Ranking the Hardest 2024 MAC Non-Conference Schedules

Non-conference schedules are great ways of weighing one conference against another. Plenty of attention is paid to the non-conference slates of contenders and pretenders alike. During the College Football Playoff era, it’s become a bit less important as when it gets down to it, the best teams will be the best teams no matter if they have a great out-of-conference schedule or a weak one.

Let’s start with the MAC, everyone’s favorite mid-week entertainment! The MAC often has a murderer’s row out of conference.

Disclaimer: “Easiest” or “Hardest” is not to mean “these teams will beat those on their schedule.” It could be a fact that the worst team in a conference could have the easiest non-conference schedule and also not be able to win any. These rankings will be based on the average preseason ranking between five major outlets: Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, ESPN FPI, College Football News, and Kelley Ford. There will at least be a little factual standing behind these rather than ranking based on bias and vibes.

Ranking the 6 Hardest 2024 MAC Non-Conference Schedules

6. Northern Illinois: vs Western Illinois (FCS), at Notre Dame, at NC State, vs UMass

The “easiest” of the most difficult non-conference schedules belongs to the Northern Illinois Huskies. No more Rocky Lombardi at quarterback but whoever wins the job will have a solid receiver in Trayvon Rudolph. They’ll be a physical offense yet again but will look to improve upon the 7-6 mark from a year ago. Out of conference, NIU upended Boston College as the lone non-MAC win…but lost to Southern Illinois (FCS).

Hopefully, the matchup with Western Illinois (FCS) will fare better than the other directional FCS school like last year. Assuming they can get the win, Notre Dame awaits. The Irish, despite only playing 152 miles away from NIU, has never faced off against the Huskies. Notre Dame is a promising team in 2024, but more on them later.

The trip to NC State will be interesting, to say the least. The Wolfpack were a respectable 9-4 last year and look to be better this year. They return four of their five offensive linemen to block for the three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year, Grayson McCall. His running back, Jordan Walters, comes in from Duke with 1,690 career yards and 23 touchdowns. Out wide, former five-star wide receiver Noah Rogers is set to take the reins after spending a season being developed at Ohio State.

Finally, as with four other MAC programs, NIU faces UMass.

5. Miami (OH): at Northwestern, vs. Cincinnati, at Notre Dame, vs. UMass

Objectively, the opponents on the reigning MAC Champions’ schedule are not as difficult as some. However, the Redhawks are just one of 15 programs to NOT schedule an FCS foe this year. Last year, Miami won 11 games. The three games they lost? Miami (FL), Toledo (which they avenged in the MAC Championship), and a sloppy, sloppy Cure Bowl to Appalachian State. For the first time in 16 years, the Redhawks beat Cincinnati for the Victory Bell. It was also the first win AT Cincinnati since 2002. They lost a bit to the portal but also return quite a lot. The Redhawks are widely considered to repeat as MAC Champions.

To start, Miami (OH) gets to take on Northwestern. Last year, the MAC failed to beat a Big Ten foe for the first time in 17 years. This year, this might be the best chance. Northwestern isn’t expected to be a pushover. They clawed their way to bowl eligibility after a tumultuous offseason and are looking to build upon the momentum. Running back Cam Porter is a serious threat to take over a game. The chess match between he and Defensive Player of the Year Matt Salopek will be legendary.

Then, that titular matchup with Cincinnati. Last year, the Bearcats were just plain awful. The first season in the Big 12 could not have gone worse. This year, they look to be a bit better. The running back duo of Corey Kiner and Ohio State transfer Evan Pryor could be exciting. Cincinnati’s offensive line is all back, so whoever ends up at quarterback will have an easier path to success. This’ll be a good one regardless. Can Miami win back-to-back games against Cincinnati for the first time since their three-year run at the turn of the century?

For the third time in history, and just the second time since the Taft Presidency, Miami gets to face off with Notre Dame. In the two years with Marcus Freeman at the helm, Notre Dame has been incredibly close to greatness. 2024 will be the first true test for the Irish. With the expanded College Football Playoff, Notre Dame has as good of a chance as ever at winning it all. This one will be a difficult game for the Redhawks. While Toledo should have taken down the Irish in 2022, Notre Dame has never lost to a MAC team.

Finally, UMass. This will be the fifth time these two red-clad block-M teams will face off. The Minutemen are set to re-join the MAC in 2025 but this will likely be just like when they were conference foes last time. It’ll be a nice tune-up before conference play kicks off in the MAC Championship rematch at Toledo.

4. Bowling Green. vs. Fordham (FCS), at Penn State, at Texas A&M, vs. Old Dominion

A dark horse to unseat Miami (OH) as the top MAC team, Bowling Green has been building something special. They had a semi-successful season in 2023 that saw the Falcons drop a last-second one-point game to Toledo and a one-score Quick Lane Bowl vs. Minnesota. Out of conference, BG went 2-2, losing to a pair of NY6 participants. In all reality, the Falcons gave Michigan its toughest game aside from Ohio State. One of those wins was when the Falcons went down to Georgia Tech and earned an 11-point victory on the road. Now, they look to take a step on an upperclassman-laden roster.

After kicking it off against Fordham (FCS), Bowling Green gets to take a crack at Penn State. It’ll be the third time in history and the first time since 1998. The Nittany Lions are CFP contenders, but more on them later. If BG is going to upset Penn State, it’ll have to pressure Drew Allar as it did J.J. McCarthy this year. And Allar won’t have the privilege of already knowing the defensive plays like McCarthy, so anything can happen!

