Where did you go, Mid-American Conference?

Remember when the Mid-American Conference was rolling in 2003?

Northern Illinois, led by quarterback Josh Haldi of Madison and Michael Turner, beat No. 21 Alabama, 19-16, on the road. That followed an overtime victory over No. 15 Maryland.

The conference championship game that year featured two ranked teams, No. 13 Miami and No. 20 Bowling Green. The RedHawks beat Northwestern, Colorado State and Cincinnati in successive weeks, then beat Louisville in a bowl game. The Falcons also beat Purdue that year.

The MAC started developing a reputation as being a cradle of quarterbacks, with Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich and Ben Roethlisberger starting in the NFL and Akron's Charlie Frye getting drafted to be hometown hero for the Browns (well, that was the plan at the time).

Nowadays those big upsets are tough to come by. Temple is the only MAC team to win its first two games this year. One of the conference's two games against ranked teams this year was Miami putting up a fight before losing at Florida. But the other was Toledo losing to Arizona, 41-2, at home.

What happened to the buzz? Did Marshall take the sizzle with it when it left after 2004-05?

The MAC was poised for prominence in men's basketball, as well. Wally Szcerbiak had a 43-point game against Washington while leading Miami to the Sweet 16 in 1999. Kent State appeared to be on its way to what Gonzaga is now. The Golden Flashes advanced to the second round in 2001 and followed that with their memorable run to the Elite Eight the following year.

That's what it's been for the MAC - a memory. When Ohio upset Georgetown this past year, it was the MAC's first win in March Madness since Central Michigan beat Creighton in 2003. The days from the previous decade, when Sports Illustrated did a big feature on the MAC, seem much longer ago than the are.

The other mid-major conferences have been in a factor in that. Several leagues have developed flagship teams that are good for an at-large bid if they lose in the conference tournament. The Horizon League has Butler. The Missouri Valley has Northern Iowa. The WCC has Gonzaga and St. Mary's. Kent State and Akron have been good at piling up 20-win seasons, but they don't get those national TV spots the other mid-major darlings get.

The MAC needs some juice. A big upset in football. A George Mason- or Butler-like run in the NCAA tournament. Something to build momentum. Something to pay for Akron's football stadium.

There's a big game at Ohio Stadium this week. A team with Ohio in its name will win for sure. If the one without "State" in its name pulls the upset, it would be great for the state of the conference.

- Howard Primer