The MAC brings with it a terrific brand of football and midweek MACtion in November that is unparalleled in sports. While two teams are heavily favored at the top this season, there is a potential challenger in the wings, waiting to pounce in our MAC season predictions for 2023.
MAC Season Predictions
Picking each game team by team, the College Football Network team of analysts have come up with our predicted season finish for the Middle America Conference this fall. Using groupthink, our painstaking process analyzed each game at the team level.
Find Every MAC Season Prediction per team: Ball State | Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan | Northern Illinois | Toledo | Western Michigan | Akron | Bowling Green | Buffalo | Kent State | Miami (OH) | Ohio
After those were done, we compiled the results, analyzed the outcomes, and came up with our predicted season finishes for each program and the conference itself.
Here’s how that all aligned in the end:
MAC Season Predictions – Final Standings
MAC East:
Ohio – 11-1; key wins against Miami (OH), Buffalo; loss vs. Iowa State
Buffalo – 9-3; key wins against Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH); losses vs. Ohio, Toledo
Miami (OH) – 6-6; key wins against Bowling Green, Ball State; losses vs. Buffalo, Ohio
Bowling Green – 6-6; key wins against Ball State, Western Michigan; losses vs. Toledo, Buffalo
Kent State – 3-9; key wins against Akron, Ball State; losses vs. Buffalo, EMU
Akron – 1-11; win against Morgan State; losses vs. Northern Illinois, Kent State
MAC West:
Toledo – 11-1; key wins against Buffalo, Eastern Michigan; loss vs. Illinois
Eastern Michigan – 8-4; key wins against WMU, Kent State; losses vs. Toledo, Buffalo
Northern Illinois – 7-5; key wins against Ball State, Eastern Michigan; losses vs. Ohio, Toledo
Western Michigan – 4-8; key wins against Ball State, Central Michigan; losses vs. Ohio, EMU
Ball State – 2-10; key wins against Indiana State, Central Michigan; losses vs. NIU, Kent State
Central Michigan – 2-10; key wins against Akron, New Hampshire; losses vs. Ball State, WMU
2023 MAC Championship Game Prediction
In a repeat of last season, the MAC season predictions pit Ohio vs. Toledo once again. This time around, however, college football fans should rejoice and hope we actually get to see Kurtis Rourke take on Dequan Finn, as Rourke missed the game and Finn was clearly hobbled.
The MAC West presents a potential cakewalk this season for the Rockets to return to the MAC Championship Game. Their hurdles present themselves with Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois as well as an out-of-division matchup against Buffalo.
However, Finn and his cast of stars on defense should be enough to push them back to the promised land as the defending champs should be favorites in every conference game this season.
Ohio did work on their defense with the transfer portal and return arguably the best QB-RB combination with Rourke and Sieh Bangura back in Athens. Can Rourke return to the form we last saw him following the injury remains the only question on their roster and in their way of returning to the MAC Championship.
In this prediction, we bank on Rourke returning to form and giving us a final send-off for the Rourke Family in style, edging out Toledo in a thrilling contest. The MAC runs through the state of Ohio this season, regardless of how you slice it, and the city of Athens should be able to claim title town come December.