2023 Mid-American Conference football season

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.^[1] Miami won the East division with a 7-1 conference record with their only loss coming against Toledo.^[2] Toledo won the West with a perfect conference record.^[3] Their quarterback Dequan Finn won Player of the Year and coach Jason Candle won coach of the year.^[4] On October 21, during the regular season game between the division winners, Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert suffered a season ending leg injury.^[5] In spite of that, Miami won their first MAC Championship since 2019 with a 23–14 upset victory in the MAC Championship Game.^[6]

2023 Mid-American Conference football season
League	NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Sport	Football
Duration	August 26 - December 2
Number of teams	12
2024 NFL Draft
Top draft pick	Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
Picked by	Philadelphia Eagles, 22nd overall
Regular season
MAC Championship Game

2023 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Miami (OH) xy$		7	–	1					11	–	3
Ohio		6	–	2					10	–	3
Bowling Green		5	–	3					7	–	6
Buffalo		3	–	5					3	–	9
Akron		1	–	7					2	–	10
Kent State		0	–	8					1	–	11
West Division
Toledo xy		8	–	0					11	–	3
Northern Illinois		5	–	3					7	–	6
Eastern Michigan		4	–	4					6	–	7
Central Michigan		3	–	5					5	–	7
Ball State		3	–	5					4	–	8
Western Michigan		3	–	5					4	–	8
Championship: Miami (OH) 23, Toledo 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

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.^[7]

• 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.^[8][9]

East
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Ohio	63 (9)
2	Miami	52 (2)
3	Buffalo	51 (1)
4	Bowling Green	35
5	Akron	26
6	Kent State	19

West
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
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)
Rank	Team	Votes
1	Toledo	7
2	Ohio	4
3	Buffalo	1

Individual Award Preseason Watchlists

Award Head Coach/Player School Position Ref Lott Trophy Marcus Fuqua Buffalo S [10] Dodd Trophy none HC [11] Maxwell Award Alex Adams Akron WR [12][13] Marquez Cooper Ball State RB Samson Evans Eastern Michigan RB Kurtis Rourke Ohio QB Dequan Finn Toledo QB Davey O'Brien Award Kurtis Rourke Ohio QB [14][15] Dequan Finn Toledo Doak Walker Award Sieh Bangura Ohio RB [16][17] Samson Evans Eastern Michigan Antario Brown Northern Illinois Biletnikoff Award Alex Adams Akron WR [18][19] Sam Wiglusz Ohio Jerjuan Newton Toledo John Mackey Award Brady Hunt Ball State TE [20][21] Rimington Trophy Jacob Gideon Western Michigan C [22][23] Butkus Award Shaun Dolac Buffalo LB [24][25] Dallas Gant Toledo Jim Thorpe Award Quinyon Mitchell Toledo CB [26][27] Marcus Fuqua Buffalo S Bronko Nagurski Trophy Shaun Dolac Buffalo LB [28][29] Marcus Fuqua Buffalo S Maxen Hook Toledo S Donte Kent Central Michigan CB Quinyon Mitchell Toledo CB Devonte O'Malley Northerm Illinois DT

Award Head Coach/Player School Position Ref Outland Trophy Ethan Crowe Ball State C [30][31] Daymond Williams Buffalo DT Deiyantei Powell-Woods Central Michigan G Nolan Potter Northern Illinois T Nick Rosi Toledo T Lou Groza Award Alex McNulty Buffalo K [32][33] Jesus Gomez Eastern Michigan Ray Guy Award Lucas Borrow Ball State P [34][35] Mitchell Tomasek Eastern Michigan Dom Dzioban Miami Paul Hornung Award Ron Cook Jr. Buffalo RB [36][37] Trayvon Rudolph Northern Illinois WR Jacquez Stuart Toledo RB Wuerffel Trophy Clayton Coll Ball State LB [38][39] Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim Bowling Green WR Austin Osborne Bowling Green WR Brock Horne Bowling Green LB Darren Anders Bowling Green LB Demetrius Hardamon Bowling Green LB Max Michel Buffalo DE Robi Stuart Central Michigan DL Brian Dooley Eastern Michigan OL Dallas Gant Toledo LB Boone Bonnema Western Michigan LB

