When a MAC school comes to Ohio Stadium, it signals an unspoken agreement between administrations – the MAC team assumes a loss and Ohio State thanks them by handing over an exorbitant check.
This has taken place since 1997, when the Buckeyes started their streak of playing at least one MAC squad every season. This year, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan will come to Columbus and both schools will receive a pay day in excess of $900,000.
NIU is a recent powerhouse in their conference, but WMU is receiving all the attention. It's all due to their charismatic head coach.
P.J. Fleck, who started out as an offensive grad assistant at Ohio State in 2006, is the youngest head coach at the FBS level. It's not just his youth attracting attention to the program.
To quote one of Fleck's oft-used words, the Broncos are not yet "elite." WMU went 1-11 in his first season on campus and, last year, improved to 8-5. It was a huge turnaround but not an unprecedented one at any level of the sport. What's surprising is, despite a lack of historical success at Western Michigan and Fleck's inexperience, they continue to land highly-rated recruits.
This year's freshman class, rated as the best in the MAC by 247's composite rankings, includes defensive back Justin Tranquill, who picked WMU over Illinois, Indiana and Purdue. The Broncos' 2016 class currently sits at No. 45 in the composite rankings, ahead of Arizona, Arizona State, Oklahoma and Texas.
Fleck described his recruiting methods as "a sickness" and freshman safety Asantay Brown told SI.com Fleck contacted him 60 to 70 percent more often than any other coach.
He considers himself to be relatable to high school athletes, not just due to a relatively small age gap.
"It’s very simple. I'm a real coach. I played in the NFL. I coached in the NFL. I was a sixth-grade social studies teacher for a while," Fleck told the Sporting News. "I had a lot of the same issues they had. I scored an 18 on the ACT. They can see me doing everything they want to do. That's exciting for them."
It's not just his vigor on the recruiting trail drawing prospects to the program. Fleck's personality is contagious:
Fleck knows his limitations, the work ethic it takes to be competitive at the FBS level and how to build a successful program. Those beliefs were forged when he was an undrafted free-agent wide receiver out of Northern Illinois and signed with the 49ers.
"That's how my life has always been. I'm a runt. I'm a hungry dog. I have to eat," he told CBS Sports. "Ninety percent of my job has nothing to do with football. It's being a CEO. It's being a motivator. It's an inspiration for the community."
What he brings to Kalamazoo, besides his quirkiness and sense of responsibility, is a competitive mentality. The paycheck from playing a power-five school is enough motivation to consistently schedule them, but Fleck wants Western Michigan to play the upper echelon of those teams. Hence, Michigan State opening their season at Waldo Stadium and playing Ohio State, Sept. 26.
"Our philosophy is we want to play top-five schools," Fleck told the Sporting News. "Maybe not two of them in the same year, but we want to play them. You get a compass for exactly where you are at. It helps you as a program knowing we are going to play the best. Period."
