Mid-American Conference

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members located in Illinois, Indiana, and New York. For football, the MAC participates in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision.

Mid-American Conference
AssociationNCAA
Founded1946
CommissionerJon Steinbrecher (since 2009)
Sports fielded
  • 24
    • men's: 11
    • women's: 13
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFBS
No. of teams12
HeadquartersCleveland, Ohio
RegionGreat Lakes
Official websitegetsomemaction.com
Locations

The MAC is headquartered in the Public Square district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and has two members in the nearby Akron area. The conference ranks highest among all ten NCAA Division I FBS conferences for graduation rates.[1]

History
Mid-American Conference
🌍
Location of MAC members: East Division, West Division

The five charter members of the Mid-American Conference were Ohio University, Butler University, the University of Cincinnati, Wayne University (now Wayne State University), and Western Reserve University, one of the predecessors to today's Case Western Reserve University. Wayne University left after the first year. Miami University and Western Michigan University took the place of those charter members for the 1948 season. The MAC added the University of Toledo (1950), Kent State University (1951), and Bowling Green State University (1952). The University of Cincinnati resigned its membership February 18, 1953, with an effective date of June 1, 1953. Cincinnati's decision was based on a new requirement that at least 5 conference football games would have to be scheduled each season, University President Raymond Walters saying they "...regretfully resign...as the university could not continue under the present setup..."[2]

The membership was steady for the next two decades except for the addition of Marshall University in 1954 and the departure of Western Reserve in 1955.[3] Marshall was expelled from the conference in 1969 due to NCAA violations.[4] The first major expansion since the 1950s took place in the mid-1970s with the addition of Central Michigan University and Eastern Michigan University in 1972 and Ball State University and Northern Illinois University in 1973. NIU left after the 1985–86 season. The University of Akron joined the conference in 1992. The conference became the largest in Division I-A with the re-admittance of Marshall and NIU in 1997 and addition of the Bulls from the University at Buffalo in 1998. The University of Central Florida, a non-football all-sports member in the Atlantic Sun Conference at the time, joined for football only in 2002, becoming the first football-only member in conference history. Marshall and Central Florida left after the 2004–05 academic year, both joining Conference USA in all sports.

In May 2005, the Temple Owls in Philadelphia signed a six-year contract with the MAC as a football-only school and began play in the East Division in 2007.[5]

The Louisville Cardinals were a MAC affiliate for field hockey for a number of years when Louisville was a member of the Metro Conference and Conference USA, winning two MAC tourney titles in 2003 and 2004.[6]

The Missouri State Bears, Evansville Purple Aces, and Southern Illinois Salukis participate in the MAC for men's swimming and diving.[7] In 2012, the West Virginia Mountaineers joined the Florida Atlantic Owls and Hartwick College Hawks as men's soccer affiliates.[8] Florida Atlantic departed upon joining Conference USA in 2013. Hartwick's contract was not renewed by the MAC in 2015. Nine schools are wrestling affiliates; most became affiliates when the MAC absorbed the former Eastern Wrestling League in 2019. Appalachian State University and Longwood University are associates in field hockey; Missouri State had also been a member in that sport from 2005 until dropping field hockey after the 2016 season. Binghamton University is an affiliate in men's tennis. In June 2017, SIU Edwardsville (SIUE) was invited to become an affiliate member in both men's soccer and wrestling in 2018.[9] When Buffalo suddenly dropped four sports, including men's soccer, SIUE's move in that sport was made immediately.[10]

The UMass Minutemen joined the MAC as a football-only member in July 2012; the university announced that the team would leave the MAC at the end of the 2015 season due to contractual issues.[11][12] Meanwhile, Temple ended its affiliation with the MAC in football and joined the Big East for football in July 2012. Following the split of the Big East into football-sponsoring and non-football conferences in July 2013, Temple became a full member of the football-sponsoring portion, the American Athletic Conference, ending its membership in the Atlantic 10 at that time.[13][14] The Chicago State Cougars were an affiliate for men's tennis until joining the Western Athletic Conference, which sponsors that sport, in July 2013.