Award Head Coach/Player School Position Ref Walter Camp Award Kurtis Rourke Ohio QB [40][41] Samson Evans Eastern Michigan RB Bednarik Award Shaun Dolac Buffalo LB [42][43] Quinyon Mitchell Toledo CB Rotary Lombardi Award Dallas Gant LB Toledo [44][45] Patrick Mannelly Award none LS [46] Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Bert Emmanuel Jr. QB Central Michigan [47] Jaylon Jackson RB Eastern Michigan Manning Award Dequan Finn Toledo QB [48][49] Kurtis Rourke Ohio Cole Snyder Buffalo Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Kurtis Rourke Ohio QB [50][51]

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.^[52][53] On December 7, 2022 Lance Taylor, who was the offensive coordinator for Louisville in 2022, was introduced as the new head coach.^[54]
• 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.^[55] On December 13, 2022, Kent State hired former Minnesota associate head coach Kenni Burns as their new head coach.^[56]

Head coaching records

Team	Head coach	Previous Job	Years at school	Overall record	MAC record	MAC titles
Akron	Joe Moorhead	Oregon (offensive coordinator)	2	54–35 (.607)	1–7 (.125)	0
Ball State	Mike Neu	New Orleans Saints (QB Coach)	8	33–48 (.407)	20–34 (.370)	1
Bowling Green	Scot Loeffler	Boston College (offensive coordinator/QB coach)	5	13–29 (.310)	9–20 (.310)	0
Buffalo	Maurice Linguist	Michigan (co-defensive coordinator)	3	11–14 (.440)	7–9 (.438)	0
Central Michigan	Jim McElwain	Florida	5	68–48 (.586)	18–12 (.600)	0
Eastern Michigan	Chris Creighton	Drake	10	185–107 (.634)	27–43 (.386)	0
Kent State	Kenni Burns	Minnesota (associate head coach)	1	0–0 (–)	0–0 (–)	0
Miami	Chuck Martin	Notre Dame (offensive coordinator/QB coach)	9	119–66 (.643)	37–30 (.552)	1
Northern Illinois	Thomas Hammock	Baltimore Ravens (running backs coach)	5	17–27 (.386)	12–18 (.400)	1
Ohio	Tim Albin	Ohio (associate head coach)	3	38–21 (.644)	10–6 (.625)	0
Toledo	Jason Candle	Toledo (offensive coordinator)	8	54–32 (.628)	35–19 (.648)	2
Western Michigan	Lance Taylor	Louisville (offensive coordinator)	1	0–0 (–)	0–0 (–)	0

Source - ^{[57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]}

Rankings

See also: 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

		Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	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	RV
	C															RV
	CFP	Not released
Northern Illinois	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Ohio	AP																RV
	C				RV		RV	RV
	CFP	Not released
Toledo	AP	RV								RV	RV	RV	RV	23	23	RV	RV
	C	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 -^{[69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85]}

Coaches -^{[86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100]}

CFP -^{[101][102][103][104][105][106]}

Schedule

^{[1][107][108]}

Index to colors and formatting
MAC member won
MAC member lost
MAC teams in bold

All times Eastern time.

Week 0

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
August 26	7:00 p.m.	Ohio	San Diego State	Snapdragon Stadium • San Diego, CA	FS1	L 13–20	23,867
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 1

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
August 31	7:00 p.m.	Saint Francis (PA)	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	W 35–17	19,432
August 31	7:00 p.m.	Kent State	UCF	FBC Mortgage Stadium • Orlando, FL	FS1	L 6–56	44,088
September 1	6:30 p.m.	Howard	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 33–23	18,065
September 1	7:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Miami (FL)	Hard Rock Stadium • Miami, FL	ACCN	L 3–38	49,024
September 1	7:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	FS1	L 7–31
September 2	12:00 p.m.	LIU	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN+	W 27–10	18,453
September 2	12:00 p.m.	Ball State	Kentucky	Kroger Field • Lexington, KY	SECN	L 14–44
September 2	12:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Liberty	Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA	CBSSN	L 24–34	18,811
September 2	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Boston College	Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA	ACCN	W 27–24 OT	30,122
September 2	2:00 p.m.	Akron	Temple	Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA	ESPN+	L 21–24	12,456
September 2	3:30 p.m.	Buffalo	No. 19 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	FS1	L 17–38	76,224
September 2	7:30 p.m.	Toledo	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	BTN	L 28–30	48,898
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 2

