2018 Mid-American Conference Football Projections

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East

X-Miami (Ohio) Redhawks 7-6 (6-3)

X-Buffalo Bulls 7-5 (5-3)

X-Ohio Bobcats 6-6 (4-4)

Akron Zips 5-7 (4-4)

Bowling Green Falcons 3-9 (1-7)

Kent State Golden Flashes 0-12 (0-8)

West

Y-Toledo Rockets 10-3 (8-1)

X-Western Michigan Broncos 6-6 (5-3)

X-Northern Illinois Huskies 6-6 (5-3)

X-Central Michigan Chippewas 7-5 (4-4)

Eastern Michigan Eagles 4-8 (3-5)

Ball State Cardinals 1-11 (0-8)

2017 was another solid year on the gridiron for the Mid-American Conference which featured the Toledo Rockets winning the conference title for the first time since 2004. And aside from Toledo winning the MAC, only four teams from the conference finished with a losing record which is a positive to build off of, while they posted a winning record versus the Big 12 Conference. The MAC will always fly under the radar in comparison with the Power Five Conference of college football, but will we once again see an exciting brand of action on the gridiron from this league?

The race in the MAC East was tightly contested last year, and it will be once again this time around. The Miami (Ohio) Redhawks have not reached the MAC Title Game since 2010, and this is their best chance to get to Detroit since then. For Miami (Ohio) head football coach Chuck Martin, he has one of the most experienced offensive lines in the conference with three seniors up front as that unit includes senior left tackle Jordan Rigg. And if the Redhawks offensive line is able to get senior quarterback Gus Ragland enough time, he will be able to get the football to one of the most talented wide receivers in the MAC in senior James Gardner.

The Buffalo Bulls will also be in contention for their first Mid-American Conference Championship since 2008. Senior linebacker Khalil Hodge will be in the mix to win the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker as he leads one of the most opportunistic defenses in the conference. Hodge is not the only play maker on this Bulls team as on the other side of the football they have senior wide receiver Anthony Johnson. Last year Johnson was one of the top pass catchers in the nation as he tallied 14 touchdowns, and he did this in spite of the fact that he didn’t play in a bowl game, or a conference championship game.

Nathan Rourke

For Ohio head football coach Frank Solich, his Bobcats will be game in the MAC East as they’ll be led by junior quarterback Nathan Rourke and senior running back AJ Ouellette, while the Akron Zips will have their work cut out for them if they are going to get back to the conference championship game. Akron won the MAC East last year in spite of the fact that they were 122nd in the nation in total offense. The Zips are going to once again have to lean on their defense which features a pair of MAC Defensive Player of the Year candidates in senior linebacker Ulysees Gilbert III and senior free safety Jordan George.

The MAC West was tightly contested last year between Toledo as well as the Western Michigan Broncos and Northern Illinois Huskies which will once again be the case this year. There are some players to keep an eye on will be Northern Illinois junior defensive end Sutton Smith who enters the new college football season fresh off of recording 14.5 sacks last year. And for Toledo, junior strong safety Khalil Robinson not only is an enforcer, but he also has a nose for the football as he possesses some of the best hands for a defender in the conference.

Buckle up as 2018 will be another tightly contested year in the Mid-American Conference.

MAC Championship Game-Ford Field-Detroit, Michigan-Toledo vs. Miami (Ohio)

Conference Champion: Toledo

X-Bowl Eligible

Y-Conference Champion

Sources: Cfbstats.com, Sports-reference.com, Ourlads.com

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By | 2018-08-16T15:13:07+00:00 August 18th, 2018|Categories: College Football|0 Comments

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