MAC Football Championship Game
The MAC Football Championship Game is a football game between the winners of the East and West divisions of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) to determine the conference champion.
| MAC Football Championship Game | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sport | College football |
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| Current stadium | Ford Field |
| Current location | Detroit, Michigan |
| Played | 1997–present |
| Last contest | 2022 |
| Current champion | Toledo Rockets |
| Most championships | Marshall, Northern Illinois (5) |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN/ESPN2 |
| Official website | MAC-Sports.com football |
| Sponsors | |
| Marathon Petroleum (2003–2019) Rocket Mortgage (2020–present) | |
| Host stadiums | |
| Marshall University Stadium (1997–2000, 2002) Glass Bowl (2001) Doyt Perry Stadium (2003) Ford Field (2004–present) | |
| Host locations | |
| Huntington, West Virginia (1997–2000, 2002) Toledo, Ohio (2001) Bowling Green, Ohio (2003) Detroit, Michigan (2004–present) | |
History
The game has been played since 1997, when the conference was first divided into divisions and since 2020 has been sponsored by Rocket Mortgage (officially known as the Rocket Mortgage MAC Football Championship). The winner of the game is guaranteed a berth in a bowl game which the MAC has contractual obligations to field a team. Unlike the MAC's Group of Five contemporaries, which hold their respective championship games on campus sites, the MAC Championship Game is held at a neutral site, Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan since 2004 and is scheduled to be held there through at least 2024.[1]
In 2000, 2001, and 2007, due to an unbalanced conference schedule, the team with best division record within each division was awarded that division's championship game berth. In other years, the teams with the best overall conference records received a berth.
The game is held on the first Saturday in December, on the same weekend that other NCAA Division I FBS conferences hold their championship games.
Results
Below are the results from all MAC Football Championship Games played. The winning team appears in bold font, on a background of their primary team color. Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game.
From 1997 through 2003, the championship game was played at campus sites. Since 2004, the game has been played at Ford Field in Detroit.
Results by team
| Appearances | School | Wins | Losses | Win % | Year(s) Won | Year(s) Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | [[Northern Illinois Huskies football|Northern Illinois]] | 5 | 4 | .556 | 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2021 | 2005, 2010, 2013, 2015 |
| 7 | [[Toledo Rockets football|Toledo]] | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2001, 2004, 2017, 2022 | 1997, 1998, 2002 |
| 6 | [[Marshall Thundering Herd football|Marshall]] | 5 | 1 | .833 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 | 2001 |
| 5 | [[Miami RedHawks football|Miami]] | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2003, 2010, 2019 | 2004, 2007 |
| 5 | [[Ohio Bobcats football|Ohio]] | 0 | 5 | .000 | 2006, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2022 | |
| 4 | [[Central Michigan Chippewas football|Central Michigan]] | 3 | 1 | .750 | 2006, 2007, 2009 | 2019 |
| 4 | [[Bowling Green Falcons football|Bowling Green]] | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2013, 2015 | 2003, 2014
|
| 3 | [[Buffalo Bulls football|Buffalo]] | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2008 | 2018, 2020 |
| 3 | [[Western Michigan Broncos football|Western Michigan]] | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2016 | 1999, 2000 |
| 2 | [[Akron Zips football|Akron]] | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2005 | 2017 |
| 2 | [[Ball State Cardinals football|Ball State]] | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2020 | 2008 |
| 2 | [[Kent State Golden Flashes football|Kent State]] | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2012, 2021 | |
Eastern Michigan is the only team currently in the conference to have not qualified for a Championship Game. Marshall is the only Championship Game Winner to not be a current member of the MAC. Bowling Green is the only team that has represented both the East and West Divisions in the Championship Game (was a member of the West Division prior to Marshall's departure from the MAC). Temple, UCF and UMass were previously in the conference during this era and never reached the championship game.
