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Offense QB Charlie Sanford: 36 completions 55 attempts 444 Yards 6 Touchdowns versus Coastal Carolina Defense DE Nicholas Blackwell: 5 Tackles, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks Special Teams K Phillip Lane-Hickey: 3 for 3 Field Goals, Makes of 42, 35, 28. 1 for 1 Extra Points

Updated Post Week 1

Ouch, rough week for MAC Thursday Night: Score: Buffalo 35 UCONN 24 My Prediction: UCONN 31 Buffalo 21 POTG: RB Denzel Porter, Buffalo, 25 carries, 180 Yards, 3 Touchdowns What Happened: Buffalo ran the dang ball. Porter had a monster game and Thompson had a good day on the ground as well. The Bulls averaged over 7 YPC on the ground, and when you can do that, not only can you score lots of points. You can also maintain possession. Thompson was OK in the air, 10/17 for 116 Yards with 1 Touchdown. The completion % is a tad low, but no turnovers was huge there. As predicted, Gavin Faulk went off. He had 14 receptions for 195 yards and 2 Touchdowns. He's a stud and he's impossible to stop sometimes. But he was the only receiver who really shined. Mario Steen had 65 yards as the #2 Huskie on the receiving end. QB Rob Andersen was pretty good, 29/42 with 390 yards with 3 Touchdowns and 1 Interception. The big key in this game was 3rd Down Conversions. Buffalo was 5/10 while UCONN was 4/12. UCONN likely faced longer 3rd Down Attempts, and had trouble converting them all. Buffalo likely had shorter, and fewer, attempts which proved slightly easier to convert. This kept the Huskie Offense on the sideline and the Bull offense on the field. Next for Buffalo: Week 2 versus Marshall Score: Northwestern 38 Central Michigan 16 My Prediction: Central Michigan 35 Northwestern 24 POTG: QB E.J. McGuire, NU, 30/40 with 381 Yards for 4 Touchdowns What Happened: E.J. McGuire happened. The Senior had an incredible game with 75% Completion for 381 Yards and 4 TDs with 0 INTs. His favorite target was James Burnette, who finished 10 receptions for 136 yards and 2 Touchdowns. The Chips had no answer for that pair. RB Makai Denson had 84 yards on 14 carries fora YPC of 6. Byron Suggs was good through the air as he went 17/24 with 189 Yards, but no Touchdowns. He only had 19 yards on the ground. RB Daveed Huff struggled really hard, he had 51 yards on 17 carries. He had two fumbles, losing one. The Chips couldn't stay on the field, as they only converted 4/12 3rd Down Attempts while Northwestern went 7/12. Nazir Tatum-Kimbrough brought his A-Game though, getting 2 TFL and 2 Sacks. That's an encouraging sign going forward for the Chips. Next for CMU: Week 3 at Houston Friday Night: Score: Georgia Tech 22 Ball State 17 My Prediction: Georgia Tech 42 Ball Sate 17 POTG: WR Anthony Swanson, Georgia Tech, 10 receptions for 94 Yards with 1 Touchdown What Happened: I honestly don't know how this game was so close. I know Beckett wasn't very good as he wen 22/41 in his passes. But the Jackets had 0 Turnovers and Anthony Swanson got his. Tech was up 16-3 at Halftime, then the Cardinals came storming back outscoring the Jackets 14-6 in the 2nd Half. But it just wasn't enough. Beckett had 225 yards with 2 Touchdowns. True Freshman Leonard McIntosh finished with 10/19 for 104 Yards with 1 Touchdown and 1 Interception. He also had 5 yards on 2 carries. No surprise, the true freshman struggled in his first game on the road. RS Sophomore RB Damani Laws also had his own issues. He finished with 67 yards on 17 carries. Going forward, the Cards would like to see him get more carries, but being down two scores at half forces an offense to throw more than they'd probably like to. Another issue for Ball State, they allowed 5 Sacks. The Cards are already missing Aiden Hammer in a big way. Next for Ball State: Week 2 at UNLV Score: Middle Tennessee State 34 Akron 16 My Prediction: Akron 24 MTSU 20 POTG: QB Tim Pritchard, MTSU, 23/33 with 301 Yards and 3 Touchdowns What Happened: The Akron offense struggled really hard. Donahue completed just over 50% of his passes for 185 Yards and 1 TD to 2 INTs. Cameron Wade had 53 yards on 18 carries. They only converted 4/14 3rd Down Attempts. The Zips just couldn't get anything going offensively and couldn't stay on the field. The Zips OL only had 3.0 Rating, so virtually everything went wrong. Meanwhile, the Blue Raiders were good on offense. The POTG had a good game with 0 Turnovers. RB Gregory Crosby had 21 carries with 102 Yards and 1 Touchdown. The Raiders offense was multi-faceted and attacked all areas of the defense. The Raiders had two players with 7 receptions and 90+ yards and a TD each. Next for Akron: Week 2 versus Miami (FL) Score: UTSA 38 Bowling Green 19 My Prediction: UTSA 45 Bowling Green 13 POTG: QB Justin Radford, UTSA, 27/42 for 340 Yards and 5 Touchdowns. What Happened: Look at the above statline. The Roadrunners torched the Falcon's Defense through the air. UTSA finished with 3 players getting 80+ yards receiving each. RB Samuel Laws had 56 yards on 12 carries, which isn't massive. But it was efficient enough to trust the running game on 3rd and Short. Offensively for the Falcons, Coyne struggled in his debut. He finished with 17/34 for 172 Yards with 1 Touchdown and 1 Interception. RB Calvin Alexander only had 39 yards on 11 carries, but did get 44 yards on 3 receptions. Coyne was sacked 3 times as well. UTSA is a tough opponent though, so hopefully the Falcons get better