Week 5 was pretty straight-forward all considered in terms of the results. There weren’t a lot of upsets, and the gaps between haves and have-nots steadied a bit as a result.
Two teams were on BYE last weekend, while two played the last of their non-conference schedules in Week 5. After this upcoming week, there will be just one non-conference game left, meaning the majority of action from this week on is fully in league play.
After months of waiting, October is finally here… Time to get acquainted
with #MACtion.
Without further ado: the rankings!
13. UMass Minutemen (Last week: 13)
- Unanimous #13
There were signs of life for the Minutemen in Columbia this week even despite the final score. UMass kept pace with Missouri in the first half thanks in part to a stellar defensive effort, going into the halftime break down only 21-6. However, the offense had expected issues against an SEC defense, allowing the Tigers to win with the talent gap. Once again, we are left to wonder what this team actually looks like as they approach the MAC schedule.
12. Akron Zips (LW: 12)
- High vote: 11 (once)
- Low vote: 13 (once)
- Average vote: 12
The Zips were not competitive against the Toledo Rockets, trailing 35-3 at halftime and losing by a final score of 45-3 on the afternoon. Without quarterback Ben Finley, the offense fell apart, combining for 79 passing yards and 69 rushing yards as a unit. There’s not a lot to learn here, honestly, but it’s discouraging how bad the team looked with the loss of one player— who was already a coin flip to begin with.
t-10. Kent State Golden Flashes (LW: 11, up 1)
- High vote: 9 (twice)
- Low vote: 11 (once)
- Average vote: 9.8
Kent State enjoyed a BYE week after a humbling, if encouraging, loss to Florida State. Unfortunately for them, a win doesn’t seem to be in the cards this upcoming contest, as they travel to Oklahoma to take on the Sooners for their last non-conference tilt. We’ll know more about this team when they enter conference play.
t-10. Eastern Michigan Eagles (LW: 9, down 1)
- High vote: 8 (once)
- Low vote: 12 (once)
- Average vote: 9.8
Eastern really could have used a win last week to build on the momentum from their wild win against Louisiana, but they were, alas, buried in the ground by rival Central to the tune of 305 rushing yards on 51 carries in a 24-13 loss. It was such a discouraging result, it left head coach Chris Creighton to wonder aloud if he had failed his team in the week leading up to the game. They’re now 1-4 with the threat of their season going down the drain in October.
9. Ball State Cardinals (LW: 10, up 1)
- High vote: 9 (three)
- Low vote: 10 (twice)
- Average vote: 9.4
The Cardinals were also on a BYE week after a tough one-score loss to a scrappy UConn team. Through four games, Ball State has shown moxie at points, and the signs are there that the team is taking well to first-year head coach Mike Uremovich’s approach to the game. They take on the MAC-leading Ohio Bobcats this week, so we’ll see what their mettle is before long.
8. Northern Illinois Huskies (LW: t-7, down 1)
- High vote: 6 (once)
- Low vote: 12 (once)
- Average vote: 9
Ugly. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Just… ugly. That’s all you can say after looking at their 6-3 loss to San Diego State. NIU’s farewell season has been tinged with a nightmarish offensive effort despite a slew of offseason changes meant to address that side of the ball, squandering a defense which has been one of the best in the MAC at forcing turnovers and keeping opponents down. The Huskies have always played by the margins, and at this point this season, they simply lack the composure necessary to navigate said margins.
7. Buffalo Bulls (LW: 6, down 1)
- High vote: 3 (once)
- Low vote: 7 (four)
- Average vote: 6.2
Speaking of lost composure, the Bulls look nothing like the unit we expected them to be considering the sheer amount of senior leadership they returned from a promising 2024 squad. Yes, injuries have played a role, but even before losing Ta’Quan Roberson, UB struggled to control games they had no business of losing. This time, it was their defense letting them down, giving UConn an early lead and then allowing the Huskies to re-take the lead in the final minute after the offense tied the game late. Their slide continues until they can clinch a win against a team with more than one win on the year.
6. Central Michigan Chippewas (LW: t-7, up 1)
- High vote: 4 (once)
- Low vote: 8 (once)
- Average vote: 5.6
Don’t look now, but the Chippewas are tied for the best record in the MAC at 3-2 overall and 1-0 in league play. Central took Eastern to the shed last weekend, accumulating 445 yards of total offense— including 51 carries for 305 yards on the ground— and possessing the ball for over 35 minutes in a game which felt like more of a blowout than the 24-13 final score suggests. If they keep piling up results like that, CMU could be in title contention territory sooner rather than later.
5. Bowling Green Falcons (LW: 2, down 3)
- High vote: 4 (once)
- Low vote: 7 (once)
- Average vote: 5.4
BGSU took an expected loss to the Ohio Bobcats last weekend, but many will be left to wonder if they could have won. It was a sloppy game for both sides, with seven combined turnovers on the afternoon, but at the end of the day, BG couldn’t convert their opportunities into momentum. They also suffered some significant injuries to boot, leaving the Falcons vulnerable right as the league slate gets started. There’s still potential to compete, but they’ll need to pick up the pace.
4. Miami RedHawks (LW: 5, up 1)
- High vote: 2 (once)
- Low vote: 6 (once)
- Average vote: 3.8
The RedHawks picked up a dominating win over their FCS opponent Lindenwood, collecting their first win of the season in the process. The start to 2025 feels eerily similar to last year, where Miami started 1-3 before finishing as the MAC’s runner-up squad. They were able to navigate the loss of Dequan Finn this week, with backup quarterback Henry Hesson turning in a decent performance, but will lean on the rushing attack as much as they can. This team wins when the defense is dominant; we should expect no different as the MAC season approaches in full for the RedHawks.
3. Western Michigan Broncos (LW: 4, up 1)
- High vote: 2 (once)
- Low vote: 5 (twice)
- Average vote: 3.83
WMU has looked like a totally different team over the last two weeks. In retrospect, it certainly feels like the Toledo win was a breakthrough moment for a program which had flashes of potential over their previous games but couldn’t finish. The Broncos made easy work Rhode Island last weekend, a ranked FCS team which matched up well on paper, putting up 47 points on a team which averaged 12 points per game to opponents going in. If they can continue the momentum in league play… look out.
2. Toledo Rockets (LW: 3, up 1)
- High vote: 2 (once)
- Low vote: 4 (once)
- Average vote: 2.8
Toeldo remembered how to win again against Akron last weekend, making sure the game was never in doubt with five first-half touchdowns on offense. It was a nice return to form for Toledo, which took a head-scratching loss to Western the prior week. We said in our preview the team “which… is more emotionally motivated to prove doubters wrong” would be the winner, and that UT in particular would need to dispel an upset bid early, and sure enough, the Rockets did both of those with aplomb. That should hopefully put them back on track.
1. Ohio Bobcats (LW: 1)
- Unanimous #1
The Bobcats have been the class of the MAC through five weeks and lead the conference with a 3-2 overall record and a 1-0 MAC record. Their win last week against BGSU did have an element of playing with their food a bit, with three turnovers, but they capitalized major on four forced turnover in return to take an effective win over the upstart Falcons. It was not the prettiest victory, but they all count the same at the end of the day. Ohio’s reign doesn’t look to end any time soon, as they’ll likely be expected favorites against Ball State and NIU the next two weeks.
For transparency, here is our anonymous chart for this week. Did we get it right? Did we miss the mark? Let us know on Twitter @HustleBelt or in the comments section below!
