ESPN College Football

Here are the non-AQ players of the week, as selected by each conference. The independent players are chosen by a nationwide media panel.

Conference USA

Offense: Case Keenum, QB, Houston. Keenum threw for 534 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns, breaking the NCAA mark for career touchdown passes in a 73-34 win over Rice.

Defense: Milton Howell, DB, Tulsa. Howell tied school and conference records with three interceptions for 44 return yards a 38-7 win over SMU.

Special teams: Tyron Carrier, KR, Houston. Carrier tied the NCAA FBS all-time record with his seventh career kickoff return (matching Clemson’s C.J. Spiller). Carrier returned the opening kickoff 100 yards.

Independent

Offense: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame. Floyed had six receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown in Notre Dame’s 56-14 home win over Navy. Floyd and his first career rushing touchdown in a win over Navy.

Defense: Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame. Te'o had a game-high 13 tackles including 2 1/2 tackles for loss.

Special teams: J.D. Falslev, KR, BYU. With the Cougars trailing 35-13 late in the third quarter, Falslev returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown --BYU’s first punt return for a touchdown since Nov. 9, 2006, a span of 64 games.

MAC

East Division

Offense: Zac Dysert, QB, Miami. Dysert went 20-for-25 for 313 yards and a record-tying five touchdowns in a 41-13 victory over Buffalo. Dysert now has 7,166 career passing yards, ranking second behind only Ben Roethlisberger (10,829).

Defense: Luke Batton, LB, Kent State. Had 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in a win over Bowling Green.

Special Teams: Freddy Cortez, K, Kent State. Went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts against Bowling Green.

West Division

Offense: Jordan White, WR, Western Michigan. White became the school's career receptions leader in a 45-35 win over Ball State with nine catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns. White holds the record with 261 career receptions and is over 1,000 yards for the season.

Defense: Johnnie Simon, Western Michigan. Had 10 tackles, a pass break up, two hurries and his second career interception in a 45-35 win over Ball State.

Special Teams: David Harman, K, Central Michigan. Kicked a career-high three field goals and accounted for nearly half of Central Michigan's points in a 23-22 win at Akron.

Mountain West

Co-offense: Brett Smith, QB, Wyoming. Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State. Smith threw for a career-best 341 yards and scored four total touchdowns in a 30-27 upset over San Diego State. Hillman had 25 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns. His 99-yard touchdown in the third quarter was the longest rush in the nation in 2011 and is also the longest in MW history. Hillman also had a 71-yard touchdown reception, finished with a career-high 305 all-purpose yards.

Co-Defense: James Dunlap, DL, UNLV. Jonathan Anderson, S, TCU. Dunlap had a career-high 4.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, seven tackles and a forced fumble in a 38-35 win over Colorado State. Anderson finished with a career-high and team-best 17 tackles and recorded his first career interception in a 38-28 win over BYU.

Special teams: Deante' Purvis, KR, UNLV. Had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and posted 202 total yards on five kick returns in a 38-35 win over Colorado State.

Sun Belt

Offense: Alonzo Harris, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette. Harris ran for a career-high 189 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Middle Tennessee, and became the first Cajuns running back to post a 100-yard game since 2009.

Defense: Melvin White, DB, ULL. White had an interception, fumble recovery and seven tackles in the win over Middle Tennessee.

Special Teams: Jack Griffin, K, FIU. Griffin tied a career-best with three field goals in a 23-20 overtime win over Troy. Griffin kicked a 20-yarder that tied the score with 3:31 to go in regulation, then won the game with a 22-yarder in overtime.

WAC

Offense: Cody Fajardo, QB, Nevada. Went 19-of-29 passes for 283 yards with no interceptions and rushed 13 times for 60 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-34 win at New Mexico State. Nevada trailed 27-20 at halftime before Fajardo scored two third-quarter touchdowns to give the Wolf Pack the lead for good.

Defense: Aaron Brown, LB, Hawaii. Had a team-high nine tackles (five solo), including 1.5 for a loss, and an interception in a 16-14 win over Idaho.

Special teams: Kenton Chun, K, Hawaii. Kicked a game-winning 35-yard field goal with 32 seconds remaining in a victory at Idaho. Chun also made a 27-yard field goal. Entering the game, he had one career field goal attempt, making a 38-yarder in the season opener against Colorado.

Here are the non-AQ players of the week, as selected by each conference. The independent players are selected by a national media panel.

Conference USA

Offense: Darius Johnson, WR, SMU. Had a career-high-tying two receiving touchdowns, along with 12 catches and 152 yards as SMU defeated No. 20 TCU 40-33 in overtime. It was his third straight 100-yard game.

Defense: Tyson Gale, LB, Marshall. Had a team-high seven tackles against Louisville, including a tackle for loss and the biggest play of the game when he intercepted a pass with 4:32 left in a 17-13 win.

Special teams: Kase Whitehead, P, Marshall. Dropped four of his five punts inside the 20 in the 17-13 win at Louisville. On the season, 10 of his 30 have been downed inside the 20.

Independent

Co-offense: Riley Nelson, QB, BYU. Cierre Wood, RB, Notre Dame. Nelson came in in relief of starter Jake Heaps and accounted for 206 yards of total offense in four drives as BYU rallied from a 24-13 fourth-quarter deficit to beat Utah State. Nelson was 10-of-14 for 144 yards and two touchdowns, adding 62 rushing yards on 11 carries. Wood ran 20 times for a career-high 191 yards and a touchdown in a win against Purdue. His 55-yard scoring scamper was also a career-long run.

