MAC Football Championship Game
Football game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The MAC Football Championship Game is an annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
| MAC Football Championship Game | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sport | College football |
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| Current stadium | Ford Field |
| Current location | Detroit, Michigan |
| Played | 1997–present |
| Last contest | 2025 |
| Current champion | Western Michigan Broncos |
| Most championships | Marshall, Northern Illinois (5) |
| TV partner | ESPN/ESPN2 |
| Official website | MAC-Sports.com football |
| Sponsors | |
| Marathon Petroleum (2003–2019) Rocket Mortgage (2020–2022) | |
| Host stadiums | |
| Marshall University Stadium (1997–2000, 2002) Glass Bowl (2001) Doyt Perry Stadium (2003) Ford Field (2004–present) | |
| Host locations | |
| Huntington, West Virginia (1997–2000, 2002) Toledo, Ohio (2001) Bowling Green, Ohio (2003) Detroit, Michigan (2004–present) | |
History
The game has been played since 1997, when the conference was first divided into divisions. For the 2024 season the MAC eliminated divisions and the game now features the teams with the best conference records.[1] A new tiebreaker system was established to compare teams with the same conference record.[2] The winner of the game is guaranteed a berth in a bowl game which the MAC has contractual obligations to field a team. Unlike the MAC's Group of Five contemporaries, which hold their respective championship games on campus sites, the MAC Championship Game is held at a neutral site. Ford Field in Detroit has been the venue since 2004 and is scheduled to host through at least 2025.[3][4]
In 2000, 2001, and 2007, due to an unbalanced conference schedule, the team with best division record within each division was awarded that division's championship game berth. In other years, the teams with the best overall conference records received a berth. Starting in 2024 the MAC will eliminate divisions and include the two teams with the best overall conference records.[5]
The game is held on the first Saturday in December, on the same weekend that other NCAA Division I FBS conferences hold their championship games.
Results
Below are the results from all MAC Football Championship Games played. The winning team appears in bold font, on a background of their primary team color. Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game.
From 1997 through 2003, the championship game was played at campus sites. Since 2004, the game has been played at Ford Field in Detroit where it is scheduled to be held through at least 2025.[6] From 1997 to 2015, a MAC Championship MVP award was given to a player from each team. Since 2016, three player were awarded a Player of the Game award: Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams.[7]
| Year | West Division | East Division | Site | Attendance | MVP(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Toledo Rockets | 14 | Marshall Thundering Herd | 34 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 28,021 | WR Randy Moss, Marshall RB Dwayne Harris, Toledo |
| 1998 | Toledo Rockets | 17 | Marshall Thundering Herd | 23 | 28,085 | QB Chad Pennington, Marshall DL Gregg King, Toledo | |
| 1999 | Western Michigan Broncos | 30 | 11 Marshall Thundering Herd | 34 | 28,069 | QB Chad Pennington, Marshall QB Tim Lester, Western Michigan | |
| 2000 | Western Michigan Broncos | 14 | Marshall Thundering Herd | 19 | 24,816 | QB Byron Leftwich, Marshall WR Steve Neal, Western Michigan | |
| 2001 | Toledo Rockets | 41 | 20 Marshall Thundering Herd | 36 | Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH | 20,025 | WR Denero Marriott, Marshall, WR RB Chester Taylor, Toledo |
| 2002 | Toledo Rockets | 45 | 24 Marshall Thundering Herd | 49 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 24,582 | QB Byron Leftwich, Marshall RB Trinity Dawson, Toledo |
| 2003 | 20 Bowling Green Falcons | 27 | 13 Miami RedHawks | 49 | Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH | 24,813 | QB Ben Roethlisberger, Miami, QB QB Josh Harris, Bowling Green |
| 2004 | Toledo Rockets | 35 | Miami RedHawks | 27 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 22,138 | WR Michael Larkin, Miami QB Bruce Gradkowski, Toledo |
