Briggs: Here goes, ranking the best MAC football stadiums, from 1 to UMass

A couple weeks ago, I set the makers of EA Sports’ new College Football 25 video game straight and released my own hotly unanticipated rankings of the toughest places to play in the Big Ten

Now for the sequel … the best places to watch a game in the Mid-American Conference.

I’d stay with the toughest places theme, but that’s probably not the greatest idea.

In the Big Ten, you know what you’re getting into. In the MAC, the atmospheres are more unpredictable than the November weeknight forecast, and, honestly, sometimes the toughest places to play are the bleakest settings. (Good luck getting up to play when the temperature and attendance are both below freezing.)

So, without further ado …

Having crossed every campus in the soon-to-be expanded MAC off my bucket list — I did it, mom! — here are the best stadiums in the MAC:

1. Glass Bowl, Toledo (capacity: 26,038): Call this a hometown pick, but I’m not sure many would disagree. Opened in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project, the stadium is an enduring classic. Simply, it’s the one MAC venue that has a big-time feel, from the enclosed horseshoe seating bowl to the three-story tower of suites that wouldn’t be out of place in the Big Ten.

2. Waldo Stadium, Western Michigan (30,200): I’m a fan of pretty much everything about this uniquely charming place. The way the stadium is built into the side of a hill. The railroad tracks across the street. The seats on all four sides. Oh, and extra credit for the brewery scene in Kalamazoo. I recommend the trip.

3. Peden Stadium, Ohio (24,000): Born in 1929, the oldest stadium in the MAC — and the third-oldest college football venue in Ohio behind Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium (1901) and Ohio Stadium (1922) — doesn’t look a day over 90. A homey venue in a scenic Appalachian setting along the Hocking River.

4. InfoCision Stadium, Akron (30,000): Imagine building a mansion for your puppy. That’s kind of like cash-strapped Akron building a new $61 million stadium for its football team. What was the point? Akron opened the sleek, double-decked stadium in 2009, then never put any money into the program. The Zips are still terrible and no one goes to games. If we’re talking nicest stadiums, this would be No. 1. But the ghost-town feel knocks it down a few spots.

5. Yager Stadium, Miami (24,286): A straightforward stadium with two big grandstands, but the campus is beautiful and the Cradle of Coaches plaza — with life-sized statues of Miami’s many coaching legends — is a cool touch. A wonderful place to spend an autumn Saturday.

6. Doyt Perry Stadium, Bowling Green (24,000): A great tailgating destination with sprawling grass lots, a good stadium that doubles as the world’s largest wind tunnel.

7. Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Central Michigan (30,255): Bigger is not always better, but the largest on-campus stadium in the MAC — which like the Glass Bowl has a horseshoe layout — is a very solid venue.

8. Huskie Stadium, Northern Illinois (23,595): The place — distinguished by a steep and massive home grandstand with an exposed latticework of ramps — looks like the photo of a big-time old stadium before it added that second deck in the 1970s. Every seat is right on top of the action.

9. Scheumann Stadium, Ball State (22,500): Traditionally a tough place to win and I like the lawn seating. Otherwise, I have to be honest: I’ve been there three times and nothing stands out, good or bad.

10. Rynearson Stadium, Eastern Michigan (26,188): Pros: The school removed the track this offseason. Cons: The field is still gray, the fans remain far away, and I am a terrible poet.

11. Dix Stadium, Kent State (27,563): A fine enough place to watch a game, but saying the visiting stands appear on loan from the local high school stadium would be a shot at many high schools.

12. UB Stadium, Buffalo (29,013): As a long-ago intern at the Buffalo News, this is where I confused the steeplechase water pits for big puddles on a rain-soaked day at the New York State Track and Field championships. Yes, I’m an idiot — or as dumb as having a Division I college football field ringed by a track, unless the goal is to keep fans as far away as possible. (By the way, I love track and field. They should have their own facility.)

13. McGuirk Stadium, UMass (17,000): As they say: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything. Leave it to some rando on TikTok.” With that, here’s @GFed, a popular TikTokker who goes around reviewing college football stadiums and just declared McGuirk the worst in the nation. “If you told me this place was abandoned, I’d believe you,” he said. “This feels like a junkyard in the middle of nowhere.” The UMass campus — nestled amid the rolling hills of Western Massachusetts — is a postcard come to life, but … the football stadium … yeah, what that guy said.