MAC Football Schedule
Aug. 29 – Thursday
Albany at Central Michigan, 7:00 pm ET (ESPN3)
Morgan State at Bowling Green, 7:00 pm ET (ESPN3)
Robert Morris at Buffalo, 7:00 pm ET (ESPN+)
Kent State at Arizona State, 10:00 pm ET (Pac-12 Networks)
Aug. 31 – Saturday
Akron at Illinois, Noon ET (Big Ten Network)
Indiana at Ball State, Noon ET (CBS Sports Network) (at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind.)
Toledo at Kentucky, Noon ET (SEC Network)
Rhode Island at Ohio, 2:00 pm ET (ESPN+)
Eastern Michigan at Coastal Carolina, 3:30 pm ET (ESPN+)
Illinois State at NIU, 7:00 pm ET/6:00 pm CT (ESPN+)
Monmouth at Western Michigan, 7:00 pm ET (ESPN3)
Miami at Iowa, 7:30 pm ET (FS1)
MAC QUICK NOTES
• MAC football continues its 73rd season of competition and will hold its 23rd championship game in 2019. This year’s Marathon MAC Football Championship game will be Saturday, Dec. 7 at Noon ET on ESPN or ESPN2 at Ford Field in Detroit. Northern Illinois is the defending MAC Champion as the Huskies defeated Buffalo, 30-29, last November.
• The 2019 football season will bring the transition of four new head coaches into the Conference. Tom Arth (Akron), Scot Loeffler (Bowling Green), Jim McElwain (Central Michigan) and Thomas Hammock (Northern Illinois) were all named head coaches of their respective programs following the end of the 2018 campaign.
• The MAC will open the season by hosting seven games and playing on the road in five others. Buffalo opens the season on Thursday, Aug. 29 by hosting Robert Morris (ESPN+), while Bowling Green hosts Morgan State (ESPN3), Central Michigan welcomes Albany (ESPN3) and Kent State travels to Arizona State (Pac-12 Network). MAC programs will play eight games on Saturday, Aug. 31, highlighted by Ball State hosting Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis at Noon ET (CBS Sports Network).
• MAC programs will face opponents from the Big Ten (Illinois, Indiana and Iowa), Pac-12 (Arizona State), SEC (Kentucky) and Sun Belt Conference (Coastal Carolina) in Week One. The MAC will also face six FCS opponents.
MAC TO FACE TOP RANKED NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
The first 2019 Associated Press Top 25 Poll was released on Aug. 19th and the MAC will face 10 of the top 25 ranked teams this season in the country during non-conference play (AP ranking):
No. 5 Miami at Ohio State on Sat., Sept. 21 (time TBA)
No. 9 Bowling Green at Notre Dame on Sat., Oct. 5 at 3:30 pm ET (NBC)
No. 14 NIU at Utah on Sat., Sept. 7 at 1:00 pm ET/Noon CT (Pac-12 Network)
No. 15 Buffalo at Penn State on Sat., Sept. 7 at 7:30 pm ET (FOX)
No. 16 Kent State at Auburn on Sat., Sept. 14 at 7:00 pm ET (ESPN2/ESPNU)
No. 18 Western Michigan at Michigan St. on Sat., Sept. 7 at 7:30 pm ET (BTN)
No. 19 Central Michigan at Wisconsin on Sat., Sept. 7 at 3:30 pm ET (BTN)
No. 19 Kent State at Wisconsin on Sat., Oct. 5 (TBA) (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)
No. 20 Miami at Iowa on Sat., Aug. 31 at 7:30 pm ET (FS1)
No. 22 Western Michigan at Syracuse on Sat., Sept. 21 (time TBA)
No. 24 NIU at Nebraska on Sat., Sept. 14 at 8:00 pm ET/7:00 pm CT (FS1)
MAC VS. BIG TEN OPPONENTS
This opening week the MAC will face three Big Ten opponents -- Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. The MAC has won a regular season game vs. Big Ten opponents in each of the last 13 consecutive seasons (2006-2018), the longest streak in MAC history. Last year the MAC had three wins at Big Ten opponents as Buffalo (42-13 win at Rutgers on Sept. 22, 2018), Akron (39-34 win at Northwestern on Sept. 15, 2018) and Eastern Michigan (20-19 win at Purdue on Sept. 8, 2018) contributed toward extending the streak.