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 9	12:00 p.m.	Ball State	No. 1 Georgia	Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA	SECN	L 3–45	92,746
September 9	1:30 p.m.	No. 11 (FCS) New Hampshire	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN+	W 45–42	17,302
September 9	2:00 p.m.	Eastern Illinois	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	W 38–15	12,312
September 9	3:30 p.m.	No. 24 (FCS) Southern Illinois	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	L 11–14	13,114
September 9	3:30 p.m.	Texas Southern	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN+	W 71–3	22,742
September 9	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, MA	ESPN+	W 41–28	9,207
September 9	3:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	Syracuse	JMA Wireless Dome • Syracuse, NY	ESPN+	L 7–48	32,637
September 9	4:00 p.m.	Kent State	Arkansas	D.W.R. Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR	SECN	L 6–28	73,173
September 9	6:00 p.m.	Morgan State	Akron	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field • Akron, OH	ESPN+	W 24–21	8,213
September 9	6:00 p.m.	Fordham	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN+	L 37–40	15,854
September 9	6:00 p.m.	Ohio	Florida Atlantic	FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL	ESPN+	W 17–10	17,934
September 9	7:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	BTN	L 6–25	48,101
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 3

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 16	12:00 p.m.	Iowa State	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN2/ESPNU	W 10–7	21,991
September 16	12:00 p.m.	Liberty	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	CBSSN	L 27–55	13,020
September 16	12:00 p.m.	Central Connecticut	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN+	W 38–10	10,731
September 16	2:00 p.m.	Indiana State	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN (Blue Key Victory Bell)	ESPN+	W 45–7	15,054
September 16	2:00 p.m.	UMass	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 19–17	16,138
September 16	2:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	No. 9 Notre Dame	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	Peacock	L 17–41	77,622
September 16	3:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	No. 25 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	BTN	L 10–41	69,250
September 16	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	FS1	L 11–35	86,875
September 16	7:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell)	ESPN+	W 31–24 OT	38,193
September 16	7:00 p.m.	San Jose State	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN+	W 21–17	20,039
September 16	7:00 p.m.	Akron	Kentucky	Kroger Field • Lexington, KY	ESPNU	L 3–35	59,456
September 16	7:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	No. 2 Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	BTN	L 6–31	109,955
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 4

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 23	12:00 p.m.	Tulsa	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	CBSSN	L 14–22	10,321
September 23	1:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN+	TOL 49–31	19,068
September 23	2:00 p.m.	Georgia Southern	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	L 3–40	10,118
September 23	3:30 p.m.	Ohio	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	OHIO 38–7	18,248
September 23	3:30 p.m.	Delaware State	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	W 62–20	15,812
September 23	5:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Jacksonville State	Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL	ESPN+	L 0–21	20,966
September 23	5:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	South Alabama	Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL	ESPN+	W 34–30	18,369
September 23	7:30 p.m.	Akron	Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	BTN	L 27–29 4OT	44,968
September 23	7:30 p.m.	Buffalo	Louisiana	Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA	ESPN+	L 38–45	17,674
September 23	10:30 p.m.	Kent State	Fresno State	Valley Children's Stadium • Fresno, CA	CBSSN	L 10–53	38,728
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 5

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 30	12:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Akron	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field • Akron, OH	ESPN+	UB 13–10 OT	5,490
September 30	1:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPN+	CMU 26–23	28,323
September 30	2:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN+	M-OH 23–3	13,598
September 30	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	Georgia Tech	Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA	ACCN	W 38–27	30,097
September 30	3:30 p.m.	Ball State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	WMU 42–24	21,880
September 30	3:30 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPNU	TOL 35–33	23,417
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 6

