Mid-American Conference
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox sports league
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. For football, the conference participates in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members located in Illinois, Indiana, and New York.
The MAC is headquartered in the Public Square district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and has two members in the nearby Akron area. The conference ranks highest among all ten NCAA Division I FBS conferences for graduation rates.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
History
[edit]The five charter members of the Mid-American Conference were Ohio University, Butler University, the University of Cincinnati, Wayne University (now Wayne State University), and Western Reserve University, one of the predecessors to today's Case Western Reserve University. Wayne University left after the first year. Miami University and Western Michigan University took the place of those charter members for the 1948 season. The MAC added the University of Toledo (1950), Kent State University (1951), and Bowling Green State University (1952). The University of Cincinnati resigned its membership February 18, 1953, with an effective date of June 1, 1953. Cincinnati's decision was based on a new requirement that at least 5 conference football games would have to be scheduled each season, university president Raymond Walters saying they "...regretfully resign...as the university could not continue under the present setup..."<ref>The Lima News, February 19, 1953</ref>
The membership was steady for the next two decades except for the addition of Marshall University in 1954 and the departure of Western Reserve in 1955.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Marshall was expelled from the conference in 1969 due to NCAA violations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first major expansion since the 1950s took place in the mid-1970s with the addition of Central Michigan University and Eastern Michigan University in 1972 and Ball State University and Northern Illinois University in 1973. NIU left after the 1985–86 season. The University of Akron joined the conference in 1992. The conference became the largest in Division I-A with the re-admittance of Marshall and NIU in 1997 and addition of the Bulls from the University at Buffalo in 1998. The University of Central Florida, a non-football all-sports member in the Atlantic Sun Conference at the time, joined for football only in 2002, becoming the first football-only member in conference history. Marshall and Central Florida left after the 2004–05 academic year, both joining Conference USA in all sports.
In May 2005, the Temple Owls in Philadelphia signed a six-year contract with the MAC as a football-only school and began play in the East Division in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Louisville Cardinals were a MAC affiliate for field hockey for a number of years when Louisville was a member of the Metro Conference and Conference USA, winning two MAC tourney titles in 2003 and 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Missouri State Bears, Evansville Purple Aces, and Southern Illinois Salukis participate in the MAC for men's swimming and diving.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2012, the West Virginia Mountaineers joined the Florida Atlantic Owls and Hartwick College Hawks as men's soccer affiliates.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Florida Atlantic departed upon joining Conference USA in 2013. Hartwick's contract was not renewed by the MAC in 2015. Nine schools are wrestling affiliates; most became affiliates when the MAC absorbed the former Eastern Wrestling League in 2019. Appalachian State University and Longwood University are associates in field hockey; Missouri State had also been a member in that sport from 2005 until dropping field hockey after the 2016 season. Binghamton University is an affiliate in men's tennis. In June 2017, SIU Edwardsville (SIUE) was invited to become an affiliate member in both men's soccer and wrestling in 2018.<ref name="Hustle Belt/Vox Media, Inc">Template:Cite web</ref> When Buffalo suddenly dropped four sports, including men's soccer, SIUE's move in that sport was made immediately.<ref name= "Cougars soccer">Template:Cite news</ref>
The UMass Minutemen joined the MAC as a football-only member in July 2012; the university announced that the team would leave the MAC at the end of the 2015 season due to contractual issues.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>UMass Football Will Leave Mid-American Conference at End of 2015 - University of Massachusetts Official Athletic Site Template:Webarchive. Umassathletics.com (2014-03-26). Retrieved on 2014-04-12.</ref> Meanwhile, Temple ended its affiliation with the MAC in football and joined the Big East for football in July 2012. Following the split of the Big East into football-sponsoring and non-football conferences in July 2013, Temple became a full member of the football-sponsoring portion, the American Athletic Conference, ending its membership in the Atlantic 10 at that time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Chicago State Cougars were an affiliate for men's tennis until joining the Western Athletic Conference, which sponsors that sport, in July 2013.
