2018 Mid-American Conference football season

2018 Mid American Conference football season
League	NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Sport	Football
Duration	August 30, 2018 – January 2019
Number of teams	12
Regular season
Season MVP	Tyree Jackson
East Division champions	Buffalo
West Division champions	Northern Illinois
MAC Championship Game
Champions	Northern Illinois
Runners-up	Buffalo

2018 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Buffalo x		7	–	1					10	–	4
Miami (OH)		6	–	2					6	–	6
Ohio		6	–	2					9	–	4
Akron		2	–	6					4	–	8
Bowling Green		2	–	6					3	–	9
Kent State		1	–	7					2	–	10
West Division
Northern Illinois x$		6	–	2					8	–	6
Western Michigan		5	–	3					7	–	6
Eastern Michigan		5	–	3					7	–	6
Toledo		5	–	3					7	–	6
Ball State		3	–	5					4	–	8
Central Michigan		0	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: Northern Illinois 30, Buffalo 29
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

The 2018 Mid-American Conference football season will be the 73rd season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC). and is part of the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season will begin on August 30 and will end on November 24. The entire schedule was released on February 22.^[1][2] The MAC Championship Game will be held on November 30, 2018.

Previous season

Main article: 2017 Mid-American Conference football season

In 2017, Akron won the East Division with a 6–2 conference record while Toledo won the West Division with a 7–1 conference record. Toledo defeated Akron in the MAC Championship game.

Preseason

Preseason poll

The MAC Preseason Media Poll was released at the MAC Media Day on July 24, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan.^[3]

East

1. Ohio (21)
2. Buffalo (1)
3. Miami (2)
4. Akron
5. Bowling Green
6. Kent State

West

1. Northern Illinois (15)
2. Toledo (7)
3. Western Michigan (1)
4. Eastern Michigan
5. Central Michigan (1)
6. Ball State

(first place votes)

MAC Championship

Ohio received 13 votes as the predicted 2018 MAC Championship Game winner. Toledo (5), Northern Illinois (4), Miami (1), and Central Michigan (1) also received votes.

Head coaches

Coaching changes

On November 22, 2018, one day after Kent State's final game of the season against Akron, the school fired head coach Paul Haynes after five losing seasons.^[4][5] On December 19, the school hired Sean Lewis as head coach.^[6][7]

Coaches

Team	Head coach	Previous job	Years at school	Overall record	MAC record	MAC titles
Akron	Terry Bowden	North Alabama	7	31–44 (.413)	21–27 (.438)	0
Ball State	Mike Neu	New Orleans Saints (QB Coach)	3	6–18 (.250)	1–15 (.063)	0
Bowling Green	Mike Jinks	Texas Tech (Assist. Head Coach)	3	6–18 (.250)	5–11 (.313)	0
Buffalo	Lance Leipold	Wisconsin-Whitewater	4	13–23 (.361)	8–16 (.333)	0
Central Michigan	John Bonamego	Detroit Lions (Special Teams Coordinator)	4	21–18 (.538)	15–9 (.625)	0
Eastern Michigan	Chris Creighton	Drake	5	15–34 (.306)	8–24 (.250)	0
Kent State	Sean Lewis	Syracuse (Co-Off. Coordinator)	1	0–0 (–)	0–0 (–)	0
Miami	Chuck Martin	Notre Dame (Off. Coordinator)	5	16–33 (.327)	14–18 (.438)	0
Northern Illinois	Rod Carey	Northern Illinois (Off. Coordinator)	6	44–24 (.647)	33–8 (.805)	1
Ohio	Frank Solich	Nebraska	14	97–71 (.577)	60–40 (.600)	0
Toledo	Jason Candle	Toledo (Off. Coordinator)	3	21–7 (.750)	13–3 (.813)	1
Western Michigan	Tim Lester	Purdue (QB coach)	2	6–6 (.500)	4–4 (.500)	0

Notes:

• All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
• Records are through the beginning of the 2018 season only.

