Another humbling Day, as I pick the divisions, starting in the West

Of course, what's the point of being a blogger if you don't get the opportunity to toss around your uninformed opinion all the time? My guess is as good as anyone's as to who will rule the MAC......(and that probably isn't very good.) Here, with accompanying rationale, are my picks for the MAC this year, starting with the West.

1. WMU

That's right, you heard me. Right out of the box, I'm going against the wind and picking Central to get beat this year. Here are my reasons.

• Winning three times is very difficult.
• WMU was darn close to being really good last season.
• WMU has a good D and a good enough O to torch CMU's D.
• Yes, the two teams play in Mt. Pleasant, but CMU has not historically been that tough at home and I think WMU can pull the upset.

2. CMU

See above. Injuries, karma, etc, come back to keep CMU from doing it all 3 years in a row.

3. Ball State

The current darling program, I believe they will take a step back this year. They benefited from a ridiculous turnover advantage--that usually doesn't happen twice, and, Phil Steele says that something like 1/3 of these teams (with big TO ratios) have worse records the next year. I think Ball steps back a little this season.

4. UT

The Rockets are on their way back, but they won't be back yet. I'm not convinced that their QB play is championship caliber, and I don't think their front 7 is there yet. These other teams are simply too strong. If they upset Ball State early in October, things could be happening. They will have to win in November at WMU.

5. EMU

This might be EMU''s best team in recent memory, which, while not saying much, is something. They are improving, and I think they will surprise people this year with an upset or two.

6. NIU--While Phil Steele really likes NIU, I just think NIU has too far to come against the competition in this division, especially at QB. They host both Miami and BG and will have a huge role in deciding who wins the East.

Tomorrow.....The Beast that is the East