Mid-American Conference
U.S. college sports conference
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate athletic conference with a membership base mostly in the Great Lakes region, stretching from Massachusetts to Illinois. Its members compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. For football, the conference participates in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision. Nine of the thirteen full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members located in Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, and California.
- 24
- men's: 11
- women's: 13
| |
| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1946 |
| Commissioner | Jon Steinbrecher (since 2009) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | FBS |
| No. of teams | 13 (12 in 2026) |
| Headquarters | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Region | Great Lakes, New England, California |
| Broadcasters | ESPN CBS Sports (via ESPN) MyNetworkTV (via ESPN; WMU Broncos only) RESN (via ESPN; Ohio schools only) FanDuel Sports Net (EMU Eagles only) BCSN (Toledo and BGSU only) Scripps Sports (via BCSN; Toledo Rockets only) |
| Official website | getsomemaction.com |
| Locations | |
 | |
The MAC is headquartered in the Public Square district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and has two members in the nearby Akron area. The conference ranks highest among all ten NCAA Division I FBS conferences for graduation rates.[1]
History
The five charter members of the Mid-American Conference were Ohio University, Butler University, the University of Cincinnati, Wayne University (now Wayne State University), and Western Reserve University, one of the predecessors to today's Case Western Reserve University. Wayne University left after the first year. Miami University and Western Michigan University took the place of those charter members for the 1948 season. The MAC added the University of Toledo (1950), Kent State University (1951), and Bowling Green State University (1952). The University of Cincinnati resigned its membership February 18, 1953, with an effective date of June 1, 1953. Cincinnati's decision was based on a new requirement that at least 5 conference football games would have to be scheduled each season, university president Raymond Walters saying they "...regretfully resign...as the university could not continue under the present setup..."[2]
The membership was steady for the next two decades except for the addition of Marshall University in 1954 and the departure of Western Reserve in 1955.[3] Marshall was expelled from the conference in 1969 due to NCAA violations.[4] The first major expansion since the 1950s took place in the mid-1970s with the addition of Central Michigan University and Eastern Michigan University in 1972 and Ball State University and Northern Illinois University in 1973. NIU left after the 1985–86 season. The University of Akron joined the conference in 1992. The conference became the largest in Division I-A with the re-admittance of Marshall and NIU in 1997 and addition of the Bulls from the University at Buffalo in 1998. The University of Central Florida, a non-football all-sports member in the Atlantic Sun Conference at the time, joined for football only in 2002, becoming the first football-only member in conference history. Marshall and Central Florida left after the 2004–05 academic year, both joining Conference USA in all sports.
In May 2005, the Temple Owls in Philadelphia signed a six-year contract with the MAC as a football-only school and began play in the East Division in 2007.[5]
The Louisville Cardinals were a MAC affiliate for field hockey for a number of years when Louisville was a member of the Metro Conference and Conference USA, winning two MAC tourney titles in 2003 and 2004.[6]
The Missouri State Bears, Evansville Purple Aces, and Southern Illinois Salukis participate in the MAC for men's swimming and diving.[7] In 2012, the West Virginia Mountaineers joined the Florida Atlantic Owls and Hartwick College Hawks as men's soccer affiliates.[8] Florida Atlantic departed upon joining Conference USA in 2013. Hartwick's contract was not renewed by the MAC in 2015. Nine schools are wrestling affiliates; most became affiliates when the MAC absorbed the former Eastern Wrestling League in 2019. Appalachian State University and Longwood University are associates in field hockey; Missouri State had also been a member in that sport from 2005 until dropping field hockey after the 2016 season. Binghamton University is an affiliate in men's tennis. In June 2017, SIU Edwardsville (SIUE) was invited to become an affiliate member in both men's soccer and wrestling in 2018.[9] When Buffalo suddenly dropped four sports, including men's soccer, SIUE's move in that sport was made immediately.[10]
The UMass Minutemen joined the MAC as a football-only member in July 2012; the university announced that the team would leave the MAC at the end of the 2015 season due to contractual issues.[11][12] Meanwhile, Temple ended its affiliation with the MAC in football and joined the Big East for football in July 2012. Following the split of the Big East into football-sponsoring and non-football conferences in July 2013, Temple became a full member of the football-sponsoring portion, the American Athletic Conference, ending its membership in the Atlantic 10 at that time.[13][14] The Chicago State Cougars were an affiliate for men's tennis until joining the Western Athletic Conference, which sponsors that sport, in July 2013.
