One of either the Miami RedHawks or Toldeo Rockets have contested the MAC Championship Game in three of the last five seasons, with the two programs dueling at the top of the conference last fall. According to the early MAC season predictions, they could be set to duke it out once more in 2024.
MAC Season Predictions for 2024
It’s never too early to preview the season ahead, and FanDuel has posted the current odds for projected regular-season wins from each MAC team. While the RedHawks and Rockets run free at the top, a tightly packed midfield showcases the competitive nature of the nation’s favorite purveyor of midweek mayhem.
MAC Season Predictions – Regular-Season Win Totals
- Miami (OH): 8.5 wins
- Toledo: 8.5 wins
- Bowling Green: 6.5 wins
- Northern Illinois: 6.5 wins
- Ohio: 6.5 wins
- Western Michigan: 6.5 wins
- Buffalo: 5.5 wins
- Central Michigan: 5.5 wins
- Ball State: 4.5 wins
- Eastern Michigan: 4.5 wins
- Akron: 3.5 wins
- Kent State: 2.5 wins
As the reigning conference champions, it’s unsurprising to see the RedHawks flying high atop the MAC season predictions. This isn’t a simple case of rinse and repeat. After all, no team has successfully defended the MAC crown since the Northern Illinois Huskies in 2012.
Instead, the return of key contributors for the 2024 college football campaign will boost confidence in the momentum behind another Miami march to a MAC title. Brett Gabbert is back to lead the offense alongside several experienced and productive parts. Meanwhile, Matthew Salopek, Brian Ugwu, and Raion Strader form a solid defensive spine for the defending champions.
Toledo isn’t exactly in the same boat, having lost quarterback Dequan Finn to the Baylor Bears and a host of the talent that forged the 22nd-ranked scoring defense in the nation to the NFL. That said, the Rockets have been a perennial contender in the conference under Jason Candle. Returning WRs like Jerjuan Newton and Junior Vandeross III bolster their chances.
After those two front-running programs, the MAC season predictions become a little condensed. Half the teams are separated by just one win, showcasing the conference’s competitiveness this fall. Can a team stand out from the crowd and emerge as the best of the rest?
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Ordinarily, that program would be the Ohio Bobcats, who have just two seasons with fewer than seven wins in the last nine campaigns (one of which was the global pandemic-impacted 2020 season). However, the loss of quarterback Kurtis Rourke and a host of their most productive players on both sides of the ball casts shadows on their 2024 campaign.
As such, it could be the Bowling Green Falcons who emerge from a congested midfield. While there is some defensive rebuilding to be done, Scot Loeffler’s team returns a quartet of offensive standouts and is on the hunt for a third successive bowl game appearance. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and running back Terion Stewart are among the top players in the conference this fall.
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