Mid-American Conference Football Weekly Release August 29, 2016 Football Contact: Ken Mather, Assistant Commissioner for Media & Public Relations ([email protected]) Mid-American Conference, 24 Public Square, 15th Floor, Cleveland, Ohio 44113, 216-566-4622, www.mac-sports.com Become a fan of the Mid-American Conference on Facebook. Follow the MAC On Twitter @MACSports, Snapchat (MACSports) and Instagram (MACSports) MAC Standings MAC Storylines Conference Overall • MAC football continues its 70th season of competition and will WEST DIVISION W L Pct. Stk H A W L Pct. Stk H A hold its 20th championship game in 2016. This year’s MAC Foot- Ball State 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 ball Championship game will be Friday, Dec. 2 at Ford Field in Central Michigan 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 Detroit. Bowling Green is the defending MAC Champion as the Eastern Michigan 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 Falcons defeated Northern Illinois, 34-14, last season. Northern Illinois 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 Toledo 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 • The 2016 football season will bring the transition of three new Western Michigan 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 head coaches into the Conference. Bowling Green named former Conference Overall Texas Tech associate head coach Mike Jinks as head coach. EAST DIVISION W L Pct. Stk H A W L Pct. Stk H A Toledo named associate head coach/offensive coordinator Jason Akron 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 Candle as the program’s head coach. Ball State introduced New Bowling Green 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 Orleans Saints quarterback coach Mike Neu as head coach, as he Buffalo 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 returns to Muncie where he played from 1990-93. Kent State 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 Miami 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 • The MAC will open the season by hosting five games and playing Ohio 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 on the road in seven others. Central Michigan helps kickoff the season by hosting Presbyterian on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 pm ET (ESPN3). MAC programs will play four games on Friday, Sept. 2 and seven others on Saturday, Sept. 3. MAC TO FACE TOP RANKED NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS Earlier in August the 2016 preseason polls were released including the Associated • MAC programs will face opponents from the Big Ten (Iowa, Press Top 25 and USA Today Amway Coaches Poll Top 25. The MAC will face Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State), Mountain West (Wyoming) five of the top ranked teams this season from the 2016 postseason polls in non- and Sun Belt (Arkansas State, Georgia State, Texas State) Confer- conference play (AP ranking/Amway ranking): ences in Week One. The MAC will also face four FCS opponents. No. 1/No. 1 Alabama vs. Kent State on Sat., Sept. 24 (time TBA); This Week’s MAC Schedule No. 6/No. 5 Ohio State vs. Bowling Green on Sat., Sept. 3 at Noon ET; No. 9/No. 10 Tennessee vs. Ohio on Sat., Sept. 17 at Noon ET; Thursday, September 1 No. 17/No. 15 Iowa vs. Miami on Sat., Sept. 3 at 3:30 pm ET; Presbyterian at Central Michigan, 7:00 pm ET (ESPN3) No. 21/No. 19 Oklahoma State vs. Central Michigan on Sat., Sept. 10 at Noon ET. Friday, September 2 MAC VS. BIG TEN OPPONENTS Albany at Buffalo, 7:00 pm ET (ESPN3) This opening week the MAC will face four Big Ten opponents -- Iowa, Ohio State, Ball State at Georgia State, 7:00 pm ET (American Sports Network/ Northwestern and Penn State. The MAC has won a regular season game vs. Big ESPN3) Ten opponents in each of the last 10 consecutive seasons (2006-2015), the longest Mississippi Valley State at Eastern Michigan, 6:00 pm ET (ESPN3) streak in MAC history. Toledo at Arkansas State, 9:00 pm ET (ESPNU) During this 10-year span, MAC teams have defeated 10 different Big Ten teams— Saturday, September 3 Illinois (2); Indiana (5); Iowa (3); Maryland (1); Michigan (1); Michigan State Bowling Green at Ohio State, Noon ET (Big Ten Network) (1); Minnesota (2); Northwestern (1); Penn State (1) and Purdue (5) -- for a total Western Michigan at Northwestern, Noon ET (ESPNU) of 22 wins during this span. Miami (13), Bowling Green (8), Toledo (6), Central Kent State at Penn State, 3:30 pm ET (Big Ten Network) Michigan (6) and Northern Illinois (5) have the most wins vs. Big Ten opponents. Miami at Iowa, 3:30 pm ET (ESPNU) Texas State