Over The Pylon

It certainly isn’t too soon to start wondering about the MAC Championship game and how certain teams can make it there. At the given time, six teams are still alive for their division, but after the next 48 hours, we’ll have a much cleaner picture about how the divisions shake out and who is still alive. Here’s where we stand now, before the Tuesday night Maction of Ohio @ Bowling Green and Buffalo @ Toledo and Wednesday night’s Game of the Year with NIU/Ball State:

MAC East

• Buffalo:
  • Current Record: 7-2 (5-0)
  • Remaining Games: @TOL, @MIA, BG
  • MACC Bound If:
    • W vs BG -OR-
    • L vs BG, W @ Toledo, W @ Miami and BG loss to either Ohio or @EMU
    • L vs BG, W @ Toledo, L @ Miami and BG loss vs Ohio and BG win @ EMU and Ohio W vs Kent and Ohio W vs Umass – a tiebreaker ensues where the team whose crossover opponents had the higher win percentage goes to the MACC
    • L vs BG, L @ Toledo, W @ Miami and BG loss vs Ohio and BG win @ EMU and Ohio W vs Kent and Ohio W vs Umass – a tiebreaker ensues where the team whose crossover opponents had the higher win percentage goes to the MACC
• Bowling Green:
  • Current Record: 6-3 (4-1)
  • Remaining Games: OHIO, @EMU, @BUFF
  • MACC Bound If:
    • W vs Buffalo, W vs Ohio, W @ EMU
    • W vs Buffalo, W vs Ohio or @ EMU and Buffalo loss to either @Toledo or @Miami
    • W vs Buffalo, L vs Ohio, W @ EMU and Ohio W vs Kent and Ohio W vs Umass and Buffalo loss to either @ Toledo or @ Miami – a tiebreaker ensues where the team whose crossover opponents had the higher win percentage goes to the MACC
• Ohio:
  • Current Record: 6-3 (4-2)
  • Remaining Games: @BG, KENT, UMASS
  • MACC Bound If:
    • W @ BG, W vs Kent, W vs UMass and Buffalo loss @ Toledo and Buffalo loss @ Miami and Buffalo loss vs BG
    • W vs BG, W vs Kent, W vs. UMass and BG W vs Buffalo and BG W @ EMU and Buffalo loss to either @Toledo or @Miami – a tiebreaker ensues where the team whose crossover opponents had the higher win percentage goes to the MACC
• Akron:
  • Current Record: 3-7 (2-4)
  • Remaining Games: @UMASS, TOL
  • MACC Bound If:
    • Not possible. Mathematically eliminated.
• UMass:
  • Current Record: 1-8 (1-4)
  • Remaining Games: AKR, @CMU, @OHIO
  • MACC Bound If:
    • Not possible. Mathematically eliminated.
• Kent State:
  • Current Record: 2-8 (1-5)
  • Remaining Games: MIA, @OHIO
  • MACC Bound If:
    • Not possible. Mathematically eliminated.
• Miami:
  • Current Record: 0-9 (0-5)
  • Remaining Games: @KSU, BUFF, @BSU
  • MACC Bound If:
    • Not possible. Mathematically eliminated.

MAC West

• Ball State:
  • Current Record: 9-1 (6-0)
  • Remaining Games: @NIU, MIA
  • MACC Bound If:
    • W @ NIU  -OR-
    • L @ NIU, W vs MIA and NIU losses against both @Toledo and WMU and Toledo loss against Buffalo or @Akron -OR-
    • L @ NIU, W vs. MIA and NIU loses against both @Toledo and WMU and Toledo wins against both Buffalo and @Akron – a tiebreaker ensues where the team whose crossover opponents had the higher win percentage goes to the MACC
• Northern Illinois:
  • Current Record: 9-0 (5-0)
  • Remaining Games: BSU, @TOL, WMU
  • MACC Bound If:
    • W vs BSU, W @Toledo -OR-
    • L vs BSU, W @ Toledo, W vs WMU and BSU L vs MIA -OR-
    • W vs BSU, L @Toledo, W vs. WMU and BSU W vs. MIA and TOL W against both Buffalo and @Akron – a tiebreaker ensues where the team whose crossover opponents had the higher win percentage goes to the MACC
• Toledo:
  • Current Record: 6-3 (4-1)
  • Remaining Games: BUFF, NIU, @AKR
  • MACC Bound If:
    • W vs BUFF, W vs NIU, W @AKR and NIU W vs BSU and BSU L vs MIA
    • W vs. BUFF, W vs NIU, W @AKR and NIU W vs BSU and BSU W vs MIA – a tiebreaker ensues where the team whose crossover opponents had the higher win percentage goes to the MACC
• Central Michigan:
  • Current Record: 3-6 (2-3)
  • Remaining Games: @WMU, MASS, EMU
  • MACC Bound If:
    • Not possible. Mathematically eliminated
• Eastern Michigan:
  • Current Record: 2-8 (1-5)
  • Remaining Games: BG, @CMU
  • MACC Bound If:
    • Not possible. Mathematically eliminated
• Western Michigan:
  • Current Record: 1-9 (1-5)
  • Remaining Games: CMU, @NIU
  • MACC Bound If:
    • Not possible. Mathematically eliminated

As you can see, the “control your own destiny” group of NIU, Ball State, Buffalo, and BG are sitting in the driver’s seat at the moment. After Wednesday, either BSU or NIU will need some help to make it to Detroit. For Ohio and Toledo, they need help already and much of it relies on the outcome of tonight’s and tomorrow’s contests. Leave it to the MAC to make it interesting this late in the season.

Filed under: MAC |