I was just thinking about the preseason MAC media and coaches polls and how wrong they turned out this year. The top pick in each division faltered and three of the top four teams in the West are fighting to stay out of the cellar. CMU is the real surprise team. They could wind up in the MACCG after being picked dead last in both polls.

Here's the media poll:

MAC East Division
1. Ohio (24), 144 points
2. Miami, 107 points
3. Buffalo, 100 points
4. Kent State, 62 points
5. Akron, 54 points
6. Bowling Green, 37 points

MAC West Division
1. Toledo (15), 127 points
2. Western Michigan (5), 112 points
3. Northern Illinois (3), 103 points
4. Eastern Michigan, 83 points
5. Ball State, 43 points
6. Central Michigan (1), 36 points

2019 MAC Championship Game Winner:
Ohio (13); Toledo (7); Western Michigan (2); Northern Illinois (1); Central Michigan (1)

And the coaches poll:

MAC East Division
1. Ohio (12), 72 points
2. Buffalo, 50 points
3. Miami, 49 points
4. Kent State, 37 points
5. Akron, 25 points
6. Bowling Green, 19 points

MAC West Division
1. Toledo (4), 59 points
2. Western Michigan (4), 56 points
3. Northern Illinois (2), 49 points
4. Eastern Michigan, 42 points
5. Ball State (1), 26 points
6. Central Michigan (1), 20 points

Reality (as of 11/22):

MAC East
1. Fiami (6-1)
2. Ohio (4-3)
Buffalo (4-3)
4. Kent (3-3)
5. BG (2-5)
6 Akron (0-7)

MAC West
1. WMU (5-2)
CMU (5-2)
3. BSU (3-3)
4. Toledo (3-4)
NIU (3-4)
EMU (3-4)

Maybe that goes to show how little the media know about the MAC. Might also explain the media ranking of MAC recruiting classes.

Lesson: Take MAC reporting with a huge grain of salt.

This is what I was thinking. Not making excuses for the press or the Bobcats, but these guys are paid to know about the B1G and the SEC. The 5% of their time that is allotted to the MAC and Sun Belt is never going to be that deep or accurate.

Of course, the coaches -- who are paid to assess their opposition -- didn't do any better than the media. Maybe that's why the MAC did so poorly OOC this season.

Actually the media poll is done by the papers that cover the teams. It’s guys like Arkley casting votes, not the guy from the Dispatch that covers OSU

The coaches and media picked almost exactly the same. Interestingly, even though Central Michigan was picked last in the West by both, there was one in each poll who picked them to win. I think it kinda showed that people thought the West was kind of up for grabs. The injury to the Toledo QB hurt them a lot.

I have no problem with where the teams were picked in the preseason. Based on everything the everyone knew back then, most would agree the picked by both the media and coaches were pretty good. Everyone under the sun picked Ohio to win the MAC, and not just the media and coaches. The national magazines all did as well. Turn back the clocks and I'm still picking Ohio to win it. We're talking three losses by a combined 9 points. In the West, I'm not surprised about it not being Toledo whatsoever. But anyone walking the face of the earth except the one guy who voted CMU never saw them as a possible MACC pick. It's always easy to look back and pick apart the things that didn't play out. IMO, both of those polls were picked well based on what was known and expected.