throughout the season. Next for Bowling Green: Week 3 at Marshall Score: Northern Illinois 51 Coastal Carolina 14 My Prediction: Northern Illinois 45 Coastal Carolina 3 POTG: QB Charlie Sanford, NIU, 36/55 with 444 Yards for 6 Touchdowns What Happened: The Huskies showed up and played football. Coastal Carolina is just not in a good shape as a program right now. They're still building their program from scratch and NIU has some playmakers. RB Khalil Eubanks had 36 yards on 6 carries with 1 Touchdown. Even the running game as efficient in its low role. Maxwell Rider had 165 yards and 2 Touchdowns receiving, Damione Herbert had 92 yards and 1 TD, Gabriel Davidson had 84 yards with 2 TDs, and Molag McIntosh had 55 yards with 1 TD. The Chanticleers had no answer to this passing game. QB Roger Reese for C-Car had 50% Completion for 190 Yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. RB Amadou Jackson had 64 yards on the ground with a TD and a lost fumble. The two turnovers gave the Huskies more offensive ammunition that they really didn't need. On top of that, the OL Rating was 2.9 and they only converted 1/13 3rd Down Conversion. Next for NIU: Week 3 at Air Force Saturday Morning: Score: Vanderbilt 40 Ohio 29 My Prediction: Vanderbilt 27 Ohio 21 POTG: QB Tyler Mackey, Vanderbilt, 24/32 for 270 Yards with 2 Touchdowns. What Happened: The Bobcats were up at the Half, 19-17. But then the Commodores outscored them 23-10 in the 2nd Half to win the game. Austin Lowe played mostly well, 24/40 for 285 Yards with 2 Touchdowns. Jeffrey Flowers struggled heavily as he had 45 Yards on 12 carries. The lack of diversity in the offensive gameplan lead to poor 3rd Down conversion rates. They finished 5/15, and I have to imagine a chuck of those failures came in the 2nd half. DE Nicholas Blackwell made himself known, as he had 2 TFL and 2 Sacks for the Bobcat Defense. RB Owens-Hodges for Vanderbilt finished with 116 yards on 22 carries with 1 Touchdown. Unlike Ohio, Vanderbilt was balanced on offense and that helped out quite a bit in the 2nd Half. WR DeAndre Felder had 7 receptions for 102 yards and 1 Touchdown, He gave Mackey a reliable target downfield all game long. Next for Ohio: Week 3 versus UNLV Saturday Afternoon: Score: Rice 52 Eastern Michigan 28 My Prediction: Rice 42 Eastern Michigan 21 POTG: QB Eric McLean, Rice, 32/43 for 535 Yards with 7 Touchdowns What Happened: Eric McLean happened. 535 Yards and 7 Touchdowns to 0 Interceptions is domination offensively. Rice dominated the 1st and 4th Quarters, outscoring EMU 21-0 in both. However, the middle quarters belonged to Eastern as they outscored Rice 28-10. After 3 Quarters, the score was 31-28 in favor of Rice, but then Eric McLean went super saiyan and destroyed EMU in the 4th. Jordan Cunningham had 165 yards with 3 Touchdowns receiving for the Owls, Deontray Clay had 155 yards and 2 Touchdowns, and Darius Watkins had 101 yards with1 Touchdown. The Owl Defense forced a turnover and sacked Shaw 4 times. Offensively, Eastern was able to run the ball fairly well. RB Tyler Pearson had 110 yards on 20 carries with 1 Touchdowns. Shaw added 14 yards on 2 carries. Going forward, Eagles fans will probably like to see more carries for Shaw. Shaw also had 19/28 for 229 Yards with 2 Touchdowns and 1 Interception. The Eagles OL fell on their face as they had a 2.9 OL Rating and allowed 4 Sacks. Even with that poor OL showing, Pearson managed a 5.5 YPC, which has to be very encouraging for the Eagles. Next for EMU: Week 2 versus Western Kentucky Saturday Night: Score: Oregon State 31 Kent State 20 My Prediction: Oregon State 35 Kent State 6 POTG: RB Lloyd Samuels, Oregon State, 25 carries for 158 Yards with 2 Touchdowns. What Happened: The Flashes kept this game much closer than I expected. Andre Evans wasn't great in the air as he had just over 50% Completion for 180 Yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. RB James Ridley-Henly had only 32 Yards on 13 Carries. The Flashes just couldn't save their drives as they went 4/13 on 3rd Downs. They lacked the offensive firepower to keep up with the Beavers. QB Eli Sherrill had a great game in his first start as he went 19/25 for 208 yards with 2 Touchdowns. Add in Samuels' performance, and you have a great balanced approach by the Beavers and it proved impossible to stop for the Flashes. Next for Kent State: Week 3 at Louisville Score: Miami 38 New Mexico 10 My Prediction: New Mexico 31 Miami 21 POTG: QB Zak Cera, Miami, 28/37 for 350 Yards and 3 Touchdowns. What Happened: The Redhawks Defense came to play. I stated in my prediction that I thought Colbert would be good in this game. But the Hawks held him to 104 yards on 24 carries. The Hawks had 4 TFL reported on the statsheet. 1 by Josiah Graham, 2 each by Morris Jackson and Josiah Ornelas. The Lobos were horrific on 3rd Downs, converting only 2 of the 15 attempts they had. You'd expect a team good at running the ball to have a better 3rd Down Conversion, but the Hawks held them to longer 3rd Down Attempts and came to play. The Flamethrower did Flamethrower things. The running game was disappointing as Garrett finished with 51 Yards on 18 carries for 1 Touchdowns. TE Casey Swann played great as he had 6 receptions for 104 Yards with 1 Touchdown. Look for him to have a huge year. Next for Miami: Week 2 at Wake Forest MAC Record: 3-7 My Prediction Accuracy: 6-4

Shout out to @TheSam for making the official logo.

