2023 Mid-American Conference football season explained

2023 Mid-American Conference football season
Color:	2B366E
Color Text:	FFFFFF
League:	NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Sport:	Football
Duration:	August 26 - December 2
No Of Teams:	12
Draft:	2024 NFL Draft
Draft Link:	2024 NFL draft
Top Pick:	Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
Picked By:	Philadelphia Eagles (round 1, pick 22)
Season:	Regular season
Mvp Link:	Mid-American Conference football individual awards
Conf1:	East Division
Conf2:	West Division
Finals:	MAC Championship Game
Finals Link:	2023 MAC Championship Game
Finals Mvp Link:	MAC Football Championship Game
Prevseason Year:	2022
Nextseason Year:	2024

The 2023 Mid-American Conference football season was the 78th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), as part of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Non-conference play began with one game on August 26. Conference play began on September 23 and concluded with the MAC championship game on Saturday, December 2 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.^[1] Miami won the East division with a 7-1 conference record with their only loss coming against Toledo.^[2] Toledo won the West with a perfect conference record.^[3] Their quarterback Dequan Finn won Player of the Year and coach Jason Candle won coach of the year.^[4] On October 21, during the regular season game between the division winners, Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert suffered a season ending leg injury.^[5] In spite of that, Miami won their first MAC Championship since 2019 with a 23–14 upset victory in the MAC Championship Game.^[6]

Previous season

See main article: 2022 Mid-American Conference football season.

During the 2022 conference season, Ohio won the East Division with a record of 7–1 and Toledo won the West Division with a 5–3 conference record. In the 2022 MAC Championship Game, Toledo defeated Ohio by a final score of 17–7.^[7] The MAC finished with a 4–2 bowl record which was good enough to win the Bowl Challenge Cup^{[8] [9]}

Preseason

The MAC Football Kickoff was held on July 20, 2023 at Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan from 9:00 am EDT to 1:30 pm EDT. Each team had their head coach and a student athlete from both the offense and the defense to speak to the media.^[10]

• Akron – Head Coach Joe Moorhead, Daniel George, R-Sr., WR, KJ Martin, R-So., DB
• Ball State – Head Coach Mike Neu, Brady Hunt, R-So., TE, Clayton Coll, Sr., LB
• Bowling Green – Head Coach Scot Loeffler, Darren Anders, Sr., ILB, Odieu Hiliare, Sr., WR
• Buffalo – Head Coach Maurice Linguist, Marcus Fuqua, 5th-Yr., S, Cole Snyder, 5th-Yr., QB
• Central Michigan – Head Coach Jim McElwain, Deiyantei Powell Woods, Sr., OL, Trey Jones, Jr., DB
• Eastern Michigan – Head Coach Chris Creighton, Samson Evans, Grad., RB, Chase Kline, Senior, LB
• Kent State – Head Coach Kenni Burns, CJ West, Sr., DL, Khalib Johns, Gr., LB
• Miami – Head Coach Chuck Martin, Brett Gabbert, R-Jr., QB, Matthew Salopek, R-Jr., LB
• Northern Illinois – Head Coach Thomas Hammock, Nolan Potter, R-Sr., OL, James Ester, Sr., DT
• Ohio – Head Coach Tim Albin, Kurtis Rourke, R-Sr., QB, Bryce Houston, Grad., LB
• Toledo – Head Coach Jason Candle, Quinyon Mitchell, Jr., CB, Dequan Finn, Jr., QB
• Western Michigan – Head Coach Lance Taylor, Jacob Gideon, Jr., OL, Marshawn Kneeland, R-Jr., DL

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

On July 20 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Defending MAC champion Toledo was named the preseason favorite to win the conference while Ohio was picked to win the Eastern Division.^{[11] [12]}

East
1	Ohio	63 (9)
2	Miami	52 (2)
3	Buffalo	51 (1)
4	Bowling Green	35
5	Akron	26
6	Kent State	19

West
1	Toledo	66 (11)
2	Eastern Michigan	55 (1)
3	Northern Illinois	38
4	Central Michigan	37
5	Ball State	27
6	Western Michigan	23

Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
1	Toledo	7
2	Ohio	4
3	Buffalo	1

Individual Award Preseason Watchlists

Lott Trophy	Marcus Fuqua	Buffalo	S	^[13]
Dodd Trophy	none	HC	^[14]
Maxwell Award	Alex Adams	Akron	WR	^[15] ^[16]
	Marquez Cooper	Ball State	RB
	Samson Evans	Eastern Michigan	RB
	Kurtis Rourke	Ohio	QB
	Dequan Finn	Toledo	QB
Davey O'Brien Award	Kurtis Rourke	Ohio	QB	^[17] ^[18]
	Dequan Finn	Toledo
Doak Walker Award	Sieh Bangura	Ohio	RB	^[19] ^[20]
	Samson Evans	Eastern Michigan
	Antario Brown	Northern Illinois
Biletnikoff Award	Alex Adams	Akron	WR	^[21] ^[22]
	Sam Wiglusz	Ohio
	Jerjuan Newton	Toledo
John Mackey Award	Brady Hunt	Ball State	TE	^[23] ^[24]
Rimington Trophy	Jacob Gideon	Western Michigan	C	^[25] ^[26]
Butkus Award	Shaun Dolac	Buffalo	LB	^[27] ^[28]
	Dallas Gant	Toledo
Jim Thorpe Award	Quinyon Mitchell	Toledo	CB	^[29] ^[30]
	Marcus Fuqua	Buffalo	S
Bronko Nagurski Trophy	Shaun Dolac	Buffalo	LB	^[31] ^[32]
	Marcus Fuqua	Buffalo	S
	Maxen Hook	Toledo	S
	Donte Kent	Central Michigan	CB
	Quinyon Mitchell	Toledo	CB
	Devonte O'Malley	Northerm Illinois	DT

