2022 Mid-American Conference football season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationSeptember 1 - December 3
Number of teams12
2023 NFL Draft
Top draft pickOG Sidy Sow, Eastern Michigan
Picked byNew England Patriots, 117th overall
Regular season
Season MVPKurtis Rourke
East Division championsOhio
West Division championsToledo
MAC Championship Game
ChampionsToledo
  Runners-upOhio
Finals MVPDequan Finn (offense) and Dyontae Johnson (defense)
Seasons
← 2021
2023 →
2022 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Ohio xy   7 – 1     10 – 4  
Buffalo   5 – 3     7 – 6  
Bowling Green   5 – 3     6 – 7  
Miami (OH)   4 – 4     6 – 7  
Kent State   4 – 4     5 – 7  
Akron   1 – 7     2 – 10  
West Division
Toledo xy$   5 – 3     9 – 5  
Eastern Michigan x   5 – 3     9 – 4  
Western Michigan   4 – 4     5 – 7  
Ball State   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Central Michigan   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Northern Illinois   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Championship: Toledo 17, Ohio 7
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2022 Mid-American Conference football season wwas the 77th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), as part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season began on September 1 and concluded with its conference championship game on Saturday, December 3 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.[1] Ohio won the East Division with a conference record of 7–1 and Toledo won the West Division with a 5–3 conference record. Toledo won the championship over Ohio by a final score of 17–7.[2]

Previous season

Main article: 2021 Mid-American Conference football season

During the 2021 conference season, Kent State won the East Division, while Northern Illinois won the West Division, both with 6–2 conference records. In the 2021 MAC Championship Game, Northern Illinois defeated Kent State by a final score of 41–23. Northern Illinois advanced to the Cure Bowl, where they lost to Coastal Carolina, 41–47.

Preseason

Preseason polls

Media Poll

On July 26 the MAC announced the preseason media poll. Defending MAC champion Northern Illinois was named the preseason favorite.[3]

East
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Miami 139 (20)
2 Kent State 116 (3)
3 Buffalo 78
4 Ohio 72
5 Bowling Green 71 (1)
6 Akron 28
West
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Northern Illinois 122 (11)
2 Toledo 120 (9)
3 Central Michigan 112 (4)
4 Western Michigan 56
5 Eastern Michigan 52
6 Ball State 42
Media poll (MAC Championship)
Rank Team Votes
1 Northern Illinois 9
2 Toledo 6
3 Miami 5
3 Central Michigan 4

Coaches Poll

On August 29 the MAC released the coaches poll. Defending champion Northern Illinois was favored to win the west while Kent State was selected as a slight favorite to win the East. Northern Illinois received 4 of the 12 MAC championship votes.[4]

East
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Kent State 61 (5)
2 Miami 60 (6)
3 Buffalo 43
4 Bowling Green 36 (1)
5 Ohio 35
6 Akron 16
West
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Northern Illinois 61 (6)
2 Toledo 51
3 Central Michigan 50 (2)
4 Western Michigan 45 (3)
5 Eastern Michigan 24
6 Ball State 21 (1)
Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
Rank Team Votes
1 Northern Illinois 4
2 Kent State 3
3 Miami 2
3 Western Michigan 2
5 Ball State 1

Individual Award Preseason Watchlists

Head Coaches

Team Head coach Previous Job Years at school Overall record MAC record MAC titles
Akron Joe Moorhead Oregon (Off. Coordinator) 1 52–25 (.675) 0–0 (–) 0
Ball State Mike Neu New Orleans Saints (QB Coach) 7 28–41 (.406) 17–29 (.370) 1
Bowling Green Scot Loeffler Boston College (Off. Coordinator/QB Coach) 4 7–22 (.241) 4–17 (.190) 0
Buffalo Maurice Linguist Michigan (Co def. coordinator) 2 4–8 (.333) 2–6 (.250) 0
Central Michigan Jim McElwain Florida 4 64–40 (.615) 15–7 (.682) 0
Eastern Michigan Chris Creighton Drake 9 176–103 (.631) 22–40 (.355) 0
Kent State Sean Lewis Syracuse (Co Off. Coordinator) 4 19–24 (.442) 15–13 (.536) 0
Miami Chuck Martin Notre Dame (Off. Coordinator/QB Coach) 8 113–59 (.657) 33–26 (.559) 1
Northern Illinois Thomas Hammock Baltimore Ravens (running backs coach) 4 14–18 (.438) 10–12 (.455) 1
Ohio Tim Albin Ohio (Associate Head Coach) 2 28–17 (.622) 3–5 (.375) 0
Toledo Jason Candle Toledo (Off. Coordinator) 7 45–27 (.625) 30–16 (.652) 1
Western Michigan Tim Lester Purdue (QB Coach) 6 62–48 (.564) 22–16 (.579) 0