| 2005 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 30 | Akron Zips | 31 | 12,051 | QB Luke Getsy, Akron, QB TB Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois | |
| 2006 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 31 | Ohio Bobcats | 10 | 25,483 | DL Jameson Hartke, Ohio WR Damien Linson, Central Michigan | |
| 2007 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 35 | Miami RedHawks | 10 | 25,013 | LB Clayton Mullins, Miami QB Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan | |
| 2008 | 12 Ball State Cardinals | 24 | Buffalo Bulls | 42 | 12,871 | DB Mike Newton, Buffalo QB Nate Davis, Ball State | |
| 2009 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 20 | Ohio Bobcats | 10 | 23,714 | LB Noah Keller, Ohio, LB QB Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan | |
| 2010 | 24 Northern Illinois Huskies | 21 | Miami RedHawks | 26 | 12,031 | RB Tom Merriweather, Miami QB Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois | |
| 2011 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 23 | Ohio Bobcats | 20 | 13,052 | LB Noah Keller, Ohio WR Nathan Palmer, Northern Illinois | |
| 2012 | 19 Northern Illinois Huskies | 442OT | 18 Kent State Golden Flashes | 37 | 18,132 | DB Darius Polk, Kent State, DB QB Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois | |
| 2013 | 16 Northern Illinois Huskies | 27 | Bowling Green Falcons | 47 | 21,106 | QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green QB Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois | |
| 2014 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 51 | Bowling Green Falcons | 17 | 15,110 | WR Gehrig Dieter, Bowling Green QB Drew Hare, Northern Illinois | |
| 2015 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 14 | Bowling Green Falcons | 34 | 16,425 | DB Shawun Lurry, Northern Illinois RB Travis Greene, Bowling Green | |
| 2016 | 13 Western Michigan Broncos | 29 | Ohio Bobcats | 23 | 45,615 | Offensive: Corey Davis (Western Michigan) Defensive: Bradd Ellis (Ohio) Special Teams: Butch Hampton (Western Michigan) | |
| 2017 | Toledo Rockets | 45 | Akron Zips | 28 | 16,225 | Offensive: Logan Woodside (Toledo) Defensive: Ulysees Gilbert (Akron) Special Teams: Danzel McKinley-Lewis (Toledo) | |
| 2018 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 30 | Buffalo Bulls | 29 | 10,255 | Offensive: Marcus Childers (NIU) Defensive: Sutton Smith (NIU) Special Teams: Matt Ference (NIU) | |
| 2019 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 21 | Miami RedHawks | 26 | 22,427 | Offensive: Jack Sorenson (Miami) Defensive: Emmanuel Rugamba (Miami) Special Teams: Sam Sloman (Miami) | |
| 2020 | Ball State Cardinals | 38 | 23 Buffalo Bulls | 28 | 0‡ | Offensive: Drew Plitt (Ball State) Defensive: Jimmy Daw (Ball State) Special Teams: Nathan Snyder (Ball State) | |
| 2021 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 41 | Kent State Golden Flashes | 23 | 10,317 | Offensive: Jay Ducker (NIU) Defensive: CJ Brown (NIU) Special Teams: John Richardson (NIU) | |
| 2022 | Toledo Rockets | 17 | Ohio Bobcats | 7 | 15,550 | Offensive: QB Dequan Finn (Toledo) Defensive: LB Dyontae Johnson (Toledo) Special Teams: P Jonathon Batzke (Toledo) | |
| 2023 | Toledo Rockets | 14 | Miami RedHawks | 23 | 20,200 | Offensive: QB Aveon Smith (Miami) Defensive: LB Matt Salopek (Miami) Special Teams: PK Graham Nicholson (Miami) | |
| Year | No. 1 seed | No. 2 seed | Site | Attendance | MVP | ||
| 2024 | Miami RedHawks | 3 | Ohio Bobcats | 38 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 15,478 | Offensive: QB Parker Navarro (Ohio) Defensive: LB Bradley Weaver (Ohio) Special Teams: PK Gianni Spetic (Ohio) |
| 2025 | Western Michigan Broncos | 23 | Miami RedHawks | 13 | 19,114 | Offensive: RB Jalen Buckley (Western Michigan) Defensive: DE Nadame Tucker (Western Michigan) Special Teams: K Palmer Domschke (Western Michigan) | |
‡ 2020 game attendance was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results by team
| Appearances | School | Wins | Losses | Win % | Year(s) Won | Year(s) Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | [[Northern Illinois Huskies football|Northern Illinois Huskies]] | 5 | 4 | .556 | 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2021 | 2005, 2010, 2013, 2015 |
| 8 | [[Toledo Rockets football|Toledo Rockets]] | 4 | 4 | .500 | 2001, 2004, 2017, 2022 | 1997, 1998, 2002, 2023 |
