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2021 Mid-American Conference football season

The 2021 Mid-American Conference football season was the 76th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), as part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

2021 Mid-American Conference football season

NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Football
September 2 - December 4
12
Dustin Crum
Kent State
Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois
Kent State
Offense: Jay Ducker (RB, Northern Illinois)Defense: C. J. Brown (DB, Northern Illinois)Special Teams: John Richardson (PK, Northern Illinois)

The 2021 Mid-American Conference football season was the 76th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), as part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

The provisional schedule was released on February 26, 2021. The season was scheduled to begin September 2, 2021, and ended with the MAC Football Championship Game on December 4, 2021.

The Preseason Media Poll was announced on July 20. Kent State was voted the favorite to win the East Division, while Ball State was voted as favorite for the West Division. Ball State was also the favorite to win the conference championship game.

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
East
1	Kent State	112 (11)
2	Ohio	96 (2)
3	Miami (OH)	94 (5)
4	Buffalo	93 (4)
5	Akron	39
6	Bowling Green	28

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
West
1	Ball State	114 (11)
2	Toledo	104 (7)
3	Western Michigan	103 (4)
4	Central Michigan	68
5	Eastern Michigan	44
6	Northern Illinois	29

The following list contains MAC players included on watch lists for national awards.

Lance Leipold, who had been head coach of Buffalo since 2015, left the MAC to take the head coach position with the Kansas Jayhawks of the Big 12 Conference. Leipold was replaced by interim head coach Rob Ianello during the school's search for a new permanent coach. However, Ianello and several other Buffalo assistant coaches were tabbed to join Leipold at Kansas, leaving a temporary vacancy at the team's head coaching position. Michigan co-defensive coordinator Maurice Linguist was later hired as Buffalo's new permanent coach.

On July 14, Frank Solich announced his retirement from the head coach position at Ohio after 16 seasons with the school. Tim Albin was promoted to head coach to fill Solich's vacancy.

Team	Head coach	Previous Job	Years at school	Overall record	MAC record
Tom Arth	Chattanooga	3	50–38 (.568)	1–13 (.071)	0
Mike Neu	New Orleans Saints (QB Coach)	6	22–34 (.393)	13–25 (.342)	1
Scot Loeffler	Boston College (Off. coordinator/QB coach)	3	3–14 (.176)	2–11 (.154)	0
Maurice Linguist	Michigan (Co def. coordinator)	1	0–0 (–)	0–0 (–)	0
Jim McElwain	Florida	3	55–36 (.604)	9–5 (.643)	0
Chris Creighton	Drake	8	166–97 (.631)	18–36 (.333)	0
Sean Lewis	Syracuse (Co Off. Coordinator)	3	12–17 (.414)	9–11 (.450)	0
Chuck Martin	Notre Dame (Off. coordinator/QB coach)	7	106–53 (.667)	28–23 (.549)	1
Thomas Hammock	Baltimore Ravens (running backs coach)	3	5–13 (.278)	4–10 (.286)	0
Tim Albin	Ohio (associate head coach)	1	25–8 (.758)	0–0 (–)	0
Jason Candle	Toledo (Off. Coordinator)	6	38–21 (.644)	25–13 (.658)	1
Tim Lester	Purdue (QB Coach)	5	54–43 (.557)	18–12 (.600)	0

On November 4, Tom Arth was fired as head coach at Akron after posting a 3–24 record with the school in 3 years. Oscar Rodriguez, who was formerly the school's inside linebacker coach and associate head coach, was named interim head coach. On December 4, the school announced Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead as the new permanent head coach.

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
		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

