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Currently only three MAC teams have winning records, with Ohio, Kent State and Ball State all at 2-1. It was just two short seasons ago, in 2005, that all three schools finished with losing records, going a combined 9-24. Entering this season, however, all three are considered to be among the favorites to claim a MAC title.

Last year's champion, Central Michigan, is off to a rough start overall at 1-2 but is 1-0 in the MAC and is still considered among the favorites but recent history would suggest that the Chips should not necessarily be counted on to repeat.

Excluding the four-year run by Marshall from 1997-2000 when the Thundering Herd claimed the MAC championship, and had the luxury of playing the MAC championship game on their home field in each of those seasons, there have only been two other repeat champions in the past 27 seasons of Mid-American Conference football.

Bowling Green recorded back-to-back MAC football titles in 1991-1992 and Central Michigan repeated as MAC champions, winning the title in 1979 and 1980. In the intervening 27 seasons ten different teams have claimed a MAC football title with only Ohio, Kent State and recent additions Buffalo and Temple not claiming a MAC title during that time.

Few conferences can claim such a balance among its members and no conference has been able to share the championship wealth among its members like the MAC

With such a competitive balance, and a nearly razor-thin measure of difference from top to bottom, don't be surprised to see a different school dusting off some space in its trophy case for the MAC championship trophy for the seventh straight year.

What Sophomore Jinx?
Seemingly whenever a collegiate player has a stellar freshman campaign, the inevitable question of whether that player will fall victim to the so-called "sophomore jinx" arises. A quick look though at the MAC passing yardage leaders would suggest that question has been put to rest, at least in the case of MAC quarterbacks.

Ball State sophomore quarterback Nate Davis tops the passing charts with 781 yards, followed by 2006 Freshman of the Year, Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan, with 780 yards with Western Michigan's Tim Hiller, the 2005 Freshman of the Year, third in the MAC with 743 yards passing on the season.

Bowling Green sophomore quarterback Tyler Sheehan is fifth overall in the conference with 683 yards, but having played in only two games, Sheehan tops the MAC in average passing yards per game (341.5 yards per game).

The only player among the top five quarterbacks to crash the sophomore party is Buffalo junior quarterback Drew Willy who is fourth overall with 685 yards passing.

A pair of sophomores also top the MAC in rushing with Kent State's Eugene Jarvis leading the way with 380 yards rushing this season followed closely by Ball State's MiQuale Lewis with 325 yards.

So much for a sophomore jinx.

Around The Conference
Eastern Michigan 21, Northern Illinois 19.
Quick Take:  Eastern Michigan rallied from a 13-0 deficit to end a seven-game losing streak, defeating Northern Illinois 21-19. The Huskies broke out on top and held a 13-0 lead late in the first half until the Eagles scored just before halftime on a 1-yard Pierre Walker TD that followed a 39-yard reception by DeAnthony White. Eastern Michigan then added 14 more unanswered points in the second half, including a 68-yard TD run by White on a reverse. The Huskies closed the gap to 21-19 when Dan Nicholson connected with Brandon Davis with just over four minutes remaining but failed on their two-point conversion attempt. The Huskies had a chance to win with two seconds remaining but Chris Nendick, who had previously connected on field goals from 45 and 47 yards, had his 50-yard field goal attempt blocked by Eric Young to secure the victory for Eastern Michigan.

Notable:
**The victory was Eastern Michigan's first over Northern Illinois since defeating the Huskies 39-32 in 2000 and was their first road win since defeating Buffalo in 2005.
**Northern Illinois RB Justin Anderson rushed for a career-best 168 yards.
**The Eagles literally used a balanced offensive attack, recording 189 yards rushing and 189 yards receiving.

Quotable:
** "They allowed us to hang around and make it a ballgame."  Eastern Michigan head coach Jeff Genyk,
** "I still believe in this team. I told them that there will be no pouting or head-hanging. We will keep plugging away and working hard because we have a lot to play for yet." Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak.
** "Nobody in this league is much better than anyone else. We've got to win our other four division games now." Novak.

