Motor City Bowl Opponent

[Go Gophers Rah]

The opponent in the Motor City Bowl will be the winner of the MAC Championship. As of now, however, that could be one of 4 teams: Ball State, Western Michigan, Central Michigan or Buffalo.

Buffalo has locked up the MAC East and is a confirmed participant in the December 5 MAC Championship.

As for the MAC West, here are the possibilities:

If Ball State beats Western Michigan on Saturday, they are in the MAC Championship.

A Western Michigan win against Ball State and a Central Michigan loss against Eastern Michigan (2-8) would put the Western Michigan in the MAC title game.

Wins by Western Michigan and Central Michigan would leave them and Ball State tied for the division title with 7-1 records.

They all would be 2-1 against each other in the first tiebreaker, which is head-to-head play. They would be even in the second tiebreaker, record against the other West teams. Tiebreaker No. 3 is awarded to the team whose cross-division opponents had the best MAC winning percentage. Central Michigan and Western Michigan played the same three East teams (Temple, Ohio and Buffalo). Those teams have a .389 winning percentage in MAC games. Ball State’s cross-division foes (Akron, Miami and Kent State) have a .333 winning percentage.

Central Michigan then would win the tiebreaker based on its 38-28 win against Western Michigan and advance to the MAC title game.

We'll know for sure Saturday who will be playing Buffalo in the MAC Championship.

Personally, I have mixed feelings. The opportunity to beat a #12-15 Ball State team would be very redemptive. I just don't like our odds right now, however, and might rather see Buffalo pull an upset in the MAC Championship so that we end up playing a more beatable team.

Of course, if the Big Ten sends 2 teams to BCS games, all of this is moot.

[dlw4gophers]

Insight bowl for the Gophers.

[Stan]

I really hope that we don't have to spend a lot of time thinking about whether we'll play Ball State, Central Michigan, Buffalo or Western Michigan. That sounds like the worst conversation a team could have bowl-wise. To me that sounds like a conversation that Maturi should be having with Brewster about which cream-puff he wants for a non-conference home game in 2012 to fill out a schedule.

[Art Vandelay]

It'll be Motor City. If Oregon State beats Oregon at home this weekend, the Beavers get the PAC10 automatic BCS bid. That leaves USC as an at-large and the Trojans will get the nod over tOSU.

If you want the Insight Bowl, cheer for Oregon this weekend...

[Jike Spingleton]

If we have to go to the Motor City Bowl - and we will, unless Oregon upsets Oregon State - I want to play the best MAC team possible. Ball State would at least give it a big game feel.

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

I would love the chance to make Ball St. 13-1