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Saturday Morning: Match-Up: Vanderbilt at Ohio Note: Coach @AD3378 returns for another campaign as the Head Coach of the Bobcats. They have a big task in front of the mas they host the Commodores of Vanderbilt. But, the Bobcats are tough team and won't go down easy. Keys for Ohio: 1. Stay Balanced. Austin Lowe and Jeffrey Flowers are back, and should be better. Lowe has Jordan Barnes, Aaron Thibodeaux, and Caleb Holman to throw to again. This team should be able to pass and run the ball efficiently regularly. Keeping the 'Dores Defense on their toes is a huge key for the Bobcats in this game. 2. Get Pressure on the QB. Nicholas Blackwell, Brady Whittaker, and James Adam need to get in the backfield. They'll be assisted by Paul Boykin and Elias Glenn. QB Tyler Mackey struggled at points last season, and getting pressure on him early could rattle him. 3. Don't Attempt Any Field Goals. Just don't. Don't let Aron Hutton play a role in this game, be aggressive and keep your offense on the field. Keys for Vanderbilt: 1. Keep Mackey Upright. The Bobcats pass rush isn't stellar and this OL is young, but very talented. But Mackey needs some help, the 'Dores hope he improves on last year's campaign, and one way to do that is to keep him upright and give him time. 2. Find DeAndrea Felder. The best threat in the passing game is WR DeAndre Felder (5/5, Sr), and he needs to be featured heavily. He has a tough match-up with Bobcat CB Shawn Tillman (5/5, Sr). Felder has 7 Inches on Tilman, so I'll give him the edge here. 3. Bend Don't Break. Don't worry about giving up yards, the Ohio Offense is pretty good. But they have an atrocious kicking game. Hold them out of the end zone and force Field Goal Attempts. Prediction: Vanderbilt 27 Ohio 21 Saturday Afternoon: Match-Up: Rice at Eastern Michigan Note: Coach @tsweezy returns after leading EMU to 7 straight wins in the regular season (although they had the MAC's only Bowl Loss). But Rice has playoff aspirations, and Eric McLean is making his last rounds in CFBHC. Eastern has to put in a great performance to stop him and walk away with a win. Keys for Eastern Michigan: 1. Stay Balanced. Giovanni Shaw is a senior, also making his last rounds in the college level. But the Eagles add in (Fr) RB Tyler Pearson, a 5* player. Both players need to touch the ball a lot to keep Rice off-balance defensively. 2. Sack McLean. Rice isn't completely one-dimensional, but McLean is clearly the focal point of their offense. The Eagles are questionable at the pass rushing positions in terms of effectiveness. But they have to step up and get after McLean. 3. Find a way to stop Deontry Clay. The Owls do bring in Darius Watkins and Jordan Cunnigham to throw to, but Clay is the most talented of the bunch and he's McLean's top target. Stopping him could slow down this offense enough to give your own offense enough chances to pull off the upset. Keys for Rice: 1. Throw the ball. You have the best unit on the field with your passing game. Let them do their thing, Eastern can't stop you. 2. Stop the Run. The best thing Eastern will do is run the ball, you have the talent in the Front-7 to stop them. Shutting down the running game will completely shut down this offense. 3. Score Touchdowns. Eastern can run, and if you can't stop them, they could potentially hold the ball for a while. Scoring Touchdowns when you get the ball will insure you win. Prediction: Rice 42 Eastern Michigan 21 Saturday Night: Match-Up:: Kent State at Oregon State Note: Coach @Ryana16 makes his coaching debut on the road facing the Beavers of Oregon State. Oregon State has been one of the worst teams in the history of the sim, but last year they make huge improvements and look to continue making strides in 2022. This should be one of the few games in which they're considered the favorites in the past few seasons. Keys for Kent State: 1. Find a way to keep your offense on the field. Your team lacks talent in literally every position. But, I think offense might be easier to manufacture rather than defense, so keeping the other team on the bench could be your only chance. 2. Fluster the QB. Eli Sherrill makes his first start for the Beavers, get after him and see if you can rattle him and keep the Beavers O on the bench. 3. Create Turnovers. Your offense needs help (as does your defense), but creating turnovers and getting short fields could jump start your offense. Keys for Oregon State: 1. Feed Lloyd Samuels. Lloyd looks to be your bellcow, and bellcows need to eat and eat often. Give him all the carries you can. 2. Avoid Turnovers. One of the few ways Kent State can win is by forcing mistakes by the Beaver Offense. Avoiding Turnovers and keeping your offense on the field will lead to a definite win. 3. Show Up. Show up and be ready to play. If you're flat, you might give the Flashes some hope and confidence. Shut them down early and put them away. Predictions: Oregon State 35 Kent State 6 Match-Up: Miami (OH) at New Mexico Note: Coach @Rawlee305 is coaching in his first game and is looking to this one to get his first win. But he has to go up against one of the most veteran coaches we have, Coach Dean_Craig_Pelton. New Mexico has a solid team, and this game won't be easy to win. Keys for Miami: 1. The Flamethrower. Zak Cera makes this offense go, he lost one receiver to the NFLHC, but Casey Swann returns and looks to continue his amazing career. If Cera goes for over 300 Yards with 3-4 Touchdowns and No Picks, the Redhawks will be sitting in good position. 