Cincinnati 47, Miami 10.
Quick Take: The Battle for the Victory Bell was a one-sided affair as the visiting Bearcats stormed out to a 23-0 lead before the RedHawks were able to get on the board with a field goal. The Bearcats were led by backup QB Dustin Grutza who passed for 290 yards. Cincinnati scored on offense, defense and special teams. Miami QB Mike Kokal fumbled the ball away on the RedHawks' first play, leading to a 2-yard TD by Anthony Hoke. The Bearcats added a safety on a blocked punt and also scored on a 54-yard interception return by DeAngelo Smith. Miami, playing without RB Brandon Murphy due to injury, also lost the services of Murphy's backup, Andre Bratton, who left with an injury. Miami QB Mike Kokal was replaced for the second straight game by Daniel Raudabaugh and was 24-45 for 240 yards and one touchdown.   

Notable:
**The 47-10 loss was the worst loss ever for Miami at Yager Stadium and their worst at home since losing 45-7 to Toledo on October 30, 1971.
**Miami now leads the all-time series 59-46-7 but Cincinnati has prevailed the last two years.
**The win by Cincinnati represented their largest margin of victory in the series since defeating Miami 44-0 in 1940.

Quotable:
** "It's no surprise that they're a better football team than us. We knew they would be a challenge and we self-destructed in the first quarter." Miami head coach Shane Montgomery.
** "It hurts losing to Cincinnati. They don't like us, and we don't like them." Miami QB Daniel Raudabaugh.
** "I always prepare just like I'm starting. I felt good and comfortable. It was just like going out to practice." Cincinnati QB Dustin Grutza.

Purdue 45, Central Michigan 22.
Quick Take: Purdue stormed out to a 24-0 first quarter lead, scoring on their first four out of five offensive possessions in the opening quarter after failing to score on their opening possession when they fumbled inside the Chippewas' 5-yard line. Purdue eventually built up a 38-0 lead before Central Michigan responded with 22 unanswered points in the second half to temporarily cut the deficit to 38-22 before the Boilermakers added a fourth quarter score to make it a 45-22 final. Purdue was led by QB Chris Painter who passed for 360 yards and three touchdowns before being lifted in the second half with the game well in hand. Central Michigan is allowing an average of 42 points per game and opposing offenses have racked up over 1600 yards against CMU in the Chips' first three games this season.

Notable:
**CMU QB Dan LeFevour had his streak of pass attempts without an interception snapped at 154 when he had a pass intercepted late in the fourth quarter. LeFevour finished with career highs in passing attempts, yards and completions, going 35-56 and 364 yards.
**Purdue RB Kory Sheets rushed for a career-best 144 yards.
**CMU SS Chaz West recorded both his first career interception and his first career fumble recovery in the contest against Purdue.

Quotable:
** "We have to learn what it takes to win. I told the guys I am 22-3 in the last two years. I know what it takes to play BCS competition. You have to have a little more focus and a little more hunger." Central Michigan head coach Butch Jones.
** "We did some positive things today. We came out and distanced ourselves from the opposition."  Purdue head coach Joe Tiller.
** "The second half was just a matter of execution. I got into the guys at halftime and told them they weren't playing Central Michigan football. The guys could see that Purdue wasn't 31 points better than them." Jones.

Indiana 41, Akron 27.
Quick Take: The Zips staked Indiana to an early 10-0 lead but rallied back to forge a 17-17 halftime tie as Zips' quarterback Carlton Jackson came off the bench, throwing two touchdowns and rushing for another, but it was not enough to overcome the Hoosiers as Akron fell 41-27. Hoosiers QB Kellen Lewis put the game out of reach when he rushed for a 17-yard TD and connected with James Hardy on a 21-yard pass in the fourth quarter. Overall Lewis passed for three touchdowns and rushed for two more scores and accounted for 336 total yards, including rushing for 199 yards. Akron QB Carlton Jackson also topped the Zips on the ground, rushing for 71 yards to go along with 200 yards passing.

Notable:
**Akron WR Jabari Arthur led all receivers with 118 yards on seven receptions, including a 26-yard touchdown reception.
**The 199 yards rushing by Kellen Lewis were the most by a quarterback in Indiana history.
**Indiana's 338 rushing yards were the most for the Hoosiers since they rushed for 489 yards against Michigan State in 2001.

