2018 Mid-American Conference football season

2018 Mid American Conference football season
League NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Sport Football
Duration August 30, 2018 – January 2019
Number of teams 12
Regular season
MAC Championship Game
2018 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
Buffalo  3 –0     6 –1  
Miami  3 –1     3 –4  
Ohio  1 –1     3 –3  
Akron  0 –2     2 –3  
Bowling Green  0 –3     1 –6  
Kent State  0 –3     1 –6  
West Division
Northern Illinois  4 –0     4 –3  
Western Michigan  3 –0     5 –2  
Ball State  2 –1     3 –4  
Toledo  1 –1     3 –3  
Eastern Michigan  1 –3     3 –4  
Central Michigan  0 –3     1 –6  
Championship: November 30, 2018
As of October 16, 2018; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018 Mid-American Conference football season will be the 73rd season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC). and is part of the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season will begin on August 30 and will end on November 24. The entire schedule was released on February 22.[1][2] The MAC Championship Game will be held on November 30, 2018.

Previous season

In 2017, Akron won the East Division with a 6–2 conference record while Toledo won the West Division with a 7–1 conference record. Toledo defeated Akron in the MAC Championship game.

Preseason

Preseason Poll

The MAC Preseason Media Poll was released at the MAC Media Day on July 24, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan.[3]

East

  1. Ohio (21)
  2. Buffalo (1)
  3. Miami (2)
  4. Akron
  5. Bowling Green
  6. Kent State

West

  1. Northern Illinois (15)
  2. Toledo (7)
  3. Western Michigan (1)
  4. Eastern Michigan
  5. Central Michigan (1)
  6. Ball State

(first place votes)

MAC Championship

Ohio received 13 votes as the predicted 2018 MAC Championship Game winner. Toledo (5), Northern Illinois (4), Miami (1), and Central Michigan (1) also received votes.

Head coaches

Coaching changes

On November 22, 2018, one day after Kent State's final game of the season against Akron, the school fired head coach Paul Haynes after five losing seasons.[4][5] On December 19, the school hired Sean Lewis as head coach.[6][7]

Coaches

Team Head coach Previous job Years at school Overall record MAC record MAC titles
Akron Terry Bowden North Alabama 7 31–44 (.413) 21–27 (.438) 0
Ball State Mike Neu New Orleans Saints (QB Coach) 3 6–18 (.250) 1–15 (.063) 0
Bowling Green Mike Jinks Texas Tech (Assist. Head Coach) 3 6–18 (.250) 5–11 (.313) 0
Buffalo Lance Leipold Wisconsin-Whitewater 4 13–23 (.361) 8–16 (.333) 0
Central Michigan John Bonamego Detroit Lions (Special Teams Coordinator) 4 21–18 (.538) 15–9 (.625) 0
Eastern Michigan Chris Creighton Drake 5 15–34 (.306) 8–24 (.250) 0
Kent State Sean Lewis Syracuse (Co-Off. Coordinator) 1 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0
Miami Chuck Martin Notre Dame (Off. Coordinator) 5 16–33 (.327) 14–18 (.438) 0
Northern Illinois Rod Carey Northern Illinois (Off. Coordinator) 6 44–24 (.647) 33–8 (.805) 1
Ohio Frank Solich Nebraska 14 97–71 (.577) 60–40 (.600) 0
Toledo Jason Candle Toledo (Off. Coordinator) 3 21–7 (.750) 13–3 (.813) 1
Western Michigan Tim Lester Purdue (QB coach) 2 6–6 (.500) 4–4 (.500) 0

Notes:

  • All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
  • Records are through the beginning of the 2018 season only.