Post-season changes

[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]

Rankings

Main article: 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
  Pre Wk
1		 Wk
2		 Wk
3		 Wk
4		 Wk
5		 Wk
6		 Wk
7		 Wk
8		 Wk
9		 Wk
10		 Wk
11		 Wk
12		 Wk
13		 Wk
14		 Final
Akron AP
C
CFP Not released
Ball State AP
C
CFP Not released
Bowling Green AP
C
CFP Not released
Buffalo AP
C
CFP Not released
Central Michigan AP
C
CFP Not released
Eastern Michigan AP
C
CFP Not released
Kent State AP
C
CFP Not released
Miami AP
C
CFP Not released
Northern Illinois AP
C
CFP Not released
Ohio AP RV
C RV
CFP Not released
Toledo AP
C RV
CFP Not released
Western Michigan AP
C
CFP Not released
Legend
    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

Schedule

The schedule for the 2022 MAC football season was released on February 25, 2022.[1]

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

All times Eastern time.

Week 1

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 1 6:00 p.m. Saint Francis (PA) Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH ESPN3 W 30–23 OT  8,752
September 1 7:00 p.m. Central Michigan No. 12 Oklahoma State Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK FS1 L 44–58   53,808
September 1 7:00 p.m. Ball State Tennessee Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN SECN L 10–59   92,236
September 1 7:00 p.m. LIU Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH ESPN3 W 37–0   21,291
September 1 8:00 p.m. Eastern Illinois Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPN+ W 34–27   10,864
September 2 7:00 p.m. Eastern Kentucky Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI ESPN3 W 42–34   16,531
September 2 7:00 p.m. Western Michigan No. 15 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI ESPN L 13–35   73,928
September 3 12:00 p.m. Buffalo Maryland Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD BTN L 10–31   30,223
September 3 2:30 p.m. Bowling Green UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA P12N L 17–45   27,143
September 3 6:00 p.m. Florida Atlantic Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPN+ W 41–38   20,003
September 3 7:00 p.m. Miami (OH) No. 20 Kentucky Kroger Field • Lexington, KY ESPN+/SEC+ L 13–37   61,139
September 3 10:30 p.m. Kent State Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA FS1 L 20–45   56,112
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 2

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 10 12:00 p.m. Ohio Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA ABC L 10–46   107,306
September 10 1:00 p.m. South Alabama Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI ESPN+ L 24–38   17,205
September 10 2:00 p.m. Western Michigan Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN+  WMU 37–30   12,972
September 10 4:00 p.m. Akron No. 14 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI BTN L 0–52   70,079
September 10 4:00 p.m. Eastern Kentucky Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH ESPN3 L 57–59 7OT  17,376
September 10 6:00 p.m. No. 15 (FCS) Holy Cross Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY ESPN+ L 31–37   16,933
September 10 6:00 p.m. Robert Morris Miami (OH) Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH ESPN3 W 31–14   9,828
September 10 7:00 p.m. Kent State No. 7 Oklahoma Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK ESPN+ L 3–33   83,911
September 10 7:00 p.m. UMass Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH ESPN+ W 55–10   20,147
September 10 7:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Tulsa H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK ESPN+ L 35–38   22,113
September 10 7:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA NFLN L 21–49   15,352
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 3

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 17 12:00 p.m. Cincinnati Miami (OH) Paycor Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell) ESPNU L 17–38   30,109
September 17 12:00 p.m. LIU Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH ESPN3 W 63–10   15,452
September 17 1:00 p.m. Buffalo Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC ESPN+ L 26–38   13,372
September 17 1:00 p.m. Bucknell Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI ESPN3 W 41–0   21,554
September 17 2:00 p.m. Ohio Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA ESPN+/B12N L 10–43   58,138
September 17 2:00 p.m. Murray State Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN+ W 31–0   14,413
September 17 3:30 p.m. Vanderbilt Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL CBSSN L 28–38   14,110
September 17 5:00 p.m. Marshall Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH NFLN W 34–31 OT  21,158
September 17 7:00 p.m. Toledo No. 3 Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH FOX L 21–77   105,398
September 17 7:00 p.m. Akron No. 15 Tennessee Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN ESPN+/SECN L 6–63   101,915
September 17 7:30 p.m. No. 23 Pittsburgh Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPNU L 13–34   22,875
September 17 11:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Arizona State Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ P12N W 30–21   43,788
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 4

