| Game Name: | MAC Championship Game |
| Title Sponsor: | Marathon |
| Subheader: | Conference Championship |
| Date Game Played: | December 2 |
| Year Game Played: | 2011 |
| Football Season: | 2011 |
| Stadium: | Ford Field |
| City: | Detroit, Michigan |
| Visitor School: | Ohio University |
| Visitor Name Short: | Ohio |
| Visitor Nickname: | Bobcats |
| Visitor Record: | 9–3 |
| Visitor Coach: | Frank Solich |
| Visitor 1Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Home School: | Northern Illinois University |
| Home Name Short: | Northern Illinois |
| Home Nickname: | Huskies |
| Home Record: | 9–3 |
| Home Coach: | Dave Doeren |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 0 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 16 |
| Mvp: | WR Nathan Palmer (NIU) |
| Odds: | NIU by 3.5 |
| Referee: | Ron Snodgrass |
| Attendance: | 13,052 |
| Us Network: | ESPN2 |
| Us Announcers: | Joe Tessitore (play-by-play) Rod Gilmore (analysis) Eamon McAnaney (sideline) |
The 2011 MAC Championship Game was a college football game played at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 2, 2011, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, USA, to determine the 2011 champion of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).[1] The game featured the Ohio Bobcats and the Northern Illinois Huskies. Sponsored by Marathon the game officially known as the "Marathon MAC Championship Game". Northern Illinois tied the record for their largest comeback in the school's history, coming back from down 20-0 to win 23-20 on the game's final play to win their second MAC championship of all time.[2]
See main article: 2011 Ohio Bobcats football team. Coming into the conference championship game, the Ohio Bobcats owned a 9-3 record, including a five-game win streak including conference wins over Kent State, Akron, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, and Miami (Ohio). The Bobcats also started the season with three straight wins, before losing three games in four weeks to Rutgers, Buffalo, and Ball State.
The Huskies came into the game having won seven straight contests beforehand, giving them a 9-3 record. NIU started the season with a thrilling win over Army before losing back-to-back games to Power-5 opponents Kansas and Wisconsin. The Huskies final loss of the season, and only conference loss came two weeks later against Central Michigan on October 1. The Huskies also had MAC Vern Smith League MVP Chandler Harnish quarterbacking their offense.