2. Ajani Garrett. Garrett has to get 18-20 carries, and he needs to get 4.5+ YPC on those carries. Getting 80-90 rushing yards will force the defense to respect the running game just enough to open up the passing game even more. 3. Stuff Aiden Colbert. The Lobos will likely be leaning on Star RB Aiden Colbert, and the Redhawks do have a couple guys in the F-7 to stop him. DT Morris Jackson, ILB Josiah Graham, and ILB Kayden Shaw will be the keys to stopping Colbert. Keys for New Mexico: 1. Feed Colbert. Aiden is your bellcow, and as I mentioned earlier, bellcows need to eat. Miami has some talent up the middle, but they're vulnerable at the perimeter. Getting outside is probably the key for Colbert. 2. Get After Cera. Yes, Garrett is a key, but the real key to the Redhawk offense is Zak. Dean Fagan and Jeremy Gilmore-Thornton should have plenty of opportunities to pressure Cera and force mistakes. 3. Avoid Kicking Field Goals. Luke Rowland is a 2.5/3, don't put the game in his legs and put in the legs of Colbert. Prediction: New Mexico 31 Miami 21

Congrats @Jordanozenne! First Win!

You have my game way closer than I do. Don't know if I can score that much tbh.

Coached by @MasonAsher NIU has gone from Conference Favorite to Cellar Dweller. They're looking to change their trajectory, and this year could be the beginning of that. The Good: QB Charlie Sanford.: For a team trying to build itself, relying on veteran players is a good way to do it. The Senior returns for his last year in college ball before heading to the pros. Sanford completed 56% of his passes for 2,249 yards with 16 Touchdowns to 14 Interceptions. Clearly he has to improve, but he's the key for the offense. Offensive Line: Left to Right - LT Jermon McCullough (4/4), LG Jaiden Polk (3.5/3.5), C Cooper O'Neill (4/4), RG Farea Leolofi (2.5/4.5), RT Anthony Sprague (3.3). This unit should keep Sanford upright and create holes for RB Khalil Eubanks. I mentioned that Sanford is the key, but I'm gonna change my mind, this Offensive Line is the key. ILBs: The Huskies have (4.5/5, Jr) Oliver McNeal at the Mike, and (4.5/4.5, Sr) Kirean Linn at the Will. These two should anchor the defense and stuff opposing teams. The pair combined for 77 Tackles, 3 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 Interception, and 2 Passes Defended. The rest of the defense feeds off of these guys, and they clean up everyone else's mistakes. The Bad: Offensive Skill Players: Eubanks is new to the starting job, so we really don't know what the 3.5/3.5 (Jr) can do. WR Maxwell Rider is a nice player as a 3/4 (So), but he had 640 yards with 4 Touchdowns and 4 Drops in 2021. WR Gabriel Davidson (2.5/3 So) had 250 yards with 1 Touchdown and 1 Drop last season. The next 3 guys on the depth chart are true freshman 1/3s. A good offensive line will help this team out, but the players surrounding the QB leave a lot to be desired. Defensive Line: The Huskies run out LE Christopher Carmona (3.5/3.5, Jr), DT Samuel Nielsen (3.5/3.5, (Sr)), RE Tywin Reis (2.5/2.5, Sr). This unit will struggle to get pressure and get to the backfield will regularity. Those ILBs will have a bunch on their plate this year. Only Carmona started last year, and he had 17 Tackles and 6 Sacks. Not bad stats for a 3-4 DE, but the other two players are totally untested. OLBs: LOLB is Ivan Rosenberg (3/3, Jr) and ROLB is Sean Clarke (3.5/3.5, Sr). The pair combined for 27 Tackles, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks, 1 Pick Six. You look for more out of your 3-4 Edge LBs, but these guys just didn't bring it. 2 sacks combined (both coming from Clarke) is incredibly concerning. This pair needs to improve and do a better job of getting after the QB. The Schedule: The OOC is: Week 1 versus Coastal Carolina Week 3 at Air Force Week 4 at Fresno State Week 7 versus Illinois State I see a record of 2-2. The wins coming against Coastal Carolina and Illinois State. I see Air Force as a for sure loss. I do see Fresno as a likely loss, but a possible win if things go your way. The Conference is: Week 8 versus Western Michigan Week 9 at Toledo Week 10 Eastern Michigan Week 11 at Akron Week 12 versus Miami (OH) Week 13 at Central Michigan Week 15 at Ohio Week 16 versus Ball State I see a record of 4-4 against this group. Wins coming against: Eastern Michigan, Akron, Central Michigan, and Ohio. I think NIU has good match-ups in those games. I see losses against Western Michigan, Toledo, Miami (OH), and Ball State. Although I do think BSU is a toss-up. WMU and Toledo are the class of the conference in my opinion, hard to see those teams losing to anyone else but each other. Miami has a darn good offense that I think can take advantage of the Huskie D. Ball State is a rivalry game, and anything can happen there. Final Record: 6-6 (4-4) or 8-4 (5-3)

Updated. Sorry for the delay.

