2020 Mid-American Conference football season explained

2020 Mid-American Conference football season
Color:	2B366E
Color Text:	FFFFFF
League:	NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Duration:	November 4 - December 18
No Of Teams:	12
Season:	Regular season
Mvp:	Jaret Patterson
Mvp Link:	Mid-American Conference football individual awards
Conf1:	East Division
Conf1 Champ:	Buffalo
Conf2:	West Division
Conf2 Champ:	Ball State
Finals:	MAC Championship Game
Finals Link:	2020 MAC Championship Game
Finals Champ:	Ball State
Finals Runner-Up:	Buffalo
Finals Mvp:	Drew Plitt & Jimmy Daw, Ball State^[1]
Prevseason Year:	2019
Nextseason Year:	2021

The 2020 Mid-American Conference football season was the 75th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), as part of the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

The provisional schedule was released on February 26, 2020, with a regular season between September 3 and November 28, 2020, and the MAC Championship Game on December 5, 2020.^[2] On August 8, 2020, the MAC announced that all fall sports had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with plans to attempt play in Spring 2021. Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher stated that "there are simply too many unknowns to put our student-athletes into situations that are not clearly understood." It was reported that the NIU Huskies — the conference's most successful team — were instrumental in pushing for a full cancellation of the season, and had also suggested the possibility of opting out if the MAC did decide to play. Concerns were also raised over the budgetary impacts of health protocols such as testing, especially with the cancellation of all but five games against Power Five conference opponents (which often serve as a major revenue source) due to restrictions to in-conference play only. The MAC became the first FBS conference to cancel the 2020 season entirely due to COVID-19.^{[3] [4]} On September 24, 2020, The MAC voted unanimously to resume the fall football season. the six-game conference-only schedule will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 4 with a full slate of games. The regular season will conclude with the East Division & West Division Champions playing in the MAC Championship Game on Friday, Dec. 18 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich The Conference will implement a COVID-19 testing program requiring four antigen tests per week with all positive tests needing confirmation with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Any student athlete with a positive test will enter a cardiac screening protocol. The MAC's approved COVID-19 testing protocols, including four tests per week, will begin Monday, October 5.^[5] On October 7 the MAC released the new 2020 Football schedule.^[6]

Previous season

See main article: 2019 Mid-American Conference football season. In 2019, the Miami RedHawks won the east division, and the Central Michigan Chippewas won the west, both with a 6–2 conference record. In the 2019 MAC Championship Game, the RedHawks defeated the Chippewas 26–21 in overtime. The RedHawks would go on to the 2020 LendingTree Bowl, where they were defeated 27-17 by the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.

Head coaches

Coaches

Team	Head coach	Previous Job	Years at school	Overall record	MAC record	MAC titles
style=	Akron	Tom Arth	Chattanooga	5			0
style=	Ball State	Mike Neu	New Orleans Saints (QB Coach)	5			0
style=	Bowling Green	Scot Loeffler	Virginia Tech Hokies (QB Coach)	2			0
style=	Buffalo	Lance Leipold	Wisconsin–Whitewater	6			0
style=	Central Michigan	Jim McElwain	Florida	2			1
style=	Eastern Michigan	Chris Creighton	Drake	7			0
style=	Kent State		Syracuse (Co Off. Coordinator)	2			0
style=	Miami	Chuck Martin	Notre Dame (Off. Coordinator/QB Coach)	6			1
style=	Northern Illinois	Thomas Hammock	Baltimore Ravens running backs coach	2			0
style=	Ohio	Frank Solich	Nebraska	16			0
style=	Toledo	Jason Candle	Toledo (Off. Coordinator)	5			1
style=	Western Michigan	Tim Lester	Purdue (QB Coach)	4			0

Rankings

See main article: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.

	Pre	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Wk 16	Final
Akron	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Ball State	AP																RV	23
	C																RV	23
	CFP	Not released
Bowling Green	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Buffalo	AP											RV	RV	RV	24	23	RV	25
	C													RV	RV	RV	RV	25
	CFP	Not released
Central Michigan	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Eastern Michigan	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Kent State	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Miami	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Northern Illinois	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Ohio	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Toledo	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Western Michigan	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released

Legend

		Improvement in ranking
		Drop in ranking
		Not ranked previous week
		No change in ranking from previous week
RV		Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
т		Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

Regular season Schedule

Championship Game

Week 7 (MAC Championship game)

See also: 2020 MAC Championship Game.

Postseason

Bowl Games

See also: 2020–21 NCAA football bowl games.

