Northern Illinois, Miami (OH) atop MAC Preseason Media Poll

It’s not often we talk about the Mid-American Conference, aka the MAC, here at Kentucky Sports Radio, but as we look towards the 2022 football season, it’s worth passing along a note on two of the Cats’ opponents.

Northern Illinois and Miami (OH), who will both travel to Kroger Field this season, were picked to win their respective divisions in the MAC preseason media poll this morning. Northern Illinois had the most votes to win the MAC Championship game (nine), followed by Toledo (six), and Miami (five).

2022 MAC Football Preseason Poll
Voted on by a panel of 24 MAC media members
 
East Division (first place votes)
1. Miami (20) – 139 Points
2. Kent State (3) – 116 Points
3. Buffalo – 78 Points
4. Ohio – 72 Points
5. Bowling Green (1) – 71 Points
6. Akron – 28 Points
 
West Division (first place votes)
1. Northern Illinois (11) – 122 Points
2. Toledo (9) – 120 Points
3. Central Michigan (4) – 112 Points
4. Western Michigan – 56 Points
5. Eastern Michigan – 52 Points
6. Ball State – 42 Points
 
MAC Football Champion Votes:
Northern Illinois (9), Toledo (6), Miami (5), Central Michigan (4)

Northern Illinois beat Kent State 41-23 to take home the MAC Championship last year despite being picked to finish last in the league in the preseason poll. The Huskies are led by quarterback Rocky Lombardi, who, in addition to having a spectacular name, transferred in from Michigan State in 2020. Last season, Lombardi passed for 2,597 yards and 15 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. In addition to winning the MAC, the Huskies boasted a win over a Power 5 opponent, Georgia Tech. They’ll come to Kroger Field on September 24.

The Miami (OH) RedHawks open the season in Lexington on September 3. They also have an impressive quarterback. Brett Gabbert threw for 2,648 yards and 26 touchdowns last season and is on the watch list for the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Awards. He’s one of eight starters returning on offense, 16 overall from last year’s team that finished 7-6.

ICYMI yesterday, ESPN released the Football Power Index (FPI) predictions for each game on Kentucky’s schedule. The FPI gives the Cats a 93.3% chance of beating Miami (OH) in the season opener and a 95.1% chance of beating Northern Illinois.

This has been your MAC update for Tuesday, July 26.