Santa, please bring MAC title to Ohio

While pulling out the Christmas lights and the mistletoe from the crawlspace, I stumbled upon my old Magic 8-Ball (Shake Shake Shake). It has nothing to do with the "œChristmas season," but maybe it will help me predict what I will get on Dec. 25.

This year all I'm asking for is a MAC championship!

That means no crewneck sweaters that make me itch, Mom, no appliances for my apartment, Nana, and no PEZ dispensers in my stocking, Santa. So here goes nothing (Shake Shake Shake).

Will the MAC Championship game at Detroit's Ford Field (Friday at 8 p.m.) be a quarterback battle on Friday? (Shake Shake Shake) "“ It is certain.

In the game against Temple, quarterback Theo Scott led the Bobcats (9-3 overall, 7-1 MAC East) down the field 89 yards (on eight plays) for a touchdown on their opening drive. The nine-yard pass to Steven Goulet was the first of five touchdowns Scott was a part of in one of the most important games of his college career (three passing and two rushing). Scott has racked up 2,120 yards passing (19 touchdowns) and 109 yards rushing (three touchdowns) this season.

As for the Central Michigan Chippewas (9-2 overall, 7-0 MAC West) and their prized quarterback Dan LeFevour, you can bet that they will want to keep the ball in the air like the Hindenburg. LeFevour has passed for 2,788 yards this season with 25 touchdowns. The backup quarterbacks for the Chippewas have a meager 139 yards passing combined between the two of them, placing all of the offense in LeFevour's hands. In-fact, LeFevour is their leading rusher too (650 yards in net rushing; 236 yards more than their running back). He's the James Brown of the MAC West; the hardest-working man in playmaking.

Will there be many Bobcat students in attendance on Friday? (Shake Shake Shake). Don't count on it.

Once school is out for winter break, the students don't typically travel back for the remainder of the Bobcats' schedule. Heck, even when school is in session, the students don't typically travel outside their dorms or apartments for games. In the game Friday against Temple the attendance reached a paltry 14,135. Something tells me that despite free admission for Bobcat students (one free ticket held at Ford Field's will-call with proof of an OU identification card) and the game being televised on ESPN2, there will be fewer student fans in attendance than at Jonas Brothers concert once they hit puberty.

Will the Bobcats play either West Virginia or Rutgers in their bowl game? (Shake Shake Shake). My sources say no.

From what I have seen on CBS Sports' Web page and Collegefootballnews.com, the Bobcats are likely looking at a re-match game in Toronto, Canada. This CBS site predicts that Ohio will attend the International Bowl on Jan. 2 against their season-opener opponent the University of Connecticut. (However, the Connecticut Post's Web site [www.connpost.com] predicted Sunday that UConn will probably go to a different bowl game since they played in the International Bowl last year, and the Big East prefers to avoid repeat appearances. The other candidates for the International Bowl then would be Rutgers and South Florida. Other experts note that until the outcome of the MAC championship game is known, it's premature to predict where OU will play during bowl season.)

While the 'Cats may be brawling in Canada for another trophy, the Chippewas are predicted to play Notre Dame in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala. The Toronto game will be televised on ESPN2 (the third time for the Bobcats this year). This is good, because if students won't even walk from Nelson Grab-and-Go, they sure as heck won't drive to Toronto. And if students won't go to the games for free needing just an ID, then they sure as heck won't get a passport to go to the Great White North.

Will Athens NEWS columnist Britton Dove admit he was wrong about counting the Bobcats out of a MAC championship after the first game of the season? (Shake Shake Shake). Ask again later.

Since this hasty prediction at the beginning of the season worked out so well with what I like to call a reverse jinx, the men's basketball team won't win the MAC either. The women's either. Or the baseball team!

Shake Shake Shake. Will the Bobcats win this game on Friday? Cannot predict now.