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 24 12:00 p.m. Kent State No. 1 Georgia Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA ESPN+/SECN L 22–39   92,746
September 24 12:00 p.m. Central Michigan No. 14 Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA BTN L 14–33   106,624
September 24 12:00 p.m. Bowling Green Mississippi State Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS SECN L 14–45   48,376
September 24 12:00 p.m. Buffalo Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI CBSSN  UB 50–31   14,524
September 24 2:00 p.m. Fordham Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPN+ W 59–52   19.024
September 24 3:30 p.m. Toledo San Diego State Snapdragon Stadium • San Diego, CA FS1 L 14–17   27,108
September 24 6:00 p.m. Akron Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA ESPN+ L 12–21   20,004
September 24 6:00 p.m. Ball State Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA ESPN+ L 23–34   18,434
September 24 7:00 p.m. Northern Illinois No. 8 Kentucky Kroger Field • Lexington, KY ESPN2 L 23–31   61,579
September 24 7:30 p.m. Miami (OH) Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN W 17–14   23,773
September 24 10:30 p.m. Western Michigan San Jose State CEFCU Stadium • San Jose, CA CBSSN L 6–34   17,058
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 5

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 1 2:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN (Bronze Stalk Trophy) ESPN+  BSU 44–38 2OT  10,012
October 1 2:00 p.m. UMass Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI ESPN+ W 20–13   16,478
October 1 3:30 p.m. Central Michigan Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH NFLN  TOL 38–17   22,273
October 1 3:30 p.m. Bowling Green Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH ESPN+  BGSU 31–28   8,093
October 1 3:30 p.m. Miami (OH) Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY ESPNU  UB 24–20   18,615
October 1 3:30 p.m. Ohio Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH ESPN+  KSU 31–24 OT  20,392
October 1 6:00 p.m. New Hampshire Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPN3 W 44–7   20,119
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 6

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 8 12:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy) CBSSN  EMU 45–23   10,876
October 8 12:00 p.m. Buffalo Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH ESPN+  UB 38–7   8,724
October 8 2:00 p.m. Akron Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPN3  OHIO 55–34   23,108
October 8 3:30 p.m. Kent State Miami (OH) Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH ESPN+  M-OH 27–24   14,366
October 8 3:30 p.m. Ball State Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI ESPN+  BSU 17–16   22,305
October 8 3:30 p.m. Toledo Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPN+  TOL 52–32   12,682
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 7

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 15 12:00 p.m. Central Michigan Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH ESPN+  CMU 28–21   14,814
October 15 12:00 p.m. Miami (OH) Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH ESPN+  BGSU 17–13   7,841
October 15 1:00 p.m. Buffalo UMass Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA ESPN3 W 34–7   13,378
October 15 2:00 p.m. UConn Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN3 W 25–21   10,006
October 15 3:30 p.m. Northern Illinois Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI ESPN+  NIU 39–10   15,100
October 15 3:30 p.m. Kent State Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH ESPN+  TOL 52–31   19,139
October 15 3:30 p.m. Ohio Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI CBSSN  OHIO 33–14   20,320
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 8

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 22 12:00 p.m. Akron Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH (Wagon Wheel) ESPN+  KSU 33–27   20,472
October 22 1:00 p.m. Toledo Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY ESPN+  UB 34–27   14,190
October 22 1:00 p.m. Bowling Green Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI ESPN3  BGSU 34–18   14,676
October 22 2:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN+  EMU 20–16   15,698
October 22 2:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPN+  OHIO 24–17   15,922
October 22 3:30 p.m. Western Michigan Miami (OH) Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH CBSSN  WMU 16–10   21,618
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 9

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 29 12:00 p.m. Toledo Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI ESPNU  TOL 27–24   14,270
October 29 12:00 p.m. Miami (OH) Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH ESPN+  M-OH 27–9   11,749
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 10

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 1 7:00 p.m. Ball State Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH ESPNU  BSU 27–20   6,455
November 1 7:30 p.m. Buffalo Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPN2  OHIO 45–24   16,401
November 2 7:00 p.m. Central Michigan Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPNU  CMU 35–22   6,055
November 2 7:00 p.m. Western Michigan Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH ESPN2  BGSU 13–9   7,589
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 11

