Just a few thoughts that ran through my head during this (very profitable) opening week of college football. All of these comments come from watching, first hand, the games listed. I apologize for not taking more discernable notes, I was so fired up sometimes I just put down one word descriptions for what I was feeling at that moment. Here’s my best shot at recapturing the mood as it happened.

Oklahoma State/Washington State: The Cowboys served as my 20* play this week and covered, though it wasn’t always the prettiest game. I figured Gundy’s crew would have a huge advantage offensively here and they did. QB Zac Robinson wasn’t asked to make a lot of difficult throws but was efficient going 20-27. Their most successful pass play was basically a jump ball for Dez Bryant who simply out muscled defenders for the ball. That won’t work against the top tier in the Big 12 but can be a deadly weapon against those bottom feeders that feature small corners. Little Kendall Hunter impressed me with his ability to just grind away yards. He doesn’t appear to be a breakaway threat just yet but seems workhorse-ish, something every team could use particularly when breaking in new skill players elsewhere.

Take note, the Cougars will not move the football unless they can find running room. The line looked spotty at best protecting new QB Rogers and his WRs didn’t seem to know the offense that well with more than a few miscues in routes. RB Tardy looked as close to 100% as he could be after an ACL tear last year but he’ll have a tough time finding holes against eight man fronts. I was impressed with Rogers’ arm but he needs to use a little more touch on the underneath routes (the only ones he figures to have consistently). Too many times he fired the ball right through the hands of open receivers.

Special teams is a major question mark in Pullman. The punter line-drived every kick at the return man allowing plenty of room to run. The kickoff coverage team allowed a TD in a crucial point in the third quarter immediately following the one truly successful offensive drive.

Defensively I was shocked at how fast WSU got to the ball, in gangs, and how solid they were in tackling. I don’t remember more than one or two missed tackles from that bunch.

Quick hitters…

Troy: I was thoroughly unimpressed with new QB Jamie Hampton. I can’t pinpoint why other than he looked a little lost and a little timid. Perhaps that was to be expected with a new system getting its first live game action.

Baylor: New coach, same results. Bears struggled offensively and it’s not a big secret as to why; Kirby Freeman stunk at Miami and didn’t look any better here in Waco. I am excited/intrigued to see Robert Griffin under center instead. He should make the highlight reel a few times this season, albeit in losing efforts.

Florida: Gators chomped a clearly outclassed/rebuilding Hawaii side. Urban Meyer has found a gem in Jeff Demps! He took one to the house 60+ yards in about three seconds flat. He can flat out fly. Gators overall team speed on offense is scary.

Pitt: Wanny had that deer in the headlights look again, surprise surprise. How this team couldn’t find a way to run the football after the first quarter is beyond me.

This is the final installment of the MAC Preview series. Hopefully you found them as helpful and fun to read as I did in writing them...

It’s almost unthinkable to say the following: “Toledo” Tom Amstutz may be feeling a little hot in the pants. I won’t necessarily say he is on the official hot seat, yet, but he’s darn close after back to back 5-7 seasons. This is a program that got to three MAC Championship games in four years earlier this decade, a program that dominated the line of scrimmage and passed their way to huge wins each and every week. The defense was solid, though never spectacular. That all changed in 2007. The Rockets allowed no fewer than 34 points in each of their first eight games, twice giving up more than 50, four more games of over 40. They had some of the worst sack numbers in the country and couldn’t stop the run, effectively eliminating any positive steps the offense took towards winning a game. Ok, maybe Tommy is on the hot seat!

Amstutz has always been considered a great coach with great assistants that can elevate a QBs game. Aaron Opelt has come along a little slower than some had hoped but I think they all see good potential in him. Opelt has decent size and can move outside the pocket when needed, always a trait of Toledo Tom’s best at the position. This program has been thought of as an offensive juggernaut in his tenure here and last year he produced a unit that averaged more than 500 yards a game and 36 points. They can keep their status as one of the better attacking MAC teams. Stephen Williams and Nick Moore are both extremely solid WRs, DaJuane Collins showed flashes of brilliance in his sophomore year at RB and should get the bulk of the load this year. For all of those guys to succeed though the Rockets will have to fill in enormous holes left on the offensive line by two departing four-year starters.

