2022 Mid-American Conference football season explained

The 2022 Mid-American Conference football season was the 77th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), as part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season began on September 1 and concluded with its conference championship game on Saturday, December 3 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.^[1] Ohio won the East Division with a conference record of 7–1 and Toledo won the West Division with a 5–3 conference record. Toledo won the championship over Ohio by a final score of 17–7.^[2]

Previous season

See main article: 2021 Mid-American Conference football season.

During the 2021 conference season, Kent State won the East Division, while Northern Illinois won the West Division, both with 6–2 conference records. In the 2021 MAC Championship Game, Northern Illinois defeated Kent State by a final score of 41–23. Northern Illinois advanced to the Cure Bowl, where they lost to Coastal Carolina, 41–47.

Preseason

Preseason polls

Media Poll

On July 26 the MAC announced the preseason media poll. Defending MAC champion Northern Illinois was named the preseason favorite.^[3]

East
1	Miami	139 (20)
2	Kent State	116 (3)
3	Buffalo	78
4	Ohio	72
5	Bowling Green	71 (1)
6	Akron	28

West
1	Northern Illinois	122 (11)
2	Toledo	120 (9)
3	Central Michigan	112 (4)
4	Western Michigan	56
5	Eastern Michigan	52
6	Ball State	42

Media poll (MAC Championship)
1	Northern Illinois	9
2	Toledo	6
3	Miami	5
3	Central Michigan	4

Coaches Poll

On August 29 the MAC released the coaches poll. Defending champion Northern Illinois was favored to win the west while Kent State was selected as a slight favorite to win the East. Northern Illinois received 4 of the 12 MAC championship votes.^[4]

East
1	Kent State	61 (5)
2	Miami	60 (6)
3	Buffalo	43
4	Bowling Green	36 (1)
5	Ohio	35
6	Akron	16

West
1	Northern Illinois	61 (6)
2	Toledo	51
3	Central Michigan	50 (2)
4	Western Michigan	45 (3)
5	Eastern Michigan	24
6	Ball State	21 (1)

Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
1	Northern Illinois	4
2	Kent State	3
3	Miami	2
3	Western Michigan	2
5	Ball State	1

Individual Award Preseason Watchlists

Lott Trophy	none	[5]
Dodd Trophy	none	[6]
Maxwell Award	Dequan Finn	Toledo	QB	[7]
	Brett Gabbert	Miami	QB
	Hassan Beydoun	Eastern Michigan	WR
	Marquez Cooper	Kent State	WR
	Lew Nichols III	Central Michigan	RB
	Sean Tyler	Western Michigan	RB
Davey O'Brien Award	Brett Gabbert	Miami	QB	[8]
Doak Walker Award	Lew Nichols III	Central Michigan	RB	[9]
	Sean Tyler	Western Michigan	RB
	Samson Evans	Eastern Michigan	RB
	Antario Brown	Northern Illinois	RB
	Harrison Waylee	Northern Illinois	RB
Biletnikoff Award	Hassan Beydoun	Eastern Michigan	WR	[10]
	Dante Cephas	Kent State	WR
	Jayshon Jackson	Ball State	WR
	Quain Williams	Buffalo	WR
	Trayvon Rudolph	Northern Illinois	WR
John Mackey Award	Kris Leach	Kent State	TE	[11]
	Christian Sims	Bowling Green	TE
Rimington Trophy	Jacob Gideon	Western Michigan	C	[12]
Butkus Award	Darren Anders	Bowling Green	LB	[13]
	James Patterson	Buffalo	LB
Jim Thorpe Award	CJ Brown	Northern Illinois	S	[14]
	Jordan Anderson	Bowling Green	S
	Dorian Jackson	Western Michigan	CB

