George Sipple

Detroit Free Press

The Western Michigan Broncos are expecting an elite crowd for tonight’s Mid-American Conference football championship game at Ford Field.

Western Michigan athletic director Kathy Beauregard said the tickets sold for the game between No.14 Western Michigan (12-0) and Ohio (8-4) are “46,000 and counting.” That’s a number that would shatter the previous record for a MAC title game.

Central Michigan’s involvement has brought out the three highest crowds for a MAC title game at Ford Field. The highest attendance for a MAC title game is 25,483, when Central Michigan beat Ohio, 31-10, in 2006. CMU beat Miami (Ohio), 35-10, in front of 25,013 in 2007 and beat Ohio, 20-10, in front of 23,714 in 2009.

Beauregard said, and other MAC officials later confirmed, that the upper bowl of Ford Field will be opened for the first time in a MAC title game.

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“It’s just going to be a dream come true,” Beauregard said. “Right now we know that we have sold over 46,000 and counting.”

“They already closed this,” Beauregard said, pointing to the lower bowl before Western Michigan practiced on the field Thursday.

Beauregard wouldn’t speculate how many WMU fans would be coming.

“The Detroit area/southeast Michigan is our largest alumni population,” Beauregard said. “And the largest number of our students come from this side of the state.

“Guys, it’s Broncos. It’s what’s happening in Kalamazoo. We’re the story. We’re it.

“We are a very special team right now. You know I’ve spent my entire career at Western Michigan and in that time we’ve had some wonderful history. But the impact that this team and the leadership under coach (P.J) Fleck… I don’t know of a time when it’s been more energizing.”

Beauregard said the streets in downtown Kalamazoo were full as the Broncos left for Ford Field.

Fleck said it’s a special year.

“Pulling out of Kalamazoo and having the whole street lined with our city was very powerful,” Fleck said. “I was even informed there was one guy who ran out of the woods on 94, exit 82, literally out of the woods with a Western Michigan flag.

“There’s a guy in the woods with a Western Michigan flag. Just be aware of that.”

Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple.

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