Schedule

Regular season

Index to colors and formatting
MAC member won
MAC member lost
MAC teams in bold

Week One

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
August 30 7:00 p.m. Central Connecticut Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN+ W 48–6   9,801
August 31 6:00 p.m. Syracuse Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI CBSSN L 42–55   20,628
August 31 6:30 p.m. Monmouth Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI ESPN+ W 51–17   14,357
September 1 12:00 p.m. Kent State Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL BTN L 24–31   31,898
September 1 2:00 p.m. Howard Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPN+ W 38–32   18,275
September 1 3:30 p.m. Marshall Miami (OH) Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH ESPN+ L 28–35   15,827
September 1 3:30 p.m. Central Michigan Kentucky Kroger Field • Lexington, KY ESPNU L 20–35   49,138
September 1 3:30 p.m. Northern Illinois Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA BTN L 7–33   67,510
September 1 6:00 p.m. Delaware State Buffalo UB Stadium • Amherst, NY ESPN3 W 48–10   17,959
September 1 6:00 p.m. VMI Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH ESPN3 W 66–3   24,136
September 1 8:00 p.m. Akron Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE FOX  Cancelled    
September 1 8:00 p.m. Bowling Green No. 24 Oregon Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR P12N L 24–58   50,112
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Akron at Nebraska was cancelled following a three-hour delay for lightning and thunderstorms.[8]

Players of the Week[9]

East Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
Tyree Jackson Buffalo Jim Jones Kent State DL Knock Ohio
West Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
D’Wayne Eskridge Western Michigan Devonni Reed Central Michigan Cody Thompson Toledo

Week Two

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 8 12:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN BTN W 20–19   47,661
September 8 12:00 p.m. Western Michigan Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI FS1 L 3–49   110,814
September 8 3:00 p.m. Kansas Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI ESPN+ L 7–31   18,127
September 8 3:30 p.m. Morgan State Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH ESPN+ W 41–7   18,413
September 8 3:30 p.m. Buffalo Temple Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA ESPN3 W 36–29   25,511
September 8 3:30 p.m. Howard Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH ESPN+ W 54–14   15,242
September 8 3:30 p.m. Ball State No. 8 Notre Dame Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN NBC L 16–24   77,622
September 8 6:00 p.m. Maryland Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH ESPN+ L 14–45   16,142
September 8 7:30 p.m. Utah Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPNews L 6–17   16,762
September 8 8:00 p.m. Miami (OH) Cincinnati Paul Brown Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell) ESPN3 L 0–21   16,062
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the Week[10]

East Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
Tyree Jackson Buffalo Cameron Lewis Buffalo Nick Gasser Akron
West Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
Tyler Wiegers Eastern Michigan Sutton Smith Northern Illinois Chad Ryland Eastern Michigan

Week Three

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 15 12:00 p.m. Ball State Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN BTN L 10–38   40,240
September 15 12:00 p.m. Kent State No. 11 Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA FS1 L 10–63   106,528
September 15 12:00 p.m. No. 21 Miami (FL) Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH ESPN2 L 24–49   28,117
September 15 3:30 p.m. Miami (OH) Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN BTN L 3–26   41,162
September 15 3:30 p.m. Central Michigan Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPN+  NIU 24–16   12,354
September 15 4:15 p.m. Ohio Virginia Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN[lower-alpha 1] ESPN2 L 31–45   5,438
September 15 7:30 p.m. Akron Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN W 39–34   40,014
September 15 4:00 p.m. Eastern Kentucky Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH ESPN3 W 42–35   17,542
September 15 6:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Buffalo UB Stadium • Amherst, NY ESPN+  UB 35–28   18,384
September 15 7:00 p.m. Delaware State Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPN+ W 68–0   23,244
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
  1. ↑ Moved from Scott Stadium in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.

Players of the Week[11]

East Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
K.J. Osborn Buffalo Alvin Davis Akron Michael Farkas Ohio
West Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
Diontae Johnson Toledo Malik Fountain Central Michigan Jake Julien Eastern Michigan