Legend
	MAC win
	MAC loss

Bowl game	Date	Site	Television	Time (EST)	MAC team	Opponent	Score	Attendance
Camellia Bowl	December 25	Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL	ESPN	2:30 p.m.	Buffalo	Marshall	W 17–10	2,512
Arizona Bowl	December 31	Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ	CBS	2:00 p.m.	Ball State	San Jose State	W 34–13	0

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

East Division

Week		Offensive				Defensive				Special Teams
		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position
Week 1 (November 9)		AJ Mayer Jaret Patterson	Miami Buffalo	QB RB		Ryan McWood	Miami	LB		De'Montre Tuggle	Ohio	RB/KR
Week 2 (November 16)		Kyle Vantrease	Buffalo	QB		Keye Thompson	Ohio	LB		Dom Dzioban	Miami	P
Week 3 (November 23)		Jaret Patterson Dustin Crum	Buffalo Kent State	RB QB		James Patterson	Buffalo	LB		Matthew Trickett	Kent State	K
Week 4 (November 30)		Jaret Patterson	Buffalo	RB		Kameron Butler	Miami	DE		Julian Ross	Ohio	RB/KR
Week 5 (December 7)		Teon Dollard	Akron	RB		Bubba Arslanian	Akron	LB		Gavin Blunt	Akron	WR
Week 6 (December 14)		Kevin Marks	Buffalo	RB		Eddie Wilson	Buffalo	DT		Tyrone Hill	Buffalo	S

West Division

Week		Offensive				Defensive				Special Teams
		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position
Week 1 (November 9)		Eli Peters	Toledo	QB		Troy Hairston	Central Michigan	DL		Luke Elzinga	Central Michigan	P
Week 2 (November 16)		Caleb Huntley	Ball State	RB		Brandon Martin	Ball State	LB		Marshall Meeder	Central Michigan	K
Week 3 (November 23)		D'Wayne Eskridge	Western Michigan	WR		Jamal Hines	Toledo	DE		Thiago Kapps	Western Michigan	K
Week 4 (November 30)		Drew Plitt	Ball State	QB		Christian Albright	Ball State	LB		D'Wayne Eskridge	Western Michigan	WR/KR
Week 5 (December 7)		Drew Plitt Preston Hutchinson	Ball State Eastern Michigan	QB QB		Jose Ramirez	Eastern Michigan	DE		Chad Ryland	Eastern Michigan	K
Week 6 (December 14)		Justin Hall	Ball State	WR		Jaylin Thomas	Ball State	LB		Chad Ryland	Eastern Michigan	K

MAC Individual Awards

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the Mid-American Conference football coaches at the end of the season

Award	Player	School
Offensive Player of the Year	Jaret Patterson	Buffalo
Defensive Player of the Year	Troy Hairston Brandon Martin	Central Michigan Ball State
Special Teams Player of the Year	D'Wayne Eskridge	Western Michigan
Freshman Player of the Year	Lew Nichols III	Central Michigan
Vern Smith Leadership Award	Jaret Patterson	Buffalo
Coach of the Year	Lance Leipold	Buffalo

All-conference teams

Position	Player	Team
First Team Offense
WR	Justin Hall	style=	Ball State
WR	Isaiah McKoy	style=	Kent State
WR	Tyrice Richie	style=	Northern Illinois
WR	D'Wayne Eskridge	style=	Western Michigan
OL	Kayode Awosika	style=	Buffalo
OL	Mike Novitsky	style=	Buffalo
OL	Tommy Doyle	style=	Miami
OL	Bryce Harris	style=	Toledo
OL	Mike Caliendo	style=	Western Michigan
TE	Quintin Morris	style=	Bowling Green
QB	Dustin Crum	style=	Kent State
RB	Teon Dollard	style=	Akron
RB	Jaret Patterson	style=	Buffalo
PK	Marshall Meeder	style=	Central Michigan
First Team Defense
DL	Malcolm Koonce	style=	Buffalo
DL	Ralph Holley	style=	Western Michigan
DL	Troy Hairston	style=	Central Michigan
DL	Mohamed Diallo	style=	Central Michigan
OLB	Anthony Ekpe	style=	Ball State
OLB	Troy Brown	style=	Central Michigan
ILB	Brandon Martin	style=	Ball State
ILB	James Patterson	style=	Buffalo
DB	Bryce Cosby	style=	Ball State
DB	Willie Reid	style=	Central Michigan
DB	Noski LaFleur	style=	Eastern Michigan
DB	Bricen Garner	style=	Western Michigan
P	Luke Elzinga	style=	Central Michigan
First Team Specialists
KRS	D'Wayne Eskridge	style=	Western Michigan
KRS	Justin Hall	style=	Ball State

