CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference (MAC) Head Football Coaches have provided their own 2015 Preseason Poll and based upon voting by all 13 head coaches, as Bowling Green and Northern Illinois have been selected to win the East and West Divisions respectfully.
In the East Division, Bowling Green was selected first with 89 total points followed by second-place Ohio with 64 points. A narrow margin of only seven points separated the second, third and four place teams as Akron was third with 60 points and fourth-place UMass with 57 points.
In the West Division, only three points separated the top two spots with NIU gathering 70 points, followed by second-place Toledo with 67 points.
This reflects on the competitive nature of the MAC. In the last five years the conference has witnessed five different programs compete in the Marathon MAC Football Championship Game and in the last four years 10 different MAC football programs have appeared in a bowl game.
Earlier this summer in conjunction with the 2015 MAC Football Media Day, the league's media members selected a preseason poll with Bowling Green and Toledo selected to win their respective divisions, with Toledo picked to win the 2015 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game. In the media preseason poll, the West Division was ranked Toledo, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois first through third place, while the coaches have ranked Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan in the West Division. The only change in the media poll and coaches poll in the East Division was the media picked Ohio and Akron tied for second, while the coaches ranked Ohio second and Akron third in the East Division.
Bowling Green garnered 11 first-place votes en route to the favorite spot in the East Division with 89 points. The Falcons return 46 letter winners and 18 starters from last year's 8-6 team that won the MAC East Division for the second consecutive year and won the inaugural Raycom Media Camellia Bowl with a 33-28 win over South Alabama. Second-year head coach Dino Babers will look for quarterback Matt Johnson to lead the Falcons coming off a season missed by injury, while running back Travis Greene rushed for 949 yards and 12 scores and wide receiver Roger Lewis hauled in 73 receptions for 1,094 yards and seven touchdowns.
Ohio was picked second in the East Division with 64 points, while the Akron Zips ranked third with 60 points. UMass ranked fourth with 57 points and two first-place votes, followed by Buffalo, Miami and Kent State.
Northern Illinois racked up seven first-place votes in the West Division for 70 total points. The Huskies welcome back 49 letter winners and 16 starters from last year's team that went 11-3 overall, 7-1 in Conference play en route to their fifth consecutive West Division title. NIU will be paced by seven returning starters on the offense including junior quarterback Drew Hare, who threw for 2,322 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 900 yards and another eight scores. Defensively, NIU returns six starters led by safety Marlon Moore, who led the team with 99 tackles, defensive back Paris Logan, who added three interceptions and 18 passes defensed, and linebacker Boomer Mays, along with his 75 tackles and nine tackles for loss last season.
Toledo was picked second in the West Division and earned five first-place votes and totaled 67 total points. Western Michigan was selected third with 55 points, while Ball State garnered 36 points. Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan rounded out the West Division.
The 2015 season kicks off on Thursday, September 3 with four non-conference games. The 2015 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game is Friday, December 4 at 8:00 pm from Ford Field in Detroit.
2015 MAC Head Football Coaches Preseason Poll
MAC East Division1. Bowling Green (11) 89
2. Ohio 64
3. Akron 60
4. UMass (2) 57
5. Buffalo 43
6. Miami 30
7. Kent State 21
MAC West Division
1. Northern Illinois (7) 70
2. Toledo (5) 67
3. Western Michigan (1) 55
4. Ball State 36
5. Central Michigan 32
6. Eastern Michigan 13
