It's become all too common in the Mid-American Conference of late. The good teams aren't complete teams, and incomplete teams rarely take down BCS conference teams.

Take it a step further. When mid-majors don't take down the occasional BCS team, particularly in bowl season, things get a little boring. That's the state of the MAC following 2007, where teams went 5-37 against BCS schools and 0-3 in bowl games.

Andre Neblett and Temple are chasing down the MAC elite. (Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University)

But something happened on the way to the 2008 season. Two more bowls were added to the postseason slate, amping the number of teams needed to compete in postseason play to 68. And that means, dare we say it, two perennial college football punchlines could be playing into December.

Tune into the MAC this season for the high-flying offenses of Central Michigan and Ball State. Or maybe the stout defenses of Miami or Western Michigan. But stay for what's going on in Philadelphia and Buffalo under the leadership of Al Golden and Turner Gill, respectively.

Both schools have shots at .500 ball overall and if the chips fall the right way, the MAC East title. Expectations? At Temple, a team without a winning season since 1990 and 28-130 since 1993? At Buffalo, a combined 17-86 (9-56 in the MAC) since entering D-I football in 1999?

You bet.

"We emphasize expectations," Buffalo coach Turner Gill said. "You have to visualize and paint that picture in your mind in order to get where you want. When I came here, they told me they didn't have any and now they're expected to run the plays right, get academic degrees and it's important that we put it out there visually for them."

It's all part of the change, or rather cultivation of culture going on at the two campuses.

"It's a completely different culture," Temple coach Al Golden said. "Our coaches are very hands on, very involved, not just in the football aspect, but academically and socially too. It's different than any culture I've been around."

But changing cultures and facilitating expectations isn't where this story ends, just where it began three years back for each coach. Now there are whispers of postseason berths, first-day draftees and leading the conference in statistics other than turnovers, punts and nose hair.

Temple's defense, led by run-plugging nose tackle Andre Neblett, could challenge Miami and Western Michigan for stingiest in the conference. And Buffalo's offense, powered by quarterback Drew Willy and tailback James Starks will put up plenty of points.

But again, we're back to talk of complete teams. Like their MAC peers these aren't. Temple's offense was anemic (16 points per game) last season and Buffalo's defense lost three key front-seven cogs (DE Trevor Scott; LBs Kareen Byrom and Larry Hutchinson) to an already porous unit.

And that's where the story changes again. Both teams' perceived weaknesses are where expected game changers reside this season.

In Buffalo, safety Davonte Shannon racked up 123 tackles en route to earning all-conference honors -- as a freshman. He'll be the centerpiece to a deep secondary that's expected to shut down pass-happy offenses on the schedule like UTEP, Missouri, Central Michigan and Bowling Green.

"Everybody's back for our team in the secondary, but we're really juniors and sophomores," Gill said. "We definitely have depth there and have good experience."

Temple has a cerebral center, who Golden "can't say enough about," in Alex Derenthal. He's one of the best in the game and destined to play at the next level. He'll be responsible for making sure the line keeps gritty quarterback Adam DiMichele's (pronounced di-michael) jersey clean. Having a healthy DiMichele (he missed the last four games of '07 with injuries) will be the difference between another 4-8 campaign and a 6-6 bowl-eligible campaign.

"Adam is a natural leader," Golden said. "He has command in the huddle, a tremendous work ethic on and off the field and importantly, a tremendous football IQ. He's a winner, he has moxie. He'll find a way to get things done."

But what's a story if nobody's around to see and hear it unfold? A larger audience than normal will get to watch DiMichele try and get things done as Temple hosts a nationally televised game vs. Ohio on October 21. Buffalo gets its national moment hosting Miami November 4. TV cameras at Temple? At Buffalo? Just part of the metamorphism happening in these one-time football wastelands.

"It's the first time we're going to have TV exposure on campus and we all dream of that -- being on TV," Gill said. "It's great for the athletes and the university and we're going to make it a good night. When we're on (Election Day), they won't have even finished collecting votes in California. They'll be plenty of time, cast your vote and come watch Buffalo football is what we say."

So just what could 6-6 or 7-5 get these teams? The St. Pete Bowl and the International Bowl will be out there looking for teams in late November. A consolation prize for most programs; a mammoth stepping stone for these two.

"It would be a great 10-year anniversary," Gill said of his program's time in D-I. "Winning this MAC East, playing in the championship and going to a bowl game. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

In a conference filled with incomplete teams, watching two doormats knock on respectability's door could offer the most complete story outside the BCS.

Offensive player of the year

Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan: The Chippewas offensive line returns four starters, the wide receiver position is loaded, featuring two players who caught 90 balls or more and the running back position has depth. Expect the defending MAC Player of the Year to flourish again as the linchpin to the CMU offense, where he became just the second D-I player to throw for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. Don't like LeFevour? Either of Ball State's prolific duo of quarterback Nate Davis and wideout Dante Love could make runs for the honor.

Defensive player of the year

Clayton Mullins, Miami University: Picking the defending winner isn't fun, but it's logical. Particularly when Miami returns the MAC's stingiest defense nearly intact and Mullins gets another year behind the team's two trench terrors -- Travis Craven and Martin Channels. The one thing hurting his chances? Miami's offense should improve, meaning less time on the field to compile those gaudy tackle numbers. Keep an eye on Temple nose tackle Andre Neblett and Bowling Green's hard-hitting safety P.J. Mahone as sleepers for the award.

