The MAC has one consistency no other Division I conference can claim and that is ‘change’. Six different teams having won a conference title during the last nine seasons and eleven of thirteen head coaches having been at their school less than three years.

Toledo's WR Eric Page continues to be a top 10 national fantasy player (Icon SMI)

In what other league could Miami (OH) become the first Division I program to ever go from double digit losses (1-11 in 2009) to double digit wins (10-4 in 2010) in one season? Don’t be surprised to see yet another champion this season as Toledo and Northern Illinois battle for supremacy in the west while Miami, Ohio and Temple are the favorites in the east.

The Rockets appear to be the team beat in a conference where parity is paramount, led by All-America Candidate WR Eric Page and returning twenty starters from a team that was three points shy of a 10-3 season.  The hard luck Huskies lost in the final seconds of last year’s MACC for the second time in six years have not won a MAC title since 1982. Read the rest of this entry →

GoDaddy.com Bowl Preview <formerly GMAC Bowl>

MT Qb Dwight Dasher can close out his career on a high note in the 2011 goDaddy.com Bowl (Icon SMI)

Kickoff: 8:00 pm EST Thu Jan 6, 2011
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. Miami (OH) Redhawks

Notes:

• By winning their last three games, the Blue Raiders (6-6) earned a second consecutive bowl berth for the first time since joining the FBS in 1999.  MTSU did it in thrilling fashion rallying past Sun Belt Conference co-champion FIU on a late touchdown run for a 28-27 win December 4 making them bowl eligible.
• The Blue Raiders are headed to their third bowl game in five seasons despite being tied for most turnovers in the nation with 33.
• Miami had the nation’s best turnaround going from 1-11 in 2009 to 9-4 and MAC Champions in 2010.  The difference between Miami’s 1-7 conference record last year and the team’s 7-1 mark in 2010 is the greatest in the MAC’s 64-year history.
• Michael Haywood will not coach Miami in the bowl game after he was hired to replace Dave Wannstedt at Pitt and then dismissed from Pitt based on a domestic violence charge; DB coach Lance Guidry will serve as interim coach for the game.
• Miami is 6-3 all time in bowl games; MTSU is 1-1.

Key Players: Read the rest of this entry →

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl <formerly the Motor City Bowl>
Kickoff: Sunday Dec 26, 2010; 8:30pm EST, ESPN
Florida International Golden Panthers vs. Toledo Rockets

FIU RB Darriet Perry (28) scores against Troy (Icon SMI)

Notes:

• FIU is playing in their very first bowl game, quite remarkable for a football program that is just nine years old at any level; the Golden Panthers’ six wins this season comprise one-fifth of their 30 victories all-time.
• The Golden Panthers hit their stride down the stretch, averaging 38 points while winning four of their final five.
• Toledo is 8-2 lifetime in bowls, and has appeared in this bowl three times over the last decade; their last bowl victory was in 2005; a 45-13 victory over UTEP in the 2005 GMAC Bowl.
• The Rockets finished second in the West Division of the MAC behind NIU and three of their four losses were to teams also playing in bowls – Boise State, Northern Illinois and Arizona.
• The Rockets forced 33 turnovers in 2010, tied with Hawaii for the most in the nation; the Rockets allowed an average of 46 ppg in their four losses, and were 1-4 when forcing fewer than three turnovers.

For Key Players: Read the rest of this entry →

New Orleans Bowl: Ohio University (8-4) vs. Troy (7-5)
Kickoff: 9:00 pm EST Sat Dec 18, 2010

• Ohio was the MAC East #2 team behind the MAC overall champion Miami (OH) while Troy is the Sun Belt Conference Champion.
• The Bobcats earned a second straight bowl berth for the first time in school history.
• The Trojans are making their third straight bowl appearance and fifth in seven seasons; Troy won at least a share of its conference championship for the fifth straight season.

Ohio Key Players:

• While the Bobcats had their seven-game winning streak snapped in a season-ending 28-6 loss to Kent State; QB Boo Jackson threw his school-record 35th career touchdown pass for Ohio breaking a mark that had stood for 41 years’ WR Terrence McCrae also set a school record with his 19th career TD catch.
• SS Donovan Fletcher is one of Ohio’s best defensive players this season; notched a team-high five interceptions and is second on the team with 68 tackles. He’ll get plenty of chances against Troy to make an impact as the Trojans throw the ball 40 times a game and use lots of four and five receiver sets.

Troy Key Players:

• Troy DE Jonathan Massaquoi led the Sun Belt with 17 1/2 tackles for loss.
• Troy’s QB Corey Robinson threw for a conference-leading 3,320 yards with 24 touchdowns, but also was intercepted 15 times.

Statbox: Read the rest of this entry →