The conference unveiled the addition of women's lacrosse to its sport sponsorship in November 2019.[15] Lacrosse began competing under the MAC banner with six teams in the 2021 season with MAC members Akron, Central Michigan and Kent State joined by associate members Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and Youngstown State. Eastern Michigan became the seventh women's lacrosse member when it added the sport in the 2022 season.[16]

Member schools

Current members

There are twelve public schools with full membership:

Institution Location Founded Joined[17] Type Enrollment
(Fall 2020)[18]		 Endowment
(millions)		 Nickname Colors
East Division
University of Akron Akron, Ohio 1870 1992 Public 16,094 $236 Zips    
Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, Ohio 1910 1952 18,142 $200 Falcons    
University at Buffalo Buffalo, New York 1846 1998 32,347 $1,020 Bulls    
Kent State University Kent, Ohio 1910 1951 26,822 $188 Golden Flashes    
Miami University Oxford, Ohio 1809 1947 18,880 $736 RedHawks    
Ohio University Athens, Ohio 1804 1946 25,714 $1,200 Bobcats    
West Division
Ball State University Muncie, Indiana 1918 1973 Public 21,597 $329 Cardinals    
Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, Michigan 1892 1971 17,311 $246 Chippewas    
Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, Michigan 1849 1971 16,294 $78 Eagles    
Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois 1895 1975,
1997[lower-alpha 1]		 16,769 $99 Huskies    
University of Toledo Toledo, Ohio 1872 1950 18,319 $551 Rockets    
Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan 1903 1947 19,887 $495 Broncos    
Notes
  1. Northern Illinois left the MAC after the 1985–86 school year and rejoined effective the 1997–98 school year.

Current affiliate members

Twenty-one schools have MAC affiliate membership status. On July 1, 2012, Temple joined the Big East Conference for football only (the school's other sports would join the Big East/American for 2013–14), and Massachusetts replaced Temple as a football-only member in the MAC East Division. On September 19, 2012, the MAC announced Missouri, Northern Iowa and Old Dominion would join as wrestling affiliates; as the Southeastern and Missouri Valley Conferences do not sponsor wrestling. Missouri and Northern Iowa participated only in the conference tournament in the 2012–13 school year, and began full conference play in 2013–14. Old Dominion did not begin MAC competition until 2013–14, when it left the Colonial Athletic Association (which had sponsored wrestling, but no longer does so) for Conference USA (which has never sponsored the sport).[19][20] Old Dominion discontinued wrestling in April 2020.[21]

On July 1, 2013, Florida Atlantic's men's soccer program moved with the rest of its athletic program to Conference USA, and Chicago State's men's tennis team followed the rest of its sports to the Western Athletic Conference.

The 2014–15 school year saw one affiliate member leave for another conference and two new affiliates join. The Hartwick men's soccer team left the MAC for the Sun Belt Conference, which had announced in February 2014 that it would reinstate men's soccer, a sport that it last sponsored in 1995, for the 2014 season.[22] The new affiliates for 2014–15 were Binghamton in men's tennis and Longwood in field hockey.[23]

On July 1, 2017, one associate member left the MAC, another associate member dropped one of its two MAC sports, and two new schools became associate members. Northern Iowa wrestling moved from the MAC to the Big 12 Conference.[24] Missouri State dropped field hockey,[25] but remained a MAC member in men's swimming & diving. Appalachian State joined MAC field hockey,[26] and SIU Edwardsville (SIUE) joined in men's soccer.[27] SIUE was initially announced as joining in both men's soccer and wrestling in 2018, but less than a week after the initial announcement, the conference indicated that SIUE men's soccer would immediately join.[27][28] SIUE wrestling joined on its originally announced schedule.

On March 5, 2019, the conference announced that it would be adding the seven former members of the Eastern Wrestling League as affiliate members in wrestling, making the MAC the second largest wrestling conference for academic year 2019-2020.[29]

With the addition of women's lacrosse, the MAC added affiliate members Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and Youngstown State in the 2020–21 academic year. UDM and YSU, all-sports members of the Horizon League, were announced as incoming associates at the same time the MAC announced the addition of lacrosse.[16] RMU was announced as an incoming associate in late June 2020, shortly after the school announced it would join the Horizon League in July 2020.[30]

In June 2020, SIUE announced that it would leave the MAC men's soccer league in 2021 to rejoin its previous men's soccer home of the Missouri Valley Conference.[31] It will remain in MAC wrestling.

Also in 2021, Missouri left MAC wrestling and returned to its former home of the Big 12 Conference as a wrestling-only member.[32] At the same time, four schools became single-sport MAC members—Bellarmine in field hockey,[33] Georgia Southern and Georgia State in men's soccer,[34] and Valparaiso in men's swimming (the school does not include diving in its men's aquatics program).[35]

In 2022, West Virginia men's soccer was scheduled to leave the MAC for single-sport membership in Conference USA.[36] However, due to the tenuous future of C-USA at that time, West Virginia opted instead to join the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in 2022 as that league reinstated men's soccer. Georgia Southern and Georgia State, both full SBC members, also returned men's soccer to their home conference in 2022.[37] In response, the MAC announced that Chicago State would join as a men's soccer affiliate as of the 2022-23 season, as the Cougars prepare to depart the Western Athletic Conference in all sports, including soccer.[38] Also in 2022, the MAC gained another affiliate when another Chicago institution, UIC, joined for men's swimming & diving.[39]

