2024 Mid-American Conference football season | |
Color: |
|
Color Text: |
|
League: | NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision |
Sport: | Football |
Duration: | August 29 - December 7 |
No Of Teams: | 12 |
Season: | Regular season |
Mvp Link: | Mid-American Conference football individual awards |
Conf1: | Mid-American Conference |
Conf1 Link: | Mid-American Conference |
Finals: | MAC Championship Game |
Finals Link: | 2024 MAC Football Championship Game |
Finals Mvp Link: | MAC Football Championship Game |
Prevseason Year: | 2023 |
Nextseason Year: | 2025 |
The 2024 Mid-American Conference football season is the 79th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), as part of the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Non-conference play will begin on August 29. Conference will begin on September 21 and will conclude with the MAC championship game on December 7 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.[1] For the first time since 1996 the MAC will not have divisions. The Championship game will feature the teams with the best conference records.[2] This will be the conference's last season with 12 members as it will see its first change in membership since 2015 with the addition of UMass[3]
See main article: 2023 Mid-American Conference football season.
Miami won the East division with a 7-1 conference record with their only loss coming against Toledo.[4] Toledo won the West with a perfect conference record.[5] Miami won their first MAC Championship since 2019 with a 23–14 upset victory in the MAC Championship Game.[6]
The MAC Football Kickoff was held on Friday, July 19, 2024 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio from 9:00 am EDT to 1:30 pm EDT.[7] [8] Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher spoke.[9] Each team will have their head coach and a student athlete from both the offense and the defense to speak to the media.[10] [11]
On July 19 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Defending MAC champion Miami was named the preseason favorite to win the conference while defending West division champion Toledo was picked to finish second.[12] [13]
MAC Coaches poll | |||
1 | Miami | 119 (9) | |
2 | Toledo | 109 (3) | |
T3 | Bowling Green | 92 | |
T3 | Northern Illinois | 92 | |
5 | Ohio | 81 | |
6 | Eastern Michigan | 64 | |
7 | Western Michigan | 60 | |
8 | Central Michigan | 59 | |
9 | Ball State | 42 | |
10 | Buffalo | 37 | |
11 | Akron | 24 | |
12 | Kent State | 13 |
Coaches poll (MAC Championship) | |||
1 | Miami | 10 | |
2 | Toledo | 2 |
Lott Trophy | none | [14] | |||
Dodd Trophy | none | HC | — | [15] | |
Maxwell Award | Terion Stewart | Bowling Green | RB | Jr. | [16] [17] |
Antario Brown | Northern Illinois | RB | Sr. | ||
none | LS | ||||
Outland Trophy | Jacob Gideon | Western Michigan | OL | Sr. | [18] [19] |
Reid Holskey | Miami | R-Sr. | |||
Alex Wollschlaeger | Bowling Green | Sr. | |||
Maxen Hook | Toledo | S | Sr. | [20] [21] | |
CJ Nunnally IV | Akron | DL | Sr. | ||
Matt Salopek | Miami | LB | 6th | ||
Jim Thorpe Award | Maxen Hook | Toledo | DB | Sr. | [22] [23] |
Donte Kent | Central Michigan | Sr. | |||
Jordan Oladokun | Bowling Green | Sr. | |||
Marion Lukes | Central Michigan | RB | Sr. | [24] [25] | |
Trayvon Rudolph | Northern Illinois | WR | R-Sr. | ||
Jacquez Stuart | Toledo | RB | Sr. | ||
Wuerffel Trophy | Jordan Oladokun | Bowling Green | CB | Sr. | [26] [27] |
Taji Johnson | Buffalo | WR | GS | ||
Dominic Serapiglia | Central Michigan | OL | R-Sr. | ||
David Carter Jr. | Eastern Michigan | DB | Sr. | ||
Cameron Golden | Kent State | OL | GS | ||
