Only five starters are back, so Hutchinson and the passing game may simply need to outscore a lot of MAC opponents to reach six victories in 2020. MAC football in fall a possibility, as officials discuss restart of 2020 season. }); Akron returns a promising quarterback in Kato Nelson (194.1 total yards a game in 2019), and he’s tasked with jumpstarting an offense that managed only 10.5 points a contest last fall. The decision to return teams to the field was unanimous on Friday, and with that, all 10 FBS conferences will play a season in fall 2020. * 'purpose':'purpose id' Bowling Green’s defense will lean on six returning starters to improve a group that allowed 38.6 points and 242.8 rushing yards a game and 7.03 yards a snap last year. © 2005-2020 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. if (document.addEventListener) { * @see https://support.google.com/dfp_premium/answer/7673898#personalized Week-by-week ranking of all of the games. Athlon Sports has released its preseason magazine for 2020, and now it's time to preview and predict the conferences. So it will be a truncated 2020 college football season everywhere, and a LOT of games packed into a short amount time beginning in late October. Follow David Hookstead on Twitter and Instagram, (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football). Toledo allowed 32.2 points a game and surrendered 6.6 yards a snap last fall. View Comments. Seven starters are back, including end Jamal Hines and safety Tycen Anderson but plenty of question marks remain going into the fall. The conference begin play on Wednesday Nov. 4 with a six-game, conference-only schedule with the conference championship game being held either on Friday, Dec. 18 or on Saturday, Dec. 19. } }); NAVY Navy Midshipmen. Little separates the top three teams in the East Division, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see coach Frank Solich’s squad book a trip to Detroit in December. Sophomore Brett Gabbert impressed in his first year under center, and his development should help a unit that averaged only 24.1 points a game. In returning to the football field, the MAC in its announcement on Friday revealed that athletes and staff will undergo COVID-19 testing four times per week, with additional protocols to be announced in the near future. Ohio’s defense held teams to 25.8 points a contest in MAC play, and there’s a strong foundation with nine returning starters. Predicting the MAC’s 2020 college football season is no easy task. window.attachEvent('onload', function () { ConsentManager.registerPurposeHandler(['storage', 'personalization', 'ad_selection', 'measurement'], function() { The Falcons finished 3-9 last season but beat rival Toledo 20-7 in mid-October. Games being played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is also exactly what the fans want. But with the advancements in Covid-19 testing, and the economic factors around not playing carrying some weight, the league has decided to press onward. Scot Loeffler’s rebuilding project at Bowling Green continues into its second year. The Mid-American Conference has decided to play football in 2020, meaning all 10 FBS conferences will now attempt to complete a season before the end of the calendar year. The schedule isn’t kind with road trips to Ohio, Miami (Ohio), Ball State and Western Michigan, but Creighton should find a way to keep this team in the mix for six victories. But getting over the hump and into the postseason will require improvement on defense. The MAC's decision was then followed by the Mountain West, Big Ten and Pac-12, all of which eschewed football for next year due to various COVID-19 concerns and/or uncertainties. /** section: | slug: mac-votes-to-play-college-football-this-fall-with-a-six-game-season-starting-nov-4 | sport: collegefootball | route: article_single.us | The 2020 MAC football season kicks off on Wednesday, Nov. 4 … The RedHawks and Ohio aren’t far behind Buffalo for the top spot in the East, with Kent State coming in fourth. The transfer of Lorbeck and Heflin hinders a line that was slated to rank among the best in the MAC, but the linebacker unit should be a strength with Kyle Pugh and Lance Deveaux leading the way. Parks, WR, Eastern Michigan, Pick by Steven Lassan: Vince Kehres/Craig Kuligowski, Co-DC, Toledo, Pick by Ben Weinrib: Tyler Stockton, DC, Ball State, Pick by Mark Ross: Chris Simpson, Co-DC, Buffalo, Pick by Steven Lassan: Lance Leipold, HC, Buffalo, Pick by Ben Weinrib: Jason Candle, HC, Toledo, Pick by Mark Ross: Sean Lewis, HC, Kent State, Pick by Steven Lassan: Miami (Ohio) at Buffalo, Pick by Ben Weinrib: Miami (Ohio) at Buffalo, Pick by Steven Lassan: Preston Hutchinson, QB, Eastern Michigan, Pick by Ben Weinrib: Brett Gabbert, QB, Miami (Ohio), Pick by Mark Ross: Kaleb Eleby, QB, Western Michigan, Pick by Steven Lassan: Bryce Harris, C, Toledo, Pick by Ben Weinrib: Andrew Clair, RB, Bowling Green, Pick by Mark Ross: Andrew Clair, RB, Bowling Green, College Football Rankings: NCAAF Top 25 (After Week 7), NFL Predictions: Week 6 Picks for Every Game, March Madness: 2020 Dates for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Michigan State Basketball Schedule 2019-20, Saint Mary's Basketball: Gaels Team Preview and Season Prediction 2019-20, Xavier Basketball: Musketeers Team Preview and Season Prediction 2019-20, How to Watch and Live Stream NASCAR Online (some for free), 75 Funny Fantasy NASCAR Team Names for 2020, Ranking the MAC's Football Coaches for 2020, Ranking the MAC's College Football Coaches for 2020, College Football Rankings: Top 25 for 2020, Ranking College Football Rosters for 2020, Athlon's Must-See College Cheerleader Galleries. MAC teams will play some games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Related: Ranking the MAC's Football Coaches for 2020. RETURN OF THE MAC!#MACtion pic.twitter.com/IblsYCEjw9. MEM Memphis Tigers. Games against Youngstown State, New Mexico State and UMass in non-conference play provide a couple of opportunities for wins. * 'storage': 1, The Bulls have one of the league’s top coaches in Lance Leipold, along with a strong foundation in place on both sides of the ball. The critics wanted to act like the MAC was dead for the 2020 college football season after they initially closed up shop during the coronavirus pandemic. The Mid-American Conference has decided to play football in 2020, meaning all 10 FBS conferences will now attempt to complete a season before the end of the calendar year. }); * @see https://support.google.com/dfp_premium/answer/7673898#personalized We appreciate the effort of the many medical professionals who have contributed to this sound plan to initiate the fall football season.". Buffalo’s standout defense returns plenty of star power, including ends Taylor Riggins and Malcolm Koonce (17.5 sacks), linebackers Kadofi Wright and James Patterson and safety Tyrone Hill. College Football Standings - 2020. We’re happy to have you ready to rock and roll in 2020. View the 2020 MAC football schedule at FBSchedules.com. Approaching five weeks into the season, the biggest concern has been postponing and/or canceling games. * 'measurement': 5 * DFP requires multiple purposes listed below: MAC approves the return of football in 2020, NFL 2020 Week 7 TE Rankings | 2020 Week 7 DST Rankings | DraftKings 2020 Fantasy Football Rankings. Central Michigan is second, followed by Ball State and Western Michigan in the top four. * DFP requires multiple purposes listed below: The reigning MAC champs should be in the mix to repeat for the division title. And the going for 2020 didn’t get any easier when four key players – defensive linemen Jack Heflin and Matt Lorbeck, tight end Mitchell Brinkman and center CJ Perez – decided to transfer at the end of the spring semester. element(); 17 SMU SMU Mustangs. UConn, Old Dominion and New Mexico State are the only three teams that are not suiting up this fall. However, other conferences did not follow the lead. "I am happy to recommend the return of Mid-American Conference Football."