2008 Woodie Awards
Exposure not always worth it
By: Robert McLean
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: Sports
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But not when you're a mid-major team fighting for respect in a near impossible situation. And especially not when you allow 70 points in a blowout road loss before more than 80,000 fans.
The Central Michigan football team is supposed to represent the best in the Mid-American Conference.
But the sad truth may be that the best in the MAC ranks far short of mediocrity across the nation.
That showed Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C., when the Chippewas had their three-game winning streak snapped with their worst loss in a decade.
It appears to be a recurring theme not only in Central's non-conference games, but also for the rest of the MAC. The conference is 15-34 overall against non-conference opponents. Of those 15 games won by MAC teams, six were against like opponents - Army, Western Kentucky and Iowa State. Kent State and Toledo's wins against the Cyclones and Bowling Green's victory over Minnesota are the MAC's only against Bowl Championship Series opponents this season.
No surprise.
Not only are MAC teams often overmatched against BCS schools to begin with, but they almost always are thrown into nerve-wrenching environments where they're vulnerable to crumble.
It happened Saturday to Northern Illinois in a 44-3 road loss against Wisconsin from the Big Ten. It marked the Huskies' biggest loss since losing 73-7 in 1998 to Kansas State. Central's 56-point loss Saturday was its worst since Sept. 6, 1997, when it lost 82-6 to Florida.
The rest of the MAC also has its share of blemishes. Western Michigan was toppled by then-No. 3 West Virginia in its first game this season, while Akron had to face Ohio State and its intimidating environment in Columbus.
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