.
Prediction: Central Michigan 35, Ohio 24
Bowling Green (3-2, 2-0) at Buffalo (0-5, 0-2)
Line: Bowling Green -24
Upset Alert: 1
Synopsis: The Falcons are still in control of the MAC East with an undefeated conference record. This was supposed to be the year, with a bevy of returning starters, that Buffalo proved they could play in D-IA. They haven’t, and it isn’t even close. They’ve scored a grand total of 31 points in 5 games, and 21 of those were against pitiful Western Michigan. Still, the Bowling Green defense is suspect at best, so don’t expect a shutout, and the Bull defense has played a couple of solid games against Rutgers and Akron. The only way for the Bulls to salvage a terrible year is to win at least one conference game…they had their chance last week, and they have seemingly no chance this week.
Prediction: Bowling Green 42, Buffalo 14
Kent State (1-4, 0-3) at the Naval Academy (2-2)
Line: Navy -13
Upset Alert: 1
Synopsis: Navy seems to have gotten it together a bit…winning their last two after dropping their first two. Kent comes of a bye week, and still hasn’t beaten a I-A team. If that isn’t bad enough, here comes the Naval option, which they never prepare for otherwise. The Academy breezes through this game.
Prediction: Navy 31, Kent State 10
Akron (3-2, 2-1) at Miami (2-3, 1-2)
Line: Miami -14
Upset Alert: 8
Synopsis: Hard to figure how this could be a 14 point spread, considering how underachieving Miami has been. Akron barely squeaked by at Buffalo last week, but at 2-1 they still have a shot at the division. Miami basically needs to win out if they want any shot at it, so this is a must-win for both teams. On paper, Miami looks to ride their offense to a victory, but given how resourceful Akron has been, this one is a long way from a sure thing. If the Akron defense can play well enough, Miami is vulnerable, but look for the veteran group to pull it at out the end.
Prediction: Miami 27, Akron 24
Toledo (4-1, 2-0) at Ball State (1-4, 1-1)
Line: Toledo -19 ½
Upset Alert: 2
Synopsis: Ball State has been terrible, save the 60-57 win in a million overtimes last week against Western Michigan. Will that momentum be enough to carry them this week? Uh, no. Toledo is clearly the best team in the MAC this year, which honestly is not saying a whole lot, but after allowing only 3 points to Eastern last week, there’s no reason to believe the Rockets are going to do anything but pummel the Cardinals, on the road or not.
Prediction: Toledo 41, Ball State 12
Connecticut (4-1, 1-0) at Cincinnati (2-3, 0-1)
Line: Connecticut -8
Upset Alert: 3
Synopsis: The Bearcats have had a rough go, winning 2 games by a total of 6 points and getting blown out 3 times. Enter UConn, who has been one of the surprises of 2005 in the post-Orlovsky era. The competition hasn’t exactly been stellar, but they stayed competitive with Georgia Tech and blew out Syracuse to open conference play last week. The Bearcat defense will be under heavy pressure, because the UConn D has 2 shutouts and gave up 7 and 13 in their other 2 wins. It is clear that the Bearcats aren’t ready to contend in the Big East this year, and it will be more clear after this game is over.
Prediction: UConn 31, Cincinnati 13