Cue Andy Williams’ 1963 hit “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” because it currently applies, as Bowl Season is finally here. The 45-game bowl slate — including all College Football Playoff rounds — kicked off Saturday night in Los Angeles and continues through the national championship in mid-January.
This year, the Mid-American Conference earned five representatives — Western Michigan, Toledo, Ohio, Central Michigan, and Miami (OH) — which will all compete for trophies and legacy-defining wins throughout the month of December. As we prepare to watch these five teams in their final matchup of 2025, here is one storyline to monitor for each MAC bowl participant:
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Kennesaw State
Friday, Dec. 19 — 11 a.m. ET on ESPN | Conway, SC
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Showdown between conference champions
Excluding potential CFP matchups, there is only one postseason matchup between conference champions. On Friday, Dec. 19 at 11 a.m. on the East Coast, MAC champion Western Michigan squares off against Conference USA champion Kennesaw State in the sixth-annual Myrtle Beach Bowl. The brown and gold and black and gold will stick out on the teal “Surf Turf” of Brooks Stadium, as two teams coming off triumphant wins in early December aim to conclude spectacular seasons on a high-note. This is the second-straight year the MAC champion and CUSA champion met in a bowl, as Ohio edged Jacksonville State 30-27 in the 2024 Cure Bowl. However, the wearer of the MAC crown doesn’t have the best postseason history. In 13 seasons since 2012, the MAC champion has only hoisted a bowl trophy three times (2020 Ball State, 2022 Toledo, 2024 Ohio).
Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo vs. Louisville
Tuesday, Dec. 23 — 2 p.m. ET on ESPN | Boca Raton, FL
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Toledo aims to stamp dominant defensive season
Toledo’s defense has been on another level all season. The Rockets currently rank third in fewest yards allowed per game at 248 and fourth in fewest points per game at 12.2. It’s the best total defense for Toledo of the 21st century and the program’s second-best scoring defense since 1970 — only trailing the 2000 team which surrendered 11.4 points per game. The Rockets limited six of 12 opponents to single-digits this year, including five to three points or fewer. Not a single team eclipsed 28 points on this commanding defense, which saw nine of its 11 starters earn All-MAC honors. Despite head coach Jason Candle leaving for UConn, interim head coach Robert Weiner aims to cap an incredible defensive season against Toledo’s toughest opponent of 2025. Louisville has been banged up lately, especially at the skill positions, but the Cardinals’ 30.2 points per game offense looks to disrupt Toledo’s impenetrable defense in the 2025 Boca Raton Bowl.
Frisco Bowl: Ohio vs. UNLV
Tuesday, Dec. 23 — 9 p.m. ET on ESPN | Frisco, TX
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Potential John Hauser coaching audition?
In a chaotic season that featured a slew of coaching changes, perhaps the quietest one was made on the evening of Monday, Dec. 1. Fresh off an 8-4 season, continuing the best 4-year run in Ohio history, the Bobcats announced first-year head coach Brian Smith would be on leave for an undisclosed amount of time. The surprising move places defensive coordinator John Hauser as the interim head coach for the upcoming Frisco Bowl vs. UNLV — Ohio’s 14th bowl appearance in 17 seasons and its first Frisco Bowl bid since 2018. Last year, Ohio operated under an interim in Brian Smith for its Cure Bowl win over Jacksonville State. Depending on the nature of Smith’s absence, could this be Hauser’s audition to become the next frontman at Ohio? The Bobcats have kept things internal for over two decades, as each of their last two head coaching hires — Tim Albin and Brian Smith — were assistants before taking the reins of the program. Dec. 23 will mark Hauser’s first head coaching gig of his 23-year coaching career, as he eyes Ohio’s seventh-straight bowl win.
GameAbove Sports Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Northwestern
Friday, Dec. 26 — 1 p.m. ET on ESPN | Detroit, MI
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MAC aims to end Big Ten bowl drought
The MAC famously manufactured a 16-season streak, lasting from 2006-22 (with the exclusion of 2020 when both leagues played conference-only schedules) where it defeated at least one Big Ten opponent. However, the MAC now rides a three-season and 29-game drought against the Big Ten, with Miami (OH)’s September 2022 victory over Northwestern serving as the last triumph. In Bowl Season, no MAC team has bested a Big Ten opponent since the 2003 Motor City Bowl in Detroit, where Bowling Green used a late Josh Harris touchdown pass to take down Northwestern, 28-24, on Dec. 26. Fast-forward to Dec. 26, 2025 and once again, Detroit hosts a bowl game between a MAC school and Northwestern. The MAC is 0-5 vs. the Big Ten in the postseason since Bowling Green’s 2003 Motor City Bowl win (four of those five losses transpired in Detroit), but Central Michigan earns an opportunity to halt that two-decade-plus skid.
Arizona Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State
Saturday, Dec. 27 — 4:30 p.m. ET on The CW Network | Tucson, AZ
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Does Snoop Dogg greet the RedHawks on the podium again?
Snoop Dogg’s favorite NBA team is the Los Angeles Lakers. Snoop Dogg’s favorite NFL team is the Pittsburgh Steelers. But who is Snoop Dogg’s favorite college football team? Last year, the famous rapper made a grand entrance from a convertible to present the Miami RedHawks the Arizona Bowl trophy after their 43-17 domination of Colorado State — a fitting ending to the first Arizona Bowl sponsored by his Gin & Juice brand. He met head coach Chuck Martin on the podium and presented former RedHawk running back and kick returner Kevin Davis with a custom chain for the MVP. This year, Miami experienced a near-identical season. The RedHawks started 0-3, climbed out of that hole to qualify for the MAC Championship Game, fell short in Detroit, but receive a bounce-back opportunity in Tucson. This time Fresno State stands in Miami’s way of a second-straight Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl title. Can the RedHawks prevail, behind the reins of redshirt freshman quarterback Thomas Gotkowski, to secure the honors as Snoop Dogg’s favorite college football team?
