| Phil Steele Blog • April 7, 2017 |
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MAC 2017 Schedules.
The MAC announced the release for their 2017 schedules. Here are some notes from the release for the 2017 season.
The regular season will conclude with the 21st Marathon MAC Football Championship game at a date to be determined from Ford Field in Detroit. This will mark the 14th Marathon MAC Football Championship game at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, Super Bowl XL, and the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
For the 10th year in a row, league schools will face a formidable non-conference slate of opponents from the following Football Bowl Subdivision conferences – ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC and Notre Dame. In addition, the Conference will also face opponents from the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference and Independent Army.
Last year’s MAC champion Western Michigan was ranked No. 15 in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll. MAC programs will face six non-conference foes that finished in the final AP Top 25 poll: Clemson (1), USC (3), Penn State (7), Miami (20), Louisville (21) and San Diego State (25).
A total of nine non-conference games will feature a Big Ten opponent (Illinois; Michigan State (2); Minnesota; Nebraska; Northwestern; Penn State; Purdue; Rutgers). The MAC will face foes from the ACC (6—Boston College (2), Clemson, Louisville, Miami, Syracuse), SEC (1—Kentucky), Pac-12 (1-USC), Big 12 (3—Iowa State; Kansas (2)); and Independent Notre Dame and Army (2).
The MAC will also face opponents from the American Athletic Conference (2— Cincinnati, Tulsa), Mountain West (2—Nevada, San Diego State), Conference USA (7—Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Marshall (2), Middle Tennessee, UAB, Western Kentucky) and Sun Belt Conference (2—Idaho, Troy).| AKRON | BALL ST | BOWLING GREEN | ||||||
| 9/2 | at | Penn St | 9/2 | at | Illinois | 9/2 | at | Michigan St |
| 9/9 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 9/9 | UAB | 9/9 | South Dakota | |||
| 9/16 | Iowa St | 9/16 | Tennessee Tech | 9/16 | at | Northwestern | ||
| 9/23 | at | Troy | 9/23 | at | WKU | 9/23 | at | Middle Tennessee |
| 9/30 | Bowling Green | 9/30 | at | Western Michigan | 9/30 | Akron | ||
| 10/7 | Ball St | 10/7 | at | Akron | 10/7 | at | Miami, Oh | |
| 10/14 | at | Western Michigan | 10/14 | Open | 10/14 | Ohio | ||
| 10/21 | at | Toledo | 10/21 | Central Michigan | 10/21 | Northern Illinois | ||
| 10/28 | Buffalo | 10/26 | Toledo (Thur) | 10/31 | at | Kent St (Tues) | ||
| 11/7 | at | Miami, Oh (Tues) | 11/2 | at | Eastern Michigan (Thur) | 11/7 | at | Buffalo (Tues) |
| 11/14 | Ohio (Tues) | 11/9 | at | Northern Illinois (Thur) | 11/11 | Open | ||
| 11/21 | Kent St (Tues) | 11/16 | Buffalo (Thur) | 11/15 | Toledo (Wed) | |||
| 11/25 | 11/21 | Miami, Oh (Tue) | 11/21 | at | Eastern Michigan (Tues) | |||
| 12/2 | 12/2 | 12/2 | ||||||
| BUFFALO | CENTRAL MICHIGAN | EASTERN MICHIGAN | ||||||
| 8/31 | at | Minnesota (Thur) | 8/31 | Rhode Island (Thur) | 9/1 | Charlotte (Fri) | ||