The conference unveiled the addition of women's lacrosse to its sport sponsorship in November 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lacrosse began competing under the MAC banner with six teams in the 2021 season with MAC members Akron, Central Michigan and Kent State joined by associate members Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and Youngstown State. Eastern Michigan became the seventh women's lacrosse member when it added the sport in the 2022 season.<ref name=MACWLAXAdd>Template:Cite news</ref>
At the end of the 2022 season, the MAC discontinued men's soccer as a sponsored sport. While the conference realignment of the early 2020s did not affect the MAC's core membership up to that time, it significantly impacted the amount of men's soccer sponsoring programs within the conference, and ultimately led to the conference lacking enough teams to maintain its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.<ref name=MSoc23>Template:Cite press release</ref> Of the four full MAC members that sponsored men's soccer in the 2022 season, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan moved the sport to the Missouri Valley Conference,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> and Akron moved it to the Big East Conference.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
The MAC eliminated its East and West divisions for football in January 2024. The divisions had already been eliminated for other sports in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref name="Strack"/> Later that year, in late February, it was announced that the UMass Minutemen and Minutewomen will join the conference as a full member beginning in 2025, returning UMass football to the MAC.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In July, the conference announced that it would begin sponsoring women's rowing for the 2025–26 season; full members Eastern Michigan, Toledo, and UMass would be joined by affiliate members Delaware, High Point, and Temple.<ref name="row">Template:Cite press release</ref>
On January 3, 2025, it was reported that Northern Illinois had accepted an invitation from the Mountain West Conference to join as an affiliate member for football in 2026.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This move was made official on January 7, after approval by NIU's governing board.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Current MAC bylaws stipulate that all members must play football within the conference; correspondingly, multiple media reports in February 2025 indicated that NIU was set to rejoin the Horizon League, a non-football conference in which it had been a member from 1994–1997, in 2026. This move was also made official on February 27, after approval by NIU's governing board. NIU has applied to maintain MAC affiliate membership in women's gymnastics and men's wrestling, neither of which the Horizon sponsors.<ref name=NIUHorizonAth>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=NIUHorizonSI>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
Member universities
[edit]Current full members
[edit]There are twelve public universities with full membership:
- Notes
Future full members
[edit]| width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Institution | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Location | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Founded | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Joining | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Type | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Enrollment (Fall 2023) |
width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Endowment (millions) |
width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Nickname | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Colors | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, Massachusetts | 1863 | 2025Template:Efn | Public | 27,420 | $1,500 | Minutemen and Minutewomen | Template:College color boxes | Atlantic 10Template:Efn |
Membership map
[edit]Current affiliate members
[edit]Sixteen schools have MAC affiliate membership status as of 2024. On July 1, 2012, Temple joined the Big East Conference for football only (the school's other sports would join the Big East/American for 2013–14), and Massachusetts replaced Temple as a football-only member in the MAC East Division. On September 19, 2012, the MAC announced Missouri, Northern Iowa and Old Dominion would join as wrestling affiliates; as the Southeastern and Missouri Valley Conferences do not sponsor wrestling. Missouri and Northern Iowa participated only in the conference tournament in the 2012–13 school year, and began full conference play in 2013–14. Old Dominion did not begin MAC competition until 2013–14, when it left the Colonial Athletic Association (which had sponsored wrestling, but no longer does so) for Conference USA (which has never sponsored the sport).<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Old Dominion discontinued wrestling in April 2020.<ref name="wrestledrop">Template:Cite news</ref>
On July 1, 2013, Florida Atlantic's men's soccer program moved with the rest of its athletic program to Conference USA, and Chicago State's men's tennis team followed the rest of its sports to the Western Athletic Conference.
The 2014–15 school year saw one affiliate member leave for another conference and two new affiliates join. The Hartwick men's soccer team left the MAC for the Sun Belt Conference, which had announced in February 2014 that it would reinstate men's soccer, a sport that it last sponsored in 1995, for the 2014 season.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The new affiliates for 2014–15 were Binghamton in men's tennis and Longwood in field hockey.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
On July 1, 2017, one associate member left the MAC, another associate member dropped one of its two MAC sports, and two new schools became associate members. Northern Iowa wrestling moved from the MAC to the Big 12 Conference.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Missouri State dropped field hockey,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> but remained a MAC member in men's swimming & diving. Appalachian State joined MAC field hockey,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> and SIU Edwardsville (SIUE) joined in men's soccer.<ref name="SIUE soccer">Template:Cite press release</ref> SIUE was initially announced as joining in both men's soccer and wrestling in 2018, but less than a week after the initial announcement, the conference indicated that SIUE men's soccer would immediately join.<ref name="SIUE soccer"/><ref name= "Cougars soccer" /> SIUE wrestling joined on its originally announced schedule.
On March 5, 2019, the conference announced that it would be adding the seven former members of the Eastern Wrestling League as affiliate members in wrestling, making the MAC the second-largest wrestling conference for academic year 2019–20.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
With the addition of women's lacrosse, the MAC added affiliate members Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and Youngstown State in the 2020–21 academic year. UDM and YSU, all-sports members of the Horizon League, were announced as incoming associates at the same time the MAC announced the addition of lacrosse.<ref name="MACWLAXAdd"/> RMU was announced as an incoming associate in late June 2020, shortly after the school announced it would join the Horizon League in July 2020.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
In June 2020, SIUE announced that it would leave the MAC men's soccer league in 2021 to rejoin its previous men's soccer home of the Missouri Valley Conference.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> It remains in MAC wrestling to this day.
