Around the MAC

Men's basketball
Kent State vs. Ohio is one of ESPN.com's 10 key games of the weekend.
That preview says Ohio lost to an "excellent" Akron team on Thursday. Anyhow, it got me wondering how I would rank the MAC.

So I did...
1. Kent State 1. (tie) Akron 3. Ohio 4. Miami 5. Western Michigan 6. Toledo 7. Buffalo 8. Central Michigan 9. Eastern Michigan 10. Bowling Green 11. Ball State 12. Northern Illinois

Notes...
Kent State and Akron is a toss-up. Put a gun to my head, and I will say Akron because of the teams' performances against Buffalo. Both were close games, but Kent got to play at home. Looking at other common opponents doesn't show much. Both teams blew out Youngstown State and Miami, although Kent State did it on the road. The other argument is that Kent's RPI is superior by more than 40 slots. We shall find out on Wednesday at the M.A.C. Center.
There are no terrible teams in the MAC. Ball State and Northern Illinois have shown that by beating Toledo and Central Michigan, respectively. That is good news for the Zips. If this holds form, no team will escape the MAC West with fewer than five losses. That means the Zips (or Kent State) would have a great shot at the NIT as the regular season conference champion.
Besides Kent/OU, the other game to watch this weekend is Toledo @ Western Michigan.