CLEVELAND -- The Mid-American Conference (MAC) Head Football Coaches have provided their own 2014 Preseason Poll and based upon voting by all 12-full member head coaches, Bowling Green and Northern Illinois have been selected to win the East and West Divisions respectfully.
In the East Division, Bowling Green was selected with 83 total points followed by second-place Akron with 64 points and a narrow margin for third-place Ohio with 63 points. In the West Division, only seven points separated the top two spots with NIU gathering 68 points, followed by second-place Toledo with 61 points.
This reflects the competitive nature of the MAC. In the last five years the conference has witnessed six different programs compete in the Marathon MAC Football Championship Game and in just the last three years 10 different MAC football programs have received an invitation to compete in a bowl game.
Earlier this summer in conjunction with the 2014 MAC Football Media Day, the league's media members selected a preseason poll with Bowling Green and Toledo to win their divisions, with Bowling Green picked to win the 2014 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game. The only difference between the media poll in July and the coaches preseason poll in August was the placing of NIU and Toledo in the West Division – with NIU selected first by the coaches and Toledo selected first by media members.
Bowling Green garnered 11 first-place votes en route to the favorite spot in the East Division with 83 points. The Falcons return 48 letter winners and 16 starters from last year's 10-4 team that won the MAC Championship for the first time since 1992 and earned an invitation to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. Bowling Green new head football coach Dino Babers will look for junior quarterback Matt Johnson to lead the Falcons as last year he threw for 3,467 yards and 25 touchdowns, while junior running back Travis Greene rushed for 1,594 yards and 11 scores.
Akron was picked second in the East Division and earned one first-place vote and totaled 64 total points, while the Ohio Bobcats ranked third with 63 total points. Buffalo finished fourth with 52 points, followed by Kent State, Miami and UMass
Northern Illinois racked up nine first-place votes in the West Division for 68 total points. The Huskies welcome back 47 letter winners and 16 starters from last year's team that went 12-2 overall, 8-0 in Conference play en route to their fourth consecutive West Division title. NIU will be paced by nine returning starters on the offence including senior running back Cameron Stingily, who rushed for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns, and senior wide receiver's Tommylee Lewis (715 yards and three touchdowns) and Da'Ron Brown (752 yards and nine touchdowns). Defensively, NIU returns six starters led by senior linebacker Jamaal Bass, who collected 88 tackles last season.
Toledo was picked second in the West Division and earned three first-place votes and totaled 61 total points. Ball State was selected third with 47 points, while Central Michigan garnered 38 points. Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan rounded out the West Division.
The 2014 season kicks off on Thursday, August 28 with three non-conference games. The 2014 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game is Friday, December 5 at 7:00 pm from Ford Field in Detroit.
2014 MAC Head Football Coaches Preseason PollTeam (First Place Votes) PointsMAC East Division 1. Bowling Green (11) 83
2. Akron (1) 64
3. Ohio 63
4. Buffalo 52
5. Kent State 34
6. Miami 25
7. UMass 15
MAC West Division1. Northern Illinois (9) 68
2. Toledo (3) 61
3. Ball State 47
4. Central Michigan 38
5. Western Michigan 236. Eastern Michigan 15
