By Staff
There was a time when major college football teams looked down their noses at the Mid-American Conference.
But that time is no more.
The MAC proved once again last Saturday that it is one of the better football conferences in the country regardless of the size of its schools.
Western Michigan University collected yet another "big-time" win for the MAC as it defeated once highly ranked Illinois 23-17 at Ford Field.
The result of that win was that the Broncos received votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Poll for the first time since 2000.
And they deserved it.
The Broncos picked up their third victory in as many seasons against a Bowl Championship Series team and their second win over a Big Ten Conference school in the past two years.
But Western Michigan isn't the only Mid-American Conference school to find success this season against "bigger" schools.
Bowling Green knocked off Pittsburgh very early on this year. A MAC school defeated, that's right, the team that just handed Notre Dame a loss.
Then there is Central Michigan, which also owns a win over a Big Ten institution.
The Chippewas defeated Purdue earlier this season and is also receiving votes in polls.
Perhaps the best of them all is Ball State, which is currently undefeated (9-0 overall, 5-0 MAC) and ranked No. 14 and No. 16 in the respective polls.
In all, the Mid-American Conference owns four wins over Big Ten Conference schools this season, the first time that has happened in the league's history.
So next time you want to look down your nose at one of those "mid-major" conferences, think again.
The Mid-American Conference is proving that bigger, isn't always better!