Schedule

Regular season

Index to colors and formatting
MAC member won
MAC member lost
MAC teams in bold

Week One

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
August 30	7:00 p.m.	Central Connecticut	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	W 48–6	9,801
August 31	6:00 p.m.	Syracuse	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	CBSSN	L 42–55	20,628
August 31	6:30 p.m.	Monmouth	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 51–17	14,357
September 1	12:00 p.m.	Kent State	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	BTN	L 24–31	31,898
September 1	2:00 p.m.	Howard	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN+	W 38–32	18,275
September 1	3:30 p.m.	Marshall	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	L 28–35	15,827
September 1	3:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	Kentucky	Kroger Field • Lexington, KY	ESPNU	L 20–35	49,138
September 1	3:30 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	BTN	L 7–33	67,510
September 1	6:00 p.m.	Delaware State	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Amherst, NY	ESPN3	W 48–10	17,959
September 1	6:00 p.m.	VMI	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN3	W 66–3	24,136
September 1	8:00 p.m.	Akron	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	FOX	Cancelled
September 1	8:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	No. 24 Oregon	Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR	P12N	L 24–58	50,112
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Akron at Nebraska was canceled following a three-hour delay for lightning and thunderstorms.^[8]

Players of the week:^[9]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Tyree Jackson	Buffalo	Jim Jones	Kent State	DL Knock	Ohio

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
D'Wayne Eskridge	Western Michigan	Devonni Reed	Central Michigan	Cody Thompson	Toledo

Week Two

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 8	12:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	BTN	W 20–19	47,661
September 8	12:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	FS1	L 3–49	110,814
September 8	3:00 p.m.	Kansas	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN+	L 7–31	18,127
September 8	3:30 p.m.	Morgan State	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN+	W 41–7	18,413
September 8	3:30 p.m.	Buffalo	Temple	Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA	ESPN3	W 36–29	25,511
September 8	3:30 p.m.	Howard	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN+	W 54–14	15,242
September 8	3:30 p.m.	Ball State	No. 8 Notre Dame	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	NBC	L 16–24	77,622
September 8	6:00 p.m.	Maryland	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	L 14–45	16,142
September 8	7:30 p.m.	Utah	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPNews	L 6–17	16,762
September 8	8:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Cincinnati	Paul Brown Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell)	ESPN3	L 0–21	16,062
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[10]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Tyree Jackson	Buffalo	Cameron Lewis	Buffalo	Nick Gasser	Akron

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Tyler Wiegers	Eastern Michigan	Sutton Smith	Northern Illinois	Chad Ryland	Eastern Michigan

Week Three

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 15	12:00 p.m.	Ball State	Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	BTN	L 10–38	40,240
September 15	12:00 p.m.	Kent State	No. 11 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	FS1	L 10–63	106,528
September 15	12:00 p.m.	No. 21 Miami (FL)	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN2	L 24–49	28,117
September 15	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	BTN	L 3–26	41,162
September 15	3:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	NIU 24–16	12,354
September 15	4:15 p.m.	Ohio	Virginia	Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN[a]	ESPN2	L 31–45	5,438
September 15	7:30 p.m.	Akron	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	W 39–34	40,014
September 15	4:00 p.m.	Eastern Kentucky	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN3	W 42–35	17,542
September 15	6:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Amherst, NY	ESPN+	UB 35–28	18,384
September 15	7:00 p.m.	Delaware State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	W 68–0	23,244
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

1. Moved from Scott Stadium in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.

Players of the week:^[11]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
K. J. Osborn	Buffalo	Alvin Davis	Akron	Michael Farkas	Ohio

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Diontae Johnson	Toledo	Malik Fountain	Central Michigan	Jake Julien	Eastern Michigan

