Western Michigan Broncos

Western Michigan deserves a New Year's Bowl game if they win Saturday

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Western Michigan is easily the best mid-major school, but some are questioning whether they belong with the big boys. They do and here’s why.

In a college football system dominated by who’s going to make the playoffs, the biggest side note of the 2016 season is Western Michigan’s undefeated 12-0 season. They’ve improved extremely fast under young head coach P.J. Fleck. An explosive, potent offense has been the key to the turnaround however, a turnover-pressing defense has also aided it.

No one can deny Western Michigan is a successful football team. The question is whether they deserve a New Year’s Bowl game. The answer is a resounding yes, but as a long as they beat Ohio in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship.

The last MAC team to play in a New Year’s Bowl was Northern Illinois. That year, the Huskies were led by dual threat sensation Jordan Lynch. They opened the season with an 18-17 loss to Big Ten’s Iowa. This isn’t the Hawkeyes of recent memory. This group was Kirk Ferentz’s worst team since his first two seasons when he was rebuilding Iowa. They went a measly 4-8 and put their long-tenured head coach on the hot seat.

Despite the loss, the Huskies were given a bid in the 2013 Orange Bowl against Florida State. The Huskies were dominated 31-10. Now, the MAC is back with a much better squad. After a tight, season-opening win over bowl eligible Northwestern, the Broncos won by an average margin of 25.7 points per game over their final 10 games. (I didn’t include the win over FCS North Carolina Central because FCS games aren’t FBS games it’s simple).

Row the Aircraft Carrier

Although this isn’t the exact wording of Fleck’s “Row the Boat” theme, this takes new meaning with the current Broncos offense. They don’t feature a humble boat with a few playmakers. They can pick and choose amongst a load of talent.

At quarterback they boat ultra-efficient, four-year starter Zach Terrell leads the way. He’s having a career year completing 71.1 percent of his passes for more than 3,000 yards, 30 touchdowns and just one interception. His greatest attribute might be his deceptive escapability. He’s rushed for 222 yards and six touchdowns, but his legs are rarely talked about as a threat.

His best target in the passing game is fellow senior wide receiver Corey Davis. He’s hauled in 83 passes for 1,283 yards and 17 touchdowns this year. He’s the leader in a group five receivers with at least 17-plus catches.

The running game seems to be a never-ending list of production. Jarvion Franklin leads the team with 1,266 yards and 12 touchdowns on 5.5 yards per carry. Fleck’s squad carries five backs with at least 200 yards including Franklin and Jamauri Bogan who’s got 787 yards and eight touchdowns of his own.

The offense is deep and multiple. They can be a hurry-up run game that can gash defense similar to Baylor in recent years, or they can go to the air and be as efficient as Oklahoma. This team can put up points by the bucket load and it won’t stop against strong defenses.

If they get the opportunity to play in a New Year’s Bowl, they should be treated as a real threat not a Hawaii from the mid-2000s. This a new era for college football and mid-majors are proving themselves better each year, just ask Florida State last year.