Week Four

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 22 12:00 p.m. Kent State Ole Miss Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS SECN L 17–38   50,417
September 22 12:00 p.m. Buffalo Rutgers High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, NJ BTN W 42–13   34,574
September 22 12:00 p.m. Akron Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA FSN L 13–26   54,028
September 22 12:00 p.m. Ohio Cincinnati Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH ESPNU L 30–34   35,220
September 22 12:00 p.m. Nevada Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH CBSSN W 63–44   23,675
September 22 2:00 p.m. Western Michigan Georgia State Georgia State Stadium • Atlanta, GA ESPN+ W 34–15   15,264
September 22 3:00 p.m. Miami (OH) Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH ESPN+  MIOH 38–23   14,380
September 22 3:00 p.m. Western Kentucky Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN3 L 20–28   15,873
September 22 3:00 p.m. Maine Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI ESPN+ W 17–5   16,474
September 22 3:30 p.m. Northern Illinois Florida State Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL ESPNU L 19–37   65,633
September 22 10:30 p.m. Eastern Michigan San Diego State SDCCU Stadium • San Diego, CA CBSSN L 23–20 OT  30,898
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the Week[12]

East Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
Alonzo Smith Miami (OH) Khalil Hodge Buffalo Nick Gasser Akron
West Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
Mitchell Guadagni Toledo Maxx Crosby Eastern Michigan Gavin Peddie Western Michigan

Week Five

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 29 12:00 p.m. Bowling Green Georgia Tech Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA ACCRSN L 17–63   40,740
September 29 12:00 p.m. Army Buffalo UB Stadium • Amherst, NY CBSSN L 13–42   23,671
September 29 12:00 p.m. Central Michigan No. 21 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI FS1 L 20–31   73,752
September 29 2:00 p.m. UMass Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPN3 W 58–42   19,056
September 29 3:00 p.m. Kent State Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN+  BALL 52–24   9,367
September 29 3:30 p.m. Western Michigan Miami (OH) Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH ESPN+  WMU 40–39   15,012
September 29 6:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI ESPN+  NIU 26–23 3OT  14,779
September 29 10:30 p.m. Toledo Fresno State Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA ESPNU L 49–27   33,401
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the Week[13]

East Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
Nathan Rourke Ohio Khalil Hodge Buffalo Maurice Thomas Miami (OH)
West Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
Jayden Reed Western Michigan Antonio Jones-Davis Northern Illinois Jake Julien Eastern Michigan

Week Six

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 6 12:00 p.m. Buffalo Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI CBSSN  UB 34–24   14,044
October 6 12:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy) ESPN+  WMU 27–24   24,282
October 6 3:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN (Bronze Stalk Trophy) ESPN3  NIU 24–16   7,159
October 6 3:30 p.m. Miami (OH) Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH ESPN+  MIOH 41–17   22,437
October 6 3:30 p.m. Bowling Green Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH (Battle of I-75 Trophy) ESPN+  TOL 52–26   24,685
October 6 3:30 p.m. Ohio Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH ESPN+  OHIO 27–26   20,062
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the Week[14]

East Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
Nathan Rourke Ohio Brad Koenig Miami (OH) Matthew Trickett Kent State
West Division
Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
Eli Peters Toledo Ralph Holley Western Michigan Jake Julien Eastern Michigan

Week Seven

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 13 12:00 p.m. Akron Buffalo UB Stadium • Amherst, NY CBSSN  UB 24–6   19,506
October 13 12:00 p.m. Toledo Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI ESPN+  EMU 28–26   17,998
October 13 2:30 p.m. Kent State Miami (OH) Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH ESPN+      
October 13 3:00 p.m. Western Michigan Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH ESPN+      
October 13 3:00 p.m. Ball State Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI ESPN3      
October 13 3:30 p.m. Ohio Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPN+      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week Eight

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 20 12:00 p.m. Buffalo Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH ESPN+      
October 20 12:00 p.m. Miami (OH) Army Michie Stadium • West Point, NY CBSSN      
October 20 2:00 p.m. Bowling Green Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPN3      
October 20 3:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN+      
October 20 3:30 p.m. Western Michigan Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy/Victory Cannon) ESPN+      
October 20 3:30 p.m. Akron Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH (Wagon Wheel) ESPN+      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week Nine

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 25 7:00 p.m. Ball State Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPN2 or CBSSN      
October 25 7:00 p.m. Toledo Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPN2 or CBSSN      
October 27 12:00 p.m. Central Michigan Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH      
October 27 12:00 p.m. Army Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI      
October 27 Northern Illinois BYU LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week Ten