Bronko Nagurski Trophy	CJ Brown	Northern Illinois	S	[15]
	Darren Anders	Bowling Green	LB
	James Patterson	Buffalo	LB
	Jamal Hines	Toledo	LB
Outland Trophy	Desjuan Johnson	Toledo	DT	[16]
	Nolan Potte	Northern Illinois	T
	Sidy Sow	Eastern Michigan	T
	Daymond Williams	Buffalo	DT
Lou Groza Award	John Richardson	Northern Illinois	K	[17]
Ray Guy Award	Dom Dzioban	Miami	P	[18]
	Luke Elzinga	Central Michigan	P
	Nick Mihalic	Western Michigan	P
Paul Hornung Award	Hassan Beydoun	Eastern Michigan	WR	[19]
	Ron Cook Jr.	Buffalo	RB
	Devin Maddox	Toledo	WR
	Trayvon Rudolph	Northern Illinois	WR
	Sean Tyler	Western Michigan	RB
	Jalen Walker	Miami	WR
Wuerffel Trophy	Brandon Martin	Ball State	LB	[20]
	Austin Osborne	Bowling Green	WR
	Matt McDonald	Bowling Green	QB
	Max Michel	Buffalo	LB
	Tariq Speights	Eastern Michigan	LB
	Isaac Vance	Kent State	WR
	Nick Rattin	Northern Illinois	LB
	Mitchell Berg	Toledo	OL
	Boone Bonnema	Western Michigan	LB

Walter Camp Award	Dante Cephas	Kent State	WR	[21]
	Brett Gabbert	Miami	QB
	Lew Nichols III	Central Michigan	RB
Bednarik Award	James Patterson	Buffalo	LB	[22]
	CJ Brown	Northern Illinois	S
	Jose Ramirez	Eastern Michigan	DL
	Jamal Hines	Toledo	LB
Rotary Lombardi Award	Darren Anders	Bowling Green	LB	[23]
	Jamal Hines	Toledo	LB
Patrick Mannelly Award	none	[24]
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award
Polynesian College Football Player Of The Year Award	[25]
Manning Award	Brett Gabbert	Miami	QB	[26]
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award	Dequan Finn	Toledo	QB	[27]
	Rocky Lombardi	Northern Illinois	QB
	Daniel Richardson	Central Michigan	QB
	Kurtis Rourke	Ohio	QB
Ted Hendricks Award

Head Coaches

• On November 4, 2021, Akron fired head coach Tom Arth after posting a 3–24 record during his tenure with the school.^[28] The school hired Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead as the new head coach for the 2022 season.^[29]

Team	Head coach	Previous Job	Years at school	Overall record	MAC record	MAC titles
style=	Akron	Joe Moorhead	Oregon (Off. Coordinator)	1			0
style=	Ball State	Mike Neu	New Orleans Saints (QB Coach)	7			1
style=	Bowling Green	Scot Loeffler	Boston College (Off. Coordinator/QB Coach)	4			0
style=	Buffalo	Maurice Linguist	Michigan (Co def. coordinator)	2			0
style=	Central Michigan	Jim McElwain	Florida	4			0
style=	Eastern Michigan	Chris Creighton	Drake	9			0
style=	Kent State	Sean Lewis	Syracuse (Co Off. Coordinator)	4			0
style=	Miami	Chuck Martin	Notre Dame (Off. Coordinator/QB Coach)	8			1
style=	Northern Illinois	Thomas Hammock	Baltimore Ravens (running backs coach)	4			1
style=	Ohio	Tim Albin	Ohio (Associate Head Coach)	2			0
style=	Toledo	Jason Candle	Toledo (Off. Coordinator)	7			1
style=	Western Michigan	Tim Lester	Purdue (QB Coach)	6			0

Post-season changes

• On November 28, Western Michigan announced that they had fired head coach Tim Lester. Lester posted a record of 37–32 over six years at the school.^[30] On December 8, Western Michigan announced that they had hired Louisville offensive coordinator Lance Taylor to be the new head coach.^[31]
• On December 5, Kent State head coach Sean Lewis was announced as the new offensive coordinator at Colorado in the Pac-12 conference. On December 14, Kent State announced Kenni Burns as the new head coach for the 2023 season.^[32]

^{[33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43]}

Rankings

See main article: 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.

	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Final
Akron	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Ball State	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Bowling Green	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Buffalo	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Central Michigan	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Eastern Michigan	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Kent State	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Miami	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Northern Illinois	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Ohio	AP														RV
	C																RV
	CFP	Not released
Toledo	AP
	C												RV
	CFP	Not released
Western Michigan	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released

Legend

		Improvement in ranking
		Drop in ranking
		Not ranked previous week
		No change in ranking from previous week
RV		Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
т		Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

Schedule

The schedule for the 2022 MAC football season was released on February 25, 2022.

