4. MAC
Ask any investor, and the 2019 MAC was impossible to call on a weekly basis. It’ll be even more difficult this year.
Akron was the worst team in college football last season. There’s no chance it’ll be that bad again – it just can’t be – and Bowling Green should be a bit stronger under Scot Loeffler in his second season. However, the strength of the MAC is in its bulk mediocrity.
That’s sort of being hailed as a positive.
It would be nice if there was an alpha-dog up top to give the league an identity. but it’ll once again be a wide open race. Throw this into the “If Central Michigan could go from winless to the MAC Championship game” category.
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Toledo is coming off a down year – it’s going to be good enough to win the MAC.
Buffalo is going to be good enough to win the thing, too. The same goes for Ohio, Western Michigan, and defending conference champ Miami University.
Northern Illinois is too good a program to be as lousy as it was last year in Thomas Hammock’s first season at the helm, and even with an overhaul needing to be done, Central Michigan will once again be a factor under Jim McElwain.
Throw in Eastern Michigan and it’s regular appearances on the bowl circuit, and there’s a lot to like in one of the nation’s most even leagues.
And then there’s big difference in the league from last year to this season. There just aren’t as many pathetic teams.
Ball State was okay despite a few issues, and it has a whole lot of good parts coming back. Kent State is the big kicker, going from a speed bump to a bowl winner in just two seasons under Sean Lewis.