| 9/9 | at | Army | 9/9 | at | Kansas | 9/9 | at | Rutgers |
| 9/16 | Colgate | 9/16 | at | Syracuse | 9/16 | Open | ||
| 9/23 | Florida Atlantic | 9/23 | Miami, Oh | 9/23 | Ohio | |||
| 9/30 | at | Kent St | 9/30 | at | Boston College | 9/30 | at | Kentucky |
| 10/7 | Western Michigan | 10/7 | at | Ohio | 10/7 | at | Toledo | |
| 10/14 | Northern Illinois | 10/14 | Toledo (HC) | 10/14 | at | Army | ||
| 10/21 | at | Miami, Oh | 10/21 | at | Ball St | 10/21 | Western Michigan (HC) | |
| 10/28 | at | Akron | 10/28 | Open | 10/26 | at | Northern Illinois (Thur) | |
| 11/7 | Bowling Green (Tue) | 11/1 | at | Western Michigan (Wed) | 11/2 | Ball St (Thur) | ||
| 11/11 | Open | 11/8 | Eastern Michigan (Wed) | 11/8 | at | Central Michigan (Wed) | ||
| 11/16 | at | Ball St (Thur) | 11/14 | at | Kent St (Tue) | 11/15 | at | Miami, Oh (Wed) |
| 11/24 | Ohio (Fri) | 11/24 | Northern Illinois (Fri) | 11/21 | Bowling Green (Tue) | |||
| 41609 | 12/2 | 12/2 | ||||||
| KENT ST | MIAMI OH | NORTHERN ILLINOIS | ||||||
| 9/2 | at | Clemson | 9/2 | at | Marshall | 9/1 | Boston College (Fri) | |
| 9/9 | Howard | 9/9 | Austin Peay | 9/9 | Eastern Illinois | |||
| 9/16 | at | Marshall | 9/16 | Cincinnati (HC) | 9/16 | at | Nebraska | |
| 9/23 | at | Louisville | 9/23 | at | Central Michigan | 9/23 | Open | |
| 9/30 | Buffalo | 9/30 | at | Notre Dame | 9/30 | at | San Diego St | |
| 10/7 | at | Northern Illinois | 10/7 | Bowling Green | 10/7 | Kent St (HC) | ||
| 10/14 | Miami, Oh (HC) | 10/14 | at | Kent St | 10/14 | at | Buffalo | |
| 10/21 | at | Ohio | 10/21 | Buffalo | 10/21 | at | Bowling Green | |
| 10/31 | Bowling Green (Tue) | 10/31 | at | Ohio (Tue) | 10/26 | Eastern Michigan (Thur) | ||
| 11/4 | Open | 11/7 | Akron (Tue) | 11/2 | at | Toledo (Thur) | ||
| 11/8 | at | Western Michigan (Wed) | 11/11 | Open | 11/9 | Ball St (Thur) | ||
| 11/14 | Central Michigan (Tue) | 11/15 | Eastern Michigan (Wed) | 11/15 | Western Michigan (Wed) | |||
| 11/21 | at | Akron (Tue) | 11/21 | at | Ball St (Tue) | 11/24 | at | Central Michigan (Fri) |
| 12/2 | 12/2 | 12/2 | ||||||
| OHIO | TOLEDO | W MICHIGAN | ||||||
| 9/2 | Hampton | 8/31 | Elon (Thur) | 9/2 | at | USC | ||
| 9/8 | at | Purdue (Fri) | 9/9 | at | Nevada | 9/9 | at | Michigan St |
| 9/16 | Kansas | 9/16 | Tulsa | 9/16 | Idaho | |||
| 9/23 | at | Eastern Michigan | 9/23 | at | Miami, Fl | 9/23 | Wagner | |
| 9/30 | Massachusetts | 9/30 | Open | 9/30 | Ball St | |||
| 10/7 | Central Michigan (HC) | 10/7 | Eastern Michigan (HC) | 10/7 | at | Buffalo | ||
| 10/14 | at | Bowling Green | 10/14 | at | Central Michigan | 10/14 | Akron (HC) | |
| 10/21 | Kent St | 10/21 | Akron | 10/21 | at | Eastern Michigan | ||
| 10/31 | Miami, Oh (Tue) | 10/26 | at | Ball St (Thur) | 10/28 | Open | ||
| 11/8 | Toledo (Wed) | 11/2 | Northern Illinois (Thur) | 11/1 | Central Michigan (Wed) | |||
| 11/14 | at | Akron (Tue) | 11/8 | at | Ohio (Wed) | 11/8 | Kent St (Wed) | |
| 11/18 | Open | 11/15 | at | Bowliong Green (Wed) | 11/15 | at | Northern Illinois (Wed) | |
| 11/24 | at | Buffalo (Fri) | 11/24 | Western Michigan (Fri) | 11/24 | at | Toledo (Fri) | |
| 12/2 | 12/2 | 12/2 | ||||||