Offensive Linemen
5. Ohio (Last season No. 1) — The Bobcats were powered by one of the best lines in the conference last season. It paved the way for the 9th leading rusher in the nation and the 27th overall rushing attack. But the 'Cats lost a ton of experience (105 starts between the three missing starters) including the conference's most experienced lineman (Eric Herman). They also allowed 28 sacks, which isn't horrible, but isn't great either. Only two starters return, but surprisingly there's a decent amount of experience back (57 combined starts). Ohio's offensive line won't be as dominant as it was last season, but it shouldn't be too far off either.

Special Teams
7. Ohio - Ohio graduated everyone. Not really, but they did lose Matt Weller, who handled both kickoff and field goal duty last season, and did so respectably. Their punter, Grant Venham, is back, and he's now a sophomore so maybe he's learned things like how to kick farther. I will say that the Bobcats' punt coverage team was fantastic, holding opponents to only 3.3 yards per return. I'm not sure why this trend of good-punt-coverage-bad-kick-coverage exists, but Ohio was another prime example.

T-3. Peden Stadium (Ohio University) -- The MAC's oldest stadium is entering it's 85th year in 2013, and you can rest assured that fans will continue pouring into the venerable facility.  Ohio is the only MAC school to achieve six-figure attendance in each of the last four years and for good reason -- they don't lose at home.  Over the last ten years, the Bobcats are 37-19 at Peden Stadium.  Okay, they lose, but much less often than they win.  I've read that the goal was to make Peden the "Wrigley Field" of college football.  That sounds like a good marketing ploy to me.  It certainly doesn't hurt to have a guy like Frank Solich patrolling the sidelines.  Or to have a quarterback like Tyler Tettleton.  Or a running back like Beau Blankenship.  Actually, why wouldn't people want to go to Peden Stadium?  That's why it's top-three.

Non-Conference Schedule
12. Ohio Bobcats

8/31 @ Louisville
9/7 vs North Texas
9/14 vs Marshall
9/21 vs Austin Peay

Tyler Tettleton vs Terry Bridgewater. That'll be a fun game, but Ohio will be underdogs. They still could win though, and then have 3 very winnable games, with a slight test in Marshall. However, 3 home games make this schedule super easy. That Louisville game keeps them from having the easiest schedule though.

Uniforms
2. Ohio - Does this reaction warrant a No. 2 ranking? Maybe. Honestly I like the white helmets-black uniform more every time I look back at it. The black helmets made it better. I'll always associate the all-greens to the Penn State win. Also love the green-black-green look. Waiting to see if the 'Cats take an EMU route and find a way to squeeze gray into their combos. Plus you cant go wrong with the classic green and white.

Rivalries
2. Battle of the Bricks (Miami-Ohio)
The oldest schools in the MAC, Miami and Ohio are both known for their beautiful red brick campuses. Except for a two-year break during World War II, the football game has been played every year since 1928. Miami leads the series 52-35-2, though the Bobcats have won six of the last seven games.

Marching Bands
2. Ohio University Marching 110
Although the Ohio University Marching Band was formed in 1923, the band took its modern form with "The Big Switch" in 1967, when director Gene Thrailkill instituted the high-energy style featuring popular music of the day. The closest thing the MAC has to a show band, the Marching 110 claim to be the first marching band to perform in Carnegie Hall, and are frequently included in lists of the nation's best college marching bands. In recent years, videos of their halftime performances of Party Rock Anthem and Gangnam Style have gone viral.

*of all the rankings on HustleBelt - obviously this is the one that I would say is off-base.  Not #1???  To a band that has to play some of their music on the sideline, with Xylophones?? while the rest of the band marches**

Last Edited: 8/16/2013 12:37:18 PM by OUbobcat9092

#6 Beau Blankenship, Ohio RB - Our No. 6 player is the leading returning rusher who wasn't a quarterback.

#12 Tyler Tettleton, Ohio University QB - He's already the greatest quarterback in Ohio Football history, so what is there left for Tyler Tettleton to do in his final season in Athens? Well, winning a MAC Championship for starts.

 #36, Travis Carrie, Ohio University CB - After sitting out the entire 2012 season due to a shoulder injury, Travis Carrie is back to reclaim his title as one of the top defenders in the MAC.

#63, Jon Lechner, Ohio OL - Ohio senior offensive lineman Jonathan Lechner will be this season's Nebraskan stud for Frank Solich's Bobcats.

Last Edited: 8/16/2013 12:43:44 PM by Paul Graham

Last Edited: 8/16/2013 12:55:29 PM by OUbobcat9092

DocBobcat was my Principal; and is still one cool Cat.