The Mid-American Conference is a funny thing. On paper, it’s a small market conference, filled with small market teams, in the shadow of the tradition-rich and blue chip old money Big Ten. Maybe there’s the sideshow attraction oddity that catches the eyes of the nation a la 2008 Ball State, 2012 NIU, or Marshall back in the day, but on the whole, it’s a conference filled and followed by loyalists who be small but mighty.
That lack of attention and relegation to not-at-the-forefront status is a hallmark of MAC fandom, and one that binds the MAC together. But it also creates a sense of importance on the out of conference contests unlike any other conference in America.