MAC Kicks Off Sept. 12

The Mid-Americans Conference returns for another round in the fall of 2015 with one change.

Northern Illinois will not participate in conference play this fall due to disciplinary issues on-campus. The NIU rugby program is under suspension until May, 2016 because of a party that violated school policy. The program expects to be back on the field as soon as possible, and expects to return to the MAC in 2016. Meanwhile, Kent State, which ran to a 3-2-1 record in the DII Great Lakes Conference in 2014, will take NIU's place. 

Once again, the MAC will be split along North and South lines, with Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Ball State, and Kent State in the North, and Louisville, Mimai, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Ohio in the South. Bowling Green is the defending conference champion team, going 4-0 in conference play in the North, while Dayton was undefeated in the South.

As was the format last year, in-division games count toward the standings, while conference games between teams from two different divisions don't count toward the standings. The top two from each division go into the semifinals.

After that there will be the ACRC Bowl Series, where in 2014 Bowling Green lost a wild and wolly game against AIC 46-40. (See highlights here)

Fall 2015 MAC Conference Schedule