The conference unveiled the addition of women's lacrosse to its sport sponsorship in November 2019.[15] Lacrosse began competing under the MAC banner with six teams in the 2021 season with MAC members Akron, Central Michigan and Kent State joined by associate members Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and Youngstown State. Eastern Michigan became the seventh women's lacrosse member when it added the sport in the 2022 season.[16]
At the end of the 2022 season, the MAC discontinued men's soccer as a sponsored sport. While the conference realignment of the early 2020s did not affect the MAC's core membership up to that time, it significantly impacted the amount of men's soccer sponsoring programs within the conference, and ultimately led to the conference lacking enough teams to maintain its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.[17] Of the four full MAC members that sponsored men's soccer in the 2022 season, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan moved the sport to the Missouri Valley Conference,[18] and Akron moved it to the Big East Conference.[19]
The MAC eliminated its East and West divisions for football in January 2024. The divisions had already been eliminated for other sports in 2020.[20][21] Later that year, in late February, it was announced that the UMass Minutemen and Minutewomen will join the conference as a full member beginning in 2025, returning UMass football to the MAC.[22][23] In July, the conference announced that it would begin sponsoring women's rowing for the 2025–26 season; full members Eastern Michigan, Toledo, and UMass would be joined by affiliate members Delaware, High Point, and Temple.[24]
On January 3, 2025, it was reported that Northern Illinois had accepted an invitation from the Mountain West Conference to join as an affiliate member for football in 2026.[25] This move was made official on January 7, after approval by NIU's governing board.[26] Current MAC bylaws stipulate that all members must play football within the conference; correspondingly, multiple media reports in February 2025 indicated that NIU was set to rejoin the Horizon League, a non-football conference in which it had been a member from 1994 to 1997, in 2026. This move was also made official on February 27, after approval by NIU's governing board. NIU applied to maintain MAC affiliate membership in women's gymnastics and men's wrestling, neither of which the Horizon sponsors.[27][28][29] However, this did not come to pass, and NIU instead joined the Mountain West and the Pac-12 Conference as an affiliate for those respective sports. In football, NIU's membership will effectively be replaced by the addition of Sacramento State in July 2026, resulting in the conference's footprint in that sport stretching from Massachusetts to California.[30][31][32]
Member universities
Membership map
Current full members
There are thirteen public universities with full membership:
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- UMass was a MAC affiliate in football from the 2012 to 2015 fall seasons (2012-13 to 2015-16 school years).
- Northern Illinois (NIU) announced it will join the Mountain West Conference for football and the Horizon League for other sports no later than July 1, 2026.
- Northern Illinois left the MAC after the 1985-86 school year; before rejoining as an affiliate for men's wrestling in 1996-97, and later as a full member in 1997-98.
Current affiliate members
Eighteen schools have MAC affiliate membership status as of 2025. On July 1, 2012, Temple joined the Big East Conference for football only (the school's other sports would join the Big East/American for 2013–14), and Massachusetts replaced Temple as a football-only member in the MAC East Division. On September 19, 2012, the MAC announced Missouri, Northern Iowa and Old Dominion would join as wrestling affiliates; as the Southeastern and Missouri Valley Conferences do not sponsor wrestling. Missouri and Northern Iowa participated only in the conference tournament in the 2012–13 school year, and began full conference play in 2013–14. Old Dominion did not begin MAC competition until 2013–14, when it left the Colonial Athletic Association (which had sponsored wrestling, but no longer does so) for Conference USA (which has never sponsored the sport).[35][36] Old Dominion discontinued wrestling in April 2020.[37]
On July 1, 2013, Florida Atlantic's men's soccer program moved with the rest of its athletic program to Conference USA, and Chicago State's men's tennis team followed the rest of its sports to the Western Athletic Conference.
The 2014–15 school year saw one affiliate member leave for another conference and two new affiliates join. The Hartwick men's soccer team left the MAC for the Sun Belt Conference, which had announced in February 2014 that it would reinstate men's soccer, a sport that it last sponsored in 1995, for the 2014 season.[38] The new affiliates for 2014-15 were Binghamton in men's tennis and Longwood in field hockey.[39]
On July 1, 2017, one associate member left the MAC, another associate member dropped one of its two MAC sports, and two new schools became associate members. Northern Iowa wrestling moved from the MAC to the Big 12 Conference.[40] Missouri State dropped field hockey,[41] but remained a MAC member in men's swimming & diving. Appalachian State joined MAC field hockey,[42] and SIU Edwardsville (SIUE) joined in men's soccer.[43] SIUE was initially announced as joining in both men's soccer and wrestling in 2018, but less than a week after the initial announcement, the conference indicated that SIUE men's soccer would immediately join.[43][10] SIUE wrestling joined on its originally announced schedule.