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

All times Eastern time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	W 31–21	13,149
September 2	7:00 p.m.	Wagner	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN3	W 69–7	13,063
September 2	8:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Tennessee	Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN	SECN	L 6–38	84,314
September 3	7:00 p.m.	Saint Francis	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN3	W 35–15	16,461
September 4	12:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	ESPN	L 14–47	109,295
September 4	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	No. 8 Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell)	ESPN+	L 14–49	37,978
September 4	4:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Missouri	Faurot Field • Columbia, MO	SECN	L 24–34	46,237
September 4	7:00 p.m.	Norfolk State	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN3	W 49–10
September 4	7:00 p.m.	Akron	Auburn	Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL	SECN	L 10–60	83,821
September 4	7:00 p.m.	Syracuse	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	CBSSN	L 9–29	23,904
September 4	7:30 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Georgia Tech	Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA	ACCN	W 22–21	33,651
September 4	8:00 p.m.	Kent State	No. 6 Texas A&M	Kyle Field • College Station, TX	ESPNU	L 10–41	97,339
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 11	11:30 a.m.	No. 18 (FCS) VMI	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN3	W 60–10	16,785
September 11	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	ESPNU	L 26–31	43,372
September 11	1:30 p.m.	Wyoming	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	L 43–50	11,334
September 11	2:00 p.m.	Duquesne	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN3	L 26–28	19,411
September 11	2:30 p.m.	Toledo	No. 8 Notre Dame	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	Peacock	L 29–32	62,009
September 11	3:00 p.m.	Robert Morris	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN3	W 45–0	16,128
September 11	3:30 p.m.	Ball State	No. 11 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	FS1	L 13–44	105,323
September 11	3:30 p.m.	Buffalo	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	BTN	L 3–28	85,663
September 11	3:30 p.m.	Temple	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN+	L 24–45	14,474
September 11	4:00 p.m.	South Alabama	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	L 19–22	15,105
September 11	5:00 p.m.	Illinois State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN3	W 28–0	18,122
September 11	7:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	No. 18 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	FS1	L 7–34	70,967
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 16	8:00 p.m.	Ohio	Louisiana	Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA	ESPN	L 14–49	17,709
September 18	12:00 p.m.	No. 16 Coastal Carolina	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN2	L 25–28	16,739
September 18	12:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Pittsburgh	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN3	W 44–41	40,581
September 18	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	No. 25 Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	BTN	L 10–63	106,263
September 18	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	No. 5 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	BTN	L 7–30	61,932
September 18	3:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA	FloSports/NESN+	W 42–28	7,012
September 18	3:30 p.m.	LIU	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	W 42–7	12,036
September 18	3:30 p.m.	Bryant	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN3	W 35–14	8,779
September 18	4:00 p.m.	Ball State	Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY	Stadium	L 12–45	23,467
September 18	4:00 p.m.	Colorado State	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPNU	L 6–22	21,365
September 18	5:00 p.m.	Murray State	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN3	W 27–10	20,097
September 18	7:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	LSU	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA	SECN	L 21–49	92,547
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 25	12:00 p.m.	FIU	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN+	W 31–27	18,382
September 25	12:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	ESPNU	W 14–10	46,236
September 25	12:00 p.m.	Ohio	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	L 6–35	27,129
September 25	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Army	Michie Stadium • West Point, NY	CBSSN	L 10–23	24,045
September 25	2:00 p.m.	San Jose State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	W 23–3	12,317
September 25	2:00 p.m.	Toledo	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	TOL 22–12	14,902
September 25	2:00 p.m.	Texas State	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 59–21	14,253
September 25	2:30 p.m.	Maine	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN3	W 41–14	10,076
September 25	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	BTN	L 16–37	30,117
September 25	6:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Old Dominion	S.B. Ballard Stadium • Norfolk, VA	ESPN+	W 35–34
September 25	7:30 p.m.	Akron	No. 10 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	BTN	L 7–59	95,178
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 2	12:00 p.m.	Toledo	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA	FloFootball/NESN	W 45–7	9,456
October 2	12:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	CBSSN	WMU 24–17	17,344
October 2	2:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	NIU 27–20	10,034
October 2	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH (Anniversary Award)	ESPN+	KSU 27–20	20,537
October 2	3:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	M-OH 28–17	12,616
October 2	3:30 p.m.	Ohio	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN3	OU 34–17	12,616
October 2	5:00 p.m.	Army	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	W 28–16	13,713
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 9	12:00 p.m.	Akron	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	AKR 35–20	17,797
October 9	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	CBSSN	NIU 22–20	21,284
October 9	3:30 p.m.	Ball State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	BSU 45–20	11,403
October 9	3:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN+	CMU 30–27	20,928
October 9	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	EMU 13–12	15,664
October 9	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPNU	KSU 48–38	12,105
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 16	12:00 p.m.	Ohio	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN+	UB 27–26	12,909
October 16	2:00 p.m.	Ball State	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	BSU 38–31	15,258
October 16	2:30 p.m.	Akron	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	M-OH 34–21	11,042
October 16	3:30 p.m.	Toledo	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	CBSSN	CMU 26–23 OT	20,112
October 16	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	NIU 34–26	7,854
October 16	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	WMU 64–31	18,716
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 23	12:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	EMU 55–24	10,875
October 23	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPNU	NIU 39–38	15,232
October 23	1:00 p.m.	Kent State	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN+	KSU 34–27	15,854
October 23	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN (Red Bird Rivalry)	ESPN+	M-OH 24–17	15,703
October 23	3:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	CBSSN	TOL 34–15	19,906
October 23	3:30 p.m.	Buffalo	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN+	UB 45–10	8,635
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 30	12:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	CBSSN	BGSU 56–44	13,163
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 2	7:00 p.m.	Ball State	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	CBSSN	BSU 31–25	7,683
November 2	7:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN2	EMU 52–49	14,997
November 2	7:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH (Battle of the Bricks)	ESPNU	OU 35–33	15,940
November 3	7:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI (Victory Cannon / Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPNU	CMU 42–30	13,137
November 3	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN2	KSU 52–47	6,076
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 9	7:00 p.m.	Akron	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	CBSSN	WMU 45–40	8,443
November 9	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPNU	M-OH 45–18	10,069
November 9	8:00 p.m.	Ohio	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN2	OU 34–26	13,636
November 10	7:00 p.m.	Ball State	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL (Bronze Stalk Trophy)	ESPN2	NIU 30–29	7,894
November 10	7:00 p.m.	Toledo	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH (Battle of I-75)	CBSSN	TOL 49–17	18,349
November 10	8:00 p.m.	Kent State	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPNU	CMU 54–30	9,213
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 16	7:00 p.m.	Toledo	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN+	TOL 35–23	9,716
November 16	7:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPN2	EMU 22–21	15,272
November 16	8:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPNU	M-OH 34–7	10,269
November 17	7:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPNU	CMU 37–17	5,602
November 17	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN2	NIU 33–27 OT	13,097
November 20	12:00 p.m.	Kent State	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH (Wagon Wheel)	ESPN+	KSU 38–0	8,879
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 23	7:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPNU	WMU 42–21	7,156
November 23	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	BSU 20–3	6,112
November 26	12:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry / Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPNU	CMU 31–10	7,708
November 26	12:00 p.m.	Ohio	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	CBSSN	BGSU 21–10	9,339
November 27	12:00 p.m.	Akron	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN+	TOL 49–14	11,282
November 27	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN+	KSU 48–47 OT	8,378
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 4	12:00 p.m.	Kent State	Northern Illinois	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	ESPN	NIU 41–23	10,317
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Legend
	MAC Win
	MAC Loss