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 30 8:00 p.m. Kent State Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH (Anniversary Award) ESPN2 or ESPNU      
October 30 8:00 p.m. Miami (OH) Buffalo UB Stadium • Amherst, NY ESPN2 or ESPNU      
October 31 7:30 p.m. Ball State Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH ESPN2      
November 1 7:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH ESPNU or CBSSN      
November 1 7:00 p.m. Ohio Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPNU or CBSSN      
November 3 Central Michigan Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy/rivalry)      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week Eleven

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 6 7:30 p.m. Kent State Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY ESPNU      
November 7 Miami (OH) Ohio Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH (Battle of the Bricks) ESPN2 or ESPNU      
November 7 Toledo Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPN2 or ESPNU      
November 10 Akron Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI      
November 10 Bowling Green Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week Twelve

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 13 6:00 p.m. Western Michigan Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN2      
November 14 Buffalo Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPN2 or ESPNU      
November 14 Miami (OH) Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPN2 or ESPNU      
November 15 6:00 p.m. Toledo Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH CBSSN      
November 17 Bowling Green Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week Thirteen

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 20 Ball State Miami (OH) Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH ESPN Networks      
November 20 Northern Illiniois Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPN Networks      
November 23 Akron Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH CBSSN or ESPN Networks      
November 23 Buffalo Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH CBSSN or ESPN Networks      
November 23 Eastern Michigan Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH CBSSN or ESPN Networks      
November 23 Central Michigan Toledo Glass Stadium • Toledo, OH CBSSN or ESPN Networks      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

MAC Championship Game

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 30 7:00 p.m. ESPN2      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Mountain Time.

Postseason

Bowl games

TBA

Home game attendance

Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Total Average % of Capacity
Akron InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field 27,881 18,413 22,437 — —
Ball State Scheumann Stadium 22,500 9,801 15,873 9,367 7,159 —
Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium 24,000 16,142 17,542 14,380 —
Buffalo UB Stadium 29,013 17,959 18,384 23,671 19,506 —
Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium 30,255 18,127 16,474 16,474 14,044 —
Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium 30,200 14,357 14,779 17,998 — —
Kent State Dix Stadium 25,319 15,242 20,062 — —
Miami (OH) Yager Stadium 24,286 15,827 15,012 — —
Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium 24,000 16,762 12,354 — —
Ohio Peden Stadium 24,000 18,275 19,056 —
Toledo Glass Bowl 26,248 24,136 28,117 23,675 24,685
Western Michigan Waldo Stadium 30,200 20,628 23,244 24,282 —

Bold – Exceed capacity
†Season High

References

  1. ↑ Kelley, Kevin (December 19, 2017). "MAC Football Opponets/author". Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  2. ↑ "MAC Announces 2018 Football Schedule" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  3. ↑ "NIU & Ohio Picked As Divisional Winners In 2018 MAC Football Media Preseason Poll". Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  4. ↑ "Kent State fires Haynes after 5 losing seasons". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  5. ↑ rlewis. "Kent State fires football coach Paul Haynes after loss to Akron". www.ohio.com. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  6. ↑ Writer, Allen Moff Staff. "Kent State hires Sean Lewis as new football coach". Record. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  7. ↑ "Syracuse's Sean Lewis to be named Kent State's new head football coach". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  8. ↑ https://gozips.com/news/2018/9/1/akron-nebraska-football-game-cancelled.aspx
  9. ↑ MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK ONE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-09-03). Retrieved on 2018-09-05.
  10. ↑ MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK TWO FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-09-10). Retrieved on 2018-09-10.
  11. ↑ MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK THREE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-09-17). Retrieved on 2018-09-18.
  12. ↑ MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK FOUR FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-09-24). Retrieved on 2018-09-25.
  13. ↑ MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK FIVE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-10-01). Retrieved on 2018-10-01.
  14. ↑ MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK SIX FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-10-08). Retrieved on 2018-10-08.
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