The 2023 Mid-American Conference football season was the 78th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), as part of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Non-conference play began with one game on August 26. Conference play began on September 23 and concluded with the MAC championship game on Saturday, December 2 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Miami won the East division with a 7-1 conference record with their only loss coming against Toledo. Toledo won the West with a perfect conference record. Their quarterback Dequan Finn won Player of the Year and coach Jason Candle won coach of the year. On October 21, during the regular season game between the division winners, Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert suffered a season ending leg injury. In spite of that, Miami won their first MAC Championship since 2019 with a 23–14 upset victory in the MAC Championship Game.
Preseason
The MAC Football Kickoff was held on July 20, 2023 at Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan from 9:00 am EDT to 1:30 pm EDT. Each team had their head coach and a student athlete from both the offense and the defense to speak to the media.
Akron – Head Coach Joe Moorhead, Daniel George, R-Sr., WR, KJ Martin, R-So., DB Ball State – Head Coach Mike Neu, Brady Hunt, R-So., TE, Clayton Coll, Sr., LB Bowling Green – Head Coach Scot Loeffler, Darren Anders, Sr., ILB, Odieu Hiliare, Sr., WR Buffalo – Head Coach Maurice Linguist, Marcus Fuqua, 5th-Yr., S, Cole Snyder, 5th-Yr., QB Central Michigan – Head Coach Jim McElwain, Deiyantei Powell Woods, Sr., OL, Trey Jones, Jr., DB Eastern Michigan – Head Coach Chris Creighton, Samson Evans, Grad., RB, Chase Kline, Senior, LB Kent State – Head Coach Kenni Burns, CJ West, Sr., DL, Khalib Johns, Gr., LB Miami – Head Coach Chuck Martin, Brett Gabbert, R-Jr., QB, Matthew Salopek, R-Jr., LB Northern Illinois – Head Coach Thomas Hammock, Nolan Potter, R-Sr., OL, James Ester, Sr., DT Ohio – Head Coach Tim Albin, Kurtis Rourke, R-Sr., QB, Bryce Houston, Grad., LB Toledo – Head Coach Jason Candle, Quinyon Mitchell, Jr., CB, Dequan Finn, Jr., QB Western Michigan – Head Coach Lance Taylor, Jacob Gideon, Jr., OL, Marshawn Kneeland, R-Jr., DL
Preseason polls
Coaches Poll On July 20 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Defending MAC champion Toledo was named the preseason favorite to win the conference while Ohio was picked to win the Eastern Division.
East 1 Ohio 63 (9) 2 Miami 52 (2) 3 Buffalo 51 (1) 4 Bowling Green 35 5 Akron 26 6 Kent State 19 West 1 Toledo 66 (11) 2 Eastern Michigan 55 (1) 3 Northern Illinois 38 4 Central Michigan 37 5 Ball State 27 6 Western Michigan 23
Coaches poll (MAC Championship) 1 Toledo 7 2 Ohio 4 3 Buffalo 1
Individual Award Preseason Watchlists
Lott TrophyMarcus FuquaBuffaloS Dodd Trophy noneHCMaxwell AwardAlex AdamsAkronWRMarquez CooperBall StateRBSamson EvansEastern MichiganRBKurtis RourkeOhioQBDequan FinnToledoQBDavey O'Brien AwardKurtis RourkeOhioQBDequan FinnToledoDoak Walker AwardSieh BanguraOhioRBSamson EvansEastern MichiganAntario BrownNorthern IllinoisBiletnikoff AwardAlex AdamsAkronWRSam WigluszOhioJerjuan NewtonToledoJohn Mackey AwardBrady HuntBall StateTERimington TrophyJacob GideonWestern MichiganCButkus AwardShaun DolacBuffaloLBDallas GantToledoJim Thorpe AwardQuinyon MitchellToledoCBMarcus FuquaBuffaloSBronko Nagurski TrophyShaun DolacBuffaloLBMarcus FuquaBuffaloSMaxen HookToledoSDonte KentCentral MichiganCBQuinyon MitchellToledoCBDevonte O'MalleyNortherm IllinoisDT
