The MAC definitively sweeps the FCS, while Eastern Michigan picks up the lone FBS win for the league.
One week of college football is officially in the books.
Every MAC team, except for Ball State, took the field for its first time in Week 1, producing mixed results. The league finished 6-5 in its 11 non-conference matchups, although five of those victories transpired against FCS competition.
Receiving our first data point of each team for the 2024 season, here are initial takeaways from a MACtion-packed Labor Day Weekend:
MAC vs. FCS results were promising
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There is no game in college football that is more of a guaranteed victory than a home game against FCS competition. Each MAC team only gets one maximum per year, and it’s essential not to squander it.
However, there was an epidemic of MAC vs. FCS losses the past several seasons. Buffalo and Northern Illinois both dropped theirs last year, and in 2022, Bowling Green and Buffalo fell victim to the inexplicable upset. Looking deeper into the MAC vs. FCS history, there were a few sweat-inducing finishes last year as Akron and Central Michigan both needed scores in the final minute to upend their FCS visitor.
In five matchups between the MAC and the FCS in Week 1, the MAC definitely swept each one. The average margin of victory was 35 points, and the closest finish was Buffalo’s 30-13 wire-to-wire victory over Lafayette — still enough for a three-score victory. Buffalo, debuting new head coach Pete Lembo, finally snapped its own two-game losing skid to FCS competition, leaving zero doubt in the process.
The other four MAC teams each generated at least 40 points with Central Michigan producing 66 points against Central Connecticut for its highest scoring output since 1975 and Northern Illinois dropping 54 points in its opener vs. Western Illinois. In summary, everything was a domination and it was a huge positive for the conference after several years of an alarming trend.
Western Michigan’s defense looks vastly improved
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Western Michigan was a trendy pick as a breakout team in this conference due to the continuity the team boasted on the offensive side of the ball. But Friday night in a hostile atmosphere at Camp Randall Stadium, the defense — which ranked 110th in fewest points per game in 2023 — came out as a promising unit.
The Broncos played a bend, but don’t break style for nearly 60 minutes of action. Wisconsin didn’t register a single play accumulating greater than 17 yards and didn’t break away for a run of more than 12 yards. Wisconsin’s first four drives lasted 16, 16, 14, and 14 plays, all making it to the red zone, but the Broncos turned up the heat with their backs against the wall and the Badgers only cashed out with 13 points from those possessions.
Western Michigan finally started registering stops in the second half, as defensive tackle Isaiah Green forced a fumble on a shoestring tackle, and one possession later, the defense finally forced a punt. While a turnover on that punt swung things back in Wisconsin’s favor, there was still plenty to rave about regarding the Broncos’ defense. There weren’t missed tackles. Wisconsin only averaged 5.3 yards per pass, and the Badger receivers didn’t gain much after the catch. Linebackers Donald Willis and Boone Bonnema consistently slammed opposing ball carriers at the first hint of contact — a key reason why the Badgers only had 13 points with 11 minutes to go.
Eastern Michigan is the king of unaesthetic winning
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Chris Creighton probably wouldn’t have it any other way. The 11th year Eastern Michigan head coach built a consistent bowl team out of one of college football’s longtime doormats. But throughout Creighton’s decade-plus tenure with the Eagles, he’d only coached one top 50 scoring offense. But Eastern Michigan wins the Eastern Michigan way, and that’s usually a gritty war of attrition that involves winning the battle in the trenches, winning the field position battle, and simply mucking up the game.
That’s exactly what the Eagles did in their 2024 opener on the road at UMass. Eastern Michigan made UMass play an ugly brand of football in the first half as the Minutemen punted on their first two possessions, then turned it over on downs and shanked a field goal — mistakes Eastern Michigan capitalized on in order to claim a 14-0 advantage at half. The Eagles’ offense was fine, producing a scoring output that would have been its third-highest in 2023. But where Eastern Michigan asserted its dominance was at the line of scrimmage, sacking UMass six times to force the Minutemen in uncomfortable positions.
Eastern Michigan replaced a lot of talent this season, losing its most impactful pieces on both sides of the ball. But Saturday just looked like any Creighton era win from the last several years, and the Eagles roll into Week 2 as the only MAC team with an FBS win under their belt.
Miami (OH)’s offense continues its to falter in openers
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It seems like an annual trend. Miami enters a season with a veteran offense filled with MAC championship caliber talent and pedigree, and then everything suddenly stops working in the opener. The RedHawks have challenged themselves in non-conference play, opening their seasons against Cincinnati, Kentucky, Miami (FL), and Northwestern in sequential order since 2021. And Miami’s scoring outputs in those games were 14, 13, 3, and 6, respectively — devoid of a Week 1 touchdown for the second consecutive year.
The previous three Miami teams experiencing Week 1 jitters all wound up okay, qualifying for bowl season. Even last year’s RedHawks squad which only mustered up three points on Miami (FL) claimed 11 victories and an elusive MAC championship, so Saturday’s 6-point performance at Northwestern isn’t doomsday for the RedHawks.
But what’s gone wrong in these games? The main observation, especially the last two years, involves the offensive line losing its matchup in the trenches. In 2023, Miami (FL) limited Miami (OH) to 51 rushing yards on 25 attempts. Saturday’s showing against Northwestern was even worse for the reigning MAC champs which collected 40 yards on 24 carries. Thus, losing the battle at the line of scrimmage, the RedHawks become one-dimensional and rely heavily on quarterback Brett Gabbert. However, he’s not getting ample time in the pocket, causing a slew of incompletions to end drives. He additionally took four sacks in the 13-6 loss, as Miami’s offense was overpowered by the Wildcats’ defensive front.
Still, the RedHawks feature one of the better o-lines in the MAC, equipped with a pair of all-conference tackles. They tend to progress once MAC play arrives, but openers have been overwhelming for that group and for the offense as a whole lately.