With Spring ball fast approaching I thought I would take a look at the MAC Football schedules and see which team(s) have the hardest route to a bowl game, or a division title. A few days ago I did the MAC East schedules, here is what lies ahead for each of the teams in the MAC West.
Here is a break down of some schedule markers using CFN's pre season rankings:
| BSU | CMU | EMU | NIU | TOL | WMU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference SOS | 99 | 102 | 98 | 100 | 99 | 98 |
| Non Conf SOS | 35 | 37 | 70 | 70 | 44 | 77 |
| Total SOS | 86 | 84 | 89 | 92 | 80 | 90 |
| Top 50 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Top 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Top 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bowl Teams | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 |
| Bowl Winners | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Winning Teams | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| FCS Teams | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Hardest Conference Schedule: Its a tie between EMU and Western Michigan, CMU draws the cupcake. This is not really as meaningful in the west as the East because every team in the west has five games in common (division).
Hardest Non Conference Schedule: Mathematically, Ball State, but in reality its CMU. The Cardinals two FCS opponent makes their out of conference rank pretty meaningless. The easiest schedule probably goes to Ball State. It's hard to measure because of the FCS opponents.
Toughest Road: The Toledo rockets who face seven 2009 Bowl teams and three 2009 Bowl Winners. Both CMU and NIU also have a difficult journey as they have respectable out of conference opponents and and both face east favorite Temple.
|
Ball State |
||||
| Team | CFN Score | Wins | Losses | Bowl |
| Southeast Missouri | FCS | |||
| Liberty | FCS | |||
| at Purdue | 58 | 5 | 7 | |
| at Iowa | 12 | 11 | 2 | W |
| at Central Michigan | 75 | 12 | 2 | W |
| Western Michigan | 99 | 5 | 7 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 120 | 0 | 12 | |
| at Toledo | 92 | 5 | 7 | |
| at Kent State | 100 | 5 | 7 | |
| Akron | 112 | 3 | 9 | |
| at Buffalo | 101 | 5 | 7 | |
| Northern Illinois | 91 | 7 | 6 | L |
| Total | 86 | 58 | 66 | |
|
Central Michigan |
||||
| Team | CFN Score | Wins | Losses | Bowl |
| Hampton | FCS | |||
| Temple | 84 | 9 | 4 | L |
| Eastern Michigan | 120 | 0 | 12 | |
| Northwestern | 56 | 8 | 5 | L |
| Ball State | 116 | 2 | 10 | |
| Virginia Tech | 7 | 10 | 3 | W |
| Miami | 117 | 1 | 11 | |
| Northern Illinois | 91 | 7 | 6 | L |
| Bowling Green | 93 | 7 | 6 | L |
| Western Michigan | 99 | 5 | 7 | |
| Navy | 47 | 10 | 4 | W |
| Toledo | 92 | 5 | 7 | |
| Total | 84 | 64 | 75 | |
|
Eastern Michigan |
||||
| Team | CFN Score | Wins | Losses | Bowl |
| Army | 107 | 5 | 7 | |
| at Miami | 117 | 1 | 11 | |
| Central Michigan | 75 | 12 | 2 | W |
| at Ohio State | 4 | 11 | 2 | W |
| Ohio | 94 | 9 | 5 | L |
| at Vanderbilt | 88 | 2 | 10 | |
| at Ball State | 116 | 2 | 10 | |
| at Virginia | 81 | 3 | 9 | |
| Toledo | 92 | 5 | 7 | |
| at Western Michigan | 99 | 5 | 7 | |
| at Buffalo | 101 | 5 | 7 | |
| Northern Illinois | 91 | 7 | 6 | |
| Total | 89 | 67 | 83 | |
|
Northern Illinois |
||||
| Team | CFN Score | Wins | Losses | Bowl |
| at Iowa State | 67 | 7 | 6 | W |
| vs. North Dakota | FCS | |||
| at Illinois | 69 | 3 | 9 | |
| at Minnesota | 73 | 6 | 7 | L |
| at Akron | 112 | 3 | 9 | |
| vs. Temple | 84 | 9 | 4 | L |
| vs. Buffalo | 101 | 5 | 7 | |
| vs. Central Michigan | 75 | 12 | 2 | W |
| at Western Michigan | 99 | 5 | 7 | |
| vs. Toledo | 92 | 5 | 7 | |
| at Ball State | 116 | 2 | 10 | |
| at Eastern Michigan | 120 | 0 | 12 | |
| Total | 92 | 57 | 80 | |
|
Toledo |
||||
| Team | CFN Score | Wins | Losses | Bowl |
| Arizona | 46 | 8 | 5 | L |
| at Ohio | 94 | 9 | 5 | L |
| at Western Michigan | 99 | 5 | 7 | |
| at Purdue | 58 | 5 | 7 | |
| Wyoming | 65 | 7 | 6 | W |
| at Boise State | 8 | 14 | 0 | W |
| Kent State | 100 | 5 | 7 | |
| Ball State | 116 | 2 | 10 | |
| at Eastern Michigan | 120 | 0 | 12 | |
| at Northern Illinois | 91 | 7 | 6 | L |
| Bowling Green | 93 | 7 | 6 | L |
| Central Michigan | 75 | 12 | 2 | W |
| Total | 80 | 81 | 73 | |
|
Western Michigan |
||||
| Team | CFN Score | Wins | Losses | Bowl |
| Michigan State | 49 | 6 | 7 | L |
| Nicholls | FCS | |||
| Toledo | 92 | 5 | 7 | |
| Idaho | 83 | 8 | 5 | W |
| at Ball State | 116 | 2 | 10 | |
| at Notre Dame | 59 | 6 | 6 | |
| at Akron | 112 | 3 | 9 | |
| Northern Illinois | 91 | 7 | 6 | L |
| at Central Michigan | 75 | 12 | 2 | W |
| Eastern Michigan | 120 | 0 | 12 | |
| Kent State | 100 | 5 | 7 | |
| at Bowling Green | 93 | 7 | 6 | L |
| Total | 90 | 61 | 77 |