Defense: Manti Te'o, LB, Notre Dame. Had a team-high eight tackles unassisted, and a sack against Purdue.

Special teams: Alex Carlton, PK, Army. Made his first field goal of the season and made all six extra point attempts as the Black Knights beat Tulane. His six conversions moved him into sixth place on the Army career PAT made list.

MAC

East Division

Offense: Tyler Tettleton, QB, Ohio. Threw for over 250 yards for the third consecutive week as he finished with 276 yards passing and two touchdowns in a 17-10 victory over Kent State.

Defense: C.J. Malauulu, LB, Kent State. Had a game- and career-high 12 tackles in a 17-10 loss to Ohio. He also added three tackles for loss, a sack, a pass break-up and a forced fumble.

Special Teams: Boo Boo Gates, KR, Bowling Green. Had seven returns for 233 yards, including a career-best 77-yard return in the first quarter in a 55-10 setback at West Virginia. His seven returns are the second-most in school history, while the yards are the most ever in a game.

West Division

Offense: Alex Carder, QB, Western Michigan. Threw for a career high and school record 479 yards and five touchdowns, including three in the fourth quarter, in a 38-31 upset of UConn. His five touchdowns tied for second most in a game in school history.

Defense: Robert Bell, LB, Toledo. Had a career-high 12 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and one recovered fumble in a 36-13 road win at Temple.

Special Teams: David Harman, K, Central Michigan. Was 6-of-6 on extra-point attempts and 2-of-2 on field goals for 12 total points in a 48-41 win over Northern Illinois.

Mountain West

Offense: Tim Jefferson, QB, Air Force. Went 9-of-10 for 136 yards and a touchdown, and rushed 18 times for 66 yards and two scores in a 35-34 overtime win at Navy. Jefferson, who scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run, led Air Force to its second-straight win over Navy and the first in Annapolis since 1997.

Defense: Brady Amack, LB, Air Force. Had a career-high 23 tackles (11 solo), a sack and two tackles for loss in a 35-34 overtime victory at Navy. The tackle total ranks as the sixth-highest in school history and tied for the most in Mountain West history. It also tied for the most in a FBS game this season.

Special teams: Alex Means, LB, Air Force. Blocked Navy’s extra-point try in overtime. Means has blocked two kicks this season and also tied a career-high with 12 tackles and intercepted a pass.

WAC

Offense: Matt Christian, QB, New Mexico State. Went 16-of-27 for a career-high 296 yards and a career-high four touchdowns with no interceptions in a 42-28 win at New Mexico. Christian also rushed for a career-high 101 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He had 397 yards of total offense and accounted for five of the six Aggie touchdowns in the game.

Defense: Keith Smith, LB, San Jose State. Had a team-high 10 tackles and forced a fumble in a 38-31 win at Colorado State. The forced fumble occurred in the second quarter and was returned 20 yards for a touchdown to give the Spartans a 17-7 lead.

Special teams: Justin Hernandez, WR, Idaho. Blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown with 3:11 left in Idaho’s game at Virginia. Idaho trailed 14-6 at the time and following the successful two-point conversion, the Vandals forced overtime. They lost 21-20 in the extra period.

Sun Belt

Offense: Ryan Aplin, QB, Arkansas State. Set a new school record for completions in a game when he completed 37 passes on 49 attempts in a 26-22 win at Western Kentucky. Aplin passed for a season-high 396 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions and also caught a touchdown pass against the Hilltoppers.

Defense: Lance Kelley, LB, Louisiana. Had eight tackles, a tackle-for-loss and an interception in a win over FAU. He currently leads the Cajuns and ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with 39 total tackles.

Special teams: Brett Baer, K/P, Louisiana. Scored 13 points in a 37-34 victory. He made field goals of 47 yards and 46 yards before hitting the game-winning 26-yard field goal as time expired. It was the first win for the Cajuns in the final 10 seconds of regulation since 2003.

The good: It was a weekend of big wins for non-AQs. FIU picked up the first win against an AQ team in school history when the Panthers upset Louisville 24-17. New Mexico State stunned Minnesota 28-21, picking up its first win against a Big Ten team, and first win against an AQ opponent since defeating Arizona State in 1999. The Aggies have been one of the worst teams in college football -- coach DeWayne Walker has won six games there in three seasons. Taveon Rogers had two touchdowns and 88 yards receiving.

Meanwhile, Conference USA pulled out two wins against AQ opponents: UCF handled Boston College 30-3 and Rice beat Purdue 24-22. Both were milestone wins. Though UCF has beaten AQ programs before, the Knights had never done so at home. They are off to their first 2-0 start since 1998, a season removed from making the Top 25 for the first time in program history. Rice had lost 22 consecutive games to AQ opponents. The win was the Owls' first against a Big Ten team since a 40-34 win at Northwestern in 1997.

TCU rebounded in a big way against Air Force, winning 35-19 in a game that was never close. In fact, the Horned Frogs led 35-9 in the fourth quarter, and played much better on defense, even without leading tackler Tanner Brock.

The heartbreak: The MAC easily had the most heartbreaking day. Central Michigan, Toledo and Northern Illinois had leads on their AQ opponents only to come up just short.

