Mid-American Conference

This Week’s MAC Football Schedule:
Thursday, October 26
Eastern Michigan at NIU, 7:00 pm ET (CBS Sports Network)
Toledo at Ball State, 7:00 pm ET (ESPN3)
Saturday, October 28
Buffalo at Akron, 11:30 am ET (CBS Sports Network)

MIDWEEK MACTION FEATURED IN WEEK NINE
Midweek MACtion returns as the Conference will begin to showcase midweek games on national television this Thursday, Oct. 26th at 7:00 pm ET with Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois (CBS Sports Network) and Toledo at Ball State (ESPN3).   The MAC began midweek football in 1999 and this season marks the 19th year of playing during the week. This season the MAC will have 22 games nationally televised on Tuesday, Wednesday or a Thursday during the last five weeks of the regular season.

MAC WEEKLY NOTES
• The MAC already has two teams bowl eligible -- Toledo (6-1) and Ohio (6-2). For Ohio this marks the ninth consecutive year for the program to be bowl eligible, while Toledo is bowl eligible for the eighth straight year.
• Western Michigan running back Jarvion Franklin set two school records in a 20-17 (OT) win at Eastern Michigan on Oct. 21. Franklin rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown and set the program’s career rushing yards record with 4,281 career rushing yards (4,219, Robert Sanford, 1997-2000). Franklin currently ranks 10th in MAC history in career rushing yards. Franklin’s touchdown was also his 52nd career touchdown, which tied Corey Davis (52, 2013-16) for the school’s all-time career touchdowns record. Franklin is tied with Davis for fifth in MAC history for career touchdowns.
• Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke led the Bobcats to a 48-3 win over Kent State as he passed for 132 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 59 yards and another score. Rourke leads the MAC and is tied for third in the nation with 13 rushing touchdowns. 
• Central Michigan rolled to a 56-9 win at Ball State and were led by defensive end Joe Ostman, who collected four sacks and a forced fumble. The four sacks tied for seventh most in a single game in MAC history. Central Michigan quarterback Shane Morris was an efficient 16-21 passing for 199 yards and four touchdowns.
• Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns, while running back Terry Swanson rushed for 123 yards in a 48-21 win over Akron. For Woodside, he completed a pass to 10 different receivers and this marked the 14th 300-yard passing game of his career. For Swanson, it marked his 11th career 100-yard rushing performance and moved into seventh place on the school’s all-time career rushing yards list with 2,861 career rushing yards.
• Toledo held Akron to 42 yards rushing, the third straight game to hold an opponent under 100 yards rushing. Toledo is off to a 3-0 league record for the fourth straight season and the Rockets are bowl eligible for the eighth straight year.
• NIU’s 48-17 win at Bowling Green marked the 23rd win in the last 24 outings for the Huskies against MAC East Division opponents. Quarterback Marcus Childers accounted for 312 yards of total offense on 21-33 passing for 239 yards and three touchdowns, along with 73 yards rushing. NIU had a season-high 577 yards of offense and the defense forced five Falcons turnovers.
• Eastern Michigan suffered a 20-17 (OT) loss to Western Michigan on Saturday. For the Eagles, this marked the fifth consecutive one-possession defeat this season.
• This year the MAC has 11 FBS wins, including four wins over Autonomous Conferences with two wins vs. Big Ten opponents (Nebraska, Rutgers) and two wins over Big 12 opponents (both wins over Kansas).

MAC TRIO LEADS THE NATION IN QUARTERBACK SACKS
MAC defensive ends have left a mark on quarterbacks already this season. Central Michigan senior Joe Ostman leads the nation with 10 sacks (1.25 per game), while Ball State senior Anthony Winbush ranks second with 9.5 sacks (1.36 per game).  Also in the mix is Northern Illinois sophomore Sutton Smith with 8.5 sacks (1.21 per game) to rank third in the country.

2017 MARATHON MAC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ON DEC. 2ND
Tickets are on sale for the 21st annual Marathon MAC Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 2, 2017 at Ford Field in Detroit. Kick time and television will be announced in mid-November. The matchup features the champions of the MAC East and West Divisions, and will be the 14th hosted by Ford Field since 2004. Tickets are available at fordfield.com, by phone at (877) 212-8898 and at the Ford Field Ticket Office Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Prices for the lower bowl are $20 sideline, $15 corner and $10 general admission end zone.

OHIO’S SOLICH THIRD ON MAC CAREER WINS LIST
Ohio head coach Frank Solich and his Bobcats finished 2016 with an 8-6 overall record and won the East Division Crown and this season is off to a 6-2 start after a 48-3 win over Kent State. Solich continues to rise up the MAC career head coaching win list with 94 wins, which ranks third most in MAC history. Solich has been the recent model for consistency in coaching in the MAC. Solich arrived in Athens, Ohio in 2005 and now in his 13th season running the Bobcats program has garnered a bowl appearance in seven of the last eight seasons and eight of his 12 seasons at Ohio. Solich has a 94-69 career coaching record at Ohio.

Most MAC Head Coaching Wins, Career
1. 110, Herb Deromedi, Central Michigan, 1978-93
2. 108, Bill Hess, Ohio, 1958-77
3.  94, Frank Solich, Ohio, 2005-present

MAC EAST VS. MAC WEST
In 2017, the East and West Divisions will face each other in 18 crossover regular season games. So far this season the West Division holds a 6-4 advantage. Over the previous nine years (2008-2016), the MAC West has had the upper hand in crossover regular season games against the MAC East, winning the head-to-head regular season series in eight of the last nine years as the West holds a 109-53 (.673%) regular season record in crossover games over the East during that span. The West Division has a 5-4 lead in the last nine Marathon MAC Football Championship Games. From the West Division, Western Michigan (2016), Northern Illinois (2011, 2012, 2014) and Central Michigan (2009) have won the Conference Championship five times, while the East Division has won four crowns with Bowling Green (2015, 2013), Miami (2010) and Buffalo (2008).