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 7	12:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Mississippi State	Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS	SECN	L 28–41	47,158
October 7	12:00 p.m.	Toledo	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, MA	ESPNU	W 41–24	9,623
October 7	2:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN+	UB 37–13	12,093
October 7	3:30 p.m.	Ball State	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	EMU 24–10	18,696
October 7	3:30 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Akron	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field • Akron, OH	ESPN+	NIU 55–14	8,216
October 7	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN+	OHIO 42–17	22,945
October 7	3:30 p.m	Bowling Green	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	M-OH 27–0	19,047
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 7

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 14	12:00 p.m.	Kent State	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	CBSSN	EMU 28–14	18,443
October 14	2:00 p.m.	Toledo	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	TOL 13–6	7,673
October 14	3:30 p.m.	Akron	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN+	CMU 17–10	17,886
October 14	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN+	BGSU 24–14	15,196
October 14	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	M-OH 34–21	20,039
October 14	4:00 p.m.	Ohio	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPNU	NIU 23–13	11,143
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 8

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 21	12:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	CBSSN	OHIO 20–17	16,048
October 21	2:00 p.m.	Akron	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	BGSU 41–14	10,068
October 21	3:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	BSU 24–17	15,171
October 21	3:30 p.m.	Buffalo	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN+	UB 24–6	11,735
October 21	3:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	NIU 20–13	9,458
October 21	4:00 p.m.	Toledo	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPNU	TOL 21–17	17,321
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 9

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 28	1:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPN+	WMU 45–21	16,297
October 28	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH (Battle of the Bricks)	CBSSN	M-OH 30–16	19,854
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 10

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 31	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPNU	CMU 37–31	9,625
October 31	7:30 p.m.	Buffalo	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN2	TOL 31–13	14,939
November 1	7:00 p.m.	Ball State	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN2	BGSU 24–21	6,091
November 1	7:30 p.m.	Kent State	Akron	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field • Akron, OH (Wagon Wheel)	ESPNU	AKR 31–27	8,113
#Rankings from College Football Playoff. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 11

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 7	7:00 p.m.	Ball State	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL (Bronze Stalk Trophy)	CBSSN	BSU 20–17	6,282
November 7	7:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPNU	WMU 38–28
November 7	7:30 p.m.	Ohio	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN2	OHIO 20–10	11,444
November 8	7:00 p.m.	Akron	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPNU	M-OH 19–0	7,233
November 8	7:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH (Anniversary Award)	CBSSN	BGSU 49–19	6,065
November 8	7:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN2	TOL 49–23	17,842
#Rankings from College Football Playoff. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 12

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 14	7:00 p.m.	Toledo	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH (Battle of I-75)	ESPN2	TOL 32–31	20.590
November 14	7:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPNU	NIU 24–0	6,417
November 14	7:00 p.m.	Akron	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	CBSSN	EMU 30–27 2OT	13,664
November 15	7:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPNU	OHIO 34–20	14,736
November 15	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN2	M-OH 23–10	7,561
November 18	2:00 p.m.	Kent State	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	BSU 34–3	8,554
#Rankings from College Football Playoff. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 13

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 21	7:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	BGSU 34–10	8,901
November 21	7:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN2	EMU 24–11	11,243
November 24	12:00 p.m.	Toledo	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPNU	TOL 32–17	8,612
November 24	12:00 p.m.	Ohio	Akron	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field • Akron, OH	CBSSN	OHIO 25–14	6,152
November 25	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN+	NIU 37–27
November 25	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN (Red Bird Rivalry)	CBSSN	M-OH 17–15	8,054
#Rankings from College Football Playoff. All times are in Eastern Time.

MAC Conference Championship Game

Main article: 2023 MAC Championship Game

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 2	12:00 p.m.	Toledo	Miami (OH)	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	ESPN	M-OH 23–14	-
#Rankings from College Football Playoff. All times are in Eastern Time.