As mentioned earlier, the defense was this team’s major undoing, allowing a league worst 450 yards and 38 points per game. The focus will be improvement along the line and stopping the rush. To be fair this team lost a ton of starts to injury last year and at one point had to fashion a patchwork unit from seven underclassmen with little to no experience. That, in theory, should help them this year. Not only do nine starters return but three impact players (Sean Williamson, Tyler Herbert, Archie Donald) come back from redshirt seasons. Williamson in particular should add some much needed pass rushing ability to a team that had just nine sacks last year, as well as some disruption behind the line against the run. DC Tim Rose has shuffled a couple of guys fro LB to DE in an attempt to bring that much desired speed rush. A real chance to see improvements in the pass game is there. Barry Church is a two time All MAC safety and Herbert (one of the returnees) is a three year starter at free.

The Huskies suffered through an injury plagued year that brought just two wins and eventually led to Joe Novak being ousted. 2008 begins the Jerry Kill era. You may be familiar with Kill who moves over from Southern Illinois where he was named FCS (or 1AA) Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2007. He is a no nonsense kind of guy that develops blue collar teams strong in discipline. His Saluki teams were a perennial contender in the FCS and knocked this same Huskies team off in week two last year, and Indiana in 2006. Quite frankly, just the change in voice and presence of a new coach after a decade under Joe Novak probably does this team some good.

Baring another massive injury hit to the roster this team has experience with 20 seniors and 21 starters returning and should be much more competitive than they were a year ago. The Huskies have real bright spots at tailback with Justin Anderson and Montell Clanton and 96% of their receiving yards are back. The QB position is unsettled with senior incumbent Dan Nicholson missing big chunks of time with shoulder soreness stemming from offseason surgery. Kill says the QBs have really progressed in learning the new system but refuses to name a starter saying it is a huge advantage for them at this point to keep it close to the vest. Expect it to be either Nicholson or redshirt freshman Chandler Harnish. I expect the QBs to be broken in slowly, relying on the strength of the line and RBs to carry the load early.

The defense has the pieces to be much better this year and should help improve their -17 TO margin, assuming Larry English is fully recovered from a torn pectoral. By all accounts, he is. English is a rare MAC talent, an All MAC DE who averaged 8 sacks per year in the last three with 10.5 in 2007. Opposing offenses will spend a lot of time game planning specifically to take him out of the game, but look for him to get his numbers regardless. The LB corps is solid and coaches are expecting a lot from senior Tim McCarthy who was lost to injury after appearing in just two games a year ago. The secondary is active, giving up just 16 passing TDs in 2007. I’d think Alex Kube’s tackles will go down from his spot at safety if nothing else because the front seven will make more plays before he has a chance to. If that’s the case, then the defense has done its job.

If they are healthy this team can compete, if not it will be another long year with road games at Western Michigan and Ball State while having the misfortune of playing both Miami and BG from the East. The improvement may not show up in the W/L column but we should find value in playing on this team from a point spread perspective once they settle into the new systems. The market still viewed this team as a player in the MAC West last year when it was clear they were merely a shell of the team they had once been. Expect a similar thinking, a reactionary response, in 2008 where that 2-10 record actually helps us find value.

The Eagles have long been an after thought in the MAC, a perennial bottom feeder with no more than four wins since 2000. They have long been an after thought to the people of Ypsilanti as well, averaging 7,448 fans last season an NCAA worst. But the Eagles may win some more games and fans in 2008.

