2024 Mid-American Conference football season explained

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]

Previous season

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]

Preseason

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]}

• Akron – Head Coach Joe Moorhead, Bryan McCoy, Jr., LB, Bennett Adler, Sr., DL
• Ball State – Head Coach Mike Neu, Tanner Koziol, Jr., TE, Keionte Newson, Sr., LB
• Bowling Green – Head Coach Scot Loeffler, Connor Bazelak, Sr., QB, Jordan Oladokun, Sr., CB
• Buffalo – Head Coach Pete Lembo, Shaun Dolac, Grad., LB, Red Murdock, R-So., LB
• Central Michigan – Head Coach Jim McElwain, Donte Kent, Sr., DB, Brayden Swartout, Sr., OL
• Eastern Michigan – Head Coach Chris Creighton, Justin Jefferson, Sr., DL, Jere Getzinger, Sr., TE
• Kent State – Head Coach Kenni Burns, Chrishon McCray, R-So., WR, Oliver Billotte, Jr., DE
• Miami – Head Coach Chuck Martin, Brett Gabbert, 6th-Sr., QB, Matt Salopek, 6th-Sr., LB
• Northern Illinois – Head Coach Thomas Hammock, J.J. Lippe, R-Sr., OL, Jashon Prophete, Sr., S
• Ohio – Head Coach Tim Albin, Parker Navarro, Grad., QB, Jeremiah Wood, Grad., S
• Toledo – Head Coach Jason Candle, Jerjuan Newton, Sr., WR, Maxen Hook, Sr., S
• Western Michigan – Head Coach Lance Taylor, Hayden Wolff, R-Sr., QB, Damari Roberson, R-Sr., LB

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

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

Individual Award Preseason Watchlists

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

Coaches

Coaching changes

The MAC enters the 2024 season with one coaching change from 2023.

• Buffalo head coach Maurice Linguist resigned on January 16, 2024, after his team finished the 2023 season with a 3–9 record to join Kalen DeBoer’s staff at Alabama.^[52] On January 21, 2024 Pete Lembo, who was the associate head coach and special teams coordinator at South Carolina and was previously a MAC head coach at Ball State, was hired as the new head coach.^{[53] [54]}

Head coaching records

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

Source - ^{[55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66]}

Rankings

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

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 -

Coaches -^[67]

Schedule

^{[68] [69]}

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: 2024 MAC Football Championship Game.

MAC records vs. other conferences

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

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 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

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
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

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
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

Mid-American vs. FCS matchups

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

Head to head matchups

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	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	—	–	—	—	—

