MAC Football Championship Game
| Marathon MAC Football Championship Game | |
|---|---|
| Conference Football Championship | |
| Sport | College football |
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| Current stadium | Ford Field |
| Current location | Detroit, Michigan |
| Played | 1997–present |
| Last contest | 2016 |
| Current champion | Western Michigan |
| Most championships | Marshall Thundering Herd (5) |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN2 |
| Official website | MAC-Sports.com football |
| Sponsors | |
| Marathon Petroleum (2003–present) | |
| Host stadiums | |
|
Marshall University Stadium (1997–2000, 2002) Glass Bowl (2001) Doyt Perry Stadium (2003) Ford Field (2004–present) | |
| Host locations | |
|
Huntington, West Virginia (1997–2000, 2002) Toledo, Ohio (2001) Bowling Green, Ohio (2003) Detroit, Michigan (2004–present) | |
The Marathon MAC Football Championship is a football game between the winners of the East and West divisions of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) to determine the conference champion. The game has been played since 1997, when the conference was first divided into divisions and since 2003 has been sponsored by Marathon Oil. The winner of the game is guaranteed a berth in a bowl game which the MAC has contractual obligations to field a team. Since 2004, the championship game has been played at Ford Field in Detroit. Previously the game was held at campus sites.
In 2000, 2001, and 2007, due to an unbalanced conference schedule, the team with best division record within each division was awarded that division's championship game berth. In other years, the teams with the best overall conference records received a berth.
The 2016 MAC Football Championship was held Friday December 2, 2016 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
Results by year
Rankings reflect last AP poll prior to game being played. Winner in bold.
From 1997 through 2003, the championship game was played at campus sites. Since 2004, the game has been played at Ford Field in Detroit.
| Year | East | Score | West | Score | Stadium • City | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Marshall | 34 | Toledo | 14 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 28,021 |
| 1998 | Marshall | 23 | Toledo | 17 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 28,085 |
| 1999 | No. 11 Marshall | 34 | Western Michigan | 30 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 28,069 |
| 2000 | Marshall | 19 | Western Michigan | 14 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 24,816 |
| 2001 | No. 20 Marshall | 36 | Toledo | 41 | Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH | 20,025 |
| 2002 | Marshall | 49 | Toledo | 45 | Marshall University Stadium • Huntington, WV | 24,582 |
| 2003 | No. 13 Miami | 49 | No. 20 Bowling Green | 27 | Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH | 24,813 |
| 2004 | Miami | 27 | Toledo | 35 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 22,138 |
| 2005 | Akron | 31 | Northern Illinois | 30 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 12,051 |
| 2006 | Ohio | 10 | Central Michigan | 31 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 25,483 |
| 2007 | Miami | 10 | Central Michigan | 35 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 25,013 |
| 2008 | Buffalo | 42 | No. 12 Ball State | 24 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 12,871 |
| 2009 | Ohio | 10 | Central Michigan | 20 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 23,714 |
| 2010 | Miami | 26 | No. 24 Northern Illinois | 21 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 12,031 |
| 2011 | Ohio | 20 | Northern Illinois | 23 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 13,052 |
| 2012 | No. 18 Kent State | 37 | No. 19 Northern Illinois | 44 (2 OT) | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 18,132 |
| 2013 | Bowling Green | 47 | No. 16 Northern Illinois | 27 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 21,106 |
| 2014 | Bowling Green | 17 | Northern Illinois | 51 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 15,110 |
| 2015 | Bowling Green | 34 | Northern Illinois | 14 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 16,425 |
| 2016 | Ohio | 23 | No. 13 Western Michigan | 29 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 45,615 |
Results by team
| Appearances | School | W | L | Pct | Years appeared | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Northern Illinois | 3 | 4 | .429 | 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 | 2011, 2012, 2014 |
| 6 | Marshall | 5 | 1 | .833 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 |
| 5 | Toledo | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004 | 2001, 2004 |
| 4 | Miami | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010 | 2003, 2010 |
| 4 | Bowling Green | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2003, 2013, 2014, 2015 | 2013, 2015 |
| 4 | Ohio | 0 | 4 | .000 | 2006, 2009, 2011, 2016 | – |
| 3 | Central Michigan | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 2006, 2007, 2009 | 2006, 2007, 2009 |
| 3 | Western Michigan | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1999, 2000, 2016 | 2016 |
| 1 | Akron | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2005 | 2005 |
| 1 | Buffalo | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2008 | 2008 |
| 1 | Kent State | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2012 | – |
| 1 | Ball State | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2008 | – |
| 0 | Eastern Michigan | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
Current conference members in bold
MVPs
| Year | MVP(s) | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Randy Moss | Marshall | WR |
| 1998 | Chad Pennington | Marshall | QB |
| 1999 | Chad Pennington | Marshall | QB |
| 2000 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | QB |
| 2001 | Chester Taylor | Toledo | RB |
| 2002 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | QB |
| 2003 | Ben Roethlisberger | Miami | QB |
| 2004 | Bruce Gradkowski | Toledo | QB |
| 2005 | Luke Getsy | Akron | QB |
| 2006 | Damien Linson | Central Michigan | WR |
| 2007 | Dan LeFevour | Central Michigan | QB |
| 2008 | Mike Newton | Buffalo | DB |
| 2009 | Dan LeFevour | Central Michigan | QB |
| 2010 | Thomas Merriweather | Miami | RB |
| 2011 | Nathan Palmer | Northern Illinois | WR |
| 2012 | Jordan Lynch | Northern Illinois | QB |
| 2013 | Matt Johnson | Bowling Green | QB |
| 2014 | Drew Hare | Northern Illinois | QB |
| 2015 | Travis Greene | Bowling Green | RB |
| 2016 | Corey Davis | Western Michigan | WR |
Photo gallery
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Before 2006 MAC Championship Game
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2006 MAC Championship: Central Michigan vs. Ohio