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That title will be determined with play in the 15th Marathon MAC Championship game at Ford Field in Detroit. It is the seventh consecutive year in which Ford Field served as the hosting facility.

Battling for top honors are MAC West champ Northern Illinois and MAC East champ Ohio. The Huskies lost a heartbreaker to 2010 champ Miami last year. OU is returning to the title game for the third time in six years

Last week, NIU won the West with a victory over Eastern Michigan, Ohio won its fifth straight defeating Miami in the “Battle of the Bricks.” Temple won its third straight, ending Kent State’s four game winning
streak. Western Michigan, using a sub quarterback,  scored 68 points in routing Akron, where there will be a new head coach in 2012. Toledo finished strong with its third straight victory

Here is a final look at the thirteen MAC teams in the 2011 season

EASTERN DIVISION

AKRON (1-11, 0-8 MAC): The Zips ended the 2011 campaign losing to the Western Michigan Broncos 68-19 Friday afternoon in Kalamazoo. It was UA’s eighth consecutive loss, and the Zips’ 2-24 record was their worst two-season stretch since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1987. Saturday, Athletic Director Tom Wistrcill relieved head coach Rob Ianello and staff of their duties. RB Jawon Chisholm ended the season with 961 yards leading the team in rushing. LB Brian Wagner led the MAC with 147 (56 solo) despite missing the WMU game with a knee injury his first missed game in three seasons with
the Zips

BOWLING GREEN (3-5, 2-7 MAC): The Falcons ended a three-game losing streak on Friday as they made the long trek to Buffalo and defeated the Bulls 42-28 on the strength of 355 yards of total offense. QB Matt Schilz completed  14-of-31 passes for 236 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. WR Eugene Cooper caught six of those passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns while fellow wideout Kamer Jordan had three catches for 74 yards and two scores. Jordan finished fourth in MAC receiving yards with 1089. DE Chris Jones tied for the lead in sacks with 8.5.

BUFFALO (3-9, 2-6 MAC): The Bulls ended their 2011 season at home, losing to Bowling Green 42-28 at UB Stadium to close the campaign with losses in  five of their last six games. QB Chazz Anderson completed 16-of-39 passes for 157 yards. He also rushed for 39 yards and a score. RB Branden Oliver had 127 yards on 34 carries with a score and six receptions for an additional 92 yards. Oliver finished second in MAC rushing with 1,395 yards. LB Khalil Mack led the conference is tackles for loss with 20.5, while DB Najaa Anderson was second in passes defended with 16.

KENT STATE (5-7, 4-4 MAC): The Golden Flashes saw their four-game winning streak come to an end Friday afternoon, losing to the Temple Owls, 34-16, in South Philadelphia. QB Spencer Keith completed 24-of-40 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown to WR Chris Gilbert, who caught nine passes for 134 yards and a score. RB Trayion Durham had 60 yards on 16 carries. DE Roosevelt Nix was third (MAC) in tackles for loss with 17, while S Luke Wollet tied for the conference lead in interceptions with four. Head coach Darrell Hazell’s five wins tied for the second most by a first year head coach in KSU history, joining the likes of Dick Crum and Doug Martin.

MIAMI (4-8, 3-5 MAC): The RedHawks finished the 2011 campaign Tuesday night making the trip to Athens, losing to the arch-rival Ohio Bobcats, 21-14, in the annual ‘Battle of the Bricks’. The loss was MU’s third straight and fourth in their final six games. QB Zac Dysert completed 35-of-53 passes for 371 yards and also had 57 yards rushing. WR Nick Harwell completed a stellar season with 14 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. Dysert finished first in passing yards with 3,513. Harwell finished third in receptions (97) and second in yards (1,423).

OHIO (9-3, 6-2 MAC): The Bobcats will head into the 2011 Marathon MAC Championship game in Detroit riding a five game winning streak. QB Tyler Tettleton had 314 yards of total offense in the finale against Miami, completing 18-of-26 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 111 yards on 12 carries. KR Donte Harden led the MAC in kick returns, averaging 27.2 yards per return. LB Keith Moore was named MAC East Defensive player of the week with 10 tackles (five solo) and 1.5 sacks in the victory over the RedHawks. The Cats are playing in their third MAC title game in the last six seasons and
will be looking for their first ever win against NIU on Friday night

TEMPLE (8-4, 6-3 MAC): The Owls completed their first season under head coach Steve Addazio by finishing second in the Eastern Division following a 34-16 win Friday afternoon over Kent State at Lincoln Financial Field. TU finished the campaign with three straight wins, but its two-game losing streak in October (at Bowling Green and at Ohio) ended any hopes of TU making the trek to Detroit. RB Bernard Pierce had another spectacular game as he rushed for 189 yards and three touchdowns, garnering MAC East Offensive Player of the Week award for the third time this season. Pierce finished the season leading the MAC in rushing with 1,381 yards and in scoring with 150 points (19 touchdowns). KR Matt Brown was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week with his 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against KSU. P Branden McManus led the conference in punting averaging (45.7 per kick). Brown finished third in kick returns with 26.7 and fourth in punt returns at 11.1.