Postseason

Bowl Games

See also: 2023–24 NCAA football bowl games

Legend
	MAC win
	MAC loss

Bowl game	Date	Site	Television	Time (EST)	MAC team	Opponent	Score	Attendance
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 Conferences Record ACC 2–2 Big 12 2–1 Big Ten 0–8 Notre Dame 0–1 Pac-12 0–0 SEC 0–5 Power 5 Total 4–17 Other FBS Conferences Record American 1–2 C-USA 0–3 Independents (Excluding Notre Dame) 3–0 Mountain West 1–2 Sun Belt 1–2 Other FBS Total 6–9 FCS Opponents Record Football Championship Subdivision 10–2 Total Non-Conference Record 20–28

Postseason Power Five Conferences Record ACC 0–0 Big 12 0–0 Big Ten 0–1 Notre Dame 0–0 Pac-12 0–0 SEC 0–0 Power 5 Total 0–1 Other FBS Conferences Record American 0–0 C-USA 0–0 Independents (Excluding Notre Dame) 0–0 Mountain West 0–1 Sun Belt 2-2 Other FBS Total 2–3 Total Bowl Record 2–4

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

The following games include MAC teams competing against FBS Independents, which includes Army, UConn, or UMass.

Date	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 9	Miami (OH)	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, MA	W 41–28
September 16	UMass	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	W 19–17
October 7	Toledo	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, MA	W 41–24

Mid-American vs. FCS matchups

The following games include MAC teams competing against FCS schools.

Date	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
August 31	Saint Francis (PA)	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	W 35–17
September 1	Howard	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	W 33–23
September 2	LIU	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	W 27–10
September 9	Eastern Illinois	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	W 38–15
September 9	Fordham	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	L 37–40
September 9	Morgan State	Akron	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field • Akron, OH	W 24–21
September 9	No. 11 (FCS) New Hampshire	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	W 45–42
September 9	No. 24 (FCS) Southern Illinois	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	L 11–14
September 9	Texas Southern	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	W 71–3
September 16	Indiana State	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	W 45–7
September 16	Central Connecticut	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	W 38–10
September 23	Delaware State	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	W 62–20

Head to head matchups

2023 MAC Head to head
Team	Akron	Ball State	Buffalo	Bowling Green	Central Michigan	Eastern Michigan	Kent State	Miami	Northern Illinois	Ohio	Toledo	Western Michigan
Akron	—	—	10–13	14–41	10–17	27–30	31–27	0–19	14–55	14–25	—	—
Ball State	—	—	—	21–24	24–17	10–24	34–3	15–17	20–17	—	6–13	24–42
Buffalo	13–10	—	—	14–24	37–13	11–24	24–6	10–23	—	10–20	13–31	—
Bowling Green	41–14	24–21	24–14	—	—	—	49–19	0–27	—	7–38	31–32	34–10
Central Michigan	17–10	17–24	13–37	—	—	26–23	—	—	37–31	20–34	17–31	28–38
Eastern Michigan	30–27	24–10	24–11	—	23–26	—	28–14	—	13–20	—	23–49	21–45
Kent State	27–31	3–34	6–24	49–19	—	14–28	—	3–23	27–37	17–42	—	—
Miami	19–0	17–15	23–10	27–0	—	—	23–3	—	—	30–16	17–21	34–21
Northern Illinois	55–14	17–20	—	—	31–37	20–13	37–26	—	—	23–13	33–35	24–0
Ohio	25–14	—	20–10	38–7	34–20	—	42–17	16–30	13–23	—	—	20–17
Toledo	—	13–6	31–14	32–31	32–17	49–23	—	21–17	35–33	—	—	49–31
Western Michigan	—	42–24	—	10–34	38–28	45–21	—	21–34	0–24	17–20	31–49	—

