2020 Mid-American Conference football season

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2020 Mid-American Conference football season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationNovember 4 - December 18
Number of teams12
Regular season
Season MVPJaret Patterson
East Division championsBuffalo
West Division championsBall State
MAC Championship Game
ChampionsBall State
  Runners-upBuffalo
Finals MVPDrew Plitt & Jimmy Daw, Ball State[1]
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 25 Buffalo xy   5 – 0     6 – 1  
Kent State   3 – 1     3 – 1  
Ohio   2 – 1     2 – 1  
Miami (OH)   2 – 1     2 – 1  
Akron   1 – 5     1 – 5  
Bowling Green   0 – 5     0 – 5  
West Division
No. 23 Ball State xy$   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  
Championship: Ball State 38, Buffalo 28
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, the Mid-American suspended the season on August 8, but later decided to begin play on November 4.[2]
Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 Mid-American Conference football season was the 75th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), as part of the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

The provisional schedule was released on February 26, 2020, with a regular season between September 3 and November 28, 2020, and the MAC Championship Game on December 5, 2020.[3] On August 8, 2020, the MAC announced that all fall sports had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with plans to attempt play in Spring 2021. Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher stated that "there are simply too many unknowns to put our student-athletes into situations that are not clearly understood." It was reported that the NIU Huskies — the conference's most successful team — were instrumental in pushing for a full cancellation of the season, and had also suggested the possibility of opting out if the MAC did decide to play. Concerns were also raised over the budgetary impacts of health protocols such as testing, especially with the cancellation of all but five games against Power Five conference opponents (which often serve as a major revenue source) due to restrictions to in-conference play only. The MAC became the first FBS conference to cancel the 2020 season entirely due to COVID-19.[4][5] On September 24, 2020, The MAC voted unanimously to resume the fall football season. the six-game conference-only schedule will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 4 with a full slate of games. The regular season will conclude with the East Division & West Division Champions playing in the MAC Championship Game on Friday, Dec. 18 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich The Conference will implement a COVID-19 testing program requiring four antigen tests per week with all positive tests needing confirmation with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Any student athlete with a positive test will enter a cardiac screening protocol. The MAC's approved COVID-19 testing protocols, including four tests per week, will begin Monday, October 5.[6] On October 7 the MAC released the new 2020 Football schedule.[7]

Previous season[edit]

Main article: 2019 Mid-American Conference football season

In 2019, the Miami RedHawks won the east division, and the Central Michigan Chippewas won the west, both with a 6–2 conference record. In the 2019 MAC Championship Game, the RedHawks defeated the Chippewas 26–21 in overtime. The RedHawks would go on to the 2020 LendingTree Bowl, where they were defeated 27-17 by the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.

Head coaches[edit]

Coaches[edit]

Team Head coach Previous Job Years at school Overall record MAC record MAC titles
Akron Tom Arth Chattanooga 5 49–33 (.598) 0–8 (.000) 0
Ball State Mike Neu New Orleans Saints (QB Coach) 5 14–26 (.350) 9–27 (.250) 0
Bowling Green Scot Loeffler Virginia Tech Hokies (QB Coach) 2 3–9 (.250) 2–6 (.250) 0
Buffalo Lance Leipold Wisconsin–Whitewater 6 31–32 (.492) 20–20 (.500) 0
Central Michigan Jim McElwain Florida 2 52–34 (.605) 6–2 (.750) 1
Eastern Michigan Chris Creighton Drake 7 28–47 (.373) 16–32 (.333) 0
Kent State Sean Lewis Syracuse (Co Off. Coordinator) 2 7–6 (.538) 5–3 (.625) 0
Miami Chuck Martin Notre Dame (Off. Coordinator/QB Coach) 6 32–48 (.400) 26–22 (.542) 1
Northern Illinois Thomas Hammock Baltimore Ravens running backs coach 2 5–7 (.417) 4–4 (.500) 0
Ohio Frank Solich Nebraska 16 113–81 (.582) 71–45 (.612) 0
Toledo Jason Candle Toledo (Off. Coordinator) 5 34–20 (.630) 23–11 (.676) 1
Western Michigan Tim Lester Purdue (QB Coach) 4 20–18 (.526) 14–9 (.609) 0

Rankings[edit]

