2021 Mid-American Conference football season

2021 Mid-American Conference football season
League	NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Sport	Football
Duration	September 2 - December 4
Number of teams	12
Regular season
Season MVP	Dustin Crum
East Division champions	Kent State
West Division champions	Northern Illinois
MAC Championship Game
Champions	Northern Illinois
Runners-up	Kent State
Finals MVP	Offense: Jay Ducker (RB, Northern Illinois) Defense: C. J. Brown (DB, Northern Illinois) Special Teams: John Richardson (PK, Northern Illinois)
Seasons
←  2020 2022  →

2021 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Kent State xy		6	–	2					7	–	7
Miami (OH)		5	–	3					7	–	6
Ohio		3	–	5					3	–	9
Bowling Green		2	–	6					4	–	8
Buffalo		2	–	6					4	–	8
Akron		1	–	7					2	–	10
West Division
Northern Illinois xy$		6	–	2					9	–	5
Central Michigan x		6	–	2					9	–	4
Toledo		5	–	3					7	–	6
Ball State		4	–	4					6	–	7
Eastern Michigan		4	–	4					7	–	6
Western Michigan		4	–	4					8	–	5
Championship: Northern Illinois 41, Kent State 23
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

The 2021 Mid-American Conference football season was the 76th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), as part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

The provisional schedule was released on February 26, 2021. The season was scheduled to begin September 2, 2021, and ended with the MAC Football Championship Game on December 4, 2021. ^[1]

Previous season

Main article: 2020 Mid-American Conference football season

The 2020 Mid-American Conference football season saw a delayed start and shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with only 6 regular season games. ^[2] The Buffalo Bulls won the East Division, while the Ball State Cardinals won the West Division. In the 2020 MAC Championship Game, the Cardinals defeated the Bulls 38–28. The Cardinals would go on to the Arizona Bowl, where they defeated the San Jose State Spartans 34–13.

Preseason

Preseason Media Poll

The Preseason Media Poll was announced on July 20. Kent State was voted the favorite to win the East Division, while Ball State was voted as favorite for the West Division. Ball State was also the favorite to win the conference championship game. ^[3]

East
Predicted finish	Team	Points (votes for first place)
1	Kent State	112 (11)
2	Ohio	96 (2)
3	Miami (OH)	94 (5)
4	Buffalo	93 (4)
5	Akron	39
6	Bowling Green	28

West
Predicted finish	Team	Points (votes for first place)
1	Ball State	114 (11)
2	Toledo	104 (7)
3	Western Michigan	103 (4)
4	Central Michigan	68
5	Eastern Michigan	44
6	Northern Illinois	29

Preseason awards

The following list contains MAC players included on watch lists for national awards.