Only one o-lineman from a unit that greatly improved the rushing attack and yielded just 17 sacks all year has departed. QB Andy Schmitt finally enters a season as the clear cut starter and the rest of the offense will certainly be better in this the second year of a new system implemented in 2007. In a little twist it turns out Schmitt wasn’t fully healthy last year with a lingering shoulder injury from his high school days that greatly affected his arm strength. He reports offseason surgery has him stronger than ever and looking to air it out. He also added some muscle in the offseason to help him take hits as he plans to add a ground attack of his own, looking to emulate, perhaps, the MAC’s Dan LeFevour. The loss of Piere Walker may prove less of a loss as the season wears on. Coaches are high on Terrance Blevins who has speed (clocked under 4.5) and strength (bench press over 400 lbs.). He should be spelled by Dwayne Priest who is a bit smaller, shiftier and also a weapon as a receiver out of the backfield. I think this team will surprise some with a much more potent attack.

Their defense is on par with any in the mediocre MAC and returns eight starters including Lombardi Trophy hopeful Daniel Holtzclaw. While the numbers weren’t pretty they just missed a spread cover at Vanderbilt. They easily cashed in losing by only 11 the next week at Michigan. They rallied late at OU, fought tough and had chances to beat Northwestern, did beat WMU and closed with strong performances against BG and CMU. Two huge losses have some people down on this unit though. Tackle Jason Jones was a second round draft choice of the Tennessee Titans and d-end Eric Young was named the team’s defensive MVP, not easily replaced. They are undersized and have a few spots to fill, big deal, so do a lot of teams in this conference! This team won’t be a defensive force but they will be competitive which is enough on most weeks.

Western Michigan isn’t a flashy offensive team and they aren’t the quickest team defensively, but they have a blue collar work ethic and solid fundamental base which should have them in the upper tier in the MAC. Bill Cubit’s team took a step backward in 2007 when all signs pointed to a step up in results, but with 17 starters back (including 10 on defense) this year should be the best in his tenure.

The defense is the focal point of this team. Last year they held all but one MAC opponent to about a TD below their seasonal average in points scored, a truly “A” effort. They have two impact pass rushers (Zach Davidson and Greg Marshall) who tallied 6.5 sacks a piece, but even with those two the overall sack numbers fell. That should illustrate the tradition they have to live up to of getting after the quarterback. I would expect those numbers to increase thanks to a secondary that allowed six year bests in completion percentage in 2007. The entire secondary unit returns in tact and is loaded with seniors, a big bonus in a conference with so many spread attacks and returning QBs. Londen Fryar in particular at corner is one of the best pure talents in the conference and recorded 16 pass breakups last year. Also watch out for Boston McCornell at LB who made his impact immediately in his first year after coming in from JUCO. All he did was lead the team in tackles and tackles for loss while adding a pair of pass break ups and an INT.

While the offense isn’t lacking talent of its own, it is a step behind the defense. Tim Hiller came back from a redshirt season and looked like his normally impressive self in 2007…most of the time. At other times he was wildly inconsistent. In all he finished with 20 TDs but 15 INTs, 3021 yards and 63% completions. This is the same Tim Hiller that took over midway through the 2005 season, as a freshman, and took home MAC Frosh of the year honors after throwing for 1300+ yards with 20 TDs against just three INTs in the final five games. If he cuts down his mistakes, the offense probably resembles its 32 ppg form in Hiller’s healthy season three years ago. At his disposal is one of the MAC’s best WRs, Jamarko Simmons. The 6-2 234 lbs. WR isn’t really a deep threat but he is ultra dependable and his size gives him a big advantage in the red zone. He also happens to be on the East/West Shrine game watch list and a potential NFL target. RB Brandon West seems like he has been here forever and fits the WMU profile perfectly: non-flashy, tough minded, workhorse. I like him though and his prospects of cracking the 1000 yard barrier this year.

Unfortunately the Broncs have to play Ball State and Central on the road which likely keeps them from the title game. The rest of the conference slate looks prime for the picking however, a true bet on team in my mind that may just be discounted in the market while CMU, Ball State, Miami and BGSU get the attention.

The Chippewas are definitely in position to win their third straight MAC title and go bowling once again. That really isn’t news to anyone who follows the MAC, and it certainly wasn’t news to those who create news stories from within the MAC family of journalists. It all starts with Dan LeFevour under center with no significant losses on offense.

