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Full Version: For the MAC Vets: What was the best season for the MAC?
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Is there a particular season that MAC fans look back on as having been really special. Maybe there were close finishes or great battles amongst the rivals. Just curious since we at UCF have never been in a league in FBall.
It's gotta be the '99 season...
The MAC had a team finish the season undefeated (in conference and overall)...a heisman trophy finalist...a team finish nationally ranked in the top 10...its' third consecutive bowl victory...the best conference championship game ever played in any conference...
of course I might just be a lil' biased.

Go Herd!
EconoKnight, I'm sure you're going to get 8 different type of answers because we all tend to only remember the years that OUR OWN team won out in an exciting conference race.

From a postseason perspective last year was pretty special because the MAC won two bowl games (1st time ever) and had two teams in the final rankings (1st time ever). There were other exciting years from a postseason perspective, and of course any UT fan will tell you about Toledo's 35 game winning streak around 69-70-71 and any Miami fan (like me) will cite the 32-1-1 "run" by the RedHawks in 73-74-75 when they mowed down Florida, Georgia, and S. Carolina in bowl games.

Regular season-wise, the most exciting finish for me was 1974 when Miami made a last second 40 yard FG to beat Kent (yes, Kent) 19-17 in the last game of the season to keep us unbeaten (we tied at Purdue earlier). If Kent had won they would've gone to the Tangerine Bowl; instead, we went and beat Georgia 21-10 to end up ranked 10th in the country.
I'd argue pretty hard that last season was the best in MAC history, for a variety of reasons.

The 1994 season was exciting because of the finish. I'll let Central Michigan's Web site explain, because I can't stomach describing the "Fat Punter" game again:


Nov. 12, 1994--CMU 36, Bowling Green 33

For the last game of the season, the Chippewas traveled to Bowling Green to play in a winner-take-all game for the MAC championship and a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. Two unusual plays helped CMU earn the victory.

The first came in the second quarter when a pass from Erik Timpf bounced off the intended receiver and into Brian Pruitt's hands for his second touchdown of the day. Then in the fourth quarter, one of the greatest plays in CMU history happened. Bowling Green had a 25-21 lead and momentum in the game as it forced CMU to a fourth-and-three situation. On his own call, CMU punter Craig Fischer faked the punt and ran 73 yards for a touchdown, regaining the lead for CMU. The Chippewas scored again on a Brian Pruitt one-yard run and held off a Falcon charge at the end of the game for the victory. The victory gave Coach Dick Flynn a conference championship in his first season as head coach.
Agree so far. Thanks again for the recap, RF! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> I never get tired of that story. I heard the play on the radio and saw the big moments later that night, on the news.

The memory of '94 is rather bittersweet for a Chippewa fan, though. I -- and others, I'm sure -- can't help but wonder: would we have given up that MAC Championship for an earlier dismissal of Flynn? Winning the title in his first season -- which nearly any coach could have done, I'm convinced -- cemented him as the new big cheese and began the slow erosion of a good and successful program. Even the bowl game that season showed signs of later trouble. The same team that rolled to victory over UNLV earlier that season looked ill-prepared against the Rebels, and I doubt the injury loss of Brian Pruitt was the whole story.

At the same time, you can never hate a guy who was such a good DC for so many years and at least allowed a talented team to win the conference title.
I agree with exCincy Kid. Those 1973 & 1974 Miami teams where really fun to watch. I was also at the Kent State game in 1974 and it was an exciting game. I also saw a couple games in the 1973 season when they went undefeated and beat Purdue, SC, & then Florida in the Tangerine bowl. There may have been better years for the MAC, but the best times I remember were 1973/1974 for Miami. There was a really good atmosphere there especially around that time of year in SW Ohio.
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