Central Michigan led the Wildcats 13-6 at halftime and had outgained them 227 yards to 94. But the turning point came midway through the third quarter, when coach Dan Enos elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 34. Tim Phillips ran for no gain. Kentucky scored on the next play to tie the game at 13, and Central Michigan never scored again in 27-13 loss.

Toledo had Ohio State on the ropes, but the Rockets killed themselves with one mistake after another: 14 penalties for 102 yards; a missed 45-yard field goal and botched hold on a 50-yard attempt; allowing a punt return for a score. A final interception from Terrance Owens on the Ohio State 17 with 48 seconds closed out a 27-22 loss.

Northern Illinois lost to Kansas 45-42 with 9 seconds left when Jayhawks quarterback Jordan Webb threw a 6-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to B.J. Beshears. The Huskies had taken the lead with 5:03 remaining when Jasmin Hopkins scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Kansas converted two fourth down opportunities on the winning drive. Chandler Harnish finished 27-of-33 for 315 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and added 89 yards and a career-high three touchdowns on the ground. Harnish has 11 total touchdowns in two games this season.

Not to be outdone, Fresno State and BYU each had halftime leads in their games before losing. The Bulldogs gave up a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that turned the tide and lost to No. 10 Nebraska 42-29. ... BYU led Texas 13-3 but the Longhorns changed quarterbacks in the second half and that seemed to spark them to a 16-13 win. The BYU offense has not exactly gotten immediate results from new offensive coordinator Brandon Doman. The Cougars rank No. 108 in the nation in total offense (275.5 ypg), and No. 107 in scoring offense (15 ppg). Despite that, they could very easily be 2-0.

The ugly: The offense clearly was not invited to the Louisiana-Kent State game. The teams combined for 19 first downs, seven turnovers and 15 penalties in one of the ugliest games of the day. Louisiana had 159 total yards; Kent State 186. Louisiana quarterback Chris Masson threw for 18 yards.

Army was one of the best teams in the nation last season in turnover margin, but so far this season, turnovers have been a big problem in an 0-2 start. In a 23-20 loss to San Diego State, the Black Knights fumbled eight times -- losing three. In two games, Army has given the ball away six times and is at minus-4 in turnover ratio.

Record watch:

• Ohio coach Frank Solich notched his 100^th career win Saturday in a 30-3 win against Gardner-Webb.
• Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis broke Brett Favre's school passing yards mark of 7,695, in a 26-20 loss to Marshall.
• Houston quarterback Case Keenum threw for 458 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-23 win against North Texas. He moved into fourth place on the FBS career list for passing yards (14,354) and tied Danny Wuerffel for sixth in career passing touchdowns with 114.
• Pete Thomas became the first sophomore quarterback in Colorado State history to reach 3,000 yards passing. In a 33-14 win against Northern Colorado, Thomas was 28-for-42 for 259 yards and a touchdown -- but he also threw three interceptions.

Injury update: Colorado State linebacker Mychal Sisson broke his ankle in the second quarter against Northern Colorado and is out indefinitely. Coach Steve Fairchild said the hope is for Sisson to be able to return later this season. ... UTEP starting quarterback Nick Lamaison separated his shoulder in a loss to SMU. ... Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson was pulled from the loss to TCU and got precautionary X-rays after the game for an undisclosed injury. Nose guard Ryan Gardner injured his knee.

Helmet stickers

Eugene Cooper, WR, Bowling Green. Had career-highs in catches (6), yards (134) and touchdowns (4) in the Falcons’ 58-13 win against Morgan State. Cooper’s four receiving touchdowns tied a school record for touchdown catches in a single game.

Jerome Long, DT, San Diego State. Had a career-high 10 tackles in a 23-20 win against Army, and his sack on a critical third-down on Army's last drive of the game took Army out of field goal range.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, FIU. Set a career-high and school record with 201 yards receiving and two touchdowns in a 24-17 upset win against Louisville.

Adrien Cole, LB, Louisiana Tech. Had 9 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, one sack and blocked Central Arkansas’ field goal in overtime, his second blocked field goal in as many games.

UCF defense. Held Boston College to three points and 84 yards passing in the 30-3 win. The Knights have yet to allow 100 passing yards in a game this season and have limited their first two opponents to three points and 260 total yards.

Miami (Ohio) and Toledo were picked to win their respective divisions in the MAC preseason media poll released Tuesday. Toledo was the choice to finish as MAC champion.

Miami edged Ohio as the champ in the East by one point, while Toledo edged Northern Illinois in the West by two points.

The RedHawks return 17 starters from a team that went 10-4 last season and won the MAC championship. Miami capped a dramatic turnaround to become the first program in college football FBS history to go from double digit losses (1-11 in 2009) to double digit wins (10-4 in 2010) in consecutive years and become the most improved program in the country. They do have a new coach this season in Don Treadwell.

Ohio actually received more first-place votes in the East.

Toledo also returns 17 starters, including receiver Eric Page, who was named to four All-America teams in 2010.

The complete poll:

Team (First Place Votes) Points

MAC East Division

1. Miami (4) 97

2. Ohio (8) 96

3. Temple (4) 88

4. Kent State 57

5. Bowling Green 48

6. Buffalo 37

7. Akron 25

MAC West Division

1. Toledo (8) 83

2. Northern Illinois (5) 81

3. Western Michigan (2) 76

4. Central Michigan (1) 55

5. Ball State 27

6. Eastern Michigan 24

There are many pieces of the latest report on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl that are both disturbing and eye-opening, especially for those who are frustrated that there is no playoff.