On March 5, 2019, the conference announced that it would be adding the seven former members of the Eastern Wrestling League as affiliate members in wrestling, making the MAC the second-largest wrestling conference for academic year 2019–20.[44]
With the addition of women's lacrosse, the MAC added affiliate members Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and Youngstown State in the 2020–21 academic year. UDM and YSU, all-sports members of the Horizon League, were announced as incoming associates at the same time the MAC announced the addition of lacrosse.[16] RMU was announced as an incoming associate in late June 2020, shortly after the school announced it would join the Horizon League in July 2020.[45]
In June 2020, SIUE announced that it would leave the MAC men's soccer league in 2021 to rejoin its previous men's soccer home of the Missouri Valley Conference.[46] It remains in MAC wrestling to this day.
Also in 2021, Missouri left MAC wrestling and returned to its former home of the Big 12 Conference as a wrestling-only member.[47] At the same time, four schools became single-sport MAC members-Bellarmine in field hockey,[48] Georgia Southern and Georgia State in men's soccer,[49] and Valparaiso in men's swimming (the school does not include diving in its men's aquatics program).[50]
In 2022, West Virginia men's soccer was scheduled to leave the MAC for single-sport membership in Conference USA (CUSA).[51] However, due to the tenuous future of CUSA at that time, West Virginia opted instead to join the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in 2022 as that league reinstated men's soccer. Georgia Southern and Georgia State, both full SBC members, also returned men's soccer to their home conference in 2022.[52] In response, the MAC announced that Chicago State would join as a men's soccer affiliate as of the 2022–23 season, as the Cougars prepared to depart the Western Athletic Conference in all sports, including soccer.[53] Also in 2022, the MAC gained another affiliate when another Chicago institution, UIC, joined for men's swimming & diving.[54] Ultimately, Chicago State's tenure as a MAC affiliate lasted only for the 2022 season, as the conference dropped men's soccer at season's end.[17] 2023 saw UIC adding men's tennis to its affiliate membership, as well as the announcement that James Madison would be joining as an affiliate for field hockey in 2024.[55][56]
In 2024, the Missouri Valley Conference announced it would begin sponsoring men's swimming & diving for the 2024–25 season. At the time, the MAC men's swimming programs consisted of 2 MAC schools and 5 affiliates from the MVC; correspondingly, all of these programs would move to the MVC for the following season, with the 2 MAC schools (Ball State and Miami) joining the MVC as affiliates for that sport.[57] However, shortly after dropping men's swimming, the MAC announced it would begin sponsoring a new sport, women's rowing, in 2025–26. Accordingly, it brought on 3 new affiliates for that sport: Delaware, High Point, and former football affiliate Temple.[24]
Future affiliate members
In February 2026, multiple media reports indicated that Sacramento State, at the time a member of the FCS Big Sky Conference but moving to the non-football Big West Conference that July, would join the MAC as a football-only member at that time.[30][31] The MAC officially announced Sacramento State's arrival on February 16.[32]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Joining[h] | Colors | MAC sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State University, Sacramento | Sacramento, California | 1947 | Public | 30,883 | Hornets | 2026 | Football | Big West |
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
- Delaware is officially chartered as a "privately-governed, state-assisted" institution. This status is broadly similar to that of New York State's statutory colleges, most of which are housed at Cornell University, or institutions in Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of Higher Education.
- The main campus has a Fairfax mailing address but is in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia.
- Clarion and Edinboro, previously separate institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education formally named "Location University of Pennsylvania", became campuses of the new Pennsylvania Western University (PennWest) on July 1, 2022. Both continue to have their own athletic programs, branded solely with their location (as was the case before the PennWest merger).
- SIU Edwardsville (SIUE) competed in the MAC as an affiliate member for men's soccer from the 2017 to 2020 fall seasons (2017-18 to 2020-21 school years).
- Temple competed in the MAC as an affiliate member for football from the 2005 to 2011 fall seasons (2005-06 to 2011-12 school years).
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
Former full members
School names, nicknames, and colors listed here reflect those used during each school's MAC tenure.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | Colors | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler University | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1855 | Nonsectarian | Bulldogs | 1946 | 1950 | Big East[c] | |
| University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | 1819 | Public | Bearcats | 1946 | 1953 | Big 12 | |
| Marshall University | Huntington, West Virginia | 1837 | Public | Thundering Herd | 1954 | 1969 | Sun Belt | |
| 1997 | 2005 | |||||||
| Wayne University[d] | Detroit, Michigan | 1868 | Public | Tartars[e] | 1946 | 1947 | GLIAC[f] | |
| Western Reserve University[g] | Cleveland, Ohio | 1826 | Nonsectarian | Red Cats[h] | 1946 | 1955 | UAA[i] |
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- For football, Butler competes in the Pioneer Football League (PFL).
- Currently known as Wayne State University since 1956.
- Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
- Western Reserve merged with Case Institute of Technology in 1967 to form Case Western Reserve University, with the athletic programs merging in 1971.
- Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
Former affiliate members
School names, nicknames, and colors listed here reflect those used during each school's MAC tenure.
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- Legally known as the State University of New York at Binghamton. The university actively discourages media use of the full name, or any formulation which includes "SUNY".
- The campus is physically located in Vestal but has a Binghamton mailing address.
- The main campus has an Orlando mailing address but is entirely located in unincorporated Orange County.
- Central Florida (UCF), known as the Golden Knights during its MAC tenure, dropped "Golden" from the athletic nickname in 2007 as part of its rebrand to the UCF Knights.
- Institution also has diving.
- In early 2014, the MAC made the decision "... to move forward without multi-divisional institutions." The conference then informed Hartwick that their contract as an affiliate member would not be renewed.
- Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
- Currently known as Purdue University Fort Wayne since 2018.
- Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), known as the IPFW Mastodons during their affiliation with the MAC for men's soccer and men's tennis, rebranded their athletic program as the Fort Wayne Mastodons in 2016. Following IPFW's split into two separate institutions in July 2018, the Fort Wayne athletic program transferred to the larger of the two new institutions, Purdue University Fort Wayne, and the athletic program rebranded again as the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. The school colors changed to the old gold and black used by the other members of the Purdue system, most notably the main campus.
- SIU Edwardsville (SIUE) remains in the MAC as an affiliate member for men's wrestling.
- Temple returned to the MAC as an affiliate member for women's rowing.
Membership timeline
Full members Full members (non-football) Associate members (football only) Independent Other conference 1 Other conference 2
Academics
One of the current full member schools, the University at Buffalo, is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU).[62] All members of the MAC are classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research spending and doctorate production" except for the University at Buffalo, Kent State University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Ohio University, which are classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research spending and doctorate production".[63] Member schools are also ranked nationally and globally by various groups, including U.S. News & World Report and Times Higher Education.
| University | Location | Affiliation | Carnegie[63] | Endowment[64][65] | USN Nat.[66] | URAP Global[67] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Akron | Akron, Ohio | Public | Research (High) | $236,000,000 | 293–381 | 763 |
| Ball State University | Muncie, Indiana | Public | Research (High) | $325,000,000 | 192 | 1,437 |
| Bowling Green State University | Bowling Green, Ohio | Public | Research (High) | $200,000,000 | 246 | 1,443 |
| University at Buffalo | Buffalo, New York | Public | Research (Very High) | $1,020,000,000 | 79 | 279 |
| Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, Michigan | Public | Research (High) | $246,000,000 | 240 | 1,335 |
| Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti, Michigan | Public | Research (High) | $78,000,000 | 293–381 | 2,187 |
| Kent State University | Kent, Ohio | Public | Research (Very High) | $188,000,000 | 211 | 801 |
| Miami University | Oxford, Ohio | Public | Research (High) | $736,000,000 | 91 | 1,061 |
| Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, Illinois | Public | Research (High) | $99,000,000 | 293–381 | 1,078 |
| Ohio University | Athens, Ohio | Public | Research (Very High) | $943,400,000 | 176 | 701 |
| University of Toledo | Toledo, Ohio | Public | Research (Very High) | $551,000,000 | 293–381 | 745 |
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, Michigan | Public | Research (High) | $495,000,000 | 246 | 1,292 |
Sports
The Mid-American Conference sponsors championship competition in 9 men's and 13 women's NCAA sanctioned sports, with women's lacrosse becoming the newest sport in 2020–21.[68] As of the 2024–25 school year, 16 schools are associate members for four sports.
As the MAC is an FBS conference, its full members are subject to the NCAA requirement that FBS members field teams in at least 16 NCAA-recognized sports. However, as of 2017, the MAC itself required sponsorship of only four sports: football, men's and women's basketball, and women's volleyball.[69] This may have since changed, as UMass was accepted as a new conference member effective in 2025 despite not sponsoring women's volleyball.
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 11 | – |
| Basketball | 13 | 13 |
| Cross country | 9 | 12 |
| Field hockey | – | 8 |
| Football | 12 | – |
| Golf | 8 | 10 |
| Gymnastics | – | 7 |
| Lacrosse | – | 7 |
| Soccer | – | 12 |
| Softball | – | 12 |
| Swimming and diving | – | 8 |
| Tennis | 6 | 7 |
| Track and field (indoor) | 4 | 12 |
| Track and field (outdoor) | 5 | 12 |
| Volleyball | – | 12 |
| Wrestling | 13 | – |
Men's sponsored sports by school
Departing member in pink.
