The Mid-American Conference announced Thursday that it will scrap its division format for football, starting in 2024, with the goal of getting the two best teams in the conference championship game. The urgency to make the change was spurred by next year’s expansion of the College Football Playoff.
Under the current format, winners of the East and West Divisions meet in the championship game, the 2023 installment set for Saturday at Detroit's Ford Field. sound proof room portable
MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher made the announcement, and said there will be four pods of three teams each, with those teams playing each other every year.
One of those pods, certainly, will be Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Western Michigan.
"After significant study and discussion, our membership has made the decision to eliminate divisions in football," Steinbrecher said in a statement. "A primary goal in our discussions centered around ensuring the scheduling methodology utilized facilitated the best opportunity to put the two best teams into the championship game.
"The new model will protect rivalries while facilitating a more even rotation of teams through each institution's schedule."
Starting in 2024, the top teams in the conference, based on conference winning percentage, will meet in the MAC championship game. Under the division model, if one division is significantly weaker than the other, it can result in a top team playing a mid-tier team in the championship game.
The Big Ten has had that issue for years, with the Big Ten East always stronger than the Big Ten West. The Big Ten West never has won the Big Ten championship game, and Iowa is a 23.5-point underdog against Michigan for Saturday's game in Indianapolis. The Big Ten, expanding to 18 teams in 2024, is doing away with the division model.
For the MAC, the West has been the traditionally stronger division.
“It’s fantastic,” said Dan Bartholomae, Western Michigan’s athletic director. “You’re putting your best product out on the field.
“Getting this done immediately was a big deal.”
That’s because, starting next year, the College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams, with a spot for the Group of Five.
Under the new MAC model, the podmates will play each other every year, and the format will ensure each team plays the other 11 MAC teams at home and on the road every three years.
The pod breakdown will be announced in January, the MAC said, with the full 2024 MAC schedule being announced in February.
The website Hustle Belt, which covers MAC sports, reported Thursday the breakdown of the other three pods will be Akron, Buffalo and Kent State; Ball State, Miami of Ohio and Ohio; and Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Toledo.
The MAC also announced Thursday it has reached a one-year extension with Ford Field to continuing to host the MAC championship game through 2025. The MAC championship game has been held at Ford Field since 2004.
soundproof phone booth office This Saturday's game features Toledo (11-1) against Miami (10-2).