| MAC Releases 2008 Composite Football Schedule |
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 CLEVELAND - The 2008 Mid-American Conference football schedule was released today with 16 national television appearances on ESPN or ESPN2 highlighting the league slate.
The season will culminate with the 11th MAC Championship game on Friday, Dec. 5, at Ford Field in Detroit on ESPN2 at 8:00 pm (ET). This will mark the fifth MAC Championship game at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, Super Bowl XX, and the 2009 Men’s Final Four.
The bulk of the television exposure will occur in November when 11 league games will be televised by either ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic or ESPN360 as MAC teams position themselves for the post season.
MAC teams continue to face a challenging non-conference schedule as league schools will face opponents from each of the following Football Bowl Subdivision conferences – ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC 10 and SEC. A total of 12 of the school’s non-league games will come vs. Big Ten opponents and 18 times a MAC institution will oppose a bowl opponent from last year.
Bowling Green will host Minnesota as the Gophers will be the first Big Ten opponent to visit BG in the history of Doyt Perry Stadium.
Kent State will host Boston College at Cleveland Browns Stadium in the Patriot Bowl on Saturday, August 30. Western Michigan will host Big Ten foe Illinois on Nov. 8 at Ford Field in Detroit, and Miami welcomes SEC member Vanderbilt to Oxford in its season opener on Thursday, August 28. Two BIG East schools will play at MAC Stadiums – Connecticut at Temple in the Owls home opener Sept. 6, and Cincinnati at Akron on Sept. 27
MAC teams will host 12 Bowl Subdivision institutions at home or neutral sites with four of those from the following conferences – Big Ten, Big East and ACC [Illinois vs. Western Michigan in Detroit, Connecticut at Temple, Cincinnati at Akron, and Boston College vs. Kent State at Cleveland).
The complete schedule follows.
Thursday - August 28
Northeastern at Ball State
Eastern Illinois at Central Michigan
UTEP at Buffalo
Indiana State at Eastern Michigan
Vanderbilt at Miami
Friday – August 29
Temple at Army
Saturday - August 30
Northern Illinois at Minnesota
Western Michigan at Nebraska
Akron at Wisconsin
Bowling Green at Pittsburgh
Boston College vs. Kent State (at Cleveland)
Ohio at Wyoming
Friday – September 5
Navy ay Ball State, [ESPN] 7:00 ET
Saturday - September 6
Central Michigan at Georgia
Eastern Michigan at Michigan State
*Northern Illinois at Western Michigan
Toledo at Arizona
Akron at Syracuse
Minnesota at Bowling Green
Buffalo at Pittsburgh
Kent State at Iowa State
Miami at Michigan
Ohio at Ohio State
Connecticut at Temple
Saturday - September 13
*Ball State at Akron
*Temple at Buffalo
*Central Michigan at Ohio
*Toledo at Eastern Michigan
Western Michigan at Idaho
Bowling Green at Boise State
Delaware State at Kent State
Charleston Southern at Miami
Saturday - September 20
Ball State at Indiana State
Central Michigan at Purdue
Eastern Michigan at Maryland
Indiana State at Northern Illinois
Fresno State at Toledo
Tennessee Tech at Western Michigan
Akron at Army [ESPN or ESPNU]
Buffalo at Missouri
Kent State at Louisiana-Lafayette
Miami at Cincinnati
Ohio at Northwestern
Temple at Penn State
Saturday - September 27
*Kent State at Ball State
*Buffalo at Central Michigan
*Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan
FIU at Toledo
*Western Michigan at Temple
Cincinnati at Akron
Bowling Green at Wyoming
VMI at Ohio
Saturday - October 4
*Ball State at Toledo
*Eastern Michigan at Bowling Green
*Ohio at Western Michigan
*Akron at Kent State
*Temple at Miami
Northern Illinois at Tennessee
Saturday - October 11
Ball State at Western Kentucky
*Temple at Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Army
*Miami at Northern Illinois
Toledo at Michigan
*Western Michigan at Buffalo
*Bowling Green at Akron
*Ohio at Kent State
Saturday - October 18
*Western Michigan at Central Michigan
*Akron at Western Michigan
*Toledo at Northern Illinois
*Miami at Bowling Green
Army at BuffaloTuesday – October 21
*Ohio at Temple [ESPN2], 8:00pm ET
Saturday - October 25
*Eastern Michigan at Ball State
*Central Michigan at Toledo
*Bowling Green at Northern Illinois
*Kent State at MiamiTuesday – October 28
*Buffalo at Ohio [ESPNU], 7:00pm ET
Saturday - November 1
*Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan
*Kent State at Bowling Green
Central Michigan at Indiana
Temple at Navy
Tuesday – November 4
Miami at Buffalo [ESPN2], 7:30pm ET
Wednesday – November 5
*Northern Illinois at Ball State [ESPN2 or ESPNU], 8:00pm ET
*Toledo at Akron [ESPN2 or ESPNU], 8:00PM ET
Saturday - November 8
Illinois at Western Michigan
*Bowling Green at Ohio
Tuesday – November 11
*Ball State at Miami [ESPN2], 7:00pm ET
Wednesday – November 12
*Central Michigan at Northern Illinois [ESPN2 or ESPN 360], 8:00pm ET
*Temple at Kent State, [ESPN2 or ESPN 360], 8:00pm ET
Thursday – November 13
*Buffalo at Akron [ESPNU], 7:00pm
Saturday - November 15
*Toledo at Western Michigan
Tuesday – November 18
*Northern Illinois at Kent State
Wednesday – November 19
*Ball State at Central Michigan [ESPN2], 7:00pm ET
Friday – November 21
*Miami at Toledo
*Buffalo at Bowling Green
Saturday - November 22
*Akron at Ohio
*Eastern Michigan at Temple
Tuesday - November 25
Navy at Northern Illinois [ESPN2], 7:00pm ET
*Western Michigan at Ball State
Friday - November 28
*Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan
*Bowling Green at Toledo [ESPN Classic or ESPNU]
*Akron at Temple
*Kent State at Buffalo
*Ohio at Miami [ESPN Classic or ESPNU]
Friday – December 5
MAC Football Championship Game
Ford Field – Detroit, [ESPN2] 8:00pm
* denotes conference game
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