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross country | Football | Golf | Tennis | Track and field (indoor) | Track and field (outdoor) | Wrestling | Total MAC sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | 6 |
| Ball State | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | 5 |
| Bowling Green | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | 5 |
| Buffalo | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Central Michigan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | 6 |
| Eastern Michigan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | 7 |
| Kent State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Miami (OH) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | 6 |
| Northern Illinois | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 6 |
| Ohio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | 6 |
| Toledo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | 6 |
| UMass | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | 6 |
| Western Michigan | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | 4 |
| Totals | 12 | 13 | 10 | 13+1[a] | 8 | 5+1[b] | 5 | 6 | 5+7[c] | 76+8 |
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the MAC
Departing member in pink.
- Notes
- Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other. Akron fields a coed team.
Women's sponsored sports by school
Departing member in pink.
| School | Basketball | Cross country | Field hockey | Golf | Gymnastics | Lacrosse | Rowing | Soccer | Softball | Swimming | Tennis | Track and field (indoor) | Track and field (outdoor) | Volleyball | Total MAC sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Ball State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 12 |
| Bowling Green | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 |
| Buffalo | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Central Michigan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 |
| Eastern Michigan | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 |
| Kent State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 |
| Miami | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Northern Illinois | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Ohio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Toledo | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 |
| UMass | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 11 |
| Western Michigan | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Totals | 13 | 13 | 6+4[a] | 10 | 7 | 5+3[b] | 3+3[c] | 13 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 137+10 |
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the MAC
Notes:
- Lightweight rowing is sanctioned by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, not the NCAA.
- Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other. Akron fields a coed team.
- Synchronized skating is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating, not by the NCAA. Most synchronized skating teams are clubs not affiliated with any college or university; Miami is one of about 15 schools that sponsor varsity or club teams.
Football
Scheduling
On November 30, 2023, the MAC approved a new scheduling format for football effective for the 2024 season, eliminating its East and West Divisions for the first time since 1996 in favor of a pod-based protected rivalry system. Under the new system, teams will be divided into 4 pods of 3 teams each, and each team will be guaranteed to face the other 2 teams in its pod every season. Additionally, every team in the MAC will be guaranteed to face every other team in the MAC at least once every three years. The MAC Football Championship Game, which previously matched the winner of the East Division against the winner of the West Division, will instead put the two teams in the MAC with the highest conference winning percentage. The pods are as follows:[72][73]
| School 1 | School 2 | School 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pod 1 | Akron | Buffalo | Kent State |
| Pod 2 | Ball State | Miami (OH) | Ohio |
| Pod 3 | Bowling Green | Northern Illinois | Toledo |
| Pod 4 | Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan | Western Michigan |
All-time results
For the current season, see 2025 Mid-American Conference football season.
| Team | First season | All-time record | All-time win % | Bowl appearances | Bowl record | MAC titles | Other conference titles | Stadium | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 1891 | 534–602–36 | .471 | 3 | 1–2 | 1 | 0 | InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field | Joe Moorhead |
| Ball State | 1924 | 479–461–32 | .509 | 9 | 1–8 | 5 | 5 | Scheumann Stadium | Mike Uremovich |
| Bowling Green | 1919 | 570–432–52 | .565 | 15 | 5–10 | 12 | 5 | Doyt Perry Stadium | Eddie George |
| Buffalo | 1894 | 415–561–28 | .427 | 7* | 4–3 | 1 | 1 | Broadview Stadium | Pete Lembo |
| Central Michigan | 1896 | 651–454–37 | .586 | 13 | 4–9 | 7 | 9 | Kelly/Shorts Stadium | Matt Drinkall |
| Eastern Michigan | 1891 | 495–630–47 | .442 | 8 | 2–6 | 1 | 9 | Rynearson Stadium | Chris Creighton |
| Kent State | 1920 | 365–608–28 | .379 | 5 | 1–4 | 1 | 0 | Dix Stadium | Mark Carney |
| UMass | 1879 | 582–661–50 | .469 | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 22 | Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium | Joe Harasymiak |
| Miami (OH) | 1888 | 743–489–44 | .600 | 16 | 9–7 | 15 | 7 | Yager Stadium | Chuck Martin |
| Northern Illinois | 1899 | 617–531–51 | .536 | 16 | 6–10 | 6 | 8 | Huskie Stadium | Thomas Hammock |
| Ohio | 1894 | 608–587–47 | .508 | 16 | 8–8 | 5 | 6 | Peden Stadium | John Hauser |
| Sacramento State | 1954 | 330–414–8 | .444 | 2 | 0–2 | 0 | 7 | Hornet Stadium | Alonzo Carter |
| Toledo | 1917 | 588–456–24 | .562 | 22 | 12–10 | 12 | 3 | Glass Bowl | Mike Jacobs |
| Western Michigan | 1905 | 603–488–24 | .552 | 12 | 2–10 | 3 | 1 | Waldo Stadium | Lance Taylor |
- - Buffalo was invited to Tangerine Bowl in 1958 but declined due to Florida's segregation laws at the time which would not have allowed Buffalo's two black players to participate.
