Ball State at Western MichiganBoth Ball State and Western Michigan got rebound victories last week. The Broncos beat Northern Illinois 17-13 to rebound from a one-point loss to Akron while Ball State beat Western Kentucky 35-12 after losing to Central Michigan 58-38. Ball State leads the MAC in scoring at 35.3 points per game and Western Michigan is third at 31.9 points per game. Ball State's defense is third in points allowed at 26.6 per game while the Broncos are third-worst in the conference at 35.0 points per game.
Staff PredictionsVinnie Lopes, Managing Editor: Ball State
Kyle Shaner, Sports Editor: Ball State
Lisa Rusche, women's basketball forward: Ball State
Buffalo at SyracuseBuffalo enters Saturday's game on a two-game winning streak as the Bulls beat Toledo 43-33 last week and Ohio 31-10 two weeks ago. Overall the Bulls are 3-4 on the season. Syracuse is 1-6 this year with its one win coming against then No. 18 Louisville. The team has lost its last three games. Syracuse is 0-1 against the MAC this season as it lost to Miami 17-14 three weeks ago.
Lopes: BuffaloShaner: SyracuseRusche: Syracuse
Northern Illinois at WisconsinAfter starting 5-0 and being ranked in the top 10, Wisconsin has lost its last two games, including a 38-7 loss to Penn State University last week. Against the Nittany Lions, the Badgers allowed a season-high in points and 221 rushing yards. In six games this season, Northern Illinois' Justin Anderson is averaging 124 rushing yards per game, second best in the MAC, but the Huskies' offense has a MAC-worst 19 points per game average. The Huskies are on three-game losing streak and have lost their last two games by a combined five points.
Lopes: WisconsinShaner: WisconsinRusche: Wisconsin
Miami at TempleAfter five consecutive losses to begin the season, Temple has won its last two games. The Owls beat Northern Illinois 16-15 two weeks ago and Akron 24-20 last week. The RedHawks are riding a three-game winning streak as they beat Syracuse 17-14 three weeks ago, Kent State 20-13 two weeks ago and Bowling Green 47-14 last week.
Lopes: MiamiShaner: MiamiRusche: Miami
Ohio at ToledoTwo of the MAC top five running backs will face each other Saturday. Toledo's Jalen Parmele is third in the conference averaging 113 yards per game and Ohio's Kalvin McRae is averaging 97.1 yards per game, fourth in the MAC. Despite Parmele rushing for 340 yards in the last two games, the Rockets enter Saturday winless in conference play. Ohio defeated Eastern Michigan last week to end a four-game losing streak. Against the Eagles, McRae had a season-high 170 rushing yards and had two touchdowns.
Lopes: ToledoShaner: ToledoRusche: Ohio
Northwestern vs. Eastern MichiganPlaying host to the fourth-annual College Clash at Detroit's Ford Field this week, Eastern Michigan has the second worst ranked offense in the NCAA, averaging 295.9 yards per game. Northwestern has had overtime games against Michigan State and Minnesota in the last two weeks. In addition Wildcats' quarterback C.J. Bacher leads the Big Ten with 2,237 passing yards. In the last three games, the Eagles have allowed at least 30 points in each game and a total of 641 passing yards.
Lopes: NorthwesternShaner: NorthwesternRusche: Northwestern
Bowling Green at Kent State The Bowling Green-Kent State matchup features the MAC's leading passer and leading rusher. The Golden Flash's Eugene Jarvis has a conference best 133.6 rushing yards per game. Bowling Green's Tyler Sheehan has a conference best 286.5 passing yards per game this season. Kent State has the second best pass defense in the MAC while Bowling Green is ninth in rushing defense.
Lopes: Bowling GreenShaner: Kent StateRusche: Bowling Green
Central Michigan at ClemsonCentral Michigan has not defeated a team from a BCS conference since 1992, but it is entering its final non-conference game of the season on a three-game winning streak. Quarterback Dan LeFevour is 60-of-77 for 611 yards in his last two games, wins against Army and Ball State, and was named the MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. Clemson is on a two-game losing streak, after dropping games to Georgia Tech and No. 15 Virginia Tech. However, Clemson has the eighth-ranked defense in the nation and is in the top 20 for passing defense.
Lopes: ClemsonShaner: ClemsonRusche: Clemson
Pick'em standingsIn week two the Daily News' competition Managing Editor Vinnie Lopes broke the tie to take a two game lead with a 6-2 week. Sports Editor Kyle Shaner and the guest picker, Editor in Chief Jessica Oxley, both went .500 on the weekend. Each week Lopes, Shaner and a guest picker from the newspaper staff or the Ball State athletics department will project the week's MAC games.
Overall standings:Vinnie Lopes: 10-5Kyle Shaner: 8-7Guests: 8-7
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