MAC Power Rankings: Part Deuce

To say it was an eventful week in Mid-American Conference football is kind of an understatement.

Obviously, CMU's heartbreaker 32-25 loss to Purdue is a big story. But so is Ball State's 44-20 win over Indiana, the first Big Ten win for the Cardinals. Buffalo scared Missouri - for a little while. Toledo lost a 55-54 overtime thriller of its own to Fresno State. But the big news, of course, was BSU receiver Dante Love's injury which could keep him out of football forever.

Which brings me to #1 for the second consecutive week in my power rankings...

1. Ball State Cardinals (4-0 overall, 1-0 MAC)

It's difficult to tell how the loss of Love will affect the Cardinals. They did have to play more than a full half without him, and they still outplayed the Hoosiers, even with the distraction. I'm sure Ball State's going to miss him throughout the season, but I doubt it's going to drastically hurt the team's chances to overtake CMU in the MAC West. After all, they still have coach Brady Hoke, quarterback Nate Davis, running back MiQuale Lewis, tight end Darius Hill ... you get the picture.

2. Central Michigan Chippewas (2-2 overall, 1-0 MAC)

I can't move them out of this spot just yet, even though they really should have beaten Purdue last Saturday. Their defense showed a lot of heart despite having lapses and more than its fair share of criticism. Coach Butch Jones' two-point call was risky, yet job-defining, and should give this team plenty of confidence heading into the thick of the MAC schedule. The first test is Buffalo on Saturday.

3. Buffalo Bulls (2-2 overall, 1-0 MAC)

Speaking of which! Even though the Bulls pulled within a few points of Missouri last weekend, I think we all knew they didn't have a chance to pull the upset. The Tigers were warming up, that's all. Either way, Buffalo has a huge chance to prove itself on Saturday, facing the two-time defending MAC Champs. (Note: Looking at their 2007 season was a lot like looking at CMU's 2005 season: Obviously, it's on the rise, and was within 2-3 games of clinching the MAC East. But like CMU, in close losses to WMU and NIU, the Bulls came up short. This could very well be the year the Bulls surprise everybody.)

4. Western Michigan Broncos (3-1 overall, 1-0 MAC)

So they're 3-1 and have a better record than CMU and Buffalo. Big deal. They beat a bunch of cupcakes, including last weekend's 44-7 loss to Tennessee Tech. They barely beat a rebuilding NIU team at home, so it still remains to be seen how good the Broncos are. They certainly have the potential to reach the top, but they did last year, too. Did they learn something that time?

5. Toledo Rockets (1-2 overall, 1-0 MAC)

I'm not very impressed with my second round of these rankings. I was hoping to change Toledo and Bowling Green around, mostly for the sake of the change in rankings, but I honestly couldn't. Toledo came darn close to beating a tough Fresno State team last weekend.  Coach Tom Amstutz pulled a Butch Jones and went for the 2 and the win. But for him, it just wasn't meant to be. I still think the Rockets have the best chance to beat CMU this year.

6. Bowling Green Falcons (1-2 overall, 0-0 MAC)

The Falcons enjoyed a bye week following two disappointing performances. Does a 27-17 "upset" over Pittsburgh really give you a two-week hangover? Let's hope they respond well against Wyoming this coming weekend.

7. Akron Zips (2-2 overall, 0-1 MAC)

Finally, a change - the Zips are coming off a good 23-3 win over Army. Sure, it's not all that impressive, but they are just the fifth MAC team to win two games so far... which sounds about right for a typical MAC season four weeks in. That is sad.

8. Northern Illinois Huskies (1-2 overall, 0-1 MAC)

Coach Jerry Kill gets his first win at NIU, and it took a pretty pitiful Indiana State team to accomplish it. It's not that the Huskies look all that bad - they really don't, after close losses to Minnesota and WMU - but nobody's really expecting much, either. I do expect them to beat EMU this weekend and make it 2-2. Then they get to play at Tennessee!

9. Ohio Bobcats (0-4 overall, 0-1 MAC)

Poor Bobcats. They lost another tough one, 16-8 to Northwestern. Realistically, this team is four plays away from being 3-1, and about 10 good minutes away from a landmark upset over Ohio State (even if the Buckeyes do stink right now) - unfortunately, though, Ohio just can't get over the hump. VMI should do the trick this weekend.

10. Kent State Golden Flashes (1-3 overall, 0-0 MAC)

11. Temple Owls (1-3 overall, 0-1 MAC)

12. Miami RedHawks (1-3 overall, 0-0 MAC)

13. Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-3 overall, 0-1 MAC)

I would get a lot less lazy and just write my own capsule for each team, but I'm afraid it's the same story told four times. All of these teams are very ordinary and probably won't win much more than four or five games this season, each. Ball State has to feel lucky getting three of these guys.

Check back later this week for preview coverage of CMU and Buffalo!