The Toledo program has been pretty good during the two years under Matt Campbell. Last year things were lookin very promising as they lined up rival Northern Illinois at home bu they couldn’t get the job done, ultimately falling to 7-5 and not being selected for a bowl game.
The Chippewas are looking to use this season to agin some ground on the likes of Northern Illinois in the MAC. It is not all that long ago that they were the top programm in the league using the running and passing of Dan Lefevour to not only win in the league but also scare the bigger programs that dot their schedule.
Eastern Michigan had no choice but to end the Ron English. This time they are going a different route grabbing a big time winner from a lower level instead of a hot coordinator from a Major program.
Up in DeKalb the Huskies have been one of the best programs in college football over the last few seasons. It starts with domination in the MAC but they have also challenged teams from the power conference, earning a BCS spot in the process a couple of years ago.
The Buffalo Bulls went 2-8 in 2010. They went 3-9 in 2011. In 2012, the Bulls went 4-8. The team has slowly been getting better, and expectations are definitely higher for the 2013 season. Jeff Quinn will have his most talented team since he has been here.
Kent State had a special season last year, but they’ll have to do it in 2013 without Darell Hazell who is now the head coach at Purdue. Hazell did an amazing job turning around this Kent State program, and losing him will almost certainly hurt this team.
Ball State used to be a perennial doormat in football, but that is no longer the case. The Cardinals put together a very good season in 2012. Ball State has been winning by outscoring its opponents. If they are going to take that next step toward a MAC title, they’ll have to be better on defense.
The Ohio Bobcats started last season with a big win at Penn State and even entered the Top 25 at one point, but injuries held the team back, and they finished the MAC with just a 4-4 record. They did finish off the season with a very impressive 45-14 win in the Independence Bowl over Louisiana-Monroe.
Bowling Green has made a lot of progress in the last couple years, but this season’s team has the highest upside of any Bowling Green football team in a very long time. There are nine starters returning on offense and nine starters returning on defense.
The Mid-American Conference is one of the best “mid-major” football conferences in the nation. Northern Illinois from the MAC went to a BCS bowl last year, and this conference has a history of pulling off upsets against the major conference schools.
The Northern Illinois Huskies were the dominant team in the MAC last year. The Huskies went unbeaten in the MAC regular season action.
The Miami Redhawks went 1-11 in 2009, but they made the single biggest turnaround of any team in the nation to finish 10-4 last season. Not only was it the biggest turnaround last season, but it also marked the biggest turnaround in the history of college football!
Al Golden did a terrific job turning around the Temple program, but now he is in Miami. It will be up to Steve Addazio and his staff to continue the success that Golden started.
Tim Beckman has successfully turned this Toledo football program around. This is a team that was at the bottom a few years ago.
Jeff Quinn came into Buffalo expecting to make this team into an offensive power, but the plan fell flat in his first year. Quinn’s Bulls finished dead last in scoring offense last year, as the Bulls averaged just 14.17 points per game.
Ball State made a coaching change in the offseason, and it is Pete Lembo who will be the new head coach for the Cardinals.
