Who is the best MAC football school in the last ten years?

[Globetrotter]

In terms of School overall record and bowl games? I would have to say we are at or around the top. We were great to start the 2000's and then we have been up and down since.

[Globetrotter]

I think that Toledo, Central and us each have 4 in the last decade.

[SB-50]

The "true" measure of a program is the number of Championships won. We have not accomplished this since 1992 (17 seasons).

Win Championships and the bowls and comparisons take care of themselves. I would trade all the bowl games and all the wins against BCS teams for MAC Titles.

Everything is secondary to a MAC Championship!!

[moneymaker02]

I think you have to give it to Central as far as team of the decade. 3 Mac championships i think is the most.

[MarkL]

I know we've got 0 MAC championships in the last decade, but I think we've got as good an argument as anybody as far as being consistently good. We were incredible in 01 - 04, took a dip in 05 and 06, right back at the top in 07, 19 points from perfection in 08, and a couple mistakes against OU and CMU from perfection in 09. Nobody else can say they've spent so much of the decade right at the top of the MAC.

CMU was horrible up until 2005 when they started looking respectable and from 2006 on has been the class of the MAC. Toledo was great early on but they fizzled starting in 06 and haven't returned yet thought they appear to be pointed in the right direction. Miami was excellent early on and peaked in 03 but from 06 on they haven't been as good. I don't think any other team belongs in this discussion.

So 0 MAC champs sucks, but I think we've been in the top tier more than any other team in the conference. I think the nod goes to us.

[hammb]

Sorry, but no way is BG the top team in the MAC for the decade. Not without a single MAC title and only one championship game appearance.

We may have been the best team to consistently be a contender, but that doesn't mean squat to me. Especially when we only MADE it to one championship game. 9 out of 10 years we weren't even the best team in our division.

I have to go with either Toledo or CMU as the program of the decade. Obviously UT for the first half, CMU for the second half. My recollection is that UT was better in the 2nd half of the decade than CMU was in the first half, so I'd be inclined to give the nod to UT. I could be wrong on that though.

Either way those are the two schools in contention for the honor, IMO.

[NWLB]

I think BGSU certainly is a top MAC program, but not the best over the last 10 years.

The lack of MAC titles is a problem. You could rate WMU as better than BGSU in the 1990s if you just go by wins and such. Yet they never got over the hump. CMU, BSU, UT, Marshall, all can challenge BGSU at points when we were up or down. We didn't have the means to beat Miami when they had Big Ben, could muscle past CMU or Ohio lately. In fact being close to winning key games just doesn't cut it in the end. Fact is BGSU lost.

Overall, I'm content that things are again heading in the right direction. I'm not 100% sold BGSU can win a debate among MAC fans over being T*H*E best, if only because other teams do have titles, rankings, and bowl appearances. Doesn't stop BGSU fans from feeling we are the best among our own though.

[ZiggyZoomba]

Got this info from a former SID and current CPA. So... you can pretty much take it to the bank.

Based on winning percentage, the most successful team between 2000-09 - by a wide margin - is Marshall. While a member of the league from 2000-04, Marshall had a 32-8 MAC record (.800) and won two MAC championships.

For the 12 members of the league who played all 10 years, the best winning percentage is Northern Illinois at .649 (50-27), followed by Bowling Green at .625 (50-30) and Toledo at .623 (48-29). However neither NIU nor BGSU won any MAC championships and between them the only championship game appearance was BG's against Miami in 2003.

Of the 12 full-time members of the league, Toledo was the most successful in the first five years of the decade at .816 (31-7) and Central Michigan was far and away the most successful in the last five years at .821 (32-7). However, for the full 10 years, CMU's winning percentage of .532 is only tied for 5th best.

In the last 10 years, Central Michigan won three MAC championships, Toledo and Marshall won two each, and Akron, Buffalo and Miami won one each.

Therefore, I think the answer to the question on the AZZ thread is "it depends on what you are basing it on."

[NWLB]

Valid numbers all. They do miss the clear and most key point about UT: They suck.

[hammb]

Got this info from a former SID and current CPA. So... you can pretty much take it to the bank.

Based on winning percentage, the most successful team between 2000-09 - by a wide margin - is Marshall. While a member of the league from 2000-04, Marshall had a 32-8 MAC record (.800) and won two MAC championships.

For the 12 members of the league who played all 10 years, the best winning percentage is Northern Illinois at .649 (50-27), followed by Bowling Green at .625 (50-30) and Toledo at .623 (48-29). However neither NIU nor BGSU won any MAC championships and between them the only championship game appearance was BG's against Miami in 2003.

Of the 12 full-time members of the league, Toledo was the most successful in the first five years of the decade at .816 (31-7) and Central Michigan was far and away the most successful in the last five years at .821 (32-7). However, for the full 10 years, CMU's winning percentage of .532 is only tied for 5th best.

In the last 10 years, Central Michigan won three MAC championships, Toledo and Marshall won two each, and Akron, Buffalo and Miami won one each.

Therefore, I think the answer to the question on the AZZ thread is "it depends on what you are basing it on."

Thanks Grant!

Good numbers, and overall they are pretty much what I expected to see. I did consider mentioning Marshall, they were clearly dominant while a conference member, but I couldn't give them my props when they've been gone for 5 years. I figured that BG had among the best winning percentage overall...I didn't think NIU's would be the very best though...that was somewhat surprising to me. Either way though, I cannot give "program of the decade" votes to a team that doesn't win at least one conference championship.

Thus, UT gets my vote. Can't stand 'em, and quite glad that they've been shitty the past few years, but for the sake of this discussion I have to give them props as the best program in the conference for the decade. Let's hope that in 10 years there is no doubt Dave Clawson turned BG into the program of the decade

[falconfan1999]

One other valid point is that Marshall also cheated to win!

I think Scooter made some serious bank on them over the years.....

[moneymaker02]

Hate to nit pick but NIU had 1 mac championship appearance losing against akron. garrett wolfe had a hell of a game but it came down to dominik hixon catching the game winning td from luke getsey. most entertaining macc game ive seen in the last 10 years. also the toledo/marshall game in 01 i think was amazing as well. i still have to go with central because they own the most championships and were the most dominant during their run. i would be really tempted to give bg the honor of being the most flashy in the decade. we were ranked for 3 straight years and seemed to get the most attention from the national media than any other team. Anywhere I go, people still remember omar jacobs, I doubt that in 5 years people will remember dan lefevour even though he has been an amazing college quarterback.

[h2oville rocket]

we were ranked for 3 straight years and seemed to get the most attention from the national media than any other team. Anywhere I go, people still remember omar jacobs, I doubt that in 5 years people will remember dan lefevour even though he has been an amazing college quarterback.

I always think UT got the most press, my co-worker from Central thinks it was Central and my niece, who attends Ball State, thinks Ball State got the most-She thinks everybody remembers NAte Davis, I say Gradkowski and my employee thinks LeFevour will eclipse them all.

[Falconfreak90]

ut has had 4 straight losing seasons...they are not the best the last decade. I vote for CMU...followed closely by BG and NIU. Our lack of MAC titles does us in but I know Coach Clawson is gonna change that VERY soon!
GO BG!

[h2oville rocket]

Marshall by a landslide, then UT. NIU, Central, then BG. What the heck happened to Miami over the last several?