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 8 7:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH CBSSN  EMU 37–21   12,589
November 8 7:30 p.m. Ohio Miami (OH) Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH (Battle of the Bricks) ESPN2  OHIO 37–21   15,490
November 8 8:00 p.m. Ball State Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH ESPN  TOL 28–21   14,462
November 9 7:00 p.m. Buffalo Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI ESPN2  CMU 31-27   9,103
November 9 7:00 p.m. Kent State Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH (Anniversary Award) CBSSN  KSU 40–6   7,291
November 9 7:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPNU  NIU 24-21   8,722
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 12

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 15 7:00 p.m. Bowling Green Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH (Battle of I-75) ESPNU  BGSU 42–35   20,027
November 15 7:00 p.m. Ohio Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN2  OHIO 32–18   6,722
November 16 6:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH ESPN2  EMU 31–24   3,998
November 16 7:00 p.m. Miami (OH) Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL CBSSN  M-OH 29–23   5,187
November 16 8:00 p.m. Western Michigan Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry, Michigan MAC Trophy) ESPNU  WMU 12–10   10,097
December 2 1:00 p.m. Akron Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY ESPN+  UB 23–22   12,247
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 13

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 22 7:00 p.m. Ball State Miami (OH) Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH (Red Bird Rivalry) ESPN+  M-OH 18-17   14,021
November 22 7:00 p.m. Bowling Green Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPNU  OHIO 38-14   11,693
November 25 12:00 p.m. Central Michigan Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI (rivalry, Michigan MAC Trophy) CBSSN  EMU 38–19   14,213
November 25 12:00 p.m. Toledo Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPNU  WMU 20–14   8,645
November 26 1:00 p.m. Kent State Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY ESPN+  KSU 30–27 OT  12,302
November 26 1:30 p.m. Akron Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPN3  AKR 44–12   6,288
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

MAC Conference Championship Game

Main article: 2022 MAC Championship Game
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
December 3 12:00 p.m. Ohio Toledo Ford Field • Detroit, MI ESPN  TOL 17–7   15,550
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Postseason

Bowl Games

See also: 2022–23 NCAA football bowl games

The MAC finished with a 4–2 bowl record which was good enough to win the Bowl Challenge Cup[44][45]

Legend
  MAC Win
  MAC Loss
Bowl game Date Site Television Time (EST) MAC team Opponent Score Attendance
Bahamas Bowl December 16 Thomas Robinson Stadium • Nassau, Bahamas ESPN 11:30 a.m. Miami (OH) UAB L 20–24 12,172
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl December 20 Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID ESPN 3:30 p.m. Eastern Michigan San Jose State W 41–27 10,122
Boca Raton Bowl December 20 FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL ESPN 7:30 p.m. Toledo Liberty W 21–19 20,622
Quick Lane Bowl December 26 Ford Field • Detroit, MI ESPN 2:30 p.m. Bowling Green New Mexico State L 19–24 22,987
Camellia Bowl December 27 Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL ESPN 12:00 p.m. Buffalo Georgia Southern W 23–21 15,322
Arizona Bowl December 30 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ Barstool Sports 4:30 p.m. Ohio Wyoming W 30–27 OT

Selection of teams

MAC records vs. other conferences

2022–2023 records against non-conference foes:

Mid-American vs Power 5 matchups

This is a list of games the MAC has scheduled versus power conference teams (ACC, Big Ten, 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 1 Big 12 Central Michigan No. 12 Oklahoma State Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK L 44–58
September 1 SEC Ball State Tennessee Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN L 10–59
September 2 Big Ten Western Michigan No. 15 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI L 13–35
September 3 Pac-12 Bowling Green UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA L 17–45
September 3 Big Ten Buffalo Maryland Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD L 10–31
September 3 Pac-12 Kent State Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA L 20–45
September 3 SEC Miami (OH) No. 20 Kentucky Kroger Field • Lexington, KY L 13–37
September 10 Big Ten Akron No. 14 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI L 0–52
September 10 Big 12 Kent State No. 7 Oklahoma Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK L 3–33
September 10 Big Ten Ohio Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA L 10–46
September 17 SEC Akron No. 15 Tennessee Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN L 6–63
September 17 Pac-12 Eastern Michigan Arizona State Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ W 30–21
September 17 SEC Vanderbilt Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL L 28–38
September 17 Big 12 Ohio Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA L 10–43
September 17 Big Ten Toledo No. 3 Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH L 21–77
September 17 ACC No. 23 Pittsburgh Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI L 13–34
September 24 SEC Bowling Green Mississippi State Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS L 14–45
September 24 Big Ten Central Michigan No. 14 Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA L 14–33
September 24 SEC Kent State No. 1 Georgia Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA L 22–39
September 24 Big Ten Miami (OH) Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL W 17–14
September 24 SEC Northern Illinois No. 8 Kentucky Kroger Field • Lexington, KY L 23–31