During this 13-year stretch, MAC teams have defeated 12 different Big Ten programs—Illinois (3); Indiana (5); Iowa (3); Maryland (1); Michigan (1); Michigan State (1); Minnesota (2); Nebraska (1); Northwestern (3); Penn State (1); Purdue (6) and Rutgers (2) for a total of 29 wins during this stretch. Miami (13), Bowling Green (8), Toledo (6), Central Michigan (6) and Northern Illinois (6) have the most wins vs. Big Ten opponents.
SOLICH THIRD LONGEST ACTIVE FBS HEAD COACH
Ohio head football coach Frank Solich is entering his 15th season at the helm of the Ohio Bobcat football program and currently ranks tied for third among active FBS head coaches as the longest tenured FBS current head coaches. Only Kirk Ferentz of Iowa (1999-2019 -- 21st season), Gary Patterson of TCU (2000-19 -- 19th season) and Kyle Whittington of Utah (2004-19 -- 15th season) join Solich in this list. Solich and Whittingham are tied for third, however Whittingham (12/9/04) was hired eight days earlier than Solich (12/17/04). Solich and his Bobcats open the season on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 2:00 pm ET as they host Rhode Island at Peden Stadium on ESPN+.
OHIO’S SOLICH THIRD ON MAC CAREER WINS LIST
Ohio head coach Frank Solich and his Bobcats finished 2018 with an 9-4 overall record and a second-place finish in the East Division, including a 27-0 shutout victory over San Diego State in the DXL Frisco Bowl on Dec. 19, 2018, for the first-ever MAC shutout in a bowl game in league history. Solich continues to rise up the MAC career head coaching win list with 106 wins, which ranks third most in MAC history. Solich needs five wins to become the all-time winningest coach in MAC history.
Solich has been the model for consistency in coaching in the MAC. Solich arrived in Athens in 2005 and is entering his 15th season running the Bobcats program. Solich and the Bobcats have garnered a bowl appearance in nine of the last 10 seasons and 10 of his 14 seasons at Ohio. Solich has a 106-75 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. 106, Frank Solich, Ohio, 2005-present
4. 79, Bob Pruett, Marshall, 1997-03
5. 77, Doyt Perry, Bowling Green, 1955-64
KENT STATE’S LEWIS IS YOUNGEST FBS HEAD COACH
For the second consecutive year, Kent State’s Sean Lewis, 33, is the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I (FBS). Lewis is entering his second year at the helm of the Golden Flashes with a 2-10 record as head coach. Also on this list are both NIU head coach Thomas Hammock and Akron’s Tom Arth at age 38. Ironically, Ohio’s Frank Solich has the most life experience among active FBS head coaches at the age of 74 (9-8-44).
Coach, School, Age (Date of Birth)
Sean Lewis, Kent State 33 (4-11-86)
Jake Spavital, Texas State 34 (5-1-85)
Will Healy, Charlotte 34 (1-16-85)
Walt Bell, UMass 35 (6-7-84)
Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma 35 (9-5-83)
Eliah Drinkwitz, App State 36 (4-12-83)
Mike Norvell, Memphis 37 (10-11-81)
Thomas Hammock, NIU 38 (7-7-81)
Tom Arth, Akron 38 (5-11-81)
MAC 2018 SEASON RECAP
• Northern Illinois won the 2018 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game with a thrilling 30-29 win over Buffalo on Nov. 30. The win was NIU’s first championship since 2014 and the fifth championship in program history (2018, 2014, 2012, 2011, 1983). The Huskies have been a model of consistency in winning as NIU has won the MAC West Division seven times in the last nine years and the Huskies have been bowl eligible in 10 of the last 11 years.