Position	Player	Team
Second Team Offense
WR	Antonio Nunn	style=	Buffalo
WR	Kalil Pimpleton	style=	Central Michigan
WR	Jack Sorenson	style=	Miami
WR	Skyy Moore	style=	Western Michigan
OL	Curtis Blackwell	style=	Ball State
OL	Jake Fuzak	style=	Buffalo
OL	Derek Smith	style=	Central Michigan
OL	Bill Kuduk	style=	Kent State
OL	Jaylon Moore	style=	Western Michigan
TE	Daniel Crawford	style=	Northern Illinois
QB	Drew Plitt	style=	Ball State
RB	De'Montre Tuggle	style=	Ohio
RB	La'Darius Jefferson	style=	Western Michigan
PK	Chad Ryland	style=	Eastern Michigan
Second Team Defense
DL	Turan Rush	style=	Eastern Michigan
DL	Weston Kramer	style=	Northern Illinois
DL	Desjuan Johnson	style=	Toledo
DL	Austin Conrad	style=	Ohio
OLB	Christian Albright	style=	Ball State
OLB	Jamal Hines	style=	Toledo
ILB	Bubba Arslanian	style=	Akron
ILB	Terry Myrick	style=	Eastern Michigan
DB	Antonio Phillips	style=	Ball State
DB	Jordan Gandy	style=	Northern Illinois
DB	Tycen Anderson	style=	Toledo
DB	Nate Bauer	style=	Toledo
P	Nathan Snyder	style=	Ball State
Second Team Specialists
KRS	Trayvon Rudolph	style=	Northern Illinois
KRS	De'Montre Tuggle	style=	Ohio

Position	Player	Team
Third Team Offense
WR	Yo'Heinz Tyler	style=	Ball State
WR	Hassan Beydoun	style=	Eastern Michigan
WR	Isaiah Winstead	style=	Toledo
WR	Jaylen Hall	style=	Western Michigan
OL	Sidy Sow	style=	Eastern Michigan
OL	Nathan Monnin	style=	Kent State
OL	Danny Godlevske	style=	Miami
OL	Brayden Patton	style=	Northern Illinois
OL	Brett Kitrell	style=	Ohio
TE	Zac Lefebvre	style=	Buffalo
QB	Kaleb Eleby	style=	Western Michigan
RB	Caleb Huntley	style=	Ball State
RB	Kevin Marks	style=	Buffalo
PK	Alex McNulty	style=	Buffalo
Third Team Defense
DL	Eddie Wilson	style=	Buffalo
DL	Jose Ramirez	style=	Eastern Michigan
DL	Kam Butler	style=	Miami
DL	Lonnie Phelps	style=	Miami
OLB	Kholbe Coleman	style=	Bowling Green
ILB	Jaylin Thomas	style=	Ball State
ILB	Kyle Pugh	style=	Northern Illinois
ILB	Treshaun Hayward	style=	Western Michigan
DB	A. J. Watts	style=	Akron
DB	Devonni Reed	style=	Central Michigan
DB	Emmanuel Rugamba	style=	Miami
DB	Devin Lafayette	style=	Northern Illinois
P	Nick Mihalic	style=	Western Michigan
Third Team Specialists
KRS	Bryson Denley	style=	Bowling Green
KRS	Ron Cook	style=	Buffalo

Ref:^[7]

All-Americans

The 2020 College Football All-America Teams are composed of the following College Football All-American first teams chosen by the following selector organizations: Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCFF), The Sporting News (TSN), Sports Illustrated (SI), USA Today (USAT) ESPN, CBS Sports (CBS), FOX Sports (FOX) College Football News (CFN), Bleacher Report (BR), Scout.com, Phil Steele (PS), SB Nation (SB), Athlon Sports, Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Yahoo! Sports (Yahoo!).

Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. Football consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American.

Position	Player	School	Selector	Unanimous	Consensus
First Team All-Americans
RB	Jaret Patterson	style=	Buffalo	Athletic, USAT

Position	Player	School	Selector	Unanimous	Consensus
Second Team All-Americans
RB	Jaret Patterson	style=	Buffalo	AFCA, AP, CBS, FWAA, TSN
OL	Kayode Awosika	style=	Buffalo	FWAA
AP	D'Wayne Eskridge	style=	Western Michigan	FWAA

NFL Draft

The following list includes all MAC players drafted in the 2021 NFL draft

Round #	Pick #	NFL Team	Player	Position	College
2	56	Seattle Seahawks	D'Wayne Eskridge	WR	Western Michigan
3	79	Las Vegas Raiders	Malcolm Koonce	DE	Buffalo
5	155	San Francisco 49ers	Jaylon Moore	OG	Western Michigan
5	161	Buffalo Bills	Tommy Doyle	OT	Miami (OH)

Notes and References

1. News: 2020 Mid-American Conference Championship Game Recap: #23 Buffalo Bulls vs. Ball State Cardinals . James H. . Jimenez . hustlebelt.com . December 18, 2020 . December 19, 2020.
2. Web site: MAC Announces 2020 Football Schedule. getsomemaction.com. February 26, 2020. February 26, 2020.
3. Web site: Petzold. Evan. Mid-American Conference cancels fall football season; no games for CMU, EMU or WMU in 2020. 2020-08-08. Detroit Free Press. en.
4. Web site: MAC becomes first FBS conference to cancel 2020 college football season for the fall. 2020-08-08. CBSSports.com. August 8, 2020 . en.
5. Web site: MACtion is Back! . getsomemaction.com . September 25, 2020 . 7 October 2020.
6. Web site: MAC Announces 2020 Football Schedule . getsomemaction.com . October 7, 2020 . 7 October 2020.
7. Web site: MAC Announces 2020 Football All-MAC and Specialty Awards. December 15, 2020. December 15, 2020. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.