Updated through end of regular season

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

East Division

Week		Offensive				Defensive				Special Teams
		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position
Week 1[109]		Sieh Bangura	Ohio	RB		Bryce Houston	Ohio	LB		Alec Bevelhimer	Miami	P
Week 2[110]		Gage Larvadain	Miami	WR		CJ Nunnally	Akron	DL		Graham Nicholson	Miami	K
Week 3[111]		Brett Gabbert	Miami	QB		Matt Salopek Bryce Houston (2)	Miami Ohio	LB LB		Alec Bevelhimer (2)	Miami	P
Week 4[112]		DJ Irons	Akron	QB		Keye Thompson	Ohio	LB		Graham Nicholson (2)	Miami	K
Week 5[113]		Terion Stewart	Bowling Green	RB		Deshawn Jones Jr.	Bowling Green	CB		Anthony Venneri	Buffalo	P
Week 6[114]		Miles Cross	Ohio	WR		Devin Grant	Buffalo	S		Alex McNulty	Buffalo	K
Week 7[115]		Brett Gabbert (2)	Miami	QB		Davon Ferguson	Bowling Green	CB		Graham Nicholson (3)	Miami	K
Week 8[116]		Terion Stewart (2)	Bowling Green	RB		Darren Anders	Bowling Green	LB		Jack Wilson	Ohio	P
Week 9/10[117]		Jeff Undercuffler	Akron	QB		Matt Salopek (2)	Miami	LB		Graham Nicholson (4)	Miami	K
Week 11[118]		Ta'ron Keith	Bowling Green	RB		Keye Thompson (2)	Ohio	LB		Alec Bevelhimer (3)	Miami	P
Week 12[119]		Sieh Bangura (2)	Ohio	RB		Michael Dowell	Miami	DB		Graham Nicholson (5)	Miami	K
Week 13[120]		Kurtis Rourke	Ohio	QB		Jordan Porter	Bowling Green	DL		Jack Wilson (2)	Ohio	P

West Division

Week		Offensive				Defensive				Special Teams
		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position
Week 1[109]		Dequan Finn Jalen Buckley	Toledo Western Michigan	QB RB		Terrance Taylor	Toledo	OLB		Hamze El-Zayat	Eastern Michigan	KR/WR
Week 2[110]		Bert Emanuel, Jr.	Central Michigan	QB		Judge Culpepper	Toledo	DT		Marion Lukes	Central Michigan	KR/RB
Week 3[111]		Peny Boone	Toledo	RB		Bennett Walker	Eastern Michigan	DB		Mitchell Tomasek	Eastern Michigan	P
Week 4[112]		Jase Bauer	Central Michigan	QB		Emmanuel McNeil-Warren	Toledo	S		Mitchell Tomasek (2)	Eastern Michigan	P
Week 5[113]		Treyson Bourguet	Western Michigan	QB		Kyle Moretti	Central Michigan	LB		Jacquez Stuart	Toledo	KR/RB
Week 6[114]		Antario Brown	Northern Illinois	RB		Joe Sparacio	Eastern Michigan	LB		Luke Pawlak	Toledo	K
Week 7[115]		Peny Boone (2)	Toledo	RB		Alex Merritt	Eastern Michigan	DL		Kanon Woodill	Northern Illinois	K
Week 8[116]		Marquez Cooper	Ball State	RB		Sidney Houston Jr.	Ball State	DL		Tom Foley	NIU	P
Week 9/10[117]		Marion Lukes	Central Michigan	RB		Joe Sparacio (2) Marshawn Kneeland	Eastern Michigan Western Michigan	LB DE		Jacquez Stuart (2)	Toledo	KR
Week 11[118]		Dequan Finn (2)	Toledo	QB		Tyler Jackson	Northern Illinois	LB		Palmer Domschke	Western Michigan	K
Week 12[119]		Dequan Finn (3)	Toledo	QB		Chase Kline	Eastern Michigan	LB		Dane Partridge	Northern Illinois	WR/PR
Week 13[120]		Peny Boone (3)	Toledo	RB		Ray Thomas	Northern Illinois	DE		Mitchell Tomasek (3)	Eastern Michigan	P

MAC Individual Awards

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the Mid-American Conference football coaches at the end of the season.^[4]

Award	Player	School
Offensive Player of the Year	Peny Boone	Toledo
Defensive Player of the Year	Matt Salopek	Miami
Special Teams Player of the Year	Graham Nicholson	Miami
Freshman Player of the Year	Jalen Buckley	Western Michigan
Vern Smith Leadership Award	Dequan Finn	Toledo
Coach of the Year	Jason Candle	Toledo

All-Conference Teams

The following players were listed as part of the All-Conference teams.^[4]

