2009 Western Michigan Broncos College Football Predictions

2009 Western Michigan Broncos Predictions
2008 Record: (9-4, 6-2)
Coach: Bill Cubit, 5th year (29-20 at Western Michigan, 63-38-1 overall)
Off. Coordinator: Bill Cubit (5th year)
Def. Coordinator: Steve Morrison (5th year)
Returning Starters: 12 (7 offense, 3 defense, punter, kicker)
Ret. Starting Quarterback: Yes (Tim Hiller)

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Offense: The Broncos return seven starters from a unit that averaged 28.6ppg and 411.5 yds/game (28th in the nation). Senior QB Tim Hiller (6-5, 228) is back after tossing for 3,725 yards last season. He has a great understanding of the offense and should shatter just about every team and MAC passing record barring injury. Senior Brandon West (1,026 yards) is back along with sophomore Aaron Winchester. At receiver, they return third-team All-MAC selection Juan Nunez, who caught 57 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. The offensive line returns four of five starters including junior LG Phillip Swanson (6-4, 307), an All-MAC performer.

Defense: The defense returns just three starters and obviously this is the biggest concern. They allowed 395.3 yards per game last season so this is a unit that needs to improve. The line returns just one player, but junior DE Justin Braska (6-4, 234) is an impact lineman, who had 6.5 sacks last year to go along with 52 tackle and 10 tackles for loss. The linebackers should be a strength as first-team All-MAC selection Austin Pritchard (6-4, 233) is back after recording 86 tackles last year and 12.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore Mitch Zajac (6-1, 220) is back after starting five games last year with 29 tackles. The secondary lost three All-MAC performers so they basically are in rebuilding mode.

Outlook: The Broncos open with Michigan and Indiana on the road, before they take on Hofstra (1-AA) and Michigan State (Nov. 7). They take on rival Central Michigan and Buffalo at home, while facing Northern Illinois on the road. This is a pretty tough schedule for a team that should score plenty of points, but will also give up many.

This MAC conference prediction is courtesy of the ATS Sports Blog. If you are looking for winning college football betting picks be sure to choose ATS Consultants this year, A featured sports handicapping service on Touthouse.com