2022 MAC Conference Title Odds, Picks and Preview – Toledo Leads Crowded Group of Contenders

• The Toledo Rockets are +300 favorites to win the MAC football conference title
• Four other schools are showing odds to win shorter than +1000
• The defending champion Northern Illinois Huskies are listing at a betting line of +430

The element that football bettors love about the MAC is the unpredictable nature of this NCAA football conference. The games are wild and the outcomes uncertain.

A similar approach applies to the conference title odds for the MAC. When it comes to getting a little MACtion, playing favorites just isn’t the way to go. You might not find MAC schools ranking highly in the national championship odds or Heisman Trophy odds, but you will find MAC football to be exciting.

At a betting line of +300, it’s the Toledo Rockets who are favored to win the MAC this season in the college football conference odds, just as they were in 2019. But Toledo didn’t win the title that season. It was the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks.

2022 MAC Conference Championship Odds

Odds as of August 11 at Caesars Sportsbook. See the available Caesars Sportsbook promo code.

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At that +300 betting line, the Rockets are offering an implied probability of victory of 25%. Bet $10 on Toledo and if the Rockets end up as MAC champions, the payout will be $55.00.

Favorites Fail In MAC

Last season, the Buffalo Bulls went into the season as the +200 chalk to capture the MAC football crown. When a conference champion was crowned at season’s end, it was the Northern Illinois Huskies who were lifting the trophy. At the start of the season, Northern Illinois was the 10th betting choice to win the MAC at odds of +1400.

Constantly improving in all three phases‼️#RiseUpRedHawks | 🎓🏆 pic.twitter.com/iyeAjIU19t

— Miami Football (@MiamiOHFootball) August 11, 2022

In 2020, it was the Ohio Bobcats who were the +325 betting pick of the oddsmakers to take the MAC. Ball State, the #4 betting pick at +600, won the conference.

One year earlier, the smart money was backing Toledo at +225 to take the conference title. Instead, Miami, #6 in this betting market at +750, won the championship of the conference.

Will The Rockets Implode?

Based on this recent past history, should bettors shy away from backing Toledo to win the MAC title?  Well, the Rockets do have a penchant for underachieving.

Despite a roster filled with an abundance of talent, the Rockets haven’t been able to unlock the key to a conference title. Toledo shows a 24-20 record over the past four seasons. That’s including a 7-6 slate in 2021.

First practice of Fall Camp in the 📚 good to be back 😎 pic.twitter.com/bqIXgj8wok

— Toledo Football (@ToledoFB) August 2, 2022

Toledo’s offense was averaging 33.4 points per game and 6.6 yards per play last season. The Rockets have lost running back Bryant Koback (1,400 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns) to the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. However, they do retain quarterback Dequan Finn. He created 2,549 in total yards last season, as well as 27 TDs.

Tough Sledding For Huskies

No one was expecting Northern Illinois to win the conference title last season. It’s just as likely few are anticipating a repeat performance.

You have to go back to 2011-12 to find a repeat champion in the MAC. Then again, that repeat champion was the Huskies.

Mr. Reliable 🙌

NIU Kicker John Richardson represents the MAC on the 2022 Lou Groza Award Watch List! The award is presented annually to the best place-kicker in college football.#MACtion pic.twitter.com/SVNnfiitxA

— #MACtion (@MACSports) July 29, 2022

Head coach Thomas Hammock is welcoming back 17 starters from his title-winning squad. However,  Northern Illinois will be needing to stiffen up a defense that was 10th at stopping the run in the MAC and allowed 33.7 PPG.

The Huskies are set at just 6.5 in the college football win totals, which seems somewhat low.

It’s A Wide Open Race

Sports bettors are always seeking out value. And value tends to seek out the conference title in the MAC.

Since 2015, 11 of the 12 teams in the MAC have played in the conference championship game. Seven different schools have won the title over the past seven years.

The thing about trends is that eventually, they come to an end. Or in this case, they are repeated.

And just because it's practice two and I haven't said it yet, I feel like it should be pointed out Rocky Lombardi is still a very good quarterback. Poised and accurate on a day when the focus of the full team drills was the ground attack.

— Edward Carifio (@DDCEddieCarifio) August 3, 2022

Northern Illinois was the last school to go back-to-back in the MAC. In Michigan State transfer Rocky Lombardi, the Huskies have a stellar QB. With the Spartans, he beat Michigan.

Northern Illinois was good enough to topple a Power Five school (Georgia Tech) last season. The Huskies are deep enough and talented enough to pull off the rare MAC repeat.

Pick: Northern Illinois Huskies (+430)