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MAC Football Championship Game

Football game

MAC Football Championship Game

Summary

Football game

FieldValue
nameMAC Football
Championship Game
imageMAC Football Championship.jpg
sportCollege football
conferenceMid-American Conference
current_stadiumFord Field
current_locationDetroit, Michigan
years1997–present
most_recent2025
current_championWestern Michigan Broncos
most_championshipsMarshall, Northern Illinois (5)
televisionESPN/ESPN2
websiteMAC-Sports.com football
sponsorsMarathon Petroleum (2003–2019)
Rocket Mortgage (2020–2022)
all_stadiumsMarshall University Stadium (1997–2000, 2002)
Glass Bowl (2001)
Doyt Perry Stadium (2003)
Ford Field (2004–present)
all_locationsHuntington, West Virginia (1997–2000, 2002)
Toledo, Ohio (2001)
Bowling Green, Ohio (2003)
Detroit, Michigan (2004–present)

Championship Game Rocket Mortgage (2020–2022) Glass Bowl (2001) Doyt Perry Stadium (2003) Ford Field (2004–present) Toledo, Ohio (2001) Bowling Green, Ohio (2003) Detroit, Michigan (2004–present)

The MAC Football Championship Game is an annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

History

Locations of the full members of the Mid-American Conference.

The game has been played since 1997, when the conference was first divided into divisions. For the 2024 season the MAC eliminated divisions and the game now features the teams with the best conference records. A new tiebreaker system was established to compare teams with the same conference record. 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 has been the venue since 2004 and is scheduled to host through at least 2025.

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. Starting in 2024 the MAC will eliminate divisions and include the two teams with the best overall conference records.{{cite web|title= Mid-American Conference to go to pods alignment for 2024|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/2023/11/30/mid-american-conference-to-go-to-pods-alignment-for-2024/71757293007/|access-date=December 5, 2023|date=November 30, 2023|publisher=Detroit News|first=Tony|last=Paul}}

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 where it is scheduled to be held through at least 2025. From 1997 to 2015, a MAC Championship MVP award was given to a player from each team. Since 2016, three player were awarded a Player of the Game award: Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams.