Also in 2021, Missouri left MAC wrestling and returned to its former home of the Big 12 Conference as a wrestling-only member.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> At the same time, four schools became single-sport MAC members—Bellarmine in field hockey,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Georgia Southern and Georgia State in men's soccer,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> and Valparaiso in men's swimming (the school does not include diving in its men's aquatics program).<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
In 2022, West Virginia men's soccer was scheduled to leave the MAC for single-sport membership in Conference USA (CUSA).<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> However, due to the tenuous future of CUSA at that time, West Virginia opted instead to join the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in 2022 as that league reinstated men's soccer. Georgia Southern and Georgia State, both full SBC members, also returned men's soccer to their home conference in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> In response, the MAC announced that Chicago State would join as a men's soccer affiliate as of the 2022–23 season, as the Cougars prepared to depart the Western Athletic Conference in all sports, including soccer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Also in 2022, the MAC gained another affiliate when another Chicago institution, UIC, joined for men's swimming & diving.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Ultimately, Chicago State's tenure as a MAC affiliate lasted only for the 2022 season, as the conference dropped men's soccer at season's end.<ref name=MSoc23/> 2023 saw UIC adding men's tennis to its affiliate membership, as well as the announcement that James Madison would be joining as an affiliate for field hockey in 2024.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
In 2024, the Missouri Valley Conference announced it would begin sponsoring men's swimming & diving for the 2024–25 season. At the time, the MAC men's swimming programs consisted of 2 MAC schools and 5 affiliates from the MVC; correspondingly, all of these programs would move to the MVC for the following season, with the 2 MAC schools (Ball State and Miami) joining the MVC as affiliates for that sport.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> However, shortly after dropping men's swimming, the MAC announced it would begin sponsoring a new sport, women's rowing, in 2025–26. Accordingly, it brought on 3 new affiliates for that sport: Delaware, High Point, and former football affiliate Temple.<ref name="row" />
Future affiliate members
[edit]| width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Institution | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Location | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Founded | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Joining | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Type | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Enrollment | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Nickname | class="unsortable" ! width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Colors | width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| MAC sport |
width= px style="Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"| Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Delaware | Newark, Delaware | 1743 | 2025 | PublicTemplate:Efn | 23,774 | Blue Hens | Template:College color boxes | rowing | CAA Template:Small |
| High Point University | High Point, North Carolina | 1924 | Private (Methodist) |
4,545 | Panthers | Template:College color boxes | Big South | ||
| Temple University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1884 | State related | 37,365 | Owls | Template:College color boxes | American |
- Notes
Former full members
[edit]School names, nicknames, and colors listed here reflect those used during each school's MAC tenure.
- Notes
Former affiliate members
[edit]School names, nicknames, and colors listed here reflect those used during each school's MAC tenure.
- Notes
Membership timeline
[edit]<timeline>
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1946 till:2030
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote)
id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference
id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two
id:Ind value:rgb(0.83,0.83,0.83)
PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:FullxF from:1946 till:1947 text:Wayne (1946–1947) bar:1 color:Ind from:1947 till:1954 bar:1 color:Ind from:1954 till:1955 text:Ind. bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1955 till:1967 text: PAC bar:1 color:Ind from:1967 till:1975 text:Independent bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:1975 till:End text:GLIAC
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1946 till:1947 text:Butler (1946–1950) bar:2 color:Full from:1947 till:1950 bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1950 till:1954 bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1954 till:1978 text:ICC bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:1978 till:2007 text:Horizon (non-football) bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:2007 till:2012 text:A-10 (non-fb) bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2013 bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:End text:Big East (non-football)
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1946 till:1947 text:Cincinnati (1946–1953) bar:3 color:Full from:1947 till:1953 bar:3 color:Ind from:1953 till:1955 bar:3 color:Ind from:1955 till:1957 text:Ind. bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1957 till:1970 text:MVC bar:3 color:Ind from:1970 till:1975 text:Ind. bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:1975 till:1991 text:Metro (non-football) bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text:GMC (non-fb) bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:1997 bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:1997 till:2005 text:CUSA bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:Big East bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2023 text:AAC bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:End text:Big 12
