by Features 14 November nationally televised games on ESPN Platforms-CBS Sports Network
For Immediate Release—Thursday, May 30, 2019
Cleveland, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced today the updated 2019 football schedule. Highlighting the schedule are 14 games available nationally during the last month of the regular season, slated for ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, ESPN3 and CBS Sports Network as the conference race unfolds in both the East and West divisions.
All remaining game kick times and television will be announced 12 days prior to the scheduled game.
The regular season will conclude with the 23rd Marathon MAC Football Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Noon ET (ESPN or ESPN2) from Ford Field in Detroit. This will mark the 16th Marathon MAC Football Championship game at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, Super Bowl XL, and the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
The MAC will be the only collegiate football conference to host a game on the 150th anniversary of college football – Wednesday, Nov. 6 – as the Miami RedHawks travel to face the Ohio Bobcats at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio on ESPN2.
In addition, three MAC rivalry games will kick off on Saturdays in late September, with Central Michigan at Western Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 28, and early October, with Kent State at Akron and Toledo at Bowling Green both on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Included in the 2019 schedule, the MAC will play five Saturday games during November.
For the 12th year in a row, league schools will face a formidable non-conference slate of opponents from the following Football Bowl Subdivision conferences – ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, Notre Dame and BYU.
In addition, the Conference will also face opponents from the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference and Independents Liberty, New Mexico State and UMass.
MAC programs will face eight non-conference foes that finished in the final AP Top 25 poll: Ohio State (3), Notre Dame (5), Kentucky (12) twice, Syracuse (15), Penn State (17), Cincinnati (24) and Iowa (25).
A total of ten non-conference games will feature a Big Ten opponent (Illinois (2); Indiana; Iowa; Michigan State; Nebraska; Ohio State; Penn State; Wisconsin (2)). The MAC will face foes from the ACC (4—Miami (Fla.), North Carolina State, Pitt, Syracuse), SEC (4—Auburn, Kentucky (2), Vanderbilt), Pac-12 (2-Arizona State, Utah), Big 12 (1—Kansas State); and Independent Notre Dame, BYU, Liberty, New Mexico State and UMass.
The MAC will also face opponents from the American Athletic Conference (2— Cincinnati, Temple), Mountain West (1—Colorado State), Conference USA (4—Florida Atlantic, La. Tech, Marshall, UAB) and Sun Belt Conference (4—Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Troy).
This season the MAC will host 10 games against FBS non-conference opponents.
MAC Home Games vs. FBS Non-Conference opponents:
-Indiana (Big Ten) at Ball State on Aug. 31, Noon ET (CBS Sports Network) (at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind.)
-UAB (C-USA) at Akron on Sept. 7, Noon ET (CBS Sports Network)
-Florida Atlantic (C-USA) at Ball State on Sept. 14, 2:00 pm ET (ESPN+)
-Georgia State (Sun Belt) at Western Michigan on Sept. 14, 7:00 pm ET (ESPN+)
-La. Tech (C-USA) at Bowling Green on Sept. 14, 5:00 pm ET (ESPN+)
-La.-Lafayette (Sun Belt) at Ohio on Sept. 21, Time and Television TBA
-Temple (American Athletic) at Buffalo on Sept. 21, Time and Television TBA
-Troy (Sun Belt) at Akron on Sept. 21, Time and Television TBA
-BYU (Ind.) at Toledo on Sept. 28, Time and Television TBA
-New Mexico State (Ind.) at Central Michigan on Oct. 12, 3:00 pm ET (Television TBA)