Mid-American vs Group of Five matchups

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


Date Conference Visitor Home Site Score
September 3 C-USA Florida Atlantic Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH W 41–38
September 10 Sun Belt South Alabama Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI L 24–38
September 10 Sun Belt Eastern Michigan Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA L 21–49
September 10 American Northern Illinois Tulsa H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK L 35–38
September 17 Sun Belt Marshall Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH W 34–31 OT
September 17 Sun Belt Buffalo Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC L 26–38
September 17 American Cincinnati Miami (OH) Paul Brown Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell) L 17–38
September 24 Sun Belt Ball State Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 23–34
September 24 Mountain West Toledo San Diego State Snapdragon Stadium • San Diego, CA L 14–17
September 24 Mountain West Western Michigan San Jose State CEFCU Stadium • San Jose, CA L 6–34

Mid-American vs FBS independents matchups

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

Date Visitor Home Site Score
September 10 UMass Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH W 55–10
September 24 Akron Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA L 12–21
October 1 UMass Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI W 20–13
October 15 UConn Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN W 25–21
October 15 Buffalo UMass Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA W 34–7

Mid-American vs. FCS matchups

The following games include MAC teams competing against FCS schools.

Date Visitor Home Site Score
September 1 St. Francis Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH W 30–23 OT
September 1 Eastern Illinois Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL W 34–27
September 1 LIU Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH W 37–0
September 2 Eastern Kentucky Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI W 42–34
September 10 Eastern Kentucky Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH L 57–59 7OT
September 10 Holy Cross Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY L 31–37
September 10 Robert Morris Miami (OH) Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH W 31–14
September 17 Murray State Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN W 31–0
September 17 Bucknell Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI W 41–0
September 17 LIU Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH W 63–10
September 24 Fordham Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH W 59–52
October 1 New Hampshire Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI W 44–7

Head to head matchups

2022 MAC Head to head
Team Akron Ball State Buffalo Bowling Green Central Michigan Eastern Michigan Kent State Miami Northern Illinois Ohio Toledo Western Michigan
Akron — — 22–23 28–31 21–28 28–34 27–33 9–27 44–12 34–55 — —
Ball State — — — — 17–16 16–20 27–20 17–18 44–38 14–38 21–28 30–37
Buffalo 23–22 — — 38–7 27–31 50–31 27–30 24–20 — 24–45 34–27 —
Bowling Green 31–28 — 7–38 — 34–18 — 6–40 17–13 — 14–38 42–35 13–9
Central Michigan 28–21 16–17 31–27 18–34 — 19–38 — — 35–22 — 17–38 10–12
Eastern Michigan 34–28 20–16 31–50 — 38–19 — 31–24 — 10–39 — 24–27 45–23
Kent State 33–27 20–27 30–27 40–6 — 24–31 — 24–27 — 31–24 31–52 —
Miami 27–9 18–17 20–24 13–17 — — 27–24 — 29–23 21–37 — 10–16
Northern Illinois 12–44 38–44 — — 22–35 39–10 — 23–29 — 17–24 32–52 24–21
Ohio 55–34 32–18 45–24 38–14 — — 24–31 37–21 24–17 — — 33–14
Toledo — 28–21 27–34 35–42 38–17 27–24 52–31 — 52–32 — — 14–20
Western Michigan — 37–30 — 9–13 12–10 23–45 — 16–10 21–24 14–33 20–14 —

Updated with the results of all games through December 3, 2022.

