Bill Connelly's mega offseason previews: MAC West
Bill Connelly breaks down the MAC West division and if Ball State and Toledo can find more success than they did in 2020.
2021 Schedule
2021 Schedule
6th in MAC - West
QB Lombardi transfers to N. Illinois from MSU
QB Rocky Lombardi, who started six games for Michigan State this season, is transferring to Northern Illinois, he announced Sunday.
Eastern Michigan holds on to beat Northern Illinois 41-33
— Preston Hutchinson threw two touchdowns and scored on a 1-yard run for a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead, and Eastern Michigan held off Northern Illinois 41-33 in the season finale for both teams Saturday.
Lee scores 61-yard fumble recovery TD for Eastern Michigan (0:34)
Hey! Former CFP contender Oregon!? Welcome to The Bottom 10
This week's Bottom 10 gives a special shoutout to the Oregon Ducks, who were going to be the just-good-enough team to make Ryan McGee take the Pac-12 seriously. Now, they're seriously good enough for his latest list.
Bradley leads Toledo past winless N. Illinois 41-24
— Sophomore quarterback Carter Bradley threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns and Toledo beat Northern Illinois 41-24 on Saturday.
Toledo's Bryce Mitchell hauls in a 44-yard TD (0:32)
Harrison Waylee takes off to score a 28-yard TD (0:26)
Cancellations, upsets and the Pillow Fight of the Week make The Bottom 10 all about the Big Ten
The Big Ten had a lot of issues this past week, dealing with everything from canceled games to gripes about clapping on the sideline.
Eskridge helps Western Michigan rally for 30-27 victory
— D'Wayne Eskridge ran a kickoff back for a touchdown and capped a big day with a reverse that set up the winning field goal as unbeaten Western Michigan edged Northern Illinois 30-27 on Saturday.
Eskridge takes kickoff 100 yards for Western Michigan TD (0:50)
MACtion is back! Most interesting storylines and latest SP+ projections
The MAC and its glorious mid-week games have returned. We take one final look at the conference before its seven-week sprint kicks off.
'MACtion' kicks off conference's six-game slate
The Twitter phenomenon known as "MACtion" will be in play during November as the Mid-American Conference released a six-game, league-only football schedule that will feature only midweek games for the first three weeks.
MAC to kick off six-game football season Nov. 4
The Mid-American Conference will play a six-game, conference-only football schedule beginning on Nov. 4.
MAC presidents delay vote on fall football
No decision was made on a possible fall football season for the Mid-American Conference during Saturday's meeting of conference presidents, commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a statement.
Heartbreak, confusion, anger: The harsh reality for many college football players
With so many conferences postponing their season, the truth is, many players might never put on a college football uniform again.
MAC is first FBS to nix fall football, eyes spring
The Mid-American Conference on Saturday became the first FBS conference to postpone the fall football season amid the coronavirus pandemic and will instead look to play in the spring.
The inside stories behind the best Heisman websites of the 2000s
Take an internet trip down memory lane as we share the tales behind some of the most famous Heisman campaigns of the 2000s.
Buffalo-N. Illinois game moves off election night
This year's Buffalo-Northern Illinois football game, scheduled for election night on Nov. 3, has been moved to Oct. 31, the Mid-American Conference announced Monday.
Ranking college football's top 10 returning interior defensive linemen for 2020
Pro Football Focus rates the 10 best returning college football interior defensive linemen (plus one sleeper), and Florida State's Marvin Wilson tops the list.
College football offseason preview: MAC West
Bill Connelly rounds out his MACtion preview with a look at the West Division, home to Jim McElwain and the Central Michigan Chippewas.
'It's not an ideal situation': Inside coaching transitions during bowl season
What happens when a team headed to a bowl has its coach leave for another school? In the words of one coach, "it's not an ideal situation."
Richie’s TD sparks N. Illinois to 17-14 win over W. Michigan
Tyrice Richie took a shovel pass in the Northern Illinois backfield, added an acrobatic flip over a would-be tackler near midfield and turned it all into a 71-yard touchdown to spark the Huskies to a 17-14 win over Western Michigan in the season...
Richie somehow stays on his feet for a 71-yard TD (1:04)
Eastern Michigan beats NIU 45-17 to gain bowl eligibility
Mike Glass threw for three touchdowns and ran for another and Eastern Michigan rolled past Northern Illinois 45-17 on Tuesday night.
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2020 MAC Standings
| EAST | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 5-0 | 6-1 |
| Kent State | 3-1 | 3-1 |
| Miami (OH) | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| Ohio | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| Akron | 1-5 | 1-5 |
| Bowling Green | 0-5 | 0-5 |
| WEST | CONF | OVR |
| Ball State | 5-1 | 7-1 |
| Western Michigan | 4-2 | 4-2 |
| Toledo | 4-2 | 4-2 |
| Central Michigan | 3-3 | 3-3 |
| Eastern Michigan | 2-4 | 2-4 |
| Northern Illinois | 0-6 | 0-6 |
Team Stats
Passing Yards240.551st
Rushing Yards127.0Tied-100th
Points For24.8164th
Points Against38.79th
2021 Recruits
| NAME | POS | STATUS | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antario Brown | RB | Signed | 78 |
| Tajheem Lawson | RB | Committed | 75 |
| Jalonnie Williams | DT | Signed | 74 |
| Brian Whitsey | S | Signed | 73 |
| Ethan Hampton | QB-PP | Signed | 73 |