MAC Football News & Notes For Week One

With MAC Football kicking off this weekend.  NEOSI has a variety of great news and notes to get your ready for some fast-paced MAC action.  If you would like to be the sponsor of these weekly news & notes, please contact Vince McKee at coachvin14@yahoo.com

• MAC football continues its 72nd season of competition and will hold its 22nd championship game in 2018.  This year’s Marathon MAC Football Championship game will be Friday, Nov. 30 at 7:00 pm ET on ESPN2 at Ford Field in Detroit. Toledo is the defending MAC Champion as the Rockets defeated Akron, 45-28, last December.

• The 2018 football season will bring the transition of one new head coach into the Conference. Kent State named former Syracuse co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Sean Lewis as head coach on Dec. 21, 2017. Lewis is the youngest FBS head coach at the age of 31. 

• The MAC will open the season by hosting seven games and playing on the road in five others. Ball State opens the season on Thursday, Aug. 30 by hosting Central Connecticut (ESPN+). On Friday, August 31, Western Michigan hosts Syracuse (CBS Sports Network) and Eastern Michigan welcomes Monmouth (ESPN+). MAC programs will play nine others on Saturday, Sept. 1.  

• MAC programs will face opponents from the Big Ten (Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska), ACC (Syracuse), Pac-12 (Oregon), SEC (Kentucky) and Conference USA (Marshall) in Week One. The MAC will also face five FCS opponents.