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Nickname Colors MAC
sport		 Primary
conference
Appalachian State University Boone, North Carolina 1899 2017–18 Public 19,089 Mountaineers     field hockey Sun Belt
Bellarmine University Louisville, Kentucky 1950 2021–22 Private (Catholic) 3,973 Knights     ASUN
Binghamton University Vestal, New York 1946 2014–15 Public 16,098 Bearcats       tennis (m) America East
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 1839 2019–20 9,950 Huskies     wrestling PSAC
(Division II)
Chicago State University Chicago, Illinois 1867 2022-23 2,620 Cougars     soccer (m) Independent
Cleveland State University Cleveland, Ohio 1964 2019–20 17,260 Vikings     wrestling Horizon
University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, Michigan 1877 2020–21 Private (Catholic) 5,700 Titans       lacrosse (w)
University of Evansville Evansville, Indiana 1854 2009–10 Private (Methodist) 3,050 Purple Aces       swimming & diving (m) Missouri Valley
George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia 1957 2019–20 Public 35,047 Patriots     wrestling Atlantic 10
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Lock Haven, Pennsylvania 1870 2019–20 4,607 Bald Eagles     wrestling PSAC
(Division II)
Longwood University Farmville, Virginia 1839 2014–15 4,800 Lancers     field hockey Big South
Missouri State University Springfield, Missouri 1905 2009–10 21,425 Bears     swimming & diving (m) Missouri Valley
Pennsylvania Western University Clarion (Clarion)[lower-alpha 1] Clarion, Pennsylvania 1867 2019–20 5,225 Golden Eagles     wrestling PSAC
(Division II)
Pennsylvania Western University Edinboro (Edinboro)[lower-alpha 1] Edinboro, Pennsylvania 1857 4,834 Fighting Scots     wrestling PSAC
(Division II)
Rider University Lawrenceville, New Jersey 1865 Private (nonsectarian) 5,400 Broncs       wrestling MAAC
Robert Morris University Moon Township, Pennsylvania 1921 2020–21 4,895 Colonials       lacrosse (w) Horizon
Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, Illinois 1869 2009–10 Public 17,964 Salukis     swimming & diving (m) Missouri Valley
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville[40] Edwardsville, Illinois 1957 2018–19 14,142 Cougars     wrestling OVC
University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Chicago, Illinois 1859 2022-23 34,199 Flames     swimming & diving (m) Missouri Valley
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, Indiana 1859 2021-22 Private 4,500 Beacons     swimming (m) Missouri Valley
Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio 1908 2020–21 Public 15,058 Penguins     lacrosse (w) Horizon


Former members

School names, nicknames, and colors listed here reflect those used during each school's MAC tenure.

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedLeftTypeNicknameColorsCurrent
conference
Butler University Indianapolis, Indiana 1855 1946 1950 Private Bulldogs     Big East
Pioneer (football only)
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio 1819 1953 Public Bearcats     The American
(Big 12 in 2023)
Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia 1837 1954 1969 Thundering Herd     Sun Belt
1997 2005
Wayne University[lower-alpha 2] Detroit, Michigan 1868 1946 1947 Tartars[lower-alpha 3]     GLIAC
(Division II)
Western Reserve University[lower-alpha 4] Cleveland, Ohio 1826 1955 Private Red Cats[lower-alpha 5]     UAA
(Division III)
Notes
  1. Clarion and Edinboro, previously separate institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education formally named "Location University of Pennsylvania", became campuses of the new Pennsylvania Western University (PennWest) on July 1, 2022. Both continue to have their own athletic programs, branded solely with their location (as was the case before the PennWest merger).
  2. Wayne University became Wayne State University in 1956.
  3. Wayne State's athletic teams changed from Tartars to Warriors in 1999.
  4. Western Reserve merged with Case Institute of Technology in 1967 to form Case Western Reserve University, with the athletic programs merging in 1971.
  5. Western Reserve's teams were known as the Red Cats during their time in the MAC.[41] With the athletic merger, Case Western Reserve abandoned the nicknames of both former institutions and adopted Spartans.

Former affiliate members

School names, nicknames, and colors listed here reflect those used during each school's MAC tenure.