Index to colors and formatting
MAC member won
MAC member lost
MAC teams in bold

All times Eastern time.

MAC Conference Championship Game

See main article: 2022 MAC Championship Game.

Postseason

Bowl Games

See also: 2022–23 NCAA football bowl games.

The MAC finished with a 4–2 bowl record which was good enough to win the Bowl Challenge Cup^{[44] [45]}

Legend
	MAC Win
	MAC Loss

Bowl game	Date	Site	Television	Time (EST)	MAC team	Opponent	Score	Attendance
Bahamas Bowl	December 16	Thomas Robinson Stadium • Nassau, Bahamas	ESPN	11:30 a.m.	Miami (OH)	UAB	L 20–24	12,172
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	December 20	Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID	ESPN	3:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	San Jose State	W 41–27	10,122
Boca Raton Bowl	December 20	FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL	ESPN	7:30 p.m.	Toledo	Liberty	W 21–19	20,622
Quick Lane Bowl	December 26	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	ESPN	2:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	New Mexico State	L 19–24	22,987
Camellia Bowl	December 27	Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL	ESPN	12:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Georgia Southern	W 23–21	15,322
Arizona Bowl	December 30	Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ	Barstool Sports	4:30 p.m.	Ohio	Wyoming	W 30–27 OT

Selection of teams

• Bowl eligible (6): Bowling Green, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Ohio, Toledo
• Bowl ineligible (6): Akron, Ball State, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan

MAC records vs. other conferences

2022–2023 records against non-conference foes:

Regular season

Power Five Conferences	Record
ACC	0–1
Big 12	0–3
Big Ten	1–6
BYU/Notre Dame	0–0
Pac-12	1–2
SEC	0–7
Power 5 Total	2–19
Other FBS Conferences	Record
American	0–2
C–USA	1–0
Independents (Excluding BYU/Notre Dame)	4–1
Mountain West	0–2
Sun Belt	1–4
Other FBS Total	6–9
FCS Opponents	Record
Football Championship Subdivision	10–2
Total Non-Conference Record	18–30

Postseason

Power Five Conferences	Record
ACC	0–0
Big 12	0–0
Big Ten	0–0
BYU/Notre Dame	0–0
Pac-12	0–0
SEC	0–0
Power 5 Total	0–0
Other FBS Conferences	Record
American	0–0
C–USA	0–1
Independents (Excluding BYU/Notre Dame)	1–1
Mountain West	2–0
Sun Belt	1–0
Other FBS Total	4–2
Total Bowl Record	4–2

Mid-American vs Power 5 matchups

This is a list of games the MAC has scheduled versus power conference teams (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, BYU, Notre Dame and SEC). All rankings are from the current AP Poll at the time of the game.

Date	Conference	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 1	Big 12	Central Michigan	No. 12 Oklahoma State	Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK	L 44–58
September 1	SEC	Ball State	Tennessee	Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN	L 10–59
September 2	Big Ten	Western Michigan	No. 15 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	L 13–35
September 3	Pac-12	Bowling Green	UCLA	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA	L 17–45
September 3	Big Ten	Buffalo	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	L 10–31
September 3	Pac-12	Kent State	Washington	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	L 20–45
September 3	SEC	Miami (OH)	No. 20 Kentucky	Kroger Field • Lexington, KY	L 13–37
September 10	Big Ten	Akron	No. 14 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	L 0–52
September 10	Big 12	Kent State	No. 7 Oklahoma	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK	L 3–33
September 10	Big Ten	Ohio	Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	L 10–46
September 17	SEC	Akron	No. 15 Tennessee	Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN	L 6–63
September 17	Pac-12	Eastern Michigan	Arizona State	Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ	W 30–21
September 17	SEC	Vanderbilt	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	L 28–38
September 17	Big 12	Ohio	Iowa State	Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA	L 10–43
September 17	Big Ten	Toledo	No. 3 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	L 21–77
September 17	ACC	No. 23 Pittsburgh	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	L 13–34
September 24	SEC	Bowling Green	Mississippi State	Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS	L 14–45
September 24	Big Ten	Central Michigan	No. 14 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	L 14–33
September 24	SEC	Kent State	No. 1 Georgia	Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA	L 22–39
September 24	Big Ten	Miami (OH)	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	W 17–14
September 24	SEC	Northern Illinois	No. 8 Kentucky	Kroger Field • Lexington, KY	L 23–31

Mid-American vs Group of Five matchups

The following games include MAC teams competing against teams from the American, C-USA, Mountain West or Sun Belt.

