Sports
Mid-American Conference Recognized as Top-5 Football Conference by CBSSports.com
By: Pat Chiesa
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A slew of upset wins through nine weeks of regular season play has helped the Mid-American Conference crack the top 5 in CBSSports.com's Conference Power Rankings.
The MAC grabbed the fifth spot behind the likes of the SEC (T-1), Big 12 (T-1), Pac-12 (3) and Big Ten (4), but ahead of a pair of Automatic Qualifying conferences in the Big East and ACC (T-6).
Although no MAC teams are currently ranked in any top 25 polls, four teams–Kent State, Northern Illinois, Ohio and Toledo–are receiving votes in the AP and USA Today polls as well as ESPN.com's Power Rankings.
Eight BCS schools have fallen to MAC teams so far this season, including the likes of Penn State (to Ohio), Rutgers (to Kent State), Cincinnati (to Toledo), and Iowa (to Central Michigan).
Including Ohio's heartbreaking loss to Miami, MAC schools have taken down three undefeated teams in the last two weeks.
The conference is currently second in the FBS with six teams already garnering bowl eligibility.