Rank Rank (Pv) Team Record What We Learned

1 1 No. 23 NIU 6-0 (2-0) The Huskies had quite a scare saturday, but still won. In fact, NIU hasn't looked all that impressive against anyone this year, but the undefeated record speaks volumes. Northern Illinois knows how to win, and will bite, scratch and claw its way to even the ugliest of wins. But, the defense is still a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

2 2 Ball State 6-1 (3-0) An off week for the Cardinals' potent offense, but somehow, someway Ball State still managed to pull out the win. BSU continues to prove to be a solid all-around team, much more than just an offensive juggernaut. Keith Wenning just might be the best player in the MAC right now, sorry Jordan Lynch.

3 3 BGSU 5-2 (3-0) The Falcons nearly beat a decent SEC team. Yes Mississippi State is at the bottom of the SEC, but it's still an SEC school. BG played hard, and losing by 1 is a moral victory, even if that is still a loss on the record books. The Falcons also moved the ball relatively well, and if they could have performed better at the end, would have won.

4 5 Toledo 3-3 (2-1) Bye week, nothing to see here.

5 4 Ohio 4-2 (1-1) Is this the begining of the annual Ohio mid-season meltdown? It sure has the markings to be after the 'Cats lost to CMU on Homecoming. Ohio turned the ball over four times in the loss and once again struggled to mvoe the ball. With injuries ravaging the offensive line, Ohio could be in for some trouble.

5b 6 Buffalo 4-2 (2-0) The Bulls should probably be higher than this, but I'm still not convinced. The Bulls have won 4 straight, but against opponents whose combined record is 4-20, and three of those wins belong to member Stony Brook. Buffalo has been playing well, but it needs to do that against a competitive opponent.

7 7 Kent State 2-5 (1-3) The Golden Flashes have become immensely more competitive in recent weeks as guys have started to heal up. Their record is bad, but all three of those conference losses have came against the top three teams in the MAC. With their schedule easing up now, the Flashes should be able to rattle off some wins.

8 8 CMU 3-4 (2-1) I would like to move CMU up, but ultimately its too soon to do so. The Chippewas win was impressive, there's no denying that. But, we need to see Cooper Rush play like he did Saturday more than once.

9 9 Akron 1-6 (0-2) I am done trying to figure this team out. Competitive against No. 11 Michigan, blown out by Ohio, than came close to beating NIU on the road. Clearly the Zips have some talent, but consistency is a huge issue with this team. I truly believe they cannot play at home, in front of nonexistent crowds.

10 10 EMU 1-5 (0-2) EMU benefited from the three teams below being bad teams. The Eagles performance against Army in the second half was awful. Any team that allows more than 500 rushing yards is terrible, I don't care who it's against.

11 13 UMass 1-5 (1-1) A win is a win, even if it's over Miami. Even though the Minutemen's win is over an FBS team, they're still not as good (or more awful) than EMU, for now.

12 11 WMU 0-7 (0-3) Western Michigan continues to look helpless. But, the Broncos are still not the worst team in the conference, even if just barely.