Date	Conference	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 3	C-USA	Florida Atlantic	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	W 41–38
September 10	Sun Belt	South Alabama	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	L 24–38
September 10	Sun Belt	Eastern Michigan	Louisiana	Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA	L 21–49
September 10	American	Northern Illinois	Tulsa	H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK	L 35–38
September 17	Sun Belt	Marshall	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	W 34–31 OT
September 17	Sun Belt	Buffalo	Coastal Carolina	Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC	L 26–38
September 17	American	Cincinnati	Miami (OH)	Paul Brown Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell)	L 17–38
September 24	Sun Belt	Ball State	Georgia Southern	Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA	L 23–34
September 24	Mountain West	Toledo	San Diego State	Snapdragon Stadium • San Diego, CA	L 14–17
September 24	Mountain West	Western Michigan	San Jose State	CEFCU Stadium • San Jose, CA	L 6–34

Mid-American vs FBS independents matchups

The following games include MAC teams competing against FBS Independents, which includes Army, Liberty, New Mexico State, UConn, or UMass.

Date	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 10	UMass	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	W 55–10
September 24	Akron	Liberty	Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA	L 12–21
October 1	UMass	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	W 20–13
October 15	UConn	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	W 25–21
October 15	Buffalo	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, MA	W 34–7

Mid-American vs. FCS matchups

The following games include MAC teams competing against FCS schools.

Date	Visitor	Home	Site	Score
September 1	St. Francis	Akron	InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH	W 30–23 OT
September 1	Eastern Illinois	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	W 34–27
September 1	LIU	Toledo	Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH	W 37–0
September 2	Eastern Kentucky	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI	W 42–34
September 10	Eastern Kentucky	Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH	L 57–59 7OT
September 10	Holy Cross	Buffalo	UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY	L 31–37
September 10	Robert Morris	Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH	W 31–14
September 17	Murray State	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	W 31–0
September 17	Bucknell	Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI	W 41–0
September 17	LIU	Kent State	Dix Stadium • Kent, OH	W 63–10
September 24	Fordham	Ohio	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH	W 59–52
October 1	New Hampshire	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	W 44–7

Head to head matchups

2022 MAC Head to head
Team	Akron	Ball State	Buffalo	Bowling Green	Central Michigan	Eastern Michigan	Kent State	Miami	Northern Illinois	Ohio	Toledo	Western Michigan
Akron	—	—	22–23	28–31	21–28	28–34	27–33	9–27	44–12	34–55	—	—
Ball State	—	—	—	—	17–16	16–20	27–20	17–18	44–38	14–38	21–28	30–37
Buffalo	23–22	—	—	38–7	27–31	50–31	27–30	24–20	—	24–45	34–27	—
Bowling Green	31–28	—	7–38	—	34–18	—	6–40	17–13	—	14–38	42–35	13–9
Central Michigan	28–21	16–17	31–27	18–34	—	19–38	—	—	35–22	—	17–38	10–12
Eastern Michigan	34–28	20–16	31–50	—	38–19	—	31–24	—	10–39	—	24–27	45–23
Kent State	33–27	20–27	30–27	40–6	—	24–31	—	24–27	—	31–24	31–52	—
Miami	27–9	18–17	20–24	13–17	—	—	27–24	—	29–23	21–37	—	10–16
Northern Illinois	12–44	38–44	—	—	22–35	39–10	—	23–29	—	17–24	32–52	24–21
Ohio	55–34	32–18	45–24	38–14	—	—	24–31	37–21	24–17	—	—	33–14
Toledo	—	28–21	27–34	35–42	38–17	27–24	52–31	—	52–32	—	—	14–20
Western Michigan	—	37–30	—	9–13	12–10	23–45	—	16–10	21–24	14–33	20–14	—

Updated with the results of all games through December 3, 2022.