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1946 till:1947 text:Western Reserve (1946–1955) bar:4 color:Full from:1947 till:1955 bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1955 till:1958 bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1958 till:1971 text:PAC
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1946 till:1947 text:Ohio (1946–present) bar:5 color:Full from:1947 till:End text:
bar:6 color:Ind from:1946 till:1947 text:Ind. bar:6 color:Full from:1947 till:1948 bar:6 color:Full from:1948 till:End text:Miami (1947–present)
bar:7 color:Ind from:1946 till:1947 text:Ind. bar:7 color:Full from:1947 till:1948 bar:7 color:Full from:1948 till:End text:Western Michigan (1947–present)
bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1946 till:1948 text:OAC bar:8 color:Ind from:1948 till:1951 text:Ind. bar:8 color:FullxF from:1950 till:1952 text:Toledo (1950–present) bar:8 color:Full from:1952 till:End
bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1946 till:1951 text:OAC bar:9 color:Full from:1951 till:End text:Kent State (1951–present)
bar:10 color:Ind from:1946 till:1952 text:Independent bar:10 color:Full from:1952 till:End text:Bowling Green (1952–present)
bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1946 till:1949 text:WVIAC bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:1949 till:1952 text:OVC bar:11 color:Ind from:1952 till:1954 text:Ind. bar:11 color:Full from:1954 till:1969 text:Marshall (1954–1969) bar:11 color:Ind from:1969 till:1977 text:Independent bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1977 till:1997 text:SoCon bar:11 color:Full from:1997 till:2005 text:(1997–2005) bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2022 text:CUSA bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:End text:Sun Belt
bar:12 color:Ind from:1946 till:1950 text:Ind. bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1950 till:1971 text:IIAC bar:12 color:FullxF from:1971 till:1975 text:Central Michigan (1971–present) bar:12 color:Full from:1975 till:End
bar:13 color:Ind from:1946 till:1950 text:Ind. bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1950 till:1961 text:IIAC bar:13 color:Ind from:1961 till:1971 text:Independent bar:13 color:FullxF from:1971 till:1976 text:Eastern Michigan (1971–present) bar:13 color:Full from:1976 till:End
bar:14 color:Ind from:1946 till:1950 text:Ind. bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1950 till:1968 text:ICC bar:14 color:Ind from:1968 till:1969 text:Ind. bar:14 color:Ind from:1969 till:1971 bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:1971 till:1972 text:MC (non-fb) bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:1972 till:1973 bar:14 color:FullxF from:1973 till:1975 bar:14 color:Full from:1975 till:1976 bar:14 color:Full from:1976 till:End text:Ball State (1973–present)
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1946 till:1966 text:IIAC bar:15 color:Ind from:1966 till:1975 text:Independent bar:15 color:Full from:1975 till:1986 text:Northern Illinois (1975–1986) bar:15 color:Ind from:1986 till:1993 text: Independent bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:1993 till:1996 text:BWC bar:15 color:Ind from:1996 till:1997 text: Ind. bar:15 color:Full from:1997 till:2026 text: (1997–2026) bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text: Horizon (non-football)
bar:16 color:Ind from:1946 till:1948 text:Ind. bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1966 text:OAC bar:16 color:Ind from:1966 till:1978 text:Independent bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:1978 till:1980 text:MCC bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:1987 text: OVC bar:16 color:Ind from:1987 till:1992 text:Ind. bar:16 color:Full from:1992 till:End text:Akron (1992–present)
bar:17 color:Ind from:1946 till:1978 text:Independent bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1988 text:SUNYAC (non-fb) bar:17 color:Ind from:1988 till:1991 text:Ind. bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1994 text:ECC (non-fb) bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:1994 till:1998 text: MCC (non-fb) bar:17 color:Full from:1998 till:End text: Buffalo (1998–present)
bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1946 till:1947 text:NECCIA bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:1947 till:1976 text: Yankee bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:2025 text:A-10 (non-football 1976–1997 & 2007–2025; football 1997–2007) bar:18 color:AssocF from:2012 till:2015 text:UMass (2012–2015) bar:18 color:Full from:2025 till:End shift:(-25) text:(2025–future)
bar:19 color:AssocF from:2002 till:2005 text:Central Florida (2002–2005)
bar:20 color:AssocF from:2007 till:2012 text:Temple (2007–2012) bar:20 color:AssocOS from:2025 till:end text:(rowing; 2025–future)
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TextData =
fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Mid-American Conference Membership History"
- > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color <# </timeline>
Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color
Academics
[edit]One of the current full member schools, the University at Buffalo, is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> All members of the MAC are classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" except for the University at Buffalo, Kent State University, and Ohio University, which are classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".<ref name="carnegie">Template:Cite web</ref> Member schools are also ranked nationally and globally by various groups, including U.S. News & World Report and Times Higher Education.