What is most interesting to me is this: Among those listed as attending a junket called the "Fiesta Frolic" in 2008 are several athletic directors at non-AQ schools, who also happen to serve on the NCAA panel determining the fate of the bowl game. Tom Bowen at San Jose State, Dave Heeke at Central Michigan, Paul Krebs at New Mexico and Chris Massaro at Middle Tennessee were all at the event, which included hotel expenses, two rounds of golf, spa certificates and more. An internal report by the bowl also quoted one bowl official as describing the Fiesta Frolic as a "boondoggle," and the name was changed to the "Valley of the Sun Experience & Fiesta Bowl Seminars."

Besides the obvious conflict of interest, what does it say about what non-AQ schools really want if some athletic directors are being wined and dined by one of the biggest BCS bowls? This obviously is not a blanket statement about every single school that is a member of a non-automatic qualifying conference, but it is evidence nonetheless to support what we have constantly been told: that the majority of schools enjoy the status quo.

Coaches prefer the bowl system, and so do administrators and university presidents. It's the biggest reason why there is no playoff. None of these athletic directors did anything wrong, but it sure looks bad that they accepted these gifts, especially when there are so many questions about whether the bowl system is fair and equitable.

It is true the non-AQs have benefited more from the BCS than under the old bowl system and have more access to those bowl games. So the BCS does work in that regard. It does not work when you consider the financial disparity. Utah's attorney general believes as much, since he plans to file suit against the BCS for being an unfair monopoly. But as has seemingly been the case, only those outside the college football establishment are outraged with the current system.

Colleague Ivan Maisel has a great breakdown of the MAC nonconference schedules Tuesday in his "3-point stance." We must have telepathy because I planned to put out the complete list of schedules today. Maisel points out:

-- Of the 29 games against the AQ conferences, 24 are on the road and one is at a neutral site (Wisconsin vs. Northern Illinois at Soldier Field).

-- MAC teams play 11 games against the Big Ten and nine against the Big East, which just may be for a leg up. Last year, I wrote about the MAC vs. Big Ten games, which are played every year. They may be for big paychecks, but the MAC has been able to win at least one of those games in each of the last three seasons.

Now here are the schedules by team:

Akron
Sept. 3 – at Ohio State
Sept. 10 – FIU
Sept. 17 – at Cincinnati
Sept. 24 – VMI

Ball State
Sept. 3 – Indiana
Sept. 10 – at USF
Sept. 24 – Army
Oct. 1 – at Oklahoma

Bowling Green
Sept. 3 – at Idaho
Sept. 10 – Morgan State
Sept. 17 – Wyoming
Oct. 1 – at West Virginia

Buffalo
Sept. 3 – at Pittsburgh
Sept. 10 – Stony Brook
Sept. 24 – UConn
Oct. 1 – at Tennessee

Central Michigan
Sept. 1 - South Carolina State
Sept. 10 - at Kentucky
Sept. 24 - at Michigan State
Oct. 8 - at North Carolina State

Eastern Michigan
Sept. 3 – Howard
Sept. 10 – Alabama State
Sept. 17 – at Michigan
Sept. 24 – at Penn State

Kent State
Sept. 3 – at Alabama
Sept. 10 – Louisiana
Sept. 17 – at Kansas State
Sept. 24 – South Alabama

Miami (Ohio)
Sept. 3 – at Missouri
Sept. 17 – at Minnesota
Oct. 1 – Cincinnati
Oct. 8 – Army

Northern Illinois
Sept. 3 – Army
Sept. 10 – at Kansas
Sept. 17 – Wisconsin (at Soldier Field, Chicago)
Sept. 24 – Cal Poly

Ohio
Sept. 3 – at New Mexico State
Sept. 10 – Gardner-Webb
Sept. 17 – Marshall
Sept. 24 – at Rutgers

Temple
Sept. 3 – Villanova
Sept. 17 – Penn State
Sept. 24 – at Maryland
Nov. 19 – Army

Toledo
Sept. 1 – New Hampshire
Sept. 10 – at Ohio State
Sept. 17 – Boise State
Sept. 24 – at Syracuse

Western Michigan
Sept. 3 – at Michigan
Sept. 10 – Nicholls State
Sept. 24 – at Illinois
Oct. 1 – at UConn

Most MAC schools have announced their signing day classes. Be sure to check the ESPN Recruiting page for the complete lists. Here are some highlights:

Toledo: The Rockets are shaping up to have the top class in the MAC, especially after snagging three transfers in Josh Haden (Boston College), Vladimir Emilien (Michigan) and Jordan Haden (Florida). They also signed three-star defensive end Andre Sturdivant, out of Glenville High in Cleveland. Sturdivant chose the Rockets over Penn State.

Western Michigan: The Broncos made inroads in Florida. Of their 19 recruits 12 came from Florida and Michigan. They also were able to shore up two areas of need with five offensive linemen and four safeties.

Central Michigan: The Chippewas signed 27 players -- 12 on offense, 11 on defense and three could play either way. Two members of the class are enrolled for the spring 2011 semester: quarterback Alex Niznak and running back Austin White.