Award	Head coach/Player	School	Position	Link
Maxwell Award	Kevin Marks	Buffalo	RB	[4]
	Preston Hutchinson	Eastern Michigan	QB
	Dustin Crum	Kent State	QB
	Kaleb Eleby	Western Michigan	QB
Bednarik Award	James Patterson	Buffalo	LB	[5]
	Troy Hairston	Central Michigan	DE
	Troy Brown	Central Michigan	LB
	Desjuan Johnson	Toledo	DT
	Ralph Holley	Western Michigan	DT
Davey O'Brien Award	Dustin Crum	Kent State	QB	[6]
Doak Walker Award	Darius Boone	Eastern Michigan	RB	[7]
	Bryant Koback	Toledo	RB
	Kobe Lewis	Central Michigan	RB
	Kevin Marks	Buffalo	RB
	Lew Nichols III	Central Michigan	RB
Fred Biletnikoff Award	Justin Hall	Ball State	WR	[8]
John Mackey Award	Thomas Odukoya	Eastern Michigan	TE	[9]
	Ryan Luehrman	Ohio	TE
Rimington Trophy	Braydon Patton	Northern Illinois	C	[10]
	Bryce Harris	Toledo	C
Butkus Award	James Patterson	Buffalo	LB	[11]
Outland Trophy	Curtis Blackwell	Ball State	C	[12]
	Mike Caliendo	Western Michigan	C
	Jake Fuzak	Buffalo	OT
	Bryce Harris	Toledo	C
Bronko Nagurski Trophy	Troy Brown	Central Michigan	LB	[13]
	Ralph Holley	Western Michigan	DT
	Desjuan Johnson	Toledo	DT
	Brandon Martin	Ball State	LB
Lou Groza Award	Marshall Meeder	Central Michigan	K	[14]
Paul Hornung Award	Justin Hall	Ball State	WR	[15]
	Kalil Pimpleton	Central Michigan	WR
	Clint Ratkovich	Northern Illinois	RB
Wuerffel Trophy	Bubba Arslanian	Akron	LB	[16]
	Brandon Martin	Ball State	LB
	Bryce Cosby	Ball State	DB
	Tariq Speights	Eastern Michigan	LB
	Isaac Vance	Kent State	WR
	Sam Allan	Kent State	OL
	Bailey Flint	Toledo	P
	Mike Calidendo	Western Michigan	OL
Walter Camp Award	Dustin Crum	Kent State	QB	[17]
Manning Award	Dustin Crum	Kent State	QB	[18]
	Kaleb Eleby	Western Michigan	QB
	Drew Plitt	Ball State	QB
Ray Guy Award	Bailey Flint	Toledo	P	[19]
	Dom Dzioban	Miami (OH)	P
	Jake Julian	Eastern Michigan	P
	Luke Elzinga	Central Michigan	P
	Matt Ference	Northern Illinois	P
	Matt Naranjo	Bowling Green	P
	Nick Mihalic	Western Michigan	P
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award	Dustin Crum	Kent State	QB	[20]
	Drew Plitt	Ball State	QB
	Kyle Vantrease	Buffalo	QB

Head Coaches

Lance Leipold, who had been head coach of Buffalo since 2015, left the MAC to take the head coach position with the Kansas Jayhawks of the Big 12 Conference. ^[21] Leipold was replaced by interim head coach Rob Ianello during the school's search for a new permanent coach. ^[22] However, Ianello and several other Buffalo assistant coaches were tabbed to join Leipold at Kansas, leaving a temporary vacancy at the team's head coaching position. ^[23] Michigan co-defensive coordinator Maurice Linguist was later hired as Buffalo's new permanent coach. ^[24]

On July 14, Frank Solich announced his retirement from the head coach position at Ohio after 16 seasons with the school. Tim Albin was promoted to head coach to fill Solich's vacancy. ^[25]

Team	Head coach	Previous Job	Years at school	Overall record	MAC record	MAC titles
Akron	Tom Arth	Chattanooga	3	50–38 (.568)	1–13 (.071)	0
Ball State	Mike Neu	New Orleans Saints (QB Coach)	6	22–34 (.393)	13–25 (.342)	1
Bowling Green	Scot Loeffler	Boston College (Off. coordinator/QB coach)	3	3–14 (.176)	2–11 (.154)	0
Buffalo	Maurice Linguist	Michigan (Co def. coordinator)	1	0–0 (–)	0–0 (–)	0
Central Michigan	Jim McElwain	Florida	3	55–36 (.604)	9–5 (.643)	0
Eastern Michigan	Chris Creighton	Drake	8	166–97 (.631)	18–36 (.333)	0
Kent State	Sean Lewis	Syracuse (Co Off. Coordinator)	3	12–17 (.414)	9–11 (.450)	0
Miami	Chuck Martin	Notre Dame (Off. coordinator/QB coach)	7	106–53 (.667)	28–23 (.549)	1
Northern Illinois	Thomas Hammock	Baltimore Ravens (running backs coach)	3	5–13 (.278)	4–10 (.286)	0
Ohio	Tim Albin	Ohio (associate head coach)	1	25–8 (.758)	0–0 (–)	0
Toledo	Jason Candle	Toledo (Off. Coordinator)	6	38–21 (.644)	25–13 (.658)	1
Western Michigan	Tim Lester	Purdue (QB Coach)	5	54–43 (.557)	18–12 (.600)	0