| University | Location | Affiliation | Carnegie<ref name="carnegie"/> | Endowment<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | USN Nat.<ref name="US News Rankings">Template:Cite web</ref> | URAP Global<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sort | Akron, Ohio | Public | Research (High) | $236,000,000 | 293-381 | 763 |
| Template:Sort | Muncie, Indiana | Public | Research (High) | $325,000,000 | 192 | 1,437 |
| Bowling Green State University | Bowling Green, Ohio | Public | Research (High) | $200,000,000 | 246 | 1,443 |
| Template:Sort | Buffalo, New York | Public | Research (Very High) | $1,020,000,000 | 79 | 279 |
| Template:Sort | Mount Pleasant, Michigan | Public | Research (High) | $246,000,000 | 240 | 1,335 |
| Template:Sort | Ypsilanti, Michigan | Public | Research (High) | $78,000,000 | 293-381 | 2,187 |
| Kent State University | Kent, Ohio | Public | Research (Very High) | $188,000,000 | 211 | 801 |
| Miami University | Oxford, Ohio | Public | Research (High) | $736,000,000 | 91 | 1,061 |
| Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, Illinois | Public | Research (High) | $99,000,000 | 293-381 | 1,078 |
| Template:Sort | Athens, Ohio | Public | Research (Very High) | $943,400,000 | 176 | 701 |
| University of Toledo | Toledo, Ohio | Public | Research (High) | $551,000,000 | 293-381 | 745 |
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, Michigan | Public | Research (High) | $495,000,000 | 246 | 1,292 |
Sports
[edit]The Mid-American Conference sponsors championship competition in 9 men's and 13 women's NCAA sanctioned sports, with women's lacrosse becoming the newest sport in 2020–21.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of the 2024–25 school year, 16 schools are associate members for four sports.
As the MAC is an FBS conference, its full members are subject to the NCAA requirement that FBS members field teams in at least 16 NCAA-recognized sports. However, as of 2017, the MAC itself required sponsorship of only four sports: football, men's and women's basketball, and women's volleyball.<ref name="UB drops four sports">Template:Cite press release</ref> This may have since changed, as UMass was accepted as a new conference member effective in 2025 despite not sponsoring women's volleyball.
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 11 | – |
| Basketball | 12 | 12 |
| Cross country | 9 | 12 |
| Field hockey | – | 8 |
| Football | 12 | – |
| Golf | 8 | 10 |
| Gymnastics | – | 7 |
| Lacrosse | – | 7 |
| Soccer | – | 12 |
| Softball | – | 12 |
| Swimming and diving | – | 8 |
| Tennis | 6 | 7 |
| Track and field (indoor) | 4 | 12 |
| Track and field (outdoor) | 5 | 12 |
| Volleyball | – | 12 |
| Wrestling | 13 | – |
Men's sponsored sports by school
[edit]Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the MAC
[edit]Future members in gray.
| School | Ice hockey | Lacrosse | RifleTemplate:Efn | Soccer | Swimming & diving | Volleyball |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | No | No | GARC | Big East | No | No |
| Ball State | No | No | No | No | MVC | MIVA |
| Bowling Green | CCHA | No | No | MVC | No | No |
| Miami | NCHC | No | No | No | MVC | No |
| Northern Illinois | No | No | No | MVC | No | No |
| UMass | Hockey East | A-10 | No | Summit | MVC | No |
| Western Michigan | NCHC | No | No | MVC | No | No |
- Notes
Women's sponsored sports by school
[edit]Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the MAC
[edit]Future member in gray.
| School | RifleTemplate:Efn | RowingTemplate:Efn | Synchronized skatingTemplate:Efn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | GARC | No | No |
| Eastern Michigan | No | CAA | No |
| Miami | No | No | Independent |
| Toledo | No | Template:Efn | No |
| UMass | No | MAC | No |
Notes: Template:Notelist
Football
[edit]Scheduling
[edit]On November 30, 2023, the MAC approved a new scheduling format for football effective for the 2024 season, eliminating its East and West Divisions for the first time since 1996 in favor of a pod-based protected rivalry system. Under the new system, teams will be divided into 4 pods of 3 teams each, and each team will be guaranteed to face the other 2 teams in its pod every season. Additionally, every team in the MAC will be guaranteed to face every other team in the MAC at least once every three years. The MAC Football Championship Game, which previously matched the winner of the East Division against the winner of the West Division, will instead put the two teams in the MAC with the highest conference winning percentage. The pods are as follows:<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
| School 1 | School 2 | School 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pod 1 | Akron | Buffalo | Kent State |
| Pod 2 | Ball State | Miami (OH) | Ohio |
| Pod 3 | Bowling Green | Northern Illinois | Toledo |
| Pod 4 | Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan | Western Michigan |
All-time results
[edit]- File:AmericanFootball current event.svg For the most recent season, see 2024 Mid-American Conference football season.
Template:Update <ref>All time Division I-A football records Template:Webarchive, College Football Data Warehouse</ref>Template:When
- - Buffalo invited to Tangerine Bowl in 1958 / Declined due to Florida's segregation laws at the time which would not have allowed Buffalo's two black players to participate.
MAC champions
[edit]Bowl games
In 2017, the MAC was contracted to provide a team for each of five college football bowl games: the Bahamas Bowl, LendingTree Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Camellia Bowl (later renamed the Salute to Veterans Bowl) and Quick Lane Bowl (later renamed the GameAbove Sports Bowl). The MAC also has secondary agreements with several ESPN-owned bowls.