Kent State: With a new head coach in Darrell Hazell, the Golden Flashes signed a group of 18 players, including three quarterbacks -- Evan Shimenksy, Luke Smurthwaite, and Jordan Tarver. Shimensky is already enrolled in school.

Here are some notes from the non-AQs that you may have missed from this past weekend:

-- Utah hired Norm Chow to be its offensive coordinator. Hopefully you have already seen my take on this.

-- Todd McShay filed a stock up/stock down off the East-West Shrine Game in Orlando. You need an insider subscription to read it, but I will give you a few highlights. McShay lists Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle in his stock up section and writes:

Enderle had the most consistent week of any of the QBs. He has the strongest arm of the group and can make all the NFL throws. But the thing we liked best was that he got better every day as the week progressed.

McShay still lists Enderle as a mid- to late-round pick. Here is some more from the in-game blog. The East ended up beating the West 25-8.

-- Fullback Alexander Teich and defensive end Jabaree Tuani were elected Navy team captains for the 2011 football season by their teammates. Teich rushed for 863 yards and five touchdowns on 147 carries and caught seven passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns this past season. Tuani has been a three-year starter for the Mids and is coming off his best season, leading all defensive linemen with 72 tackles, recording a team-high 15.5 tackles for a loss and finishing second on the team in sacks with 5.5.

-- Four former Central Michigan football players are headed to the Super Bowl, tied for the most of any college program in the country. The foursome: Cullen Jenkins, Frank Zombo and Josh Gordy are with the NFC champion Green Bay Packers, while Antonio Brown is in his rookie season with the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Among other non-AQ players in the big game: Packers defensive back Jarrett Bush (Utah State), Packers running back James Starks (Buffalo) and Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders (SMU).

-- Tulsa rounded out its coaching staff. Brent Guy will serve as defensive coordinator/linebackers coach, Adam Blankenship as defensive ends coach and Holmon Wiggins as running back coach. In addition, Clint Rountree was promoted from graduate assistant coach to director of high school relations and graduate assistant coach James Kilian will coach the quarterbacks.

-- Sean McGowan was hired as an assistant coach for defense at Temple. McGowan has served the past four years as the defensive coordinator at New Hampshire.

The MAC has a long and proud history of sending its head coaches on to bigger jobs. But even this season is a bit unusual in its attrition rate.

Three of the top coaches in the league have left for jobs at automatic qualifying conferences in the past few weeks, more than at any time in the past five seasons. Miami (Ohio) coach Mike Haywood became the latest to leave Wednesday, moving on to Pittsburgh. Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill (Minnesota) and former Temple coach Al Golden (Miami) have also left.

Last season, the league lost two coaches to AQ jobs -- Butch Jones went from Central Michigan to Cincinnati, while Turner Gill went from Buffalo to Kansas. That means former MAC coaches are in the Big East, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12.

There will be at least five new head coaches in the league once again. Kent State is looking to replace Doug Martin, who resigned, while Ball State fired Stan Parrish. There were also five new coaches to start the 2009 season. But only one coach went on to a job at a bigger school -- Brady Hoke left Ball State at the end of 2008 for San Diego State.

In fact, the last four winners of the MAC Coach of the Year Award are now gone: Gill in 2007, Hoke in 2008, Golden in 2009 and Haywood in 2010.

Several other coaches have left the MAC in recent years for bigger schools -- the late Terry Hoeppner left Miami (Ohio) in 2005 for Indiana, Urban Meyer coached at Bowling Green, Brian Kelly coached at Central Michigan and Gary Pinkel and Nick Saban both were head coaches at Toledo. Miami (Ohio) is, of course, known as the Cradle of Coaches.

With all the movement, Ohio coach Frank Solich and Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit will be the most experienced MAC coaches going into 2011. Both are headed into their seventh seasons.

As for the college football landscape, no other league will have more new head coaches than the MAC. The Sun Belt is the only one that comes close, with three.

Earlier today, I had a breakdown on why Houston missed a bowl game this season. Now here is a breakdown of several other 2009 bowl teams that missed out in 2010.

Bowling Green

What happened: The Falcons had one of the youngest teams in the country going into the season and they had big shoes to fill with the departure of quarterback Tyler Sheehan and receiver Freddie Barnes. The offense struggled all season, especially the run game, which ranked last in the nation. The Falcons also lost four games by three points or fewer.

Bowling in 2011? Plenty of players return, so they should have the experience, but a big question is whether Matt Schilz can take the next step at quarterback. He already has his go-to target in Kamar Jorden.

Central Michigan

What happened: It's never easy to replace one of the best players in school history in Dan LeFevour, who led the team in rushing and passing last season. Ryan Radcliff held his own at quarterback, but threw way too many interceptions (17 TDs and 17 INTs). The Chippewas struggled to find consistency with their offensive line, failing to protect the quarterback (33 sacks allowed) or establish a decent run game. They also had problems taking care of the football, ranking as one of the worst in the country in turnover margin.

Bowling in 2011? It all depends on the development of Radcliff, and a big-time replacement for linebacker Nick Bellore.

Idaho

What happened: Quarterback Nathan Enderle may have thrown for more yards this season than last, but that is because he had way more attempts. The reason? Idaho could never get its running game going, averaging 88.5 yards a game. The offensive line was a problem because it also failed to protect Enderle -- Idaho gave up 45 sacks this season, third worst in the country. Enderle also saw his completion percentage and yards per attempt drop, and his interceptions go up (from nine to 16). The Vandals were also one of the most penalized teams in the nation.

