Toledo football will try to repeat as the kings of the MAC in 2018. Can the Rockets possibly also contend for a New Year’s Six bowl spot?
Matt Campbell left for the Iowa State job in 2015, after getting Toledo to the cusp of a MAC title. In both 2014 and 2015, the Rockets fell just a tiebreaker to Northern Illinois short of playing in the conference championship game at Ford Field in Detroit. Taking over at Toledo, Jason Candle kept the Rockets in MAC West contention but fell just short, this time to undefeated Western Michigan.
Last season, though, Toledo finally broke through and won its first MAC championship in 13 years. The Rockets fell against ACC Coastal winner Miami, and inexplicably lost by four touchdowns to Ohio. But they swept the rest of the schedule and finished atop the MAC West. Then, a convincing 45-28 win at Ford Field over MAC East winner Akron gave Toledo the conference title in its first opportunity to play in the game since 2004.
But the 11-2 MAC champion still fell short of the ultimate prize. With UCF earning the Group of Five bid in a New Year’s Six bowl, Toledo took on Appalachian State in the postseason. It was a disaster, as the Rockets ended an otherwise promising season on a down note. Not only did Toledo lose to the Mountaineers, they were shut out in a 34-0 whitewashing.
Candle and his staff will look to keep Toledo in MAC contention in 2018 despite the departure of some significant players from the championship squad. The Rockets will be tested in the West. Can they fend off the challenges and remain atop the conference? Read on to learn more about the 2018 offense and defense for the Rockets and get a look at the 2018 Toledo schedule.