Bowl game	Date	Site	Television	Time (EST)	MAC team	Opponent	Score	Attendance
Bahamas Bowl	December 17	Thomas Robinson Stadium • Nassau, Bahamas	ESPN	12:00 p.m.	Toledo	Middle Tennessee	L 24–31	13,596
Cure Bowl	December 17	Exploria Stadium • Orlando, FL	ESPN2	6:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Coastal Carolina	L 41–47	9,784
LendingTree Bowl	December 18	Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL	ESPN	5:45 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Liberty	L 20–56	15,186
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	December 21	Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID	ESPN	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	Wyoming	L 38–52	10,217
Frisco Football Classic	December 23	Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX	ESPN	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	North Texas	W 27–14	11,721
Camellia Bowl	December 25	Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL	ESPN	2:30 p.m.	Ball State	Georgia State	L 20–51
Quick Lane Bowl	December 27	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	ESPN	11:00 a.m.	Western Michigan	Nevada	W 52–24	22,321
Sun Bowl	December 31	Sun Bowl • El Paso, Texas	CBS	12:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Washington State	W 24–21	34,540

Central Michigan was originally slated to play in the Arizona Bowl on December 31 against Boise State, but the bowl was cancelled when Boise State was forced to withdraw due to a COVID-19 outbreak within their team. Central Michigan was then invited to play in the Sun Bowl on the same date to replace Miami (FL), who had withdrawn from that bowl due to COVID-19 as well.

2021–2022 records against non-conference foes:

Power Conferences 5	Record
ACC	2–1
Big Ten	1–10
Big 12	0–0
Pac-12	0–0
BYU/Notre Dame	0–1
SEC	0–5
American	0–2
C–USA	2–0
Independents (Excluding Notre Dame)	3–1
Mountain West	1–3
Sun Belt	1–3
Football Championship Subdivision	11–1

This is a list of games the MAC has scheduled versus power conference teams (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, BYU, Notre Dame and SEC). All rankings are from the current AP Poll at the time of the game.

