Also See:
MAC Media Media Poll
Early Report
MAC teams will once again begin the season with a distinct disadvantage in scheduling as none of its members play more than 6 home games and 5 schools (Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami an Northern Illinois) only have 5 home contests.
Central Michigan and Northern Illinois had to schedule an FCS school just to get that 5th home game.
Big Six conferences, especially the Big Ten, typically schedule home games against MAC schools to gain a 7th home game. Ohio State's home dates with Ohio and Eastern Michigan give the Buckeyes 8 home games. Additionally, Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Iowa (1), Michigan (1), Michigan State (1), Minnesota (1), Northwestern (1), Penn State (2) and Purdue (2) all have MAC teams on their schedule. Wisconsin is the only Big Ten team that doesn't face a MAC school, and not a single one of those 13 Big Ten-MAC matchups are played on the home field of the MAC team.
Akron, Ball State and Northern Illinois each play two games at Big Ten stadiums.
MAC teams also visit Baylor, Boise State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa State, Kentucky, Missouri, Troy, Tulsa, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Five MAC teams have only 1 home game in the month of September - Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Toledo.
Kent State opens at home with Murray State on September 2 and doesn't host another game until October 9.
Akron, Buffalo and Central Michigan will be breaking in new head coaches this season.
Rob Ianello makes the move from Notre Dame assistant to Akron head coach, replacing J.D. Brookhart who was fired after compiling a 30-42 record in a four-season tenure that began with a 2005 MAC Championship and a Motor City Bowl loss to Memphis. Those still stand as the first and only MAC title and bowl appearance in the school's history.
After four seasons at Buffalo that included a 2008 MAC Championship, Turner Gill was successfully wooed by Kansas. In steps Jeff Quinn who has been caught up in the Brian Kelly-Butch Jones-Central Michigan-Cincinnati-Notre Dame circle for awhile, and his story was beginning to seem like a case of "always the bridesmaid, never the bride".
Quinn served as interim head coach in Central Michigan's 2006 Motor City bowl win over Middle Tennessee after Brian Kelly bolted for Cincinnati. And last year, after Kelly left Cincy for Notre Dame, Quinn served as interim head coach in the Bearcats 51-24 loss to Florida in the Sugar Bowl. Quinn's offenses at Central Michigan Cincinnati were noted for their pro-style passing attack that racked up big yardage and points, but often strained his own teams' defense. As an example, the 2007 Chippewa squad scored 487 points but allowed 517 while going 8-6.
Central Michigan has maintained success through the transition from Kelly to Butch Jones, and will look to keep the magic intact this season under former Michigan State running backs coach Dan Enos. It is the first head coaching job at any level for the 41-year-old Enos who will be charged with trying to lead CMU to its fourth MAC title in five years.
The MAC lost a bowl affiliation with the March 25th announcement that the International Bowl was folding. The game was played in Toronto each of the last four seasons and matched a Big East opponent with a MAC school. The Big East landed a contract with the newly-formed Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, rendering it unnecessary to renew an agreement to supply a team to the International Bowl.
Ball State is one of five teams in the nation that will face two FCS schools this season (Arizona State, San Jose State, Syracuse and Virginia are the others). The Cardinals open their season with back-to-back home games against SE Missouri State and Liberty. |