Predicted order of finish (East)

1. Miami: After winning the MAC East, but closing the season at the non-bowl-eligible mark of 6-7, Miami should return to postseason play this year thanks to its defense and schedule. The defense was the conference's best nearly across the board, but take particular note of this stat -- the Red Hawks allowed the fewest first downs in the conference. The schedule features in-conference away games at rebuilding Northern Illinois and porous Toledo and most importantly, neither Central or Western Michigan. Keep an eye on whether Shane Montgomery, now in his fourth year as coach, can put together a consistent offense. His background is on that side of that ball, having coached Terrell Owens and Miami alum Ben Roethlisberger.

2. Bowling Green: Best-case scenario? Quarterback Tyler Sheehan joins Dan LeFevour and Nate Davis to create a triumvirate of top-tier quarterbacks in the conference and Bowling Green makes a strong push for the East's top spot. Doomsday scenario? The Falcons' inexperience at offensive line and running back forces Sheehan into bad decisions and the lack of girth on the defensive line allows opponents to run wildly and win the time of possession battle, keeping the junior off the field and the team well out of title contention. One thing to watch on defense? Strong safety P.J. Mahone forcing offensive coordinators to think twice about running crossing patterns.

3. Temple: If the offense catches up to the defense and the first part of the schedule -- Army, UConn, Buffalo, Penn State, Western Michigan, Miami and Central Michigan -- doesn't cripple the program's momentum, the Owls will push for .500. Pressure will be on Adam DiMichele to steer the offense, which needs to put up more than the 16 points per game it did last season.

4. Buffalo: Points won't be a problem with Drew Willy quarterbacking, James Starks running and eight other starters returning. Keeping the defense from bending, not breaking week in and out will be the trick. One thing to note, the world gets its first taste of Bulls football, as Buffalo hosts a nationally televised game. The downside? It's the first Tuesday in November.

5. Kent State: What's 5-foot-5, listens to Nas' Hate me now before games, calls Friday his favorite movie and if he were a WWE wrestler, would go by the alias Captain Hembad? Anwswer: Eugene Jarvis, otherwise known as the sole reason to tune into Kent State games.

6. Ohio: Coming into this season, coach Frank Solich has as many wins at Ohio (19) in three seasons as he did losses at Nebraska in six seasons. What does that mean? Not a thing, other than Ohio is still a budding, not blooming program, despite a bowl trip in 2006. Expect another flirtation with .500, but lots of talk about how much better things at Ohio are now with Solich (extended through 2013) than they were before.

7. Akron: If you like fitting square pegs into round holes, Akron is your team. Last year's starting running back? Now playing in the secondary. Last year's free safety? Now a wide receiver. The team does have a solid offensive line, so Chris Jacquemain will get a few seconds to try and throw the ball. Keep an eye on Miami (Fla.) transfer Andrew Johnson at tailback.

Predicted order of finish (West)

1. Ball State: It's nice to see the administrators in Muncie know when they have a good thing. Unlike the usual out-of-conference suicide mission Ball State usually goes on year in and out, these Cardinals face a string of winnable games (do we dare call them cupcake programs?) in Northeastern, Navy, Indiana and Western Kentucky. That's it. No Georgia, and not even a Nebraska. In-conference road games at Miami and Central Michigan will be the true tests as to whether this team stumbles to the Motor City Bowl or even busts into the Top 25. The triumvirate of quarterback Nate Davis, wideout Dante Love and tight end Darius Hill will likely make this the most explosive team named Cardinals in the country. Speaking of Dante Hill, he's expected to pass another Dante (Ridgeway) as the team's all-time leading receiver.

2. Central Michigan: Who is the only other quarterback aside from Vince Young to throw for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season? Why it's Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour. But you knew that already. What you may not know is LeFevour would cast Craig Sheffer, or as he says it, "probably that quarterback from the movie The Program" to play him in the Dan LeFevour Story. Keep in mind, Sheffer is 48 years old. Also keep in mind, the Chippewas defense allowed 36.9 points per last season. So all LeFevour has to do this season is score 37 points per game. Easy enough.

3. Western Michigan: One time the Chippewas won't likely put up 37 points is at home on October 18 when the Broncos come to town. Western Michigan was 68th nationally in scoring defense and through the second half of last season held opponents to 19 points per. It returns 10 starters on defense including a stellar defensive backfield led by Londen Fryar, son of former NFL star Irving Fryar.

4. Toledo: Toledo will put up points (see: 70-21 win last season), but they'll give up more than they usually record. The solution? Future NFL safety Barry Church offers this fix: "If you dress well on the field, then you'll play well." The Rockets wrap up their season with home games vs. Miami and Bowling Green, which means the MAC East title just may go through a well-dressed Toledo program.

5. Northern Illinois: New coach Jerry Kill doesn't have a tear-me-down project, despite inheriting a 2-10 team from longtime DeKalb stalwart Joe Novak. Not with promising quarterback Dan Nicholson and wideouts Matt Simon and Britt Davis. Defensive end Larry English recorded 10.5 sacks last season to lead the league and reinforce his Darth Vader nickname.

6. Eastern Michigan: Strong special teams, linebacker Daniel Holtzclaw and the continued improvement of quarterback Andy Schmitt will keep teams from circling the Eagles as Ws on the schedule. The last bowl game EMU won was called the Raisin Bowl, and it was in 1987.