Week Four

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 22	12:00 p.m.	Kent State	Ole Miss	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS	SECN	L 17–38	50,417
September 22	12:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Rutgers	High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	W 42–13	34,574
September 22	12:00 p.m.	Akron	Iowa State	Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA	FSN	L 13–26	54,028
September 22	12:00 p.m.	Ohio	Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH	ESPNU	L 30–34	35,220
September 22	12:00 p.m.	Nevada	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	CBSSN	W 63–44	23,675
September 22	2:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Georgia State	Georgia State Stadium • Atlanta, GA	ESPN+	W 34–15	15,264
September 22	3:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	MIOH 38–23	14,380
September 22	3:00 p.m.	Western Kentucky	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN3	L 20–28	15,873
September 22	3:00 p.m.	Maine	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN+	W 17–5	16,474
September 22	3:30 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Florida State	Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL	ESPNU	L 19–37	65,633
September 22	10:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	San Diego State	SDCCU Stadium • San Diego, CA	CBSSN	L 23–20 ^OT	30,898
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[12]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Alonzo Smith	Miami (OH)	Khalil Hodge	Buffalo	Nick Gasser	Akron

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Mitchell Guadagni	Toledo	Maxx Crosby	Eastern Michigan	Gavin Peddie	Western Michigan

Week Five

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 29	12:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Georgia Tech	Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA	ACCRSN	L 17–63	40,740
September 29	12:00 p.m.	Army	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Amherst, NY	CBSSN	L 13–42	23,671
September 29	12:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	No. 21 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	FS1	L 20–31	73,752
September 29	2:00 p.m.	UMass	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN3	W 58–42	19,056
September 29	3:00 p.m.	Kent State	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	BALL 52–24	9,367
September 29	3:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	WMU 40–39	15,012
September 29	6:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	NIU 26–23 ^3OT	14,779
September 29	10:30 p.m.	Toledo	Fresno State	Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA	ESPNU	L 49–27	33,401
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[13]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Nathan Rourke	Ohio	Khalil Hodge	Buffalo	Maurice Thomas	Miami (OH)

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Jayden Reed	Western Michigan	Antonio Jones-Davis	Northern Illinois	Jake Julien	Eastern Michigan

Week Six

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 6	12:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	CBSSN	UB 34–24	14,044
October 6	12:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPN+	WMU 27–24	24,282
October 6	3:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN (Bronze Stalk Trophy)	ESPN3	NIU 24–16	7,159
October 6	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN+	MIOH 41–17	22,437
October 6	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH (Battle of I-75 Trophy)	ESPN+	TOL 52–26	24,685
October 6	3:30 p.m.	Ohio	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN+	OHIO 27–26	20,062
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[14]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Nathan Rourke	Ohio	Brad Koenig	Miami (OH)	Matthew Trickett	Kent State

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Eli Peters	Toledo	Ralph Holley	Western Michigan	Jake Julien	Eastern Michigan

Week Seven

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 13	12:00 p.m.	Akron	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Amherst, NY	CBSSN	UB 24–6	19,506
October 13	12:00 p.m.	Toledo	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	EMU 28–26	17,998
October 13	2:30 p.m.	Kent State	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	MIOH 31–6	5,003
October 13	3:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	WMU 42–35	18,551
October 13	3:00 p.m.	Ball State	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN3	BALL 24–23	10,255
October 13	3:30 p.m.	Ohio	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	NIU 24–21	12,138
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[15]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Kenny Young	Miami (OH)	Khalil Hodge	Buffalo	Michael Farkas	Ohio

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Jamauri Bogan	Western Michigan	Sutton Smith	Northern Illinois	Morgan Hagee	Ball State

Week Eight

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 20	12:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN+	UB 31–17	18,114
October 20	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Army	Michie Stadium • West Point, NY	CBSSN	L 30–31 ^2OT	38,016
October 20	2:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN3	OHIO 49–14	19,492
October 20	3:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	EMU 42–20	14,022
October 20	3:30 p.m.	Western Michigan	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy/Victory Cannon)	ESPN+	WMU 35–10	10,097
October 20	3:30 p.m.	Akron	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH (Wagon Wheel)	ESPN+	AKR 24–23 ^OT	18,774
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[16]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Nathan Rourke	Ohio	Brad Koenig	Miami (OH)	Derek Adams	Kent State

