I love college sports. I have been a fan ever since I turned 3-years-old when my dad took me to my first Michigan State University football game against Purdue University. The atmosphere was great. We watched the bands march down to the stadium banging their drums and playing their fight songs. Then we would walk over to the stadium, go to our seats and wait for the teams to rush out onto the field.
The anticipation would always build up before the opening kickoff; I couldn’t wait for the game to start.
However, that was a Big Ten Conference game, not a Mid-American Conference (MAC) game. Over the years, I have seen every Big Ten team and MAC team play live. From this I have been able to infer that the MAC is a very disrespected conference. When a MAC team such as Western Michigan or Toledo goes to a Big Ten school for a game, people automatically think the Big Ten team will win. Countless times I have heard people say, “Michigan will win this game, were only playing a MAC school.”
Why? Why is it like this? Why do, cocky Big Ten football fans think they are always going to win? In reality, there are three differences between the MAC and Big Ten. No 1: The number of schools in the conference. No. 2: The MAC has two divisions with a championship game at the end of the season. No. 3: The Big Ten gets more publicity.
But why does this matter? It shouldn’t.
In the last decade, MAC teams have been to bowl games, made the top 25, won championships, beat BCS conference teams and had players drafted by NFL teams.
According to an article written in 2006 on MACsports.com, from 1999-2006 the MAC was 10-5 in bowl games giving them the best record among all Division 1 FBS conferences. Although since then they have gone 1-7, it is still appalling that the MAC can still be disrespected like that when at one point they were the best in bowl games.
Last year, the MAC created a buzz in the top 25. No teams were ranked in the preseason poll, but after Week 1, Bowling Green State University, although never ranked, received votes to make it in. By Week 8, Ball State University was ranked No. 24 in the country and undefeated at 7-0. Week 14, Ball State was ranked No. 12 in the land. However, still no respect. They went undefeated during the season and only made it to the GMAC bowl.
The MAC is not a BCS conference, meaning, it would be shocking if a MAC school played in a BCS bowl like the Rose Bowl. However, conferences such as the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 are. Over the past few years, more recently than before, MAC schools have been able to beat teams in these conferences. Last year, the University of Michigan suffered their first ever loss to a MAC school on opening weekend when they lost to the University of Toledo. Along with U-M, Indiana University also lost to a MAC school last season in a game against Ball State.
Lastly, how can a conference that consistently develops great players be so disrespected. Players such as Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came from Miami University of Ohio. Other players include Jason Taylor (University of Akron), Chad Pennington (Marshall University), Charlie Batch (Eastern Michigan University), Antonio Gates (Kent State University) and Western Michigan University’s own Greg Jennings.
The MAC conference truly is an underdog conference. I love rooting for the underdog. It’s a great feeling when they win. However, the disrespect needs to end. The MAC has begun to make a name for itself. They have won games and made bowl games. The caliber of player in the conference has gone up. They had the Michigan Collegiate Athlete of the year last year in WMU quarterback Tim Hiller. It is time for the MAC to gain respect and make it big.
