Tom Dienhart, "The Pigskin Professor" and writer for The Sporting News, analyzed next year's Mid-American Conference football schedule on http://www.sportingnews.com.
Dienhart picked the preseason favorites in the MAC as Marshall out of the East Division and Northern Illinois in the West. However, these two teams will not meet in the regular season.
The MAC has many chances to defeat major-conference teams, but its best chance might come when Iowa State invades Northern Illinois Aug. 27, according to Dienhart. He also noted Toledo could upset rebuilding Syracuse in the Carrier Dome the same day, and Ball State could give Missouri some trouble in Muncie, Ind. Sept. 6.
Dienhart awards Western Michigan the easiest schedule in the MAC, which includes two Division I-AA teams and a game against Navy. On the other side of the coin sits Northern Illinois, who will face Maryland, Iowa State and Alabama next season.
MAC announces golfers of the week
Kenny Cook from Ball State and Toledo's Sean McTernan shared the Mid-American Conference men's Golfer of the Week honors this week.
If it seems that MAC officials had a hard time splitting these two competitors, they did. Cook and McTernan were inseparable at the Marshall Invitational last weekend, tying for ninth place overall. McTernan shot 69-74-72 for a 2-over -par 215, while Cook finished at 70-70-75.
McTernan led Toledo to a fifth-place finish - the best team finish among the eight MAC schools at the event. Cook led the Cardinals to a sixth-place tie with Miami and Eastern Kentucky.
Kent State's Martina Gillen garnered the women's Golfer of the Week award for the second time this year. She tied for sixth-place at the Indiana Invitational and led Kent State to a third-place finish.
Gillen shot 229 to finish seven strokes behind the winner, Michigan's Kim Benedict.
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