The Mid-American Conference (MAC) has announced a new football schedule model beginning with the 2024 season.
The new MAC football scheduling model will eliminate the East and West divisions. At the end of the regular-season, the two teams with the highest winning percentage in conference play will advance to the MAC Championship Game, which is currently played at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.
“After significant study and discussion, our membership has made the decision to eliminate divisions in football,” said MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher. “A primary goal in our discussions centered around ensuring the scheduling methodology utilized facilitated the best opportunity to put the two best teams into the championship game. The new model will protect rivalries while facilitating a more even rotation of teams through each institution’s schedule.”
According to the release, the new MAC football scheduling model will allow each team to play every other team in the conference home and away at least once during a three-year cycle.
The MAC will utilize three-team pods in its future scheduling format, which are detailed below:
- Buffalo, Akron, Kent State
- Ohio, Miami, Ball State
- Toledo, Bowling Green, NIU
- EMU, CMU, WMU
Future opponents for each MAC team will be announced in late January, while the complete 2024 MAC football schedule with dates will be revealed in late February.