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2024 DETROIT SPORTS CALENDAR. February 25, 2022. detroitsports.org. Detroit Sports Commission.
2. Web site: MAC to replace divisions with new system for 2024. November 30, 2023. February 22, 2024. sports.yahoo.com. Detroit Free Press. Jared. Ramsey.
3. Web site: UMass will join Mid-American Conference as a full sports member in 2025, MAC commissioner says. APNews. Tom. Withers. en. 2024-04-20. February 27, 2024.
4. Web site: Miami clinches East Division title, MAC Championship game berth. November 16, 2023. November 20, 2023. Butler County Journal-News.
5. Web site: Toledo football clinches MAC West title, punches ticket to conference championship game. November 11, 2023. November 8, 2023. WTOL.
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: 2024 Division I FBS Media Days. June 25, 2024. www.sportswriters.net. FWAA.
8. Web site: MAC To Host 2024 Football Kickoff at Pro Football Hall of Fame. April 23, 2024. July 1, 2024. www.getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
9. Web site: 2024 MAC Football Media Day Set For July 19 In Canton. April 26, 2024. July 1, 2024. www.athlonsports.com. G5 Football Daily.
10. Web site: Follow The MAC Football Kickoff On Friday, July 19. July 17, 2023. July 18, 2023. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
11. Web site: MAC Football Media Day 2024: Coaches + Players Attending, Time, Date, How To Watch. July 13, 2024. July 14, 2024. si.com. G5 Football Daily - Fannation. Joe. Londergan.
12. Web site: Miami Selected as Favorites in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll. July 19, 2024. July 19, 2024. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
13. Web site: MAC football preseason poll: Toledo picked 2nd, BGSU 3rd. July 19, 2024. July 19, 2024. wtol.com. WTOL 11.
14. Web site: Lott IMPACT® Trophy Announces 2024 Watch List .
15. Web site: Dodd Trophy Releases 2024 Preseason Watch List. July 8, 2024. July 8, 2024.
16. Web site: 2023 Maxwell Award Watch List. July 29, 2024. July 29, 2024. Maxwell Football Club.
17. Web site: Stewart, Brown Named to Maxwell Award Watch List. July 29, 2024. July 29, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
18. Web site: 2024 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST . July 30, 2023. July 30, 2023.
19. Web site: Trio of MAC Offensive Linemen Named to Outland Trophy Watch List. July 30, 2023. July 30, 2023. Mid-American Conference.
20. Web site: 2024 BRONKO NAGURSKI PRESEASON WATCH LIST . July 30, 2024. July 30, 2024. FWAA.
21. Web site: Six MAC Student-Athletes Named to 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. July 30, 2024. July 30, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
22. Web site: PAYCOM JIM THORPE AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST . July 31, 2023. July 31, 2023.
23. Web site: Buffalo’s Fuqua, Toledo’s Mitchell Named to Jim Thorpe Award Watch List. July 31, 2023. July 31, 2023. Mid-American Conference.
24. Web site: 48 PLAYERS REPRESENTING 9 CONFERENCES PLUS 1INDEPENDENT SCHOOL SELECTED FOR THE 2024 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD PRE-SEASON WATCH LIST . August 1, 2024. August 1, 2024.
25. Web site: Three Football Student-Athletes Selected to Paul Hornung Trophy Watch List. August 1, 2024. August 1, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
26. Web site: 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Watch List. August 1, 2024. August 1, 2024.
27. Web site: Eight Football Student-Athletes Selected to Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. August 1, 2024. August 1, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
28. Web site: 2024 Watch List. August 2, 2024. August 2, 2024.
29. Web site: 2024 Ray Guy Award Watchlist. August 2, 2024. August 2, 2024.
30. Web site: Bevelhimer, Tomasek Named to Ray Guy Award Watch List. August 2, 2024. August 2, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
31. Web site: Walter Camp 2024 Player of Year Preseason Watch List, presented by David McDermott Lexus of New Haven. August 5, 2024. August 5, 2024. Mike Madera. waltercamp.org.
32. Web site: Four MAC Running Backs Land on Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List. August 6, 2024. August 6, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
33. Web site: 2024 Doak Walker Award Candidates Announced . August 5, 2024. August 5, 2024.
34. Web site: Four MAC Running Backs Land on Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List. August 6, 2024. August 6, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
35. Web site: 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List Issued.
36. Web site: Four Football Student-Athletes Named to Comeback Player of the Year Watch List. August 7, 2024. August 7, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
37. Web site: 2024 Biletnikoff Award Watch List. August 7, 2024. August 7, 2024.
38. Web site: THREE DOZEN QUARTERBACKS NAMED TO DAVEY O’BRIEN AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST. August 8, 2024. August 8, 2024.
39. Web site: Gabbert Garners Davey O'Brien Preseason Watch List Recognition. August 8, 2024. August 8, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
40. Web site: 2024 WATCHLIST. August 9, 2024. August 9, 2024. John Mackey Award.
41. Web site: Fannin Jr., Torres Land on Mackey Award Watch List. August 9, 2024. August 9, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
42. Web site: THE WATCHLIST. August 9, 2024. August 9, 2024. Rimington Trophy.
43. Web site: Gideon Named to Rimington Trophy Watch List for Third-Straight Year. August 9, 2024. August 9, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
44. Web site: 2024 Bednarik Award Watch List. August 12, 2024. August 12, 2024.
45. Web site: Four Defensive Standouts Represent MAC on Bednarik Award Watch List. August 12, 2024. August 12, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
46. Web site: 2024 WATCH LIST. August 13, 2024. August 13, 2024.
47. Web site: Salopek Represents MAC On Butkus Award Watch List. August 13, 2024. August 13, 2024. Mid-American Conference.
48. Web site: The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Proudly Announces 2024 Preseason Watch List .
49. Web site: Allstate Sugar Bowl Announces Manning Award Watch List. August 15, 2024. August 15, 2024.
50. Web site: 2024 POLYNESIAN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST .
51. Web site: Lombardi Award 2024 Watch List .
52. News: John . Warwow. Maurice Linguist resigns as Buffalo football coach to join DeBoer’s staff in Alabama, AP source says . 16 January 2024 . en.
53. Web site: Gamecocks to add ace special teams coach with long head coach resume . The State . 27 December 2020. Breiner, Ben. December 26, 2020.
54. News: Buffalo hires Pete Lembo, former Ball State football coach, South Carolina special teams coordinator . 21 January 2024 . en.
55. Web site: Joe Moorhead. Sports Reference.
56. Web site: Mike Neu. Sports Reference.
57. Web site: Scot Loeffler. Sports Reference.
58. Web site: Pete Lembo. Sports Reference.
59. Web site: Jim McElwain. Sports Reference.
60. Web site: Chris Creighton. Sports Reference.
61. Web site: Kenni Burns. Sports Reference.
62. Web site: Chuck Martin. Sports Reference.
63. Web site: Thomas Hammock. Sports Reference.
64. Web site: Tim Albin. Sports Reference.
65. Web site: Jason Candle. Sports Reference.
66. Web site: Lance Taylor. Sports Reference.
67. News: US LBM Coaches Poll: August 5, 2024 . . August 5, 2024.
68. Web site: MAC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE. February 26, 2024. fbsschedules.com. FBS Schedules.
69. Web site: MAC College Football Schedule. June 1, 2024. espn.com. ESPN.