- Notes
- The MAC champion (if not invited to the College Football Playoff or its associated bowls) is not contractually obligated to any specific bowl. The conference and the universities select which teams will play in which of the league's affiliated bowls.
College Football Playoff
[edit]The MAC champion, like the other "Group of 5" conferences receives an automatic berth in one of the so-called New Year's Six bowl games associated with the College Football Playoff under either of the following circumstances:
- Selected as one of the top four teams overall by the CFP selection committee, in which case the team will play in a CFP national semifinal.
- Ranked by the committee as the top champion among the five conferences (American, C-USA, MAC, MW, Sun Belt) given access to one of the CFP bowls, in which case the team will play in the so-called "Access Bowl" as an at-large selection.
The first "Access Bowl" berth in 2014 went to Boise State (MW); the 2015 berth went to Houston (American). The MAC got its first berth in 2016 with Western Michigan, who had an undefeated regular season that year and finished ranked at No. 15 in the AP Poll.
During the era of the now-defunct Bowl Championship Series (BCS), one MAC team appeared in a BCS bowl game. In 2012, NIU qualified by being ranked in the top 16 (15th) in the season's final BCS standings, and also higher than at least one champion of a conference that received an automatic berth in a BCS game. In the 2012 season, two such conference champions were ranked below NIU: Big East champion Louisville, who was ranked 22nd, and Big Ten champion Wisconsin, who was unranked. NIU lost to Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Rivalries
[edit]Football rivalries involving MAC teams include:
| Teams | Rivalry name | Trophy | Meetings | Record | Series leader | Current streak | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | Kent State | – | Wagon Wheel | 67 | 37–28–2 | Akron | Akron won 2 |
| Akron | Youngstown State | – | Steel Tire | 35 | 19–14–2 | Youngstown State | Youngstown State won 3 |
| Ball State | Indiana State | – | Blue Key Victory Bell | 64 | 39–24–1 | Ball State | Ball State won 1 |
| Ball State | Northern Illinois | – | Bronze Stalk Trophy | 53 | 25–25–2 | Tie | Ball State won 3 |
| Bowling Green | Kent State | Anniversary Award | 92 | 62–24–6 | Bowling Green | Bowling Green won 2 | |
| Bowling Green | Toledo | Battle of I-75 | Battle of I-75 Trophy | 90 | 43–42–4 | Toledo | Bowling Green won 1 |
| Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan | Rivalry | – | 102 | 64–32–6 | Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan won 1 |
| Central Michigan | Western Michigan | Rivalry | Victory Cannon | 95 | 53–40–2 | Western Michigan | Central Michigan won 1 |
| Miami | Cincinnati | Battle for the Bell | Victory Bell | 128 | 61–60–7 | Cincinnati | Cincinnati won 1 |
| Miami | Ohio | Battle of the Bricks | – | 101 | 56–43–2 | Miami | Ohio won 1 |
| Ohio | Marshall | Battle for the Bell | The Bell | 60 | 33–21–6 | Ohio | Marshall won 1 |
| UMass | Boston College | Rivalry | – | 27 | 22–5 | Boston College | Boston College won 11 |
| UMass | New Hampshire | Colonial Clash | – | 74 | 43–28–3 | UMass | New Hampshire won 2 |
| UMass | UConn | Rivalry | – | 78 | 38–38–2 | Tie | UConn won 3 |
In addition, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Western Michigan compete for the Michigan MAC Trophy, which is awarded to the team with the best head-to-head record each year. Since the inception of the trophy in 2005, Western Michigan has won 7 times, Central Michigan has won 5 times, and Eastern Michigan has won the trophy 4 times. Western Michigan has won the trophy three straight years (2018–2020) as well as six of seven years from 2014 to 2020 (2014–2016, 2018–2020).
Basketball
[edit]Template:Main Template:See also
In August 2010, Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher and the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that the Mid-American Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments would remain in Cleveland at the venue then known as Quicken Loans Arena and now as Rocket Arena through 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Both tournaments have flourished since moving to Cleveland in 2000, with the men's semi-finals and championship regularly drawing large crowds at Quicken Loans Arena.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2007, the MAC also announced a format change for both tournaments, bringing all twelve men's and women's teams to Cleveland. The MAC also co-hosted the 2007 Women's Final Four at Quicken Loans Arena after successfully hosting the 2006 NCAA Women's Basketball Regional at the same facility.
On May 12, 2020, Steinbrecher announced a suite of major changes to the conference's competitive format across multiple sports in response to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific to men's and women's basketball, the following changes took effect in 2020–21 and will continue through at least 2023–24:<ref name=Strack>Template:Cite news</ref>
- The conference adopted a single league table, eliminating the divisional standings.
- The conference schedule increased from 18 to 20 games.
- Only the top eight men's and women's teams advance to their respective conference tournaments.