The MAC Offensive Player of the Year posted absolutely ridiculous numbers in ’07 with nearly 5000 total yards from scrimmage and 46 total TDs. He just barely missed joining Tim Tebow in the 20/20 club, averaged 6.0 yards per carry, completed 65% of his passes and had a better than 2:1 TD to INT ratio. His ability to scramble is really just that, a special ability; one that extends plays, picks up tough third downs and most importantly levels the playing field by, in essence, making it an 11 on 11 game rather than 11 on 10. No wonder the Chipps have left many an opponent behind in the catch me if you can MAC. 

His two favorite targets return in Bryan Anderson and Antonio Brown who caught 192 passes combined while recording 1000 yard seasons a piece. Anderson is a rare talent with unbelievable size and speed at 6-5, 205 lbs. Brown provides a shifty possession receiver from the slot. Justin Hoskins and Ontario Sneed split carries last year but are often afterthoughts in a game plan. Hoskins in particular impressed me last year with a 5.8 ypc average. I would expect to see him get the majority of carries, if healthy, behind one of the biggest lines in the conference.

The offense will continue to generate a lot of the headlines and rightfully so as the defense will be just as mediocre as last year. Hell, it may be downright awful. The team needs immediate answers to replace a pair of All MAC LBs, with the biggest departure being Red Keith, the unquestioned locker room leader. Keith led the team in tackles each of the past four years and last year added six pass breakups and a pair of INTs. It isn’t just his production but his presence that will be missed. Although the secondary returns basically in tact, the six players vying for a starting spot just aren’t very good. They allowed a truly pathetic 304 yards against on 65% passing, giving up 34 passing TDs in the process. This league is chock full of experienced QBs and dangerous looking offenses making dramatic improvements a daunting task for this unit. If CMU could generate more pressure on the opposing QB, perhaps their numbers against the pass would improve, but can we really expect much more from Larry Knight and Frank Zombo who combined for 12.5 sacks last year?

Ball State may have the best offense in the MAC this year and that is saying something considering Central Michigan and super-QB Dan Lefevour return virtually every piece from their No. 1 ranked unit from 2007. Hopes are high in Muncie (and maybe even New York where famous alum David Letterman roots on the Cards) that they will finally take the top spot in the West. Preseason polls predictably had Central Michigan repeating, but it will be hotly contested.

All eleven starters are back to attack including top trio QB Nate Davis, WR Dante Love and TE Darius Hill. Davis has throw for 48 TDs against just 14 INTs the past two seasons as a Freshman and Sophomore, with 30 TDs alone in 2007. No doubt about it, he is a better passer than his counterpart to the north whose likeness graced a massive billboard at Ford Field for the MAC Media day. I think he has a chance to get picked up by an NFL team and make a roster as a backup, but scouts are probably a little turned off by the fact that he throws the football sans laces. Love is one of the best WRs in the conference, a shifty, speedy, though somewhat undersized, scrapper somewhat in the mold of Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers. And Darius Hill seems like a mortal lock to be playing in the NFL as a TE after this year. Where they need some improvement is on the ground and the return of MiQuale Lewis after tearing his ACL should provide a big boost. The rushing attack was already on its way up until he went down last year so look for better numbers in 2008. The offensive line is big by MAC standards and has four Senior starters with good depth behind them should the injury bug strike.

The defense isn’t quite as ironed out however. The front line is almost the exact opposite of their offensive counterparts; severely undersized and lacking quality depth. It showed last season when they gave up a staggering 5.0 ypc and 204 rushing yards per game, a continuation of a trend of poor rush defense since at least 2002. In that regard this squad really mirrors Central Michigan, a great offense and mediocre defense; we can expect a lot of shootouts. The secondary has plenty of experience but no real measurable success, routinely picked apart by the bevy of solid QBs in this league. I suppose their +17 TO margin is a building point, but I don’t think one can safely assume another 14 picks from BJ Hill, Trey Lewis and Alex Knipp.