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

East Division

Week		Offensive				Defensive				Special Teams
		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position
Week 1[46]		Kurtis Rourke	Ohio	QB		Marcus Fuqua	Buffalo	S		Nathanial Vakos	Ohio	K
Week 2[47]		Matt McDonald	Bowling Green	QB		Khalib Johns	Kent State	LB		Josh Smith	Kent State	P
Week 3[48]		Matt McDonald (2)	Bowling Green	QB		Karl Brooks	Bowling Green	DE		Alex McNulty	Buffalo	K
Week 4[49]		Kurtis Rourke (2)	Ohio	QB		Ryan McWood	Miami	LB		Alex McNulty (2)	Buffalo	K
Week 5[50]		Dante Cephas	Kent State	WR		Shaun Dolac	Buffalo	LB		Tristian Vandenberg	Ohio	K
Week 6[51]		Sieh Bangura	Ohio	RB		Ryan McWood (2)	Miami	LB		Graham Nicholson	Miami	K
Week 7[52]		Sieh Bangura (2)	Ohio	RB		Demetrius Hardamon	Bowling Green	LB		Nathanial Vakos (2)	Ohio	K
Week 8[53]		Ron Cook	Buffalo	RB		Marcus Fuqua (2)	Buffalo	S		Sami Sir	Bowling Green	P
Week 9[54]		No nominees	Jacquez Warren	Miami		DB	Dom Dzioban	Miami		P
Week 10[55]		Kurtis Rourke (3)	Ohio	QB		Keye Thompson	Ohio	LB		Ta'ron Keith	Bowling Green	RB
Week 11[56]		Collin Schlee	Kent State	QB		Marvin Pierre	Kent State	LB		Alex McNulty (3)	Buffalo	K
Week 12[57]		Odieu Hiliare	Bowling Green	WR		Alvin Floyd	Ohio	S		PaSean Wimberly	Bowling Green	RB
Week 13[58]		CJ Harris	Ohio	QB		Keye Thompson (2)	Ohio	LB		Cory Smigel	Akron	K

West Division

Week		Offensive				Defensive				Special Teams
		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position		Player	Team	Position
Week 1		Daniel Richardson	Central Michigan	QB		Eric Rogers	Northern Illinois	CB		Mitchell Tomasek	Eastern Michigan	P
Week 2		Dequan Finn	Toledo	QB		Braden Fiske	Western Michigan	DL		Nick Mihalic	Western Michigan	P
Week 3		Samson Evans	Eastern Michigan	RB		Kempton Shine	Eastern Michigan	CB		Jesus Gomez	Eastern Michigan	K
Week 4		John Paddock	Ball State	QB		Daveren Rayner	Northern Illinois	LB		Tom Foley	Northern Illinois	P
Week 5		John Paddock (2)	Ball State	QB		Jaquan Amos	Ball State	S		Mitchell Tomasek (2)	Eastern Michigan	P
Week 6		Carson Steele	Ball State	RB		Quinyon Mitchell	Toledo	CB		Lucas Borrow	Ball State	P
Week 7		Dequan Finn (2)	Toledo	QB		Jordan Riley	Ball State	S		John Richardson	Northern Illinois	K
Week 8		Sean Tyler	Western Michigan	RB		Corvin Moment	Western Michigan	LB		Palmer Domschke	Western Michigan	K
Week 9		Tucker Gleason	Toledo	QB		Maxen Hook	Toledo	S		Mitchell Tomasek (3)	Eastern Michigan	P
Week 10		Carson Steele (2)	Ball State	RB		Cole Pearce	Ball State	LB		Ben VonGunten	Ball State	K
Week 11		Bert Emanuel, Jr.	Central Michigan	QB		Thomas Incoom	Central Michigan	DL		Mitchell Tomasek (4)	Eastern Michigan	P
Week 12		Tucker Gleason (2)	Toledo	QB		Jose Ramirez	Eastern Michigan	DE		No nominees
Week 13		Samson Evans (2)	Eastern Michigan	RB		Jose Ramirez (2)	Eastern Michigan	DE		Mitchell Tomasek (5)	Eastern Michigan	P

MAC Individual Awards

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the Mid-American Conference football coaches at the end of the season.^[59]

Award	Player	School
Offensive Player of the Year	Kurtis Rourke	Ohio
Defensive Player of the Year	Jose Ramirez	Eastern Michigan
Special Teams Player of the Year	Alex McNulty	Buffalo
Freshman Player of the Year	Sieh Bangura	Ohio
Vern Smith Leadership Award	Kurtis Rourke	Ohio
Coach of the Year	Tim Albin	Ohio

All-Conference Teams

The following players were listed as part of the All-Conference teams.