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

East Division

Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams
Player Team Position Player Team Position Player Team Position
Week 1[46] Kurtis Rourke Ohio QB Marcus Fuqua Buffalo S Nathanial Vakos Ohio K
Week 2[47] Matt McDonald Bowling Green QB Khalib Johns Kent State LB Josh Smith Kent State P
Week 3[48] Matt McDonald (2) Bowling Green QB Karl Brooks Bowling Green DE Alex McNulty Buffalo K
Week 4[49] Kurtis Rourke (2) Ohio QB Ryan McWood Miami LB Alex McNulty (2) Buffalo K
Week 5[50] Dante Cephas Kent State WR Shaun Dolac Buffalo LB Tristian Vandenberg Ohio K
Week 6[51] Sieh Bangura Ohio RB Ryan McWood (2) Miami LB Graham Nicholson Miami K
Week 7[52] Sieh Bangura (2) Ohio RB Demetrius Hardamon Bowling Green LB Nathanial Vakos (2) Ohio K
Week 8[53] Ron Cook Buffalo RB Marcus Fuqua (2) Buffalo S Sami Sir Bowling Green P
Week 9[54] No nominees Jacquez Warren Miami DB Dom Dzioban Miami P
Week 10[55] Kurtis Rourke (3) Ohio QB Keye Thompson Ohio LB Ta'ron Keith Bowling Green RB
Week 11[56] Collin Schlee Kent State QB Marvin Pierre Kent State LB Alex McNulty (3) Buffalo K
Week 12[57] Odieu Hiliare Bowling Green WR Alvin Floyd Ohio S PaSean Wimberly Bowling Green RB
Week 13[58] CJ Harris Ohio QB Keye Thompson (2) Ohio LB Cory Smigel Akron K

West Division

Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams
Player Team Position Player Team Position Player Team Position
Week 1[46] Daniel Richardson Central Michigan QB Eric Rogers Northern Illinois CB Mitchell Tomasek Eastern Michigan P
Week 2[47] Dequan Finn Toledo QB Braden Fiske Western Michigan DL Nick Mihalic Western Michigan P
Week 3[48] Samson Evans Eastern Michigan RB Kempton Shine Eastern Michigan CB Jesus Gomez Eastern Michigan K
Week 4[49] John Paddock Ball State QB Daveren Rayner Northern Illinois LB Tom Foley Northern Illinois P
Week 5[50] John Paddock (2) Ball State QB Jaquan Amos Ball State S Mitchell Tomasek (2) Eastern Michigan P
Week 6[51] Carson Steele Ball State RB Quinyon Mitchell Toledo CB Lucas Borrow Ball State P
Week 7[52] Dequan Finn (2) Toledo QB Jordan Riley Ball State S John Richardson Northern Illinois K
Week 8[53] Sean Tyler Western Michigan RB Corvin Moment Western Michigan LB Palmer Domschke Western Michigan K
Week 9[54] Tucker Gleason Toledo QB Maxen Hook Toledo S Mitchell Tomasek (3) Eastern Michigan P
Week 10[55] Carson Steele (2) Ball State RB Cole Pearce Ball State LB Ben VonGunten Ball State K
Week 11[56] Bert Emanuel, Jr. Central Michigan QB Thomas Incoom Central Michigan DL Mitchell Tomasek (4) Eastern Michigan P
Week 12[57] Tucker Gleason (2) Toledo QB Jose Ramirez Eastern Michigan DE No nominees
Week 13[58] Samson Evans (2) Eastern Michigan RB Jose Ramirez (2) Eastern Michigan DE Mitchell Tomasek (5) Eastern Michigan P

MAC Individual Awards

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the Mid-American Conference football coaches at the end of the season.[59]

Award Player School
Offensive Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke Ohio
Defensive Player of the Year Jose Ramirez Eastern Michigan
Special Teams Player of the Year Alex McNulty Buffalo
Freshman Player of the Year Sieh Bangura Ohio
Vern Smith Leadership Award Kurtis Rourke Ohio
Coach of the Year Tim Albin Ohio

All-Conference Teams

The following players were listed as part of the All-Conference teams.[59]

NFL draft

The following list includes all MAC players who were drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Player Position School Draft
Round 		Round
Pick 		Overall
Pick 		Team
Sidy Sow OG Eastern Michigan 4 15 117 New England Patriots
Karl Brooks DT Bowling Green 6 2 179 Green Bay Packers
Zaire Barnes LB Western Michigan 6 7 184 New York Jets
Jose Ramirez LB Eastern Michigan 6 19 196 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Lew Nichols III RB Central Michigan 7 18 235 Green Bay Packers
Nic Jones CB Ball State 7 33 250 Kansas City Chiefs
Desjuan Johnson DE Toledo 7 42 259 Los Angeles Rams

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