Of course the biggest game this year, one already generating plenty of buzz despite being more than two months away is at Central Michigan. The Chipps embarrassed the Cards in Muncie last year racking up over 600 yards and 58 points in a dominant effort. It’s a tough spot considering it is sandwiched between a road tilt at Miami (OH) and rival Western Michigan. But take note, the Cards are 10-3 ATS in MAC road games the past two years.

Closing out our look at the MAC East with a Temple squad that brings back all 22 starters! Al Golden took over at Temple inheriting a team making a transition to a new conference after not having won more than two games in the previous three years. He went 1-11 in his first year with just six players as hold-overs that had starting experience. In his second year he quadrupled their win total and awarded their backers with an 8-4 mark ATS. This year we can again expect to see improvement as the Owls are the only team in returning all 22 starters.

The offense, led by QB Adam DiMichele, averaged just 17.5 points and finished last in the MAC in just about every measurable category. But those numbers were vast improvements and matched or bettered three year highs. DiMichele was sidelined at the end of the year with a broken leg and continues to rehab, but coaches are hopeful he’ll be ready come August. The fact that he has been present throughout the spring and just recently returned to (almost) full duty certainly has this team fired up. Although he struggled at times with INTs, I really like his makeup. He brings stability in the locker room and an air of confidence not normally seen in the huddle within this program. He has weapons at his disposal and I think the combination of Bruce Francis and Travis Shelton will be two of the most overlooked yet productive WRs in the division.  What the Owls desperately need this year to take that big step forward is more production from the ground game. They moved what little experience in the backfield they had to other positions this offseason so the pressure is on for a RB to emerge.  

The defense actually finished with the third best overall numbers in the MAC, truly the backbone of their 4-4 conference record. They were second against the rush, fourth against the pass and fifth in points allowed, all of which were six year bests. Again, these aren’t eye popping numbers, but it speaks to the growth of the program. Junior Galette provided a good pass rush from his right defensive end position and Andre Neblett matched that performance from a tougher spot at nose tackle. If Leyon Azubuike can add some sacks to his 7.5 TFL effort last year and the others simply equal their performance, this unit has the makings of a top two MAC defense, right on par with the Redhawks of Miami.

The Owls have a very difficult schedule though. Starting in week three they have the unenviable task of traveling to Buffalo and Penn State in consecutive weeks before returning home to face Western Michigan, then its right back to the highway with stops at Miami (OH) and Central Michigan. If that isn’t the toughest, it’s certainly one of the top two toughest strings in the conference. If they can pull one or two upsets in that stretch, they will better last year’s 4-8 mark. But then again it is entirely possible that they show improvements everywhere but the W/L column.

The Bobcats have a tough road ahead in 2008 and potentially stare a last place finish in the MAC East in the face. OU was picked ahead of Akron in the preseason voting by MAC Media members but I’m going to need to see this team win before I would go that far. As much as it pains me as an Ohio Alum, I will call for them to finish behind Akron and in last place.

While the offensive line returns four guys with starting experience, the rest of the offense is rather disheveled. The QB competition is far from being settled at this point with JUCO transfer Boo Jackson fighting 2007’s part-time starter Theo Scott for the job. The biggest piece missing from the offensive puzzle though is Kalvin McRae, who after four amazing years in Athens is gone. McRae was easily the most relied upon player in the MAC East last season with 294 carries, 1434 yards and 19 TDs. He accounted for 119 of OU’s 259 MAC points. The loss of their workhorse likely affects this offense in more than one way. For starter it takes away a weapon from the receiving corps as Chris Garret moves to the backfield. The initial buzz around town is the Bobcats plan on using more spread-option looks this year to compensate the loss of the power rush attack HC Solich prefers. That means extra pressure on the QB, whoever it may be, to make plays and extra pressure on WRs to establish themselves as legitimate options. I really don’t foresee a smooth transition here.