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedLeftTypeNicknameColorsMAC
sport		Current
primary
conference		Current
conference
in former
MAC sport
University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida 1963 2002–03 2004–05 Public Golden Knights[lower-alpha 1]     football The American
(Big 12 in 2023)
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida 1961 2008–09[42] 2012–13 Owls     soccer (m) C-USA
(The American in 2023)		 The American
Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia 1906 2021–22 2022–23 Eagles     soccer (m) Sun Belt
Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 1913 Panthers    
Hartwick College[lower-alpha 2] Oneonta, New York 1797 2007–08 2013–14 Private Hawks     soccer (m)[42] Empire 8
(NCAA Division III)
Indiana University-
Purdue University
Fort Wayne		 Fort Wayne, Indiana 1917 2002–03m.ten. 2006–07 Public Mastodons[lower-alpha 3]     tennis (m)[43] Summit
2005–06m.soc. soccer (m)[42]
University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 1865 1995–96 2004–05 Wildcats     SEC Sun Belt
University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 1798 1994–95 Cardinals     field hockey[44] ACC
University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts 1863 2012–13 2015–16 Minutemen     football Atlantic 10 FBS Independent
University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri 1839 2012–13 2020–21 Tigers     wrestling SEC Big 12
Missouri State University[lower-alpha 4] Springfield, Missouri 1905 2005–06 2016–17 Lady Bears     field hockey[44] Missouri Valley (dropped sport)
University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, Iowa 1876 2012–13 Panthers     wrestling Big 12
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 2013–14 2019–20 Monarchs       Sun Belt (dropped sport)[21]
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville[40][lower-alpha 5] Edwardsville, Illinois 1957 2017–18 2020–21 Cougars     soccer (m)[28] OVC Missouri Valley
Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1884 2007–08 2011–12 Owls     football The American
West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia 1867 2012–13 2022–23 Mountaineers     soccer (m) Big 12 Sun Belt
Notes
  1. Central Florida (UCF), known as the Golden Knights during their MAC tenure, dropped "Golden" from the athletic nickname in 2007 as part of their rebrand to the UCF Knights.
  2. In early 2014, the MAC made the decision "... to move forward without multi-divisional institutions." The conference then informed Hartwick that their contract as an affiliate member would not be renewed.
  3. Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), known as the IPFW Mastodons during their affiliation with the MAC for men's soccer and men's tennis, rebranded their athletic program as the Fort Wayne Mastodons in 2016. Following IPFW's split into two separate institutions in July 2018, the Fort Wayne athletic program transferred to the larger of the two new institutions, Purdue University Fort Wayne, and the athletic program rebranded again as the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. The school colors changed to the old gold and black used by the other members of the Purdue system, most notably the main campus.
  4. Missouri State remains a MAC affiliate in men's swimming & diving.
  5. SIUE remains a MAC affiliate in wrestling.

Membership timeline

Full members Full members (non-football) Associate members (football only)

Academics

One of the current full member schools, the University at Buffalo, is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization of 66 leading research universities in the United States and Canada.[45] All members of the MAC are considered "high research activity" ("R2") by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching except for the University at Buffalo, Kent State University, and Ohio University, which are considered "very high research activity" ("R1"), the highest classification given.[46] Member schools are also ranked nationally and globally by various groups, including U.S. News & World Report and Times Higher Education.

University Location Affiliation Carnegie[46] Endowment[47][48] USN Nat.[49] URAP Global[50]
University of Akron Akron, Ohio Public Research (High) $236,000,000 293-381 763
Ball State University Muncie, Indiana Public Research (High) $212,800,000 192 1,437
Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, Ohio Public Research (High) $200,000,000 246 1,443
University at Buffalo Buffalo, New York Public Research (Very High) $1,020,000,000 79 279
Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, Michigan Public Research (High) $246,000,000 240 1,335
Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, Michigan Public Research (High) $78,000,000 293-381 2,187
Kent State University Kent, Ohio Public Research (Very High) $188,000,000 211 801
Miami University Oxford, Ohio Public Research (High) $736,000,000 91 1,061
Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois Public Research (High) $99,000,000 293-381 1,078
Ohio University Athens, Ohio Public Research (Very High) $943,400,000 176 701
University of Toledo Toledo, Ohio Public Research (High) $551,000,000 293-381 745
Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan Public Research (High) $495,000,000 246 1,292

Commissioners
  • Dave Reese, 1946–1964
  • Bob James, 1964–1971
  • Fred Jacoby, 1971–1982
  • Jim Lessig, 1982–1990
  • Karl Benson, 1990–1994
  • Jerry Ippoliti, 1994–1999
  • Rick Chryst, 1999–2009
  • Jon Steinbrecher, 2009–present

Sports

The Mid-American Conference sponsors championship competition in 11 men's and 13 women's NCAA sanctioned sports, with women's lacrosse becoming the newest sport in 2020–21.[51] As of the 2022–23 school year, 20 schools are associate members for six sports.