Position Player Team First Team Offense QB Dequan Finn Toledo OL Corey Stewart Ball State OL Nolan Potter Northern Illinois OL Nick Rosi Toledo OL Vinny Sciury Toledo OL Jacob Gideon Western Michigan TE Harold Fannin Jr. Bowling Green WR Chrishon McCray Kent State WR Sam Wiglusz Ohio WR Jerjuan Newton Toledo WR Kenneth Womack Western Michigan RB Antario Brown Northern Illinois RB Peny Boone Toledo PK Graham Nicholson Miami First Team Defense DL CJ Nunnally Akron DL Sidney Houston Ball State DL Caiden Woullard Miami DL Judge Culpepper Toledo LB Matt Salopek Miami LB Bryce Houston Ohio LB Keye Thompson Ohio LB Dallas Gant Toledo DB Jalen Huskey Bowling Green DB Devin Grant Buffalo DB Quinyon Mitchell Toledo DB Maxen Hook Toledo P Mitchell Tomasek Eastern Michigan First Team Specialists KRS Marion Lukes Central Michigan KRS Jacquez Stuart Toledo

Position Player Team Second Team Offense QB Kurtis Rourke Ohio OL Deiyantei Powell-Woods Central Michigan OL Brayden Swartout Central Michigan OL Brian Dooley Eastern Michigan OL Will Jados Miami OL Reid Holskey Miami TE Anthony Torres Toledo WR Daniel George Akron WR Jasaiah Gathings Akron WR Tanner Knue Eastern Michigan WR Jesse Prewitt III Central Michigan RB Marquez Cooper Ball State RB Terion Stewart Bowling Green PK Andrew Glass Kent State Second Team Defense DL Jacques Bristol Central Michigan DL Brian Ugwu Miami DL James Ester Northern Illinois DL Marshawn Kneeland Western Michigan LB Cole Pearce Ball State LB Darren Anders Bowling Green LB Joe Sparacio Eastern Michigan LB Ty Wise Miami DB Jordan Oladokun Bowling Green DB Donte Kent Central Michigan DB Yahsyn McKee Miami DB JaVaughn Byrd Northern Illinois P Alec Bevelhimer Miami Second Team Specialists KRS Jaylon Jackson Eastern Michigan KRS Cade McDonald Miami

Position Player Team Third Team Offense QB Brett Gabbert Miami OL Damon Kaylor Ball State OL Alex Wollschlaeger Bowling Green OL Gabe Wallace Buffalo OL Tyler Doty Buffalo OL Addison West Western Michigan TE Tanner Koziol Ball State WR Odieu Hiliare Bowling Green WR Luke Floriea Kent State WR Trayvon Rudolph Northern Illinois WR Anthony Sambucci Western Michigan RB Rashad Amos Miami RB Jalen Buckley Western Michigan PK Luke Pawlak Toledo Third Team Defense DL CJ West Kent State DL Vonnie Watkins Ohio DL Rayyan Buell Ohio DL Darius Alexander Toledo LB Bryan McCoy Akron LB Cashius Howell Bowling Green LB Kyle Moretti Central Michigan LB Chase Kline Eastern Michigan DB KJ Martin Akron DB Davon Ferguson Bowling Green DB Chris McDonald Jr. Toledo DB Keni-H Lovely Western Michigan P Lucas Borrow Ball State Third Team Specialists KRS Jhaylin Embry Central Michigan KRS Ron Cook Buffalo

National Awards

• Lou Groza Award: Graham Nicholson, Miami

All-Americans

For the complete All-America selections, see 2023 College Football All-America Team.

Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. College Football All-American consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American.

Position	Player	School	Selector	Unanimous	Consensus
First Team All-Americans
CB	Quinyon Mitchell	Toledo	The Athletic
K	Graham Nicholson	Miami	AFCA, AP, CBS, ESPN, FOX, SI, The Athletic, TSN, USAT, WCFF		*

Position	Player	School	Selector	Unanimous	Consensus
Second Team All-Americans
CB	Quinyon Mitchell	Toledo	AFCA, AP, CBS, FWAA, PFF, TSN
K	Graham Nicholson	Miami	FWAA

NFL draft

See also: 2024 NFL draft

The NFL draft will be held at Campus Martius Park in Detroit. The Following list includes all MAC Players in the draft.

List of selections

Player	Position	School	Draft Round	Round Pick	Overall Pick	Team
Quinyon Mitchell	CB	Toledo	1	22	22	Philadelphia Eagles
Marshawn Kneeland	DE	Western Michigan	2	24	56	Dallas Cowboys