# MAC Football Championship Game

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. A new tiebreaker system was established to compare teams with the same conference record. 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.
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.
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.
| Year | West | West | East | East | Site | Attendance |
| 1997 | Toledo Rockets | 14 | Marshall Thundering Herd | 34 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 28,021 |
| 1998 | Toledo Rockets | 17 | Marshall Thundering Herd | 23 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 28,085 |
| 1999 | Western Michigan Broncos | 30 | 11 Marshall Thundering Herd | 34 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 28,069 |
| 2000 | Western Michigan Broncos | 14 | Marshall Thundering Herd | 19 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 24,816 |
| 2001 | Toledo Rockets | 41 | 20 Marshall Thundering Herd | 36 | Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH | 20,025 |
| 2002 | Toledo Rockets | 45 | 24 Marshall Thundering Herd | 49 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 24,582 |
| 2003 | 20 Bowling Green Falcons | 27 | 13 Miami RedHawks | 49 | Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH | 24,813 |
| 2004 | Toledo Rockets | 35 | Miami RedHawks | 27 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 22,138 |
| 2005 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 30 | Akron Zips | 31 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 12,051 |
| 2006 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 31 | Ohio Bobcats | 10 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 25,483 |
| 2007 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 35 | Miami RedHawks | 10 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 25,013 |
| 2008 | 12 Ball State Cardinals | 24 | Buffalo Bulls | 42 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 12,871 |
| 2009 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 20 | Ohio Bobcats | 10 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 23,714 |
| 2010 | 24 Northern Illinois Huskies | 21 | Miami RedHawks | 26 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 12,031 |
| 2011 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 23 | Ohio Bobcats | 20 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 13,052 |
| 2012 | 19 Northern Illinois Huskies | 44$^{2OT}$ | 18 Kent State Golden Flashes | 37 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 18,132 |
| 2013 | 16 Northern Illinois Huskies | 27 | Bowling Green Falcons | 47 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 21,106 |
| 2014 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 51 | Bowling Green Falcons | 17 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 15,110 |
| 2015 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 14 | Bowling Green Falcons | 34 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 16,425 |
| 2016 | 13 Western Michigan Broncos | 29 | Ohio Bobcats | 23 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 45,615 |
| 2017 | Toledo Rockets | 45 | Akron Zips | 28 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 16,225 |
| 2018 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 30 | Buffalo Bulls | 29 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 10,255 |
| 2019 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 21 | Miami RedHawks | 26 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 22,427 |
| 2020 | Ball State Cardinals | 38 | 23 Buffalo Bulls | 28 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 0‡ |
| 2021 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 41 | Kent State Golden Flashes | 23 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 10,317 |
| 2022 | Toledo Rockets | 17 | Ohio Bobcats | 7 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 15,550 |
| 2023 | Toledo Rockets | 14 | Miami RedHawks | 23 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 20,200 |
| Year | No. 1 seed | No. 1 seed | No. 2 seed | No. 2 seed | Site | Attendance |
| 2024 | Miami RedHawks | 3 | Ohio Bobcats | 38 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 15,478 |
‡ 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 |
| 7 | [[Miami RedHawks football|Miami RedHawks]] | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2003, 2010, 2019, 2023 | 2004, 2007, 2024 |
| 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 |
| 3 | [[Buffalo Bulls football|Buffalo Bulls]] | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2008 | 2018, 2020 |
| 3 | [[Western Michigan Broncos football|Western Michigan Broncos]] | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2016 | 1999, 2000 |
| 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 |
Eastern Michigan and UMass are the only teams currently in the conference to have not qualified for a Championship Game. 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 (was a member of the West Division prior to Marshall's departure from the MAC). Temple and UCF were previously in the conference during this era and never reached the championship game; UMass will return to the MAC in 2025.

### 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 | Marshall | QB |
| 1999 | Chad Pennington | Marshall | QB |
| 2000 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | QB |
| 2001 | Chester Taylor | Toledo | RB |
| 2002 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | QB |
| 2003 | Ben Roethlisberger | Miami | QB |
| 2004 | Bruce Gradkowski | Toledo | QB |
| 2005 | Luke Getsy | Akron | QB |
| 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 | QB |
| 2014 | Drew Hare | Northern Illinois | QB |
| 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) |
| 2021 | C.J. Brown | Northern Illinois | DB (Defensive) |
| 2021 | John Richardson | Northern Illinois | PK (Special Teams) |
| 2022 | Dequan Finn | Toledo | QB (Offensive) |
| 2022 | Dyontae Johnson | Toledo | LB (Defensive) |
| 2022 | Jonathon Batzke | Toledo | P (Special Teams) |
| 2023 | Aveon Smith | Miami | QB (Offensive) |
| 2023 | Matt Salopek | Miami | LB (Defensive) |
| 2023 | Graham Nicholson | Miami | K (Special Teams) |
| 2024 | Parker Navarro | Ohio | QB (Offensive) |
| 2024 | Bradley Weaver | Ohio | DE (Defensive) |
| 2024 | Gianni Spetic | Ohio | 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, shared by nine players, most recent: Tyrece Woods Jr., Buffalo vs. Ball State | 2020 |
| 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:

## Photo gallery

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