Before the college football season starts for the Mid-American (MAC) football, let's look at the conference's NFL dream team.
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This dream team from the MAC has legends at the college and NFL levels. It is filled with Hall of Fame talent on the offensive side of the ball, with 'Big' Ben Roethlisberger leading the charge. A prime Roethlisberger could lead this offense to a Super Bowl with the weapons he has, including his former (controversial) teammate Antonio Brown in the receiving corps. Along with an excellent offense is a list of pro bowlers and Hall of Fame talent on the defense, with Jason Taylor leading the front. Along with the defense, the special teams have some great players from the MAC. This dream team could give Steelers fans fond memories because there are alumni who played for Pittsburgh.
If you're a football fan, this dream team offense has a combined 37 Pro Bowls for the skill positions. Even if Antonio Brown is a controversial figure, he was one of the best wide receivers alumni in MAC football history. Another pair of wide receivers that could do well with Brown is Bernie Casey and Bob Schnelker. The running game of this fantasy team is also great, with quality running backs Bill Triplett and Jim Podoley. If done well, they could help the offense in key plays. This offense could be a top offense of all time with the weapons they have.
The MAC also had some top defensive players for the NFL at the time. One of them is the aforementioned Taylor. Along with the line is a linebacker corps of Hall of Famer Jack Lambert, with a lineup of Joel Smeenge, James Harrison, and Khalil Mack. The secondary is also nothing to joke about, with Emlen Tunnell leading it. This defense could shut down the best of the best in the NFL. This MAC all-time fantasy NFL team has won multiple Super Bowls and, if all together, could win more.
NFL legend Ben Roethlisberger was a star at Miami-Ohio before he played for the Steelers (PHOTO CREDIT: Miami-Ohio Athletics)
MAC/NFL ALL-TIME TEAM (CURRENT MAC TEAMS)
OFFENSE
| POS | G5 SCHOOL | PLAYER | ACT YRS | STATS |
| QB | MIAMI-OHIO | Ben Roethlisberger | 2004-2021 | 64,088 Yds, 418 Tds |
| RB | MIAMI-OHIO | Bill Triplett | 1962-1972 | 2,446 Rush Yds,17 Tds |
| RB | CENTRAL MICH | Jim Podoley | 1957-1960 | 746 Rush Yds, 2 Tds |
| WR | CENTRAL MICH | Antonio Brown | 2010-2021 | 12,291 Rec Yds, 83 Tds |
| WR | BOWLING GREEN | Bernie Casey | 1961-1968 | 5444 Rec Yds, 40 TDs |
| WR | BOWLING GREEN | Bob Schnelker | 1953-1961 | 3667 Rec Yds, 33 Tds |
| TE | KENT ST. | Antonio Gates | 2003-2018 | 11,841 Rec Yds, 116 Tds |
| OL | CENTRAL MICH | Joe Staley | 2007-2019 | 6 Pro Bowls |
| OL | BOWLING GREEN | Doug Smith | 1978-1991 | 6 Pro Bowls |
| OL | NO. ILLINOIS | Ryan Diem | 2001-2011 | GS 150 |
| OL | WESTERN MICH | John Rapacz | 1948-1954 | 3 FR |
| OL | BOWLING GREEN | Jerry Jones | 1966-1969 | 1 RT, KR 5 |
(*) — Indicates Hall of Famer
DEFENSE
| POS | G5 SCHOOL | PLAYER | ACT YRS | STATS |
| DL | NO. ILLINOIS | Larry Brink | 1948-1954 | 8 FR, 88 Yds |
| DL | EASTERN MICH. | Maxx Crosby | 2019-2022 | 37.5 Sk, 7 FF |
| DL | WESTERN MICH. | Jason Babin | 2004-2015 | 64.5 Sk, 14 FF |
| DL | AKRON | Jason Taylor (*) | 1997-2011 | 139.5 Sk, 46 FF |
| LB-DE | WESTERN MICH. | Joel Smeenge | 1990-2000 | 35.5 Sk, 9 FF |
| LB | BUFFALO | Khalil Mack | 2014-2022 | 84.5 Sk, 25 FF |
| LB | KENT ST. | James Harrison | 2002-2017 | 84.5 Sk, 8 Ints |
| LB | KENT ST. | Jack Lambert (*) | 1974-1984 | 28 Int, 243 Int Yds |
| DB | CENTRAL MICH. | Walter Beach | 1960-1966 | 6 Int, 120 Int Yds |
| DB | TOLEDO | Emlen Tunnell (*) | 1948-1961 | 79 Int, 1282 Int Yds |
| DB | NO. ILLINOIS | Jimmie Ward | 2014-2022 | 7 Int, 64 Int Yds |
(*) — Indicates Hall of Famer
SPECIAL TEAMS
| POS | G5 SCHOOL | PLAYER | ACT YRS | STATS |
| K-DE | MIAMI-OHIO | Mack Yoho | 1960-1963 | FGM 13, 1 Int |
| P | TOLEDO | Brett Kern | 2008-2022 | 3 Pro Bowls |