Bowling in 2011? Leaning no. Idaho is losing Enderle and a lot of senior leadership in defensive end Aaron Lavarias, linebacker JoJo Dickson, safety Shiloh Keoh, tight end Daniel Hardy and receiver Eric Greenwood.

Marshall

What happened: Inconsistency at quarterback, along the offensive line and in the kicking game. Marshall struggled to run the ball, ranking No. 113 in the country and averaging 97.2 yards a game. Much of that was because of a young offensive line. The scoring suffered, too, as the Herd only averaged 20.8 points a game.

Bowling in 2011? Depends on what happens with the quarterback and offensive line. Brian Anderson is gone, leaving A.J. Graham and Eddie Sullivan as the lone returners with experience.

Temple

What happened: The Owls were bowl eligible at 8-4, but were not chosen to go bowling, thanks in part to two straight losses to close the year to Ohio and Miami (Ohio). Turnovers hurt in the loss to the Bobcats, and the offense just never showed up against the RedHawks. Leading rusher Bernard Pierce was banged up all season, though Matt Brown did a nice job filling in. The Owls also made a quarterback change midway through the season, finishing up with Mike Gerardi because Chester Stewart was too inconsistent.

Bowling in 2011? Depends on who Temple hires to replace Al Golden. There is talent here. Can the new coach continue to build on what Golden did the last two seasons?

Wyoming

What happened:A brutal schedule is what happened. After opening against Southern Utah, Wyoming played eight straight bowl teams, including nonconference games at Texas and home to Boise State. The offense took a step back, ranking No. 116 in total offense and 107 in scoring offense. Despite speculation that he may transfer, quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels will return. The Cowboys also dealt with tragedy early in the year when freshman Ruben Narcisse was killed in a car accident Sept. 6.

Bowling in 2011? It is going to be close. Wyoming has an easier out of conference schedule, but it does play two FCS schools. That means the Cowboys have to get to seven wins. They get Nebraska and TCU at home, but Air Force, Boise State and San Diego State on the road.

Northern Illinois senior running back Chad Spann won the Vern Smith Leadership Award, presented annually to the MAC's top football player, and was also selected the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.

Spann is tied for the national lead with 20 touchdowns, and has 226 carries for 1,239 yards this season. Spann set the Northern Illinois school record with 20 rushing touchdowns in a single season and his 48 total career touchdowns is tied with Michael Turner for second place on the Huskies’ all-time list.

In other awards: Kent State defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix was recognized as the Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Miami (Ohio) coach Mike Haywood was selected Coach of the Year and Toledo kickoff returner Eric Page was selected the Special Teams Player of the Year.

Nix led the MAC with 10 sacks and 20 tackles for loss and ranked second in the conference with four forced fumbles. Haywood led the greatest turnaround in college football this season, taking the RedHawks to an 8-4 record and MAC title game after going 1-11 last season.

Page led the conference with three kickoff returns for touchdowns and topped the MAC with with a 31.8 kickoff return average, which also ranked fourth in the nation.

Temple had eight first-team selections, while Northern Illinois had six. Buffalo defensive back Davonte Shannon became the fourth player in MAC history to be named a four-time All-MAC first team selection.

Here are the complete first, second and third teams:

(Read full post)

We are running out of weekends for teams to become bowl eligible. Here is a look at where teams stand in the nonautomatic-qualifying conferences.

Conference USA

Already eligible: UCF, Tulsa, Southern Miss, UTEP, East Carolina.

Vying for a spot: SMU and Houston are each 5-5. After a bye, the Mustangs return to host Marshall before closing the season at East Carolina. If they win out, they win the West. Meanwhile, Houston is in danger of missing a bowl game for the first time since 2004 after dropping its second straight game. The Cougars have two toughies left -- at Southern Miss and at Texas Tech. Freshman quarterback David Piland threw five interceptions last week in a loss to Tulsa, but coach Kevin Sumlin is sticking with him.

On the other end of the spectrum: Tulane (4-6) and Marshall (4-6) have to win out. UAB, Rice and Memphis have been eliminated.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Six.

MAC

Already eligible: Temple, Toledo, Ohio, Northern Illinois, Miami (Ohio).

Vying for a spot: Kent State and Western Michigan are both 4-6 and play this weekend in Kalamazoo with bowl hopes on the line. Whoever loses is eliminated from contention. Kent State closes with Ohio, while Western Michigan closes at Bowling Green.

On the other end of the spectrum: Buffalo, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Akron, Eastern Michigan and Ball State are out.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Three.

Mountain West

Already eligible: TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Utah.

Vying for a spot: BYU (5-5) hosts New Mexico with a chance to become bowl eligible. The turnaround has been remarkably gratifying for coach Bronco Mendenhall, whose team was 2-5 after a loss at TCU on Oct. 16. Since then, his team has found its confidence and an offense. It has outscored opponents 104-17 in the last two games.

On the other end of the spectrum: Colorado State, Wyoming, UNLV and New Mexico have been eliminated.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Five.

Sun Belt

Already eligible: No one.

Vying for a spot: Troy (5-4) is stuck on five wins after losing to FIU last week for the first time ever. A win over South Carolina, Western Kentucky or FAU would get the Trojans bowl eligible for the third straight season.