Quotable:
** "This was a different challenge (than Ohio State last week) and I knew it would be difficult. They (Indiana) spread the field and I knew it would be tough on us defensively. Lewis did some great things." Akron head coach J.D. Brookhart.
** "It was a good win for our team against what I think is a good football team. Obviously Kellen (Lewis) was a difference maker." Indiana head coach Bill Lynch.
** "From watching the film on Akron, we thought they were going to give us stuff underneath, but they did a good job of getting their linebackers to the flat. So by the time they were getting back there, they were dropping eight into coverage. Our coaches just told me to take what they were giving me." Indiana QB Kellen Lewis.

(12)Penn State 45, Buffalo 24.
Quick Take: Buffalo made Penn State sweat a bit, moving out to an early 3-0 lead and trailed 10-3 late into the second quarter before the Nittany Lions added a touchdown to open a 17-3 halftime lead. Buffalo RB James Starks scored on a five yard run in the fourth quarter, the first touchdown scored against Penn State's defense this season but the Bulls would add two more TD's before the game was finished. The Bulls added a touch of trickery when tailback Mario Henry connected with Ernest Jackson for a 9-yard TD on a tailback option play to cut the Penn State lead to 38-17. The Bulls finished the scoring when Drew Willy found LaRon Haymore for a 2-yard touchdown with twelve seconds remaining. Penn State was led by QB Anthony Morelli who passed for four touchdowns and 202 yards.

Notable:
** Buffalo WR Naam Roosevelt led all receivers with seven receptions for 114 yards.
** The Bulls outgained Penn State, 395-393 yards.
** Bulls' QB Drew Willy passed for 330 yards, the seventh-highest total in school history and second-highest for Buffalo against a 1A (FBS) team.

Quotable:
** "When we're clicking, I feel like we can score against any team." Buffalo RB James Starks.
** "That's a little better football team than maybe people realize." Penn State head coach Joe Paterno.
** "When we play together, we can play with anybody." Buffalo WR Naam Roosevelt.

Connecticut 22, Temple 17.
Quick Take: The Owls thought they had pulled out their first victory of the season but the Big East replay officials did not see it their way as Connecticut escaped with a controversial 22-17 victory over Temple. The Owls and Huskies battled back and forth all game, after Temple rallied from an early 10-0 deficit, before Connecticut scored early in the fourth quarter to take a 22-17 lead. Then the real excitement ensued as Temple faced fourth-and-seven at the Huskies' 12-yard line late in the game. With 40 seconds remaining RB Jason Harper took a handoff from QB Adam DiMichele and then pitched it to WR Dy'Onne Crudup who threw the ball back to DiMichele in the end zone. The pass bounced off DiMichele and into the hands of WR Bruce Francis who appeared to get his back foot in bounds for the apparent go-ahead touchdown however the official on the field rule it was an incomplete pass. Despite replays that appeared to indicate that Francis did indeed come down in bounds, the replay official did not overturn the on-field call and Connecticut handed Temple its third straight loss to start the season.

Notable:
** Temple sophomore RB Jason Harper earned his first career start and responded with a career-best 114 yards rushing.
** Owls' WR Bruce Francis' second-quarter 59-yard TD reception was the longest of his career.
** Connecticut is now 11-1 all-time vs. the MAC and has won nine straight games against Mid-American Conference teams.

Quotable:
** "I feel bad for our kids. The players told me he was in. The guy upstairs told me he was in. Our families are calling us on the cell phones right now telling us he was in." Temple head coach Al Golden on the controversial fourth-quarter play that was reviewed.
** "I haven't seen the replay yet, but one of my players came over to me and told me he thought Francis' foot was in. The coaches upstairs told me one foot was already out and he dragged the other one.  All I know is that it went in our favor." Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall.
** "They played great, it came right down to the wire with 40 seconds left in the game, but we got the win and now we have to look towards Pittsburgh." Connecticut QB Tyler Lorenzen.