Mid-season changes

• On November 4, Tom Arth was fired as head coach at Akron after posting a 3–24 record with the school in 3 years. Oscar Rodriguez, who was formerly the school's inside linebacker coach and associate head coach, was named interim head coach. ^[26] On December 4, the school announced Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead as the new permanent head coach. ^[27]

Rankings

Main article: 2021 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	RV	RV
	C	RV	RV
	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
	C
	CFP	Not released
Northern Illinois	AP															RV
	C
	CFP	Not released
Ohio	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Toledo	AP			RV
	C
	CFP	Not released
Western Michigan	AP						RV
	C						RV
	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

Schedule

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

All times Eastern time.

Week 1

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 2	7:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	W 31–21	13,149
September 2	7:00 p.m.	Wagner	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN3	W 69–7	13,063
September 2	8:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Tennessee	Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN	SECN	L 6–38	84,314
September 3	7:00 p.m.	Saint Francis	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN3	W 35–15	16,461
September 4	12:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	ESPN	L 14–47	109,295
September 4	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	No. 8  Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell)	ESPN+	L 14–49	37,978
September 4	4:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Missouri	Faurot Field • Columbia, MO	SECN	L 24–34	46,237
September 4	7:00 p.m.	Norfolk State	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN3	W 49–10
September 4	7:00 p.m.	Akron	Auburn	Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL	SECN	L 10–60	83,821
September 4	7:00 p.m.	Syracuse	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	CBSSN	L 9–29	23,904
September 4	7:30 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Georgia Tech	Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA	ACCN	W 22–21	33,651
September 4	8:00 p.m.	Kent State	No. 6  Texas A&M	Kyle Field • College Station, TX	ESPNU	L 10–41	97,339
#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 11	11:30 a.m.	No. 18 (FCS)  VMI	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN3	W 60–10	16,785
September 11	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	ESPNU	L 26–31	43,372
September 11	1:30 p.m.	Wyoming	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	L 43–50	11,334
September 11	2:00 p.m.	Duquesne	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN3	L 26–28	19,411
September 11	2:30 p.m.	Toledo	No. 8  Notre Dame	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	Peacock	L 29–32	62,009
September 11	3:00 p.m.	Robert Morris	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN3	W 45–0	16,128
September 11	3:30 p.m.	Ball State	No. 11  Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	FS1	L 13–44	105,323
September 11	3:30 p.m.	Buffalo	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	BTN	L 3–28	85,663
September 11	3:30 p.m.	Temple	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN+	L 24–45	14,474
September 11	4:00 p.m.	South Alabama	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	L 19–22	15,105
September 11	5:00 p.m.	Illinois State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN3	W 28–0	18,122
September 11	7:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	No. 18  Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	FS1	L 7–34	70,967
#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	8:00 p.m.	Ohio	Louisiana	Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA	ESPN	L 14–49	17,709
September 18	12:00 p.m.	No. 16  Coastal Carolina	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN2	L 25–28	16,739
September 18	12:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Pittsburgh	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN3	W 44–41	40,581
September 18	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	No. 25 Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	BTN	L 10–63	106,263
September 18	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	No. 5  Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	BTN	L 7–30	61,932
September 18	3:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA	FloSports/NESN+	W 42–28	7,012
September 18	3:30 p.m.	LIU	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	W 42–7	12,036
September 18	3:30 p.m.	Bryant	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN3	W 35–14	8,779
September 18	4:00 p.m.	Ball State	Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY	Stadium	L 12–45	23,467
