Trailing for most of the game on October 29 last year, Toledo took the lead in Eastern Michigan for the first time with a one-yard pass from Tucker Gleason Lenny Kulu with 2:09 left. A late interception sealed the deal and Toledo went 4-1 in conference play as EMU dropped to 2-3.
This two-game lead was barely sustained. EMU won, Toledo lost two out of three, and the Rockets won their first MAC West title in five years in a head-to-head tiebreak. EMU remained the only current member of the conference that never reached the MAC Championship, and Toledo ruled as, quite frankly, it should have done more often. The Rockets have some of the best properties in MAC and, on average, rank top in recruiting rankings. That they’ve only played the conference title game twice since 2004 is pretty confusing. However, they got there and won, beating Ohio by 10.
Theoretically, they should win again in 2023, and EMU should again become their main rival. But “should” doesn’t play a role in MAC. This is a conference of parity, bizarre rejections and beautiful, beautiful bullshit, and many teams are planning throwback campaigns as we speak.
Let’s take a look at MAC West first!
Each week during the off-season, Bill Connelly will announce another division from Group of 5 and Power 5 exclusively to Sportzshala+, including all 133 FBS teams. The previews will include breakdowns for 2022, previews for 2023, and live questions for each team.
Source: www.espn.com