As the MAC is an FBS conference, its full members are subject to the NCAA requirement that FBS members field teams in at least 16 NCAA-recognized sports. However, the MAC itself requires sponsorship of only four sports: football, men's and women's basketball, and women's volleyball.[52]

Teams in MAC competition[lower-alpha 1]
SportMen'sWomen's
Baseball11–
Basketball1212
Cross country812
Field hockey–8
Football12–
Golf810
Gymnastics–7
Lacrosse–7
Soccer512
Softball–12
Swimming and diving68
Tennis67
Track and field (indoor)412
Track and field (outdoor)512
Volleyball–12
Wrestling13–
  1. Numbers of teams are as of the 2021–22 school year.

Men's sponsored sports by school
SchoolBaseballBasketballCross countryFootballGolfSoccerSwimmingTennisTrack and field
(indoor)		Track and field
(outdoor)		WrestlingTotal MAC sports
AkronYYNYNYNNYYN6
Ball StateYYNYYNYYNNN6
Bowling GreenYYYYYYNNNNN6
BuffaloNYYYNNNYYYY7
Central MichiganYYYYYNNNNNY6
Eastern MichiganYYYYYNNNYYN7
Kent StateYYYYYNNNYYY8
Miami (OH)YYYYYNYNNYN7
Northern IllinoisYYNYYYNYNNY7
OhioYYYYYNNNNNY6
ToledoYYYYYNNYNNN6
Western MichiganYYNYNYNYNNN5
Totals111281284+1[lower-alpha 1]2+5[lower-alpha 2]5+1[lower-alpha 3]455+8[lower-alpha 4]76+14
  1. Affiliate member Chicago State.
  2. Affiliate members Evansville, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, UIC, and Valparaiso (swimming only).
  3. Affiliate member Binghamton.
  4. Affiliates Bloomsburg, Clarion, Cleveland State, Edinboro, George Mason, Lock Haven, Rider, and SIUE.

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the MAC
SchoolIce hockeyRifle[lower-alpha 1]Volleyball
AkronNoGARCNo
Ball StateNoNoMIVA
Bowling GreenCCHANoNo
MiamiNCHCNoNo
Western MichiganNCHCNoNo
Notes
  1. Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other. Akron fields a coed team.

Women's sponsored sports by school
SchoolBasketballCross countryField hockeyGolfGymnasticsLacrosseSoccerSoftballSwimmingTennisTrack and field
(indoor)		Track and field
(outdoor)		VolleyballTotal MAC sports
AkronYYNYNYYYYNYYY10
Ball StateYYYYYNYYYYYYY12
Bowling GreenYYNYYNYYYYYYY11
BuffaloYYNNNNYYYYYYY9
Central MichiganYYYYYYYYNNYYY11
Eastern MichiganYYNYYYYNYNYYY10
Kent StateYYYYYYYYNNYYY11
MiamiYYYNNNYYYYYYY10
Northern IllinoisYYNYYNYYNYYYY10
OhioYYYYNNYYYNYYY10
ToledoYYNYNNYYYYYYY10
Western MichiganYYNYYNYYNYYYY10
Totals12125+3[lower-alpha 1]1074+3[lower-alpha 2]121187121212124+6
  1. Affiliate members Appalachian State, Bellarmine, and Longwood.
  2. Affiliate members Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and Youngstown State.

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the MAC
SchoolRifle[lower-alpha 1]RowingSynchronized skating[lower-alpha 2]
AkronGARCNoNo
Eastern MichiganNoCAANo
MiamiNoNoIndependent

Notes:

  1. Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other. Akron fields a coed team.
  2. Synchronized skating is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating, not by the NCAA. Most synchronized skating teams are clubs not affiliated with any college or university; Miami is one of about 15 schools that sponsor varsity or club teams.

Football

All-time results
For the current season, see 2022 Mid-American Conference football season.

[53]

Team First season All-time record All-time win % Bowl appearances Bowl record MAC titles Other conference titles Stadium Head coach
East Division
Akron 1891 518–545–36 .488 2 1–1 1 0 InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field Joe Moorhead
Bowling Green 1919 533–364–52 .589 13 5–8 12 5 Doyt Perry Stadium Scot Loeffler
Buffalo 1894 385–514–28 .430 5* 2–3 1 1 University at Buffalo Stadium Maurice Linguist
Kent State 1920 335–535–28 .389 3 1-2 1 0 Dix Stadium Sean Lewis
Miami (OH) 1888 674–446–44 .598 10 7–3 15 7 Yager Stadium Chuck Martin
Ohio 1894 579–566–47 .505 13 5–8 5 6 Peden Stadium Tim Albin
West Division
Ball State 1924 439–402–32 .521 8 1–7 5 5 Scheumann Stadium Mike Neu
Central Michigan 1896 603–400–37 .598 9 3–6 7 9 Kelly/Shorts Stadium Jim McElwain
Eastern Michigan 1891 443–576–47 .438 4 1–3 1 9 Rynearson Stadium Chris Creighton
Northern Illinois 1899 566–475–51 .542 11 4–7 6 8 Huskie Stadium Thomas Hammock
Toledo 1917 517–416–24 .553 15 10–5 10 3 Glass Bowl Jason Candle
Western Michigan 1905 556–439–24 .557 7 1–6 3 1 Waldo Stadium Tim Lester
  • - Buffalo invited to Tangerine Bowl in 1958 / Declined due to Florida's segregation laws at the time which would not have allowed Buffalo's two black players to participate.

