Dear fellow companions and football fanatics, It is with a heavy and somber heart, I bring you terrible news of great tragedy in the football world. The high powered and highly popular Mid-American Conference (MAC) is cancelling its 2020 fall football season, but plans to attempt a Spring 2021 reschedule. Join our nation in mourning each Sabbath Saturday and occasional Tuesday throughout the fall.
The 12-team MAC was attempting to finalize plans for a return to play during the 2020 season when Northern Illinois president Lisa Freeman informed the conference her school was going to opt-out of the fall season because of safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. Not surprisingly, the league didn’t like the look of NIU going out on their own and not following everyone else and backing out. A vote conducted on Saturday confirmed our worst fears: cancellation.
Buffalo (+200) entered the potential season as betting favorites, according to Ceasers Palace. The Chippewas of Central Michigan (+325), the Ohio Bobcats (+500), then the Broncos from Western Michigan (+650), and finally the Toledo Rockets (+700) followed the Bulls in what was shaping up as a hotly contested title race.
MACtion Subtraction
Mid-American games grew a cult following, receiving the moniker “MACtion” because of the frequent close, high-scoring contests. I can confidently say that every college football fanatic and betting obsessor is in love with MACtion and will miss it dearly in the fall. However, there’s still hope for a return to play in the spring. Check out the MAC’s official statement down below or click here:
The pandemic’s financial impact has been substantial to the conference. Conference shares of $10.5 million leaves financial stability for the smaller conference in doubt. MAC teams feast on having Power. Five opponents leading into conference play as a significant portion of income. However, Power Five conferences called off most of their non-conference games, forcing the MAC into a mad scramble
The MACs vote comes after the NCAA announced Wednesday that conferences have until Aug. 21 to make a final decision about whether to compete in the fall or not. Any sport that has more than 50 percent of eligible teams opt-out won’t hold a national championship. One aspect of the NCAA’s Wednesday announcement was banning liability waivers related to COVID-19. Moving the season to spring would create logistical problems, with the 2021 NFL draft scheduled to begin April 29. But throughout all this uncertainty we know one thing for sure… #RIPMACtion