September 18	4:00 p.m.	Colorado State	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPNU	L 6–22	21,365
September 18	5:00 p.m.	Murray State	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN3	W 27–10	20,097
September 18	7:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	LSU	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA	SECN	L 21–49	92,547
#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 25	12:00 p.m.	FIU	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN+	W 31–27	18,382
September 25	12:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	ESPNU	W 14–10	46,236
September 25	12:00 p.m.	Ohio	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	L 6–35	27,129
September 25	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Army	Michie Stadium • West Point, NY	CBSSN	L 10–23	24,045
September 25	2:00 p.m.	San Jose State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	W 23–3	12,317
September 25	2:00 p.m.	Toledo	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	TOL 22–12	14,902
September 25	2:00 p.m.	Texas State	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 59–21	14,253
September 25	2:30 p.m.	Maine	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN3	W 41–14	10,076
September 25	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	BTN	L 16–37	30,117
September 25	6:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Old Dominion	S.B. Ballard Stadium • Norfolk, VA	ESPN+	W 35–34
September 25	7:30 p.m.	Akron	No. 10  Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	BTN	L 7–59	95,178
#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.
October 2	12:00 p.m.	Toledo	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA	FloFootball/NESN	W 45–7	9,456
October 2	12:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	CBSSN	WMU 24–17	17,344
October 2	2:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	NIU 27–20	10,034
October 2	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH (Anniversary Award)	ESPN+	KSU 27–20	20,537
October 2	3:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	M-OH 28–17	12,616
October 2	3:30 p.m.	Ohio	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN3	OU 34–17	12,616
October 2	5:00 p.m.	Army	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	W 28–16	13,713
#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 9	12:00 p.m.	Akron	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	AKR 35–20	17,797
October 9	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	CBSSN	NIU 22–20	21,284
October 9	3:30 p.m.	Ball State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	BSU 45–20	11,403
October 9	3:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN+	CMU 30–27	20,928
October 9	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	EMU 13–12	15,664
October 9	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPNU	KSU 48–38	12,105
#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 16	12:00 p.m.	Ohio	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN+	UB 27–26	12,909
October 16	2:00 p.m.	Ball State	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	BSU 38–31	15,258
October 16	2:30 p.m.	Akron	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	M-OH 34–21	11,042
October 16	3:30 p.m.	Toledo	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	CBSSN	CMU 26–23 OT	20,112
October 16	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	NIU 34–26	7,854
October 16	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	WMU 64–31	18,716
#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 23	12:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	EMU 55–24	10,875
October 23	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPNU	NIU 39–38	15,232
October 23	1:00 p.m.	Kent State	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN+	KSU 34–27	15,854
October 23	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN (Red Bird Rivalry)	ESPN+	M-OH 24–17	15,703
October 23	3:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	CBSSN	TOL 34–15	19,906
October 23	3:30 p.m.	Buffalo	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN+	UB 45–10	8,635
#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 30	12:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	CBSSN	BGSU 56–44	13,163
#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.
November 2	7:00 p.m.	Ball State	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	CBSSN	BSU 31–25	7,683
November 2	7:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN2	EMU 52–49	14,997
November 2	7:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH (Battle of the Bricks)	ESPNU	OU 35–33	15,940
November 3	7:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI (Victory Cannon / Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPNU	CMU 42–30	13,137
November 3	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN2	KSU 52–47	6,076
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 11

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 9	7:00 p.m.	Akron	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	CBSSN	WMU 45–40	8,443
November 9	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPNU	M-OH 45–18	10,069
November 9	8:00 p.m.	Ohio	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN2	OU 34–26	13,636
November 10	7:00 p.m.	Ball State	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL (Bronze Stalk Trophy)	ESPN2	NIU 30–29	7,894
November 10	7:00 p.m.	Toledo	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH (Battle of I-75)	CBSSN	TOL 49–17	18,349
November 10	8:00 p.m.	Kent State	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPNU	CMU 54–30	9,213
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 12

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 16	7:00 p.m.	Toledo	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN+	TOL 35–23	9,716
November 16	7:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPN2	EMU 22–21	15,272
November 16	8:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPNU	M-OH 34–7	10,269
November 17	7:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPNU	CMU 37–17	5,602
November 17	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPN2	NIU 33–27 OT	13,097
November 20	12:00 p.m.	Kent State	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH (Wagon Wheel)	ESPN+	KSU 38–0	8,879
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 13

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 23	7:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPNU	WMU 42–21	7,156
November 23	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	BSU 20–3	6,112
November 26	12:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry / Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPNU	CMU 31–10	7,708
November 26	12:00 p.m.	Ohio	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	CBSSN	BGSU 21–10	9,339
November 27	12:00 p.m.	Akron	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN+	TOL 49–14	11,282
November 27	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN+	KSU 48–47 OT	8,378
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

MAC Conference Championship Game

See also: 2021 MAC Championship Game

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 4	12:00 p.m.	Kent State	Northern Illinois	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	ESPN	NIU 41–23	10,317
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Postseason

Bowl Games

See also: 2021–22 NCAA football bowl games

Legend
	MAC Win
	MAC Loss

Bowl game	Date	Site	Television	Time (EST)	MAC team	Opponent	Score	Attendance
Bahamas Bowl	December 17	Thomas Robinson Stadium • Nassau, Bahamas	ESPN	12:00 p.m.	Toledo	Middle Tennessee	L 24–31	13,596
Cure Bowl	December 17	Exploria Stadium • Orlando, FL	ESPN2	6:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Coastal Carolina	L 41–47	9,784
LendingTree Bowl	December 18	Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL	ESPN	5:45 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Liberty	L 20–56	15,186
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	December 21	Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID	ESPN	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	Wyoming	L 38–52	10,217
Frisco Football Classic	December 23	Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX	ESPN	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	North Texas	W 27–14	11,721
Camellia Bowl	December 25	Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL	ESPN	2:30 p.m.	Ball State	Georgia State	L 20–51
Quick Lane Bowl	December 27	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	ESPN	11:00 a.m.	Western Michigan	Nevada	W 52–24	22,321
Sun Bowl	December 31	Sun Bowl • El Paso, Texas	CBS	12:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Washington State	W 24–21	34,540

• Central Michigan was originally slated to play in the Arizona Bowl on December 31 against Boise State, but the bowl was cancelled when Boise State was forced to withdraw due to a COVID-19 outbreak within their team. Central Michigan was then invited to play in the Sun Bowl on the same date to replace Miami (FL), who had withdrawn from that bowl due to COVID-19 as well. ^[28]

MAC records vs other conferences

2021–2022 records against non-conference foes:

Power Conferences 5	Record
ACC	2–1
Big Ten	1–10
Big 12	0–0
Pac-12	0–0
BYU/Notre Dame	0–1
SEC	0–5
Power 5 Total	3–17
Other FBS Conferences	Record
American	0–2
C–USA	2–0
Independents (Excluding Notre Dame)	3–1
Mountain West	1–3
Sun Belt	1–3
Other FBS Total	5–9
FCS Opponents	Record
Football Championship Subdivision	11–1
Total Non-Conference Record	23–27

Mid-American vs Power 5 matchups

This is a list of games the MAC has scheduled versus power conference teams (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, BYU, Notre Dame and SEC). All rankings are from the current AP Poll at the time of the game.

Date	Conference	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 2	SEC	Bowling Green	Tennessee	Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN	L 6–38
September 4	Big Ten	Western Michigan	Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	L 14–47
September 4	SEC	Central Michigan	Missouri	Faurot Field • Columbia, MO	L 24–34
September 4	SEC	Akron	Auburn	Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL	L 10–60
September 4	ACC	Syracuse	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	L 9–29
September 4	ACC	Northern Illinois	Georgia Tech	Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA	W 22–21
September 4	SEC	Kent State	No. 6 Texas A&M	Kyle Field • College Station, TX	L 10–41
September 11	Big Ten	Miami (OH)	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	L 26–31
September 11	Independent	Toledo	No. 8 Notre Dame	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	L 29–32
September 11	Big Ten	Ball State	No. 11 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	L 13–44
September 11	Big Ten	Buffalo	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	L 3–28
September 11	Big Ten	Eastern Michigan	No. 18 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	L 7–34
September 18	SEC	Central Michigan	LSU	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA	L 21–49
September 18	Big Ten	Northern Illinois	No. 25 Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	L 10–63
September 18	ACC	Western Michigan	Pittsburgh	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA	W 44–41
September 18	Big Ten	Kent State	No. 5 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa Stadium, IA	L 7–30
September 25	Big Ten	Akron	No. 10 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	L 7–59
September 25	Big Ten	Bowling Green	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	W 14–10
September 25	Big Ten	Kent State	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	L 16–37
September 25	Big Ten	Ohio	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	L 6–35

Mid-American vs Group of Five matchups

The following games include MAC teams competing against teams from the American, C-USA, Mountain or Sun Belt.

Date	Conference	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 4	American	Miami (OH)	No. 8 Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH	L 14–49
September 11	Mountain West	Wyoming	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	L 43–50
September 11	American	Temple	Akron	InfoCiscion Stadium • Akron, OH	L 24–45
September 11	Sun Belt	South Alabama	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	L 19–22
September 16	Sun Belt	Ohio	Louisiana	Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA	L 14–49
September 18	Mountain West	Ball State	Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY	L 12–45
September 18	Mountain West	Colorado State	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	L 6–22
September 18	Sun Belt	No. 16 Coastal Carolina	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	L 25–28
September 25	C-USA	FIU	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	W 31–27
September 25	Sun Belt	Texas State	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	W 59–21
September 25	Mountain West	San Jose State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	W 23–3
September 25	C-USA	Buffalo	Old Dominion	S.B. Ballard Stadium • Norfolk, VA	W 35–34

Mid-American vs FBS independents matchups

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

Date	Conference	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 18	Independents	Eastern Michigan	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA	W 42–28
September 25	Independents	Miami (OH)	Army	Michie Stadium • West Point, NY	L 10–23
October 2	Independents	Toledo	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA	W 45–9
October 2	Independents	Army	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	W 28–16

Mid-American vs FCS matchups

Date	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 2	Western Illinois	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	W 31–21
September 2	Wagner	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	W 69–7
September 3	St. Francis	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	W 35–15
September 4	Norfolk State	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	W 49–10
September 11	VMI	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	W 60–10
September 11	Duquesne	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	L 26–28
September 11	Robert Morris	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	W 45–0
September 11	Illinois State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	W 28–0
September 18	Bryant	Akron	InfoCiscion Stadium • Akron, OH	W 35–14
September 18	Murray State	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	W 27–10
September 18	LIU	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	W 42–7
September 25	Maine	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	W 41–14

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 (September 6) [29]		Kyle Vantrease	Buffalo	QB		Darren Anders	Bowling Green	LB		Josh Smith	Kent State	P
Week 2 (September 13) [30]		Matt McDonald	Bowling Green	QB		Bubba Arslanian Montre Miller	Akron Kent State	LB CB		Graham Nicholson	Miami (OH)	K
Week 3 (September 20) [31]		DJ Irons	Akron	QB		Taylor Riggins	Buffalo	DE		Jonah Wieland	Ohio	P
Week 4 (September 27) [32]		Matt McDonald	Bowling Green	QB		Brock Horne	Bowling Green	LB		Matt Naranjo	Bowling Green	P
Week 5 (October 4) [33]		De'Montre Tuggle	Ohio	RB		Will Evans	Ohio	DE		Nate Needham	Bowling Green	K
Week 6 (October 11) [34]		Dustin Crum	Kent State	QB		Tyson Durant	Akron	CB		Graham Nicholson (2)	Miami (OH)	K
Week 7 (October 18) [35]		Dylan McDuffie	Buffalo	RB		James Patterson	Buffalo	LB		Nate Needham (2)	Bowling Green	K
Week 8 (October 25) [36]		Dustin Crum (2)	Kent State	QB		Manny Lawrence-Burke	Kent State	LB		Alex McNulty	Buffalo	K
Week 9/10 (November 8) [37]		Dustin Crum (3)	Kent State	QB		Nico Bolden	Kent State	S		Andrew Glass	Kent State	K
Week 11 (November 15) [38]		Brett Gabbert	Miami (OH)	QB		Kam Butler	Miami (OH)	DE		Michael Mathison	Akron	WR/KR
Week 12 (November 22) [39]		Dustin Crum (4)	Kent State	QB		CJ West	Kent State	DL		Andrew Glass (2)	Kent State	K
Week 13 (November 29) [40]		Xavier Williams	Kent State	RB		Montre Miller (2)	Kent State	CB		Nate Needham (3)	Bowling Green	K

West Division

Week		Offensive				Defensive				Special teams
		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position
Week 1 (September 6) [29]		Harrison Waylee	Northern Illinois	RB		Lance Deveaux Jr.	Northern Illinois	LB		Matt Ference	Northern Illinois	P
Week 2 (September 13) [30]		Harrison Waylee (2)	Northern Illinois	RB		Dyontae Johnson	Toledo	LB		Bailey Flint	Toledo	P
Week 3 (September 20) [31]		Kaleb Eleby	Western Michigan	QB		Zaire Barnes	Western Michigan	LB		Nathan Snyder	Ball State	P
Week 4 (September 27) [32]		Rocky Lombardi Ben Bryant	Northern Illinois Eastern Michigan	QB QB		Ali Fayad	Western Michigan	DL		Chad Ryland	Eastern Michigan	K
Week 5 (October 4) [33]		Skyy Moore	Western Michigan	WR		Dillon Thomas	Northern Illinois	LB		Justin Hall	Ball State	WR/RS
Week 6 (October 11) [34]		Drew Plitt	Ball State	QB		Bryce Cosby	Ball State	S		John Richardson	Northern Illinois	K
Week 7 (October 18) [35]		Kaleb Eleby (2) Jay Ducker	Western Michigan Northern Illinois	QB RB		Bryce Cosby (2)	Ball State	S		Marshall Meeder	Central Michigan	K
Week 8 (October 25) [36]		Rocky Lombardi (2)	Northern Illinois	QB		Desjuan Johnson	Toledo	DT		Kanon Woodill	Northern Illinois	K
Week 9/10 (November 8) [37]		Trayvon Rudolph Hassan Beydoun	Northern Illinois Eastern Michigan	WR WR		Jose Ramirez	Eastern Michigan	DE		Kalil Pimpleton	Central Michigan	KR
Week 11 (November 15) [38]		Lew Nichols III	Central Michigan	RB		Jamal Hines	Toledo	LB		Chad Ryland (2) John Richardson (2)	Eastern Michigan Northern Illinois	K K
Week 12 (November 22) [39]		Lew Nichols III (2) Bryant Koback	Central Michigan Toledo	RB RB		C. J. Brown	Northern Illinois	S		Chad Ryland (3)	Eastern Michigan	K
Week 13 (November 29) [40]		Skyy Moore (2)	Western Michigan	WR		Jamal Hines (2)	Toledo	LB		Jake Julien	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. ^[41]

Award	Player	School
Offensive Player of the Year	Lew Nichols III	Central Michigan
Defensive Player of the Year	Ali Fayad	Western Michigan
Special Teams Player of the Year	Kalil Pimpleton	Central Michigan
Freshman Player of the Year	Jay Ducker	Northern Illinois
Vern Smith Leadership Award	Dustin Crum	Kent State
Coach of the Year	Thomas Hammock	Northern Illinois

All-Conference Teams

The following players were listed as part of the All-Conference teams. ^[41]

Position Player Team First Team Offense WR Kalil Pimpleton Central Michigan WR Dante Cephas Kent State WR Jack Sorenson Miami WR Skyy Moore Western Michigan OL Sidy Sow Eastern Michigan OL Bernhard Raimann Central Michigan OL Luke Goedeke Central Michigan OL Bryce Harris Toledo OL Mike Caliendo Western Michigan TE Christian Sims Bowling Green QB Dustin Crum Kent State RB Lew Nichols III Central Michigan RB Bryant Koback Toledo PK Nate Needham Bowling Green First Team Defense DL Troy Hairston Central Michigan DL Kameron Butler Miami DL Jamal Hines Toledo DL Ali Fayad Western Michigan LB Darren Anders Bowling Green LB James Patterson Buffalo LB Troy Brown Central Michigan LB Ivan Pace Jr. Miami DB Bryce Cosby Ball State DB Elvis Hines Kent State DB C.J. Brown Northern Illinois DB Samuel Womack Toledo DB Tycen Anderson Toledo P Nathan Snyder Ball State First Team Specialists KRS Justin Hall Ball State PRS Kalil Pimpleton Central Michigan

Position Player Team Second Team Offense WR Konata Mumpfield Akron WR Justin Hall Ball State WR Hassan Beydoun Eastern Michigan WR Trayvon Rudolph Northern Illinois OL Curtis Blackwell Ball State OL Jake Fuzak Buffalo OL Bill Kuduk Kent State OL Nolan Potter Northern Illinois OL Brayden Patton Northern Illinois TE Tristian Brank Akron QB Kaleb Eleby Western Michigan RB Marquez Cooper Kent State RB Sean Tyler Western Michigan PK Chad Ryland Eastern Michigan Second Team Defense DL Daymond Williams Buffalo DL Lonnie Phelps Miami DL Desjuan Johnson Toledo DL Ralph Holley Western Michigan LB Jaylin Thomas Ball State LB Matthew Salopek Miami LB Jonathan Jones Toledo LB Zaire Barnes Western Michigan DB Jordan Anderson Bowling Green DB Devonni Reed Central Michigan DB Sterling Weatherford Miami DB Dorian Jackson Western Michigan P Jake Julien Eastern Michigan Second Team Specialists KRS Trayvon Rudolph Northern Illinois PRS Devin Maddox Toledo

Position Player Team Third Team Offense WR Quian Williams Buffalo WR Dallas Dixon Central Michigan WR JaCorey Sullivan Central Michigan WR Mac Hippenhammer Miami OL Jack Klenk Buffalo OL Brian Dooley Eastern Michigan OL Nathan Monnin Kent State OL Logan Zschernitz Northern Illinois OL Vitaliy Gurman Toledo TE Thomas Odukoya Eastern Michigan QB Brett Gabbert Miami RB Dylan McDuffie Buffalo RB Clint Ratkovich Northern Illinois PK Andrew Glass Kent State Third Team Defense DL Karl Brooks Bowling Green DL Jose Ramirez Eastern Michigan DL Dominique Robinson Miami DL James Ester Northern Illinois LB Lance Deveaux Northern Illinois LB Bryce Houston Ohio LB Dyontae Johnson Toledo LB Corvin Moment Western Michigan DB Devin Tyler Bowling Green DB Jordan Gandy Northern Illinois DB Tariq Drake Ohio DB Maxen Hook Toledo P Matt Naranjo Bowling Green Third Team Specialists KRS Ron Cook Buffalo PRS Marion Lukes Central Michigan

All-Americans

For the complete All-America selections, see 2021 College Football All-America Team.

The 2021 College Football All-America Teams are composed of the following College Football All-American first teams chosen by the following selector organizations: Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCFF), The Sporting News (TSN), Sports Illustrated (SI), USA Today (USAT) ESPN, CBS Sports (CBS), FOX Sports (FOX) College Football News (CFN), Bleacher Report (BR), Scout.com, Phil Steele (PS), SB Nation (SB), Athlon Sports, Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Yahoo! Sports (Yahoo!).

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. Football 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
K	Nate Needham	Bowling Green	FWAA

Position	Player	School	Selector	Unanimous	Consensus
Second Team All-Americans
OL	Bernhard Raimann	Central Michigan	TSN

NFL draft

The following list includes all MAC players who were drafted in the 2022 NFL draft.

Player	Position	School	Draft Round	Round Pick	Overall Pick	Team
Skyy Moore	WR	Western Michigan	2	22	54	Kansas City Chiefs
Luke Goedeke	T	Central Michigan	2	25	57	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bernhard Raimann	T	Central Michigan	3	13	77	Indianapolis Colts
Tycen Anderson	S	Toledo	5	23	166	Cincinnati Bengals
Samuel Womack	CB	Toledo	5	29	172	San Francisco 49ers
Dominique Robinson	DE	Miami (OH)	5	31	174	Chicago Bears

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