Year one of the new 16-game MAC league schedule finds the 12 teams in the MAC struggling to meet the competing and mutually exclusive objectives of said schedule: get more home games and play more games against quality opponents. Fulfilling both those goals is ostensibly what the MAC needs to get that elusive second invite to the Big Dance, which has not happened since 1999. Fact is, it really doesn’t matter who teams in the MAC play during the OOC portion of their season because when a league is as competitive as the MAC is, few team will escape league play without a handful of losses. And, as far as the NCAA Tourney Selection Committee is concerned, a handful of losses in MAC play are reason enough to snub the MAC and invite some mediocre major conference squad.
Of course, that’s a complaint/rant that is one of the defining themes of NFABJ so, with it being but two days after Midnight Madness, I’ll refrain from verbally assaulting the selection committee for now. Let’s just look at these schedules (ranked in order of difficult with 1 being the toughest and 12 the easiest).
1. Miami (schedule here): There’s a reason the Redhawks are perennially one of the MACs best teams and it’s scheduling. Year in and year out, Charlie Coles’ squad plays the toughest OOC schedule in the MAC and that have his team battle-tested when league play tips off. This year is no different the Redhawks hit the road to play Kentucky, Illinois, Xavier, and Cincinnati. Throw in the Bracket Buster Game and a Chicago Invitational meeting with either Bradley or Rutgers and this schedule is tougher than Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket.
Fatten Up On: Florida A&M and the official MAC bitch, Wright State.
Will Beat: Michigan in Oxford on December 7.
2. Central Michigan (schedule here): The Chipps are playing a schedule that’s made for a potential Final Four team not a team coming off a four-win season. New Chipps coach Ernie Zeigler will likely find his first season in Mount Pleasant challenging, as he takes his squad on the road to play the likes of Arkansas, Cincinnati, Southern Illinois, and UW-Green Bay (favorites to win the Horizon). Throw in visits from potential NCAA Tourney teams Niagara and UW-Milwaukee and wins will be hard to come by for the Chipps,
Fatten Up On: A team that went 4-24 a year ago can’t fatten up. Any win will be welcome. Even if it comes in an exhibition game against Saginaw Valley State or Northwood.
Will Beat: The maddeningly erratic Sefton Barrett and Co. will hold serve against the San Diego Torreros on December 2.
3. Toledo (schedule here): This is what mostly clueless MAC Commish Rick Chryst and the MAC administrators had in mind when they went to the 16-game league slate. If a MAC squad is going to get an At-Large bid this season, the Rockets, who will win the MAC West, figure to be that team. Visits to Mizzou State, Vanderbilt, Drexel, and a December 9th tilt with Kansas that’s going to be on ESPN2 give Stan Joplin’s squad plenty of chances to show whether they have tourney chops. Throw in Paradise Jam games against Iowa, Alabama, and either Villanova, Xavier, Virginia Commonwealth, or College of Charleston and the Rockets will be primed to win the West.
Fatten Up On: Valley bottom feeders Drake in he Sun Bowl Tourney.
Will Beat: Missouri State in Springfield on November 11.
4. Ball State (schedule here): While not quite the suicide mission that Miami and CMU’s schedules are, the new head coach Ronny Thompson’s Cardinals won’t want for competition in non-league play. Las Vegas Invitational games against Kansas, Western Kentucky to start the season are augmented by a visit to his pop’s alma mater, Georgetown, a trip to intrastate rival Indiana, and a San Diego Slam scrap with Oklahoma State.
Fatten Up On: Northern Colorado and Prairie View A&M to start the season.
Will Beat: Temple in Muncie on December 19.
5. Western Michigan (schedule here): Let’s be honest — the only reason the Broncos were in contention for the MAC West title last season was because, to put it charitably, the West sucked. That’s not the case this season, as Steve Hawkins’ squad rolls into the 2006-07 season with a legitimate chance at winning an improved MAC West. If that does happen, it will be largely due to an upgraded non-league slate that sees Joe Reitz & Co play potential Top 10 team Pittsburgh as well as preseason favorites to win the Mountain West, San Diego State. Other tough games include a visit to Temple and Old Spice Classic — was it ever tough to type those three words with a straight face —- tilts with Virginia Tech and either West Virginia or Montana.
Fatten Up On: Something called Culver-Stockton and Valley also-rans Indiana State and Illinois State.
Will Beat: San Diego State in Kalamazoo on December 2.
6. Buffalo (schedule here): Not much more I can say than I did in this post.
Fatten Up On: Unlike last season when the Bulls played a schedule so loaded with filler, it could’ve been the subject of an Eric Schlosser book or Morgan Spurlock doc, coach ‘Spoon’s squad is relatively cupcake-less this season. Easy dubbyas should come in the form of visits to Alumni by Liberty and Delaware State and a trip to Valley laggard Evansville.
Will Beat: Pittsburgh in Alumni on December 9th in the non-league upset of the year.