Outland TrophyEthan CroweBall StateCDaymond WilliamsBuffaloDTDeiyantei Powell-WoodsCentral MichiganGNolan PotterNorthern IllinoisTNick RosiToledoTLou Groza AwardAlex McNultyBuffaloKJesús GómezEastern MichiganRay Guy AwardLucas BorrowBall StatePMitchell TomasekEastern MichiganDom DziobanMiamiPaul Hornung AwardRon Cook Jr.BuffaloRBTrayvon RudolphNorthern IllinoisWRJacquez StuartToledoRBWuerffel TrophyClayton CollBall StateLBAbdul-Fatai IbrahimBowling GreenWRAustin OsborneBowling GreenWRBrock HorneBowling GreenLBDarren AndersBowling GreenLBDemetrius HardamonBowling GreenLBMax MichelBuffaloDERobi StuartCentral MichiganDLBrian DooleyEastern MichiganOLDallas GantToledoLBBoone BonnemaWestern MichiganLB
Walter Camp AwardKurtis RourkeOhioQBSamson EvansEastern MichiganRBBednarik AwardShaun DolacBuffaloLBQuinyon MitchellToledoCBRotary Lombardi AwardDallas GantLBToledoPatrick Mannelly Award noneLSEarl Campbell Tyler Rose AwardBert Emmanuel Jr.QBCentral MichiganJaylon JacksonRBEastern MichiganManning AwardDequan FinnToledoQBKurtis RourkeOhioCole SnyderBuffaloJohnny Unitas Golden Arm AwardKurtis RourkeOhioQB
Coaches
Coaching changes The MAC enters the 2023 season with two new head football coaches:
Western Michigan fired Tim Lester on November 28, 2022, after his team finished the 2022 season with a 5–7. On December 7, 2022 Lance Taylor, who was the offensive coordinator for Louisville in 2022, was introduced as the new head coach. On December 4, 2022 Sean Lewis stepped down as Kent State head coach to become the offensive coordinator at Colorado under new head coach Deion Sanders. On December 13, 2022, Kent State hired former Minnesota associate head coach Kenni Burns as their new head coach.
Head coaching records Team Head coach Previous Job Years at school Overall record MAC record MAC titles Akron Joe Moorhead Oregon (offensive coordinator) 2 0 Ball State Mike Neu New Orleans Saints (QB Coach) 8 1 Bowling Green Scot Loeffler Boston College (offensive coordinator/QB coach) 5 0 Buffalo Maurice Linguist Michigan (co-defensive coordinator) 3 0 Central Michigan Jim McElwain Florida 5 0 Eastern Michigan Chris Creighton Drake 10 0 Kent State Kenni Burns Minnesota (associate head coach) 1 0 Miami Chuck Martin Notre Dame (offensive coordinator/QB coach) 9 1 Northern Illinois Thomas Hammock Baltimore Ravens (running backs coach) 5 1 Ohio Tim Albin Ohio (associate head coach) 3 0 Toledo Jason Candle Toledo (offensive coordinator) 8 2 Western Michigan Lance Taylor Louisville (offensive coordinator) 1 0 Source -
Rankings
Pre Wk1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9 Wk10 Wk11 Wk12 Wk13 Wk14 Final Akron AP C CFP Not released Ball State AP C CFP Not released Bowling Green AP C CFP Not released Buffalo AP C CFP Not released Central Michigan AP C CFP Not released Eastern Michigan AP C CFP Not released Kent State AP C CFP Not released Miami AP RV RV RV RV RVC RV CFP Not released Northern Illinois AP C CFP Not released Ohio AP RVC RV RV RV CFP Not released Toledo AP RV RV RV RV RV 23 23 RV RVC RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV CFP Not released Western Michigan AP C CFP Not released
+ Legend Improvement in ranking Drop in ranking Not ranked previous week No change in ranking from previous week RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll т Tied with team above or below also with this symbol
Source: AP -
Coaches -
CFP -
Schedule
Index to colors and formattingMAC member wonMAC member lostMAC teams in bold All times Eastern time.