Thursday Night: Match-Up: Buffalo at UCONN Note: Coach @Jordanozenne gets his first crack at earning a win. Buffalo takes on the Huskies in Storrs, with a real shot at starting the season 1-0. UCONN is a top heavy team, in that they have some very solid/good players and then a bunch of nothing, while Buffalo is more average all over. The question is whether or not those stars for UCONN can shine bright enough to defeat the Bulls. Rob Anderson is a first year starter, but has serious NFLHC potential, and he gets to throw to stud WR Gavin Faulk who could be a Round 2 pick in the next draft. The Huskies bring a couple players on defense who will go pro, but fortunately for the Bulls, most of them are in the secondary. Buffalo brings pro talent at RB and along the line with Denzel Porter and D.J. Willkinson. The Bulls brought in Laquon Boston in the last recruiting cycle who will certainly get tested. The Bulls do have a pro guy behind him in SS Dominique Walker (3.5/4.5, So) to help cover for his mistakes. Keys for Buffalo: 1. Run the Dang Ball. Keeping the Huskie Defense on the field can only mean good things for the Bulls. 2. Get Pressure on QB Rob Andersen. The OL for UCONN is pretty good, but not great. And the Huskies don't have a true rushing threat, so Andersen will have to throw the ball a ton. OLB Arthur Henson will have to come off the edge early and often to help disrupt the passing game. 3. Cover Gavin Faulk. Faulk is the biggest threat to the Bulls secondary. UCONN does have 4/4 TE Stephen Bray, but he's more an inline blocker than a receiver. Faulk finished 2021 with 74 receptions for 1.095 Yards and 15 Touchdowns with 0 Drops. No one else had more than 499 receiving yards last year. Faulk is clearly their top target. 3.5/3.5 CB Daniel Braxton will be matched up with him in this one, he better bring his A game. Keys for UCONN: 1. Throw the dang ball. Buffalo has some solid pieces in their secondary, but your best target has probably the best match-up of anyone in this game. 2. Force Levi Thompson to throw the ball. Thompson is completely untested, if you can force the ball out of Porter's hands and into Thompson's, you'll be doing well. 3. Feed Gavin Faulk. As mentioned above, Faulk is the real key to this game, if you can feed him and take advantage of Braxton, you should win. Prediction: UCONN 31 Buffalo 21 Match-Up: Northwestern at Central Michigan Note: The Chips open their season at home against the Wildcats. CMU has a real opportunity to beat a B1G team, maybe not a great B1G team, but a B1G nonetheless. Byron Suggs, Daveed Huff, and Joseph Aikman bring a strong triumvirate to the offensive side of the ball, that I'm not sure Northwestern can stop. Meanwhile, Cats QB E.J. McGuire (who's just now a senior, somehow) should be able to take advantage of the Chips secondary. Both teams should bring fairly balanced offensive attacks with questionable defensive pieces. Keys for Central Michigan: 1. Unleash Suggs. For the Triumvirate to succeed, they rely on Suggs to excel. Huff and Aikman can only do well if Suggs does his thing. Becoming the Dual Threat QB will keep the defense guessing and forcing them to keep one man on Suggs at all time. 2. Get Pressure on McGuire. Northwestern does have a 3/4 RB in Makai Denson, but the real focus of the offense is McGuire. Sacking him and pressuring him will throw him off of his game and force turnovers. 3. Shutdown WR Cory Carradine. Northwestern has just one guy in their receiving corps that will go pro, and his name is Cory Carradine. As a Sophomore, Carrdaine had 1,110 yards with 13 Touchdowns on 83 receptions with only 2 Drops. If the Chips can keep him quiet, the passing game will sputter to a stop. Keys for Northwestern: 1. Protect McGuire. This Chips have a couple good pass-rushers in Nazir Tatum-Kimbrough and Rory Bolin (combined fro 18 sacks in 2021). LT Anthony Hubbard and RT Jonah Chisholm will have their hands full. They will have to keep NTK and Bolin out of the backfield and keep McGuire upright. 2. Maintain some balance. Central doesn't have great Corners by any means, but maintaining balance and limiting the impact of those Ends can keep the defense on its toes. 3. Stop Suggs. Byron Suggs is the engine that makes the Chips offense go, slowing him down is the key to winning. It won't be easy, but it must be done. Prediction: Central Michigan 35 Northwestern 24 Friday Night: Match-Up: Ball State at Georgia Tech Note: Ball State enters the season following a much improved, but disappointing 2021. They open the season in Atlanta to take on Josh Beckett and the Yellow Jackets. The ...Touchdown pair have proven to be a fatal pairing over the past three season, and this looks to be their swan song. Ball State is a super young team with plenty of freshman starting in key positions. The Cards have a touch task on their hands, the Jackets may be one dimensional, but that one dimension is damn good. Keys for Ball State: 1. Maintain possession. The Cards have to keep Josh Beckett on the sideline, and the way to do that is to avoid turnovers and run the ball. Damani Laws makes his first start, and McIntosh is also starting for the first time. This pair has to keep the chains moving and stay on the field. 2. Defend the Pass. The Cards bring two true freshman at Corner, which is concerning against Anthony Swanson. But, the Cards do have two pro potential Safeties in SS DeAndre Simms and FS Geno Atkins. 3. Bring the pressure. The Cards don't have great pass rushers, but they're still going to need to get in the backfield and get to Beckett. Getting hits on him is critical to slowing him and Swanson down. Keys for Georgia Tech: 1. Play your game. Your strength is Ball State's weakness. Air it out, the Cards don't have the talent to stop all your receiving options. Swanson, Sewell, and Bundy should be more than enough to move the ball against this Ball State secondary. 