• Six MAC programs received bowl invitations in the 2018 bowl season -- Northern Illinois (8-6), Buffalo (10-4), Ohio (9-4), Toledo (7-6), Western Michigan (7-6) and Eastern Michigan (7-6). The MAC record for bowl invitations in a single-season is seven in both the 2012 and 2015 bowl seasons. Miami (6-6) was one of four FBS teams to not receive a bowl invitation.
• Northern Illinois (Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl), Buffalo (Dollar General Bowl), Ohio (DXL Frisco Bowl), Toledo (Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl), Western Michigan (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl) and Eastern Michigan (Raycom Media Camellia Bowl) represented the MAC during the 2018 bowl season.
• This marked the 11th time in MAC history to have five or more programs receive a bowl invitation (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018) in a single-season.
• In the previous eight bowl seasons, the MAC has a record of 13-33 in 46 bowl games – 2018 (1-5); 2017 (1-4); 2016 (0-6); 2015 (3-4); 2014 (2-3); 2013 (0-5); 2012 (2-5); 2011 (4-1) as all 12 MAC programs have appeared in a bowl game during this span (2011-18).
• Buffalo (10-4, 7-1 MAC) won the MAC East Division for the first time since 2008. Buffalo’s 10 wins were the most since moving to FBS and joining the MAC in 1999. Buffalo was also bowl eligible for the second consecutive year. The Bulls made their third overall bowl appearance in program history.
• Over the last three seasons, the MAC had six different programs participate in the Marathon MAC Football Championship Game. In 2016 Western Michigan defeated Ohio, 29-23, while 2017 witnessed Toledo with a 45-28 win over Akron and last year NIU defeated Buffalo, 30-29.
• In 2018, the MAC had eight FBS wins, including three wins over Big Ten opponents (Northwestern, Purdue and Rutgers).
• In MAC crossover games in 2018, the East and West Divisions tied 9-9 in 18 games. Over the previous 11 years (2008-2018), 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 nine of the last 11 years. The West holds a 129-69 (.652%) regular season record in crossover games over the East during that span.
MAC WITH FOUR NEW HEAD COACHES FOR 2019
The MAC welcome’s four new coaches for the 2019 season.
Tom Arth-Akron: Arth was named the 28th head coach at Akron and just the sixth head coach since moving up to Division I in 1987. Arth takes the reins at Akron after two seasons at Tennessee-Chattanooga. In four seasons at John Carroll University, his alma mater, Arth owned a 40-8 overall record while guiding the Blue Streaks to three postseason appearances, highlighted by road victories over two No. 1 ranked opponents in Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Arth was the 2016 Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and guided John Carroll to the NCAA Division III Playoffs in three of his four years. The program finished in the top 25 every season including top-five finishes in 2016 (No. 3) and 2014 (No. 5). John Carroll won the league’s automatic bid for the first time in school history in 2016, breaking Mount Union’s run of 24 consecutive OAC titles, as they finished ranked No. 3 in the country with a 12-2 record.
Arth graduated from John Carroll in 2003 and was a two-time All-American quarterback where he set 18 school records. As a senior in 2002, he guided JCU to a 12-2 record, and East region championship, and a berth in to the NCAA Division III national semifinals for the first time in program history. Arth spent three seasons (2003-05) as a backup quarterback to Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts.
Thomas Hammock-NIU: Hammock, a former Huskie player and assistant coach, returns to DeKalb as the 23rd head coach in the history of the NIU football program. Hammock joins NIU after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens and is the first African-American head coach in NIU football history.