| 8 | [[Miami RedHawks football|Miami RedHawks]] | 4 | 4 | .500 | 2003, 2010, 2019, 2023 | 2004, 2007, 2024, 2025 |
| 6 | [[Marshall Thundering Herd football|Marshall Thundering Herd]] | 5 | 1 | .833 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 | 2001 |
| 6 | [[Ohio Bobcats football|Ohio Bobcats]] | 1 | 5 | .167 | 2024 | 2006, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2022 |
| 4 | [[Central Michigan Chippewas football|Central Michigan Chippewas]] | 3 | 1 | .750 | 2006, 2007, 2009 | 2019 |
| 4 | [[Bowling Green Falcons football|Bowling Green Falcons]] | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2013, 2015 | 2003, 2014 |
| 4 | [[Western Michigan Broncos football|Western Michigan Broncos]] | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2016, 2025 | 1999, 2000 |
| 3 | [[Buffalo Bulls football|Buffalo Bulls]] | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2008 | 2018, 2020 |
| 2 | [[Akron Zips football|Akron Zips]] | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2005 | 2017 |
| 2 | [[Ball State Cardinals football|Ball State Cardinals]] | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2020 | 2008 |
| 2 | [[Kent State Golden Flashes football|Kent State Golden Flashes]] | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2012, 2021 | |
| 0 | [[Eastern Michigan Eagles football|Eastern Michigan Eagles]] | 0 | 0 | – | ||
| 0 | [[UMass Minutemen football|UMass Minutemen]] | 0 | 0 | – | ||
No results by team
| School |
|---|
| [[Temple Owls football|Temple Owls]] |
| [[UCF Knights football|UCF Knights]] |
Eastern Michigan and UMass are the only teams currently in the conference to have not yet qualified for a championship game. (UMass had been a football-only MAC member in the 2012–2015 seasons before returning in 2025 as a full member.) As of the next MAC football season in 2026, Marshall and Northern Illinois are the only championship game winners to not be current members of the MAC. Bowling Green is the only team that has represented both the East and West Divisions in the Championship Game, as it was a member of the West Division prior to the departure of Marshall from the MAC. Temple and UCF were previously in the conference during this era and never reached the championship game.
Common matchups
Matchups that have occurred more than once:
| # of Times | East Division | West Division | Record | Years played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Marshall | Toledo | Marshall, 3–1 | 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 |
| 3 | Bowling Green | Northern Illinois | Bowling Green, 2–1 | 2013, 2014, 2015 |
| 2 | Marshall | Western Michigan | Marshall, 2–0 | 1999, 2000 |
| 2 | Ohio | Central Michigan | Central Michigan, 2–0 | 2006, 2009 |
| 2 | Miami | Central Michigan | Tied, 1–1 | 2007, 2019 |
| 2 | Buffalo | Ball State | Tied, 1–1 | 2008, 2020 |
| 2 | Kent State | Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois, 2–0 | 2012, 2021 |
Rematches
The MAC Football Championship game has featured a rematch of a regular-season game a total of ten times (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025). The team which won the regular-season game is 4–6 in the rematches, winning in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2017 but losing in 2000, 2004, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025.
MVPs
| Year | MVP(s) | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Randy Moss | Marshall | WR |
| 1998 | Chad Pennington | QB | |
| 1999 | |||
| 2000 | Byron Leftwich | ||
| 2001 | Chester Taylor | Toledo | RB |
| 2002 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | QB |
| 2003 | Ben Roethlisberger | Miami | |
| 2004 | Bruce Gradkowski | Toledo | |
| 2005 | Luke Getsy | Akron | |
| 2006 | Damien Linson | Central Michigan | WR |
| 2007 | Dan LeFevour | QB | |
| 2008 | Mike Newton | Buffalo | DB |
| 2009 | Dan LeFevour | Central Michigan | QB |
| 2010 | Thomas Merriweather | Miami | RB |
| 2011 | Nathan Palmer | Northern Illinois | WR |
| 2012 | Jordan Lynch | QB | |
| 2013 | Matt Johnson | Bowling Green | |
| 2014 | Drew Hare | Northern Illinois | |
| 2015 | Travis Greene | Bowling Green | RB |
| 2016 | Corey Davis | Western Michigan | WR |
| 2017 | Logan Woodside | Toledo | QB (Offensive) |
| Danzel McKinley-Lewis | WR (Special Teams) | ||
| 2018 | Marcus Childers | Northern Illinois | QB (Offensive) |
