Group of Five season preview: Who is this year’s Cinderella?

Mid-American Conference (MAC)

The MAC has had a different conference champion each of the last seven years, so prepare yourself for anything in 2019.

The issue with almost every contender in this conference is that they will need to replace a reasonable amount for starters from 2018.

Ohio appears to be the early favorite, and it is likely due to their do-it-all quarterback Nathan Rourke. He finished 2018 with over 3,200 total yards and 38 total touchdowns, so he is a dude.

Buffalo won the east last year, but they are tied for dead last in returning production with only eight remaining starters. Head coach Lance Leipold will have a severe challenge on his hands in 2019.

The west is a mixture of competitive teams, so it is hard to predict anything.

Northern Illinois is the defending MAC champions and should still be in the mix this season led by a defense that should be tops in the conference. However, they will need to replace the elite production of All-American Sutton Smith. Rod Carney left for Temple, so new head coach Thomas Hammock needs to fill the holes and find a pulse for the offense. The Huskies were 121st in points per game which puts too much stress on their defense.

Western Michigan returns 17 starters, but 10 of them are from a defense that ranked 106th in opponents scoring. So either they are going to improve with more experience, or they are just keeping a bad group together.

Toledo is going to put up points on most teams they play, so it’s up to the defense to take the necessary steps to improve. The Rockets also get their hardest division games at home in Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.