Twelve teams, a conference that invented weeknight November football and still owns it, and a new member 2,300 miles from the rest of the league. Here is the whole MAC season, week by week.
Times are Eastern. Conference games are in bold. TBA means the networks have not set the window.
MACtion, and the new geography
November in the MAC means Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Between November 3 and November 24 the league plays eighteen conference games and none of them falls on a Saturday. That is MACtion, and it is the most recognisable scheduling identity in the sport.
The other new thing is Sacramento State. The Hornets are now MAC members, which means Kent State flies to California for a Friday night in October and Ohio makes the trip in the middle of the season. A league built on bus rides between Ohio and Michigan now has a member on the Pacific coast.
Week 1 — August 29 to September 5
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan | Sat Aug 29 | 7:30 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| UMass at Rutgers | Thu Sep 3 | 7:00 | BTN | Pick → |
| Albany at Buffalo | Thu Sep 3 | 8:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Akron at Wake Forest | Thu Sep 3 | 8:00 | ACC Network | Pick → |
| San Jose State at Eastern Michigan | Fri Sep 4 | 7:30 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Toledo at Michigan State | Fri Sep 4 | 9:00 | Pick → | |
| Ohio at Nebraska | Sat Sep 5 | 1:00 | Pick → | |
| Tarleton State at Bowling Green | Sat Sep 5 | 1:00 | Pick → | |
| Miami at Pittsburgh | Sat Sep 5 | 1:30 | CW | Pick → |
| Ball State at Ohio State | Sat Sep 5 | 1:30 | BTN | Pick → |
| Kent State at South Carolina | Sat Sep 5 | 1:45 | Pick → | |
| Western Michigan at Michigan | Sat Sep 5 | 8:30 | NBC | Pick → |
| Mississippi Valley State at Sacramento State | Sat Sep 5 | 11:00 | Pick → | |
| Central Michigan at New Mexico | Sat Sep 5 | 11:00 | FS1 | Pick → |
The season opens with a conference game on August 29, and Eastern Michigan plays twice before most of the league plays once.
Week 2 — September 12
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Wofford at Kent State | 1:00 | Pick → | |
| Colgate at Central Michigan | 2:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Holy Cross at Miami | 2:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Stony Brook at Ball State | 3:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Robert Morris at Akron | 4:30 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Sacred Heart at UMass | 4:30 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Central Connecticut at Toledo | 4:30 | Pick → | |
| Eastern Michigan at Michigan State | 4:30 | BTN | Pick → |
| Jacksonville State at Ohio | 7:00 | Pick → | |
| Buffalo at FIU | 7:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Monmouth at Western Michigan | 7:30 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Bowling Green at Nebraska | 8:00 | Pick → | |
| Sacramento State at Fresno State | 11:30 | Pick → |
Week 3 — September 19
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Akron at Minnesota | 1:00 | BTN | Pick → |
| Bowling Green at Iowa State | 1:00 | Pick → | |
| Kent State at Ohio State | 1:00 | Pick → | |
| Buffalo at Penn State | 1:00 | BTN | Pick → |
| Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin | 1:30 | Peacock | Pick → |
| Wyoming at Central Michigan | 2:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Temple at Toledo | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| Miami at Cincinnati | 4:30 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Stonehill at UMass | 4:30 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Ball State at Liberty | 5:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Western Michigan at Rice | 8:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Ohio at South Alabama | 8:00 | Pick → | |
| North Dakota State at Sacramento State | 11:30 | Pick → |
Nine MAC teams on the road, five of them at Big Ten stadiums.
Week 4 — September 26
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| San Diego State at Toledo | TBA | Pick → | |
| South Florida at Bowling Green | TBA | Pick → | |
| UNLV at Akron | TBA | Pick → | |
| UConn at Miami | TBA | Pick → | |
| Ball State at Kent State | TBA | Pick → | |
| Boise State at Western Michigan | TBA | Pick → | |
| UMass at Sacramento State | TBA | Pick → | |
| Lindenwood at Eastern Michigan | 2:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Robert Morris at Buffalo | 4:30 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Stonehill at Ohio | 4:30 | Pick → | |
| Central Michigan at Miami (FL) | 7:30 | CW | Pick → |
UMass to Sacramento is the longest conference trip in the league, and it happens in September.
Week 5 — October 3
| Matchup | Time | Pick |
| Western Michigan at Buffalo | TBA | Pick → |
| Akron at Central Michigan | TBA | Pick → |
| Bowling Green at Miami | TBA | Pick → |
| Toledo at Ball State | TBA | Pick → |
| Ohio at Kent State | TBA | Pick → |
| Eastern Michigan at UMass | TBA | Pick → |
Six conference games, nothing else. League play begins in earnest.