Outland Trophy	Ethan Crowe	Ball State	C	^[33] ^[34]
	Daymond Williams	Buffalo	DT
	Deiyantei Powell-Woods	Central Michigan	G
	Nolan Potter	Northern Illinois	T
	Nick Rosi	Toledo	T
Lou Groza Award	Alex McNulty	Buffalo	K	^[35] ^[36]
	Jesus Gomez	Eastern Michigan
Ray Guy Award	Lucas Borrow	Ball State	P	^[37] ^[38]
	Mitchell Tomasek	Eastern Michigan
	Dom Dzioban	Miami
Paul Hornung Award	Ron Cook Jr.	Buffalo	RB	^[39] ^[40]
	Trayvon Rudolph	Northern Illinois	WR
	Jacquez Stuart	Toledo	RB
Wuerffel Trophy	Clayton Coll	Ball State	LB	^[41] ^[42]
	Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim	Bowling Green	WR
	Austin Osborne	Bowling Green	WR
	Brock Horne	Bowling Green	LB
	Darren Anders	Bowling Green	LB
	Demetrius Hardamon	Bowling Green	LB
	Max Michel	Buffalo	DE
	Robi Stuart	Central Michigan	DL
	Brian Dooley	Eastern Michigan	OL
	Dallas Gant	Toledo	LB
	Boone Bonnema	Western Michigan	LB

Walter Camp Award	Kurtis Rourke	Ohio	QB	^[43] ^[44]
	Samson Evans	Eastern Michigan	RB
Bednarik Award	Shaun Dolac	Buffalo	LB	^[45] ^[46]
	Quinyon Mitchell	Toledo	CB
Rotary Lombardi Award	Dallas Gant	LB	Toledo	^[47] ^[48]
Patrick Mannelly Award	none	LS	^[49]
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award	Bert Emmanuel Jr.	QB	Central Michigan	^[50]
	Jaylon Jackson	RB	Eastern Michigan
Manning Award	Dequan Finn	Toledo	QB	^[51] ^[52]
	Kurtis Rourke	Ohio
	Cole Snyder	Buffalo
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award	Kurtis Rourke	Ohio	QB	^[53] ^[54]
Ted Hendricks Award	Sidney Houston Jr.	Ball State	DE	^[55]
	CJ Nunnally IV	Akron
	Caiden Woullard	Miami

Coaches

Coaching changes

The MAC enters the 2023 season with two new head football coaches:

• Western Michigan fired Tim Lester on November 28, 2022, after his team finished the 2022 season with a 5–7.^{[56] [57]} On December 7, 2022 Lance Taylor, who was the offensive coordinator for Louisville in 2022, was introduced as the new head coach.^[58]
• On December 4, 2022 Sean Lewis stepped down as Kent State head coach to become the offensive coordinator at Colorado under new head coach Deion Sanders.^[59] On December 13, 2022, Kent State hired former Minnesota associate head coach Kenni Burns as their new head coach.^[60]

Head coaching records

Team	Head coach	Previous Job	Years at school	Overall record	MAC record	MAC titles
style=	Akron	Joe Moorhead	Oregon (offensive coordinator)	2			0
style=	Ball State	Mike Neu	New Orleans Saints (QB Coach)	8			1
style=	Bowling Green	Scot Loeffler	Boston College (offensive coordinator/QB coach)	5			0
style=	Buffalo	Maurice Linguist	Michigan (co-defensive coordinator)	3			0
style=	Central Michigan	Jim McElwain	Florida	5			0
style=	Eastern Michigan	Chris Creighton	Drake	10			0
style=	Kent State	Kenni Burns	Minnesota (associate head coach)	1			0
style=	Miami	Chuck Martin	Notre Dame (offensive coordinator/QB coach)	9			1
style=	Northern Illinois	Thomas Hammock	Baltimore Ravens (running backs coach)	5			1
style=	Ohio	Tim Albin	Ohio (associate head coach)	3			0
style=	Toledo	Jason Candle	Toledo (offensive coordinator)	8			2
style=	Western Michigan	Lance Taylor	Louisville (offensive coordinator)	1			0

Source - ^{[61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [70] [71] [72]}

Rankings

See also: 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.

