The Mid-American Conference is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision, the most competitive level of college football across the globe. Most of the teams in the MAC are located in either Michigan or Ohio, with 12 schools in total in the conference.
The MAC is the conference of choice for many college football fans in Ohio, as there are so many schools located in the area. While the overall quality of the teams may not stack up to some of the other conferences in the country like the SEC, the MAC plays a respectable quality of football. All the members are public schools, each with around 20,000 students enrolled.
For sports bettors across the country, the MAC can be a fun conference for wagering. If you’re looking to put bets down on MAC football action, you’re in the right place. This guide will cover the key facets of betting on the conference, from beginner tips to expert advice.
Live MAC football winner odds
Here are the current odds for MAC football.
Best OH sportsbooks for MAC football betting
The wave of legal sports betting in the US has led to a few companies establishing themselves as leaders in this space. These sportsbooks have set up shop in multiple legal markets and have built solid reputations. They all compete with one another to attract customers, resulting in a variety of promotions.
Caesars OH sportsbook
Caesars has built itself a strong reputation with its namesake hotel in Las Vegas and land-based facilities elsewhere. Now it’s expanded to offer a legal online sportsbook in multiple states. It offers a variety of sports and betting markets to rival most other books in the industry.
It also has the Caesars Rewards program attached to its sportsbook. This allows you to earn points as you place wagers. You can then redeem the points for various perks and rewards ranging from shopping bonuses to dining events.
BetMGM OH sportsbook
BetMGM is the online sportsbook and betting arm of another of the largest entertainment companies in the US. Like all the options on this list, it offers a large variety of sports to bet on, including all the MAC football wagers one could ever want.
BetMGM also offers a robust rewards system that is partnered with all the company’s entertainment and concierge services outside of the sportsbook. A great program like this one can be enough of an incentive for many people to sign up for a sportsbook account.
FanDuel OH sportsbook
Originally a daily fantasy sports company, FanDuel has successfully expanded into legal sports betting. It is consistently one of the first to market in any legal state and has a legion of users across the country.
FanDuel is known for its promotions and special offers. It regularly offers bet-and-get for new customers. If your first wager loses, you will receive sportsbook credit up to the same amount. It also offers odds boosts throughout the year.
How to read college football betting odds
When it comes to college football, including the MAC, the odds will usually default to the American format. Sportsbooks across the country will use this format to display their college football odds, so understanding what they’re showing you is key.
If the odds for a selection are a negative number, that means you’re looking at the favored side. The number itself represents the bet amount that would win you $100 in profit if you’re correct. For example, if you bet on Toledo to win at odds of -175, a bet of $175 would potentially win you $100 for a total return of $275.
Positive odds, meanwhile, indicate an underdog. The number itself shows how much you would stand to win from a $100 wager. For example, let’s say that you bet on Bowling Green to win at odds of +200. You could bet $100 to have potential winnings of $200, resulting in a total return of $300 if your bet wins.
Best college football bets
While legal sportsbooks in Ohio will allow you to bet on a variety of things at every MAC football game, a few bets are more popular than others. Understanding these bets can give you an idea of what is available and help you comprehend all the options.
Point spreads
Three bets will appear front and center for every MAC football game, and the point spread is the first of them. It’s an equalizer that sportsbooks use to facilitate betting on two teams of uneven strength.
The favorite, or the team that the sportsbook expects to win, will have a negative point spread number. This shows how many points it needs to win by. The underdog, meanwhile, will have a positive spread, indicating it needs to finish within that amount or win the game by any score.
If the game finishes exactly on the point spread, then bets at that number are a push, and the sportsbook will return them.
Moneylines
The moneyline is the second of the three primary bets, and it’s the easiest to understand. Betting on a team’s moneyline is a bet on that team to win the game. It doesn’t matter what else happens. At the end of the day, whichever team wins the game, bets on that side will win.
