MAC Championship: Northern Illinois vs. Kent State
By Ty Duffy
BCS Buster: A Non-AQ school receives an automatic BCS bid if it finishes ranked in the BCS top 16 ahead of an AQ conference champion. Louisville was not in the BCS Top 25 during the last rankings. The winner of this game, whether it is Kent State (BCS No. 17) or Northern Illinois (BCS No. 21) could sneak into that Top 16 and grab a title bid, especially if UCLA (BCS No. 16) loses to Stanford.
Cradle of Coaches: Both schools could reach a BCS game. Would either head coach be there to participate? Former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren has doen a masterful job at Northern Illinois, having clinched consecutive 11-win seasons. Darrell Hazell, a longtime Ohio State assistant, has gone an improbable 11-1 in his second season at Kent State. Winner gets the first phone call from Purdue?
Players to Watch: Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch put up the type of production folks expected from Denard Robinson. He ranked 12th nationally in passer rating, completing 64 percent of his passes for 2,750 yards and a 23-4 TD to INT ratio. He was also the nation’s 5th leading rusher, putting up more than 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns on 6.9 yards per carry.
Kent State’s Dri Archer has been incredible as well. The junior has 1,795 yards and 18 touchdowns on 168 total touches. He has also taken three kickoff returns back for touchdowns this season. He has been slowed by ankle injuries, but is expected to play.
Perspective: We love our MACtion and all, but these teams lost to Kentucky and Iowa. Kentucky…and Iowa…Yuck.
[Photo via Presswire]