MAC commissioner: Despite shifting landscape, no plans for expansion

CLEVELAND – With several Football Bowl Subdivision conferences realigning or in the process of realigning their conferences during the past year, the Mid-American Conference seems to be content with its 12-team membership, at least for now.

Last season, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky were reportedly targeted additions, which would’ve increased the league’s membership to 14. At the MAC football kickoff Tuesday at the House of Blues in Cleveland, commissioner Jon Steinbrecher discussed the MAC’s view on potential future realignment.

After the latest wave of conference realignment, in which it was revealed UCLA and USC would join the Big Ten beginning in 2024, Steinbrecher, who led the kickoff with opening remarks, said he told the MAC’s member institutions to “be patient, evaluate any information with a critical eye and continue to look for opportunities.”

In the past year, Steinbrecher said the MAC was contacted by several programs supposedly interested in joining the league. He also noted how the MAC is protective of the geography, culture and philosophies of its member institutions and said “there was not enough additive value” to add any schools to this point.

“Probably at every meeting we have with our directors of athletics and presidents we talk about the environment and what’s going on around us, and what does that mean for us?” Steinbrecher said. “You expand for two reasons: You expand because you have to to survive, you expand to make yourself stronger. So we continue to go back and examine.”

But with the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference expanding to 16 teams over the next few years and continuous talk of the formation of super leagues, where does that leave the MAC?

Steinbrecher admitted he doesn’t know if the current Football Bowl Subdivision is moving toward a consolidation of only a few conferences, but he did say he believes intercollegiate athletics is “healthier when it has a number of vibrant, sound and stable conferences all filled with member institutions.” He also expressed his support in expanding the College Football Playoff to 12 or even 16 teams.

Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock seems to align with Steinbrecher’s view of the MAC, which had eight teams compete in bowls last season, in the current college football landscape. Hammock said that whatever happens he hopes the decision makers can “keep college football college football” and not forget about the players like the 24 in attendance Tuesday.

“To me, that’s what makes college football special,” Hammock said. “With all these schools, with all their money, there’s still small schools that beat big schools because guys like this who have a chip on their shoulders say, ‘Hey, I’m just as good as that guy over there at school X.’

“That’s the great thing about athletics, that on any given day, any given week, you can be beaten.”

Last season, Northern Illinois opened the season with a 22-21 victory over Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Georgia Tech thanks to a game-winning 2-point play on a pass from Rocky Lombardi to Tyrice Richie.

This season, the Huskies will play two SEC opponents – at home against Vanderbilt on Sept. 17 and at Kentucky on Sept. 24.

Lombardi, who spent three seasons at Michigan State before transferring to Northern Illinois last season, said the MAC is in a weird situation in terms of conference realignment because of its location in the Midwest.

“All this stuff is way above my head. I have no idea what’s going on,” Lombardi said with a laugh. “Luckily, this is my last year, so I don’t have to worry about conference realignment. All I know is that UCLA and USC are now in the Big Ten, and that’s messed up. I’m going to have to tell my kids I played in the Big Ten before USC and UCLA [joined].”