Main article: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
  Pre Wk
2		 Wk
3		 Wk
4		 Wk
5		 Wk
6		 Wk
7		 Wk
8		 Wk
9		 Wk
10		 Wk
11		 Wk
12		 Wk
13		 Wk
14		 Wk
15		 Wk
16		 Final
Akron AP
C
CFP Not released
Ball State AP RV 23
C RV 23
CFP Not released
Bowling Green AP
C
CFP Not released
Buffalo AP RV RV RV 24 23 RV 25
C RV RV RV RV 25
CFP Not released
Central Michigan AP
C
CFP Not released
Eastern Michigan AP
C
CFP Not released
Kent State AP
C
CFP Not released
Miami AP
C
CFP Not released
Northern Illinois AP
C
CFP Not released
Ohio AP
C
CFP Not released
Toledo AP
C
CFP Not released
Western Michigan AP
C
CFP Not released
Legend
    Improvement in ranking
  Drop in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
  No change in ranking from previous week
RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
т Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

Regular season Schedule[edit]

Week 1[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 4 6:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH ESPN+  KSU 27–23    
November 4 6:00 p.m. Western Michigan Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH ESPN3  WMU 58–13   490
November 4 7:00 p.m. Ball State Miami Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH CBSSN  M-OH 38–31    
November 4 7:00 p.m. Buffalo Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPN2  UB 49–30   449
November 4 7:00 p.m. Ohio Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI ESPN  CMU 30–27   757
November 4 8:00 p.m. Bowling Green Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH (rivalry) ESPNU  TOL 38–3    
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 2[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 10 7:00 p.m. Akron Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH CBSSN  OU 24–10   1,182
November 10 7:00 p.m. Kent State Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH (Anniversary Award) ESPNU  KSU 62–24   1,500
November 10 8:00 p.m. Miami Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY ESPN  UB 42–10    
November 11 7:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN CBSSN  BSU 38–31   1,183
November 11 8:00 p.m. Central Michigan Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPNU  CMU 40–10   419
November 11 8:00 p.m. Toledo Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPN2  WMU 41–38    
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 3[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 17 7:00 p.m. Buffalo Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH CBSSN  UB 42–17   1,500
November 17 8:00 p.m. Akron Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH (Wagon Wheel) ESPN  KSU 69–45    
November 17 8:00 p.m. Ohio Miami Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH (Battle of the Bricks) N/A  Cancelled   n/a
November 18 7:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN (Bronze Stalk Trophy) ESPNN  BSU 31–25   859
November 18 7:00 p.m. Toledo Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI CBSSN  TOL 45–28   300
November 18 7:00 p.m. Western Michigan Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy, rivalry) ESPN2  WMU 52–44    
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 4[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 27 4:00 p.m. Central Michigan Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy) CBSSN  CMU 31–23    
November 28 12:00 p.m. Ball State Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH ESPN3  BSU 27–24    
November 28 12:00 p.m. Bowling Green Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH ESPNU  OU 52–10   1,182
November 28 12:00 p.m. Kent State Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY CBSSN  UB 70–41    
November 28 12:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPN+  WMU 30–27    
November 28 1:00 p.m. Miami Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH ESPN3  M-OH 38–7    
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 5[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
December 5 12:00 p.m. Toledo Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPN3  TOL 41–24    
December 5 12:00 p.m. Kent State Miami Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH  cancelled   n/a
December 5 2:00 p.m. Ball State Central Michigan Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI ESPNU  BSU 45–20    
December 5 2:00 p.m. Bowling Green Akron InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH ESPN3  AKR 31–3    
December 5 2:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy) ESPN+  EMU 53–42    
December 5 3:30 p.m. Buffalo Ohio Peden Stadium • Athens, OH  cancelled   n/a
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 6[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
December 12 12:00 p.m. Western Michigan Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN+  BSU 30–27   823
December 12 12:00 p.m. Northern Illinois Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI ESPN3  EMU 41–33   300
December 12 12:00 p.m. Miami Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH n/a  cancelled   n/a
December 12 12:00 p.m. Ohio Kent State Dix Stadium • Kent, OH n/a  cancelled   n/a
December 12 2:30 p.m. Akron No. 24 Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY CBSSN  UB 56–7   0
December 12 3:00 p.m. Central Michigan Toledo Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH ESPN3  TOL 24–23   0
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Championship Game[edit]

Week 7 (MAC Championship game)[edit]

See also: 2020 MAC Championship Game
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
December 18 7:30 p.m. Ball State No. 23 Buffalo Ford Field • Detroit, MI ESPN  BSU 38–28    
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time Zone.

