by By Rodney McKissic , Buffalo News

East Division

1. UB

2. Ohio

3. Akron

4. Bowling Green

5. Temple

6. Kent State

7. Miami

West Division

1. Central Michigan

2. Western Michigan

3. Northern Illinois

4. Toledo

5. Ball State

6. Eastern Michigan

I don't know about Ohio being the second best team in the East behind UB over Akron and Bowling Green. Temple fans feel this is the Owls years but we've been hearing that the last two seasons. It's time for them to prove it on the field. Central Michigan and Western Michigan are arguably the top two teams in the league and the Bulls have to play them both.

Athlon's All-MAC first team includes James Starks and Davonte Shannon, while the second team has Naaman Roosevelt, Jordan Jerrold and Justin Winters. In its unit ranking, Atlon's judges UB this way, on a scale of 1-10 with one being the best:

QB: 9

RB: 1

WR/TE: 2

OL: 7

DL: 6

LB: 2

DB: 2

I'm sure UB fans will find cause to debate with the rankings, especially at quarterback, but the Bulls are breaking in a new starter. They are replacing a four-year start so there has to be a drop off. The magazine also lists UB No. 91 out of the 120 teams in the nation. Here's how the opponents on the Bulls schedule stack up:

Texas-El Paso ? 82

Pitt ? 41

Central Florida ? 95

Temple ? 110

Central Michigan ? 69

Gardner-Webb ? n/a

Akron ? 96

Western Michigan ? 83

Bowling Green ? 99

Ohio ? 93

Miami (Ohio) ? 115

Kent State ? 111

So, based on the rankings, the Bulls are predicted to finish 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the MAC. The Bulls won the league last season with a 5-3 record. Athlon's national champion is Florida with a top ten Oklahoma, Texas, USC Ohio State, Alabama, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss.

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