Football Broncos head to MAC Championship

Photo of the 2016 °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍøÖ±²¥ football team.

2016 Marathon MAC Championship game—7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The No. 13 (AP) ranked °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍøÖ±²¥ football Broncos will face the Ohio University Bobcats in the 2016 Marathon MAC Championship game at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at Ford Field in Detroit. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

Under the direction of head coach P.J. Fleck, the 12-0 (8-0 MAC) Broncos are ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25, No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the CFP poll going into the championship game. They are one of just two undefeated teams left in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The other is No. 1-ranked Alabama, also 12-0. °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍøÖ±²¥ is vying for its first MAC Championship since 1988.

Ohio is 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the MAC.

Tickets for the Marathon MAC Championship game are available for purchase through the Ford Field ticket office at . As of early Thursday, sales had exceeded 46,000—triple the attendance of last year's game.

A season of firsts

The 2016 season has been historic for the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍøÖ±²¥ football program. The Broncos defeated Toledo 55-35 Friday, Nov. 25, at Waldo Stadium to become the MAC West Division champions for the first time since 2000. During that game, senior wide receiver Corey Davis broke the Football Bowl Subdivision all-time career receiving record with 5,068 yards. He also became the first player in history with more than 5,000 yards, 300 receptions and 50 touchdowns. He holds the MAC record with 317 career receptions, and had the highest number of touchdown catches in the FBS this season with 17.

This fall brought about a number of other firsts for °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍøÖ±²¥, Kalamazoo and Bronco football.

  • Following an Oct. 1 win over arch-rival Central Michigan University, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍøÖ±²¥ was ranked in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll for the first time in program history. Days later, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍøÖ±²¥ made its debut in the AP Top 25. The University would also go on to make its first appearance in the College Football Playoff rankings.
  • After a Nov. 1 win over Ball State, the Broncos improved to 9-0 and 5-0 in the MAC, surpassing the best start in program history.
  • A Nov. 8 win over Kent State marked the first 10-win season in the program's 108-year history.
  • ESPN College GameDay made a first-time stop in Kalamazoo Nov. 19 to do a pregame broadcast from the campus of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍøÖ±²¥â€”just the second MAC school ever to be featured on College GameDay.

For game and individual statistics, videos and interviews, visit .

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.

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