No one has won the MAC in back-to-back years since Northern Illinois did so in 2011-12. Toledo has a chance to break that streak.
The Rockets lost the last two games of the regular season in 2022, only to bounce back and defeat Ohio in the MAC Championship and then win against Liberty in the Boca Raton Bowl.
With all of the program’s skill and experience coming back, Toledo is in a prime position to have an even better 2023.
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Toledo Football’s MAC Title Odds
The Rockets have +165 odds to win the MAC, via BetMGM.
Toledo Football’s Over/Under Win Total
Toledo’s win total Over/Under is 9, with Under 9 at -105 and Over 9 at -115.
Toledo Football’s Schedule
9/2 at Illinois
9/9 vs Texas Southern
9/16 vs San Jose State
9/23 vs Western Michigan
9/30 vs Northern Illinois
10/7 at UMass
10/14 at Ball State
10/21 at Miami (Ohio)
10/31 vs Buffalo
11/8 vs Eastern Michigan
11/14 at Bowling Green
11/24 at Central Michigan
Bold indicates MAC contests.
Key Toledo Football Returners
2022 All-MAC 1st Team
OL Nick Rosi
LB Dallas Gant
DB Quinyon Mitchell
DB Maxen Hook
2022 All-MAC 2nd Team
QB Dequan Finn
WR Jerjuan Newton
DB Nate Bauer
Dequan Finn, Jerjuan Newton Lead High-Powered Toledo Offense
Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn is one of the best playmakers at any position in the Group of Five.
The offensive MVP in the Boca Raton Bowl and MAC Championship last year has thrown for more than 4,400 yards and has run for more than 1,200 yards in his career at Toledo. The junior signal caller who has shined when his team needs him most should only keep seeing improvement.
Finn’s favorite target, Jerjuan Newton, is also back. He caught 53 passes for 830 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022 and has the chance to rack up 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns in 2023. Devin Maddox, Toledo’s second-leading receiver last season, also returns.
Nick Rosi leads Toledo’s offensive line. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound junior played at right tackle and right guard and made the all-conference first team.
Several other offensive line stalwarts are back as well, including left guard Vinny Sciury, center
Devan Rogers, and right guard Kendall Major. They were an instrumental part of the Rockets ranking second in the conference with 31.3 points per game and third with 177.6 rushing yards per contest. The Rockets also added Florida State transfer Rod Orr and Rutgers transfer David Nwaogwugwu to their O-line.
Jacquez Stuart, Toledo’s leading rusher with 770 yards in 2022, is back. The Rockets also have plenty of other running backs they trust as well. That includes Peny Boone, who was third on the team with 443 yards last year, and Micah Kelly, who started five games and ran for 398 yards in 2022.
Quinyon Mitchell Among Experienced Toledo Defense
Toledo is arguably just as loaded with proven talent on the defensive side of the ball as the team is on offense. The Rockets return four All-MAC selections from a year ago.
Quinyon Mitchell has been highly productive. The junior cornerback paced the conference with 20 pass breakups – nobody else had more than 15 – and was second with five interceptions. Among cornerbacks who played at least 50% of the most snaps in the country, per Pro Football Focus, Mitchell allowed the eighth-lowest reception rate at 38.6% on 70 targets.
First-team all-conference safety Maxen Hook and linebacker Dallas Gant are also back. Gant was sixth in the league with 116 total tackles, while Hook was third on the team with 81 tackles to go with two game-clinching interceptions and four pass breakups. Nate Bauer, a senior safety who was fifth on Toledo with 61 tackles, is another standout returner who made the all-conference second team.
The Rockets will be without some of their stars, like defensive lineman Desjuan Johnson, who was drafted by the Rams in April, and linebacker Dyontae Johnson, who was on the all-conference second team in 2022.
Toledo’s depth also stands out. Eight of the Rockets’ top 11 tacklers in 2022 are back this year. But the team will have to find someone new to provide pass rushing production with Toledo’s 2022 leader in sacks, Jamal Hines, and others including Johnson gone.
Toledo Football Season Prediction
Toledo will win the MAC again in 2023.
The Rockets have so much of last year’s conference championship roster returning, including at critical positions like quarterback. But they also bolstered their depth with some promising transfers and recent recruiting classes.
Whether Toledo will eclipse its nine-game win total is another question.
The Rockets commence the season at Illinois of the Big Ten, which is a tough matchup to begin with. They also play San Jose State at home in their nonconference slate, and the Spartans are also going to be difficult to beat.
But after that, every other game is winnable for the Rockets, including their entire MAC schedule. Toledo is bound to slip up at different times, as seen at the end of last year’s regular season.
But even when accounting for dropping games to Illinois and SJSU – which aren’t guaranteed losses for the Rockets by the way – as well as a random MAC defeat, that still gives Toledo nine wins for the regular season.
With head coach Jason Candle leading the charge, Toledo will be the team to beat in the Mid-American Conference in 2023.