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Tyler Wiegers	Eastern Michigan	Alex Grace	Western Michigan	Jake Julien Bailey Flint	Eastern Michigan Toledo

Week Nine

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 25	7:00 p.m.	Ball State	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	CBSSN	OHIO 52–14	13,774
October 25	7:00 p.m.	Toledo	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN2	TOL 51–24	11,389
October 27	12:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN3	AKR 17–10	17,582
October 27	12:00 p.m.	Army	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	CBSSN	L 22–37	22,627
October 27	2:30 p.m.	Northern Illinois	BYU	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT	ESPNU	W 7–6	51,084
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[17]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
A. J. Ouellette	Ohio	John Lako	Akron	Louie Zervos	Ohio

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Cody Thompson	Toledo	Mykelti Williams	Northern Illinois	Matt Ference	Northern Illinois

Week Ten

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 30	8:00 p.m.	Kent State	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH (Anniversary Award)	ESPNU	KENT 35–28	13,131
October 30	8:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Amherst, NY	ESPN2	UB 51–42	15,682
October 31	7:30 p.m.	Ball State	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	ESPN2	TOL 45–13	15,214
November 1	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	CBSSN	NIU 36–26	16,401
November 1	7:00 p.m.	Ohio	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	OHIO 59–14	11,935
November 3	12:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy/rivalry)	ESPN3	EMU 17–7	13,468
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[18]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Tyree Jackson	Buffalo	Dalton Hicks	Kent State	Alvin Floyd	Ohio

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Tre Harbison	Northern Illinois	Jalen McKie	Northern Illinois	Jameson Vest	Toledo

Week Eleven

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 6	7:30 p.m.	Kent State	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	ESPNU	UB 48–14	15,078
November 7	7:00 p.m.	Ohio	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH (Battle of the Bricks)	ESPNU	MIOH 30–28	15,975
November 7	8:00 p.m.	Toledo	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN2	NIU 38–15	5,887
November 10	12:00 p.m.	Akron	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN3	EMU 27–7	12,403
November 10	3:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN+	BGSU 24–13	8,041
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[19]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Jaret Patterson	Buffalo	Justin Brandon	Buffalo	Kyle Kramer	Miami (OH)

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Tre Harbison	Northern Illinois	Maxx Crosby	Eastern Michigan	Sutton Smith	Northern Illinois

Week Twelve

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 13	6:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN2	BALL 42–41 ^OT	5,503
November 14	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	ESPN2	OHIO 52–17	13,839
November 14	8:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPNU	MIOH 13–7	4,878
November 15	6:00 p.m.	Toledo	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	CBSSN	TOL 56–34	5,387
November 17	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	ESPN3	BGSU 21–6	17,742
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[20]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
A. J. Ouellette	Ohio	Rucker Furlow	Miami (OH)	Sam Sloman	Miami (OH)

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Drew Plitt	Ball State	Josh Corcoran	Northern Illinois	Diontae Johnson	Toledo

Week Thirteen

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 20	7:00 p.m.	Ball State	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	ESPN+	MIOH 42–21	17,639
November 20	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illiniois	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	WMU 28–21	18,278
November 23	12:00 p.m.	Akron	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	CBSSN	OHIO 49–28	12,938
November 23	12:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	ESPNU	UB 44–14	10,518
November 23	12:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	ESPN3	EMU 28–20	6,125
November 23	12:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Toledo	Glass Stadium • Toledo, OH	ESPN3	TOL 51–13	15,521
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week:^[21]

East Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Alonzo Smith	Miami (OH)	Brad Koenig	Miami (OH)	Kylan Nelson	Ohio

West Division

Offensive		Defensive		Special teams
Player	Team	Player	Team	Player	Team
Ian Eriksen	Eastern Michigan	Sutton Smith	Northern Illinois	Jake Julien	Eastern Michigan

Week Fourteen

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 1	12:00 p.m.	Akron	South Carolina	Williams–Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC	SECN	L 3–28	53,420
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

This game was added after Akron's game vs Nebraska was canceled due to lightning and South Carolina's game vs Marshall was canceled due to Hurricane Florence.