2. Stop the Run. Ball State wants to run the ball a lot, it's what they do best on offense. ILB Tanner Madison will be the main key in stopping the Cardinal Rush Attack. 3. Fluster the QB. McIntosh is making his start as a True Freshman, he lacks the experience to stay poised. A little pressure and things not going his way early could lead to him pressing and compounding on his mistakes. Prediction: Georgia Tech 42 Ball State 17 Match-Up: Akron at Middle Tennessee State Note: The Defending MAC East Champs take on the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State. Nathaniel Ruff is gone, but Griffin Donahue is back for the Zips. MTSU provides the Zips a good opportunity to get their 2022 started on the right foot. MTSU has some solid pieces , but they are certainly beatable. Coach Darkage will make sure his boys are ready for the trip down to Tennessee, or they will go home with a loss. Keys for Akron: 1. Maintain Balance on Offense. Donahue is back, and he had a very good Junior year. However his receivers are not back, and he doesn't have much to throw to. So running the ball is essential. The Zips need to feed Wade, Driver, and Ellison to help relieve some pressure off of the Receivers. 2. Get Pressure up the Middle. MTSU should bring a balanced attack, so your stud DTs will play a big role. Jeremiah Clarke and Olivier Ponder have to both stuff the run and get to the QB in the backfield. 3. Let Frazier be Frazier. All-American ILB Devin Frazier returns for his senior season. Letting him loose and play football is always a great thing for your defense. He can get to the QB, he can stop the run, and he does well in coverage. Just let Frazier be Frazier. Keys for MTSU: 1. Stay balanced. QB Pritchard and RB Crosby both have to feature heavily in the offense. Staying balanced will keep the defensive stars Akron off balance and guessing as to what the next play is going to be. 2. Protect up the Middle. The Zips have 3 great players up the middle, which will put a lot of pressure on your interior OL. With a power rushing RB, running up the middle is preferable. The Raiders do have a 4/4 LG, 3.5/3.5 C, and a 3.5/3.5 RG. Which isn't bad, but it will prove a challenge against the Zips. 3. Force Akron to be one-dimensional. Akron can move the ball if they stay balanced, but if forced to be one-dimensional, they don't have the talent to win that way. Prediction: Akron 24 MTSU 20 Match-Up: UTSA at Bowling Green Note: Coach ecnirp gets his first test at home against the Road Runners. UTSA brings quite a bit of talent to the field, so this game will be a touch one for the Falcons. The Falcons will need to play just about perfect to win this game. The Runners should be heavy favorites in this one. Keys for Bowling Green: 1. Play Perfect. No turnovers, and very few penalties. Don't give the Road Runners the ball for free, and don't bail them out defensively with dumb penalties. Force them to earn everything they get. 2. Get Star Plays out of your Safeties. FS Brody Grimes and SS Antonio Jackson need to both help out in the running game and passing game. These are the stars of your team, and they have to play that way. 3. Get a Stellar Performance out of A.J. Coyne. Red-Shirt Freshman A.J. Coyne is getting his first start, and doesn't have a ton around him. He has a couple solid OL in front of him, but not much else. He has to keep the Falcons on the field and avoid turnovers. Keys for UTSA: 1. Avoid Safeties. Those guys are legit, they are the guys who could derail the offense. Target the Linebackers or corners, but stay away from the Safeties. 2. Get Pressure on the QB. Coyne is getting his first start, putting pressure on him could create turnovers and lead to short drives for the Falcons Offense. 3. Be Efficient. You don't need to be explosive to beat Bowling Green. Just make sure you're getting short 3rd Down Attempts, you're consistently getting 5 yards per carry, avoid turnovers. Do that, and you should put up plenty of points on this defense. Prediction: UTSA 45 Bowling Green 13 Match-Up: Coastal Carolina at Northern Illinois Note: As I write this, I realize I haven't written the Northern Illinois preview yet. So I'll have to do that tomorrow. First time coach Masonasher looks to get the 2022 NIU season off to a good start. Coastal Carolina is in their second year as a program, so this time severely lacks talent. The Huskies should dispatch them early. Keys for Northern Illinois: 1. Run your offense. CCar doesn't have the players on defense to stop you. Don't get tricky, don't overthink it. Just play your offense. 2. Double Team Shane Gallegos. Gallegos is the one guy in the Front-7 for the Chanticleers who can make some noise and disrupt you. Double teaming him with your superior Offensive Line should make sure your offense runs without a hitch. 3. Create Turnovers. Keep them off the field, not that their offense is good, but the more you allow an offense to stay on the field, the more confident they become. Shut them down early by creating turnovers. Keys for Coastal Carolina: 1. Take Advantage of Gagllegos. Prepare for Shane to get double teamed, that should create one-one-one match-ups for everyone else, you have to take advantage of that by getting into the backfield and disrupting the offense. 2. Keep your Offense on the Field. Your team only has a chance if the other team can't score. The way to do that is to keep your offense on the field. 3. Avoid Kicking Field Goals. You need Touchdowns, and your Kicker is bad anyways. Be aggressive and go for it, that's your only chance. Prediction: Northern Illinois 45 Coastal Carolina 3

Kendrick Droughns and Shah Vereen. Can't let either of these QB's sit in the pocket undisturbed. Have to get pressure and disrupt the passing game as much as possible.