Cade Haberman | Northern Illinois | DT | Sr. | ||
Michael Denning | Toledo | PK | Sr. | ||
Boone Bonnema | Western Michigan | LB | R-Sr. | ||
Lou Groza Award | none | PK | [28] | ||
Ray Guy Award | Alec Bevelhimer | Miami | P | Sr. | [29] [30] |
Mitchell Tomasek | Eastern Michigan | Sr. | |||
Walter Camp Award | Terion Stewart | Bowling Green | RB | Jr. | [31] [32] |
Marion Lukes | Central Michigan | RB | Sr. | ||
Antario Brown | Northern Illinois | RB | Sr. | ||
Jalen Buckley | Western Michigan | RB | R-So. | ||
Doak Walker Award | Terion Stewart | Bowling Green | RB | Jr. | [33] [34] |
Marion Lukes | Central Michigan | Sr. | |||
Antario Brown | Northern Illinois | Sr. | |||
Jalen Buckley | Western Michigan | R-So. | |||
Comeback Player of the Year | Demetrius Hardamon | Bowling Green | LB | Sr. | [35] [36] |
Jake Orlando | Buffalo | TE | GS | ||
Brett Gabbert | Miami | QB | 6th | ||
Jack Coldiron | Miami | TE | R-Sr. | ||
none | WR | [37] | |||
Davey O'Brien Award | Brett Gabbert | Miami | QB | 6th | [38] [39] |
John Mackey Award | Harold Fannin Jr. | Bowling Green | TE | Jr. | [40] [41] |
Anthony Torres | Toledo | Sr. | |||
Rimington Trophy | Jacob Gideon | Western Michigan | OL | Sr. | [42] [43] |
Bednarik Award | CJ Nunnally IV | Akron | DE | Sr. | [44] [45] |
Jordan Oladokun | Bowling Green | CB | Sr. | ||
Matt Salopek | Miami | LB | 6th | ||
Maxen Hook | Toledo | S | Sr. | ||
Butkus Award | Matt Salopek | Miami | LB | 6th | [46] [47] |
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Brett Gabbert | Miami | QB | 6th | [48] |
Hayden Wolff | Western Michigan | R-Sr. | |||
Manning Award | none | QB | [49] | ||
Polynesian College Football Player Of The Year Award | none | [50] | |||
Rotary Lombardi Award | CJ Nunnally IV | Akron | DL | Sr. | [51] |
Alex Wollschlaeger | Bowling Green | OT | Sr. | ||
Reid Holskey | Miami | OT | R-Sr. | ||
Matt Salopek | Miami | LB | 6th | ||
Jacob Gideon | Western Michigan | C | Sr. | ||
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award | |||||
The MAC enters the 2024 season with one coaching change from 2023.
Team | Head coach | Previous Job | Years at school | Record at school | MAC record | MAC titles | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
style= | Akron | Joe Moorhead | Oregon (offensive coordinator) | 3 | 0 | ||
style= | Ball State | Mike Neu | New Orleans Saints (QB Coach) | 9 | 1 | ||
style= | Bowling Green | Scot Loeffler | Boston College (offensive coordinator/QB coach) | 6 | 0 | ||
style= | Buffalo | Pete Lembo | South Carolina (associate head coach/special teams coordinator) | 1 | 0 | ||
style= | Central Michigan | Jim McElwain | Florida | 6 | 0 | ||
style= | Eastern Michigan | Chris Creighton | Drake | 11 | 0 | ||
style= | Kent State | Kenni Burns | Minnesota (associate head coach/running backs) | 2 | 0 | ||
style= | Miami | Chuck Martin | Notre Dame (offensive coordinator/QB coach) | 10 | 2 | ||
style= | Northern Illinois | Thomas Hammock | Baltimore Ravens (running backs coach) | 6 | 1 | ||
style= | Ohio | Tim Albin | Ohio (associate head coach/offensive coordinator) | 4 | 0 | ||
style= | Toledo | Jason Candle | Toledo (offensive coordinator) | 9 | 2 | ||
style= | Western Michigan | Lance Taylor | Louisville (offensive coordinator) | 2 | 0 | ||
See also: 2024 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 | ||||||||||||||||
C | RV | ||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||
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 -
Coaches -[67]
Index to colors and formatting | |
---|---|
MAC member won | |
MAC member lost | |
MAC teams in bold |
See main article: 2024 MAC Football Championship Game.