MAC Championship Game

See also: 2018 MAC Championship Game

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 30	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Buffalo	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	ESPN2	NIU 30–29	10,255
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Mountain Time.

Postseason

Postseason awards

^[22]

• Offensive Player of the Year: Tyree Jackson, QB, Buffalo
• Defensive Player of the Year: Sutton Smith, DE, Northern Illinois
• Special Teams Player of the Year: Diontae Johnson, KR/PR, Toledo
• Coach of the Year: Lance Leipold, Buffalo
• Freshman of the Year: Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo
• Vern Smith Leadership Award: Sutton Smith, DE, Northern Illinois

All-Conference Teams

^[22]

Position Player Team First Team Offense QB Tyree Jackson Buffalo RB A. J. Ouellette Ohio RB LeVante Bellamy Western Michigan WR Anthony Johnson Buffalo WR Papi White Ohio WR Diontae Johnson Toledo WR Cody Thompson Toledo TE Tyler Mabry Buffalo OL James O'Hagan Buffalo OL Max Scharping Northern Illinois OL Joe Anderson Ohio OL Joe Lowery Ohio OL Luke Juriga Western Michigan First Team Defense DL Chuck Harris Buffalo DL Mike Danna Central Michigan DL Maxx Crosby Eastern Michigan DL Sutton Smith Northern Illinois LB Khalil Hodge Buffalo LB Malik Fountain Central Michigan LB Brad Koenig Miami LB Antonio Jones-Davis Northern Illinois DB Alvin Davis Akron DB Sean Murphy-Bunting Central Michigan DB Xavier Crawford Central Michigan DB Javon Hagan Ohio First Team Special Teams P Michael Farkas Ohio K Matt Trickett Kent State KR Maurice Thomas Miami PR Diontae Johnson Toledo

Position Player Team Second Team Offense QB Nathan Rourke Ohio RB Jaret Patterson Buffalo RB Tre Harbison Northern Illinois WR Riley Miller Ball State WR Scott Miller Bowling Green WR K. J. Osborn Buffalo WR Jayden Reed Western Michigan TE Reggie Gilliam Toledo OL Evin Ksiezarczyk Buffalo OL Luke Shively Northern Illinois OL Durrell Wood Ohio OL Bryce Harris Toledo OL John Keenoy Western Michigan Second Team Defense DL Jamal Davis II Akron DL Kalil Morris Kent State DL Doug Costin Miami DL Josh Corcoran Northern Illinois LB Ulysees Gilbert Akron LB Kyle Rachwal Eastern Michigan LB Kyle Pugh Northern Illinois LB Evan Croutch Ohio DB Kyron Brown Akron DB Cameron Lewis Buffalo DB Kevin McGill Eastern Michigan DB Mykelti Williams Northern Illinois Second Team Special Teams P Jake Julien Eastern Michigan K Ryan Tice Central Michigan KR Diontae Johnson Toledo PR Jayden Reed Western Michigan

Bowl games

Legend
	MAC win
	MAC loss

See also: 2018–19 NCAA football bowl games

Bowl game	Date	Site	Television	Time (EST)	MAC team	Opponent	Score	Attendance
Camellia Bowl	December 15	Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL	ESPN	5:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Georgia Southern	21–23	17,710
Boca Raton Bowl	December 18	FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL	ESPN	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	UAB	13–37	22,614
Frisco Bowl	December 19	Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX	ESPN	8:00 p.m.	Ohio	San Diego State	27–0	11,029
Bahamas Bowl	December 21	Thomas Robinson Stadium • Nassau, Bahamas	ESPN	12:30 p.m.	Toledo	FIU	32–35	13,510
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	December 21	Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID	ESPN	4:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	BYU	18–49	18,711
Dollar General Bowl	December 22	Ladd–Peebles Stadium • Mobile, AL	ESPN	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Troy	32–42	31,818