Championships
[edit]Current MAC champions
[edit]The following are the most recent conference champions of each MAC sport. Champions from the previous academic year are indicated with the calendar year of their title.
In sports in which regular-season and tournament champions are recognized, "RS" indicates regular-season champion and "T" indicates tournament champion.
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break Fall 2024
| Sport | School |
|---|---|
| Football | Ohio (Rs, T), Miami Ohio (Rs) |
| Soccer (W) | Western Michigan (Rs, T) |
| Volleyball (W) | Bowling Green (Rs), Western Michigan (T) |
| Cross country (M) | Toledo |
| Cross country (W) | Toledo |
| Field hockey (W) | Miami Ohio (Rs, T), Appalachian State (Rs), James Madison (Rs) |
Template:Col-break Winter 2024–25
| Sport | School |
|---|---|
| Basketball (M) | Akron (Rs, T) |
| Basketball (W) | Ball State (Rs, T) |
| Indoor track and field (M) | Akron |
| Indoor track and field (W) | Bowling Green |
| Swimming and diving (W) | Akron |
| Gymnastics (W) | Kent State (Rs), Central Michigan (T) |
| Wrestling (M) | Lock Haven(East Rs, T), Northern Illinois (west Rs), Central Michigan (west Rs) |
Template:Col-break Spring 2025
| Sport | School |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Miami Ohio (Rs), Kent State (Rs) |
| Softball | Miami Ohio (Rs, T) |
| Outdoor track and field (M) | Akron |
| Outdoor track and field (W) | Bowling Green |
| Golf (M) | Kent State |
| Golf (W) | Kent State |
| Tennis (M) | Buffalo (Rs, T) |
| Tennis (W) | Miami Ohio (East Rs), Northern Illinois (west Rs), Buffalo (T) |
| Lacrosse | Akron (Rs, T), Eastern Michigan (Rs), Robert Morris (Rs) |
Template:Col-end Template:Notelist
Facilities
[edit]Athletic department revenue by school
[edit]Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.
Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.
The following table shows institutional reporting to the U.S. Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2021–22 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
| Institution | 2021–22 total revenue from athletics | 2021–22 total expenses on athletics |
|---|---|---|
| University of Massachusetts | $43,882,480 | $43,882,480 |
| Miami University | $37,880,709 | $37,880,709 |
| Western Michigan University | $34,422,529 | $34,422,529 |
| University of Toledo | $33,812,616 | $33,812,616 |
| Central Michigan University | $33,368,289 | $33,368,289 |
| Eastern Michigan University | $33,009,018 | $33,009,018 |
| University at Buffalo | $31,053,452 | $30,998,762 |
| Kent State University | $29,289,419 | $29,289,419 |
| Ball State University | $28,526,892 | $28,526,892 |
| Ohio University | $27,605,053 | $27,605,053 |
| Bowling Green State University | $25,573,968 | $25,353,774 |
| University of Akron | $25,543,542 | $25,335,181 |
| Northern Illinois University | $21,413,044 | $21,413,044 |
Hall of Fame
[edit]The Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame was the first Division I conference Hall of Fame.<ref name="MACHall">Template:Cite web</ref> It was established in 1987 and classes have been inducted in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2012 and 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In order to be eligible, a person must have participated during the time the university was in the MAC and five years must have passed from the time the individual participated in athletics or worked in the athletic department.<ref name=MACHall/>
The following is a list of the members of the MAC Hall of Fame, along with school affiliation, sport(s) for which they were inducted, and year of induction.