Coached by @AD3378 Ohio failed to win the East last season, but they come in to 2022 as another favorite to win the East alongside Miami. Coach AD3378 has a very good squad in Athens, and they have good match-ups in the division. The Good: Offensive Backfield. QB Austin Lowe and RB Jeffrey Flowers are back in the action. Lowe had over 3,000 Yards and a TD:INT Ratio of 28:7. Flowers had almost 1,200 yards on the ground with 17 Touchdowns. The dynamic duo played very well of of each other last season, and with one more year of chemistry, they should be even better this season. Receiving Starters: WR Jordan Barnes (2.5/4.5) comes back along with TE Aaron Thibodeaux (5/5) and Caleb Holman (4/4). The key to the Bobcats attack is a balance, and this group gives Lowe a great set of targets to hold up his side of the bargain. Barnes and Thibodeaux combined for 1,500+ yards and 12 Touchdowns last season. Holman wasn't featured heavily in the passing game, but should get more looks this season. This group gives Lowe a real good crew of threats in the passing game. Cornerbacks. 1-2-3 goes: (5/5) Shawn Tilman, (4/4.5) Ousmane King, (2/4) Cooper Rainey with (3.5/3.5) Savion Willingham at the Nickel. Tilman had 9 tackles with 4 Interceptions, 3 Passes Defended, and 1 Defensive Touchdown. King is new to the tam and Rainey is getting his first chance to play major minutes. With their biggest competition in the division having a QB nicknamed "The Flamethrower", having a great CB corps is a massive bonus. The Bad: Linebackers: The Bobcats will start (2/3.5) Paul Boykin at LOLB, (2.5/3.5) Declan Albright at ILB, and (3/3) Elias Glenn at ROLB. This group has to stop Casey Swann of Miami, and I don't know that they can. All 3 appear to be new starters, so you combine concern about talent level with lack of experience and you have a Defensive Unit that gives me huge reasons for concern. Safeties: The Bobcats have a great CB Corps, but have some concern at Safety. (3/3) FS Julius Haywood and (3.5/3.5) SS Xavier Bailey are the starters entering the season. Again, both guys appear to be new starters, and with how great the CB group is, these guys could get targeted and exposed early and often. Kicking Game: Just like Miami, the Bobcats are starting a 2/2 at Kicker, this time his name is Aron Hutton. With some close games on their schedule, a reliable kicking game is a must have. But, Ohio has grave concerns about their Kicker and if they can really trust him. Look for Ohio to be very aggressive in the opponents side of the field. The Schedule: The OOC is: Week 1 versus Vanderbilt Week 3 versus New Mexico State Week 4 at Ohio State Week 11 versus Miami (FL) Rough slate. I see a 1-3 record, with your only win coming against New Mexico. Vandy, OSU, and the Canes are just better teams. The Conference is: Week 6 versus Ball State Week 7 at Bowling Green Week 8 at Western Michigan Week 10 versus Miami (OH) Week 12 at Akron Week 14 versus Kent State Week 15 versus Northern Illinois Week 16 at Buffalo I see a 6-2 record there. The two losses are at Western Michigan and against Northern Illinois. I do see a win Week 10 versus the Redhawks (but its a toss-up). Ohio is the 3rd/4th best team in the conference in my mind (the other contender being Central Michigan). The East will most certainly come down to the Week 10 match-up between Ohio and Miami. Final Record: 7-5 (6-2) or 6-6 (5-3)

Coached by @Rawlee305 The Redhawks come into 2022 after a disappointing 2021. But with the return of some offensive firepower, Miami should be a favorite to win the division. First time coach Rawlee has a good squad on his hands. The Good: The Flamethrower. QB Zak Cera returns for his senior year in Oxford to lead the Redhawks once again. Cera completed almost 63% of his passes for 3.932 yard with 39 Touchdowns and 11 Interceptions. He had a QB Rating of 151.01. The Flamethrower gives the Redhawks a chance to win every game they play in. TE Casey Swann: Casey Swann is Zak's favorite target over the past couple of seasons. Swann finished with 81 receptions for 1,110 Yards and 14 Touchdowns. And that's with a senior WR Kenneth Harrison, who's now in the NFLHC, playing on the outside. With a shallow receiving corps, Swann is going to be a key cog in the Redhawks offense. Offensive Line: The Redhawks have 4 seniors starting on the line, bringing a ton of experience. The left side of the line (LT and LG) will go pro next season. The Center and right side are all 3.5/3.5s. This OL should open up some holes for Ajani Garrett and will keep Cera upright. The Bad: WR Depth: They Redhawks have (3.5/3.5) Keith Barnes and (3.5/3.5) Lucas Pierson in the top two spots, which isn't the worst starting pair of WRs. But then they have (2.5/2.5) Julian Newton and (2.5/3) Ahmed Crosby behind them. Barnes