The most important thing to consider with moneyline bets is the odds on each selection. You can convert American odds into probabilities using an online calculator. Compare these to what your research indicates is the probability of each team to win to find good value bets.
Over/unders
The over/under (also known as the total), meanwhile, is the final of the three main bets. With this one, you don’t care which side wins. Instead, you are betting on the total combined score of the game. Sportsbooks will release a line before every game with a predicted total score. You can then bet on the actual total score to be over or under that line.
Parlays
Parlays are when you combine multiple individual picks on one ticket. This increases the odds for every selection that you add. The downside is that if even one of your picks is wrong, you lose the whole parlay. This makes these riskier plays that can pay off big, but only if you’re flawless.
Parlays are generally not a good idea as your main bet because of how difficult they are to win. Instead, most bettors generally recommended thinking of parlays as lottery tickets. They can net a huge return, but they are very unlikely to do so.
Teasers
Teasers are similar to parlays in that they involve combining multiple bets for an increase in odds. Also, you win nothing if you get any of your picks wrong, same as parlays. The difference with teasers is that you can shift the lines in your favor for each of your picks in exchange for weaker odds.
The vigorish (house cut) on teasers is usually very high. This could be a good reason to avoid them, though it’s not a hard and fast rule. Still, it’s relatively rare to see experienced bettors wager a massive amount on teasers.
Futures
These are bets you place on season-long outcomes or on what will happen in the playoffs. Generally, you’ll be able to start placing such bets during the offseason and at the start of the season. They’ll continue to be available throughout much of the year, with shifting odds and betting lines to reflect what’s happening in the season. One common futures bet that you might see in this context is a bet on a team to win the MAC.
You can also place bets on things like which player will lead the MAC in passing yards, which team will win the national championship or a variety of other options. These can offer large returns, but because sports are so unpredictable, they are also difficult to win.
Props
Prop bets are wagers on smaller events within a game. These events do not necessarily relate to the outcome of the game. Instead, they cover a range of smaller happenings that may be of more interest to bettors. These can be anything from the individual statistical performance of a specific player — for example, how many passing yards a certain quarterback will have — to how many field goals a team will make.
Because there are so many potential prop bets, sportsbooks may not have the time or manpower to make every line as sharp as possible. This can sometimes leave prop bet markets open to exploitation. However, one technique that sportsbooks will use to get around this is to increase the vigorish on these bets. For example, you might see a prop bet with lines of -120 on either side.
Live betting on MAC football games
The sports betting industry has undergone major changes over the last few years. One such advancement has been the expansion of live betting. This is the act of placing wagers on a game as the game is taking place.
Live betting can be fun for a few reasons. The first is the instantaneous entertainment that it can add to a game. If you’re at the game, or even just watching on TV, placing a few live bets can be a fun way to raise the stakes. The second reason is that some bettors feel as if they have a better idea of how the game will go once they’ve watched a portion of it.
Most online sportsbooks have robust in-game offerings that match or exceed what you can bet on before the game starts. You can pick from a variety of bets and continue to place wagers for nearly the entire game. The sportsbooks will update the MAC football conference odds in real time as events unfold.
An electronic device is a must-have for live betting as the technology allows you to check the lines and place a wager before the odds change, rather than having to wait in line at a retail sportsbook.
Where can I watch Mac football games?
There are a few options if you want to watch MAC football. The conference has a deal with ESPN to broadcast its games that will run from 2014 until at least the 2026 season. This means that anyone with a cable subscription to ESPN will be able to find MAC games on one of the many ESPN channels.
Alternatively, viewers can keep up with the MAC via one of ESPN’s other viewing platforms. You can find games through the ESPN app, or, if you are looking for an audio stream, ESPN radio is the place to go.
Line shopping for MAC football odds
Shopping for the best lines means cross-checking different sportsbooks to see which one is offering the best lines for any bets you want to place. While you may only find small discrepancies, these can definitely add up over time. And sometimes the discrepancies you find aren’t so small.
