College football offseason preview: MAC West
Bill Connelly rounds out his MACtion preview with a look at the West Division, home to Jim McElwain and the Central Michigan Chippewas.
2020 ScheduleAll times ET
2020 Schedule
3rd in MAC - West
'It's not an ideal situation': Inside coaching transitions during bowl season
What happens when a team headed to a bowl has its coach leave for another school? In the words of one coach, "it's not an ideal situation."
Richie’s TD sparks N. Illinois to 17-14 win over W. Michigan
Tyrice Richie took a shovel pass in the Northern Illinois backfield, added an acrobatic flip over a would-be tackler near midfield and turned it all into a 71-yard touchdown to spark the Huskies to a 17-14 win over Western Michigan in the season...
Richie somehow stays on his feet for a 71-yard TD (1:04)
Eastern Michigan beats NIU 45-17 to gain bowl eligibility
Mike Glass threw for three touchdowns and ran for another and Eastern Michigan rolled past Northern Illinois 45-17 on Tuesday night.
Childers keeps it to put Northern Illinois on the board (0:20)
Field goal with 41 seconds left gives N. Illinois 31-28 win
Tre Harbison rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown and John Richardson kicked a 25-yard field goal with 41 seconds left to give Northern Illinois a 31-28 win over Toledo after blowing a 21-point fourth quarter lead Wednesday night.
Central Michigan rolls past Northern Illinois, 48-10
Quinten Dormady threw for three touchdowns as Central Michigan built a big first-half lead and finished off Northern Illinois, 48-10 on Saturday afternoon.
Central Michigan WR dives over defender to grab bobbled pass (0:33)
Northern Illinois routs Akron 49-0
Marcus Childers threw three touchdown passes, Tre Harbison ran for two scores and Northern Illinois beat Akron 49-0 on Saturday.
Akron fumbles in own end zone, Northern Illinois recovers for TD (0:44)
Miami of Ohio holds off Northern Illinois late, 27-24
Jaylon Bester ran for two touchdowns and Sam Sloman kicked two fourth-quarter field goals that allowed Miami of Ohio to hold off Northern Illinois, 27-24 in a Mid-America Conference battle Saturday afternoon.
Gabbert drops dime to Maye for Miami (OH) TD (0:22)
Game-ending FG lifts N. Illinois to a 39-36 win over Ohio
John Richardson booted a field goal as time expired to give Northern Illinois a 39-36 victory over Ohio on Saturday.
NIU's Richardson makes 37-yard FG to win game (0:19)
NIU's Childers bolts for 70-yard gain (0:35)
Blocked Ohio punt leads to NIU TD (0:32)
Huntley runs for 2 TDs, Ball State rallies past NIU
Caleb Huntley ran 35 times for 157 yards and two TDs, and Ball State rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat Northern Illinois 27-20 in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams on Saturday.
Vanderbilt defeats NIU for first victory (1:26)
Vaughn, Neal lead Vanderbilt over Northern Illinois 24-18
Ke'Shawn Vaughn rushed for 138 yards and one touchdown, Riley Neal threw for 189 yards and a touchdown and Vanderbilt defeated Northern Illinois 24-18.
Vandy's Hebert comes up with huge hit (0:34)
Brooks breaks free for 61-yard Vandy TD (0:34)
Ranking every 2019 transfer QB, led by Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields
The QB transfer market has shaken up college football this year, led by a couple of Heisman contenders. See how all 23 rank so far.
Nebraska puts away Northern Illinois early in a 44-8 win
Adrian Martinez threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, Dedrick Mills rushed for 116 yards and Nebraska beat Northern Illinois 44-8 on Saturday night.
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2019 MAC Standings
| EAST | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Miami (OH) | 6-2 | 8-6 |
| Ohio | 5-3 | 7-6 |
| Kent State | 5-3 | 7-6 |
| Buffalo | 5-3 | 8-5 |
| Bowling Green | 2-6 | 3-9 |
| Akron | 0-8 | 0-12 |
| WEST | CONF | OVR |
| Central Michigan | 6-2 | 8-6 |
| Western Michigan | 5-3 | 7-6 |
| Ball State | 4-4 | 5-7 |
| Northern Illinois | 4-4 | 5-7 |
| Toledo | 3-5 | 6-6 |
| Eastern Michigan | 3-5 | 6-7 |
Team Stats
Passing Yards217.6Tied-79th
Rushing Yards141.192nd
Points For23.8223rd
Points Against28.262nd
2020 Recruits
| NAME | POS | STATUS | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Da'Vonshai Harden | ATH | Committed | 78 |
| Dustin Fletcher | QB-PP | Signed | 75 |
| Eddie Jackson | S | Signed | 74 |
| Jevyon Ducker | RB | Signed | 74 |
| Woodly Appolon | S | Signed | 74 |