Home game attendance

Team	Stadium	Capacity	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4	Game 5	Game 6	Game 7	Total	Average	% of Capacity
Akron	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field	27,881	18,413	22,437 †	17,582	16,401	17,742			92,757	18,515	66.4%
Ball State	Scheumann Stadium	22,500	9,801	15,873 †	9,367	7,159	14,022	5,503		61,725	10,288	45.7%
Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium	24,000	16,142	17,542	14,380	18,551 †	13,131	10,518		90,264	15,044	62.7%
Buffalo	UB Stadium	29,013	17,959	18,384	23,671 †	19,506	15,682	15,078		110,280	18,380	63.4%
Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium	30,255	18,127 †	16,474	14,044	10,255	10,097	8,041		66,941	11,157	36.9%
Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium	30,200	14,357	14,779	17,998	22,627 †	13,468	12,403		95,632	15,939	52.8%
Kent State	Dix Stadium	25,319	15,242	20,062 †	18,774	5,387	6,125			65,590	13,118	51.8%
Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium	24,286	15,827	15,012	5,003	15,975	17,639 †			69,456	13,891	57.2%
Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium	24,000	16,762 †	12,354	12,138	5,887	4,878			52,019	10,404	43.3%
Ohio	Peden Stadium	24,000	18,275	19,056	19,492 †	13,774	13,839	12,938		97,374	16,229	67.6%
Toledo	Glass Bowl	26,248	24,136	28,117 †	23,675	24,685	18,114	15,214	15,521	124,777	17,825	67.9%
Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium	30,200	20,628	23,244	24,282 †	11,389	11,935	18,278		98,021	16,337	54.1%

Bold – Exceed capacity
†Season High

References

1. Kelley, Kevin (December 19, 2017). "MAC Football Opponents/author". Retrieved December 19, 2017.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
2. "MAC Announces 2018 Football Schedule" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
3. "NIU & Ohio Picked As Divisional Winners In 2018 MAC Football Media preseason poll". Retrieved July 24, 2018.
4. "Kent State fires Haynes after 5 losing seasons". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
5. rlewis. "Kent State fires football coach Paul Haynes after loss to Akron". www.ohio.com. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
6. Moff, Allen. "Kent State hires Sean Lewis as new football coach". Record. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
7. "Syracuse's Sean Lewis to be named Kent State's new head football coach". cleveland.com. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
8. "Akron-Nebraska Football Game Cancelled". University of Akron Athletics.
9. MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK ONE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-09-03). Retrieved on 2018-09-05.
10. MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK TWO FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-09-10). Retrieved on 2018-09-10.
11. MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK THREE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-09-17). Retrieved on 2018-09-18.
12. MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK FOUR FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-09-24). Retrieved on 2018-09-25.
13. MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK FIVE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-10-01). Retrieved on 2018-10-01.
14. MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK SIX FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-10-08). Retrieved on 2018-10-08.
15. MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK SEVEN FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-10-15). Retrieved on 2018-10-15.
16. MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK EIGHT FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-10-22). Retrieved on 2018-10-28.
17. MAC ANNOUNCES WEEK NINE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-10-29). Retrieved on 2018-10-29.
18. ANNOUNCES WEEK TEN FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-11-5). Retrieved on 2018-11-8.
19. ANNOUNCES WEEK 11 FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-11-12). Retrieved on 2018-11-28.
20. ANNOUNCES WEEK TWELVE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-11-19). Retrieved on 2018-11-28.
21. ANNOUNCES WEEK THIRTEEN FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. http://getsomemaction.com (2018-11-26). Retrieved on 2018-11-28.
22. "MAC Announces 2018 All-MAC First, Second, Third Teams and Postseason Awards". getsomemaction.com.