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1997Toledo Rockets14Marshall Thundering Herd}}[](1997-marshall-thundering-herd-football-team)34Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV28,021WR Randy Moss, Marshall
RB Dwayne Harris, Toledo
1998Toledo Rockets17Marshall Thundering Herd}}[](1998-marshall-thundering-herd-football-team)2328,085QB Chad Pennington, Marshall
DL Gregg King, Toledo
1999Western Michigan Broncos30Marshall Thundering Herd}}11 [](1999-marshall-thundering-herd-football-team)3428,069QB Chad Pennington, Marshall
QB Tim Lester, Western Michigan
2000Western Michigan Broncos14Marshall Thundering Herd}}[](2000-marshall-thundering-herd-football-team)1924,816QB Byron Leftwich, MarshallWR Steve Neal, Western Michigan
2001Toledo Rockets}}[](2001-toledo-rockets-football-team)4120 Marshall Thundering Herd36Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH20,025WR Denero Marriott, Marshall, WR
RB Chester Taylor, Toledo
2002Toledo Rockets45Marshall Thundering Herd}}24 [](2002-marshall-thundering-herd-football-team)49Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV24,582QB Byron Leftwich, Marshall
RB Trinity Dawson, Toledo
200320 Bowling Green Falcons27Miami RedHawksborder=0color=white}}13 [](2003-miami-redhawks-football-team)49Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH24,813QB Ben Roethlisberger, Miami, QB
QB Josh Harris, Bowling Green
2004Toledo Rockets}}[](2004-toledo-rockets-football-team)35Miami RedHawks27Ford Field • Detroit, MI22,138WR Michael Larkin, Miami
QB Bruce Gradkowski, Toledo
2005Northern Illinois Huskies30Akron Zipsborder=0color=white}}[](2005-akron-zips-football-team)3112,051QB Luke Getsy, Akron, QB
TB Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois
2006Central Michigan Chippewasborder=0color=white}}[](2006-central-michigan-chippewas-football-team)31Ohio Bobcats1025,483DL Jameson Hartke, Ohio
WR Damien Linson, Central Michigan
2007Central Michigan Chippewasborder=0color=white}}[](2007-central-michigan-chippewas-football-team)35Miami RedHawks1025,013LB Clayton Mullins, Miami
QB Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan
200812 Ball State Cardinals24Buffalo Bullsborder=0color=white}}[](2008-buffalo-bulls-football-team)4212,871DB Mike Newton, Buffalo
QB Nate Davis, Ball State
2009Central Michigan Chippewasborder=0color=white}}[](2009-central-michigan-chippewas-football-team)20Ohio Bobcats1023,714LB Noah Keller, Ohio, LB
QB Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan
201024 Northern Illinois Huskies21Miami RedHawksborder=0color=white}}[](2010-miami-redhawks-football-team)2612,031RB Tom Merriweather, Miami
QB Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois
2011Northern Illinois Huskiesborder=0color=white}}[](2011-northern-illinois-huskies-football-team)23Ohio Bobcats2013,052LB Noah Keller, Ohio
WR Nathan Palmer, Northern Illinois
2012Northern Illinois Huskiesborder=0color=white}}19 [](2012-northern-illinois-huskies-football-team)442OT18 Kent State Golden Flashes3718,132DB Darius Polk, Kent State, DB
QB Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois
201316 Northern Illinois Huskies27Bowling Green Falconsborder=0color=white}}[](2013-bowling-green-falcons-football-team)4721,106QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
QB Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois
2014Northern Illinois Huskiesborder=0color=white}}[](2014-northern-illinois-huskies-football-team)51Bowling Green Falcons1715,110WR Gehrig Dieter, Bowling Green
QB Drew Hare, Northern Illinois
2015Northern Illinois Huskies14Bowling Green Falconsborder=0color=white}}[](2015-bowling-green-falcons-football-team)3416,425DB Shawun Lurry, Northern Illinois
RB Travis Greene, Bowling Green
2016Western Michigan Broncos}}13 [](2016-western-michigan-broncos-football-team)29Ohio Bobcats2345,615Offensive: Corey Davis (Western Michigan)
Defensive: Bradd Ellis (Ohio)
Special Teams: Butch Hampton (Western Michigan)
2017Toledo Rockets}}****45Akron Zips2816,225Offensive: Logan Woodside (Toledo)
Defensive: Ulysees Gilbert (Akron)
Special Teams: Danzel McKinley-Lewis (Toledo)
2018Northern Illinois Huskiesborder=0color=white}}****30Buffalo Bulls2910,255Offensive: Marcus Childers (NIU)
Defensive: Sutton Smith (NIU)
Special Teams: Matt Ference (NIU)
2019Central Michigan Chippewas21Miami RedHawksborder=0color=white}}****2622,427Offensive: Jack Sorenson (Miami)
Defensive: Emmanuel Rugamba (Miami)
Special Teams: Sam Sloman (Miami)
2020Ball State Cardinalsborder=0color=white}}****3823 Buffalo Bulls280Offensive: Drew Plitt (Ball State)
Defensive: Jimmy Daw (Ball State)
Special Teams: Nathan Snyder (Ball State)
2021Northern Illinois Huskiesborder=0color=white}}****41Kent State Golden Flashes2310,317Offensive: Jay Ducker (NIU)
Defensive: CJ Brown (NIU)
Special Teams: John Richardson (NIU)
2022Toledo Rockets}}****17Ohio Bobcats715,550Offensive: QB Dequan Finn (Toledo)
Defensive: LB Dyontae Johnson (Toledo)
Special Teams: P Jonathon Batzke (Toledo)
2023Toledo Rockets14Miami RedHawks}}[](2023-miami-redhawks-football-team)2320,200Offensive: QB Aveon Smith (Miami)
Defensive: LB Matt Salopek (Miami)
Special Teams: PK Graham Nicholson (Miami)
2024Miami RedHawks3Ohio Bobcats}}[](2024-ohio-bobcats-football-team)38Ford Field • Detroit, MI15,478Offensive: QB Parker Navarro (Ohio)
Defensive: LB Bradley Weaver (Ohio)
Special Teams: PK Gianni Spetic (Ohio)
2025Western Michigan Broncos}}[](2025-western-michigan-broncos-football-team)23Miami RedHawks1319,114Offensive: RB Jalen Buckley (Western Michigan)
Defensive: DE Nadame Tucker (Western Michigan)
Special Teams: K Palmer Domschke (Western Michigan)

2020 game attendance was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results by team

AppearancesSchoolWinsLossesWin %Year(s) WonYear(s) LostNorthern Illinois Huskies}}"[Toledo Rockets}}"[Miami RedHawks}}"[Marshall Thundering Herd}}"[Ohio Bobcats}}"[Central Michigan Chippewas}}"[Bowling Green Falcons}}"[Western Michigan Broncos}}"[Buffalo Bulls}}"[Akron Zips}}"[Ball State Cardinals}}"[Kent State Golden Flashes}}"[Eastern Michigan Eagles}}"[UMass Minutemen}}"[
9542011, 2012, 2014, 2018, 20212005, 2010, 2013, 2015
8442001, 2004, 2017, 20221997, 1998, 2002, 2023
8442003, 2010, 2019, 20232004, 2007, 2024, 2025
6511997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 20022001
61520242006, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2022
4312006, 2007, 20092019
4222013, 20152003, 2014
4222016, 20251999, 2000
31220082018, 2020
21120052017
21120202008
2022012, 2021
000
000

No results by team

SchoolTemple Owls}}"UCF Knights}}"[

[Eastern Michigan and UMass are the only teams currently in the conference to have not yet qualified for a championship game. (UMass had been a football-only MAC member in the 2012–2015 seasons before returning in 2025 as a full member.) As of the next MAC football season in 2026, Marshall and Northern Illinois are the only championship game winners to not be current members of the MAC. Bowling Green is the only team that has represented both the East and West Divisions in the Championship Game, as it was a member of the West Division prior to the departure of Marshall from the MAC. Temple and UCF were previously in the conference during this era and never reached the championship game.