Week 0
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
MAC Conference Championship Game
Postseason
Bowl Games
Legend MAC win MAC loss
Bowl gameDateSiteTelevisionTime (EST)MAC teamOpponentScoreAttendance Myrtle Beach Bowl December 16 Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC ESPN 11:00 a.m. Ohio Georgia Southern W 41–21 8,059 Cure Bowl December 16 FBC Mortgage Stadium • Orlando, FL ABC 3:30 p.m. Miami (OH) Appalachian State L 9–13 11,121 Camellia Bowl December 23 Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL ESPN 12:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Arkansas State W 21–19 11,310 68 Ventures Bowl December 23 Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL ESPN 7:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan South Alabama L 10–59 Quick Lane Bowl December 26 Ford Field • Detroit, MI ESPN 2:00 p.m. Bowling Green Minnesota L 24–30 Arizona Bowl December 30 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ Barstool / The CW 4:00 p.m. Toledo Wyoming L 15–16
MAC records vs. other conferences 2023–2024 records against non-conference foes:
Regular season Power Five ConferencesRecordACC2–2Big 122–1Big Ten0–8Notre Dame0–1Pac-120–0SEC 0–5Power 5 Total4–17Other FBS ConferencesRecordAmerican 1–2C-USA 0–3Independents (Excluding Notre Dame) 3–0Mountain West 1–2Sun Belt 1–2Other FBS Total 6–9FCS OpponentsRecordFootball Championship Subdivision 10–2Total Non-Conference Record 20–28
Postseason
Power Five ConferencesRecordACC0–0Big 12 0–0Big Ten0–1Notre Dame0–0Pac-12 0–0SEC 0–0Power 5 Total0–1Other FBS ConferencesRecordAmerican 0–0C-USA 0–0Independents (Excluding Notre Dame) 0–0Mountain West 0–1Sun Belt 2-2Other FBS Total 2–3Total Bowl Record2–4
Mid-American vs Power 5 matchups This is a list of games the MAC has scheduled versus power conference teams (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Notre Dame and SEC). All rankings are from the current AP Poll at the time of the game.
Date Conference Visitor Home Site Score August 31 Big 12 Kent State UCF FBC Mortgage Stadium • Orlando, FL L 6–56 September 1 ACC Miami (OH) Miami (FL) Hard Rock Stadium • Miami, FL L 3–38 September 1 Big Ten Central Michigan Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI L 7–31 September 2 SEC Ball State Kentucky Kroger Field • Lexington, KY L 14–44 September 2 Big Ten Buffalo No. 19 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI L 17–38 September 2 ACC Northern Illinois Boston College Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA W 27–24 OT September 2 Big Ten Toledo Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL L 28–30 September 9 SEC Ball State No. 1 Georgia Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA L 3–45 September 9 Big Ten Eastern Michigan Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN L 6–25 September 9 SEC Kent State Arkansas D.W.R. Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR L 6–28 September 9 ACC Western Michigan Syracuse JMA Wireless Dome • Syracuse, NY L 7–48 September 16 SEC Akron Kentucky Kroger Field • Lexington, KY L 3–35 September 16 Big Ten Bowling Green No. 2 Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI L 6–31 September 16 Independent Central Michigan No. 9 Notre Dame Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN L 17–41 September 16 Big 12 Iowa State Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH W 10–7 September 16 Big 12 Miami (OH) Cincinnati Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH W 31–24 OT September 16 Big Ten Northern Illinois Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE L 11–35 September 16 Big Ten Western Michigan No. 25 Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA L 10–41 September 23 Big Ten Akron Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN L 27–29 4OT September 30 ACC Bowling Green Georgia Tech Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA W 38–27 October 7 SEC Western Michigan Mississippi State Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS L 28–41
Mid-American vs Group of Five matchups The following games include MAC teams competing against teams from the American, C-USA, Mountain West or Sun Belt.
Date Conference Visitor Home Site Score August 26 MWC Ohio San Diego State Snapdragon Stadium • San Diego, CA L 13–20 September 2 American Akron Temple Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA L 21–24 September 2 CUSA Bowling Green Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA L 24–34 September 9 American Ohio Florida Atlantic FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL W 17–10 September 16 CUSA Liberty Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY L 27–55 September 16 MWC San Jose State Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH W 21–17 September 23 Sun Belt Central Michigan South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL W 34–30 September 23 CUSA Eastern Michigan Jacksonville State Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL L 0–21 September 23 Sun Belt Georgia Southern Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN L 3–40 September 23 MWC Kent State Fresno State Valley Children's Stadium • Fresno, CA L 10–53 September 23 American Tulsa Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL L 14–22 September 23 SunBelt Buffalo Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA L 38–45
Mid-American vs FBS independents matchups