at Ohio, 3:30 pm ET (CBS Sports Network) HERB DEROMEDI NAMED TO CFP SELECTION COMMITTEE Virginia Military Institute at Akron, 6:30 pm ET (ESPN3) Herb Deromedi, the winningest football coach in MAC and Central Michigan NIU at Wyoming, 10:30 pm ET (CBS Sports Network) history, was named this past January as one of four new members on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. Follow MAC football with the MAC Digi- Deromedi will serve a three-year term on the 13-member committee that ranks the tal Network at www. top 25 teams and determines the matchups for the four-team football playoff and mac-sports.com. the host bowls. Deromedi was selected by members of the College Football Playoff Management Committee, which is made up of all 10 Football Bowl Subdivision commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick. Deromedi, who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007, started at Central Michigan in 1967 as an assistant coach under Roy Kramer. He suc- ceeded Kramer as head coach in 1978 and compiled a 110-55-10 record, including 90 MAC victories. His teams earned three MAC titles and beat Michigan State The MAC has partnered with collegepressbox.com to continue in 1991 and 1992. Deromedi is also a member of the Central Michigan Athletic media services and provide access to information on the confer- Hall of Fame (2000), the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (2004) and the MAC ence and our membership including rosters, bios, game notes, Hall of Fame (2012). depth charts, stats, quotes, flipcards, media schedules and more. Mid-American Conference Football AUGUST 29, 2016 MAC BOWL NOTES AND 2015 SEASON MAC WITH THREE NEW HEAD COACHES FOR 2016 • The MAC tied a Conference record with seven teams bowl eli- Three new head football coaches have joined the MAC for the 2016 gible during the 2015 bowl season. The seven MAC bowl invi- season. Toledo named Jason Candle head coach on Dec. 2, 2015, tations for Bowling Green (10-4), Northern Illinois (8-6), Toledo while Bowling Green tabbed Mike Jinks to lead the Falcons program (10-2), Ohio (8-5), Central Michigan (7-6), Western Michigan (8- on Dec. 9, 2015. Ball State named Mike Neu as head football coach 5) and Akron (8-5) matched the Conference record for programs on Jan. 7, 2016. receiving a bowl invitation in a single season, which also occurred during the 2012 bowl season. Toledo: Jason Candle: Candle was named head football coach at Toledo on Dec. 2. Candle, who previously served as Toledo’s as- • Bowling Green (GoDaddy), Northern Illinois (San Diego Coun- sociate head coach/offensive coordinator, replaces Matt Campbell, ty Credit Union Poinsettia), Toledo (Marmot Boca Raton), Ohio who left after four seasons as the Rockets’ leader to become the head (Raycom Media Camellia), Central Michigan (Quick Lane), West- coach at Iowa State. Candle becomes the 27th head football coach ern Michigan (Popeyes Bahamas) and Akron (Famous Idaho Po- in the 95-year history of Toledo football. tato) represented the MAC during the 2015 bowl season. Candle, 36, has been on the Rocket staff since 2009, when he was • This marked the eighth time in MAC history for the Conference hired by former Toledo head coach Tim Beckman to coach the to have five or more programs receive a bowl invitation (2004, receivers. Candle was named the team’s offensive coordinator in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) in a single-season. 2012 shortly after Campbell assumed the head coaching position. Candle assumed the title of associate head coach in 2014. Under • In the previous five bowl seasons, the MAC has a record of 11-18 Candle’s guidance, the Toledo offense has been prolific. In 2015, in 29 bowl games – 2015 (3-4); 2014 (2-3); 2013 (0-5); 2012 (2- the Rockets ended the regular season ranked second in the MAC 5); 2011 (4-1) – as 11 different MAC programs have appeared in a in scoring offense (35.3) and third in total offense (463.3 yards bowl game in that span (2011-15). per game). In 2014, Toledo led the MAC in just about every major offensive category, including scoring offense (36.6), total offense • Bowling Green won the 2015 Marathon MAC Football Cham- (490.5) and rushing offense (256.4). pionship with a 34-14 win over NIU on Dec. 4 at Ford Field in Detroit. This marked the second MAC Championship for Bowling Bowling Green: Mike Jinks: Bowling Green tabbed Texas Tech Green in the last three seasons and the programs 12th overall Con- Associate Head Coach Mike Jinks to lead the defending MAC ference Championship (2015, 2013, 1992, 1991, 1985, 1982, 1965, Champion football program.