[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Toledo Rockets were chosen as preseason favorites to not only win the MAC West Division, but also run away with the MAC Championship.
Preseason polls released Wednesday during MAC Media Day at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. had Toledo running away with the conference while Bowling Green takes the East Division title. Toledo was chosen with a total of 121 to win the West Division, just one point ahead of Western Michigan and eight ahead of five-time defending West champion Northern Illinois.
Bowling Green had 160 points to run away with the East Division.
Toledo will see the return of junior running back Kareem Hunt, who rushed for 1,631 yards and 16 touchdowns in 10 games for the Rockets last year. Hunt will lead the offense, which also sees the return of star wide receivers Alonzo Russell (770 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Corey Jones (842 yards, 5 touchdowns).
The Toledo defense returns 10 starters, including defensive end Trent Voss. In 2014, Voss had 77 tackles with 15 of those for a loss.
Over the last five years, five different programs have competed in the Marathon MAC Championship Game at Ford Field while 10 MAC programs have appeared in bowl games.
For MAC football, the 2015 season kicks off on Thursday, September 3 with four non-conference games.
MAC Preseason Poll