	Pre	Wk 1	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	Final
Akron	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Ball State	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Bowling Green	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Buffalo	AP
	C
	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												RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
	C															RV
	CFP	Not released
Northern Illinois	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Ohio	AP																RV
	C				RV		RV	RV
	CFP	Not released
Toledo	AP	RV								RV	RV	RV	RV	23	23	RV	RV
	C	RV								RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
	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

Source: AP -^{[73] [74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] [81] [82] [83] [84] [85] [86] [87] [88] [89]}

Coaches -^{[90] [91] [92] [93] [94] [95] [96] [97] [98] [99] [100] [101] [102] [103] [104]}

CFP -^{[105] [106] [107] [108] [109] [110]}

Schedule

^{[111] [112]}

Index to colors and formatting
MAC member won
MAC member lost
MAC teams in bold

All times Eastern time.

MAC Conference Championship Game

See main article: 2023 MAC Championship Game.

Postseason

Bowl Games

See also: 2023–24 NCAA football bowl games.

Legend
	MAC win
	MAC loss

Bowl game	Date	Site	Television	Time (EST)	MAC team	Opponent	Score	Attendance
Myrtle Beach Bowl	December 16	Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC	ESPN	11:00 a.m.	Ohio	Georgia Southern	W 41–21	8,059
Cure Bowl	December 16	FBC Mortgage Stadium • Orlando, FL	ABC	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Appalachian State	L 9–13	11,121
Camellia Bowl	December 23	Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL	ESPN	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Arkansas State	W 21–19	11,310
68 Ventures Bowl	December 23	Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL	ESPN	7:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	South Alabama	L 10–59
Quick Lane Bowl	December 26	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	ESPN	2:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Minnesota	L 24–30
Arizona Bowl	December 30	Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ	Barstool / The CW	4:00 p.m.	Toledo	Wyoming	L 15–16

MAC records vs. other conferences

2023–2024 records against non-conference foes:

Regular season

Power Five Conferences	Record
ACC	2–2
Big 12	2–1
Big Ten	0–8
Notre Dame	0–1
Pac-12	0–0
SEC	0–5
Power 5 Total	4–17
Other FBS Conferences	Record
American	1–2
C-USA	0–3
Independents (Excluding Notre Dame)	3–0
Mountain West	1–2
Sun Belt	1–2
Other FBS Total	6–9
FCS Opponents	Record
Football Championship Subdivision	10–2
Total Non-Conference Record	20–28

Postseason

Power Five Conferences	Record
ACC	0–0
Big 12	0–0
Big Ten	0–1
Notre Dame	0–0
Pac-12	0–0
SEC	0–0
Power 5 Total	0–1
Other FBS Conferences	Record
American	0–0
C-USA	0–0
Independents (Excluding Notre Dame)	0–0
Mountain West	0–1
Sun Belt	2-2
Other FBS Total	2–3
Total Bowl Record	2–4

Mid-American vs Power 5 matchups

This is a list of games the MAC has scheduled versus power conference teams (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Notre Dame and SEC). All rankings are from the current AP Poll at the time of the game.

Date	Conference	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
August 31	Big 12	Kent State			L 6–56
September 1	ACC	Miami (OH)			L 3–38
September 1	Big Ten	Central Michigan			L 7–31
September 2	SEC	Ball State			L 14–44
September 2	Big Ten	Buffalo			L 17–38
September 2	ACC	Northern Illinois			W 27–24 ^OT
September 2	Big Ten	Toledo			L 28–30
September 9	SEC	Ball State			L 3–45
September 9	Big Ten	Eastern Michigan			L 6–25
September 9	SEC	Kent State			L 6–28
September 9	ACC	Western Michigan			L 7–48
September 16	SEC	Akron	Kentucky	Kroger Field • Lexington, KY	L 3–35
September 16	Big Ten	Bowling Green			L 6–31
September 16	Independent	Central Michigan			L 17–41
September 16	Big 12		Ohio		W 10–7
September 16	Big 12	Miami (OH)			W 31–24 ^OT
September 16	Big Ten	Northern Illinois			L 11–35
September 16	Big Ten	Western Michigan			L 10–41
September 23	Big Ten	Akron			L 27–29 ^4OT
September 30	ACC	Bowling Green			W 38–27
October 7	SEC	Western Michigan			L 28–41

Mid-American vs Group of Five matchups

The following games include MAC teams competing against teams from the American, C-USA, Mountain West or Sun Belt.

Date	Conference	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
August 26	MWC	Ohio			L 13–20
September 2	American	Akron			L 21–24
September 2	CUSA	Bowling Green			L 24–34
September 9	American	Ohio			W 17–10
September 16	CUSA	Liberty	Buffalo		L 27–55
September 16	MWC		Toledo		W 21–17
September 23	Sun Belt	Central Michigan			W 34–30
September 23	CUSA	Eastern Michigan			L 0–21
September 23	Sun Belt		Ball State		L 3–40
September 23	MWC	Kent State			L 10–53
September 23	American		Northern Illinois		L 14–22
September 23	SunBelt	Buffalo			L 38–45

Mid-American vs FBS independents matchups

The following games include MAC teams competing against FBS Independents, which includes Army, UConn, or UMass.

Date	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 9	Miami (OH)			W 41–28
September 16	UMass	Eastern Michigan		W 19–17
October 7	Toledo	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, MA	W 41–24

Mid-American vs. FCS matchups

The following games include MAC teams competing against FCS schools.

Date	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
August 31		Western Michigan		W 35–17
September 1		Eastern Michigan		W 33–23
September 2		Ohio		W 27–10
September 9		Bowling Green		W 38–15
September 9		Buffalo		L 37–40
September 9		Akron		W 24–21
September 9		Central Michigan		W 45–42
September 9		Northern Illinois		L 11–14
September 9		Toledo		W 71–3
September 16		Ball State		W 45–7
September 16		Kent State		W 38–10
September 23		Miami (OH)		W 62–20

Head to head matchups

2023 MAC Head to head
Team	Akron	Ball State	Buffalo	Bowling Green	Central Michigan	Eastern Michigan	Kent State	Miami	Northern Illinois	Ohio	Toledo	Western Michigan
Akron	—	—	10–13	14–41	10–17	27–30	31–27	0–19	14–55	14–25	—	—
Ball State	—	—	—	21–24	24–17	10–24	34–3	15–17	20–17	—	6–13	24–42
Buffalo	13–10	—	—	14–24	37–13	11–24	24–6	10–23	—	10–20	13–31	—
Bowling Green	41–14	24–21	24–14	—	—	—	49–19	0–27	—	7–38	31–32	34–10
Central Michigan	17–10	17–24	13–37	—	—	26–23	—	—	37–31	20–34	17–31	28–38
Eastern Michigan	30–27	24–10	24–11	—	23–26	—	28–14	—	13–20	—	23–49	21–45
Kent State	27–31	3–34	6–24	49–19	—	14–28	—	3–23	27–37	17–42	—	—
Miami	19–0	17–15	23–10	27–0	—	—	23–3	—	—	30–16	17–21	34–21
Northern Illinois	55–14	17–20	—	—	31–37	20–13	37–26	—	—	23–13	33–35	24–0
Ohio	25–14	—	20–10	38–7	34–20	—	42–17	16–30	13–23	—	—	20–17
Toledo	—	13–6	31–14	32–31	32–17	49–23	—	21–17	35–33	—	—	49–31
Western Michigan	—	42–24	—	10–34	38–28	45–21	—	21–34	0–24	17–20	31–49	—

Updated through end of regular season

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^[113]		Sieh Bangura	Ohio	RB		Bryce Houston	Ohio	LB		Alec Bevelhimer	Miami	P
Week 2^[114]		Gage Larvadain	Miami	WR		CJ Nunnally	Akron	DL		Graham Nicholson	Miami	K
Week 3^[115]		Brett Gabbert	Miami	QB		Matt Salopek Bryce Houston (2)	Miami Ohio	LB LB		Alec Bevelhimer (2)	Miami	P
Week 4^[116]		DJ Irons	Akron	QB		Keye Thompson	Ohio	LB		Graham Nicholson (2)	Miami	K
Week 5^[117]		Terion Stewart	Bowling Green	RB		Deshawn Jones Jr.	Bowling Green	CB		Anthony Venneri	Buffalo	P
Week 6^[118]		Miles Cross	Ohio	WR		Devin Grant	Buffalo	S		Alex McNulty	Buffalo	K
Week 7^[119]		Brett Gabbert (2)	Miami	QB		Davon Ferguson	Bowling Green	CB		Graham Nicholson (3)	Miami	K
Week 8^[120]		Terion Stewart (2)	Bowling Green	RB		Darren Anders	Bowling Green	LB		Jack Wilson	Ohio	P
Week 9/10^[121]		Jeff Undercuffler	Akron	QB		Matt Salopek (2)	Miami	LB		Graham Nicholson (4)	Miami	K
Week 11^[122]		Ta'ron Keith	Bowling Green	RB		Keye Thompson (2)	Ohio	LB		Alec Bevelhimer (3)	Miami	P
Week 12^[123]		Sieh Bangura (2)	Ohio	RB		Michael Dowell	Miami	DB		Graham Nicholson (5)	Miami	K
Week 13^[124]		Kurtis Rourke	Ohio	QB		Jordan Porter	Bowling Green	DL		Jack Wilson (2)	Ohio	P

West Division

Week		Offensive				Defensive				Special Teams
		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position
Week 1		Dequan Finn Jalen Buckley	Toledo Western Michigan	QB RB		Terrance Taylor	Toledo	OLB		Hamze El-Zayat	Eastern Michigan	KR/WR
Week 2		Bert Emanuel, Jr.	Central Michigan	QB		Judge Culpepper	Toledo	DT		Marion Lukes	Central Michigan	KR/RB
Week 3		Peny Boone	Toledo	RB		Bennett Walker	Eastern Michigan	DB		Mitchell Tomasek	Eastern Michigan	P
Week 4		Jase Bauer	Central Michigan	QB		Emmanuel McNeil-Warren	Toledo	S		Mitchell Tomasek (2)	Eastern Michigan	P
Week 5		Treyson Bourguet	Western Michigan	QB		Kyle Moretti	Central Michigan	LB		Jacquez Stuart	Toledo	KR/RB
Week 6		Antario Brown	Northern Illinois	RB		Joe Sparacio	Eastern Michigan	LB		Luke Pawlak	Toledo	K
Week 7		Peny Boone (2)	Toledo	RB		Alex Merritt	Eastern Michigan	DL		Kanon Woodill	Northern Illinois	K
Week 8		Marquez Cooper	Ball State	RB		Sidney Houston Jr.	Ball State	DL		Tom Foley	NIU	P
Week 9/10		Marion Lukes	Central Michigan	RB		Joe Sparacio (2) Marshawn Kneeland	Eastern Michigan Western Michigan	LB DE		Jacquez Stuart (2)	Toledo	KR
Week 11		Dequan Finn (2)	Toledo	QB		Tyler Jackson	Northern Illinois	LB		Palmer Domschke	Western Michigan	K
Week 12		Dequan Finn (3)	Toledo	QB		Chase Kline	Eastern Michigan	LB		Dane Partridge	Northern Illinois	WR/PR
Week 13		Peny Boone (3)	Toledo	RB		Ray Thomas	Northern Illinois	DE		Mitchell Tomasek (3)	Eastern Michigan	P

MAC Individual Awards

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the Mid-American Conference football coaches at the end of the season.^[4]

Award	Player	School
Offensive Player of the Year	Peny Boone	Toledo
Defensive Player of the Year	Matt Salopek	Miami
Special Teams Player of the Year	Graham Nicholson	Miami
Freshman Player of the Year	Jalen Buckley	Western Michigan
Vern Smith Leadership Award	Dequan Finn	Toledo
Coach of the Year	Jason Candle	Toledo

All-Conference Teams

The following players were listed as part of the All-Conference teams.

Position	Player	Team
First Team Offense
QB	Dequan Finn	style=	Toledo
OL	Corey Stewart	style=	Ball State
OL	Nolan Potter	style=	Northern Illinois
OL	Nick Rosi	style=	Toledo
OL	Vinny Sciury	style=	Toledo
OL	Jacob Gideon	style=	Western Michigan
TE	Harold Fannin Jr.	style=	Bowling Green
WR	Chrishon McCray	style=	Kent State
WR	Sam Wiglusz	style=	Ohio
WR	Jerjuan Newton	style=	Toledo
WR	Kenneth Womack	style=	Western Michigan
RB	Antario Brown	style=	Northern Illinois
RB	Peny Boone	style=	Toledo
PK	Graham Nicholson	style=	Miami
First Team Defense
DL	CJ Nunnally	style=	Akron
DL	Sidney Houston	style=	Ball State
DL	Caiden Woullard	style=	Miami
DL	Judge Culpepper	style=	Toledo
LB	Matt Salopek	style=	Miami
LB	Bryce Houston	style=	Ohio
LB	Keye Thompson	style=	Ohio
LB	Dallas Gant	style=	Toledo
DB	Jalen Huskey	style=	Bowling Green
DB	Devin Grant	style=	Buffalo
DB	Quinyon Mitchell	style=	Toledo
DB	Maxen Hook	style=	Toledo
P	Mitchell Tomasek	style=	Eastern Michigan
First Team Specialists
KRS	Marion Lukes	style=	Central Michigan
KRS	Jacquez Stuart	style=	Toledo

Position	Player	Team
Second Team Offense
QB	Kurtis Rourke	style=	Ohio
OL	Deiyantei Powell-Woods	style=	Central Michigan
OL	Brayden Swartout	style=	Central Michigan
OL	Brian Dooley	style=	Eastern Michigan
OL	Will Jados	style=	Miami
OL	Reid Holskey	style=	Miami
TE	Anthony Torres	style=	Toledo
WR	Daniel George	style=	Akron
WR	Jasaiah Gathings	style=	Akron
WR	Tanner Knue	style=	Eastern Michigan
WR	Jesse Prewitt III	style=	Central Michigan
RB	Marquez Cooper	style=	Ball State
RB	Terion Stewart	style=	Bowling Green
PK	Andrew Glass	style=	Kent State
Second Team Defense
DL	Jacques Bristol	style=	Central Michigan
DL	Brian Ugwu	style=	Miami
DL	James Ester	style=	Northern Illinois
DL	Marshawn Kneeland	style=	Western Michigan
LB	Cole Pearce	style=	Ball State
LB	Darren Anders	style=	Bowling Green
LB	Joe Sparacio	style=	Eastern Michigan
LB	Ty Wise	style=	Miami
DB	Jordan Oladokun	style=	Bowling Green
DB	Donte Kent	style=	Central Michigan
DB	Yahsyn McKee	style=	Miami
DB	JaVaughn Byrd	style=	Northern Illinois
P	Alec Bevelhimer	style=	Miami
Second Team Specialists
KRS	Jaylon Jackson	style=	Eastern Michigan
KRS	Cade McDonald	style=	Miami

Position	Player	Team
Third Team Offense
QB	Brett Gabbert	style=	Miami
OL	Damon Kaylor	style=	Ball State
OL	Alex Wollschlaeger	style=	Bowling Green
OL	Gabe Wallace	style=	Buffalo
OL	Tyler Doty	style=	Buffalo
OL	Addison West	style=	Western Michigan
TE	Tanner Koziol	style=	Ball State
WR	Odieu Hiliare	style=	Bowling Green
WR	Luke Floriea	style=	Kent State
WR	Trayvon Rudolph	style=	Northern Illinois
WR	Anthony Sambucci	style=	Western Michigan
RB	Rashad Amos	style=	Miami
RB	Jalen Buckley	style=	Western Michigan
PK	Luke Pawlak	style=	Toledo
Third Team Defense
DL	CJ West	style=	Kent State
DL	Vonnie Watkins	style=	Ohio
DL	Rayyan Buell	style=	Ohio
DL	Darius Alexander	style=	Toledo
LB	Bryan McCoy	style=	Akron
LB	Cashius Howell	style=	Bowling Green
LB	Kyle Moretti	style=	Central Michigan
LB	Chase Kline	style=	Eastern Michigan
DB	KJ Martin	style=	Akron
DB	Davon Ferguson	style=	Bowling Green
DB	Chris McDonald Jr.	style=	Toledo
DB	Keni-H Lovely	style=	Western Michigan
P	Lucas Borrow	style=	Ball State
Third Team Specialists
KRS	Jhaylin Embry	style=	Central Michigan
KRS	Ron Cook	style=	Buffalo

National Awards

• Lou Groza Award

Graham Nicholson, Miami

All-Americans

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. College Football All-American 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
CB	Quinyon Mitchell	style=	Toledo	The Athletic
K	Graham Nicholson	style=	Miami	AFCA, AP, CBS, ESPN, FOX, SI, The Athletic, TSN, USAT, WCFF

Position	Player	School	Selector	Unanimous	Consensus
Second Team All-Americans
CB	Quinyon Mitchell	style=	Toledo	AFCA, AP, CBS, FWAA, PFF, TSN
K	Graham Nicholson	style=	Miami	FWAA

NFL draft

See also: 2024 NFL draft.

The NFL draft will be held at Campus Martius Park in Detroit. The Following list includes all MAC Players in the draft.

List of selections

Player	Position	School	Draft Round	Round Pick	Overall Pick	Team
Quinyon Mitchell	CB	Toledo	1	22	22	Philadelphia Eagles
Marshawn Kneeland	DE	Western Michigan	2	24	56	Dallas Cowboys

