Mid-American Conference Football Returns with 6 Games on Tap

MACtion is back.

College football sports betting will now have more games during the week with the return of the Mid-American Conference. Six games are featured Wednesday night as the league makes its 2023 debut after initially canceling the season before coming out with an abbreviated schedule.

The MAC opens its season with six games:

• Eastern Michigan at Kent State (-6), 6 p.m.
• Western Michigan (-17.5) at Akron, 6 p.m.
• Buffalo (-13.5) at Northern Illinois, 7 p.m.
• Ohio at Central Michigan (-1), 7 p.m.
• Ball State at Miami (-3.5), 7 p.m.
• Bowling Green at Toledo (-19), 8 p.m.

“I think it’s fabulous the MAC decided to come back and play a six-game season,” DraftKings Director of Operations Johnny Avello said. “The Tuesday and Wednesday for the next couple weeks will be great filler. We can use some content for some of those days. It’s great having this league back.”

The conference will host games on five separate dates during the week, with three on Wednesday (Nov. 4, Nov. 11, Nov. 18) and two on Tuesday (Nov. 10, Nov. 17). Then the league switches to a traditional Saturday schedule for the final three weeks of the regular season (Nov. 28, Dec. 5, Dec. 12) before the MAC Championship on Dec. 18 at Ford Field.

Key games on opening night

The conference opens its season with several key matchups. Defending league champion, Miami, hosts Ball State in a contest that could prove pivotal in determining a conference champion. Ball State led the MAC in scoring last year (34.7 points per game) and features a veteran roster with 17 seniors and five grad transfers.

As for Miami, the RedHawks were one of the most clutch teams a year ago, going 5-0 in one-score games.

Bowling Green and Toledo open with their annual rivalry showdown and the Battle of the I-75 Trophy. The series is tied all-time at 40-40-4 and has been dominated as of late by Toledo, which has won nine of the last 10 meetings.

But the Falcons scored the latest victory, winning 20-7 last season as 26-point underdogs to snap Toledo’s nine-game winning streak. This year, Bowling Green is once again a double-digit underdog at +19.

Other Matchups to Watch

The closest matchup according to sportsbooks is set to be between Central Michigan and Ohio. Both teams enter 2023 with questions at the QB position, with Ohio looking to replace three-year starter Nathan Rourke, while Central Michigan graduated Quinten Dormady who took over the spot after four games last year.

The Chippewas started 2019 with David Moore before he was suspended for four games; his status is still unknown for 2023 until he can get cleared. That means Central Michigan could start true freshman Daniel Richardson.

Michigan bettors will also have two other teams to watch, with Western Michigan visiting Akron and Eastern Michigan traveling to Kent State.

“Since these guys are starting late, you gotta go back and refresh yourself on these teams,” Avello said. “Some have a couple weeks under their belt and some longer. Some teams changed a little bit and the complexity and makeup are a little bit different.”