MAC Football Pick ’Em: Week 4
At first glance, week three looked like it was going to be a tough week to pick, but since all of you are very smart, you made it look like a breeze. But don’t go getting confident on me, because week four has three games with point spreads less than three points.
Shout out to Ben Roush and FoSat’s own Alex Alvarado for getting all but one game right last week. That game, of course, was the NIU game, which as a community of little faith we decided would probably go the Huskers’ way. Double shout out to Nathan8848, who was the only one in the pool to pick Kansas. You were willing to ride or die with Kansas when nobody else would, and I respect the hell out of that. Of course, it didn’t work, but still, respect.
Speaking of Alex, he’s tied for the lead in points with Karp and KC at 31.
Points Leaders
- TIE — Alex, Karp & KC (31) 4. Justin Coffin (30) 5. Ben Roush (29) 6. TIE — TallMidget57, Nathan8848, Matt Dizzle, and Brandon Fitzsimons (27) 10. HuronBoy (20) 11. @EthanGrahamOSZ (17) 12. Beanscreen (16) 13. Frank A (15) 14. TIE — MACnCH4ZZ & Kahuna Van (12) 16. TIE — Nick McCarthy & Sam Barloga (10) 18. @dazdaz73 (9) 19. EMU_Dave (8)
We’re getting business casual up in here: fewer ties.
Form’s below. If it doesn’t work, go ahead and click/tap here.
Justin’s Picks
No Alex this week, which means you’re finally going to get some good advice (he said, ignoring the scoreboard).
Louisville over Kent State
Lamar Jackson played Clemson last week and was pretty average aside from some pretty impressive scrambles. This week, he gets to take out his revenge on a Kent State team that didn’t even score against Marshall. If I’m Kent State, I’m not even throwing the football in this game. Just keep that clock running and get the hell back to Kent.
Ohio over Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan is a slight favorite, and that’s probably fair. The Eagles are coming off of a bye week and their first win over a Big Ten team in program history, and yes, I just checked and Rutgers still counts. Just like Kansas still counts for Ohio. But the Bobcats have the edge here to me because of their defense and the ability of Nathan Rourke to escape the pocket and make plays. With the right starting quarterback, Ohio is finally ready to take that next step offensively. The Bobcats will steal a win, and maybe a towel:
Miami (FL) over Toledo
The line on this game is 13.5 points at the time of this writing, and you’ll remember Northern Illinois was in the same territory last week before beating Nebraska on the road. But Mark Richt’s team figures to be at least a tiny bit better than the one in Lincoln, and it will show against the Rockets. Toledo is coming off of a shootout with Tulsa and will be up against a well rested team that’s played just once this season.
Miami over Central Michigan
Last week one of these teams played closer to what I believe their final product will look like. The other just screwed up. Fresh off that screw up, the RedHawks should be a hungry football team ready to begin conference play in pursuit of a MAC championship, and I expect them to play like it. The Chips struggled offensively in the second half against Syracuse and will encounter a Miami defense that is much, much tougher.
Troy over Akron
Speaking of defense, check out Troy. They’ve allowed just over 18 points per game through three weeks (Boise State, Alabama State, New Mexico State), and have held teams to under 100 yards rushing per game. That’s bad news for Akron, which may need to lean on running back Warren Ball for any offensive production as Thomas Woodson finds a favorite target.
Western Michigan over Wagner
Wagner won a DIII national championship in 1987 over Dayton. WMU’s never won a national championship at any level, but they’ll beat Wagner Saturday.
Buffalo over FAU
Have you noticed how Minnesota has been absolutely lighting up defenses the last couple of weeks? You know who they didn’t do that to? Buffalo. For what the Bulls lack on offense (they average 19 points per game), they make up for in defense. Lance Leipold’s team is giving up just 16 points per game and will take on an Owls team with modest offensive output. Also, good news for the Buffalo rushing attack: FAU gives up 278 yards per game on the ground.
*Special Note for Coach Kiffin* In case you have to spend some time there, the Buffalo Niagara International Airport is the third largest in New York. It began service in 1927, and has its own section on Wikipedia designated for “Canadian Passengers.”
Middle Tennessee over Bowling Green
Blue Raiders quarterback Brent Stockstill probably won’t play, but unlike the game at Minnesota last week, it probably won’t matter. The Falcons are still trying to figure themselves out, and could keep the game a bit closer than expected on Saturday, but likely won’t come out on top while they sort out the quarterback situation.
Ball State over Western Kentucky
This will be the big upset of the weekend, with the Cardinals pulling it off in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The spread on this game is nine points in favor of WKU, and that’s pretty odd considering they haven’t played a particularly tough schedule and average just 20 points per game. The Hilltoppers and Cardinals share a common opponent in Illinois, and the ‘Tops lost 20–7. Whether or not James Gilbert is hurt is irrelevant, as the Cardinals have plenty of young talent (paging Malik Dunner) to pick up the slack.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Ohio vs Eastern Michigan
MAC showcase game of teams on the upswing. We’re going to find out just how good these teams are on Saturday. Hey, maybe it’s both!
