Massachusetts was a popular betting choice against sliding Akron. But the Minutemen were without their top QB and the backup was not good at all. The Zips finally got their offense cranked up and dominated from start to finish in the easy 30-6 victory. As bad as it’s been for Akron, they can get to .500 with a win in their finale at Kent State.
Northern Illinois and Ohio ended up as a tossup with the Huskies getting the 21-14 win. NIU can win its MAC divisional race if they can get past Western Michigan next week. They’ll probably need to play a better game there than they did here. As for Ohio, the Bobcats will need to beat Miami Ohio next week to get to six wins.
Bowling Green is heading to the MAC title game in spite of dropping a 27-20 decision at Toledo. The Rockets nearly let this get away thanks to three turnovers, but managed to survive. Toledo is still in the mix to win a division title, with what ought to be an easy win at Eastern Michigan remaining.
Kansas State’s loss to Baylor eliminated the Wildcats from any realistic playoff consideration. But while other teams have had bad hangovers off that type of loss, Bill Snyder made sure it didn’t happen to his squad. The Wildcats faded a bit late, but held on for the 26-20 win over West Virginia. The Mountaineers have shown some improvement this season, but aside from the Baylor upset this team is still coming up short in the big games.
North Carolina played its best game of the season in a 45-20 rout at Duke. Huge win for Larry Fedora as the Tar Heels are now bowl eligible. Duke will also be bowling, but they will not be playing in a second straight ACC title game as the loss means Georgia Tech has clinched the Coastal Division.
Robert Lowe put on a show as Texas State looked like anything but a home dog in a decisive 45-27 win over Arkansas State. That’s six wins for the Bobcats, which equals last year’s total. But after getting shut out of the bowls, expect Texas State to be all out to get an important seventh win next week at Georgia State.
Quick takes from the three Friday night football games:
UTEP earned its bowl eligibility last week and the Miners weren’t especially sharp in their 31-13 loss at Rice. The Owls are now 7-4, so they’ll be playing someplace this post-season. Will David Bailiff still be the coach? His name has surfaced as a potential replacement for the full time gig at SMU. The rumor clearly was not a distraction is the decisive Rice win.
Air Force was dominated at San Diego State, much more than the score might indicate. The Aztecs own the Falcons and that Air Force option was reduced to rubble for the most part by Rocky Long’s staunch defense. No doubt the Falcons missed talented RB Owens, but there was little doubt about the right side here. SDSU needs help, but they still have a chance to win their division in the MWC.
Utah State toyed with San Jose State for the most part in a 41-7 romp. Spartans QB Mitch Ravizza was under siege all night and save for an early second quarter TD that briefly tied the game 7-7, this was all Aggies. Kent Myers is looking very comfortable under center for Utah State, and that defense is dominating.
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