Hammock began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin, followed by two seasons as an assistant at NIU under Huskie Hall of Famer Joe Novak (2005-06). Hammock then served stints as an assistant coach at Minnesota and Wisconsin before joining the Baltimore Ravens organization for the 2014 season. In five seasons as the running backs coach he helped Baltimore’s rushing attack finish in the top 11 in the NFL three times, including last season when the Ravens had the second-best rushing offense in the NFL (152.6 ypg).
As a player, Hammock gained 2,432 rushing yards in his NIU career (1999-2002), which still ranks 13th all-time in Huskie history. He was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American (2000, ‘01) and a two-time First Team All-MAC honoree (2000, ‘01).
Scot Loeffler-Bowling Green: Loeffler was named the 20th head coach of the Bowling Green program and joines the Falcons after serving as Deputy Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator at Boston College. His coaching career includes stops at Michigan State, Michigan, Central Michigan, Florida, Temple, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Boston College and one year with the Detroit Lions.
Loeffler has coached seven quarterbacks who went on to play in the NFL – Tom Brady, Tim Tebow, Brian Griese, Chad Henne, Drew Henson, John Navarre and Logan Thomas. Loeffler’s teams have played in 15 bowl games in the past 16 seasons he has been a college coach.Loeffler has familiarity with the MAC as he was Central Michigan’s quarterbacks coach from 2000-01. He was a graduate assistant and student assistant at Michigan and was part of the undefeated national championship season in 1997. A native of Barberton, Ohio, he played quarterback at Michigan from 1993-96.
Jim McElwain-Central Michigan: McElwain was named the 29th head coach at Central Michigan and brings nearly 30 years of college coaching experience to Mt. Pleasant. McElwain was named the 2015 SEC Coach of the Year as he led Florida to 19 wins and back-to-back SEC East titles during his first two seasons, and he became the first head coach in the SEC to reach the SEC Championship Game in his first two seasons as head coach. McElwain led Colorado State to a 10-2 record in 2014 and was named Mountain West Coach of the Year.
A native of Montana, he played quarterback in the early 1980s at Eastern Washington and got his coaching start at that school as a graduate assistant and later working with quarterbacks and wide receivers.
ROURKE CONTINUES TO LEAD OHIO OFFENSE
Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke had another impressive season under center in leading the Ohio Bobcats to a 9-4 overall record, including a second-place finish in the MAC East Division. Rourke led the Bobcats to the first-ever MAC shutout in a bowl game with a commanding 27-0 win over San Diego State in the DXL Frisco Bowl to finish the 2018 season on a high note. Last year, Rourke continued his dual threat role within the Bobcat offense with 860 yards rushing and led the MAC with 15 rushing touchdowns on the ground, while passing for 2,434 yards and 23 touchdowns on 164-274 passing (59.9%) for 187.2 yards passing per game.
Rourke continued to spark the Ohio offensive engine as last year Ohio’s offense led the MAC in rushing offense with 258.3 yards per game, total offense with 466.8 yards per game and pass efficiency with a 154.2 rating, and also ranked second in the MAC in scoring with 40.1 points per game. Rourke’s 38 total touchdowns last season, 23 passing and 15 rushing, was tied for 16th best in a single-season in MAC history and he already has 36 career rushing touchdowns, which ranks tied for 22nd best in MAC history. Rourke is also accurate in the passing game as his 18-20 passing (90.0%) performance in a 27-26 win over Kent State is tied for 10th best single-game pass completion percentage in league history.
YOUNG MAC RUNNING BACKS IMPACTING OFFENSES
A steady influx of young running backs had a dramatic impact during the 2018 season and should only continue its trend during the 2019 campaign. Last season as freshman running backs, Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson and Toledo’s Bryant Koback led their teams in rushing, while NIU sophomore running back Tre Harbison and Bowling Green sophomore Andrew Clair also led their teams in rushing. All four are returning this 2019 campaign and will be joined by Western Michigan’s LeVante Bellamy in aiming for the league’s rushing title in 2019.
