MACtion, hello!
I missed you. I missed your zaniness. I missed the good plays. I really missed the bad plays. I missed “college football Twitter” tuning in on weeknights to watch your beautiful games. I just missed MACtion.
At long last, the wait is over.
All four MAC conference football games this week take place on either Tuesday or Wednesday on ESPN Networks. You can call any MAC conference game “MACtion” if you like, but for the true MACtion lovers, MACtion means November midweek MAC football games.
Why we love MACtion
Tuesdays and Wednesdays aren’t typically known for football. While Thursdays-Mondays always have football games during the fall, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are often football-less days. MACtion fixes that.
Perhaps MACtion’s No. 1 calling card is fans wanting to celebrate the “bad” plays, but enjoying fumbles, interceptions, fake punts and unusual occurrences is more about celebrating wacky plays that differentiate college football from the NFL. The majority of college players, especially at the Group of Five level, aren’t going to the NFL. Plenty of MACtion stars won’t become NFL standouts, but they’re still talented college players giving their all to help their teams win.
Too often the discussion around college football revolves around the College Football Playoff and the sport’s most NFL-ready players. And don’t get me wrong, No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 2 Tennessee makes for a thrilling SEC matchup this weekend. But there are 131 FBS teams, and the sport is better when more than a handful of teams have access to the spotlight.
Georgia and Tennessee might win a national title. Buffalo and Ohio won’t.
Still, those two teams are fighting for a division title, which could lead to a conference championship. They’re evenly matched teams with good players and coaches, and while they aren’t the best teams in the country, sometimes it’s just as fun to watch the lower levels of college football as it is the SEC heavyweights.
We like MACtion because it’s entertaining.
Best MACtion matchups
Tuesday night’s game between Buffalo and Ohio headlines the first week of midweek MACtion. Each team is 5-3, and the Bulls are an impressive 4-0 in league play. Ohio is 3-1 in conference action, as the Bobcats are just behind the Bulls in the MAC East standings. The midweek clash could go a long way in determining who plays for the MAC Championship later this season.
Next week, Ball State at Toledo features a pair of the top teams in the MAC’s West Division. The Rockets are a joy to watch, as they’re arguably the most complete team in the entire conference. Toledo-Bowling Green should be fun on Nov. 15 as well.
MACtion doesn’t hang around forever, so it’s important to enjoy it while it’s here. I know I will, as nothing flies by faster than college football in November.
While the College Football Playoff chase is going to be electric as several SEC teams vie for spots in the major event, it’s far from the only story in the sport. MACtion, while different from a top-2 matchup in SEC country, always seems to deliver quality entertainment.
I’m glad it’s back.
Bennett Conlin is a college football contributor for HERO Sports, and he works full-time covering sports betting industry news and legislation for Sports Handle and US Bets.