WESTERN DIVISION

BALL STATE (6-6, 4-4 MAC): The Cardinals finished their 2011 season losing at home to the Toledo Rockets 45-28 to finish their first season under Pete Lembo at 6-6. That is a four-game improvement from a season ago, despite losing their final two games.. QB Keith Wenning completed 36-of-52 passes for 308 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. RB Jahwon Edwards had 60 yards on 13 carries. DE Travis Freeman finished second in tackles with 134 (43 solo)

CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-9, 2-6 MAC): The Chippewas finished their 2011 campaign on November 18th losing at home to Toledo 44-17 finishing the season with three straight and six of their last seven. QB Ryan Radcliff finished third in MAC passing yards with 3,286 and third in average yards at 273.8. DB Jaleel Addae tied for the conference lead in interceptions with four

EASTERN MICHIGAN (6-6, 4-4 MAC): The Eagles gave it all they had on Friday morning, trying to stem the tide of the Northern Illinois Huskies.  In the end, however, they came up short in DeKalb, 18-12, as they lost their final two games and three of their last four. QB Alex Gillett rushed for only 67 yards in the contest and completed 11-of-25 passes for 147 yards  and a touchdown to TE Nick Olds, who had six catches in the game for 50 yards and a score.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS (9-3, 7-1 MAC): The Huskies won their second consecutive Western Division title, defeating Eastern Michigan Friday morning 18-12 at Huskie Stadium. QB Chandler Harnish was again at the center of the NIU offense as he rushed for 149 yards on 17 carries. It was the fourth consecutive game and sixth time this season he has rushed for over 100 yards. His 68-yard touchdown run in the third quarter proved to be the margin of difference. Harnish finished the regular season third in rushing with 1,351 yards and was third in passing efficiency with a 159.4 rating. DE Sean Progar was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week as he had four tackles (three solo) and two for loss in the win over the Eagles.DT Drew Nowak finished second (MAC) in tackles for loss with 20 and tied for the lead in sacks with 8.5.  PK Matthew Sims led all kickers in scoring with 111 points, while  Tommylee Lewis finished second in kick returns, averaging 27.2 yards per return. This will be NIU’s second straight visit to the title game and third overall as they look for their first-ever conference title against the Bobcats on Friday night at Ford Field.

TOLEDO (8-4, 7-1 MAC): The Rockets finished the 2011 season strong with three straight wins, the last coming on Friday in Muncie as they defeated the Ball State Cardinals, 45-28, amassing 507 yards of total
offense. RB Adonis Thomas rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown. QB Terrance Owens completed 27-of-32 passes for 267 yards and four scores, while WR Eric Page picked up MAC West Offensive Player of the Week honors with a career high 16-receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown, setting a single-season school record with 112 receptions. That was good for second in the MAC, and his 1,123 yards placed him third in the loop. Page led the conference in all-purpose yards with 169.3, and he was third in kick punt returns, averaging 10.4 per return. LB Dan Molis tied for the conference lead with three fumble recoveries. Owens led the conference in passing efficiency with a 166.4 rating

WESTERN MICHIGAN (7-5, 5-3 MAC): The Broncos finished the 2011 campaign with a 68-19 rout of Akron Friday afternoon at Waldo Stadium as they totally dominated the Zips with 577 yards of total offense. The defense, meanwhile yielded just 208 and had five takeaways on the afternoon. QB Taylor Van Tubbergen, in his first collegiate start, filled in admirably for the injured Alex Carder, completing 19-of-21 passes for 252 yards and six touchdowns. WR Jordan White, in his final game at home caught just one pass for 27 yards but it was for a touchdown - his 15th of the season, setting a new single-season record and breaking the mark set by current Green Bay Packer Greg Jennings. White finished the season leading the conference with 127 catches for 1646 yards and was third in all-purpose yards with 157.9. Carder finished second in passing yards at 3,434. PK John Potter was named MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week as he matched a career high with nine PATs and had 12 kickoffs in the game against the Zips. Potter has 99 points this season,  the most by any kicker in Broncos history

There you have it, your final MAC Checkup for the 2011 season. The Huskies and Bobcats prepare to do battle Friday night in Detroit each seeking their first MAC Championship Game victory. As for 2012, the
conference welcomes a new member in the University of Massachusetts at Amherst as they make the transitional move from the old Division I-AA to the Football Bowl Subdivision.