The NEIM Road to the College Football Playoff looks at the MAC's national profile, and how far conference teams need to climb to earn the Group of 5 top bowl game spot, as well as how far they need to climb to gain an unprecedented spot in the college football playoff:
MAC Average National Rank
| Team | Average National Rank | CFP Magic # | High | Low |
| WMU | 50 | 46 | 65 | 31 |
| Toledo | 58 | 54 | 87 | 39 |
| NIU | 67 | 63 | 81 | 49 |
| BGSU | 71 | 67 | 93 | 53 |
| CMU | 75 | 71 | 85 | 46 |
| Ohio | 79 | 75 | 100 | 59 |
| Akron | 89 | 85 | 112 | 64 |
| Buffalo | 104 | 100 | 114 | 92 |
| Ball State | 110 | 106 | 123 | 101 |
| Kent | 110 | 106 | 120 | 103 |
| Miami (OH) | 111 | 107 | 124 | 106 |
| EMU | 123 | 119 | 128 | 110 |
| USA Today Myerberg, CBS Sports, ESPN FPI, Orlando Sentinel, Massey, Billingsley + MOV, S&P, Bill C SB Nation | ||||
The MAC puts 2 teams in the top half of the nation, as everyone waits for the assumed week 13 MAC West Championship Game showdown between WMU and Toledo.