Entering its 62nd year of gridiron competition (hey, they’re older than me), the MID AMERICAN CONFERENCE returns to a balanced schedule, meaning each team will play eight conference games in 2008.  Better yet, all three MAC bowl teams from last season (Ball State, Bowling Green and Central Michigan) return record-setting QB’s.

Here is the take on the MID AMERICAN CONFERENCE for 2008 from Marc Lawrence of Playbook.com. Returning starters are listed alongside each team’s name (returning QB’s designated with an *). Coming up next: the MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE.  Enjoy…

MAC

AKRON - *8 / 5
Team Theme – FLAT TIRES
After enjoying the sweet taste of success his first two campaigns with the Zips, head coach J.D. Brookhart suffered the bitterness of defeat more often than not in his last two years at the Akron helm. He doesn’t like it, but the fact of the matter is he had better get used to it.  Finishing dead last in total offense in the conference last year (and No. 111 in the nation), Akron will look to returning QB  Chris Jaqueman and the top two kick returners in the nation, KR Bryan Williams and PR Andre Jones, to put points on the board.  In a puzzling move, Williams, also the team’s leading RB last season, shifts to DB on ’08.  A reeling team - Akron won one of its final six games SU, ATS and ITS (In The Stats) last year – with a lost offense leaves little to like with these retreads.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Kent State (10/4)

BALL STATE - *9 / 6
Team Theme – BIGGER CAJONES THAN EVER
The Testicular Ones put the pedal to the metal when the offense posted 27 or more points nine times last season. Behind star QB Nate Davis and the MAC's best receiving tandem (Dante Love - second in the nation in all-purpose yardage last year - and TE Darius Hill - at least 10 TD catches in each of the last two years), the Gonads set school records for points scored, passing yards, completions and touchdowns. That resulted in seven wins and a coveted bowl bid, their first since 1996.  Back for more with the offense still loaded, Davis (30 TD’s and only 6 INT’s last year) will look to improve the swollen Gonads’ record for the 4th straight year. Yeah, they’ve got some big ones.  With only four of this season’s opponents coming off a winning season, this should be a spotlight year for the guys from Muncie.
PLAY ON: vs. Miami, OH (11/11)

BOWLING GREEN - *8 / 9
Team Theme – BIRDS OF A FEATHER
The Falcons were flying high at season’s end last year, winning their final four games before being trashed by Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl game.  Nonetheless, the BeeGee’s welcome back 17 starters from last year’s squad, including QB Tyler Sheehan, a 3rd team all-MAC performer.  Sheehan completed 303 of 476 passes, good for 3,264 yards and 23 TD’s last season.  In addition, the top three RB’s (1,607 yards combined) are also back.  On the other side of the ball nine starters are on hand, including the entire secondary.  The co-MAC East Division champs have a lot to look forward to this season, including an 11-point only-home-loss revenge game against Ohio U.  That loss snapped a 5-game SU and 8-game ATS series win streak.  Against a featherweight schedule (only one opponent with a winning record last year), look for the birds of prey to swoop into title contention.
PLAY ON: vs. Ohio U (11/8)

BUFFALO - *10 / 8
Team Theme – ELEVATOR UP
Immediately after tying for the MAC East Division title last year, the Bulls promptly inked head coach Turner Gill to a contract extension through 2012. Wise move.  The MAC Coach of the Year has taken Buffalo from the outhouse to almost the penthouse in three short years.  Next on the agenda: a winning season.  Included among 18 returning starters this season are four all-MAC performers, not to mention SR QB Drew Willy and JR RB James Starks.  Willy completed 68.4% pf his passes for over 2,500 yards last season, while Starks became the first-ever Bulls’ running back to gain 1,000 rushing yards in a season.  In order to achieve their goal, Buffalo will need to put back-to-back wins together with some degree of regularity, something they’ve accomplished one time (last year) since 2001. Therefore, we’ll wait until it happens before we plunge.
PASS

