Northern Illinois has All-MAC runner Chad Spann highlighting the offense. The senior had 19 touchdowns last season. The Huskies will boast 17 starters from last year. Joe Pawak who started all 13 games at right guard will be a force. The 6-5 junior and 6-6 tackle Trevor Olson highlight a big offensive line. The Huskies open September 5, at Wisconsin.
Temple coach Al Golden has an attractive non-conference schedule with Villanova, Connecticut, Penn State and Army.
Temple will feature sophomore running back Bernard Pierce who had 16 rushing touchdowns last year. The Owls have eight All-Mac selections returning this year. They are an experienced team with 16 starters coming back from a 9-4 year. They are getting the Philadelphia hype also. www.Pierce4Heisman.com
There will be three new head coaches, Rob Ianello at Akron, Dan Enos at Central Michigan and Jeff Quinn at Buffalo.
Buffalo opens with a home tune-up on Thursday September 2, against Rhode Island. Matt Ostrowski and Josh Violanti will anchor a veteran offensive line.
Toledo will boast senior center Kevin Kowalski. The 6-4, 300 pounder will be a four time letter winner for the Rockets. Sophomore wide-out Eric Page had 82 catches last year.
Central Michigan and Western Michigan will be competitive but it looks like a long season for Eastern Michigan. The Eagles failed to win a game last year and prospects look dim with a tough schedule on the horizon. EMU hosts Army on September 4, at 7:00 PM at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti for their home opener.
For EMU, second-year quarterback Alex Gillett will share time with redshirt freshman Devontae Payne. Payne stands at 6’6” and is more of a traditional pocket passer than Gillett. The Eagles are expecting the defense to be led by senior Latarius Thomas.
Central Michigan finds itself in a rebuilding position this season. The Chippewas have had four consecutive outstanding seasons. They have played in four straight bowl games and have had a 27-4 record in MAC games. Former quarterback Dan LeFevour, is now with the Chicago Bears. His top two receivers have also moved on.
Are the Chippewas in a predicament this year? Not according to Central Michigan linebacker Nick Bellore. He said, “We know we have our work cut out for us, and people will think we won’t have a great season because we lost so and so … but we have a really talented group and a lot of parts left from the championship teams.” Bellore and Matt Berning will again secure the CMU defense. They both had over 100 tackles each last year.
Western Michigan returns 34 letterwinners, including four All-MAC selections. The Broncos also return 15 starters, with seven on offense and six on defense. It is a good core to build around. Wide receiver Jordan White and safety Jamail Berry are expected to be front and center.
Kent State running back, Eugene Jarvis and Ohio’s Noah Keller are on my highlight list as exciting players to watch this year.
For the first time in its 64-year history, the MAC will have five bowl game relationships—three primary and two secondary—for the next four football seasons (2010-2013).
The MAC’s three primary bowl agreements are with the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl (Detroit, Mich.), GMAC Bowl (Mobile, Ala.) and Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl (Boise, Ida.). The primary agreement with the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl replaces the International Bowl, which hosted the MAC’s No. 3 selection the past four years (2006-09) in Toronto, Ont., Canada. The Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl will have the MAC’s No. 1 selection in 2010 and 2012, with the GMAC Bowl having the No. 1 selection in 2011 and 2013. The Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl will own the MAC’s third selection of bowl eligible teams all four years.
In addition, the MAC has secured two secondary agreements over the next four years with the Papajohns.com Bowl (2010-2013), the Dallas Football Classic (2010 and 2012) and the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (formerly the Emerald Bowl)/San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl/New Mexico Bowl (2011 and 2013).
For the fourth consecutive season, ESPN Regional Television and the Mid-American Conference have announced a six-week regionally syndicated football package that will air in 24 television markets, including Chicago; Philadelphia; Detroit; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati; Indianapolis; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Buffalo. The package will consist of six weeks of MAC conference and non-conference matchups, beginning Saturday, Sept. 18.
Detroit native Michael Reghi will call the action each week with analyst Doug Chapman. Chapman who was a running back for the Minnesota Vikings was the MVP in the 1999 Motor City Bowl with Marshall.
Senior, Robert Eddins from Ball State was one of the featured student-athletes. He is a 6-3, defensive end from Detroit Crocket. Eddins started all 12 games last year.
A great rivalry game will be the CMU –EMU matchup on September 18, at 4:00 PM at Rynearson. EMU season tickets are available starting at $35, www.EMUEagles.com
2010 MAC ‘Game of the Week’ Schedule (All Times Noon ET)
|
Date |
Matchup |
|
Sat, Sep 18 |
University of Connecticut at Temple |
|
Sat, Oct 2 |
Ohio University at Eastern Michigan |
|
Sat, Oct 9 |
Temple at Northern Illinois and Western Michigan at Ball State (Split Network) |
|
Sat, Oct 16 |
Miami (OH) at Central Michigan |
|
Sat, Oct 23 |
Temple at Buffalo |
|
Sat, Oct 30 |
Northern Illinois at Western Michigan |
(Raymond Rolak is a Michigan based Sports Broadcaster)