Week 6 — October 10
| Matchup | Time | Pick |
| Miami at UMass | TBA | Pick → |
| Ball State at Northwestern | TBA | Pick → |
| Buffalo at Toledo | TBA | Pick → |
| Central Michigan at Ohio | TBA | Pick → |
| Kent State at Western Michigan | TBA | Pick → |
| Sacramento State at Bowling Green | TBA | Pick → |
| Eastern Michigan at Akron | 3:30 | Pick → |
Week 7 — October 17
| Matchup | Time | Pick |
| Akron at Miami | TBA | Pick → |
| Ball State at Bowling Green | TBA | Pick → |
| Toledo at Eastern Michigan | TBA | Pick → |
| UMass at Buffalo | TBA | Pick → |
| Kent State at South Florida | TBA | Pick → |
| Western Michigan at Central Michigan | TBA | Pick → |
| Ohio at Sacramento State | TBA | Pick → |
Week 8 — October 23 and 24
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| UMass at UConn | Fri Oct 23 | 7:00 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Sacramento State at Ball State | Sat Oct 24 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Bowling Green at Buffalo | Sat Oct 24 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Akron at Kent State | Sat Oct 24 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Miami at Central Michigan | Sat Oct 24 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Eastern Michigan at Ohio | Sat Oct 24 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Western Michigan at Toledo | Sat Oct 24 | TBA | Pick → |
Week 9 — October 30 and 31
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Kent State at Sacramento State | Fri Oct 30 | 11:30 | Pick → | |
| Bowling Green at Western Michigan | Sat Oct 31 | 12:00 | CBSSN | Pick → |
Kent State kicks off in California at 11:30 Eastern on a Friday night. Then the league goes quiet for a week and comes back on weeknights.
Week 10 — November 3 and 4
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Buffalo at Miami | Tue Nov 3 | 7:00 | ESPN2 / ESPNU | Pick → |
| Ohio at Akron | Tue Nov 3 | 7:00 | ESPN2 or ESPNU | Pick → |
| Ball State at UMass | Wed Nov 4 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Toledo at Sacramento State | Wed Nov 4 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan | Wed Nov 4 | 7:00 | CBSSN / ESPNU / ESPN2 | Pick → |
MACtion begins. Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan play the Michigan MAC Trophy game at Ford Field in Detroit, on a Wednesday night.
Week 11 — November 10 and 11
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Ohio at Miami | Tue Nov 10 | TBA | ESPN2 / ESPNU / CBSSN | Pick → |
| Kent State at Bowling Green | Tue Nov 10 | 7:00 | Pick → | |
| Western Michigan at Akron | Tue Nov 10 | 7:00 | ESPN2 / ESPNU / CBSSN | Pick → |
| Sacramento State at Central Michigan | Wed Nov 11 | TBA | ESPN2 / ESPNU / CBSSN | Pick → |
| UMass at Toledo | Wed Nov 11 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Buffalo at Ball State | Wed Nov 11 | TBA | Pick → |
Ohio at Miami is the Battle of the Bricks, the oldest rivalry in the league.
Week 12 — November 17 and 18
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Ball State at Ohio | Tue Nov 17 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Miami at Kent State | Tue Nov 17 | 7:00 | ESPN2 / ESPNU / CBSSN | Pick → |
| Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan | Tue Nov 17 | 7:00 | CBSSN / ESPNU / ESPN2 | Pick → |
| Central Michigan at Buffalo | Wed Nov 18 | TBA | ESPNU / CBSSN | Pick → |
| Akron at UMass | Wed Nov 18 | 7:00 | ESPNU / CBSSN | Pick → |
Week 13 — November 20 to 28
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Bowling Green at Toledo | Fri Nov 20 | 7:30 | Pick → | |
| Miami at Western Michigan | Tue Nov 24 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Kent State at Eastern Michigan | Tue Nov 24 | 7:00 | ESPN2 or ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Toledo at Ohio | Fri Nov 27 | 12:00 | Pick → | |
| Buffalo at Akron | Fri Nov 27 | 12:00 | ESPNU or CBSSN | Pick → |
| Sacramento State at Hawaii | Sat Nov 28 | TBA | Pick → | |
| UMass at Bowling Green | Sat Nov 28 | 12:00 | Pick → | |
| Central Michigan at Ball State | Sat Nov 28 | 12:00 | CBSSN or ESPN+ | Pick → |
Bowling Green at Toledo is the Battle of I-75, played on a Friday night. Two more conference games follow on Black Friday morning, and Sacramento State closes its season in Honolulu.
Dig deeper
- Make your picks — week by week, +20 points each
- See the whole league — the MAC hub has every school and every sport
- Compare two teams — the School Rivalry tool stacks any two side by side
- Track the race — the Heisman NIL Power Rankings score every contender on performance, NIL visibility, social power and fan demand
- Read the rest — the 2026 SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and American schedules
- Watch the movement — the Transfer Tracker
