One week remains in the college football regular season, and four MAC teams have already claimed bowl eligibility, with three more teams hoping to punch their ticket in the final week of Midweek MACtion.
Here’s how the standings have shaken out after 11 games (courtesy of getsomemaction.com):
1. Battle of I-75 fails to disappoint yet again – Nearly 365 days after Bowling Green walked off Toledo at the Glass Bowl, Toledo returned the favor in another instant classic, storming back from a 28-10 halftime deficit. Last year it was Ta’ron Keith, this year Jacquez Stuart did the honors of sending the home team back to the locker room with a loss for the second straight season. “It was incredible, our student section rushed the field on an away game,” said Toledo head coach Jason Candle. “That tells you everything you need to know about this game, and I’m sure the emotion on the other side was the same in our stadium last year. It was a great game for Northwest Ohio. Great game for both communities. Great game for the Mid-American Conference. And then it was on national TV tonight, so it was a really great display, and a really good game to watch. And it was one that we were happy to come away with a win.” The win was Toledo’s 10th straight victory, putting them in position to possibly make a New Year’s Six bowl game, marking the third straight season a Group of Five school has played in a NY6 game (Cincinnati 2020, 2021, Tulane 2022).
2. Mid-American Conference Championship set – With their 23-10 victory over Buffalo on Wednesday night, Miami (OH) clinched the MAC East, punching their ticket to Detroit, where they’ll take on the Toledo Rockets, who are looking to capture back-to-back MAC crowns. This is the RedHawks’ first championship game appearance since 2019, where they defeated Central Michigan 26-21. “Secured the MAC East title, get a chance to go play Toledo in Detroit in a couple of weeks which is what everybody sets out to do,” Miami head coach Chuck Martin said at his weekly press conference. “There’s 10 conferences, there’s 20 teams in the country that get to experience what we’re going to get to experience once we get there. (It’s) harder in our league just because the games are so tight.”
3. Kent State on verge of infamy – Kent State is on the verge of doing something that hasn’t been done by a MAC school since both Bowling Green and Northern Illinois achieved the feat during the COVID-shortened 2020 season; go winless in conference play. Their final matchup of the season is on Saturday at home against Northern Illinois, and if they lose, it’ll be the first time the Flashes have gone winless in conference play since 2005 under then-head coach Doug Martin.
Here’s a look at the final slate of MACtion for the 2023 season (courtesy of getsomemaction.com):
Away | Home | Time | Location | Links | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
7:00 P.M.
|
(Conf.) | Stats ESPNU | |||
7:30 P.M.
|
Buffalo, N.Y. (Conf.) | Stats ESPN2 |
Away | Home | Time | Location | Links | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 P.M.
|
Mount Pleasant, Mich. (Conf.) | Stats ESPNU | |||
12:00 P.M.
|
Akron, OH (Conf.) | Stats CBS Sports Network |
Away | Home | Time | Location | Links | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 P.M.
|
Muncie, IN (Conf.) | Stats CBS Sports Network | |||
12:00 P.M.
|
Kent, Ohio (Conf.) | ESPN+ |
Away | Home | Time | Location | Links | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 P.M.
|
Detroit, Mich. (Ford Field) | TV: ESPN |