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2023 DETROIT SPORTS CALENDAR. February 25, 2022. detroitsports.org. Detroit Sports Commission.
2. Web site: Miami clinches East Division title, MAC Championship game berth. November 16, 2023. November 20, 2023. Butler County Journal-News.
3. Web site: Toledo football clinches MAC West title, punches ticket to conference championship game. November 11, 2023. November 8, 2023. WTOL.
4. Web site: MAC Announces 2023 Postseason Football Awards & All-Conference Teams. Mid-American Conference. en.
5. Web site: Rubenstein . Alan . Miami (Ohio) starting QB Brett Gabbert to miss remainder of 2023 season following leg surgery . CBS Sports . 27 October 2023.
6. Web site: Miami (Ohio) beats No. 23 Toledo 23-14 to win MAC championship. December 2, 2023. CBS Sports. December 2, 2023.
7. Web site: Toledo 17, Ohio 7. February 26, 2023. ESPN.
8. News: Track which conferences are winning the 2022-23 bowl season . NCAA.com . January 4, 2023 . February 25, 2023.
9. News: MAC Wins 2022-23 Progressive Bowl Challenge Cup . NCAA.com . January 13, 2023 . March 2, 2023. Mid-American Conference.
10. Web site: MAC To Host 2023 Football Kickoff at Detroit's Historic Fox Theatre. June 25, 2023. July 9, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
11. Web site: Toledo, Ohio Selected as Favorites in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll. July 20, 2023. July 20, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
12. Web site: MAC football preseason poll: Toledo picked to win conference championship; BGSU tabbed to finish fourth in MAC East. July 20, 2023. July 20, 2023. wtol.com. WTOL 11.
13. Web site: Lott Impact® Trophy Announces 2023 Watch List. May 4, 2023. May 4, 2023.
14. Web site: Most coveted national coaching award honors scholarship, leadership and integrity. Watch list includes 21 coaches representing all Power Five conferences, as well as the AAC, Mountain West and an independent. . July 13, 2023. July 16, 2023.
15. Web site: 2023 Maxwell Award Watch List. 31 July 2023. July 31, 2023. Maxwell Football Club.
16. Web site: Five MAC Student-Athletes Named to 2023 Maxwell Award Watch List. 31 July 2023. July 31, 2023. Mid-American Conference.
17. Web site: Davey O’Brien Award Announces 2023 Preseason Watch List. August 8, 2023. August 8, 2023.
18. Web site: Ohio’s Rourke, Toledo’s Finn Named to Davey O’Brien Award Watch List. 8 August 2023. 8 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
19. Web site: 2023 Doak Walker Award Candidates Announced. August 9, 2023. August 9, 2023.
20. Web site: Three MAC Student-Athletes Named to 2023 Doak Walker Award Watch List. 9 August 2023. 9 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
21. Web site: 2023 Biletnikoff Award Watch List. 7 August 2023. 7 August 2023. Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation.
22. Web site: Three MAC Student-Athletes Named to Biletnikoff Award Watch List. 7 August 2023. 7 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
23. Web site: 2023 WATCHLIST. 4 August 2023. 4 August 2023. John Mackey Award.
24. Web site: Ball State’s Hunt Named to John Mackey Award Watch List. 4 August 2023. 4 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
25. Web site: THE WATCHLIST. 4 August 2023. 4 August 2023. Rimington Trophy.
26. Web site: Western Michigan’s Gideon Named to 2023 Rimington Trophy Watch List. 4 August 2023. 4 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
27. Web site: 2023 WATCH LIST. August 10, 2023. August 10, 2023.
28. Web site: Buffalo’s Dolac, Toledo’s Gant Named to Butkus Award Watch List. 10 August 2023. 10 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
29. Web site: 2023 PRESEASON WATCH LIST. August 10, 2023. August 10, 2023.
30. Web site: Buffalo’s Fuqua, Toledo’s Mitchell Named to Jim Thorpe Award Watch List. 10 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
31. Web site: 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List unveiled. May 4, 2023. May 4, 2023. FWAA.
32. Web site: Six MAC Student-Athletes Named to 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. 1 August 2023. 1 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
33. Web site: 2023 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST. July 31, 2023. July 31, 2023.
34. Web site: Five MAC Student-Athletes Named to 2023 Outland Trophy Watch List. 1 August 2023. 1 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
35. Web site: Lou Groza 2023 Watch List. 2 August 2023. 2 August 2023.
36. Web site: Buffalo's McNulty, EMU's Gomez Named to 2023 Lou Groza Watch List. 2 August 2023. 2 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
37. Web site: 2023 Watchlist. July 31, 2023. July 31, 2023. Ray Guy Award.
38. Web site: Three MAC Student-Athletes Named To Ray Guy Watch List. 2 August 2023. 2 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
39. Web site: 53 Players Named to the 14th Annual Paul Hornung Award Watch List. louisvillesports.org. SportsETA. August 3, 2023. August 3, 2023.
40. Web site: Three MAC Student-Athletes Named to 2023 Paul Hornung Award Watch List. 3 August 2023. 3 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
41. Web site: Wuerffel Trophy 2023 Watch List Announced . wuerffeltrophy.org. Wuerffel Trophy. James. Gadsby. August 3, 2023. August 3, 2023.
42. Web site: 11 MAC Student-Athletes Earn Wuerffel Trophy Watch List Honors. 3 August 2023. 3 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
43. Web site: Forty Five Players Named to Walter Camp 2023 Player of Year Preseason Watch List. waltercamp.org. Walter Camp Football Foundation. Al. Carbone. 11 August 2023. 11 August 2023.
44. Web site: Eastern Michigan’s Evans, Ohio’s Rourke Tabbed to Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List. 11 August 2023. 11 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
45. Web site: 2023 Bednarik Award Watch List. August 14, 2023. August 14, 2023. Maxwell Football Club.
46. Web site: Buffalo’s Dolac, Toledo’s Mitchell Selected to Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List. 14 August 2023. 14 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
47. Web site: 2023 WATCHLIST. 15 August 2023. 15 August 2023. Houston Rotary Club.
48. Web site: Toledo’s Gant Named to Lombardi Award Watch List. 15 August 2023. 15 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
49. Web site: 2023 Award Watch List. August 1, 2023. August 1, 2023.
50. Web site: 2023 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List. August 17, 2023. August 17, 2023.
51. Web site: Allstate Sugar Bowl Announces Manning Award Watch List. 15 August 2023. 15 August 2023. Allstate Sugar Bowl.
