Cleveland, Ohio – Northern Illinois and Kent State have been selected to win their respective divisions in the 2022 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Football Head Coaches Preseason Poll. The Huskies also received four votes to win the MAC Football Championship Game title, while the Golden Flashes received three votes when it came to selecting who will take home the MAC crown. 

NIU returns 22 starters, including 21 on offense and defense, in 2022, including quarterback Rocky Lombardi, four of five starting offensive linemen with a combined 86 career starts and six defenders with at least seven starts. Eight different Huskies were named to one or more of the national awards preseason watch lists this summer, led by 2021 first team All-MAC safety C.J. Brown, who earned recognition on the Jim Thorpe, Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik preseason watch lists.

The Huskies clamed their sixth MAC Football Championship last season after turning in one of the best turnaround seasons in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). NIU posted a nine-win season after going 0-6 during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign -- becoming the first FBS program to win its league championship game one year after going winless. The Huskies return a total of 18 starters off that Championship team. 

Kent State brings back nearly 74 percent and over 2,500 rushing yards from last season. Leading the way is Maxwell Watch List member Marquez Cooper who rushed for over 1,200 yards last year. The Flashes ranked third in the FBS in rushing yards per game last year at just over 248 yards per game. Through the air, Kent State brings back over 60 percent and 2,000 yards of offense. Biletnikoff Award Watch List member Dante Cephas and Mackey Award Watch List member Kris Leach help to headline the aerial attack. Cephas had over 1,200 receiving yards last year and was the first Golden Flash to top 1,000 yards since 1997.

Defensively, new defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson takes over, coming to Kent after leading Northern Iowa to become one of the top defensive units in the FCS. Dean Clark returns as the leading tackler from last season with 112 stops in 2021. The Flashes also welcome back their top pass rushers from last year in CJ West, Saivon Taylor-Davis and Adin Huntington, all three had at least three sacks a season ago.

The 76th season of MAC football kicks off on Thursday, September 1st and concludes with the 2022 MAC Football Championship Game at Ford Field on Saturday, December 3 at Noon ET (ESPN).