OXFORD, Ohio – The biggest noise coming out of the Mid-American Conference this season has been from the West. Northern Illinois has backed up its Orange Bowl berth of a season ago by going 9-0 and earning a No. 18 ranking in the latest BCS standings. Ball State is 8-1 and has a showdown with the Huskies looming next week, while Toledo is still lurking in contention.
Over in the East – that other division – a trio of teams started a late season round-robin tournament Tuesday night to see who will wind up in Ford Field representing the division. By all indications, Bowling Green and Buffalo are heading for their own showdown at the end of this month.
Bowling Green took care of business against winless Miami, 45-3, at Yager Stadium, while Buffalo broke away from Ohio with 23 points in the second half to win going away, 30-3, at UB Stadium.
The Bulls improved to 7-2 overall, 5-0 in the conference, while Ohio falls to 6-3 and suffered its second conference loss in five games. Bowling Green is now 6-3 and 4-1 in the conference. The Falcons host Ohio next Tuesday night as Buffalo heads to Toledo. Bowling Green plays Buffalo in the regular season finale on Nov. 29
"We're still in it, we're still in the pennant race and now we've got to get ready to play (Ohio)," said Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson. "The level of competition gets higher next week."
What Northern Illinois did last season by breaking into the BCS party doesn't happen in the MAC; at least not until last year's Huskies. What does happen is what is going on in the East.
As Clawson called it, it's a pennant race.
"We're not in a beauty contest," said Clawson. "It's not about the BCS that we're trying to get voters to vote for us. It's a matter of winning games and keeping our best players healthy."
The Falcons had their way with a RedHawks team that is now 0-4 under interim coach Mike Bath since being appointed to the position when Don Treadwell was fired after starting the season 0-5. Bowling Green scored on six of its first seven possessions. The Falcons didn't punt until the fourth quarter when its subs were on the field in full force. They gained 442 yards. Sophomore quarterback Matt Johnson completed 20 of 26 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn't perfect – he did throw one interception – but the win was cathartic for the Falcons.
They had lost 28-25 to Toledo their last time out, falling in the final minutes after rallying from a 21-0 deficit to take a 25-21 lead.
"It was a heart-breaking loss," said senior defensive back BooBoo Gates. "We're a humble team. You never know when you're going to lose or lose everything. We still have everything in front of us. It's good that we know that we have everything in front of us. We're coming back week-to-week and bouncing back."
Gates had four tackles and recovered two of the three fumbles the Falcons forced Miami to cough up, including one that he returned 11 yards for a touchdown. It was the fourth different way Gates has scored a touchdown in his career; he's also scored on interception, punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns.
It's been 10 years since Bowling Green made its lone MAC title game appearance in 2003. Those Falcons lost to a Ben Roethlisberger-led Miami team that finished the season ranked No. 10 in the nation. This team can reach the title game with three more wins. It starts next Tuesday at home against Ohio. Neither team can afford a loss if it hopes to catch Buffalo.
"Nothing is going to be easy these next three weeks," said Johnson. "That has to be our mindset, that we take it one game at a time. That started today. We really came out with that mindset of it's win or go home."
No one is going home yet. This pennant race is just getting interesting.