52. Web site: Trio of MAC Quarterbacks Named to Manning Award Watch List. 15 August 2023. 15 August 2023. Mid-American Conference.
53. Web site: The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Unveils 2023 Watch List. 22 August 2023. 29 August 2023. Golden Arm Foundation.
54. Web site: Rourke Named on Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award 2023 Watch List. 22 August 2023. 28 August 2023. Ohio Athletics.
55. Web site: HENDRICKS FINAL WATCH 2023. 22 August 2023. August 20, 2024. Ted Hendricks Award.
56. News: Thamel . Pete . Pete Thamel . W. Michigan fires coach Lester after 5-7 season . 29 November 2022 . . 28 November 2022 . en.
57. News: Paul . Tony . WMU 'didn't feel confident moving forward,' fires football coach Tim Lester . 29 November 2022 . . 28 November 2022.
58. Web site: Western Michigan hires Louisville OC Lance Taylor as coach. ESPN. Thamel, Pete. December 7, 2022. Pete Thamel.
59. News: Fortuna . Matt . Colorado adds Kent State coach Sean Lewis as OC . . December 5, 2022 . December 5, 2022 .
60. Web site: Kent State hires Kenni Burns to be new head football coach. ESPN. Thamel, Pete. December 13, 2022.
61. Web site: Joe Moorhead. Sports Reference.
62. Web site: Mike Neu. Sports Reference.
63. Web site: Scot Loeffler. Sports Reference.
64. Web site: Maurice Linguist. Sports Reference.
65. Web site: Jim McElwain. Sports Reference.
66. Web site: Chris Creighton. Sports Reference.
67. Web site: Kenni Burns. Sports Reference.
68. Web site: Chuck Martin. Sports Reference.
69. Web site: Thomas Hammock. Sports Reference.
70. Web site: Tim Albin. Sports Reference.
71. Web site: Jason Candle. Sports Reference.
72. Web site: Lance Taylor. Sports Reference.
73. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . August 14, 2023.
74. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . September 8, 2023.
75. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . September 10, 2023.
76. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . September 17, 2023.
77. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . September 24, 2023.
78. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . October 1, 2023.
79. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . October 8, 2023.
80. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . October 15, 2023.
81. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . October 22, 2023.
82. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . October 29, 2023.
83. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . November 5, 2023.
84. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . November 12, 2023.
85. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . November 19, 2023.
86. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . November 26, 2023.
87. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . December 3, 2023.
88. News: AP Top 25 College Football Poll. . January 9, 2024.
89. News: US LBM Coaches Poll: January 9, 2024 . . January 9, 2024.
90. News: Amway Coaches Poll: August 7, 2023 . . August 7, 2023.
91. News: Amway Coaches Poll: September 5, 2023 . . September 5, 2023.
92. News: Amway Coaches Poll: September 10, 2023 . . September 10, 2023.
93. News: Amway Coaches Poll: September 17, 2023 . . September 17, 2023.
94. News: Amway Coaches Poll: September 24, 2023 . . September 24, 2023.
95. News: Amway Coaches Poll: October 1, 2023 . . October 1, 2023.
96. News: Amway Coaches Poll: October 8, 2023 . . October 8, 2023.
97. News: Amway Coaches Poll: October 15, 2023 . . October 15, 2023.
98. News: Amway Coaches Poll: October 22, 2023 . . October 22, 2023.
99. News: Amway Coaches Poll: October 29, 2023 . . October 29, 2023.
100. News: Amway Coaches Poll: November 5, 2023 . . November 5, 2023.
101. News: Amway Coaches Poll: November 12, 2023 . . November 12, 2023.
102. News: Amway Coaches Poll: November 19, 2023 . . November 19, 2023.
103. News: Amway Coaches Poll: November 26, 2023 . . November 26, 2023.
104. News: Amway Coaches Poll: December 3, 2023 . . December 3, 2023.
105. Web site: Rankings: 2023 Week 9. College Football Playoff. October 31, 2023.
106. Web site: Rankings: 2023 Week 10. College Football Playoff. November 7, 2023.
107. Web site: Rankings: 2023 Week 11. College Football Playoff. November 14, 2023.
108. Web site: Rankings: 2023 Week 12. College Football Playoff. November 21, 2023.
109. Web site: Rankings: 2023 Week 13. College Football Playoff. November 28, 2023.
110. Web site: Rankings: 2023 Week 134. College Football Playoff. December 3, 2023.
111. Web site: MAC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE. February 26, 2023. fbsschedules.com. FBS Schedules.
112. Web site: MAC Announces 2023 Football Schedule. March 1, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
113. Web site: MAC Announces Week 1 Football Players of the Week. September 4, 2023. September 4, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
114. Web site: MAC Announces Week 2 Football Players of the Week. September 11, 2023. September 11, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
115. Web site: MAC Announces Week 3 Football Players of the Week. September 18, 2023. September 18, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
116. Web site: MAC Announces Week 4 Football Players of the Week. September 25, 2023. September 25, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
117. Web site: MAC Announces Week 5 Football Players of the Week. October 2, 2023. October 2, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
118. Web site: MAC Announces Week 6 Football Players of the Week. October 9, 2023. October 9, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
119. Web site: MAC Announces Week 7 Football Players of the Week. October 16, 2023. October 16, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
120. Web site: MAC Announces Week 3 Football Players of the Week. October 23, 2023. October 23, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
121. Web site: MAC Announces Week 9/10 MAC Football Players of the Week. November 3, 2023. November 3, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
122. Web site: MAC Announces Week 11 Football Players of the Week. November 10, 2023. November 12, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
123. Web site: MAC Announces Week 12 Football Players of the Week. November 20, 2023. November 20, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
124. Web site: MAC Announces Final Football Player of the Week Award Winners. November 27, 2023. November 27, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.