and Pierson should play well, but Newton and Crosby are completely untested and any injury to the top 2 guys could derail the Redhawk passing game. CBs: 1-2-3 for the Redhawks are (3/3) Travis Watson, (2.5/3) Keenan McCloud, and (2.5/2.5) Dillon Blalock. They are playing (2/4) Jeremiah Christy at the Nickel spot, they might be better served moving up the depth chart a little. Christy and Watson combined for 11 Tackles and 2 Interceptions with 2 Passes Defended in 2021. This group will get targeted heavily by opposing passing games and could give up a bunch of points. Kicking Game: The starting Kicker for Miami is (2/2) Ari Metcalf. Metcalf has no experience entering his senior year. Metcalf is a huge liability for this team, and might not be able to counted upon from anything past 40 yards. Which puts way more pressure on the offense to score. The Schedule: The OOC is: Week 1 at New Mexico Week 2 at Wake Forest Week 3 versus Wisconsin Week 13 at UMASS I see a 2-2 record in this group of games. The two losses are New Mexico and Wisconsin. New Mexico is a solid team, and that game is on the road. I just don't think the Redhawks will be able to stop Jamal Trufant. I like the matchup against Wake Forest (that's a toss up by the way) and UMASS is an absolute mess. The Conference is: Week 5 versus Buffalo Week 6 versus Toledo Week 7 at Kent State Week 9 versus Akron Week 10 at Ohio Week 11 at Northern Illinois Week 14 at Western Michigan Week 16 versus Bowling Green I see a record of 6-2 against that spread. The losses coming at Ohio and at Western Michigan. I feel Ohio is a more complete team, and that game is in Athens, so I see that game going Ohio's way (but its a toss-up) and Western Michigan is just a more all around better team. Final Record: 8-4 (6-2) or 8-4 (7-1)

Coached by @Ryana16 Kent State is a perennial cellar dweller in the MAC East. They have a tough road ahead of them to get to a point of competition in the division. First time coach Ryana16 has a lot of work to do, not only to have a wining 2022, but also to get to a base level of talent to be a threat. The Good: Offensive Line. From Left to Right - 3.5/3.5, 3/3, 3/3, 2.5/3.5, 2/3.5. That's not great, but for a team this poor, a good (or at least average) can help mask the rest of the offensive deficiencies. It's hard to tell what this team will do on offense this year, but the OL shouldn't be the ones slowing them down. SS Steven Gordon. Gordon isn't the only player with pro potential in the defense, but he's the only non-freshman. He had 27 Tackles, 1 TFL, and 3 Passes Defended. Gordon is one of the few guys on this team that is able to make big plays, and he has to do that regularly for the defense. I usually pick three, but it was already hard to pick two, so let's move on. The Bad: Offensive Backfield. QB Andre Evans (3/3) will make his first start this season. RB James Ridley-Henley (3/3) started a few games last season in relief of FB Harrison Mullin, he had 176 carries for 574 yards with 5 Touchdowns for a 3.26 YPC. Inexperience and low talent in the backfield will make the offense hard to come by. There isn't a reliable option to go to here. Confusingly, the Flashes have a 2/4 and a 2/4 as backups at both QB and RB. One would think those guys would give you more reliable options in the backfield. Receivers: At WR, the flashes go: Will Westfall (3/3), WR Ashton Hannah (2/3.5), and WR Mike Peralta (2.5/2.5), those three combined for 1,143 Yards and 7 Touchdowns with 9 Drops in 2021. They're starting TE Jaeden Salazar who had 513 yards with 4 Touchdowns and 1 Drop. He was their best target last season. With the deficiencies in the backfield, the zips don't even have a reliable group of receivers. Linebackers. At LOLB, the Flashes trot out (1/4.5) Shiloh Maxwell, they play (2.5/3.5) Jonathan Terrell and (3/3) Matthew Lloyd at ILB, and (3/3.5) at ROLB. This group will struggle to cover TEs/RBs and will also struggle to stop the run up the middle. All 4 are new to the starting lineup, so again, add in some more inexperience and lack of talent to a crucial unit on the field The Schedule: The OOC is: Week 1 at Oregon State Week 3 at Louisville Week 4 versus San Jose State Week 9 at Marshall I see a record of 1-3. The lone win is at Marshall (but, its a toss-up). Oregon State, Louisville, and SJSU are just better teams at this point. The Conference is: Week 5 at Ball State Week 7 versus Miami (OH) Week 8 versus Bowling Green Week 11 versus Buffalo Week 12 versus Eastern Michigan Week 14 at Ohio Week 15 at Akron Week 16 at Toledo I see a record of 0-8. Potential toss up games are Bowling Green and Buffalo. I just don't see this team really competing in the other games. They just lack the talent to make those games competitive. Final Record 1-11 (0-8) or 2-10 (2-6)