FIU and FAU are each 4-5, but the Owls have a difficult stretch of games at Texas, Middle Tennessee and home to Troy. FIU has some tough ones, too: at Louisiana, then home to Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee. If the Panthers win out, they win the Sun Belt. ULM (4-6), Arkansas State (4-6) and Middle Tennessee (3-6) have to win out. The Red Wolves are at Navy and FIU; Middle Tennessee is at Western Kentucky, home to FAU and at FIU; ULM has North Texas and Louisiana.

On the other end of the spectrum: North Texas, Louisiana and Western Kentucky have been eliminated.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Two.

WAC

Already eligible: Boise State, Hawaii, Nevada, Fresno State. Hawaii has accepted an invite to the Hawaii Bowl.

Vying for a spot: Louisiana Tech, Idaho and Utah State are each 4-6 and face a difficult road to become bowl eligible. Utah State has to win out over Idaho and Boise State; Louisiana Tech has to win out over San Jose State and Nevada; while Idaho needs to win out over Utah State, Fresno State and San Jose State. The Vandals need seven wins because they have a 13-game schedule this season.

On the other end of the spectrum: New Mexico State and San Jose State have been eliminated.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Four.

Independents

Navy (7-3) and Army (6-4) are bowl eligible. Navy will head to the Poinsettia Bowl. Army is eligible for the first time since 1996. Though the Black Knights don’t have an automatic bowl tie-in this year, they have backup agreements with the Armed Forces Bowl and Military Bowl. Notre Dame (5-5) needs one more win with games remaining against Army and USC.

Let's take a look at the good and the bad for the non-AQs in Week 11.

The good: TCU and Boise State are still in the national championship conversation, though the debate is about their credentials more than anything else. The Broncos beat Idaho 52-14, and have now baten their WAC opponents by an average score of 50-8. For those who wonder why TCU dropped in the human polls after a 40-35 win against San Diego State, the Broncos beat a Hawaii team with the same record as San Diego State 42-7 at home. … Tulsa has won four straight games and is now in the hunt for the Conference USA West title. The Golden Hurricane are tied atop the West with SMU. But since the Mustangs hold the head-to-head win, Tulsa needs to win out and hope for SMU to slip in one of its final two games. … Northern Illinois has won seven straight for the first time since 2003. … FIU is in the driver’s seat for the Sun Belt after beating Troy for the first time in school history. … BYU has won three straight, including its past two games 104-17. … FAU (4-5) has won three straight, and got its third one-point win of the season, 24-21 against Louisiana. ... North Texas has gone over 400 yards of total offense in all three games under interim head coach Mike Canales after only eclipsing that mark three times in the first seven games this season before he took over.

The bad: This has been a tough season for Wyoming. The Cowboys went to a bowl game last season for the first time since 2004, and beat Fresno State 35-28 in a double-overtime thriller. But nothing has gone right this season. Wyoming (2-9) is winless in Mountain West play, and has lost six straight, including back-to-back losses to New Mexico and UNLV. That would make the Cowboys the worst team in the league. They have won just one game against FBS competition this year, at Toledo, and close out the season Saturday against Colorado State. Wyoming ranks near the bottom of the nation in passing offense, rushing offense, points scored and points allowed, and is No. 119 in total offense and No. 105 in total defense. The team has also had to overcome the death of Ruben Narcisse, killed in a car accident in September.

The heartache: Central Michigan found itself down 38-24 with seven minutes to play against Navy, but the Chippewas never gave up, scoring with 4 seconds left to make it 38-37. Coach Dan Enos elected to go for two, because he thought his team had momentum and would have a hard time stopping Navy in overtime. But the 2-point conversion pass from Ryan Radcliff to Kito Poblah went over his head. Of their eight losses this season, five have been by a touchdown or less. “The entire team supported the decision to go for two,” Enos said. …

Arkansas State was 4-5 heading into its game against Western Kentucky, with bowl hopes on the line. The Red Wolves erased a 21-7 halftime deficit and led 28-21 with 54 seconds left. But a bad snap in punt formation gave Western Kentucky the ball deep inside Arkansas State territory. Willie McNeal caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Kawaun Jakes with no time left to send the game into overtime. Western Kentucky won it 36-35 when defensive back Derrius Brooks scored on a 2-point conversion on a reverse. Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts had no explanation for the botched snap. Arkansas State finishes up at Navy and FIU.

A few more helmet stickers: UNLV running back Tim Cornett scored four touchdowns in a win against Wyoming, making him the first Rebel to score four touchdowns in a game since 1994. … Ball State safety Sean Baker intercepted two passes and returned a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown in a 20-3 win at Buffalo. … Miami (Ohio) freshman receiver Nick Harwell had 125 yards and a touchdown in a 24-21 win against Bowling Green. He now has 43 receptions for 600 yards over the past five games, after making just two catches for 15 yards in his first five games.

A few injury items to note: Boise State suffered a big blow with the news that middle linebacker Byron Hout is out for the season with a broken foot. It’s unclear whether he will be ready for a bowl game. … Ohio quarterback Boo Jackson is doubtful for Tuesday’s game at Temple after getting injured in a bar fight a few weeks ago. Phil Bates has been hobbled by injury, but is expected to start. … Miami (Ohio) quarterback Zac Dysert (ribs) is a game-time decision for Wednesday’s contest at Akron. … Buffalo quarterback Alex Zordich (ribs) is out for the season, and Jerry Davis is expected to start against Eastern Michigan.

