Week 6 picks, preview: Michigan MAC seeks another 3-0 week, can MSU get off mat?
All four games this Saturday involving a team from Michigan kick off at 3:30 p.m.
It’s a 3:30 p.m. bonanza on Saturday, with all four Mitten teams in action kicking off then, while Michigan is idle.
Central Michigan gets a big test at Ohio, Eastern Michigan won’t be far away in a matchup at Akron, while Western Michigan hosts Kent State and Michigan State welcomes Illinois, both for homecoming.
Dig in to picks and previews below.
Central Michigan at Ohio, Peden Stadium, ESPN+
Ohio eked out a three-point win over Kent State to get to 1-0 in conference play last week while Central Michigan rolled Akron with six-straight touchdown drives in an eventual commanding win. But despite their differing openers in conference play, Saturday sets up to be a big test for both squads, and a bellwether for their respective ability to compete in the MAC. The winner will have an important leg up in any eventual tiebreaks. It’s also, specifically, a bit of a test for Matt Drinkall and his Central Michigan staff’s work to build a MAC-contending team. Drinkall and CMU didn’t play the Bobcats last year and the perennial conference contenders from Athens, Ohio, are a good measuring stick.
But Ohio is also on its third coach in three years and looks to have some weaknesses to be jabbed at. One is turnovers, as the Bobcats have three lost fumbles and quarterback Matt Vezza has thrown three picks. Vezza has also been shaky without throwing an interception, coming off a 73-yard passing performance in Ohio’s 13-10 win over Kent State. But Central Michigan isn’t exactly a high-flying passing offense, either. This game will be a battle of the trenches, run games and defenses, and it’s one Central Michigan seems equipped to win in a big measuring stick matchup in the MAC.
Central Michigan 22, Ohio 15
Eastern Michigan at Akron, InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field, ESPN+
Akron just got bulldozed by Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan is coming off a statement win over UMass. What sizes up on the surface to be a rollicking win for EMU en route to MAC contention will, more than likely, yield a much closer contest. Akron head coach Joe Moorhead got plenty of praise from Chris Creighton for his ability to dial up an offensive game plan to give a defense fits. The Zips also had Central Michigan backed up and on the ropes for parts of the first quarter, but couldn’t cash in on a few scoring chances, in part because of the CMU defense. The final score belied a game script that could’ve gone decidedly more in Akron’s favor vs. the Chippewas. EMU is a bit the same, nearly throwing a pick early vs. UMass.
Akron won’t go down easy, but a few things will ultimately be difficult to overcome, namely having to play Brayden Roggow, basically the third-string quarterback, of late, with an eligibility issue keeping starter Reese Poffenbarger out and backup-turned-starter Cibastian Broughton getting hurt. That, plus Eastern Michigan finally getting its offensive line intact and rolling to pair with a greatly improved defense and good passing offense, proves to be too much for the home team. EMU gets to 3-0 in the MAC and sets up a big game vs. Toledo on Oct. 17.
Eastern Michigan 31, Akron 17
Michigan State vs. Illinois, Spartan Stadium, FS1
As Bret Bielema said recently, it’s just one of those years — and it might as well be the case for both teams. And though Bielema is in a different spot, years into his Illinois tenure, than Pat Fitzgerald, both coaches just have teams that can’t seem to pull it together. MSU’s roster is rife with injuries, and the offensive line has again proven to be a struggle, only amplified by the absence of Cam Edwards. The defense hasn’t been blown away but has struggled to impact games, too. Much of the same can be said of Illinois, which has struggled to run the ball and parted ways with its DC after just four weeks.
Wideout Collin Dixon might be the difference in the game, as the star for the Illini has been a real bright spot amid a sour start. Oh, and former Spartan quarterback Katin Houser is back, starting for Illinois. This one is likely to be low scoring and not a terribly aesthetically pleasing football game. But Bielema’s program being more built up, and a bit less hurt, will show up in the end, as will Dixon and his talents. Illinois wins one of the winnable-looking games of Michigan State’s schedule.
Illinois 24, Michigan State 16
Western Michigan vs. Kent State, Waldo Stadium, ESPN+
After pulling out a win in Buffalo with a stirring goal line stand, Western Michigan will get a nice homecoming crowd and, in an ideal world, a chance to stretch its legs in a more comfortable MAC win ahead of the Battle for the Victory Cannon. Kent State, however, is plenty feisty, a credit to head coach Mark Carney, who is not also moonlighting as the Canadian PM. But the Golden Flashes also showed plenty of warts in a loss to Ohio, including a pair of interceptions from quarterback Dru DeShields. Kent State is also not very good at running the ball.
And despite the lack of touchdowns on Saturday vs. Buffalo, Western Michigan moved the ball fairly well, especially with Broc Lowry completing a high rate of passes for more than 200 yards. The margins between plenty of yards and plenty of yards and points seems slim. And Western Michigan also came up with five sacks last Saturday, as it might be figuring out how to get consistent pressure with its defensive talent. It might not be flashy, but Western Michigan gets the job done in a comfortable win on Saturday vs. Kent State.
Western Michigan 31, Kent State 17