MAC champions
Bowl games
In 2017, the MAC was contracted to provide a team for each of five college football bowl games: the Bahamas Bowl, LendingTree Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Camellia Bowl (later renamed the Salute to Veterans Bowl) and Quick Lane Bowl (later renamed the GameAbove Sports Bowl). The MAC also has secondary agreements with several ESPN-owned bowls.
- Notes
- The MAC champion (if not invited to the College Football Playoff or its associated bowls) is not contractually obligated to any specific bowl. The conference and the universities select which teams will play in which of the league's affiliated bowls.
College Football Playoff
The MAC champion, like the other "Group of 5" conferences received an automatic berth in one of the so-called New Year's Six bowl games associated with the College Football Playoff under either of the following circumstances:
- Selected as one of the top four teams overall by the CFP selection committee, in which case the team will play in a CFP national semifinal.
- Ranked by the committee as the top champion among the five conferences (American, C-USA, MAC, MW, Sun Belt) given access to one of the CFP bowls, in which case the team will play in the so-called "Access Bowl" as an at-large selection.
The first "Access Bowl" berth in 2014 went to Boise State (MW); the 2015 berth went to Houston (American). The MAC got its first berth in 2016 with Western Michigan, who had an undefeated regular season that year and finished ranked at No. 15 in the AP Poll.
During the era of the now-defunct Bowl Championship Series (BCS), one MAC team appeared in a BCS bowl game. In 2012, NIU qualified by being ranked in the top 16 (15th) in the season's final BCS standings, and also higher than at least one champion of a conference that received an automatic berth in a BCS game. In the 2012 season, two such conference champions were ranked below NIU: Big East champion Louisville, who was ranked 22nd, and Big Ten champion Wisconsin, who was unranked. NIU lost to Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Rivalries
Football rivalries involving MAC teams include:
| Teams | Rivalry name | Trophy | Meetings | First Played | Record | Series leader | Current streak | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | Kent State | – | Wagon Wheel | 67 | 1923 | 37–28–2 | Akron | Akron won 2 |
| Akron | Youngstown State | – | Steel Tire | 35 | 1982 | 19–14–2 | Youngstown State | Youngstown State won 3 |
| Ball State | Indiana State | – | Blue Key Victory Bell | 64 | 1924 | 39–24–1 | Ball State | Ball State won 1 |
| Ball State | Miami | The Redbird Rivalry | Redbird Rivalry Trophy | 38 | 1931 | 13–24–1 | Miami | Miami won 5 |
| Ball State | Northern Illinois | Battle for the Bronze Stalk | Bronze Stalk Trophy | 53 | 1941 | 26–25–2 | Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois won 1 |
| Bowling Green | Kent State | – | Anniversary Award | 92 | 1920 | 62–24–6 | Bowling Green | Bowling Green won 2 |
| Bowling Green | Toledo | Battle of I-75 | Battle of I-75 Trophy | 90 | 1919 | 43–42–4 | Toledo | Bowling Green won 1 |
| Buffalo | UMass | The Flagship Cup | – | 16 | 1964 | 9–6 | Buffalo | Buffalo won 2 |
| Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan | Rivalry | – | 102 | 1902 | 64–32–6 | Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan won 1 |
| Central Michigan | Western Michigan | Battle of the Cannon Trophy | Victory Cannon | 95 | 1907 | 53–40–2 | Western Michigan | Central Michigan won 1 |
| Miami | Cincinnati | Battle for the Bell | Victory Bell | 128 | 1888 | 61–60–7 | Cincinnati | Cincinnati won 1 |
| Miami | Ohio | Battle of the Bricks | – | 101 | 1908 | 56–43–2 | Miami | Ohio won 1 |
| Miami | Northern Illinois | Battle for the Mallory Cup | Mallory Cup | 21 | 1970 | 12-9 | Miami | Miami won 4 |
| Ohio | Marshall | Battle for the Bell | The Bell | 60 | 1905 | 33–21–6 | Ohio | Marshall won 1 |
| UMass | Boston College | Rivalry | – | 27 | 1899 | 23–4–1 | Boston College | Boston College won 11 |
| UMass | New Hampshire | Colonial Clash | – | 74 | 1897 | 43–28–3 | UMass | New Hampshire won 2 |
| UMass | UConn | Rivalry | The Southwick Jug | 78 | 1897 | 38–38–2 | Tie | UConn won 3 |
In addition, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Western Michigan compete for the Michigan MAC Trophy, which is awarded to the team with the best head-to-head record each year. Since the inception of the trophy in 2005, Western Michigan has won 7 times, Central Michigan has won 5 times, and Eastern Michigan has won the trophy 4 times. Western Michigan has won the trophy three straight years (2018–2020) as well as six of seven years from 2014 to 2020 (2014–2016, 2018–2020).