On the other side the Bobcats return a decent secondary, but unless they create pressure up front, the spread offenses they will face will have no trouble picking that secondary apart. The loss of their starting tackles probably exposes this team up the middle, not a good omen considering they were already one of the bottom four in the MAC in stopping the run last year. Rush defense has been a key issue in fall camp thus far and both DC Jimmy Burrow and HC Frank Solich seem optimistic about the level of athleticism in tracking to the ball. I don’t know if I buy it though. If you are tracking ten yards downfield, what's the use? This team was torched so many times last year, giving up more than 30 points six times, more than 40 points in half of those. Again, I think this will be a “prove it” scenario.

The Redhawks will put to test the old adage that defense wins championships. This is one of the few MAC schools built on defense and should they have some stability offensively there is no reason to think they won’t be in, if not win, most of their conference games.

The stop unit led the MAC in total, rush and pass defense and held conference foes to a league low 18 ppg. Nine of the 11 starters are back including each of the most meaningful cogs in the front seven and secondary. LB Clayton Mullins was named MAC defensive player of the year and along with Joey Hudson and Caleb Bostic, anchors the best corps in the conference. Mullins was tabbed early on as the favorite to repeat as POY on the stop side and I have a hard time projecting otherwise. The Redhawks really allow the LBs to make plays because of their overwhelming use of man coverage in the secondary. Jeff Thompson leads the way as the best cover corner on the team after an ’07 that saw him finish with three INTs and three more pass break ups. Keep an eye on Joe Coniglio as a pass rushing end; he doesn’t get a lot of publicity and is rather undersized but I expect him to post career highs this year after showing great promise with 6.5 sacks last season. With that side set the Redhawks will look for the offense to produce.

Now, in fairness they were hit hard by injuries last season, but too often they struggled to get any type of point production despite outgaining foes by nearly 100 yards a game. They scored 20 or fewer in six MAC games including the Championship tilt against Central Michigan who allowed nearly 37 ppg last year. Daniel Raudabaugh is being pushed by redshirt freshman Clay Belton for the starting QB job and no decision will be made until after August camp. Shane Montgomery’s attack unit also has to deal with the loss of three year starters at LT and C, easily the most important positions along the line. The biggest question mark though is finding a reliable ball carrier. No player rushed for more than 500 yards a year ago thanks in large part to injuries. Andre Bratton is thought to be fully healthy and should see a lot of carries if that is the case. This squad won’t put up Roethlisberger numbers but if they can get to 24 ppg I think they will win plenty.

Kent State was one of the more disappointing teams in the MAC last season taking giant steps back in SU and ATS wins in ’07. They hope to take giant steps forward this year, but I’m hesitant to forecast as much. To do so the team needs to focus on the passing attack on both sides of the football and I’m not convinced they have the pieces to improve.

The Flashes had no balance last year offensively, finishing with the worst rated pass offense in the conference after averaging just 172 yards per game through the air. Four different QBs played but dual threat Julian Edelman was the favored starter and has retained his job thus far despite connecting on just 51% of his passes and throwing more INTs than TDs last year. To be fair, Edelman dealt with injuries (including a partially torn knee ligament) through much of his campaign, but for his career he has 20 INTs and only 17 TDs. Expect him to be on a short leash though as the coaches really seem to like Sophomore Giorgio Morgan. The QB play negated the lone bright spot for this attacking unit as Eugene Jarvis led the MAC with nearly 140 ypg rushing. Jarvis’ 1669 yards was good enough for seventh nationally and earned him a spot on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award in 2008. The line brings back 70 career starts and will not only need to open holes for Jarvis but do a better job of keeping the QB, whoever it might be, upright after allowing 38 sacks last year.

The rush defense finished fifth overall but had the second best mark in ypc against in conference play. The front seven looks solid once again and despite the loss of a starting nose tackle I would expect the rush defense to be amongst the best in the MAC again. The LB corps was set for a potential boost with former Michigan transfer Cobrani Mixon set to step in, but this offseason incident may have cost him and the Flashes that opportunity. The effort against the run was negated however by a pass defense that allowed 66% completions, routinely picked apart. With every team in the conference returning at least one QB who started last year the secondary certainly has its work cut out to improve. They hope bringing back six players with starting experience will help but I’ll take a wait and see approach to those sentiments.