Date	Conference	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 2	SEC	Bowling Green	Tennessee	Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN	L 6–38
September 4	Big Ten	Western Michigan	Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	L 14–47
September 4	SEC	Central Michigan	Missouri	Faurot Field • Columbia, MO	L 24–34
September 4	SEC	Akron	Auburn	Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL	L 10–60
September 4	ACC	Syracuse	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	L 9–29
September 4	ACC	Northern Illinois	Georgia Tech	Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA	W 22–21
September 4	SEC	Kent State	No. 6 Texas A&M	Kyle Field • College Station, TX	L 10–41
September 11	Big Ten	Miami (OH)	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	L 26–31
September 11	Independent	Toledo	No. 8 Notre Dame	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	L 29–32
September 11	Big Ten	Ball State	No. 11 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	L 13–44
September 11	Big Ten	Buffalo	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	L 3–28
September 11	Big Ten	Eastern Michigan	No. 18 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	L 7–34
September 18	SEC	Central Michigan	LSU	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA	L 21–49
September 18	Big Ten	Northern Illinois	No. 25 Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	L 10–63
September 18	ACC	Western Michigan	Pittsburgh	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA	W 44–41
September 18	Big Ten	Kent State	No. 5 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa Stadium, IA	L 7–30
September 25	Big Ten	Akron	No. 10 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	L 7–59
September 25	Big Ten	Bowling Green	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	W 14–10
September 25	Big Ten	Kent State	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	L 16–37
September 25	Big Ten	Ohio	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	L 6–35

The following games include MAC teams competing against teams from the American, C-USA, Mountain or Sun Belt.

Date	Conference	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 4	American	Miami (OH)	No. 8 Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH	L 14–49
September 11	Mountain West	Wyoming	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	L 43–50
September 11	American	Temple	Akron	InfoCiscion Stadium • Akron, OH	L 24–45
September 11	Sun Belt	South Alabama	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	L 19–22
September 16	Sun Belt	Ohio	Louisiana	Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA	L 14–49
September 18	Mountain West	Ball State	Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY	L 12–45
September 18	Mountain West	Colorado State	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	L 6–22
September 18	Sun Belt	No. 16 Coastal Carolina	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	L 25–28
September 25	C-USA	FIU	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	W 31–27
September 25	Sun Belt	Texas State	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	W 59–21
September 25	Mountain West	San Jose State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	W 23–3
September 25	C-USA	Buffalo	Old Dominion	S.B. Ballard Stadium • Norfolk, VA	W 35–34

The following games include MAC teams competing against FBS Independents, which includes Army, Liberty, New Mexico State, UConn, or UMass.

Date	Conference	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 18	Independents	Eastern Michigan	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA	W 42–28
September 25	Independents	Miami (OH)	Army	Michie Stadium • West Point, NY	L 10–23
October 2	Independents	Toledo	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA	W 45–9
October 2	Independents	Army	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	W 28–16

Date	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 2	Western Illinois	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	W 31–21
September 2	Wagner	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	W 69–7
September 3	St. Francis	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	W 35–15
September 4	Norfolk State	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	W 49–10
September 11	VMI	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	W 60–10
September 11	Duquesne	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	L 26–28
September 11	Robert Morris	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	W 45–0
September 11	Illinois State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	W 28–0
September 18	Bryant	Akron	InfoCiscion Stadium • Akron, OH	W 35–14
September 18	Murray State	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	W 27–10
September 18	LIU	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	W 42–7
September 25	Maine	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	W 41–14

Week		Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Week 1 (September 6)	Kyle Vantrease	Buffalo	QB	Darren Anders	Bowling Green	LB	Josh Smith	Kent State	P
Week 2 (September 13)	Matt McDonald	Bowling Green	QB	Bubba ArslanianMontre Miller	AkronKent State	LBCB	Graham Nicholson	Miami (OH)	K
Week 3 (September 20)	DJ Irons	Akron	QB	Taylor Riggins	Buffalo	DE	Jonah Wieland	Ohio	P
Week 4 (September 27)	Matt McDonald	Bowling Green	QB	Brock Horne	Bowling Green	LB	Matt Naranjo	Bowling Green	P
Week 5 (October 4)	De'Montre Tuggle	Ohio	RB	Will Evans	Ohio	DE	Nate Needham	Bowling Green	K
Week 6 (October 11)	Dustin Crum	Kent State	QB	Tyson Durant	Akron	CB	Graham Nicholson (2)	Miami (OH)	K
Week 7 (October 18)	Dylan McDuffie	Buffalo	RB	James Patterson	Buffalo	LB	Nate Needham (2)	Bowling Green	K
Week 8 (October 25)	Dustin Crum (2)	Kent State	QB	Manny Lawrence-Burke	Kent State	LB	Alex McNulty	Buffalo	K
Week 9/10 (November 8)	Dustin Crum (3)	Kent State	QB	Nico Bolden	Kent State	S	Andrew Glass	Kent State	K
Week 11 (November 15)	Brett Gabbert	Miami (OH)	QB	Kam Butler	Miami (OH)	DE	Michael Mathison	Akron	WR/KR
Week 12 (November 22)	Dustin Crum (4)	Kent State	QB	CJ West	Kent State	DL	Andrew Glass (2)	Kent State	K
Week 13 (November 29)	Xavier Williams	Kent State	RB	Montre Miller (2)	Kent State	CB	Nate Needham (3)	Bowling Green	K