| Sutton Smith | LB (Defensive) | ||
| 2019 | Jack Sorenson | Miami | WR (Offensive) |
| Emmanuel Rugamba | LB (Defensive) | ||
| 2020 | Drew Plitt | Ball State | QB (Offensive) |
| Jimmy Daw | LB (Defensive) | ||
| 2021 | Jay Ducker | Northern Illinois | RB (Offensive) |
| C.J. Brown | DB (Defensive) | ||
| John Richardson | PK (Special Teams) | ||
| 2022 | Dequan Finn | Toledo | QB (Offensive) |
| Dyontae Johnson | LB (Defensive) | ||
| Jonathon Batzke | P (Special Teams) | ||
| 2023 | Aveon Smith | Miami | QB (Offensive) |
| Matt Salopek | LB (Defensive) | ||
| Graham Nicholson | K (Special Teams) | ||
| 2024 | Parker Navarro | Ohio | QB (Offensive) |
| Bradley Weaver | DE (Defensive) | ||
| Gianni Spetic | K (Special Teams) | ||
| 2025 | Jalen Buckley | Western Michigan | RB (Offensive) |
| Nadame Tucker | DE (Defensive) | ||
| Palmer Domschke | K (Special Teams) |
Game records
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 51, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green | 2014 |
| Most points scored (losing team) | 45, Toledo vs. Marshall | 2002 |
| Fewest points scored (winning team) | 17, Toledo vs. Ohio | 2022 |
| Fewest points scored | 3, Miami vs. Ohio | 2024 |
| Most points scored (both teams) | 94, Marshall (49) vs. Toledo (45) | 2002 |
| Fewest points scored (both teams) | 24, Toledo (17) vs. Ohio (7) | 2022 |
| Most points scored in a half | 35, Buffalo (2nd half) vs. Ball State Ball State (1st half) vs. Buffalo |
2008 2020 |
| Most points scored in a half (both teams) | 49, Marshall vs. Toledo (2nd half) | 2002 |
| Largest margin of victory | 35, Ohio (38) vs. Miami (3) | 2024 |
| Smallest margin of victory | 1, Akron (31) vs. Northern Illinois (30) Northern Illinois (30) vs. Buffalo (29) |
2005 2018 |
| Total yards | 576, Miami (440 passing, 136 rushing) vs. Bowling Green | 2003 |
| Rushing yards | 334, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green | 2014 |
| Passing yards | 440, Miami vs. Bowling Green | 2003 |
| First downs | 32, Ohio vs. Miami | 2024 |
| Fewest yards allowed | 189, Ohio vs. Miami (127 passing, 62 rushing) | 2024 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 37, Western Michigan vs. Ohio | 2016 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 102, Kent State vs. Northern Illinois | 2021 |
| Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| All-purpose yards | 448, Ben Roethlisberger, Miami vs. Bowling Green | 2003 |
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 5, Matt Johnson, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois | 2013 |
| Rushing yards | 270, Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois vs. Akron | 2005 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 4, Trinity Dawson, Toledo vs. Marshall | 2002 |
| Passing yards | 440, Ben Roethlisberger, Miami vs. Bowling Green | 2003 |
| Passing touchdowns | 5, Matt Johnson, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois | 2013 |
| Receiving yards | 191, Damien Linson, Central Michigan vs. Ohio | 2006 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 4, Denero Marriott, Marshall vs. Toledo | 2001 |
| Tackles | 17, Ty Wise, Miami vs. Ohio | 2024 |
| Sacks | 2.5, Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan vs. Miami | 2025 |
| Interceptions | 2, Dechane Durante, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green | 2014 |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 96, Ontario Sneed, Central Michigan vs. Ohio | 2006 |
| Touchdown pass | 86, Randy Moss from Chad Pennington, Marshall vs. Toledo | 1997 |
| Kickoff return | 64, Clint Stephens, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois | 2014 |
| Punt return | 48, Danzel McKinley-Lewis, Toledo vs. Akron | 2017 |
| Interception return | 64, Shawun Lurry, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green | 2015 |
| Fumble return | 92, Mike Newton, Buffalo vs. Ball State | 2008 |
| Punt | 75, Curtis Head, Marshall vs. Toledo | 2001 |
| Field goal | 52, shared by: Chris Nendick, Northern Illinois vs. Akron Tyler Tate, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois Gianni Spetic, Ohio vs. Miami | 2005 2013 2024 |
| Miscellaneous | Record, Team vs. Team | Year |
| Game attendance | 45,615, Ohio vs. Western Michigan | 2016 |
Source:[8]
Photo gallery
Before 2006 MAC Championship Game
2006 MAC Championship: Central Michigan vs. Ohio