- Harold Anderson, Bowling Green, basketball, 1991
- Janet Bachna, Kent State, gymnastics, 1992
- Joe Begala, Kent State, wrestling, 1991
- Tom Beutler, Toledo, football, 1994
- Kermit Blosser, Ohio, golf, 1988
- Jim Corrigall, Kent State, football, 1994
- Hasely Crawford, Eastern Michigan, track and field, 1991
- Ben Curtis, Kent State, golf, 2012
- Caroline (Mast) Daugherty, Ohio, basketball, 1994
- Herb Deromedi, Central Michigan, football, 2012
- Chuck Ealey, Toledo, football, 1988
- Fran Ebert, Western Michigan, softball / basketball, 1992
- Wayne Embry, Miami, basketball, 2012
- Karen Fitzpatrick, Ball State, field hockey, 2012
- John Gill, WMU athlete / coach / administrator, 1994
- Maurice Harvey, Ball State, football, 1992
- Bill Hess, Ohio, football coach, 1992
- Gary Hogeboom, Central Michigan, football, 1994
- Fred Jacoby, MAC commissioner, 1990
- Bob James, MAC commissioner, 1989
- Ron Johnson, Eastern Michigan, football, 1988
- Dave Keilitz, Central Michigan, baseball, 2013
- Ted Kjolhede, Central Michigan, basketball, 1988
- Kim Knuth, Toledo, women's basketball, 2013
- Ken Kramer, Ball State, football, 1991
- Bill Lajoie, Western Michigan, baseball, 1991
- Jack Lambert, Kent State, football, 1988
- Frank Lauterbur, Toledo, football, 1990
- Mel Long, Toledo, football, 1992
- Charlier Maher, Western Michigan, baseball, 1989
- Bill Mallory, Miami/Northern Illinois, football, 2013
- Brad Maynard, Ball State, football, 2013
- Ray McCallum, Ball State, basketball, 1988
- Jack McLain, MAC football official, 1992
- Karen Michalak, Central Michigan, basketball / track and field / field hockey, 1992
- Gordon Minty, Eastern Michigan, track and field, 1994
- Steve Mix, Toledo, basketball, 1989
- Thurman Munson, Kent State, baseball, 1990
- Ira Murchinson, Western Michigan, track and field, 1990
- Don Nehlen, Bowling Green, football, 1994
- Manny Newsome, Western Michigan, basketball, 1988
- Bob Nichols, Toledo, basketball, 2012
- John Offerdahl, Western Michigan, football, 2013
- Bob Owchinko, Eastern Michigan, baseball, 1992
- Ara Parseghian, Miami, football, 1988
- Doyt Perry, Bowling Green, football, 1988
- John Pont, Miami, football player / coach, 1992
- John Pruis, Ball State, president, 1994
- Trevor Rees, Kent State, football, 1989
- David Reese, MAC commissioner, 1988
- George Rider, Miami, track and field, 1989
- William Rohr, Miami, basketball coach 1994
- Dan Roundfield, Central Michigan, basketball, 1990
- Bo Schembechler, Miami, football coach, 1991
- Mike Schmidt, Ohio, baseball, 2012
- Dick Shrider, Miami, basketball, 1990
- Christi Smith, Akron, track and field, 2013
- Jim Snyder, Ohio, basketball, 1991
- Shafer Suggs, Ball State, football, 1989
- Nate Thurmond, Bowling Green, basketball, 1989
- Gary Trent, Ohio, men's basketball, 2013
- Phil Villapiano, Bowling Green, football, 1992
- Bob Welch, Eastern Michigan, baseball, 1990
- Dave Wottle, Bowling Green, track and field, 1990
- Bob Wren, Ohio, baseball, 1989
Media
[edit]Broadcasts
[edit]A number of MAC sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling and volleyball, are telecast on Spectrum Sports, replacing SportsTime Ohio and Fox Sports Ohio as the MAC TV partner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Along with Spectrum Sports, ESPN, as well as the American Sports Network, retain the "local and regional" syndication telecast rights to the MAC for football and basketball.
In 2000 ESPN began broadcasting MAC football games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The conference agreed to the unusual schedule to increase television ratings by not competing against other football. Fans nicknamed the midweek games MACtion. In 2014 the conference and ESPN agreed to a new contract for 13 years. Each school receives more than $800,000 annually, and plays most November games on weekday nights; 16 of 18 games in 2016 were not on Saturdays, for example. While MACtion decreases stadium attendance, games appear on an ESPN channel to a nationwide audience instead of a less-popular channel or streaming media.<ref name="sherman20191119">Template:Cite web</ref> While noting the smaller attendance, coaches say that midweek games are good for the conference, and give players a break on Saturdays.<ref name="briggs20230722">Template:Cite news</ref>
Ball State produces its own comprehensive television package with Ball State Sports Link. Affiliate stations include WIPB in Muncie, WNDY in Indianapolis, WPTA in Fort Wayne, WHME in South Bend, WTVW in Evansville, WYIN in Merrillville and Comcast in Michigan. All Ball State Sports Link games are also broadcast on student radio station WCRD and on the Ball State Radio Network produced by WLBC-FM and Backyard Broadcasting.
NIU has multiple football and basketball games telecast by Comcast SportsNet Chicago. In addition, most NIU football and basketball games can be heard on WSCR-AM 670 "The Score"—Chicago's powerful 50,000-watt, top-rated all-sports station, which reaches 38 states and Canada.
MAC Properties
[edit]MAC Properties (a division of ISP Sports) is the sponsorship arm of the Mid-American Conference, and handles all forms of sponsorship and advertising for the MAC which includes managing and growing its stable of official corporate partners. As of 2010, the MAC has five official corporate partners: FirstEnergy, Marathon, PNC Bank, AutoTrader.com and Cleveland Clinic Sports Health. There are approximately 20 other companies engaged as sponsors of the conference at the non-official level. MAC Properties also assists with the management of the conference's television and radio contracts, including those with ESPN Regional, FOX Sports Ohio and ESPN 850 WKNR among others.
References
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:Mid-American Conference navbox Template:NCAA Division I all-sports conferences Template:NCAA Division I FBS conference navbox