MAC Conference Schedule in November Shocks Band Parents

The MAC Conference is making some changes this year to their scheduling and you might not be too happy with it. With some of the best bands in the country in the conference, band parents are now going to have to watch conference games in the end of the season on days not named Saturday!

That’s right. The MAC Conference has scheduled no conference games on Saturdays in November.  All conference games will be played Tuesday through Friday. 

Unfortunately that means that when the conference is deep into conference play, band parents are going to have to request time off from work to see their sons and daughters march in order to drive to campus and watch the game.

With the MAC Conference trying hard to gain TV time they have had to resort to playing on nights when there is no other football competition to increase the viewership. Fans across the country have become accustomed to watching MAC games on weekdays, but this is a new level.

Here’s the full schedule:

Aug. 31 – Thursday
Buffalo at Minnesota
Elon at Toledo
Rhode Island at Central Michigan

Sep. 1 – Friday
Boston College at NIU (CBS Sports Network)
Charlotte at Eastern Michigan

Sep. 2 – Saturday
Akron at Penn State
Ball State at Illinois
Bowling Green at Michigan State
Hampton at Ohio
Kent State at Clemson
Miami at Marshall
Western Michigan at USC

Sep. 8 – Friday
Ohio at Purdue

Sep. 9 – Saturday
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Akron
Austin Peay at Miami
Buffalo at Army
Central Michigan at Kansas
Eastern Illinois at NIU
Eastern Michigan at Rutgers
Howard at Kent State
South Dakota at Bowling Green
Toledo at Nevada
UAB at Ball State
Western Michigan at Michigan State

Sep. 16 – Saturday
Bowling Green at Northwestern
Central Michigan at Syracuse
Cincinnati at Miami
Colgate at Buffalo
Idaho at Western Michigan
Iowa State at Akron
Kansas at Ohio
Kent State at Marshall
NIU at Nebraska
Tennessee Tech at Ball State
Tulsa at Toledo

Sep. 23 – Saturday
Akron at Troy
Ball State at Western Kentucky
Bowling Green at Middle Tennessee
Florida Atlantic at Buffalo
Kent State at Louisville
*Miami at Central Michigan
*Ohio at Eastern Michigan
Toledo at Miami (Fla.)
Wagner at Western Michigan

Sep. 30 – Saturday
*Akron at Bowling Green
*Ball State at Western Michigan
*Buffalo at Kent State
Central Michigan at Boston College
Eastern Michigan at Kentucky
Miami at Notre Dame
NIU at San Diego State
Ohio at UMass

Oct. 7 – Saturday
*Ball State at Akron
*Bowling Green at Miami
*Central Michigan at Ohio
*Eastern Michigan at Toledo
*Kent State at NIU
*Western Michigan at Buffalo

Oct. 14 – Saturday
*Akron at Western Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Army
*Miami at Kent State
*NIU at Buffalo
*Ohio at Bowling Green
*Toledo at Central Michigan

Oct. 21 – Saturday
*Akron at Toledo
*Buffalo at Miami
*Central Michigan at Ball State
*Kent State at Ohio
*NIU at Bowling Green
*Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan

Oct. 26 – Thursday
*Eastern Michigan at NIU (CBS Sports Network/ESPN3)
*Toledo at Ball State (CBS Sports Network/ESPN3)

Oct. 28 – Saturday
*Buffalo at Akron

Oct. 31 – Tuesday
*Bowling Green at Kent State (ESPN2/ESPNU)
*Miami at Ohio (ESPN2/ESPNU)

Nov. 1 – Wednesday
*Central Michigan at Western Michigan (ESPN2)

Nov. 2 – Thursday
*Ball State at Eastern Michigan (ESPNU/CBS Sports Network)
*NIU at Toledo (ESPNU/CBS Sports Network)

Nov. 7 – Tuesday
*Akron at Miami (ESPN2/ESPNU)
*Bowling Green at Buffalo (ESPN2/ESPNU)

Nov. 8 – Wednesday
*Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan (ESPN2/ESPNU/CBS Sports Network)
*Kent State at Western Michigan (ESPN2/ESPNU/CBS Sports Network)
*Toledo at Ohio (ESPN2/ESPNU/CBS Sports Network)

Nov. 9 – Thursday
*Ball State at NIU (CBS Sports Network)

Nov. 14 – Tuesday
*Central Michigan at Kent State (ESPN2/ESPNU)
*Ohio at Akron (ESPN2/ESPNU)

Nov. 15 – Wednesday
*Eastern Michigan at Miami (ESPN2/ESPNU/CBS Sports Network)
*Toledo at Bowling Green (ESPN2/ESPNU/CBS Sports Network)
*Western Michigan at NIU (ESPN2/ESPNU/CBS Sports Network)

Nov. 16 – Thursday
*Buffalo at Ball State (CBS Sports Network)

Nov. 21 – Tuesday
*Bowling Green at Eastern Michigan (ESPNU/ESPN3)
*Kent State at Akron (ESPNU/ESPN3)
*Miami at Ball State (ESPNU/ESPN3)

Nov. 24 – Friday
*NIU at Central Michigan (ESPNU/CBS Sports Network/ESPN3)
*Ohio at Buffalo (ESPNU/CBS Sports Network/ESPN3)
*Western Michigan at Toledo (ESPNU/CBS Sports Network/ESPN3)

TBA
East Division Champion vs. West Division Champion
Marathon MAC Championship Game, Time and Television TBA
At Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.