Best MAC futures bets ahead of the 2021 college football season

After a lot of offseason changes for some of the top teams in the conference, the MAC looks wide open heading into the 2021 college football season.

Good cases can be made for several teams to win the conference, which makes it such an interesting group to dig into in the preseason. Since 2013, no team has repeated as conference champions in the MAC. After Ball State won its first conference championship in school history last season, will we see another under-the-radar team rise up and win it in 2021?

Team	Win Total	PFF	Conference Champ Odds	Implied Conf. Champ Odds	PFF
Akron	2.5	3.2	+10000	0.01	0
Ball State	8	6.1	+350	0.22	0.07
Bowling Green	1.5	3.7	+15000	0.01	0.01
Buffalo	7.5	7.8	+500	0.17	0.27
Central Michigan	6.5	5	+450	0.18	0.03
Eastern Michigan	6.5	6.6	+2200	0.04	0.09
Kent State	5.5	5.8	+900	0.1	0.08
Miami (OH)	4.5	6	+3300	0.03	0.08
Northern Illinois	3.5	4.2	+4000	0.02	0.01
Ohio	6.5	6.4	+600	0.14	0.08
Toledo	8.5	7.5	+350	0.22	0.13
Western Michigan	6	6.9	+900	0.1	0.16

*Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Conference Championship Odds

Best Bet: Western Michigan +900

Buffalo is tempting after its performance last season, but you could argue that the Bulls have lost more than almost anyone in the country after last season. Coach Lance Leipold took the head job at Kansas very late in the cycle (early May), which would have been tough to overcome even without the ripple effects it caused. Leipold brought Buffalo’s offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach, defensive coordinator/safeties coach, quarterback coach, offensive line coach, linebackers coach, special teams coordinator/defensive ends coach and even the recruiting coordinator with him to Kansas.