CENTRAL MICHIGAN - *8 / 8
Team Theme – CHIPS AHOY!
It ain’t broke, and there’s no need to fix it.  That’s the good news in Mt. Pleasant these days after the Chippewas became the first team in school history to land successive bowl berths. Better news is the entire coaching staff returns but the best news is QB Dan LeFevour also comes back. Thunder Dan, a two-time all-MAC selection, became the second player in Division 1-A history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season (Vince Young was the other). He’s surrounded by other formidable weapons in RB Ontario Sneed (2,315 career rush yards and 28 TD’s) and WR Antonio Brown, the MAC Freshman of the Year, who set a school record with 102 receptions.  Together they will look to become only the second MAC team to win three straight championship games. That’s why head coach Butch Jones was inked to a 5-year contract extension through 2012.  Wise move. 
PLAY ON: vs. Purdue (9/20)

EASTERN MICHIGAN - *7 / 7
Team Theme – SPEADING THEIR WINGS
It’s called making the most of a mediocre season.  Sure, the Eagles were only 4-8 last year but, you’d never know it after reading the spring prospectus.  According to the booklet they won the Michigan Mid-American trophy with wins over Central and Western Michigan.  They finished in 3rd place is the MAC West Division at 3-2.  “We have improved as a team from a strength and speed perspective,” states head coach Jeff Genyk. 6’ 4” SR QB Andy Schmitt, who started 10 of 11 games, is back after tossing 14 TDs against 6 INTs last year.  In one of the quirkiest series of all, the 2004, ‘05 and ‘06 games against Central Michigan ended in overtime. Last year, Eastern won a 51-48 slugfest in regulation. Go figure. Until they learn to outstat opponents (2-10 ITS last year), we’ll wait for them to make the turn.
PASS

KENT STATE - *7 / 8
Team Theme – GOLDEN RETREIVERS
To go 3-9, while outgaining seven of twelve opponents, is perplexing.  To go 0-7 SU and ATS in your final seven games is agonizing.  Vacillating somewhere between the two emotions is Kent State head coach Doug Martin.  Surely he’s scratching his head wondering how his team could lose SIX TIMES straight-up as a favorite in the same season. But the Flashes did just that accounting for the perplexion and agony associated with their 2007 season. Fifteen starters will try to make amends this season, including SR QB Julian Edleman and star RB Eugene Jarvis, the MAC’s leading rusher with 1,669 yards. A well-fortified defense includes six seniors and seven juniors on the front seven.  Behind a solid recruiting class last season, and with paybacks galore in store in 2008, look for Flashes to be golden in revenge this season. 
PLAY ON: as a dog vs. Miami Oh (10/25)

MARSHALL – 8 / 8
Team Theme – PENNY LOAFERS
Mark Snyder knew he was stepping into some mighty big shoes when he inherited the head coaching job from Bob Pruett three years ago.  Pruett
left an indelible 94-23 mark on the program in his nine years on the sidelines. By our count, no matter how you size it up, Snyder has some catching up to do - and he’d better do it fast.  4-7, 5-7 and 3-9 seasons are not the sort of numbers you bring to the bargaining table when contract extension talks come up.  A star player for the Thundering Herd and former defensive coordinator at Ohio State under Jim Tressel, Snyder gets a huge boost on the DL with the return of 2006 CUSA Defensive Player of the Year Albert McClellan and Montel Glasco.  Both starters sat out last year with injuries and figure to bolster a soft rush defense. 
PLAY ON: as dog vs. Cincinnati (10/3)

MIAMI OHIO - *8 / 9
Team Theme – MONTGOMERY IN
Startling fact: Miami ranks No. 16 on the all-time winningest Division 1-A program list at 648-367-44.  Like Memphis, the RedHawks were a “Mission Team” in 2007 only they failed to make it to a bowl game after a loss against Central Michigan in the MAC championship denied them both the opportunity to become bowlers and a winning season. Nonetheless, Shane Montgomery has this team pointed in the right direction and is salivating to get back on the field.  He’ll take 18 seniors and 17 returning starters with him, including protégé Daniel Raudabaugh (who started seven games behind center in 2007).  Montgomery was a star QB at NC State and still holds the school records for most passing yards in a game. Six home games (none back-to-back) for the first time in school history makes Miami the team to beat in the East.
PLAY ON: vs. Ohio U (11/28)