Then, it’s a trip to Kyle Field and Texas A&M. It’s the first time these two programs have faced off. The Aggies are still reeling from the failure of the Jimbo Fisher era but this will be a tough one for the Falcons. On paper, Texas A&M is head and shoulders better on sheer talent. Anything can happen but this would be a monumental upset. The Aggies lost to Appalachian State at home last year, so maybe?

Finally, they play host to Old Dominion. Bowling Green has never faced Old Dominion, likely due to the fact the Monarchs were an FCS program up until 2014. Historically, the Falcons have done well against the Sun Belt. They are 28-12 against the current lineup (6-4 when you remove former MAC program, Marshall). Old Dominion isn’t among the best in the Sun Belt but they’re on the upswing, it seems. Offensively, the Falcons will have to plan for Jason Henderson, a linebacker who has a ridiculous 356 tackles over the last two seasons.

3. Western Michigan: at Wisconsin, at Ohio State, vs Bethune-Cookman (FCS), at Marshall

There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Western Michigan Broncos in 2024. Jalen Buckley is back after a 1,003-yard effort as a true freshman. All three receivers are back. The defensive line is back. Last year, the Broncos went 4-8 with just one win against an FCS team out of conference. This year, they look to contend for bowl eligibility but this non-conference slate will make it difficult.

Traveling to Wisconsin is tough for even the best teams. The Badgers struggled last year due mostly to the fact that they have completely changed their offensive identity. This year should provide greater results. Tyler Van Dyke transferred in from Miami (FL) and Chez Mellusi should be able to carry the load when healthy. Additionally, Wisconsin is going to have a stout defense, as expected.

Then, a trip to Ohio State. The Buckeyes went 11-2 last year. Naturally, their starting quarterback was run off, the crowd was calling for Ryan Day’s head, and the world was ending. Now, they return what feels like 20 NFL-bound players and is expected to contend for more than just a Big Ten title and CFP berth. These two teams have played just once before. Needless to say, this year’s bout might be a bit more lopsided than the 38-12 result from 2015.

The schedule lightens up a bit after Bethune-Cookman (FCS) comes to town. A trip to former MAC rival Marshall looks to be a good one. The Herd struggled last year despite having Rasheen Ali at running back. Now, only one starter returns on offense, and three return on defense. Could this be the beginning of the Cole Pennington era? Either way, circle this one if you’re looking for some good old-fashioned G5 on G5 action.

2. Kent State: at Pitt, vs. St. Francis (FCS), at Tennessee, at Penn State

In terms of average ranking among all five outlets, Kent State comes in as the third-worst. Their average ranking of 131.6 is only behind Kennesaw State (132.4) and Louisiana-Monroe (132.2). Out of 134 total teams. Last year, the Golden Flashes only beat an FCS team and had an average margin of defeat at 24.3 points. They had the worst scoring offense in all of college football and the 12th-worst scoring defense. This team is rough.

To kick off the year, Kent State takes a trip west to Pitt. Last year, the Panthers struggled. They are expected to be at least a little better in 2024. Pitt brought in one of the best offensive minds from the FCS level and return a healthy chunk of starters on offense. Nate Yarnell looks like he’s ready to take on the role of full-time quarterback after the program has faltered at the position of late.

After getting to host St. Francis (FCS), the difficult stretch begins. Tennessee hasn’t been the cream of the crop in the SEC but they’ve been hanging around. Josh Heupel’s system begets points and redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava has a talented supporting cast. Oh, and the current favorite to go first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft James Pearce, Jr. is on this Volunteer defense. With the expanded College Football Playoff, Tennessee could be knocking on the door for an at-large bid.

Speaking of potential CFP participants, Penn State has been the epitome of “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” in the Big Ten of late. Ever since winning the conference in 2016, the Nittany Lions have gone 0-7 against Ohio State and 3-4 against Michigan. However, they’ll be right in the thick of the discussion yet again. That Nittany Lion defense is legit.

1. Akron: at Ohio State, at Rutgers, vs Colgate (FCS), at South Carolina

The most difficult non-conference schedule in the MAC belongs to the Akron Zips. Last year, they had a rough go of it, overall. The Zips finished 2-10 and only one of those wins came out of conference and it was against an FCS team. This year isn’t likely to let up. There wasn’t a unit on the field that didn’t struggle. While it may be putting lipstick on a pig, the bright side for the Zips’ 2023 season was three losses were in overtime. While 5-7 wouldn’t look great, it’s progress.

Akron kicks off the year with a trip south to Columbus. Ohio State is a 50.5-point favorite. That is all.

Then, the Zips take a trip out to Rutgers. Normally, you’d think Rutgers vs. a MAC team would be pretty even. Not so much anymore. The Scarlet Knights have a favorable schedule and plenty of talent to head coach Greg Schiano. This Rutgers team might be the best its been since its 11-2 campaign in 2006. Kyle Monangai is one of the best running backs in the Big Ten and new quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis can sling it. And, if Athlon Sport’s preview is to be correct, the Rutgers defense is going to have 11 seniors starting.

After a breather against Colgate, Akron takes its third non-conference trip. This time, it’s to South Carolina. The Gamecocks are not expected to be great but Phil Steele seems to be much higher on them than the other four (27th vs 33rd, 40th, 40th, and 41st). Spencer Rattler is off to the NFL after dragging the South Carolina offense to five wins. Now, the Gamecocks have Raheim Sanders (1,400+ yards in his last healthy season in 2022) and an intact secondary on the other side of the ball. South Carolina might struggle to win four games this year and this will be one.