To help with your line shopping, you may want to open accounts at multiple sportsbooks. This comes with several benefits. The first is that you will be able to find the best MAC football betting lines and not have to worry about setting up a new account before placing your wager. Another benefit is that you can claim all the promotions and bonuses that each sportsbook offers.
MAC football teams
Here are the teams that play in the MAC:
School | Stadium | Coach |
---|---|---|
Akron | InfoCision Stadium - Summa Field | Tom Arth |
Bowling Green | Doyt Perry Stadium | Scot Loeffler |
Buffalo | University at Buffalo Stadium | Maurice Linguist |
Kent State | Dix Stadium | Sean Lewis |
Miami (Ohio) | Yager Stadium | Chuck Martin |
Ohio | Peden Stadium | Frank Solich |
Ball State | Scheumann Stadium | Mike Neu |
Central Michigan | Kelly/Shorts Stadium | Jim McElwain |
Eastern Michigan | Rynearson Stadium | Chris Creighton |
Northern Michigan | Huskie Stadium | Thomas Hammock |
Toledo | Glass Bowl | Jason Candle |
Western Michigan | Waldo Stadium | Tim Lester |
What makes the MAC special?
There are a few distinctive aspects to the Mid-American Conference, the first one being the close proximity between many of the schools. Out of the twelve member schools, nine of them are in either Michigan or Ohio. This leads to some intense rivalries.
Another thing that helps set MAC football apart is the long history of the conference. Established in 1946, the MAC has seen many intense battles over the years. This has resulted in various traditions and memories that add to the lore of MAC football. Fans, players, coaches and students of these schools all appreciate the history behind these matchups.
Biggest MAC football rivalries
While all conference games between MAC schools can be intense, certain matchups tend to mean more. The conference has some rivalries that result in a desire to not only beat an opponent but to do so emphatically. Here are a few of the biggest MAC football rivalries, all of which carry more weight than your average conference game:
Battle for the Bell: Miami vs. Cincinnati
The name “Battle for the Bell” comes from the fact that the winner receives the “Victory Bell.” This is one of the oldest rivalries in the conference as these two teams started playing each other in 1888. There have been 125 meetings between the two teams. The overall record stands at an amazing 59-59-7, with each team looking to take the lead this year. Cincinnati has won the last 15 meetings.
Battle of the Bricks: Miami vs. Ohio
Another historic MAC rivalry that involves Miami, this one is the “Battle of the Bricks.” It also has a long history, with the first game taking place in 1908, a game that Miami won 5-0. Since then, the two teams have played 96 times, and Miami holds the series lead with a record of 54-40-2.
Central Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan
While there’s no exciting name for this rivalry, it’s still one that is hotly contested and that has a long history. The first meeting happened in 1902, with Central Michigan managing to win the game by a score of 10-0. Central Michigan also holds the all-time series lead with a record of 62-30-6.
More Ohio rivalries to bet on — Big Ten
Ohio State vs. Michigan: What started this intense rivalry? Some say it was the Toledo War, which gave Toledo to Ohio and the Upper Peninsula to Michigan. Others? Just the simple question of which team is better is enough to ignite the rivalry year after year. Since their first meeting in 1897, the Buckeyes and the Wolverines have saved their best games for one another. Nothing makes a season complete without a win over their biggest rival and with Michigan leading the all-time series 58-51-6 we can expect that to continue to be the only motivation needed for either program.
Best MAC football Saturdays
There are a few college football weeks this year to mark on your calendar if you’re a fan of the MAC. Here are a few of the best:
- Week 10: This week features a big matchup between Miami and Ohio. This is the “Battle of the Bricks” mentioned above. Other big games this week include Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan and Ball State at Akron.
- Week 7: Some of the bigger matchups this week are Akron against Miami and Toledo visiting Central Michigan.
- Week 11: Some of the bigger games scheduled for this week include Buffalo visiting Miami and Toledo visiting Bowling Green.