MAC champions

Bowl games

In 2017, the MAC is contracted to provide a team for each of the four college football bowl games: the Bahamas Bowl, LendingTree Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and Camellia Bowl. The MAC also has secondary agreements with the Quick Lane Bowl and with several ESPN owned bowls.

Name Location Opposing conference
Bahamas Bowl Nassau, Bahamas C-USA
LendingTree Bowl Mobile, Alabama Sun Belt
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Boise, Idaho Mountain West
Camellia Bowl Montgomery, Alabama Sun Belt
Notes
  • The MAC Champion (if not invited to the College Football Playoff or its associated bowls) is not contractually obligated to any specific bowl. The conference and the universities select which teams will play in which of the league's affiliated bowls.

College Football Playoff

The MAC champion receives an automatic berth in one of the so-called "New Year's Six" bowl games associated with the College Football Playoff under either of the following circumstances:

  • Selected as one of the top four teams overall by the CFP selection committee, in which case the team will play in a CFP national semifinal.
  • Ranked by the committee as the top champion among the five conferences (American, C-USA, MAC, MW, Sun Belt) given access to one of the CFP bowls, in which case the team will play in the so-called "Access Bowl" as an at-large selection.

The first "Access Bowl" berth in 2014 went to Boise State (MW); the 2015 berth went to Houston (American). The MAC got its first berth in 2016 with Western Michigan, who had an undefeated regular season that year and finished ranked at No. 15 in the AP Poll.

During the era of the now-defunct Bowl Championship Series (BCS), one MAC team appeared in a BCS bowl game. In 2012, NIU qualified by being ranked in the top 16 (15th) in the season's final BCS standings, and also higher than at least one champion of a conference that received an automatic berth in a BCS game. In the 2012 season, two such conference champions were ranked below NIU: Big East champion Louisville, who was ranked 22nd, and Big Ten champion Wisconsin, who was unranked. NIU lost to Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Rivalries

Football rivalries involving MAC teams include:

TeamsRivalry nameTrophyMeetingsRecordSeries leaderCurrent streak
AkronKent State – Wagon Wheel6335–26–2AkronKent State won 2
AkronYoungstown State – Steel Tire3519–14–2Youngstown StateYoungstown State won 3
Ball StateNorthern Illinois – Bronze Stalk Trophy4825–22–2Northern IllinoisNorthern Illinois won 1
Ball StateIndiana State – Blue Key Victory Bell6538–24–1Ball StateIndiana State won 1
Bowling GreenKent State Battle for the Anniversary Award Anniversary Award8960–23–6Bowling GreenKent State won 4
Bowling GreenToledo Battle of I-75 Battle of I-75 Trophy8541–40–4ToledoToledo won 1
Central Michigan Eastern Michigan Central Michigan–Eastern Michigan Rivalry – 98 62–30–6 Central Michigan Central Michigan won 2
Central MichiganWestern Michigan CMU–WMU Rivalry Victory Cannon9351-40–2Western MichiganCentral Michigan won 1
MiamiCincinnati Battle for the Bell Victory Bell12559–59–7TieCincinnati won 15
MiamiOhio Battle of the Bricks –9754-41-2MiamiOhio won 1
OhioMarshall Battle for the Bell The Bell6033–21–6OhioMarshall won 1

In addition, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Western Michigan compete for the Michigan MAC Trophy, which is awarded to the team with the best head-to-head record each year. Since the inception of the trophy in 2005, Western Michigan has won 7 times, Central Michigan has won 5 times, and Eastern Michigan has won the trophy 4 times. Western Michigan has won the trophy the past three years (2018-2020) as well as 6 of the past 7 years (2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020).

Basketball

In August 2010, Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher and the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that the Mid-American Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments would remain in Cleveland at the venue then known as Quicken Loans Arena and now as Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse through 2017.[54] Both tournaments have flourished since moving to Cleveland in 2000, with the men's semi-finals and championship regularly drawing large crowds at Quicken Loans Arena.[55] In 2007, the MAC also announced a format change for both tournaments, bringing all twelve men's and women's teams to Cleveland. The MAC also co-hosted the 2007 Women's Final Four at Quicken Loans Arena after successfully hosting the 2006 NCAA Women's Basketball Regional at the same facility.