Week 12 look ahead: A few big games coming up: MAC East Division matchup between Ohio and Temple on Tuesday night. Both teams have one loss in conference. Fresno State is at No. 4 Boise State on Friday night. No. 23 Utah is at San Diego State, while Army and Notre Dame play in the first game at Yankee Stadium.

No. 11: Nick Bellore, LB, Central Michigan

2009 numbers: Led the Chippewas with 132 tackles and 13 tackles for loss. He also had three sacks and two interceptions.

Making the case for Bellore: Bellore, who is heading into his senior season, is the defensive mainstay for the Chippewas and one of the top linebackers in the Mid-American Conference. He’s been the conference’s first-team linebacker each of the past two seasons and led the Chippewas in tackles each of those seasons. Bellore will be relied upon heavily this year as the Chippewas navigate through a season with a new head coach and without several key players who have helped the team win conference titles. Look for Bellore to lead the team in tackles for a third consecutive season and to be one of the most effective linebackers in the country.

Before I get started with where the MAC coaches stand, I wanted to express my apologies to Doc Holliday and Marshall. Holliday was accidentally left off the C-USA coaches list that was posted last week because of a cut and paste error. However, I think we all know that Holliday is safe after this season. I actually think he might have the best shot of all the new C-USA coaches to put his team in a bowl.

With that said… Let’s talk MAC. The MAC has three new coaches and five coaches in their second season. There’s a lot of security in this conference, but there also are a couple coaches that need to win to stay off the hot seat.

Needs to win right away

Doug Martin, Kent State: Martin has a lot of history working against him considering the Golden Flashes haven’t been in a bowl game since 1972. Martin hasn’t had a winning season since taking over at Kent State in 2004 and has had just one 6-6 season. However, this figures to be his best team with the return of running back Eugene Jarvis and several young players with experience.

Seat could get toasty midseason

Bill Cubit, Western Michigan: The Broncos have been up and down the past three seasons, but their struggles at the end of 2008 and most of last year raised some flags. The Broncos are breaking in a new running back and a new quarterback this season, so there’s no telling what to expect. However, the West Division won’t be as strong as it’s been, so WMU has a chance to make some noise.

Stan Parrish, Ball State: Last year’s 2-10 record was a pretty deep slide considering the Cardinals were coming off the best campaign in school history. The problem wasn’t necessarily the losses, but the fact that the Cardinals weren’t competitive, especially early in the season. While Ball State hasn’t had a lot of success in recent history, Parish could still be on a short leash.

Chillin’ in a lounge chair

Frank Solich, Ohio: Solich has quietly built a power in Athens, Ohio, and the Bobcats should be among the favorites to win the East Division. It’s taken Solich some time to get Ohio back on track, but the recruiting has been strong and the offense has been stout. Some key quarterbacking play could prove the difference this year.

Al Golden, Temple: Golden has become one of the hottest coaching prospects in the country because he’s taken the Owls from obscurity to a conference championship contender. His team fell a win short of the East Division title, but with a strong backfield and defense, it will be in the hunt again this year.

Dave Clawson, Bowling Green: Clawson might hit some unexpected turbulence this year after losing key seniors Tyler Sheehan and Freddie Barnes, but he knew that coming in. He’ll have a young team this season that he’ll be able to mold in the style he wants, but making a bowl game might be dicey as his young players continue to learn.

Jerry Kill, Northern Illinois: Kill has done wonders with Northern Illinois during his two seasons. He’s gone to two consecutive bowl games and push for a MAC West Division title. This year, the Huskies will be the favorite in the West with a stellar group of running backs leading the way.

Mike Haywood, Miami-Ohio: Haywood had to change the culture at Miami-Ohio when he arrived and as a result, the RedHawks won just one game last year. However, the team did get better as the season progressed and showed there was some talent in the program, especially from quarterback Zac Dysert. The RedHawks likely will struggle again, but Haywood will get time to build the program.

Tim Beckman, Toledo: I’ve said many times that Toledo was one of the most disappointing non-AQ teams from a year ago because it wasted a lot of senior talent. However, the Rockets should be interesting this year with a slew of young players, some of which earned major playing time a year ago. I almost put Beckman in the category above, but as a second-year coach, he should be safe as long as his team makes some positive strides.

Ron English, Eastern Michigan: The Eagles were one of two teams to go winless last season and this season has the potential to be equally as bad with several defections in the offseason. The Eagles worked with about a half of a squad in the spring and will have to incorporate the rest of its players into the fold in the fall.

New coach, jury is out

Jeff Quinn, Buffalo: Quinn hasn’t had the best luck after losing some players, including starting quarterback Zach Maynard, and this might be a tough rebuilding year. The continuity was hit and miss this spring and he’ll probably experience more of the same when the season starts.

Rob Ianello, Akron: There’s a lot of young talent at Akron and the Zips could surprise this year, but I think it’s going to be at least a year before Ianello’s system starts running at full speed.

Dan Enos, Central Michigan: Enos probably has the most pressure on him considering Central Michigan has dominated the conference in recent years, but he’s without the star quarterback that created all of that hype. It’s hard to count out the returning MAC champs, but this could be a tough year.