This is probably going to be a lean year for MAC wins over P5 teams. Many of the conference’s weaker squads play some of the toughest P5 teams this season. Here’s a ranking from most likely to least likely as I see it:
Quite Possible
NIU at home over Vandy
Miami at Northwestern
One or Two Possible
NIU at Kentucky
Miami at Kentucky
Kent State at Washington
Pittsburgh at Western
Eastern at Arizona State
Unlikely
CMU at Oklahoma State (Cowboys Get Revenge)
Buffalo at Maryland
Western at Michigan State
Central at Penn State
Highly Unlikely
Bowling Green at UCLA
Ball State @ Tennessee
Ohio at Iowa State
Bowling Green at Mississippi State
Snowball’s Chance in Hell
Kent State at Oklahoma
Kent State at Georgia
Ohio at Penn State
Akron at Tennessee
Akron at Michigan State
Toledo at Ohio State
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KSU has road games against Oklahoma, Georgia, and Washington?
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UK is a legit SEC football team these days and their QB is solid. I don’t like our odds there.
Northwestern will be interesting. I know nothing about their roster, but they were obviously down last year. A solid Miami contingent in Evanston would help too. Should be a one score game either way.
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Yep. Before the MAC Championship game last year Sean Lewis told ESPNU that those kinds of games are what give the Flashes the ability to stop a two-point conversion with the MAC East Championship on the line. Washington was uncharacteristically awful last season and the Kent game will be their first under a new coach. They were trounced last year by WSU, the team Central beat in the Sun Bowl. The opportunity for Kent to pull a PAC 12 upset might never be riper than this Labor Day weekend.
I think UK’s top rusher might be facing some kind of legal actions and may not be available for their opener.
NU has typically bounced back from their bad seasons, but last year was their first without their longtime DC so it might be a sign of a downturn. Regardless, we should be the kind of program that pounds a mediocre P5 team.
Noting that Miami is 0-10 against P5 since Martin took over, though most had winning records the season we played them (all besides 2014 Michigan and 2016 Mississppi State). We should’ve found a way to beat MSU in St. Pete and Minnesota last year.
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