Common matchups

Matchups that have occurred more than once:

# of TimesEast DivisionWest DivisionRecordYears played
4MarshallToledoMarshall, 3–11997, 1998, 2001, 2002
3Bowling GreenNorthern IllinoisBowling Green, 2–12013, 2014, 2015
2MarshallWestern MichiganMarshall, 2–01999, 2000
2OhioCentral MichiganCentral Michigan, 2–02006, 2009
2MiamiCentral MichiganTied, 1–12007, 2019
2BuffaloBall StateTied, 1–12008, 2020
2Kent StateNorthern IllinoisNorthern Illinois, 2–02012, 2021

Rematches

The MAC Football Championship game has featured a rematch of a regular-season game a total of ten times (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025). The team which won the regular-season game is 4–6 in the rematches, winning in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2017 but losing in 2000, 2004, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025.

MVPs

YearMVP(s)TeamPosition
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Danzel McKinley-Lewis
2018
Sutton Smith
2019
Emmanuel Rugamba
2020
Jimmy Daw
2021
C.J. Brown
John Richardson
2022
Dyontae Johnson
Jonathon Batzke
2023
Matt Salopek
Graham Nicholson
2024
Bradley Weaver
Gianni Spetic
2025
Nadame Tucker
Palmer Domschke

Game records

TeamRecord, Team vs. OpponentYearIndividualRecord, Player, Team vs. OpponentYearLong PlaysRecord, Player, Team vs. OpponentYearMiscellaneousRecord, Team vs. TeamYear
Most points scored (one team)51, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green2014
Most points scored (losing team)45, Toledo vs. Marshall2002
Fewest points scored (winning team)17, Toledo vs. Ohio2022
Fewest points scored3, Miami vs. Ohio2024
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 half35, Buffalo (2nd half) vs. Ball State
Ball State (1st half) vs. Buffalo2008
2020
Most points scored in a half (both teams)49, Marshall vs. Toledo (2nd half)2002
Largest margin of victory35, Ohio (38) vs. Miami (3)2024
Smallest margin of victory1, Akron (31) vs. Northern Illinois (30)
Northern Illinois (30) vs. Buffalo (29)2005
2018
Total yards576, Miami (440 passing, 136 rushing) vs. Bowling Green2003
Rushing yards334, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green2014
Passing yards440, Miami vs. Bowling Green2003
First downs32, Ohio vs. Miami2024
Fewest yards allowed189, Ohio vs. Miami (127 passing, 62 rushing)2024
Fewest rushing yards allowed37, Western Michigan vs. Ohio2016
Fewest passing yards allowed102, Kent State vs. Northern Illinois2021
All-purpose yards448, Ben Roethlisberger, Miami vs. Bowling Green2003
Touchdowns (all-purpose)5, Matt Johnson, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois2013
Rushing yards270, Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois vs. Akron2005
Rushing touchdowns4, Trinity Dawson, Toledo vs. Marshall2002
Passing yards440, Ben Roethlisberger, Miami vs. Bowling Green2003
Passing touchdowns5, Matt Johnson, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois2013
Receiving yards191, Damien Linson, Central Michigan vs. Ohio2006
Receiving touchdowns4, Denero Marriott, Marshall vs. Toledo2001
Tackles17, Ty Wise, Miami vs. Ohio2024
Sacks2.5, Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan vs. Miami2025
Interceptions2, Dechane Durante, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green2014
Touchdown run96, Ontario Sneed, Central Michigan vs. Ohio2006
Touchdown pass86, Randy Moss from Chad Pennington, Marshall vs. Toledo1997
Kickoff return64, Clint Stephens, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois2014
Punt return48, Danzel McKinley-Lewis, Toledo vs. Akron2017
Interception return64, Shawun Lurry, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green2015
Fumble return92, Mike Newton, Buffalo vs. Ball State2008
Punt75, Curtis Head, Marshall vs. Toledo2001
Field goal52, shared by:
Chris Nendick, Northern Illinois vs. Akron
Tyler Tate, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois
Gianni Spetic, Ohio vs. Miami
2005
2013
2024
Game attendance45,615, Ohio vs. Western Michigan2016

Source:

References

References

  1. Ramsey, Jared. (November 30, 2023). "MAC to replace divisions with new system for 2024".
  2. (September 18, 2024). "MAC Announces New Football Tiebreaker Procedures".
  3. (July 26, 2022). "MAC Announces Three Year Contract Extension With Ford Field". [[Mid-American Conference]].
  4. Kelly, Kyle. (November 30, 2023). "MAC signs three-year extension to keep football title game at Ford Field". FBS Schedules.
  5. Kelly, Kevin. (2023-11-30). "MAC Championship Game to remain in Detroit through 2025 season".
  6. https://getsomemaction.com/sports/2025/11/18/FB_1118250348.aspx
  7. "C-USA Records Master".
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