Joe Tiller was 13-2 against the MAC. His only two losses were to Toledo, on the road in his first game (And Toledo went on to go 9-3) and to Bowling Green by a point in 2003 (and Bowling green went on to go 11-3). Even Danny hope, much-maligned as he was, was 3-2 against the MAC, losing to Northern Illinois by 7 in 2009 and Toledo by 11 in 2010 when EVERYONE got hurt.
If you're a Big Ten team you are supposed to beat the MAC. That is just the order of things. Sure, the top of the MAC is often as good if not better than the bottom of the Big Ten, but the conference overlap and consistent scheduling between the two leagues still projects an image of superiority for Big Ten teams.