Friday NCAAFB: MAC Title & Illinois
Ranked(!) Northern Ilinois takes on Miami (NTM) in the MAC Championship on ESPN2 tonight. The Huskies of NIU enter at 10-2 with one of the best rushing attacks in the nation and one of the best defenses to boot. They're 17.5 point favorites tonight.
Miami is 8-4, but went 7-1 in MAC play. They aren't very good on offense, ranking 40th with 243 passing yards per game and 114th in rushing yards per game at ~96.
Over/under is ~55. Despite the wide spread, I'm not confident in either way. I'm liking the under, though.
The second game of the night is Illinois(-5) and Fresno State. We're familiar with Illinois, and Fresno State is as expected. They are a rushing heavy team, but their stats aren't very impressive. Defense is also WAC-ish.
Normally those notes on Fresno State would lead to an easy cover for an BCS-AQ team. Not the Illini. They have a habit of making this closer than it should. FSU also gets up for games like this, especially at home. Tough call.
I'll take Illinois to cover. Over/under is 58. I'll take the over. The two teams posted 105 points last season. They aren't as explosive on offense this year, but we should still see plenty of points.
December 3rd, 2010 at 7:08 PM ^
Wow, Miami's RB sure isn't much of a burner.
December 3rd, 2010 at 7:09 PM ^
So this isn't a thread about RR?? Just doesn't seem right...
December 3rd, 2010 at 10:31 PM ^
If Illinois blows out Fresno will it make the Michigan victory look better and help RR ?
December 3rd, 2010 at 7:09 PM ^
December 3rd, 2010 at 7:12 PM ^
Just saw a blocked extra point. So at least our kicking isn't worse than the MAC.
December 3rd, 2010 at 7:17 PM ^
December 3rd, 2010 at 8:52 PM ^
Tell me, would you rather lose a rivalry game by 3 TDs or lose because the kicker missed not ONE but TWO extra points? (I know they weren't missed, per se, but they were super-low trajectory and easy to block)
December 3rd, 2010 at 8:54 PM ^
Same amount of alcohol is needed to forget both.
December 4th, 2010 at 12:50 AM ^
I'd take the missed extra points. Arizona fans can legitimately say that they were one kicker away from winning. If you lose by 20, you're a whole bunch of players away.
December 3rd, 2010 at 11:59 PM ^
I wouldn't be so sure about that...
December 3rd, 2010 at 7:22 PM ^
Bumping heads with ya, FA
Not on the MAC game, but I took Fresno and the points. In the jamiemacbubble, you always take Pat Hill's team as an underdog against a BCS school
Can we also get odds on the time it takes the 'what happens to this blog if the coach gets fired' post to devolve into a total shitstorm. Ok, that was a low blow. Sorry.
I actually didnt play this MAC game. I love underdogs, but, geez, Miami just doesnt scream confidence. Maybe they can hang in there
December 3rd, 2010 at 8:45 PM ^
I've been underwhelmed with Fresno this year. They don't have that marked swagger I've seen in years past, as reflected in their rushing stats dropping from years past. Any other year, I'm there with ya. This time around, I just don't feel Fresno.
December 3rd, 2010 at 7:33 PM ^
December 3rd, 2010 at 8:39 PM ^
After watching both these teams play in the regular season Northern Illinois is the much better team it seems but the MAC has a tendency to have wacky things happen. Should be a good second half.
December 3rd, 2010 at 8:50 PM ^
Where was this Miami quarterback all season? Dude's looking good right now. Great game plan by coaches to come out firing during after the half.
December 3rd, 2010 at 8:54 PM ^
He's been having a nice little season for himself. Highlights include a long bomb with a couple seconds left in the CMU game to win it.
December 3rd, 2010 at 8:56 PM ^
Don't remind me
December 3rd, 2010 at 8:58 PM ^
fire up Chips, eh? I share your pain.
December 3rd, 2010 at 9:00 PM ^
but yeah, definitely was a long year
December 3rd, 2010 at 9:04 PM ^
At least we beat western
December 3rd, 2010 at 9:08 PM ^
Great game
December 4th, 2010 at 12:07 AM ^
Actually, Boucher who played tonight is Miami's backup QB. Their starter, Zac Dysert, lacerated his spleen in the Miami-BGSU game (Fog Bowl), and Boucher has played well in place of him since then.
December 3rd, 2010 at 8:56 PM ^
That is definitely Miami ball.
December 3rd, 2010 at 9:04 PM ^
I loved the fake call, but no way I call a up the gut run from more than 3 yards out.
December 3rd, 2010 at 9:55 PM ^
I feel for the MAC - their level of play is usually pretty good at the top. But they seem to struggle more than other non-AQs at the gate.
December 3rd, 2010 at 10:15 PM ^
Looks like there were more people there for the MHSAA championships last week. What a pity.
December 3rd, 2010 at 10:01 PM ^
That 4 and 20 conversion was redonkulous!
December 3rd, 2010 at 10:03 PM ^
These Friday night games have been great the last two weeks.
December 3rd, 2010 at 10:07 PM ^
What a last sequence, remarkable finish here.
December 3rd, 2010 at 10:17 PM ^
Wow am I glad I caught the 4th quarter. What a finish. Northern Illinois has got to be so sick for giving up that 4th and 20 and then leaving wr wide open. Im thinking Fresno by 2 tds.
December 3rd, 2010 at 10:20 PM ^
what a fail of an opening sequence.
December 3rd, 2010 at 10:58 PM ^
I presume Illinois because it makes our victory over them look better; and likewise for UConn tomorrow?
December 3rd, 2010 at 11:16 PM ^
rooting for Fresno bc it makes UM's present situation look infinitely better than Illinois'
rooting for UConn so that they win the conference over WVU
December 3rd, 2010 at 11:13 PM ^
Illinois is doing their best to to remind us that they lost to a 1-9 Minnesota team on senior day.
So does this make Notre Dame our best win this year? or UConn? Maybe we need to wait until after UConn-USF to make that determination.
December 4th, 2010 at 12:10 AM ^
It seems like Illinois are having a horrendous time acclimating to the West Coast. Didn't Wisconsin always have this sort of problem, when they went to go play at the UNLV''s of CFB?
December 4th, 2010 at 12:35 AM ^
Why, oh why, would Fresno go for two with an 8-point lead? A PAT makes it a two possesion game! Derp! Hope they end up losing b/c of that ... fascinating decision.
December 4th, 2010 at 12:52 AM ^
Scheelhaase seems faster than I remember in our game. He's come on like gangbusters.
December 4th, 2010 at 1:28 AM ^
Zook challenges the spot on a 4th and 1.
Looked to me like he was 1/2 yard short, and it was pretty clear.
Hope Ian Thomas isn't hurt too badly. Classy throat slash from the cart... I really don't blame him.
December 4th, 2010 at 1:36 AM ^
25-23 Fresno State. Questionable call on that 4th and 1 challenge for sure, but it's still nice to have a better record than another B10 team for a change.
December 4th, 2010 at 2:00 AM ^
Questionable? I think that was the worst spot I have ever seen in a football game - and it was reviewed!
December 4th, 2010 at 11:10 AM ^
Illinois was robbed. Probably not the worst spot ever in terms of the distance between where the ball was and where it should have been, but if they make the right call Illinois probably wins.