NORTHERN ILLINOIS - *9 / 11
Team Theme – KILLER DOGS 
After racking up seven winning seasons in a row, head coach Joe Novak picked up his ball and went home following last year’s disastrous 2-10 effort. His retirement paved the way for the hiring of Jerry Kill (what a great name for a coach) and it will be up to him to remove the stench of that dismal season. Kill moves north from Southern Illinois where he built the Salukis into a Division 1-AA power, while guiding them to the playoffs each of the last five years. Surprisingly, he takes over a squad that owns the 11th best conference record in the nation (33-14 .702) since 2002.  Perhaps the most puzzling loss on last year’s slate was a 25-point setback at Central Michigan, a game in which NIU outstatted the Chippewas, 521-381. We like the Huskies’ chances to notch a 9th straight home win over the Chips (last home loss: 1977).
 PLAY ON: as a dog vs. Central Michigan (11/12) - *KEY off win

OHIO U – 8 / 7
Team Theme – SOLICH EN’ UP
After playing and coaching at Nebraska, Frank Solich realizes first and foremost that in order to win defense is ‘priority one’. That became painfully evident last season when the Bobcats regressed over 100 YPG defensively and slipped from a nine-win bowler to a .500 wannabe.  A brutal early season schedule means this year’s squad must rely heavily on a deep secondary and linebacker corps to help navigate its way into October. Despite a cast of 68 returning lettermen, the Bobbies lose QB Brad Bower and RB Kalvin McRae from last year’s squad.  McRae, a 1st team all-MAC performer, leaves with 4,398 yards – 5th all-time in MAC annals.  Thus, this is as a good a time as any for Solich to employ his new spread offense.  But nothing works if the defense doesn’t – and that’s the bottom line.  
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Kent State (10/11)

TEMPLE -  *10 / 11
Team Theme – THE MIDAS TOUCH
When the Big Tuna sends praise your way it’s always a good thing. Another good thing was Temple's hiring of Al Golden to resurrect the football program.  “Temple is fortunate to have a person  and a coach of his caliber leading it’s program.  Al has always been an outstanding defensive football coach,” said Bill Parcells.  That’s confirmed by the fact that last year Golden played more underclassmen (47 freshmen and sophomores) than any team in the nation, but still finished one-game shy of a share for the MAC East Division title. A walloping 21 starters return, including both lines. With only four opponents on this year’s schedule who sported winning records last year, it could be a golden time for the Owls in 2008.
PLAY ON: vs. Army (8/20)

TOLEDO - *6 / 8
Team Theme – LOCKED AND LOADED  
A 0-3 start and a 0-2 finish, coupled with a rash of injuries to the defense, led to the Rockets first losing season ever under Tom Amstutz last year.  Rest assured, the big guy is not a happy camper and is anxious to make amends  “We’re adding players into our defense that are in the all-league category.  It hurt us last season… but for this season it gives our defense as lot of depth,” said Amstutz.  The eight returning defensive starters are actually ten if you include those who missed last season.  On the other side of the ball, JR QB Aaron Opelt, a 3rd year starter, will be locked on all-MAC WR’s Stephen Williams and Nick Moore.  Last year’s pain could be this year’s gain for the Rockets.  
PLAY ON: vs. Bowling Green (11/28)

WESTERN MICHIGAN - *8 / 10
Team Theme – KILLER HILLER
A quick glance at last year’s stats explains a lot.  Despite an offense that improved 78 YPG behind the return of 2005 MAC Freshman of the Year QB Tim Hiller (missed 2006 season with knee ligaments), the Broncos ended the year 5-7 because of a defense that declined 124 YPG. The good news is eight starters are back on offense.  The bad news is 10 starters are back from that decaying defense.  WMU closed out the disappointing 2007 season with back-to-back wins, one at Iowa that denied the Hawkeyes a bowl berth, so there is cause for hope. With only three winning teams from last year on this year’s schedule (zippo in the first seven games), and with Killer Hiller back “on the mound”, don’t be surprised should the Broncos surprise in 2008.      
PLAY ON: vs. Central Michigan (10/18)