Lights, Camera, MACtion!

For how I really feel about ESPN televising MAC Football games mid-week, read the post below. All hostility set aside, I still love college football no matter what lame weekday it's played on. Last night in the mighty MAC, Ball State dealt what is likely a fatal blow to Toledo's already slim bowl hopes, dropping the Rockets to 5-6 following a sudden three-game win streak for a team that looked to be bonafide terrible after a 2-5 start. To avoid their second consecutive 5-7 season, the Glass City Point Shavers will have to win their fourth in a row over BGSU and likely send me to an early grave, the day after Thanksgiving in Bowling Green. It's the annual renewal of the Battle for Northwest Ohio and Peace-Pipe Trophy. Man, college football rivalry games with funny trophies are the greatest thing ever. So much precious and unbridled hate. Another win for Ball State against hapless Northern Illinois the same day would bolster the Cardinals bowl chances, as it would improve them to 7-5. Still undefeated in MAC play, Central Michigan has already clinched the West Division and a berth in the MAC Championship game in Detroit, but with three bowl tie-ins (Motor City, GMAC, International) someone not playing in that game will go bowling, that much is sure. If the Cardinals can get to seven wins against an NIU team they should destroy, they make a strong case. They are likely competing directly with Bowling Green who is 6-4 with two games to go including this Saturday at Buffalo, but needs major help from Ohio U. and Akron to win the MAC East. Tonight I'm watching Akron at Miami with great interest, as by virtue of Miami's 47-14 drubbing of the Falcons earlier this year, the Redhawks must lose at home to Akron this evening and at OU next week, coupled with a BGSU win at Buffalo in three days for my alma mater to pull out the division title. A relative longshot, considering how well Miami plays at home (as you may infer by the margin of victory over BG), and apparently Akron hasn't won in Oxford since the 1930s. Anything is possible in the 2007 crap-shoot version of the MAC however, so I'm still holding my breath. Either way, it should still be an intense day in Western New York this Saturday, as Buffalo needs just one Miami loss and a win over Bowling Green to win the East, and regardless of tonight's result, BGSU still will have legitimate bowl aspirations. So, they would (at least you'd hope) have no reason to come out flat if Akron comes up short tonight. MAC ATTACK!