Position	Player	Team
First Team Offense
WR	Alex Adams	style=	Akron
WR	Devontez Walker	style=	Kent State
WR	Dante Cephas	style=	Kent State
WR	Sam Wiglusz	style=	Ohio
OL	Sidy Sow	style=	Eastern Michigan
OL	Marcellus Marshall	style=	Kent State
OL	Nolan Potter	style=	Northern Illinois
OL	Hagen Meservy	style=	Ohio
OL	Nick Rosi	style=	Toledo
TE	Brady Hunt	style=	Ball State
QB	Kurtis Rourke	style=	Ohio
RB	Carson Steele	style=	Ball State
RB	Marquez Cooper	style=	Kent State
PK	Alex McNulty	style=	Buffalo
First Team Defense
DL	Karl Brooks	style=	Bowling Green
DL	Thomas Incoom	style=	Central Michigan
DL	Jose Ramirez	style=	Eastern Michigan
DL	Desjuan Johnson	style=	Toledo
LB	Bubba Arslanian	style=	Akron
LB	Shaun Dolac	style=	Buffalo
LB	Dallas Gant	style=	Toledo
LB	Zaire Barnes	style=	Western Michigan
DB	Marcus Fuqua	style=	Buffalo
DB	Donte Kent	style=	Central Michigan
DB	Quinyon Mitchell	style=	Toledo
DB	Maxen Hook	style=	Toledo
P	Mitchell Tomasek	style=	Eastern Michigan
First Team Specialists
KRS	Jaylon Jackson	style=	Eastern Michigan
KRS	Keegan Wilburn	style=	Ohio

Position	Player	Team
Second Team Offense
WR	Jayshon Jackson	style=	Ball State
WR	Odieu Hiliare	style=	Bowling Green
WR	Mac Hippenhammer	style=	Miami
WR	Jerjuan Newton	style=	Toledo
WR	Corey Crooms	style=	Western Michigan
OL	Ethan Crowe	style=	Ball State
OL	Jamezz Kimbrough	style=	Central Michigan
OL	Brian Dooley	style=	Eastern Michigan
OL	Rusty Feth	style=	Miami
OL	Sam Allan	style=	Kent State
TE	Christian Sims	style=	Bowling Green
QB	Dequan Finn	style=	Toledo
RB	Samson Evans	style=	Eastern Michigan
RB	Sean Tyler	style=	Western Michigan
PK	Nathanial Vakos	style=	Ohio
Second Team Defense
DL	DeVonte O'Malley	style=	Northern Illinois
DL	Jamal Hines	style=	Toledo
DL	Andre Carter	style=	Western Michigan
DL	Braden Fiske	style=	Western Michigan
LB	Clayton Coll	style=	Ball State
LB	James Patterson	style=	Buffalo
LB	Ryan McWood	style=	Miami
LB	Dyontae Johnson	style=	Toledo
DB	Amechi Uzodinma	style=	Ball State
DB	Nic Jones	style=	Ball State
DB	Nico Bolden	style=	Kent State
DB	C.J. Brown	style=	Northern Illinois
DB	Nate Bauer	style=	Toledo
P	Dom Dzioban	style=	Miami
Second Team Specialists
KRS	Ta'ron Keith	style=	Bowling Green
KRS	Ja'Shaun Poke	style=	Kent State

