MAC West power rankings: EMU, CMU make their move

Toledo still sits atop the conference rankings

9/13/2017

Heading into week 3 of the college football season, it is a tough week to rank the Mid-American Conference West Division in our weekly power rankings. Several teams are coming off big wins over Power 5 conference teams and the parody from top to bottom has become apparent. That being said, here are this week’s rankings.

1. Toledo (Last week: 1) – The Rockets took care of business with a 37-24 win on the road at Nevada. Toledo rushed for more than 200 yards and Logan Woodside passed for two TDs. With Tulsa coming to the Glass Bowl this week, we will learn a lot more about the Rockets.

2. Eastern Michigan (Last week: 3) – Eastern Michigan notched one of the biggest wins in program history, with a road victory over Rutgers from the Big Ten. It was the Eagles’ first ever win over a Power 5 school and it moved their record to 2-0.

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3. Central Michigan (Last week: 5) – Central Michigan moves up a spot based on a dismantling of Kansas, a 45-27 win in Lawrence. The Chippewas are a bit difficult to rank because they struggled at home to beat Rhode Island in week 1, but bounced back with an emphatic win. They are sitting at 2-0 and look to be trending up.

4. Western Michigan (Last week: 2) – The Broncos are the toughest team to rank, because they frankly looked pretty good in losses at USC and Michigan State. With Eastern and Central picking up big road wins, and with Western sitting at 0-2, the Broncos drop from the No. 2 spot. However, don’t count out the Broncos in the crowded race for the MAC West title.

5. Northern Illinois (Last week: 4) – The Huskies are 1-1 after a convincing home win over Eastern Illinois. Daniel Santacaterina passed for three TDs in the Northern Illinois game filling in for injured starter Ryan Graham.

6. Ball State (Last week: 6) – The Cardinals stay at the bottom of the pack after moving to 1-1 with a 51-31 win over UAB. Quarterback Riley Neal passed for 217 yards and two TDs, while running back James Gilbert rushed for two scores. Don’t be surprised if Ball State pulls an upset or two during the conference season.

Contact Brian Buckey at bbuckey@theblade.com, 419-724-6110, or on Twitter @BrianBuckey.