Postseason[edit]

Bowl Games[edit]

See also: 2020–21 NCAA football bowl games
Legend
  MAC win
  MAC loss
Bowl game Date Site Television Time (EST) MAC team Opponent Score Attendance
Camellia Bowl December 25 Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL ESPN 2:30 p.m. Buffalo Marshall W 17–10 2,512
Arizona Bowl December 31 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ CBS 2:00 p.m. Ball State San Jose State W 34–13 0

Awards and honors[edit]

Player of the week honors[edit]

East Division[edit]

Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams
Player Team Position Player Team Position Player Team Position
Week 1 (November 9) AJ Mayer
Jaret Patterson 		Miami
Buffalo 		QB
RB 		Ryan McWood Miami LB De'Montre Tuggle Ohio RB/KR
Week 2 (November 16) Kyle Vantrease Buffalo QB Keye Thompson Ohio LB Dom Dzioban Miami P
Week 3 (November 23) Jaret Patterson
Dustin Crum 		Buffalo
Kent State 		RB
QB 		James Patterson Buffalo LB Matthew Trickett Kent State K
Week 4 (November 30) Jaret Patterson Buffalo RB Kameron Butler Miami DE Julian Ross Ohio RB/KR
Week 5 (December 7) Teon Dollard Akron RB Bubba Arslanian Akron LB Gavin Blunt Akron WR
Week 6 (December 14) Kevin Marks Buffalo RB Eddie Wilson Buffalo DT Tyrone Hill Buffalo S

West Division[edit]

Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams
Player Team Position Player Team Position Player Team Position
Week 1 (November 9) Eli Peters Toledo QB Troy Hairston Central Michigan DL Luke Elzinga Central Michigan P
Week 2 (November 16) Caleb Huntley Ball State RB Brandon Martin Ball State LB Marshall Meeder Central Michigan K
Week 3 (November 23) D'Wayne Eskridge Western Michigan WR Jamal Hines Toledo DE Thiago Kapps Western Michigan K
Week 4 (November 30) Drew Plitt Ball State QB Christian Albright Ball State LB D'Wayne Eskridge Western Michigan WR/KR
Week 5 (December 7) Drew Plitt
Preston Hutchinson 		Ball State
Eastern Michigan 		QB
QB 		Jose Ramirez Eastern Michigan DE Chad Ryland Eastern Michigan K
Week 6 (December 14) Justin Hall Ball State WR Jaylin Thomas Ball State LB Chad Ryland Eastern Michigan K

MAC Individual Awards[edit]

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the Mid-American Conference football coaches at the end of the season

Award Player School
Offensive Player of the Year Jaret Patterson Buffalo
Defensive Player of the Year Troy Hairston
Brandon Martin 		Central Michigan
Ball State
Special Teams Player of the Year D'Wayne Eskridge Western Michigan
Freshman Player of the Year Lew Nichols III Central Michigan
Vern Smith Leadership Award Jaret Patterson Buffalo
Coach of the Year Lance Leipold Buffalo

All-conference teams[edit]

Ref:[8]

All-Americans[edit]

For the complete All-America selections, see 2020 College Football All-America Team.

The 2020 College Football All-America Teams are composed of the following College Football All-American first teams chosen by the following selector organizations: Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCFF), The Sporting News (TSN), Sports Illustrated (SI), USA Today (USAT) ESPN, CBS Sports (CBS), FOX Sports (FOX) College Football News (CFN), Bleacher Report (BR), Scout.com, Phil Steele (PS), SB Nation (SB), Athlon Sports, Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Yahoo! Sports (Yahoo!).

Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. Football consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American.

Position Player School Selector Unanimous Consensus
First Team All-Americans
RB Jaret Patterson Buffalo Athletic, USAT
Position Player School Selector Unanimous Consensus
Second Team All-Americans
RB Jaret Patterson Buffalo AFCA, AP, CBS, FWAA, TSN
OL Kayode Awosika Buffalo FWAA
AP D'Wayne Eskridge Western Michigan FWAA

NFL Draft[edit]

The following list includes all MAC players drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft

Round # Pick # NFL Team Player Position College
2 56 Seattle Seahawks D'Wayne Eskridge WR Western Michigan
3 79 Las Vegas Raiders Malcolm Koonce DE Buffalo
5 155 San Francisco 49ers Jaylon Moore OG Western Michigan
5 161 Buffalo Bills Tommy Doyle OT Miami (OH)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jimenez, James H. (December 18, 2020). "2020 Mid-American Conference Championship Game Recap: #23 Buffalo Bulls vs. Ball State Cardinals". hustlebelt.com. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  2. ^ Wells, Adam (September 25, 2020). "MAC Approves 6-Game College Football Schedule Beginning November 4". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "MAC Announces 2020 Football Schedule". getsomemaction.com. February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Petzold, Evan. "Mid-American Conference cancels fall football season; no games for CMU, EMU or WMU in 2020". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  5. ^ "MAC becomes first FBS conference to cancel 2020 college football season for the fall". CBSSports.com. August 8, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  6. ^ "MACtion is Back!". getsomemaction.com. September 25, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  7. ^ "MAC Announces 2020 Football Schedule". getsomemaction.com. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  8. ^ "MAC Announces 2020 Football All-MAC and Specialty Awards". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
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