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Conference record book

Mid-American Conference Top 25 Games of the 1980s

The best games involving a MAC member at the time of kickoff, ranked without favoring either side.

Games
25
Top score
49/100
Overtime
0

National ranking

The conference's top 25

2 of these games include at least one AP-ranked team at kickoff. Open a supported game for its box score and statistics.

  1. 1987Week 13

    Toledo at Miami

    Toledo 14, Miami 24

    Nonconference

    Unranked Toledo vs. No. 2 Miami · 10-point margin

    Ranking 24/50 · Closeness 25/35 · Overtime 0/15

    49

    Game score

  2. 1989Week 10

    Ball State at Central Michigan

    Ball State 13, Central Michigan 13

    Conference game

    Unranked Ball State vs. Unranked Central Michigan · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  3. 1989Week 7

    Miami (OH) at Ohio

    Miami (OH) 22, Ohio 22

    Conference game

    Unranked Miami (OH) vs. Unranked Ohio · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  4. 1989Week 4

    Colorado State at Eastern Michigan

    Colorado State 35, Eastern Michigan 35

    Nonconference

    Unranked Colorado State vs. Unranked Eastern Michigan · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  5. 1989Week 2

    Rutgers at Ball State

    Rutgers 31, Ball State 31

    Nonconference

    Unranked Rutgers vs. Unranked Ball State · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  6. 1988Week 10

    Ohio at Eastern Michigan

    Ohio 17, Eastern Michigan 17

    Conference game

    Unranked Ohio vs. Unranked Eastern Michigan · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  7. 1988Week 10

    Bowling Green at Miami (OH)

    Bowling Green 21, Miami (OH) 21

    Conference game

    Unranked Bowling Green vs. Unranked Miami (OH) · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  8. 1987Week 12

    Central Michigan at Toledo

    Central Michigan 17, Toledo 17

    Conference game

    Unranked Central Michigan vs. Unranked Toledo · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  9. 1985Week 8

    Miami (OH) at Western Michigan

    Miami (OH) 10, Western Michigan 10

    Conference game

    Unranked Miami (OH) vs. Unranked Western Michigan · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  10. 1984Week 8

    Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan

    Northern Illinois 10, Eastern Michigan 10

    Conference game

    Unranked Northern Illinois vs. Unranked Eastern Michigan · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  11. 1984Week 7

    Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan

    Eastern Michigan 16, Central Michigan 16

    Conference game

    Unranked Eastern Michigan vs. Unranked Central Michigan · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  12. 1984Week 6

    Ohio at Toledo

    Ohio 16, Toledo 16

    Conference game

    Unranked Ohio vs. Unranked Toledo · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  13. 1982Week 12

    Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan

    Eastern Michigan 3, Western Michigan 3

    Conference game

    Unranked Eastern Michigan vs. Unranked Western Michigan · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  14. 1982Week 6

    Central Michigan at Western Michigan

    Central Michigan 18, Western Michigan 18

    Conference game

    Unranked Central Michigan vs. Unranked Western Michigan · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  15. 1981Week 6

    Bowling Green at Miami (OH)

    Bowling Green 7, Miami (OH) 7

    Conference game

    Unranked Bowling Green vs. Unranked Miami (OH) · 0-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15

    35

    Game score

  16. 1986Week 4

    Miami (OH) at LSU

    Miami (OH) 21, LSU 12

    Nonconference

    Unranked Miami (OH) vs. No. 18 LSU · 9-point margin

    Ranking 8/50 · Closeness 26/35 · Overtime 0/15

    34

    Game score

  17. 1989Week 11

    Bowling Green at Western Michigan

    Bowling Green 31, Western Michigan 30

    Conference game

    Unranked Bowling Green vs. Unranked Western Michigan · 1-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15

    34

    Game score

  18. 1989Week 10

    Western Michigan at Toledo

    Western Michigan 18, Toledo 19

    Conference game

    Unranked Western Michigan vs. Unranked Toledo · 1-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15

    34

    Game score

  19. 1989Week 8

    Western Michigan at Ball State

    Western Michigan 13, Ball State 14

    Conference game

    Unranked Western Michigan vs. Unranked Ball State · 1-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15

    34

    Game score

  20. 1989Week 7

    Liberty at Eastern Michigan

    Liberty 25, Eastern Michigan 24

    Nonconference

    Unranked Liberty vs. Unranked Eastern Michigan · 1-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15

    34

    Game score

  21. 1989Week 5

    Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan

    Eastern Michigan 21, Western Michigan 20

    Conference game

    Unranked Eastern Michigan vs. Unranked Western Michigan · 1-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15

    34

    Game score

  22. 1989Week 3

    Akron at Central Michigan

    Akron 27, Central Michigan 26

    Nonconference

    Unranked Akron vs. Unranked Central Michigan · 1-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15

    34

    Game score

  23. 1988Week 11

    Toledo at Eastern Michigan

    Toledo 19, Eastern Michigan 20

    Conference game

    Unranked Toledo vs. Unranked Eastern Michigan · 1-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15

    34

    Game score

  24. 1988Week 10

    Ball State at Northern Illinois

    Ball State 18, Northern Illinois 17

    Nonconference

    Unranked Ball State vs. Unranked Northern Illinois · 1-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15

    34

    Game score

  25. 1987Week 13

    Central Michigan at Bowling Green

    Central Michigan 17, Bowling Green 18

    Conference game

    Unranked Central Michigan vs. Unranked Bowling Green · 1-point margin

    Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15

    34

    Game score

Methodology

How each game earns up to 100 points

AP ranking, 50 points: each team earns 26 minus its game-time AP rank. Unranked teams receive zero.

Closeness, 35 points: the final margin is subtracted from 35, with margins of 35 or more receiving zero.

Overtime, 15 points: overtime starts at nine points and rises by two per additional period, capped at 15.

Conference inclusion comes from each team's conference ID stored on the game row, so later realignment never rewrites history. Regular-season AP ranks come from the game's week; postseason ranks use the final regular-season poll before bowl and playoff results.