Position	Player	Team
Third Team Offense
WR	Shocky Jacques-Louis	style=	Akron
WR	Quian Williams	style=	Buffalo
WR	Tanner Knue	style=	Eastern Michigan
WR	Hassan Beydoun	style=	Eastern Michigan
OL	Anthony Whigan	style=	Akron
OL	Gabe Wallace	style=	Buffalo
OL	Desmond Bessent	style=	Buffalo
OL	Deiyantei Powell-Woods	style=	Central Michigan
OL	Logan Zschernitz	style=	Northern Illinois
TE	Joel Wilson	style=	Central Michigan
QB	DJ Irons	style=	Akron
QB	Collin Schlee	style=	Kent State
RB	Harrison Waylee	style=	Northern Illinois
RB	Sieh Bangura	style=	Ohio
PK	Jesus Gomez	style=	Eastern Michigan
Third Team Defense
DL	Zay West	style=	Kent State
DL	Michael Kennedy	style=	Northern Illinois
DL	James Ester	style=	Northern Illinois
DL	Jack McCrory	style=	Ohio
LB	Kyle Moretti	style=	Central Michigan
LB	Matthew Salopek	style=	Miami
LB	Keye Thompson	style=	Ohio
LB	Corvin Moment	style=	Western Michigan
DB	Jordan Riley	style=	Ball State
DB	John Saunders Jr.	style=	Miami
DB	Tariq Drake	style=	Ohio
DB	Keni-H Lovely	style=	Western Michigan
P	Luke Elzinga	style=	Central Michigan
Third Team Specialists
KRS	Jalen Walker	style=	Miami
KRS	De'Javion Stepney	style=	Central Michigan

NFL draft

The following list includes all MAC players who were drafted in the 2023 NFL draft.

Player	Position	School	Draft Round	Round Pick	Overall Pick	Team
Sidy Sow	OG	Eastern Michigan	4	15	117	New England Patriots
Karl Brooks	DT	Bowling Green	6	2	179	Green Bay Packers
Zaire Barnes	LB	Western Michigan	6	7	184	New York Jets
Jose Ramirez	LB	Eastern Michigan	6	19	196	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Lew Nichols III	RB	Central Michigan	7	18	235	Green Bay Packers
Nic Jones	CB	Ball State	7	33	250	Kansas City Chiefs
Desjuan Johnson	DE	Toledo	7	42	259	Los Angeles Rams

