The Challenges of Mid-Major Football in a New Era
For a program like Western Michigan University (WMU), facing a powerhouse like Michigan State has always been a difficult task. The gap between their facilities, resources, and the prestige of the Big Ten conference has made it an uphill battle. However, there was once a sense of fairness when it came to compensating players—both schools offered scholarships, and if a player had the potential to make it to the NFL, they could stay with their original team through their eligibility.
This dynamic allowed matchups like WMU’s visit to Spartan Stadium to be more than just a game; they were opportunities for the MAC school to prove itself on a bigger stage. These games often showcased top talent from both sides, with the difference in skill not being as stark as one might expect.
From 2004 to 2024, Michigan State produced 10 players selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft, while WMU had nine. This number would have changed if someone like Jayden Reed, a Green Bay Packers 2023 second-round pick who transferred from WMU to MSU, were counted under the Spartans’ column instead.
A decade ago, the Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers featured 15 players from the MAC and 15 from the Big Ten. It’s hard to imagine stars like Greg Jennings, Corey Davis, or Taylor Moton playing their senior seasons at WMU today. Similarly, Darius Phillips, known for his explosive returns in 2015 against the Spartans, would likely be playing for MSU now rather than being part of the Broncos’ 2016 undefeated team that reached the Cotton Bowl.
For over a decade, from 2006 to 2022, a MAC team beat a Big Ten team every single year. However, the past two seasons have seen the MAC go 0-18 against the Big Ten. The rise of the transfer portal, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, and revenue-sharing agreements have reshaped college football, making it harder for mid-major programs to compete.
Northern Illinois’ upset of Notre Dame last season is a rare occurrence in this new era. That wasn’t the 2003 Huskies, who beat ranked teams like Iowa State and Alabama but didn’t even win the MAC. Third-year Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor was on that Alabama team that fell to NIU. However, most of his experience with mid-major football comes from this new age, and he’s generally okay with the changes—except for the tampering with players on opposing rosters.
“With the transfer portal, NIL and revenue sharing, all the things that are so new to college football now, there is no blueprint,” Taylor said. “It just goes back to what we tell our players — you adapt and overcome, or you die.”
Taylor brings a WMU team to East Lansing that has 50-plus new players, including 31 transfers. He expects at least 15 new starters on Friday night. While he’s proud that his program lost only three starters to the transfer portal, he acknowledges the challenges of managing such a large roster change.
“In 18 years of coaching football, it’s the most new players I’ve ever had on one roster,” Taylor said. “The real challenge, no matter how many transfers you take, no matter how many transfers you lose, no matter how many high school players you sign, it’s who has the ability to connect and build relationships, to get guys to buy in and have that belief in a short period of time. That’s something I have worked extremely hard on.”
One of the players who chose to stay is starting safety Tate Hallock, a legacy Spartan whose father, Ty, played at MSU. His sister, Theryn, is on the MSU women’s basketball team. Hallock, who led the Broncos in tackles two years ago and interceptions last season, was among the first players to commit to Taylor when he was hired at WMU in December 2022.
Junior running back Jalen Buckley, the MAC freshman of the year two years ago, and senior tight end Blake Bosma have also chosen to stay. Taylor is proud of their commitment, seeing it as a reflection of the program’s strength and culture.
“We’re all operating with the same budgets,” Taylor said. “We’re all playing with the same blue-collar, Midwest, probably under-recruited kids.” This parity in the MAC, which used to be frustrating, has become comforting for coaches who see opponents dealing with similar challenges.
Despite the roster turnover and the need to start a new quarterback and offensive line, the rest of the conference is in a similar boat. The shift in college football has created a more level playing field, where success depends more on adaptability and team cohesion than on resources alone.