Missouri 52, Western Michigan 24.
Quick Take: Playing their third BCS conference school in three weeks to open the season, the visiting Western Michigan Broncos fell to 0-3, dropping a 52-24 decision to the Missouri Tigers of the Big Twelve Conference. The Broncos dug themselves an early hole for the second straight week, finding themselves down 31-3 by halftime as the Tigers rolled up 619 yards in total offense. Missouri opened the scoring on their very first possession, the third straight week that the Broncos have given up an opening possession score, going up 7-0 when Mizzou QB Chase Daniel found WR Jerry Maclin for a 25-yard scoring strike. Western Michigan recorded their first touchdown when DB CJ Wilson returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to cut the Missouri advantage to 31-10. The Bronco added a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to narrow the margin to 38-24 but could get no closer as Missouri added a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns of their own to account for the final margin of victory.
 
Notable:
** The 46-yard interception return for a touchdown was the third of his career for Western Michigan's CJ Wilson, which is also a school record.
** Missouri had five rushing touchdowns, the most since recording six rushing scores against Iowa State in 2003.
** The Tigers' five first-half scoring drives took a combined 5:34, with four scoring drives under 90 seconds.

Quotable:
** "It felt kind of fake. It didn't feel real I guess because we were down. I can't really take too much credit for an interception when we lost like that." Western Michigan DB CJ Wilson discussing his record-setting interception return.
** "I'd take a win over a pick any day of the week." Western Michigan DB Anthony Gebhart who had a 24 yard interception return.
** "We've taken the mentality that we're never going to quit and we're going to play hard, but we've got to start faster. It's too little, too late these last couple of weeks and that's very frustrating."  Western Michigan QB Tim Hiller.

(18)Virginia Tech 28, Ohio 7.
Quick Take: Ohio gave 18th-ranked Virginia Tech all it could handle for three quarters, falling short in Blacksburg, 28-7. It was Ohio's first loss of the season. The Bobcats opened the game's scoring on a four-yard Kalvin McRae touchdown run early in the second quarter to take a 7-0 lead. The Hokies tied the score later in the quarter on Kenny Lewis' 13-yard TD and the teams entered the halftime locker room tied at 7-7. The Hokies however scored 21 unanswered second-half points and completely shut down the Bobcats' offense, limiting Ohio to only five first downs for the entire contest and 114 total yards.

Notable:
** The win was the 200th in the career of Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer.
** The Hokies have now won 27 straight games at home against non-conference opponents.
** Ohio crossed the 50-yard line only one time during the game.

Quotable:
** "I don't think this football team is as good as it's going to be. I think we have the potential to be a very good football team."  Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer.
** "I know they weren't asking me to be Superman." Virginia Tech freshman QB Tyrod Taylor who got his first start and passed for 287 yards and rushed for a touchdown.
** "We were hoping we'd be able to contain him some and maybe he'd make some freshman mistakes. He actually played composed, I think, from the start." Ohio head coach Frank Solich on the play of Taylor.


Kent State 38, Delaware State 7.
Quick Take: Kent State overcame a slow start in their home opener by scoring 31 second-half points, routing Delaware State, 38-7. The Flashes' Julian Edelman threw for three touchdowns, connecting with Shawn Bayes on a 42-yard pass in the second quarter to give Kent State a 7-0 halftime lead and then followed that up with a 56-yard scoring strike to Rashad Tukes and another 42-yard touchdown pass to RB Eugene Jarvis. Jarvis also ran for a 4-yard score and finished with 136 yards rushing. Bayes capped the scoring when he returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown with twenty-two seconds remaining after the Hornets found pay dirt for the only time in the contest on a 1-yard TD run by Vashon Winton.

Notable:
** Shawn Bayes' 95-yard kickoff return for a TD was the first for Kent State since Shawn Shoemaker returned a kick 99 yards against Navy on September 11, 1999.
** Golden Flashes' RB Eugene Jarvis, with 136 yards rushing, has now rushed for over 100 yards in all three games this season.
** Kent State QB Julien Edelman passed for a season-high 267 yards and a career-best three touchdowns.

Quotable:
** "I just got a great opportunity. Coach always tells me to use my speed to my advantage, and I just got a chance to get behind the coverage." Kent State WR Shawn Bayes on his 42-yard touchdown.
** "That big play by Shawn settled us down.'' Kent State QB Julian Edelman.
** "Make no mistake about it, Kent State is a great team and they met the challenge." Delaware State head coach Al Lavan.


