The Mid-American Conference announced yesterday that it will install a new, nine-game conference football schedule beginning in the 2028 season. The decision was approved by the MAC Council of Directors of Athletics on the basis that “scheduling models continue to evolve across the college football landscape.”
Teams within college football's four power conferences, the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference, have already adopted the nine conference games per season model. SEC, Big 10 and Big 12 teams strictly play nine intra-conference games per season, and ACC teams play either eight or nine, with most playing nine.
This nine-game count takes up 75% of each team’s total of 12 games per season, creating peak rivalries and competition throughout the country. Maximizing the number of conference games played also sets up high-stakes matchups as teams battle for the top two spots in their respective conferences in hopes of competing in the conference championship.
Conference wins are highly valued in college football no matter the conference, as the College Football Playoff rules guarantee a playoff spot to the five highest-ranked conference champions at the end of each season. Thus, the new MAC conference schedule debuting in 2028 could give teams within the conference a better chance at pushing for a CFP spot.
Ohio and its MAC counterparts could capitalize on this nine-conference-game requirement to maximize their chances at reaching the CFP. More conference games means fewer non-conference opportunities, and the strength of non-conference wins goes a long way come season’s end.
The MAC may be aiming to follow the path of the country’s power four schools with its new schedule, as power four schools will often face other high-major schools in the non-conference. MAC schools, under this new ruling, could begin to do the same to earn more respect in the national rankings and have a bit more wiggle room for a potential loss or two in conference while still maintaining national respect via impressive non-conference wins.
Playing nine conference games will amp up competition within the MAC itself, but with less opportunity to scrape out impressive wins in the non-conference, this ruling should force the hand of several MAC coaches to strengthen their non-conference schedules. At the very least, this would boost exposure for the MAC and bring more attention to the teams’ abilities.
In the MAC’s press release regarding the new rule, commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said“Moving to a nine-game Conference schedule provides greater Conference exposure for our programs while maintaining flexibility for meaningful non-conference competition.
Playing nine conference games will not only give MAC teams more opportunities to finish within the top two conference rankings for a chance at a MAC championship, but will also boost the conference champion’s chances at being the non-power four team to sneak into the CFP.
MAC coaches must capitalize on this new opportunity by bolstering non-conference scheduling, but come 2028, the door will be open for each team in the conference to do so. The new nine-game conference schedule in MAC football is certainly one to be excited for.