Week		Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Week 1 (September 6)	Harrison Waylee	Northern Illinois	RB	Lance Deveaux Jr.	Northern Illinois	LB	Matt Ference	Northern Illinois	P
Week 2 (September 13)	Harrison Waylee (2)	Northern Illinois	RB	Dyontae Johnson	Toledo	LB	Bailey Flint	Toledo	P
Week 3 (September 20)	Kaleb Eleby	Western Michigan	QB	Zaire Barnes	Western Michigan	LB	Nathan Snyder	Ball State	P
Week 4 (September 27)	Rocky LombardiBen Bryant	Northern IllinoisEastern Michigan	QBQB	Ali Fayad	Western Michigan	DL	Chad Ryland	Eastern Michigan	K
Week 5 (October 4)	Skyy Moore	Western Michigan	WR	Dillon Thomas	Northern Illinois	LB	Justin Hall	Ball State	WR/RS
Week 6 (October 11)	Drew Plitt	Ball State	QB	Bryce Cosby	Ball State	S	John Richardson	Northern Illinois	K
Week 7 (October 18)	Kaleb Eleby (2)Jay Ducker	Western MichiganNorthern Illinois	QBRB	Bryce Cosby (2)	Ball State	S	Marshall Meeder	Central Michigan	K
Week 8 (October 25)	Rocky Lombardi (2)	Northern Illinois	QB	Desjuan Johnson	Toledo	DT	Kanon Woodill	Northern Illinois	K
Week 9/10 (November 8)	Trayvon RudolphHassan Beydoun	Northern IllinoisEastern Michigan	WRWR	Jose Ramirez	Eastern Michigan	DE	Kalil Pimpleton	Central Michigan	KR
Week 11 (November 15)	Lew Nichols III	Central Michigan	RB	Jamal Hines	Toledo	LB	Chad Ryland (2)John Richardson (2)	Eastern MichiganNorthern Illinois	KK
Week 12 (November 22)	Lew Nichols III (2)Bryant Koback	Central MichiganToledo	RBRB	C. J. Brown	Northern Illinois	S	Chad Ryland (3)	Eastern Michigan	K
Week 13 (November 29)	Skyy Moore (2)	Western Michigan	WR	Jamal Hines (2)	Toledo	LB	Jake Julien	Eastern Michigan	P

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the Mid-American Conference football coaches at the end of the season.

Award	Player	School
Offensive Player of the Year	Lew Nichols III	Central Michigan
Defensive Player of the Year	Ali Fayad	Western Michigan
Special Teams Player of the Year	Kalil Pimpleton	Central Michigan
Freshman Player of the Year	Jay Ducker	Northern Illinois
Vern Smith Leadership Award	Dustin Crum	Kent State
Coach of the Year	Thomas Hammock	Northern Illinois

The following players were listed as part of the All-Conference teams.

The 2021 College Football All-America Teams are composed of the following College Football All-American first teams chosen by the following selector organizations: Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCFF), The Sporting News (TSN), Sports Illustrated (SI), USA Today (USAT) ESPN, CBS Sports (CBS), FOX Sports (FOX) College Football News (CFN), Bleacher Report (BR), Scout.com, Phil Steele (PS), SB Nation (SB), Athlon Sports, Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Yahoo! Sports (Yahoo!).

Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. Football consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American.

Position	Player	School	Selector	Unanimous	Consensus
First Team All-Americans
K	Nate Needham	Bowling Green	FWAA

Position	Player	School	Selector	Unanimous	Consensus
Second Team All-Americans
OL	Bernhard Raimann	Central Michigan	TSN

The following list includes all MAC players who were drafted in the 2022 NFL draft.

Player	Position	School	DraftRound	RoundPick	OverallPick	Team
Skyy Moore	WR	Western Michigan	2	22	54	Kansas City Chiefs
Luke Goedeke	T	Central Michigan	2	25	57	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bernhard Raimann	T	Central Michigan	3	13	77	Indianapolis Colts
Tycen Anderson	S	Toledo	5	23	166	Cincinnati Bengals
Samuel Womack	CB	Toledo	5	29	172	San Francisco 49ers
Dominique Robinson	DE	Miami (OH)	5	31	174	Chicago Bears

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