Ball State 34, Navy 31 (OT).
Quick Take: It seemed only fitting that it would be a 31-year old ex-Marine that would make a game-saving play for Ball State against Navy. DE Brandon Crawford, a 31-year old former Marine, blocked what would have been the game-winning 32-yard field goal, forcing overtime. The two high-powered offenses traded scores throughout the contest, amassing over 1,000 yards in combined offense with the matter not settled until Ball State PK Jake Hogue booted the game-winning 24-yard field goal in overtime after Navy fumbled the ball and lost possession on their first play in overtime. Ball State, which rolled up 539 yards in total offense, rushed for 262 yards, led by MiQuale Lewis' 161 yards, while Nate Davis passed for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Navy recorded all but 64 of its 585 yards on the ground.  

Notable:
** Ball State RB MiQuale Lewis' 161 yards rushing were a career best.
** The Cardinals were 11-15 on third down conversions.
** Navy's Eric Ketani recorded 126 yards rushing on only nine carries, for an average of 14 yards per carry.

Quotable:
** "I knew the game was going to come down to special teams. After we blocked the field goal, I just prepared myself mentally.'' Ball State PK Jake Hogue on his game-wining kick in overtime.
** "Our offensive line did a great job. They were aggressive and gave us a great lift tonight."  Ball State RB MiQuale Lewis.
** "We knew the offense had to score points, we knew the special teams would be a key. We gave up some big plays defensively, but we played well against this Navy defense." Ball State head coach Brady Hoke,

Kansas 45, Toledo 13.
Quick Take: Toledo fell to 0-3 on the season, dropping another lopsided contest, this time to Kansas, 45-13. The 45 points allowed by the Rockets in their loss to Kansas was actually an improvement over the past two weeks when Toledo was scorched for 52 points in consecutive weeks by Purdue and Central Michigan. The Rockets were never really in this contest except momentarily in the second quarter when the Rockets trimmed the Jayhawks' lead from 17-0 to 17-7 when QB Aaron Opelt was on the receiving of a pass from WR Nick Moore for a 21-yard touchdown. Any momentum gained from the gadget play quickly evaporated however as Kansas came back with 28 unanswered points, stretching their advantage to 45-7 before DaJaune Collins scored on a 7 yard run with five seconds remaining in the game.

Notable:
** Toledo WR Nick Moore has now completed two touchdown passes in consecutive weeks. Moore also tossed a 47-yard TD in last week's contest against Central Michigan.
** The Rockets are 0-3 for the first time since 1988.
** All of the Jayhawks' touchdown drives took less than two minutes.

Quotable:
** "There's no excuse for the way I played today." Toledo QB Aaron Opelt who passed for 38 yards and was intercepted three times before being pulled.
** "My team's heads aren't down. They worked hard, they battled and we'll be ready to go for the next game." Toledo head coach Tom Amstutz.
** "We didn't start out the way we practiced this week. Give Kansas credit. They played with more intensity than we did." Toledo RB Jalen Parmele

Players of the Week
MAC Report Online announces its choices for offensive and defensive players of the week for week three of the MAC season.

Offensive Player of the Week
MiQuale Lewis, Ball State, 161 yards rushing on 27 carries. One touchdown receiving.
Comment: Lewis recorded 178 all-purpose yards and caught a 12-yard touchdown that forced overtime against Navy. Lewis accounted for 161 of Ball State's 262 rushing yards in the Cardinals' overtime win against the Midshipmen.

Defensive Player of the Week
Daniel Holtzclaw, LB, Eastern Michigan  13 tackles (3 solo), one tackle for loss, one interception and one pass break-up.
Comment: Holtzclaw's fourth quarter interception at the Northern Illinois 16-yard line set up Eastern Michigan's winning touchdown as the Eagles snapped a seven-game losing streak, defeating Northern Illinois in conference play, 21-19.

Prognosticating Prowess
Below is a recap of our picks for week three and the actual results. For the week our picks went 10-1 for a season mark of 26-6.