CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Western Michigan Broncos have been selected as favorites to win both the regular season crown and Mid-American Conference (MAC) Football Championship Game title in the 2026 Football Head Coaches Preseason Poll. Head coaches were not allowed to vote for themselves in the poll.

The Broncos, who captured the 2025 MAC Football title, received nine first-place votes to claim the regular-season championship while also notching nine votes to win the 2026 conference title game.

Miami, which has made appearances in three straight MAC Football Championship Games, was picked to finish second (134 points) and received four votes to win the regular season championship. The RedHawks also garnered four votes to claim the championship game title.

The Toledo Rockets were selected third with 115 points, while Ohio (107 points) and Central Michigan (101 points) rounded out the top five. 

The 80th season of MAC Football kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 29, and concludes with the 2026 MAC Football Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Noon ET/9 a.m. PT on ESPN.

The Mid-American Conference will host its 2026 Football Kickoff today, July 22, at Ford Field in Detroit from 9:00 a.m. ET/6:00 a.m. PT to 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT. The event will be streamed here.

A complete list of the MAC Football Preseason Coaches Poll can be found below.

2026 MAC Football Coaches Preseason Poll
First Place votes in ( ) | *Coaches were not able to vote for themselves
1. Western Michigan (9) – 138 points
2. Miami (4) – 134 points
3. Toledo  – 115 points
4. Ohio – 107 points
5. Central Michigan – 101 points
6. Buffalo – 81 points
7. Eastern Michigan – 76 points
8. Kent State – 64 points
9. Bowling Green – 59 points
10. Akron – 52 points
11. Ball State – 34 points
12. Sacramento State – 28 points
13. Massachusetts – 25 points
 
MAC Title Game Champion: Western Michigan – 9; Miami – 4