Central Michigan (9-4) vs. Middle Tennessee State (7-5)
It wasn't long ago that all three directional Michigans were pretty much laughingstocks, with Central possibly being the weakest of them all. But under head coach Brian Kelly (who recently accepted the Cincinnati job), the Chippewas have become credible, and, pretty easily, the best team in the MAC this year. Redshirt freshman QB Dan LeFevour has been a revelation, and the defense has been strong, led by DE Dan Bazuin.
When the Sun Belt was formed a few years ago, Middle Tennessee was expected to be the class of the league. The Blue Raiders still have yet to win a conference title, but with this at-large bid, are finally going to the first bowl in school history. They had a few scrapes, FIU and Arkansas State sticking out, but MTSU pretty much deserves to be here. They also look to be a team on the way up thanks to a new coach, but Rick Stockstill is staying, at least through next season.
This game is a bit intriguing, mostly thanks to the departure of Brian Kelly. MTSU's had some bad games, barely cracking 200 yards against Troy and not even doing so against Florida International, but they have some talent, including QB Clint Marks and RB Eugene Gross. On the CMU side of things, they were indeed the class of the MAC, but it's been a down year for the conference, and the Chippewas never really had any completely dominant outings. CMU's vulnerable, especially with the coaching change, so I could see the upset happening. Still, this is far from a neutral field, and with the talent that the Chippewas have (namely, LeFevour and Bazuin), I don't think the players will let themselves lose.
My Pick: Central Michigan
Confidence (out of 5): 2
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