The top two finishers in the 2016 MAC West earned enough respect to gather some votes in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll for 2017.
Western Michigan Broncos
Western Michigan, fresh off a 13-1 season, will not begin 2017 in the rankings despite overwhelming success and a Cotton Bowl appearance last season. The Broncos face several key losses including head coach P.J. Fleck, quarterbacks Zach Terrell and possible starter Tom Flacco, wide receiver Corey Davis, and offensive tackle Taylor Moton. Starting tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and running back duo Jarvion Franklin and Jamauri Bogan are back to lead the Broncos though.