Team tries for rare MAC three-peat

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Winning three consecutive championships in any conference – or even any sport – is no easy task.

But it may take the CMU football team’s best to become the fourth team to three-peat in the Mid-American Conference.

Coach Butch Jones considers this year’s crop of MAC teams one of the most competitive in recent memory.

“Every team has a lot of returning experience,” he said. “Western Michigan gets all of their starters back on defense. Toledo gets most of their guys back. Ball State has a strong senior class.

“Each team in the MAC West is very hungry. If you look at the scores in the conference last year, almost all of them were decided by a touchdown or less. That’s the parity and competitiveness that surrounds the conference.”

The team returns 16 starters from last year’s team, including many of its key players that helped make it the top scoring offense in the conference.

But every team in the MAC West returns its starting quarterback, and only Toledo (five on offense) lost more than four players on either side of the ball.

“We return a lot of starters, but it seems like everybody returns a little bit more,” said junior quarterback Dan LeFevour. “Everybody’s a little bit improved. We’re going to have to bring our A-game every week.”

The team may have to grind it out late in the season, much like it did last year. CMU’s last four regular-season MAC games last year were decided by one touchdown or less.

In its season-opener against Toledo, the teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 31 before pulling away with 21 consecutive points.

“There’s a fine line between winning and losing,” Jones said. “It may come down to a play here and a play there.”

Marshall was the last MAC school to three-peat when it won four straight championships from 1997 to 2000. Miami University previously did it from 1973-75 and Toledo from 1969-71.

No MAC West team has won three consecutive division championships since its inception in 1997. CMU was the first to repeat as conference champions after beating Miami 35-10 last season.

“Everybody’s going to be gunning for us because we’re the MAC champs, just like they did last year,” said senior running back Justin Hoskins. “The coaches put great emphasis on that. We’re training harder than we were last year so we’re ready for it.”

Seven of the team’s final eight games are against MAC opponents, and three of its final four conference games are on the road (Toledo, Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan).

“The team that stays focused throughout the season, the team that stays the healthiest, is probably the team that will win the MAC this year,” Jones said.

bmanzullo@cm-life.com