Some early thoughts on the MAC football schedule

The MAC schedule has been out for all of about seven hours as I write this and we'll have plenty of time leading up to Sept. 2 to talk about the specifics of the Northern Illinois football schedule. But, for now, I wanted to share a couple of quick thoughts on the MAC schedule as a whole.

Easiest schedule: Ball State. The games they should win (Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Akron) are at home. A Nov. 12 road trip to Buffalo could depend on the weather, but getting Central Michigan early in the schedule is a good thing for the Cardinals. Two FCS teams in the non-conference schedule helps, too.

Toughest schedule: Toledo. A murder's row to open the season: Arizona at home, at Ohio, at Western Michigan, at Purdue, home for Wyoming and then to Boise State. Yikes.

MAC games to look forward to: Sept. 11: Central Michigan at Temple; Oct. 9: Temple at NIU; Bowling Green at Ohio; Oct. 23: Ball State at Toledo; Nov. 5: Western Michigan at Central Michigan; Nov. 9: Toledo at NIU; Nov. 16: Ohio at Temple; Nov. 17: Bowling Green at Toledo; Nov. 20: NIU at Ball State; Nov. 26: Ohio at Kent State.

How did this happen?: Three of Akron's four home conference games come against teams playing their third straight week on the road (NIU, Western Michigan Miami). Look for the Zips to win at least one of those games because of travel fatigue alone.

MAC vs. Big 10 challenge?: On Sept. 25, seven MAC teams play at a Big 10 team.
Ball State at Iowa
Central Michigan at Northwestern
Eastern Michigan at Ohio State
Northern Illinois at Minnesota
Toledo at Purdue
Akron at Indiana
Bowling Green at Michigan
Temple at Penn State

What are your thoughts on this year's football schedule?