Patterson was named All-MAC Second Team and was named MAC Freshman of the Year as he led Buffalo and ranked fourth in the MAC with 1,013 yards rushing (5.5 avg.) and ranked second in the MAC with 14 rushing touchdowns last season. Buffalo’s rushing offense ranked fourth in the MAC with an average of 189.1 yards rushing per game.
Koback led the Rockets and ranked fifth in the MAC with 917 yards rushing and tied for second with 14 rushing touchdowns. Koback averaged 70.5 yards rushing per game as he helped Toledo to a 7-6 overall record and an invitation to the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.
Harbison was named All-MAC Second Team last season as he paced the Huskie rushing attack with 1,034 yards rushing, which ranked third in the MAC, and added five rushing touchdowns. Harbison carried the load down the stretch as NIU claimed the Marathon MAC Football Championship and earned an invitation to the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl.
Clair was named All-MAC Third Team last season as he led Bowling Green with 702 yards rushing (5.2 avg.) and five rushing touchdowns. Clair averaged 63.8 yards rushing per game.
Bellamy was named All-MAC First Team as he led the Broncos and ranked second in the MAC with 1,228 yards (6.0 avg.) and six touchdowns as he averaged 94.5 yards rushing per game in 2018. Bellamy and the Broncos rushing attack ranked third in the MAC with an average of 199.5 yards rushing per game as Western Michigan received an invite to the 2018 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
MAC 2019 BOWL PARTNERS
• College Football Playoff Host Bowl (Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic)
• Mobile Alabama Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)
• Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.; vs. American Athletic Conference or Conference USA)
• Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)
• Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl (Nassau, Bahamas; vs. C-USA)
• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West)
• Secondary to Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit, Mich.)
• Secondary to ESPN owned and operated bowl games
MAC CELEBRATES COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY THIS 2019 SEASON
The MAC will join our FBS brethren in celebrating 150 years of college football this 2019 season and the MAC has created a specific celebration plan to utilize the 150th anniversary date of November 6, 2019 as the MAC will be the only Conference playing a live game on this date.
A 10-person ‘MAC-150 Celebration’ committee, led by Central Michigan Director of Athletics, Michael Alford, was created in the Spring of 2018 and our collaborative plan this season focuses on inclusion of all 12 MAC programs, engagement of our fan base, opportunity for engagement with our partners with the primary goal of telling our lengthy and celebrated MAC football story.
• On Wednesday, November 6th the MAC will be the only FBS conference playing a live college football game on the 150th anniversary as the Miami RedHawks travel to face the Ohio Bobcats at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio on ESPN2.The MAC is working with ESPN to utilize our ESPN2 game production to have former MAC coaches and students participate in the broadcast to highlight our legendary college football history and the continued impact of our coaches and students on the game of football today.
• The MAC will participate in the National College Football 150 uniform patch program for the entire 2019 season. The patches will be one color (silver metallic), 3.5 x 1.7 inches and will be placed on the right, front chest of the jersey above the MAC logo.
• Each week during the 2019 season the MAC will highlight one MAC football program where we will highlight each institution and the relevant data gathered during the spring/summer to highlight teams, games, moments, coaches, student-athletes via MAC social media accounts and video content.
• Week 1 (Aug. 26th) Ball State University
• Week 2 (Sept. 2nd) University of Akron
• Week 3 (Sept. 9th) Bowling Green State University
• Week 4 (Sept. 16th) Eastern Michigan University
• Week 5 (Sept. 23rd) University of Toledo
• Week 6 (Sept. 30th) University at Buffalo
• Week 7 (Oct. 7th) Western Michigan University
• Week 8 (Oct. 14th) Ohio University
• Week 9 (Oct. 21st) Kent State University
• Week 10 (Oct. 28th) Central Michigan University
• Week 11 (Nov. 4th) CFB150th Anniversary – Nov. 6, 2019
• Week 12 (Nov. 11th) Northern Illinois University
• Week 13 (Nov. 18th) Miami University