Common matchups
Matchups that have occurred more than once:
| # of Times | East Division | West Division | Record | Years played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Marshall | Toledo | Marshall, 3–1 | 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 |
| 3 | Bowling Green | Northern Illinois | Bowling Green, 2–1 | 2013, 2014, 2015 |
| 2 | Marshall | Western Michigan | Marshall, 2–0 | 1999, 2000 |
| 2 | Ohio | Central Michigan | Central Michigan, 2–0 | 2006, 2009 |
| 2 | Miami | Central Michigan | Tied, 1–1 | 2007, 2019 |
| 2 | Buffalo | Ball State | Tied, 1–1 | 2008, 2020 |
| 2 | Kent State | Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois, 2–0 | 2012, 2021 |
MVPs
| Year | MVP(s) | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Randy Moss | Marshall | WR |
| 1998 | Chad Pennington | Marshall | QB |
| 1999 | Chad Pennington | Marshall | QB |
| 2000 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | QB |
| 2001 | Chester Taylor | Toledo | RB |
| 2002 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | QB |
| 2003 | Ben Roethlisberger | Miami | QB |
| 2004 | Bruce Gradkowski | Toledo | QB |
| 2005 | Luke Getsy | Akron | QB |
| 2006 | Damien Linson | Central Michigan | WR |
| 2007 | Dan LeFevour | Central Michigan | QB |
| 2008 | Mike Newton | Buffalo | DB |
| 2009 | Dan LeFevour | Central Michigan | QB |
| 2010 | Thomas Merriweather | Miami | RB |
| 2011 | Nathan Palmer | Northern Illinois | WR |
| 2012 | Jordan Lynch | Northern Illinois | QB |
| 2013 | Matt Johnson | Bowling Green | QB |
| 2014 | Drew Hare | Northern Illinois | QB |
| 2015 | Travis Greene | Bowling Green | RB |
| 2016 | Corey Davis | Western Michigan | WR |
| 2017 | Logan Woodside | Toledo | QB (Offensive) |
| Danzel McKinley-Lewis | Toledo | WR (Special Teams) | |
| 2018 | Marcus Childers | Northern Illinois | QB (Offensive) |
| Sutton Smith | Northern Illinois | LB (Defensive) | |
| 2019 | Jack Sorenson | Miami | WR (Offensive) |
| Emmanuel Rugamba | Miami | LB (Defensive) | |
| 2020 | Drew Plitt | Ball State | QB (Offensive) |
| Jimmy Daw | Ball State | LB (Defensive) | |
| 2021 | Jay Ducker | Northern Illinois | RB (Offensive) |
| C.J. Brown | Northern Illinois | DB (Defensive) | |
| 2022 | Dequan Finn | Toledo | QB (Offensive) |
| Dyontae Johnson | Toledo | LB (Defensive) |
Game records
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 51, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green | 2014 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 45, Toledo vs. Marshall | 2002 |
| Fewest points scored (winning team) | 17, Toledo vs. Ohio | 2022 |
| Fewest points scored | 7, Ohio vs. Toledo | 2022 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 94, Marshall (49) vs. Toledo (45) | 2002 |
| Fewest points scored (both teams) | 24, Toledo (17) vs. Ohio (7) | 2022 |
| Most points scored in a half | 35, Buffalo (2nd half) vs. Ball State Ball State (1st half) vs. Buffalo |
2008 2020 |
| Most points scored in a half (both teams) | 49, Marshall vs. Toledo (2nd half) | 2002 |
| Largest margin of victory | 34, Northern Illinois (51) vs. Bowling Green (17) | 2014 |
| Smallest margin of victory | 1, Akron (31) vs. Northern Illinois (30) | 2005 |
| Total yards | 576, Miami (440 passing, 136 rushing) vs. Bowling Green | 2003 |
| Rushing yards | 334, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green | 2014 |
| Passing yards | 440, Miami vs. Bowling Green | 2003 |
| First downs | 30, Western Michigan vs. Marshall Ball State vs. Buffalo |
1999 2008 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 224, Central Michigan vs. Ohio (137 passing, 87 rushing) | 2006 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 37, Western Michigan vs. Ohio | 2016 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 102, Kent State vs. Northern Illinois | 2021 |
| Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| All-purpose yards | 448, Ben Roethlisberger, Miami vs. Bowling Green | 2003 |
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 5, Matt Johnson, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois | 2013 |
| Rushing yards | 270, Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois vs. Akron | 2005 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 4, Trinity Dawson, Toledo vs. Marshall | 2002 |
| Passing yards | 440, Ben Roethlisberger, Miami vs. Bowling Green | 2003 |
| Passing touchdowns | 5, Matt Johnson, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois | 2013 |
| Receiving yards | 191, Damien Linson, Central Michigan vs. Ohio | 2006 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 4, Denero Marriott, Marshall vs. Toledo | 2001 |
| Tackles | 16, shared by: Noah Keller, Ohio vs. Central Michigan Boomer Mays, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green | 2009 2015 |
| Sacks | 2, shared by nine players, most recent: Tyrece Woods Jr., Buffalo vs. Ball State | 2020 |
| Interceptions | 2, Dechane Durante, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green | 2014 |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 96, Ontario Sneed, Central Michigan vs. Ohio | 2006 |
| Touchdown pass | 86, Randy Moss from Chad Pennington, Marshall vs. Toledo | 1997 |
| Kickoff return | 64, Clint Stephens, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois | 2014 |
| Punt return | 48, Danzel McKinley-Lewis, Toledo vs. Akron | 2017 |
| Interception return | 64, Shawun Lurry, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green | 2015 |
| Fumble return | 92, Mike Newton, Buffalo vs. Ball State | 2008 |
| Punt | 75, Curtis Head, Marshall vs. Toledo | 2001 |
| Field goal | 52, shared by: Chris Nendick, Northern Illinois vs. Akron Tyler Tate, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois | 2005 2013 |
| Miscellaneous | Record, Team vs. Team | Year |
| Game attendance | 45,615, Ohio vs. Western Michigan | 2016 |
Source:[2]
Photo gallery
Before 2006 MAC Championship Game
2006 MAC Championship: Central Michigan vs. Ohio
References
- "MAC Announces Three Year Contract Extension With Ford Field". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- "C-USA Records Master" (PDF). conferenceusa.com. pp. 35–36. Retrieved December 3, 2021.