MAC Team Season Grades: West
Ball State 2020 Season Grade: A
2020 Record: 7-1
CFN 2020 Preseason Ranking: 92
CFN 2020 Final Rankings: 46
2019 Final Grade: B-
So there was a loss to Miami University. Your 2020 Ball State Cardinals went on a seven win run after that, took down Buffalo for the MAC Championship, and won a bowl game for the first time in school history. That’ll do.
Central Michigan 2020 Season Grade: C+
2020 Record: 3-3
CFN 2020 Preseason Ranking: 107
CFN 2020 Final Rankings: 105
2019 Final Grade: A-
It was a rebuilding year, and the team was close to what it was supposed to be, but it couldn’t get that one good win over a solid team to have a winning season. It’s hard being a middle-of-the-road MAC team after playing for the conference championship.
Eastern Michigan 2020 Season Grade: C
2020 Record: 2-4
CFN 2020 Preseason Ranking: 113
CFN 2020 Final Rankings: 107
2019 Final Grade: B
Just when it seemed like it was going to be a totally lost year, the Eagles shocked Western Michigan and beat Northern Illinois to end on a high note. It’s Eastern Michigan, so it does what it does best and played close games. It was on the wrong side of too many.
Northern Illinois 2020 Season Grade: D-
2020 Record: 0-6
CFN 2020 Preseason Ranking: 117
CFN 2020 Final Rankings: 122
2019 Final Grade: C
Northern Illinois used to be beautiful. It used to be a MAC powerhouse that was consistently nasty, and now it’s a winless program. It was competitive at times, and it didn’t catch a schedule break with the Akron and Bowling Green free spaces off the board, but no. 0-6 isn’t acceptable.
Toledo 2020 Season Grade: B
2020 Record: 4-2
CFN 2020 Preseason Ranking: 104
CFN 2020 Final Rankings: 98
2019 Final Grade: C
Toledo is supposed to be in the MAC Championship mix every season and at least is expected to be a player – and it was. There weren’t any great wins among the four, but the loss to Western Michigan was by three on one of the weirder plays of the year, and the other was by three to eventual MAC champ Ball State.
Western Michigan 2020 Season Grade: B-
2020 Record: 4-2
CFN 2020 Preseason Ranking: 103
CFN 2020 Final Rankings: 97
2019 Final Grade: B-
Everything was RIGHT THERE for the taking in the MAC. This was supposed to be one of the league’s best teams, but it struggled to get through the first four games. The Broncos won them all, and then dropped a home date to a mediocre Eastern Michigan before losing 30-27 to eventual MAC Champion Ball State.
2020 Team Season Grades
ACC | American | Big Ten East | West
Big 12 | C-USA East | West
Independents | MAC East | West
Mountain West | Pac-12 North | South
SEC East | West | Sun Belt East | West