Matt Markey covers college football at the University of Toledo for The Blade. Matt will be chatting about UT's pre-season national ranking, Bowling Green football, the Mid-American Conference, and any other college football questions. The Rockets open their season September 4 at Minnesota. The Falcons open their season September 4 at Oklahoma. The Rockets and Falcons will play each other November 23 at the Glass Bowl.
Kevin Cesarz: (12:00 P.M. ET ) Welcome to today's chitchat. Matt is ready to take your questions. Let's begin. Thank you, Matt.
Phil (Sylvania) According to one of your recent articles I read on toledoblade.com, at the end of last year, Miami was ranked No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 12 in the coaches poll and West Division champ Bowling Green was No. 23 in both. Both their quarterbacks were drafted, and Toledo is the preseason favorite. Here's three questions for the price of one: Who's going to be stepping up at QB in Miami? Do you think BGSU will fall very far? Is UT really going to be that good?
Matt Markey: (12:03 P.M. ET ) I expect Miami to start junior Josh Betts at QB. He is 6-3, 225 and for the last two years has looked pretty good in a baseball cap and holding a clip board while Big Ben made the plays. Betts will be decent, but that's it. BG will not be as strong as it was with Josh Harris, but will have the horses to challenge Toledo and NIU in the West. UT should be very good, especially on offense. The Rockets will simply out-score a number of their opponents.
DK (Toledo) Any early predictions for the BG vs. UT game?
Matt Markey: (12:06 P.M. ET ) The game is at UT, so the advantage goes to the Rockets, plus they return a more potent team than BG. I would expect the Rockets to win in another war, but there are 10 games prior to this one where injuries, etc. could change this picture.
UT Fan Who will be the Rockets biggest challenge this year?
Matt Markey: (12:09 P.M. ET ) Biggest challenge on the schedule - the opener at Minnesota. The Gophers are good, and mad. UT smoked them a couple of years ago and they have not forgotten. Biggest challenge in the MAC West - Northern Illinois. The Huskies will be good, and they are also mad. UT staged a dramatic comeback and beat them in DeKalb two years ago, costing Northern the title. Biggest challenge in the MAC - beating Marshall in the title game in Huntington.
John What MAC team will suprise the rest with improved play this year?
Matt Markey: (12:17 P.M. ET ) A couple teams might surprise the rest. First, Eastern Michigan will not be as bad as it has been, and therefore might bump someone off. The Eagles, formerly known as the Hurons, still have a long ways to go, but they should be better. On the East side, Central Florida should sneak up on some people. The Knights have been a lot less dominant than their bravado led us to believe they would be when they entered the MAC, and now as they exit, they could get a decent win or two on the way out.
Victor (Maumee) What teams do you feel pose the biggest threat to UT for a possible MAC win?
Matt Markey: (12:22 P.M. ET ) The biggest challenge on the West side of the MAC comes from Northern Illinois, and the Rockets have to play that one on the road. The Huskies will not be as good as last year, but are still a strong team. BG will also be quite good, but the Falcons have a new QB and must play Toledo in the Glass Bowl this year. Overall, the biggest challenge comes from the usual suspect - Marshall. The Herd is back to full strength, and will get to host the championship game if it wins the East, which it should.
Kevin Cesarz: (12:27 P.M. ET ) Hey, Matt. What's up with UT linebacker Brock Dodrill?
Matt Markey: (12:29 P.M. ET ) Dodrill is still listed as suspended following his two encounters with the law earlier this year. He is an all-MAC player who will be greatly missed, but it is hard to imagine that he will be reinstated in time for the coming season. It looks like he will need to take a year off from football to work out his personal problems. I would expect UT coach Tom Amstutz to give Dodrill all the time he needs to get things in order, and then welcome him back to the team sometime in the future.
Mark (Sylvania)Should Marshall be allowed to host the MAC championship since they're leaving the conference (for Conference USA) after this season?
Matt Markey:(12:33 P.M. ET ) There is a strong feeling among the athletic directors in the MAC that Marshall and Central Florida should not be eligible for the conference championship this year, since it is their final season in the MAC. The East champion is to host the title game this year, and it will likely be the Thundering Herd, so the possibility exists that Marshall can take the MAC crown on its home field in its final game in the conference. I guess my feeling is that if they are part of the conference, they should be allowed to win it. But it won't look good.
Kevin Cesarz:(12:41 P.M. ET ) Matt, save me from a long drive to see our locals in some god-forsaken place. Spell out the best and the worst of the Mid-American Conference (cities, stadiums, fans food, etc., etc).
Matt Markey:(12:44 P.M. ET ) Best city to visit - Orlando (UCF), worst - Ypsilanti (it is hard to determine where the city is, and if there is such a city); best stadium - Peden (Ohio U) the setting in a valley on the river is perfect, and the place is cozy and the right size for the MAC, with a grassy hill on one end for the students, worst stadium - Akron, the Rubber Bowl is a rusty, dilapidated dinosaur that should be recycled. Best fans - tough call, but I think Northern Illinois has a decent, rabid following that has so far displayed a certain degree of class; worst fans - it does not get much uglier than Marshall, where 40-year-old men curse and swear at the opposition while holding the hand of their six-year-old daughter. Food - a lot of very good choices, but the best is probably served away from the press boxes, where the fare tends to be contemporary cholesterol; worst - it has to be those cold pizzas at Ball State. Best trip - the drive to Ohio U through the Wayne National Forest; worst trip - another win for Marshall - five-and-a-half hours of two-lane bumpity-bump roads with stop lights in every berg along the way, and then when it is over, you are in West Virginia.
Pat (Bowling Green) Matt, How good do you think Omar Jacobs will be this year?
Matt Markey:(12:53P.M. ET ) Bowling Green's Omar Jacobs is going to be a very good quarterback, maybe as good as Josh Harris before he is done. He did not get enough playing time last year, in my view, and would have benefitted from the live experience. I think he will struggle in the opener at Oklahoma, but settle in and have a solid season. The next two years he should be outstanding.
Jeff (Toledo) One more question about Dodrill: If he doesn't play this year, doesn't he loose his final year of eligibility?
Matt Markey:(1:00 P.M. ET ) Not necessarily. If his problem turns out to be medical in origin, the university could petition for another year. It can also ask for another year due to circumstances not addressed in the guidelines. It is a possibility, should he sit out the coming season.
Kevin Cesarz:(1:04 P.M. ET ) Thanks, Matt. See you in the Metrodome for the Rockets' September 5 opener against Minnesota, and thanks to all our chatters. Permanent Link
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Kevin Cesarz: (12:00 P.M. ET ) Welcome to today's chitchat. Matt is ready to take your questions. Let's begin. Thank you, Matt.