7. Eastern Michigan (schedule here): Without 2005-06 MAC POY John Bowler, this figures to be a very trying season in Ypsilanti. A non-league slate that includes visits to Michigan, Marquette, Tulsa, and a trip to Berkeley for the Golden Bear Classic won’t help matters.
Fatten Up On: Nobody. Charles Ramsey’s Eagles will be the prey this season, not the predators.
Will Beat: Â Tulsa in Tulsa on December 23.
8. Akron (schedule here):  For a team with Top 25 aspirations, the Zips’ non-league schedule is an absolute shame and example #1 in just how challenging it will be for good MAC teams to get both home games and games against quality opponents. Romeo Travis, Dru Joyce & Co. will be challenged in visits to Niagara and Oral Roberts, as well as when Nick Fazekas and Nevada come calling for a Mid-Major heavyweight tilt. Survive Arkansas-Little Rock and Texas Tech in Lubbock in the opening round of the College Basketball Experience Classic and the Zips will get a chance to make some noise and get national exposure against Duke, Marquette, and Stanford.
Fatten Up On: Just about everybody in a tour through the lower rungs of Mid & Low-Majordom. Games against Winston-Salem State and something called Tiffin figure to be especially ugly.
Will Beat: Texas Tech on November 14th and Nevada on December 22nd.
9. Ohio (schedule here): After the Bobcats came undone last season, coach Tim O’Shea seems to have downgraded his squad’s schedule. NABC Classic games against St. Joseph’s and Louisville and a scrap against Cincinnati in Clevo are as tough as it gets for Leon Williams & Co. this season.
Fatten Up On: Where to begin? We can start with season-opening games against Yale and Marist and move on to an NABC tilt with something called Bellarmine.
Will Beat: The Bearcats in Clevo.
10. Kent State (schedule here): I know the Golden Flashes lost a lot following their 25-9 sprint through the 2005-06 season but this schedule is more befitting a beer league squad than it is a Division I program with designs on earning it’s 8th consecutive 20-win season. Only an ESPN televised trip to Duke on December 19th saves this from being a complete waste of 12 games.
Fatten Up On: Ricky Smith of Better Off Dead fame may not have been able to munch his way through this cupcake-laden slate. From South Dakota State, IPFW, and Youngstown State to the travesty that is the Kent State Tourney — invitees are Elon, New Hampshire, and Shawnee State —- this is schedule should go down easier than a Black Boss Porter on a winter night.
Will Beat: Temple on November 21st.
11. Northern Illinois (schedule here): I’ve always thought Huskies coach Rob Judson is a hack and, as if NIU’s disappointing season last year wasn’t proof enough, then the lame ass schedule he pieced together this season should do it. How’s the MAC supposed to enhance it’s national profile and get multiple Big Dance bids when teams are using the non-league portion of their schedule to play teams like St. Mary’s of Minnesota, Duquesne (twice), Lamar, Stephen F. Austin, and Georgia Southern?
Fatten Up On: How’s about the aforementioned five teams?
Will Beat: Winthrop on December 2nd.
12. Bowling Green (schedule here): Is this a joke? What is Dan Dakich doing? I know the Falcons are going through a rough stretch but there’s no reason for BGSU’s marquee non-league game to be a visit from …South Alabama???? It seems like BGSU sought to fulfill the â€get more home games†objective instead of the getting more quality games.
Fatten Up On: Martin Samarco should have plenty of chances to light it up this season, as the Falcons play host to the likes of Denison, Furman, Arkansas State, Central Arkansas, and Northern Colorado.
Will Beat: Marshall in Huntington on December 22nd.
Sphere: Related Content
on Oct 18th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
Guess I now have a reason to visit your site on 11/12
on Oct 18th, 2006 at 4:27 pm
One quibble with your Ball State write-up: John Thompson graduated from Providence. Ronnie graduated from Georgetown, where he played for his dad. And, of course, Ronnie’s brother (who went to Princeton) will be on the other sideline at the Verizon Center for that game.
on Oct 19th, 2006 at 5:16 pm
You predict Toledo beating Drake and Missouri State. I don’t think so.
No way Toledo beats Drake this year. Drake is NOT going to be a bottom feeder in the MVC. I expect Drake to finish 6th this year in a real tough MVC. I just don’t think the top MAC teams would be better than the 6th place Valley team. At least ot this year!
Toledo beating Missouri State? I laughed until I cried when I read that! Missouri State is going to be among the top four in the MVC this year, and there isn’t much difference in quality between SIU, Creighton, Wichita State, and Missouri State. Either of these teams could win the Valley outright this year.
No MAC team beat a MVC team last year during the regular season, as far as I remember. It isn’t going to happen this year either.
on Apr 17th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Go Bellarmine! The Knights are an up-and-coming D-II program headed for D-I. Ohio was lucky that BU didn’t roll ‘em last season.