New bowls, old coaches and marquee matchups continue to saturate Mid-American Conference headlines.
Here today, gone tomorrow
Eastern Michigan (2-8, 1-5 MAC) announced coach Ron English was fired in a news release Friday, as the Eagles fared just 11-46 during his time as coach.
Assistant coach Stan Parrish has been named the interim coach while a national search for their next coach.
With Parrish as coach, Eastern Michigan took down Western Michigan (1-9, 1-5 MAC) 35-32 in overtime Saturday.
English was the second coach fired in the MAC this year. Miami (0-9, 0-5 MAC) cut ties with coach Don Treadwell earlier in the year.
1, 2, 3, 4…
The MAC will be featured in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl during the 2017 and 2019 seasons. The MAC will play teams from the Mountain West Conference.
“The Mid-American Conference is proud to partner with the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl and provide yet another great destination for our student-athletes, fans and alumni,” Jon Steinbrecher, the MAC Commissioner, said.
Besides the San Diego Bowl, the MAC previously agreed to partnerships to compete in the Bahamas Bowl, Boca Raton Bowl and Miami Beach Bowls during the past two months.
The only game that matters
A duel between MAC West rivals will take place Wednesday when No. 15 Northern Illinois (9-0, 5-0 MAC) heads to Ball State (9-1, 6-0 MAC), as the hype around the game feels comparable to a MAC Championship game.
A win for the Huskies could continue their climb up the rankings ladder towards a second-straight BCS bowl appearance, after Northern Illinois played Florida State last season in the Orange Bowl.
“We’re excited about it,” Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey said. “Obviously it’s going to be a great night for the MAC.”
The Cardinals and the Huskies each have high-octane offenses putting up solid numbers throughout the season.
Carey said there’s no way to stop the Ball State offense, he just wants to slow it down.
Ball State coach Pete Lembo said the game is a great opportunity to showcase his team, but acknowledged his group has a lot to prepare for.
“Hopefully we go up to Dekalb [Ill.] and play our best football,” Lembo said.
In honor of Veteran’s Day, the Huskies will wear special jerseys, which will be auctioned off and proceeds will go to Active Heroes, a charity supporting military members and their families.
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