On May 12, 2020, Steinbrecher announced a suite of major changes to the conference's competitive format across multiple sports in response to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific to men's and women's basketball, the following changes took effect in 2020–21 and will continue through at least 2023–24:[56]

  • The conference adopted a single league table, eliminating the divisional standings.
  • The conference schedule increased from 18 to 20 games.
  • Only the top eight men's and women's teams advance to their respective conference tournaments.

Championships

Current MAC champions

The following are the most recent conference champions of each MAC sport. Champions from the previous academic year are indicated in italics.

In sports in which regular-season and tournament champions are recognized, "RS" indicates regular-season champion and "T" indicates tournament champion. Note that several sports that normally hold tournaments did not do so in 2020–21.

    Facilities
    School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball stadium Capacity
    Akron InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field 30,000 James A. Rhodes Arena 5,500 Lee R. Jackson Field 1,500
    Ball State Scheumann Stadium 22,500[57] John E. Worthen Arena 11,500 Ball Diamond 1,700
    Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium 24,000 Stroh Center 4,700 Warren E. Steller Field 2,500
    Buffalo University at Buffalo Stadium 25,013 Alumni Arena 6,100 Non-baseball school
    Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium 30,255 McGuirk Arena 5,300 Bill Theunissen Stadium 2,046
    Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium 30,200 George Gervin GameAbove Center 8,800 Oestrike Stadium 1,313
    Kent State Dix Stadium 25,319 Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center 6,327 Schoonover Stadium 1,130
    Miami Yager Stadium 24,286 Millett Hall 6,400 Stanley G. McKie Field at Joseph P. Hayden Jr. Park 1,000
    Northern Illinois Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium 23,595 Convocation Center 10,000 Ralph McKinzie Field 1,500
    Ohio Peden Stadium 24,000 Convocation Center 13,080 Bob Wren Stadium 4,000
    Toledo Glass Bowl 26,248 Savage Arena 7,300 Scott Park Baseball Complex 1,000
    Western Michigan Waldo Stadium 30,200 University Arena 5,421 Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Judson Hyames Field 1,500

    Hall of Fame

    The Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame was the first Division I conference Hall of Fame.[58] It was established in 1987 and classes have been inducted in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2012 and 2013.[59][60]

    In order to be eligible, a person must have participated during the time the university was in the MAC and five years must have passed from the time the individual participated in athletics or worked in the athletic department.[58]

    The following is a list of the members of the MAC Hall of Fame, along with school affiliation, sport(s) for which they were inducted, and year of induction.

    • Harold Anderson, Bowling Green, basketball, 1991
    • Janet Bachna, Kent State, gymnastics, 1992
    • Joe Begala, Kent State, wrestling, 1991
    • Tom Beutler, Toledo, football, 1994
    • Kermit Blosser, Ohio, golf, 1988
    • Jim Corrigall, Kent State, football, 1994
    • Hasely Crawford, Eastern Michigan, track and field, 1991
    • Ben Curtis, Kent State, golf, 2012
    • Caroline (Mast) Daugherty, Ohio, basketball, 1994
    • Herb Deromedi, Central Michigan, football, 2012
    • Chuck Ealey, Toledo, football, 1988
    • Fran Ebert, Western Michigan, softball / basketball, 1992
    • Wayne Embry, Miami, basketball, 2012
    • Karen Fitzpatrick, Ball State, field hockey, 2012
    • John Gill, WMU athlete / coach / administrator, 1994
    • Maurice Harvey, Ball State, football, 1992
    • Bill Hess, Ohio, football coach, 1992
    • Gary Hogeboom, Central Michigan, football, 1994
    • Fred Jacoby, MAC commissioner, 1990
    • Bob James, MAC commissioner, 1989
    • Ron Johnson, Eastern Michigan, football, 1988
    • Dave Keilitz, Central Michigan, baseball, 2013
    • Ted Kjolhede, Central Michigan, basketball, 1988
    • Kim Knuth, Toledo, women's basketball, 2013
    • Ken Kramer, Ball State, football, 1991
    • Bill Lajoie, Western Michigan, baseball, 1991
    • Jack Lambert, Kent State, football, 1988
    • Frank Lauterbur, Toledo, football, 1990
    • Mel Long, Toledo, football, 1992
    • Charlier Maher, Western Michigan, baseball, 1989
    • Bill Mallory, Miami/Northern Illinois, football, 2013
    • Brad Maynard, Ball State, football, 2013
    • Ray McCallum, Ball State, basketball, 1988
    • Jack McLain, MAC football official, 1992
    • Karen Michalak, Central Michigan, basketball / track and field / field hockey, 1992
    • Gordon Minty, Eastern Michigan, track and field, 1994
    • Steve Mix, Toledo, basketball, 1989
    • Thurman Munson, Kent State, baseball, 1990
    • Ira Murchinson, Western Michigan, track and field, 1990
    • Don Nehlen, Bowling Green, football, 1994
    • Manny Newsome, Western Michigan, basketball, 1988
    • Bob Nichols, Toledo, basketball, 2012
    • John Offerdahl, Western Michigan, football, 2013
    • Bob Owchinko, Eastern Michigan, baseball, 1992
    • Ara Parseghian, Miami, football, 1988
    • Doyt Perry, Bowling Green, football, 1988
    • John Pont, Miami, football player / coach, 1992
    • John Pruis, Ball State, president, 1994
    • Trevor Rees, Kent State, football, 1989
    • David Reese, MAC commissioner, 1988
    • George Rider, Miami, track and field, 1989
    • William Rohr, Miami, basketball coach 1994
    • Dan Roundfield, Central Michigan, basketball, 1990
    • Bo Schembechler, Miami, football coach, 1991
    • Mike Schmidt, Ohio, baseball, 2012
    • Dick Shrider, Miami, basketball, 1990
    • Christi Smith, Akron, track and field, 2013
    • Jim Snyder, Ohio, basketball, 1991
    • Shafer Suggs, Ball State, football, 1989
    • Nate Thurmond, Bowling Green, basketball, 1989
    • Gary Trent, Ohio, men's basketball, 2013
    • Phil Villapiano, Bowling Green, football, 1992
    • Bob Welch, Eastern Michigan, baseball, 1990
    • Dave Wottle, Bowling Green, track and field, 1990
    • Bob Wren, Ohio, baseball, 1989