2024–2025 records against non-conference foes:
Regular season
Power Five Conferences | Record | |
---|---|---|
ACC | 0–0 | |
Big 12 | 0–0 | |
Big Ten | 0–0 | |
Notre Dame | 0–0 | |
Pac-12 | 0–0 | |
SEC | 0–0 | |
Power 5 Total | 0–0 | |
Other FBS Conferences | Record | |
American | 0–0 | |
C-USA | 0–0 | |
Independents (Excluding Notre Dame) | 0–0 | |
Mountain West | 0–0 | |
Sun Belt | 0–0 | |
Other FBS Total | 60–0 | |
FCS Opponents | Record | |
Football Championship Subdivision | 0–0 | |
Total Non-Conference Record | 0–0 |
Postseason
Power Five Conferences | Record | |
---|---|---|
ACC | 0–0 | |
Big 12 | 0–0 | |
Big Ten | 0–0 | |
Notre Dame | 0–0 | |
Pac-12 | 0–0 | |
SEC | 0–0 | |
Power 5 Total | 0–0 | |
Other FBS Conferences | Record | |
American | 0–0 | |
C-USA | 0–0 | |
Independents (Excluding Notre Dame) | 0–0 | |
Mountain West | 0–0 | |
Sun Belt | 0–0 | |
Other FBS Total | 0–0 | |
Total Bowl Record | 0–0 |
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 Ten | Miami (OH) | |||
August 31 | ACC | Ohio | |||
August 31 | Big Ten | Western Michigan | |||
August 31 | ACC | Kent State | |||
August 31 | Big Ten | Akron | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH] | ||
September 7 | Big Ten | Bowling Green | |||
September 7 | SEC | Buffalo | |||
September 7 | Independent | Northern Illinois | |||
September 7 | Big Ten | Eastern Michigan | |||
September 7 | Big Ten | Akron | |||
September 7 | Big Ten | Western Michigan | Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | |
September 14 | Big Ten | Central Michigan | |||
September 14 | Big 12 | Miami (OH) | Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH | ||
September 14 | ACC | Ball State | |||
September 14 | SEC | Kent State | |||
September 14 | SEC | Toledo | |||
September 21 | SEC | Akron | |||
September 21 | SEC | Ohio | |||
September 21 | SEC | Bowling Green | |||
September 21 | Big Ten | Kent State | Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, Pennsylvania | |
September 21 | Independent | Miami (OH) | Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN | |
September 28 | ACC | Northern Illinois | |||
October 19 | SEC | Ball State | |||
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 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 7 | Sunbelt | Ohio | Peden Stadium • Athens, OH | |||
September 7 | CUSA | Central Michigan | ||||
September 14 | CUSA | Eastern Michigan | Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI | |||
September 21 | CUSA | Toledo | ||||
September 28 | MWC | Central Michigan | Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI | |||
September 28 | Sun Belt | Bowling Green | Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH | |||
September 28 | Sun Belt | Ball State | ||||
September 28 | Sun Belt | Western Michigan |
The following games include MAC teams competing against FBS Independents, which includes Army, UConn, or UMass.
Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
August 31 | Eastern Michigan | |||
September 7 | UMass | Toledo | Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH | |
September 14 | UMass | Buffalo | UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY | |
September 28 | UMass | Miami (OH) | Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH | |
September 28 | Buffalo | |||
October 5 | UMass | Northern Illinois | Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL | |
The following games include MAC teams competing against FCS schools.
Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
August 29 | Bowling Green | Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH | ||
August 29 | Buffalo | UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY | ||
August 29 | Toledo | Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH | ||
August 31 | Northern Illinois | Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL | ||
August 31 | Central Michigan | Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI | ||
September 7 | Ball State | Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN | ||
September 7 | Kent State | Dix Stadium • Kent, OH | ||
September 14 | Ohio | Peden Stadium • Athens, OH | ||
September 14 | Akron | InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH | ||
September 14 | Western Michigan | Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI | ||
2024 MAC Head to head | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | Akron | Ball State | Bowling Green | Buffalo | Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan | Kent State | Miami | Northern Illinois | Ohio | Toledo | Western Michigan | |
Akron | — | — | – | – | — | – | – | — | – | – | – | – | |
Ball State | — | — | – | – | – | — | – | – | – | – | — | – | |
Bowling Green | – | – | — | — | – | — | – | – | – | — | – | – | |
Buffalo | – | – | — | — | — | – | – | — | – | – | – | – | |
Central Michigan | — | – | – | — | — | – | — | – | – | – | – | – | |
Eastern Michigan | – | — | — | – | – | — | – | – | — | – | – | – | |
Kent State | – | – | – | – | — | – | — | – | — | – | — | – | |
Miami | — | – | – | — | – | – | – | — | – | – | – | — | |
Northern Illinois | – | – | – | – | – | — | — | – | — | — | – | – | |
Ohio | – | – | — | – | – | – | – | – | — | — | – | — | |
Toledo | – | — | – | – | – | – | — | – | – | – | — | — | |
Western Michigan | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | – | — | — | — |