MAC Football Championship Game

MAC Football
Championship Game
MAC Football; Championship Game
Sport	College football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Current stadium	Ford Field
Current location	Detroit, Michigan
Played	1997–present
Last contest	2025
Current champion	Western Michigan Broncos
Most championships	Marshall, Northern Illinois (5)
TV partner	ESPN/ESPN2
Official website	MAC-Sports.com football
Sponsors
	Marathon Petroleum (2003–2019); Rocket Mortgage (2020–2022)
Host stadiums
	Marshall University Stadium (1997–2000, 2002); Glass Bowl (2001); Doyt Perry Stadium (2003); Ford Field (2004–present)
Host locations
	Huntington, West Virginia (1997–2000, 2002); Toledo, Ohio (2001); Bowling Green, Ohio (2003); Detroit, Michigan (2004–present)

Last updated December 11, 2025

The MAC Football Championship Game is an annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

History

The game has been played since 1997, when the conference was first divided into divisions. For the 2024 season the MAC eliminated divisions and the game now features the teams with the best conference records.^[1] A new tiebreaker system was established to compare teams with the same conference record.^[2] The winner of the game is guaranteed a berth in a bowl game which the MAC has contractual obligations to field a team. Unlike the MAC's Group of Five contemporaries, which hold their respective championship games on campus sites, the MAC Championship Game is held at a neutral site. Ford Field in Detroit has been the venue since 2004 and is scheduled to host through at least 2025.^[3]^[4]

In 2000, 2001, and 2007, due to an unbalanced conference schedule, the team with best division record within each division was awarded that division's championship game berth. In other years, the teams with the best overall conference records received a berth. Starting in 2024 the MAC will eliminate divisions and include the two teams with the best overall conference records.^[5]

The game is held on the first Saturday in December, on the same weekend that other NCAA Division I FBS conferences hold their championship games.

Results

Below are the results from all MAC Football Championship Games played. The winning team appears in bold font, on a background of their primary team color. Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game.

From 1997 through 2003, the championship game was played at campus sites. Since 2004, the game has been played at Ford Field in Detroit where it is scheduled to be held through at least 2025.^[6] From 1997 to 2015, a MAC Championship MVP award was given to a player from each team. Since 2016, three player were awarded a Player of the Game award: Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams.^[7]

Year	West Division		East Division		Site	Attendance	MVP(s)
1997	Toledo Rockets	14	Marshall Thundering Herd	34	Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV	28,021	WR Randy Moss, Marshall RB Dwayne Harris, Toledo
1998	Toledo Rockets	17	Marshall Thundering Herd	23		28,085	QB Chad Pennington, Marshall DL Gregg King, Toledo
1999	Western Michigan Broncos	30	11 Marshall Thundering Herd	34		28,069	QB Chad Pennington, Marshall QB Tim Lester, Western Michigan
2000	Western Michigan Broncos	14	Marshall Thundering Herd	19		24,816	QB Byron Leftwich, Marshall WR Steve Neal, Western Michigan
2001	Toledo Rockets	41	20 Marshall Thundering Herd	36	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	20,025	WR Denero Marriott, Marshall, WR RB Chester Taylor, Toledo
2002	Toledo Rockets	45	24 Marshall Thundering Herd	49	Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV	24,582	QB Byron Leftwich, Marshall RB Trinity Dawson, Toledo
2003	20 Bowling Green Falcons	27	13 Miami RedHawks	49	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	24,813	QB Ben Roethlisberger, Miami, QB QB Josh Harris, Bowling Green
2004	Toledo Rockets	35	Miami RedHawks	27	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	22,138	WR Michael Larkin, Miami QB Bruce Gradkowski, Toledo
2005	Northern Illinois Huskies	30	Akron Zips	31		12,051	QB Luke Getsy, Akron, QB TB Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois
2006	Central Michigan Chippewas	31	Ohio Bobcats	10		25,483	DL Jameson Hartke, Ohio WR Damien Linson, Central Michigan
2007	Central Michigan Chippewas	35	Miami RedHawks	10		25,013	LB Clayton Mullins, Miami QB Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan
2008	12 Ball State Cardinals	24	Buffalo Bulls	42		12,871	DB Mike Newton, Buffalo QB Nate Davis, Ball State
2009	Central Michigan Chippewas	20	Ohio Bobcats	10		23,714	LB Noah Keller, Ohio, LB QB Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan
2010	24 Northern Illinois Huskies	21	Miami RedHawks	26		12,031	RB Tom Merriweather, Miami QB Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois
2011	Northern Illinois Huskies	23	Ohio Bobcats	20		13,052	LB Noah Keller, Ohio WR Nathan Palmer, Northern Illinois
2012	19 Northern Illinois Huskies	44^2OT	18 Kent State Golden Flashes	37		18,132	DB Darius Polk, Kent State, DB QB Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois
2013	16 Northern Illinois Huskies	27	Bowling Green Falcons	47		21,106	QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green QB Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois
2014	Northern Illinois Huskies	51	Bowling Green Falcons	17		15,110	WR Gehrig Dieter, Bowling Green QB Drew Hare, Northern Illinois
2015	Northern Illinois Huskies	14	Bowling Green Falcons	34		16,425	DB Shawun Lurry, Northern Illinois RB Travis Greene, Bowling Green
2016	13 Western Michigan Broncos	29	Ohio Bobcats	23		45,615	Offensive: Corey Davis (Western Michigan) Defensive: Bradd Ellis (Ohio) Special Teams: Butch Hampton (Western Michigan)
2017	Toledo Rockets	45	Akron Zips	28		16,225	Offensive: Logan Woodside (Toledo) Defensive: Ulysses Gilbert (Akron) Special Teams: Danzel McKinley-Lewis (Toledo)
2018	Northern Illinois Huskies	30	Buffalo Bulls	29		10,255	Offensive: Marcus Childers (NIU) Defensive: Sutton Smith (NIU) Special Teams: Matt Ference (NIU)
2019	Central Michigan Chippewas	21	Miami RedHawks	26		22,427	Offensive: Jack Sorenson (Miami) Defensive: Emmanuel Rugamba (Miami) Special Teams: Sam Sloman (Miami)
2020	Ball State Cardinals	38	23 Buffalo Bulls	28		0‡	Offensive: Drew Plitt (Ball State) Defensive: Jimmy Daw (Ball State) Special Teams: Nathan Snyder (Ball State)
2021	Northern Illinois Huskies	41	Kent State Golden Flashes	23		10,317	Offensive: Jay Ducker (NIU) Defensive: CJ Brown (NIU) Special Teams: John Richardson (NIU)
2022	Toledo Rockets	17	Ohio Bobcats	7		15,550	Offensive: QB Dequan Finn (Toledo) Defensive: LB Dyontae Johnson (Toledo) Special Teams: P Jonathon Batzke (Toledo)
2023	Toledo Rockets	14	Miami RedHawks	23		20,200	Offensive: QB Aveon Smith (Miami) Defensive: LB Matt Salopek (Miami) Special Teams: PK Graham Nicholson (Miami)
Year	No. 1 seed		No. 2 seed		Site	Attendance	MVP
2024	Miami RedHawks	3	Ohio Bobcats	38	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	15,478	Offensive: QB Parker Navarro (Ohio) Defensive: LB Bradley Weaver (Ohio) Special Teams: PK Gianni Spetic (Ohio)
2025	Western Michigan Broncos	23	Miami RedHawks	13	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	19,114	Offensive: RB Jalen Buckley (Western Michigan) Defensive: DE Nadame Tucker (Western Michigan) Special Teams: K Palmer Domschke (Western Michigan)

‡ 2020 game attendance was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results by team

Appearances	School	Wins	Losses	Win %	Year(s) Won	Year(s) Lost
9	[[Northern Illinois Huskies football\|Northern Illinois Huskies]]	5	4	.556	2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2021	2005, 2010, 2013, 2015
8	[[Toledo Rockets football\|Toledo Rockets]]	4	4	.500	2001, 2004, 2017, 2022	1997, 1998, 2002, 2023
8	[[Miami RedHawks football\|Miami RedHawks]]	4	4	.500	2003, 2010, 2019, 2023	2004, 2007, 2024, 2025
6	[[Marshall Thundering Herd football\|Marshall Thundering Herd]]	5	1	.833	1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002	2001
6	[[Ohio Bobcats football\|Ohio Bobcats]]	1	5	.167	2024	2006, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2022
4	[[Central Michigan Chippewas football\|Central Michigan Chippewas]]	3	1	.750	2006, 2007, 2009	2019
4	[[Bowling Green Falcons football\|Bowling Green Falcons]]	2	2	.500	2013, 2015	2003, 2014
4	[[Western Michigan Broncos football\|Western Michigan Broncos]]	2	2	.500	2016, 2025	1999, 2000
3	[[Buffalo Bulls football\|Buffalo Bulls]]	1	2	.333	2008	2018, 2020
2	[[Akron Zips football\|Akron Zips]]	1	1	.500	2005	2017
2	[[Ball State Cardinals football\|Ball State Cardinals]]	1	1	.500	2020	2008
2	[[Kent State Golden Flashes football\|Kent State Golden Flashes]]	0	2	.000		2012, 2021
0	[[Eastern Michigan Eagles football\|Eastern Michigan Eagles]]	0	0	–
0	[[UMass Minutemen football\|UMass Minutemen]]	0	0	–

No results by team

School
[[Temple Owls football\|Temple Owls]]
[[UCF Knights football\|UCF Knights]]

Eastern Michigan and UMass are the only teams currently in the conference to have not yet qualified for a Championship Game. (UMass had been a football-only MAC member in the 2012–2015 seasons before returning in 2025 as a full member.) Marshall is the only Championship Game Winner to not be a current member of the MAC. Bowling Green is the only team that has represented both the East and West Divisions in the Championship Game, as they were a member of the West Division prior to the departure of Marshall from the MAC. Temple and UCF were previously in the conference during this era and never reached the championship game.

Common matchups

Matchups that have occurred more than once:

# of Times	East Division	West Division	Record	Years played
4	Marshall	Toledo	Marshall, 3–1	1997, 1998, 2001, 2002
3	Bowling Green	Northern Illinois	Bowling Green, 2–1	2013, 2014, 2015
2	Marshall	Western Michigan	Marshall, 2–0	1999, 2000
2	Ohio	Central Michigan	Central Michigan, 2–0	2006, 2009
2	Miami	Central Michigan	Tied, 1–1	2007, 2019
2	Buffalo	Ball State	Tied, 1–1	2008, 2020
2	Kent State	Northern Illinois	Northern Illinois, 2–0	2012, 2021

MVPs

Year	MVP(s)	Team	Position
1997	Randy Moss	Marshall	WR
1998	Chad Pennington		QB
1999	Chad Pennington
2000	Byron Leftwich
2001	Chester Taylor	Toledo	RB
2002	Byron Leftwich	Marshall	QB
2003	Ben Roethlisberger	Miami
2004	Bruce Gradkowski	Toledo
2005	Luke Getsy	Akron
2006	Damien Linson	Central Michigan	WR
2007	Dan LeFevour	Central Michigan	QB
2008	Mike Newton	Buffalo	DB
2009	Dan LeFevour	Central Michigan	QB
2010	Thomas Merriweather	Miami	RB
2011	Nathan Palmer	Northern Illinois	WR
2012	Jordan Lynch	Northern Illinois	QB
2013	Matt Johnson	Bowling Green
2014	Drew Hare	Northern Illinois
2015	Travis Greene	Bowling Green	RB
2016	Corey Davis	Western Michigan	WR
2017	Logan Woodside	Toledo	QB (Offensive)
2017	Danzel McKinley-Lewis	Toledo	WR (Special Teams)
2018	Marcus Childers	Northern Illinois	QB (Offensive)
2018	Sutton Smith	Northern Illinois	LB (Defensive)
2019	Jack Sorenson	Miami	WR (Offensive)
2019	Emmanuel Rugamba	Miami	LB (Defensive)
2020	Drew Plitt	Ball State	QB (Offensive)
2020	Jimmy Daw	Ball State	LB (Defensive)
2021	Jay Ducker	Northern Illinois	RB (Offensive)
	C.J. Brown		DB (Defensive)
	John Richardson		PK (Special Teams)
2022	Dequan Finn	Toledo	QB (Offensive)
	Dyontae Johnson		LB (Defensive)
	Jonathon Batzke		P (Special Teams)
2023	Aveon Smith	Miami	QB (Offensive)
	Matt Salopek		LB (Defensive)
	Graham Nicholson		K (Special Teams)
2024	Parker Navarro	Ohio	QB (Offensive)
	Bradley Weaver		DE (Defensive)
	Gianni Spetic		K (Special Teams)
2025	Jalen Buckley	Western Michigan	RB (Offensive)
	Nadame Tucker		DE (Defensive)
	Palmer Domschke		K (Special Teams)

Game records

Team	Record, Team vs. Opponent	Year
Most points scored (one team)	51, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green	2014
Most points scored (losing team)	45, Toledo vs. Marshall	2002
Fewest points scored (winning team)	17, Toledo vs. Ohio	2022
Fewest points scored	3, Miami vs. Ohio	2024
Most points scored (both teams)	94, Marshall (49) vs. Toledo (45)	2002
Fewest points scored (both teams)	24, Toledo (17) vs. Ohio (7)	2022
Most points scored in a half	35, Buffalo (2nd half) vs. Ball State Ball State (1st half) vs. Buffalo	2008 2020
Most points scored in a half (both teams)	49, Marshall vs. Toledo (2nd half)	2002
Largest margin of victory	35, Ohio (38) vs. Miami (3)	2024
Smallest margin of victory	1, Akron (31) vs. Northern Illinois (30) Northern Illinois (30) vs. Buffalo (29)	2005 2018
Total yards	576, Miami (440 passing, 136 rushing) vs. Bowling Green	2003
Rushing yards	334, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green	2014
Passing yards	440, Miami vs. Bowling Green	2003
First downs	32, Ohio vs. Miami	2024
Fewest yards allowed	189, Ohio vs. Miami (127 passing, 62 rushing)	2024
Fewest rushing yards allowed	37, Western Michigan vs. Ohio	2016
Fewest passing yards allowed	102, Kent State vs. Northern Illinois	2021
Individual	Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent	Year
All-purpose yards	448, Ben Roethlisberger, Miami vs. Bowling Green	2003
Touchdowns (all-purpose)	5, Matt Johnson, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois	2013
Rushing yards	270, Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois vs. Akron	2005
Rushing touchdowns	4, Trinity Dawson, Toledo vs. Marshall	2002
Passing yards	440, Ben Roethlisberger, Miami vs. Bowling Green	2003
Passing touchdowns	5, Matt Johnson, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois	2013
Receiving yards	191, Damien Linson, Central Michigan vs. Ohio	2006
Receiving touchdowns	4, Denero Marriott, Marshall vs. Toledo	2001
Tackles	17, Ty Wise, Miami vs. Ohio	2024
Sacks	2.5, Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan vs. Miami	2025
Interceptions	2, Dechane Durante, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green	2014
Long Plays	Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent	Year
Touchdown run	96, Ontario Sneed, Central Michigan vs. Ohio	2006
Touchdown pass	86, Randy Moss from Chad Pennington, Marshall vs. Toledo	1997
Kickoff return	64, Clint Stephens, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois	2014
Punt return	48, Danzel McKinley-Lewis, Toledo vs. Akron	2017
Interception return	64, Shawun Lurry, Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green	2015
Fumble return	92, Mike Newton, Buffalo vs. Ball State	2008
Punt	75, Curtis Head, Marshall vs. Toledo	2001
Field goal	52, shared by: Chris Nendick, Northern Illinois vs. Akron Tyler Tate, Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois Gianni Spetic, Ohio vs. Miami	2005 2013 2024
Miscellaneous	Record, Team vs. Team	Year
Game attendance	45,615, Ohio vs. Western Michigan	2016

Source:^[8]

Photo gallery

Before 2006 MAC Championship Game
2006 MAC Championship: Central Michigan vs. Ohio

References

↑ Ramsey, Jared (November 30, 2023). "MAC to replace divisions with new system for 2024". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
↑ "MAC Announces New Football Tiebreaker Procedures". MAC. September 18, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
↑ "MAC Announces Three Year Contract Extension With Ford Field". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
↑ Kelly, Kyle (November 30, 2023). "MAC signs three-year extension to keep football title game at Ford Field". FBS Schedules. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
↑ Paul, Tony (November 30, 2023). "Mid-American Conference to go to pods alignment for 2024". Detroit News. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
↑ Kelly, Kevin (2023-11-30). "MAC Championship Game to remain in Detroit through 2025 season". FBS Schedules. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
↑ https://getsomemaction.com/sports/2025/11/18/FB_1118250348.aspx
↑ "C-USA Records Master" (PDF). conferenceusa.com. pp. 35–36. Retrieved December 3, 2021.

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[1] Ramsey, Jared (November 30, 2023). "MAC to replace divisions with new system for 2024". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 16, 2024.

[2] "MAC Announces New Football Tiebreaker Procedures". MAC. September 18, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.

[3] "MAC Announces Three Year Contract Extension With Ford Field". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.

[4] Kelly, Kyle (November 30, 2023). "MAC signs three-year extension to keep football title game at Ford Field". FBS Schedules. Retrieved December 5, 2023.

[5] Paul, Tony (November 30, 2023). "Mid-American Conference to go to pods alignment for 2024". Detroit News. Retrieved December 5, 2023.

[6] Kelly, Kevin (2023-11-30). "MAC Championship Game to remain in Detroit through 2025 season". FBS Schedules. Retrieved 2024-05-13.

[7] ttps://getsomemaction.com/sports/2025/11/18/FB_1118250348.aspx

[8] "C-USA Records Master" (PDF). conferenceusa.com. pp. 35–36. Retrieved December 3, 2021.

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v t e MAC Football Championship Game
Years	1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Venues	Marshall University Stadium (1997–2000, 2002) Glass Bowl (2001) Doyt Perry Stadium (2003) Ford Field (2004–present)

v t e Mid-American Conference football
Current teams	Akron Zips Ball State Cardinals Bowling Green Falcons Buffalo Bulls Central Michigan Chippewas Eastern Michigan Eagles Kent State Golden Flashes Miami RedHawks Northern Illinois Huskies (leaving in 2026) Ohio Bobcats Toledo Rockets UMass Minutemen Western Michigan Broncos
Championships and awards	MAC Championship Game Season Champions All-time standings Mid-American Conference football individual awards
Seasons	1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

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