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2021 MAC betting preview: Two teams that could win the Mid-American Conference

Discussing Tom Brady and the Bucs, or Nick Saban and Alabama is fun, but what about the Mid-American Conference? I’m here to bring some MACtion love.

If you are seeking wagertainment, the MAC is one of the most fun conferences to bet on, especially during mid-week MACtion. There’s nothing like sweating a college football game on a Tuesday night. It’s also, however, one of the most volatile endeavors.

Last year saw Buffalo, a team with the most dominant run game in the MAC — and one of the most dominant in all of the FBS — with a stellar defense … lose by double-digits to Ball State in the title game. It’s not uncommon to see teams with double-digit leads lose outright with less than three minutes to go. Volatile could be an understatement.

All you can do is strap on your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 18: Drew Plitt #9 of the Ball State Cardinals looks on against the Buffalo Bulls during the first half of the Rocket Mortgage MAC Football Championship at Ford Field on December 18, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Drew Plitt of the Ball State Cardinals prepares to take the snap against Buffalo during the first half of the Rocket Mortgage MAC Football Championship at Ford Field on Dec. 18, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Need to know

  • The MAC sometimes can get a bad rep but some great players in the NFL are products of the MAC. Five-time Pro Bowl LB James Harrison played 16 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. Eight-time Pro Bowl TE Antonio Gates also played 10 seasons with the San Diego Chargers, and perhaps most notably, QB Ben Roethlisberger was a first-round draft pick out of Miami (OH) and is still playing for the Steelers. Others include LB Khalil Mack, RB Kareem Hunt and WR Julian Edelman.

  • The MAC, more often than not, leans to overs. Collectively last season, overs went 36-30. The year before, 82-69-2. If you straight bet the over in every game in at least the last two seasons, you would have made profit.

  • This season could offer up even more volatility. There are a few teams within the conference that are returning a load of players at key positions, which means we could see improvements from from both sides of the ball. No double-digit lead is safe, and just because the first half of a game was low scoring doesn’t mean we won't see an explosion of points in the second half or vice-versa.

That being said, based off scheduling, these are the two teams I think could come out on top to win the MAC title, paying no attention to non-conference-play.

Ohio Bobcats

Season win total: OV 6.5 (-130), UN (+105) at BetMGM

To win the MAC +750

Ohio could be under the radar because it was only able to play three of its six scheduled games last season and two were against the worst teams in the conference, Akron and Bowling Green. Ohio is 18-9 in conference games over the last four seasons and all nine of their losses were by one possession. Even more crazy: Eight of those nine losses were by three points or less.

What head coach Frank Solich was doing with this team has been great, pushing them inch by inch to a potential title. But last month, Solich stepped down from his position to focus on a ‘cardiovascular health issue.’ Typically, a new coach would have me worried, especially this close to the start of the season. However, Solich’s replacement is offensive coordinator Tim Albin, who has been with the team since 2005.

The Bobcats draw a favorable schedule. Two of their four away conference games are against Akron and Bowling Green and a third is at Buffalo, a team that could be in a rebuild with an entirely new coaching staff and one of the lowest return production numbers in the FBS.

The Bobcats get Central Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH) and Toledo at home. Ohio is 19-7 at home since 2016, 6-4 after a bye (will face Miami also off a bye, which is 4-4 in that spot). Two of the things I love to look at most is a team’s offensive and defensive lines. The Bobcats return nearly all of their players on their lines. Ohio has not won the MAC title since 1968, but if some of those three-point losses turn into wins, the Bobcats could win seven conference games.

Ball State Cardinals

Season win total: OV 7.5 (-115), UN (-115) at BetMGM

To win the MAC +350

There are two quarterbacks I love in the MAC, and Ball State’s Drew Plitt is one of them. Plitt threw for over 2,100 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was fourth in conference in completion percentage, but is one of two quarterbacks in this group that is returning, the other being Kent State’s Dustin Crum. Give me a returning quarterback who led the conference in passing yards with seven of his eight top receivers back, and all of the offensive line returning, and yeah — I’m going to be looking at this team to contend for the MAC title once again.

This team was so bad for so long. Since 2016, the Cardinals have gone 15-33, but last year woke up with a 7-1 season and a MAC title. They did benefit from some turnover luck and won four of their seven games by seven points or less, but the Cardinals have all the parts to replicate last season's success.

Plus, a favorable schedule is on their side, drawing Toledo, Miami (OH), Central Michigan, and Buffalo. They couldn’t have asked for a better away schedule facing Akron and Northern Illinois as two of their four road games.

Many teams can contend this season in the MAC, including the Toledo Rockets and the Kent State Golden Flashes. However, these are the two teams that are worth an extra look.

One bit of advice, if you are new to the MAC, have fun with it.

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