Basketball
In August 2010, Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher and the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that the Mid-American Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments would remain in Cleveland at the venue then known as Quicken Loans Arena and now as Rocket Arena through 2017.[75] Both tournaments have flourished since moving to Cleveland in 2000, with the men's semi-finals and championship regularly drawing large crowds at Quicken Loans Arena.[76] In 2007, the MAC also announced a format change for both tournaments, bringing all twelve men's and women's teams to Cleveland. The MAC also co-hosted the 2007 Women's Final Four at Quicken Loans Arena after successfully hosting the 2006 NCAA Women's Basketball Regional at the same facility.
On May 12, 2020, Steinbrecher announced a suite of major changes to the conference's competitive format across multiple sports in response to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific to men's and women's basketball, the following changes took effect in 2020–21 and will continue through at least 2023–24:[21]
- The conference adopted a single league table, eliminating the divisional standings.
- The conference schedule increased from 18 to 20 games.
- Only the top eight men's and women's teams advance to their respective conference tournaments.
Championships
Current MAC champions
The following are the most recent conference champions of each MAC sport. Champions from the previous academic year are indicated with the calendar year of their title.
In sports in which regular-season and tournament champions are recognized, "RS" indicates regular-season champion and "T" indicates tournament champion.
|
Fall 2025
|
Winter 2025–26
|
Spring 2025
|
Facilities
Athletic department revenue by school
Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.
Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.
The following table shows institutional reporting to the U.S. Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2023–24 academic year.[78]
| Institution | 2023–24 total revenue from athletics | 2023–24 total expenses on athletics |
|---|---|---|
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | $49,525,166 | $49,525,166 |
| University at Buffalo | $42,271,934 | $42,113,971 |
| Miami University | $40,819,194 | $40,819,194 |
| Western Michigan University | $40,487,398 | $40,487,398 |
| University of Toledo | $37,298,170 | $37,298,170 |
| Eastern Michigan University | $37,094,526 | $37,094,526 |
| Central Michigan University | $36,647,135 | $36,647,135 |
| Kent State University | $34,453,185 | $34,453,185 |
| Ohio University | $32,958,838 | $32,958,838 |
| Bowling Green State University | $32,044,229 | $31,864,946 |
| University of Akron | $30,010,416 | $30,010,416 |
| Ball State University | $29,737,219 | $29,737,219 |
| Northern Illinois University | $24,939,848 | $24,939,848 |
Hall of Fame
The Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame was the first Division I conference Hall of Fame.[79] It was established in 1987 and classes have been inducted in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2012 and 2013.[80][81]
In order to be eligible, a person must have participated during the time the university was in the MAC and five years must have passed from the time the individual participated in athletics or worked in the athletic department.[79]
The following is a list of the members of the MAC Hall of Fame, along with school affiliation, sport(s) for which they were inducted, and year of induction.