    Media

    Broadcasts

    A number of MAC sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling and volleyball, are telecast on Spectrum Sports (Ohio), replacing SportsTime Ohio and Fox Sports Ohio as the MAC TV partner.[61] Along with Spectrum Sports, ESPN, as well as the American Sports Network, retain the "local and regional" syndication telecast rights to the MAC for football and basketball.

    In 2000 ESPN began broadcasting MAC football games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The conference agreed to the unusual schedule to increase television ratings by not competing against other football. Fans nicknamed the midweek games MACtion. In 2014 the conference and ESPN agreed to a new contract for 13 years. Each school receives more than $800,000 annually, and plays most November games on weekday nights; 16 of 18 games in 2016 were not on Saturdays, for example. While MACtion decreases stadium attendance, games appear on an ESPN channel to a nationwide audience instead of a less-popular channel or streaming media.[62]

    Ball State produces its own comprehensive television package with Ball State Sports Link. Affiliate stations include WIPB in Muncie, WNDY in Indianapolis, WPTA in Fort Wayne, WHME in South Bend, WTVW in Evansville, WYIN in Merrillville and Comcast in Michigan. All Ball State Sports Link games are also broadcast on student radio station WCRD and on the Ball State Radio Network produced by WLBC-FM and Backyard Broadcasting.

    NIU has multiple football and basketball games telecast by Comcast SportsNet Chicago. In addition, most NIU football and basketball games can be heard on WSCR-AM 670 "The Score" - Chicago's powerful 50,000-watt top-rated all-sports station, which reaches 38 states and Canada.

    MAC Properties

    MAC Properties (a division of ISP Sports) is the sponsorship arm of the Mid-American Conference, and handles all forms of sponsorship and advertising for the MAC which includes managing and growing its stable of official corporate partners. As of 2010, the MAC has five official corporate partners: FirstEnergy, Marathon, PNC Bank, AutoTrader.com and Cleveland Clinic Sports Health. There are approximately 20 other companies engaged as sponsors of the conference at the non-official level. MAC Properties also assists with the management of the conference's television and radio contracts, including those with ESPN Regional, FOX Sports Ohio and ESPN 850 WKNR among others.

    Unaffiliated Outlets

    Hustle Belt (a subsidiary of SB Nation) is a blog dedicated to MAC sports, with recaps, previews, interviews and more. Founded in 2010, the blog continues to churn out quality MAC content and as of 2019, started a weekly podcast called “The MAC Bandwagon Podcast”.

    The College Sports Connection Podcast founded in 2019, have a dedicated following covering all MAC Sports as well as interviews with coaches from a variety of sports in the conference. They also attend MAC sporting events & media events and share their experiences on their weekly show.

    See also
    • List of American collegiate athletic stadiums and arenas

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