Notes and References

1. Web site: MAC Releases 2022 Football Schedule. February 25, 2022. May 3, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
2. Web site: Toledo 17, Ohio 7. February 26, 2023. ESPN.
3. Web site: MAC Announces 2022 Football Preseason Media Poll. July 26, 2022. July 27, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
4. Web site: NIU, Kent State Selected in Football Head Coaches Preseason Poll. July 26, 2022. July 27, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
5. Web site: Lott Impact® Trophy Announces 2022 Watch list. May 19, 2022. July 30, 2022.
6. Web site: Dodd Trophy Releases 2022 Preseason Watch List. July 12, 2022. July 30, 2022.
7. Web site: 2022 Maxwell Award Watch List Recipients – Maxwell Football Club. 30 July 2022.
8. Web site: Davey O’Brien Award Announces 2022 Preseason Watch List - 35 of nation’s top returning quarterbacks honored on initial list. July 19, 2022. July 30, 2022.
9. Web site: 2022 Doak Walker Award Candidates. July 21, 2022. July 30, 2022.
10. Web site: 2022 Biletnikoff Award Watch List. July 21, 2022. July 30, 2022.
11. Web site: 2022 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released. July 22, 2022. July 30, 2022.
12. Web site: Rimington Trophy Press Release. July 22, 2022. July 30, 2022.
13. Web site: Butkus Award 38th Season Watch List Announced. thebutkusaward.com. The Butkus Award. July 25, 2022. July 30, 2022.
14. Web site: 2022 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Watch List. July 25, 2022. July 30, 2022.
15. Web site: 2022 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List unveiled. sportswriters.net. FWWA. July 26, 2022. July 30, 2022.
16. Web site: 2022 Outland Trophy Watch List unveiled. sportswriters.net. FWWA. July 26, 2022. July 30, 2022.
17. Web site: Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2022 Preseason Watch List. July 27, 2022. July 30, 2022.
18. Web site: 2022 Watchlist. July 27, 2022. July 30, 2022.
19. Web site: 52 PLAYERS FROM 10 CONFERENCES, PLUS 3 INDEPENDENTS, NAMED TO 2022 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST. July 28, 2022. July 30, 2022.
20. Web site: Wuerffel Trophy Unveils Watch List For 2022 . July 28, 2022. July 30, 2022. Brassell, Tom. wuerffeltrophy.org.
21. Web site: Walter Camp 2022 Player of Year Preseason Watch List. waltercamp.org. Walter Camp Football Foundation. Al. Carbone. July 29, 2022. July 30, 2022.
22. Web site: 2022 Bednarik Award Watch List. August 1, 2022. August 5, 2022. Maxwell Football Club.
23. Web site: Rotary Lombardi Award®, in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Houston, is pleased to announce the 77 players who will compete for this year’s coveted award.. August 1, 2022. August 5, 2022. Rotary Lombardi Award.
24. Web site: The Patrick Manelly Award 2022 Watchlist . 6 August 2022 . August 2, 2022.
25. Web site: 2022 Watch List for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award. 22 August 2022 . August 18, 2022.
26. Web site: Allstate Sugar Bowl Announces Manning Award Watch List, National Honor Recognizes Top Quarterback in Country After Bowls . August 22, 2022. August 22, 2022.
27. Web site: The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Unveils 2022 Watch List. August 24, 2022. August 25, 2022.
28. News: Akron Zips fire coach Tom Arth during his third season after posting 3-24 record. ESPN.com. Adam. Rittenberg. November 4, 2021. May 3, 2022.
29. Web site: Akron hiring Oregon OC Joe Moorhead as football coach. Adam. Rittenberg. December 4, 2021. May 3, 2022. ESPN.com. ESPN.
30. Web site: Western Michigan fires coach Tim Lester after 5-7 season. Pete. Thamel. November 28, 2022. November 28, 2022. espn.com. ESPN.
31. News: 'Our future is in great hands': WMU hires Louisville OC Taylor as football coach. The Detroit News. Tony. Paul. December 8, 2022. December 8, 2022.
32. Web site: Kent State Names Kenni Burns as 23rd Head Football Coach in Program History . 2022-12-15 . Kent State Golden Flashes . en.
33. Web site: Joe Moorhead. Sports Reference.
34. Web site: Mike Neu. Sports Reference.
35. Web site: Scot Loeffler. Sports Reference.
36. Web site: Maurice Linguist. Sports Reference.
37. Web site: Jim McElwain. Sports Reference.
38. Web site: Chris Creighton. Sports Reference.
39. Web site: Sean Lewis. Sports Reference.
40. Web site: Chuck Martin. Sports Reference.
41. Web site: Thomas Hammock. Sports Reference.
42. Web site: Tim Albin. Sports Reference.
43. Web site: Tim Lester. Sports Reference.
44. News: Track which conferences are winning the 2022-23 bowl season . NCAA.com . January 4, 2023 . February 25, 2023.
45. News: MAC Wins 2022-23 Progressive Bowl Challenge Cup . NCAA.com . January 13, 2023 . March 2, 2023. Mid-American Conference.
46. Web site: MAC Announces Week 1 Football Players of the Week. September 5, 2022. September 5, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
47. Web site: MAC announces Week 2 football players of the week. September 12, 2022. September 12, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
48. Web site: MAC Announces Week 3 Football Players of the Week. September 19, 2022. September 20, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
49. Web site: Week 4 MAC Football Players of the Week Announced. September 26, 2022. September 26, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
50. Web site: MAC Announces Week 5 Football Players of the Week. October 3, 2022. October 3, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
51. Web site: MAC Announces Week 6 Football Players of the Week. October 10, 2022. October 10, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
52. Web site: MAC Announces Week 7 Football Players of the Week. October 17, 2022. October 17, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
53. Web site: MAC Announces Week 8 Football Players of the Week. October 24, 2022. October 24, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
54. Web site: MAC Announces Week 9 MAC Football Players of the Week. October 31, 2022. November 1, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
55. Web site: MAC Announces Week 10 Football Players of the Week. November 7, 2022. November 8, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
56. Web site: MAC Announces Week 11 Football Players of the Week. November 14, 2022. November 14, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
57. Web site: MAC Announces Week 12 Football Players of the Week. November 21, 2022. November 21, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
58. Web site: MAC Announces Week 13 Football Players of the Week. November 28, 2022. November 28, 2022. getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference.
59. Web site: MAC Announces 2022 Postseason Football Awards & All-Conference Teams. Mid-American Conference. en.