The history and impact of midweek MACtion

Since its start in 1999, midweek “MACtion” has been a core part of the identity of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Every Saturday, millions of college football fans tune in to College GameDay on ESPN, watching their favorite top 25 team compete to improve their rankings and playoff hopes. Lower-level and Group of Five teams, however, fall under the radar.

Many are surprised when they hear there’s a Miami University in Oxford, thinking instead of the one in Florida.

Towards the end of the 20th century, Miami and the rest of the MAC wanted to play more games on national television to increase viewership. They knew that they couldn’t compete on Fridays and Saturdays against the nationally-ranked teams, but if they played on weekday nights when no other collegiate or professional teams competed, people might give them a shot.

The first midweek MAC game occurred on Thursday, Oct. 14, 1999, when the Marshall University Thundering Herd (now a member of the Sun Belt Conference) defeated the University of Toledo Rockets 38-13. The following season marked the first Wednesday MAC game when Toledo defeated the Bowling Green State University Falcons 51-14 on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2000.

The number of midweek games played by MAC teams skyrocketed throughout the 2000s, and the term “MACtion” began to spread nationwide to refer to these matchups.

Overall, Miami’s record in midweek MAC games is 30-23. Since head coach Chuck Martin was hired in 2014, Miami is 19-8 in these games.

The RedHawks played their first MACtion game on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2002, when they travelled down to Marshall. Ben Roethlisberger led the team back from two double-digit deficits, but Miami ultimately lost the game 36-34 on a last-minute touchdown from the Thundering Herd.

Miami hosted and won its first midweek MAC game the following season. The RedHawks blanked Bowling Green 33-10 on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003. Once again led by Roethlisberger, Miami later defeated Bowling Green again in the MAC championship that year before defeating the University of Louisville in the GMAC Bowl, finishing the season 13-1.

Arguably, the most signature midweek game played by Miami was on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. The RedHawks faced the Ohio University Bobcats during the 150th anniversary of the game of football. Miami won 24-21 thanks to a 53-yard field goal in the fourth quarter by Sam Sloman.

Throughout the past two-and-a-half decades, MACtion has allowed the conference to gain national exposure. Without those Tuesday and Wednesday games, many people would not have heard about the Roethlisbergers or Antonio Browns of the college football world. Even recently, players like Harold Fannin Jr. on the Cleveland Browns have benefited from the film of those midweek games.

It may be challenging for players and coaches to adjust to weekday games in the middle of the season, but the exposure is unique and something that other conferences have begun to pick up over the last few years.

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“The exposure is awesome,” Martin said. “Not only for us, but for the whole league. After that first week, it’s like Saturday is Tuesday and Sunday is Wednesday.”

While the RedHawks make the transition from playing on Saturdays to weekdays, they get a bye week in between. For redshirt senior kicker Dom Dzioban, this provides the team with some much-needed time off and helps the transition flow smoothly.

“It’s November, and we got guys banged up,” Dzioban said. “So we get a few extra days to recover, which is good, but logistically, it all pretty much stays the same – just the days change.”

After Miami eases into the adjustment, the players love playing these games. It provides the RedHawks the chance to showcase what they and the rest of the MAC are about compared to other conferences.

Redshirt senior linebacker Corban Hondru said the main difference between playing on weeknights and weekends is the environment of the stadium.

“It’s a different animal you got to prepare for,” Hondru said. “It’s a totally different atmosphere, but it’s definitely a great experience, and I love it. It’s honestly great for the conference to be able to get a bunch of viewers seeing how wild the MAC is.”

Miami’s stretch of MACtion this season is rapidly approaching. The RedHawks travel to Athens to face the Bobcats on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The following week, Miami welcomes Toledo to Yager Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 12, before travelling again to the University of Buffalo on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

The RedHawks have won their last seven MACtion games, with their last loss in 2022. Powered by not only the experience of Martin but the players as well, Miami looks to keep its success through conference play rolling and extend the midweek win streak to 10 games.

hartlapo@miamioh.edu