- Nick Saban, Kent State, football, 2024[82]
- Harold Anderson, Bowling Green, basketball, 1991
- Janet Bachna, Kent State, gymnastics, 1992
- Joe Begala, Kent State, wrestling, 1991
- Tom Beutler, Toledo, football, 1994
- Kermit Blosser, Ohio, golf, 1988
- Jim Corrigall, Kent State, football, 1994
- Hasely Crawford, Eastern Michigan, track and field, 1991
- Ben Curtis, Kent State, golf, 2012
- Caroline (Mast) Daugherty, Ohio, basketball, 1994
- Herb Deromedi, Central Michigan, football, 2012
- Chuck Ealey, Toledo, football, 1988
- Fran Ebert, Western Michigan, softball / basketball, 1992
- Wayne Embry, Miami, basketball, 2012
- Karen Fitzpatrick, Ball State, field hockey, 2012
- John Gill, WMU athlete / coach / administrator, 1994
- Maurice Harvey, Ball State, football, 1992
- Bill Hess, Ohio, football coach, 1992
- Gary Hogeboom, Central Michigan, football, 1994
- Fred Jacoby, MAC commissioner, 1990
- Bob James, MAC commissioner, 1989
- Ron Johnson, Eastern Michigan, football, 1988
- Dave Keilitz, Central Michigan, baseball, 2013
- Ted Kjolhede, Central Michigan, basketball, 1988
- Kim Knuth, Toledo, women's basketball, 2013
- Ken Kramer, Ball State, football, 1991
- Bill Lajoie, Western Michigan, baseball, 1991
- Jack Lambert, Kent State, football, 1988
- Frank Lauterbur, Toledo, football, 1990
- Mel Long, Toledo, football, 1992
- Charlier Maher, Western Michigan, baseball, 1989
- Bill Mallory, Miami/Northern Illinois, football, 2013
- Brad Maynard, Ball State, football, 2013
- Ray McCallum, Ball State, basketball, 1988
- Jack McLain, MAC football official, 1992
- Karen Michalak, Central Michigan, basketball / track and field / field hockey, 1992
- Gordon Minty, Eastern Michigan, track and field, 1994
- Steve Mix, Toledo, basketball, 1989
- Thurman Munson, Kent State, baseball, 1990
- Ira Murchinson, Western Michigan, track and field, 1990
- Don Nehlen, Bowling Green, football, 1994
- Manny Newsome, Western Michigan, basketball, 1988
- Bob Nichols, Toledo, basketball, 2012
- John Offerdahl, Western Michigan, football, 2013
- Bob Owchinko, Eastern Michigan, baseball, 1992
- Ara Parseghian, Miami, football, 1988
- Doyt Perry, Bowling Green, football, 1988
- John Pont, Miami, football player / coach, 1992
- John Pruis, Ball State, president, 1994
- Trevor Rees, Kent State, football, 1989
- David Reese, MAC commissioner, 1988
- George Rider, Miami, track and field, 1989
- William Rohr, Miami, basketball coach 1994
- Dan Roundfield, Central Michigan, basketball, 1990
- Bo Schembechler, Miami, football coach, 1991
- Mike Schmidt, Ohio, baseball, 2012
- Dick Shrider, Miami, basketball, 1990
- Christi Smith, Akron, track and field, 2013
- Jim Snyder, Ohio, basketball, 1991
- Shafer Suggs, Ball State, football, 1989
- Nate Thurmond, Bowling Green, basketball, 1989
- Gary Trent, Ohio, men's basketball, 2013
- Phil Villapiano, Bowling Green, football, 1992
- Bob Welch, Eastern Michigan, baseball, 1990
- Dave Wottle, Bowling Green, track and field, 1990
- Bob Wren, Ohio, baseball, 1989
Media
Broadcasts
A number of MAC sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling and volleyball, are telecast on Spectrum Sports, replacing SportsTime Ohio and Fox Sports Ohio as the MAC TV partner.[83] Along with Spectrum Sports, ESPN, as well as the American Sports Network, retain the "local and regional" syndication telecast rights to the MAC for football and basketball.
In 2000, ESPN began broadcasting MAC football games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The conference agreed to the unusual windows to help improve viewership, as the games would face less competition than games in traditional windows such as on Saturdays); fans would nickname the midweek games MACtion. In 2014, the conference and ESPN agreed to a new 13-year contract, where each school receives more than $800,000 annually, and plays most November football games on weekday nights; 16 of 18 games in 2016 were not on Saturdays, for example. While these mid-week games have a decreased stadium attendance, they benefit from prominent, national television coverage on an ESPN network, as opposed to having to air on lesser-viewed channels or streaming platforms.[84] While noting the smaller attendance, coaches say that midweek games are good for the conference, and give players a break on Saturdays.[85]
Ball State produces its own comprehensive television package with Ball State Sports Link. Affiliate stations include WIPB in Muncie, WNDY in Indianapolis, WPTA in Fort Wayne, WHME in South Bend, WTVW in Evansville, WYIN in Merrillville and Comcast in Michigan. All Ball State Sports Link games are also broadcast on student radio station WCRD and on the Ball State Radio Network produced by WLBC-FM and Backyard Broadcasting.
NIU has multiple football and basketball games telecast by Comcast SportsNet Chicago. In addition, most NIU football and basketball games can be heard on WSCR-AM 670 "The Score"—Chicago's powerful 50,000-watt, top-rated all-sports station, which reaches 38 states and Canada.
MAC Properties
MAC Properties (a division of ISP Sports) is the sponsorship arm of the Mid-American Conference, and handles all forms of sponsorship and advertising for the MAC which includes managing and growing its stable of official corporate partners. As of 2010, the MAC has five official corporate partners: FirstEnergy, Marathon, PNC Bank, AutoTrader.com and Cleveland Clinic Sports Health. There are approximately 20 other companies engaged as sponsors of the conference at the non-official level. MAC Properties also assists with the management of the conference's television and radio contracts, including those with ESPN Regional, FOX Sports Ohio and ESPN 850 WKNR among others.
