2012-13 Football Previews – (MAC) – Western Michigan
Western Michigan has been a ton of fun to watch in the past couple years, but the team is looking to put together a few extra wins this year. The team lost a 66-63 shootout to Toledo on national television last year. They then lost a heart breaking 37-32 decision to Purdue in the Motor City Bowl. There’s plenty of returning talent for this team to make a serious run at the MAC title in 2012.
MAC 2012-2013 College Football Previews: Western Michigan
Head Coach: Bill Cubit
2011 Record: 7-6
Western Michigan Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS Championship: (Part of Field) +1,800
Western Michigan Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win MAC: +400
Western Michigan Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win MAC West: +180
Western Michigan Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2012 Schedule –>
You won’t see many teams air it out as often as Western Michigan. The Broncos threw the ball 554 times in 2011. The team lost four games by five points or less in 2011. It’s time for the running game or the defense to step it up a little so this team isn’t just exciting, but they can also win against the best teams in the MAC.
Team Strengths:
Alex Carder is a tremendous quarterback for this spread offense. Carder has great arm strength and he is more than willing to sling it around to anyone who is open. He set a single-season school record with 3,873 passing yards last year. He also threw 31 touchdown passes. He is the team leader and he should have a big season.
The strength of the defense should be the secondary. Western Michigan runs a 4-2-5 defense and they are fortunate to have lots of depth in this unit in 2012. Lewis Toler is a terrific cover corner and Johnnie Simon is a leader for the defense from his safety position. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The offensive line should be much better in 2012. Four of five starters remain from a group that was looking pretty solid at the end of last season. Western Michigan has 17 offensive linemen on the roster, so depth is a major positive here.
Team Weaknesses:
Can this defense learn to stop the run? They were brutally bad at stopping the run in 2011. Opponents ran for 220 yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry. The worst news is that they lost Drew Nowak from the 2011 team, and Nowak was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year on the line. This will be a major problem area again for the Broncos.
Who’s going to run the ball or catch it for Western Michigan? Having a great quarterback and great line is terrific, but this team is lacking play makers in the other skill positions. Western Michigan isn’t balanced at all on offense because they have no stars in the running game. In addition, the team lost its top three wide receivers from last season.
2012-2013 Western Michigan Football Prediction: 8-5
Western Michigan is a tough team to get a read on for this season. The team certainly has the potential to win the MAC and pick up ten wins or more. On the other hand, if the run defense doesn’t improve at all they won’t improve from last season’s win total. Carder should carry the team to several wins, but it will be up to the running backs to do a little more this year.
Look for a solid season from Western Michigan, but the team has too many holes to be spectacular right now.
2012 Western Michigan Schedule
9/1/12 12:00 PM ET @ILL
9/8/12 7:00 PM ET EILL
9/15/12 12:00 PM ET @MINN
9/22/12 2:00 PM ET CONN
9/29/12 TBD TOL
10/6/12 2:00 PM ET MASS
10/13/12 TBD @BALST
10/20/12 3:30 PM ET @KENST
10/27/12 12:00 PM ET NOILL
11/3/12 1:00 PM ET @CMICH
11/10/12 12:00 PM ET @BUFF
11/17/12 TBD EMICH
