Remember last week when we said the results were fairly straight-forward? Toss that quip out the window and wave it goodbye!
It was the week of the underdog across the MAC landscape, as several favored teams either lost outright or had to sweat out close results to their opponents in Week 6. Particularly shocking was Ohio’s flop at Ball State, which has created a lot of movement in the conference standings on its own. Western had to sweat out some early stumbles vs. winless UMass, Buffalo never lead
until overtime against a 1-4 EMU squad and won on a broken play, and Central looked sluggish against an Akron team with zero FBS victories.
Without further ado: the rankings!
13. UMass Minutemen (Last week: 13)
- Unanimous #13
The Minutemen put up a spirited fight in the first half against an opponent which outmatched them, but they stumbled over their own feet to allow Western Michigan to re-gain control and win on the road by three scores. What stood out most were two runs in the first half called back due to penalties— one of which would have been a touchdown and the other of which was a long rush to put UMass in WMU’s redzone. In both instances, UMass had to settle for field goals, one of which was missed. The Minutemen would never get close to that success again in the second half.
12. Kent State Golden Flashes (LW: t-10, down 2)
- High vote: 10 (once)
- Low vote: 12 (four)
- Average vote: 11.4
Kent State took an expected drumming against Oklahoma, but as with all games with such a large talent gap, one has to grade on a curve relative to expectation. The Flashes earned high marks for their efforts in Norman, keeping the Sooners to only 23 first-half points— nine of which were on field goals— and 37 points overall on defense. The offense can be given a pass in this one, as they were operating with third-string quarterback Devin Kargman playing his first game off a traumatic hip injury. There are genuine signs of progress here, even if the record doesn’t reflect it.
11. Eastern Michigan Eagles (LW: t-10, down 1)
- High vote: 10 (once)
- Low vote: 12 (once)
- Average vote: 11
There was no reason for Eastern Michigan to lose the game against Buffalo, holding the lead several times in and more or less dominating on the offensive side of the ball in regulation. By the same token, there was no reason for Eastern Michigan to win either, with a porous defense which did not play complimentary football and allowed Buffalo several chances to catch up through 60-plus minutes of play. Make no mistake, EMU is in disarray right now, and the final play of overtime— which saw Noah Kim literally drop the ball— was emblematic of the team’s lack of polish midway through the season.
10. Akron Zips (LW: 12, up 2)
- High vote: 9 (three)
- Low vote: 11 (once)
- Average vote: 9.6
The Zips won a game against an FBS opponent! And in conference to boot!
It probably sounds a little silly to be so shocked about such a development given how the Zips ended the 2024 season, but there were points in the season where it was genuinely a question if the Zips could muster competitive play against MAC opponents. It wasn’t just that Akron won; they dictated the pace of play and were largely mistake-free in execution in the process. Plain and simple: they beat Central. Here’s something to watch going forward: when playing at home, Akron has given up just 39 points in three games.
9. Northern Illinois Huskies (LW: 8, down 1)
- High vote: 6 (once)
- Low vote: 12 (once)
- Average vote: 9
NIU took yet another tough loss in a season full of them this weekend. The prospect of a season-changing win looked good early, as the Huskies raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with new pieces at quarterback and running back. However, the good times were short-lived, as the Huskies would be held to 68 second-half points, give up a fumble, an interception and a safety en route to the loss. Their farewell season has looked pretty bleak in the last few weeks and there really aren’t many more levers to pull, as NIU is looking at a 1-4 record with seven games to go.
8. Central Michigan Chippewas (LW: 6, down 2)
- High vote: 6 (once)
- Low vote: 10 (once)
- Average vote: 8.2
The Chippewas had an opportunity to make a statement last weekend by taking care of a team which statistically, they should have had no problem handling. However, the Chippewas took a tumble, as their typically-reliable offense made several crucial mistakes and the defense couldn’t get any pressure against one of the worst lines in the NCAA in a 28-22 loss which was not as close as the score would indicate. CMU has now lost their last 10 MAC road games, and are still looking for their first three-game win streak since 2022. Back to the drawing board over the incoming BYE week.
7. Ball State Cardinals (LW: 9, up 2)
- High vote: 4 (once)
- Low vote: 8 (once)
- Average vote: 6.6
Ball State had been a feisty unit all season, and finally bit the nose off of an opponent last weekend, taking down the almighty Ohio Bobcats in front of their rabid home fans. It was, genuinely, an impressive performance, as the Cardinals went blow-for-blow with the reigning MAC champions before Qian Magwood delivered the knockout punch with 57 seconds remaining on a schoolyard play from 43 yards out. The Cards defense even notched a safety to put BSU in position to win outright earlier in the quarter, making it an all-around effort. This was a statement win, and a signature MAC game for first-year coach Mike Uremovich to put under his belt.
t-5. Buffalo Bulls (LW: 7, up 2)
- High vote: 4 (once)
- Low vote: 8 (once)
- Average vote: 5.6
It wasn’t the prettiest game Buffalo ever played, but it sure ended up being effective, as the Bulls were able to get possession first in overtime and score a touchdown quickly, putting all the pressure on Eastern to reply for the first time all game. The Bulls now sit 2-0 in early MAC play and looked closer to the team we expected to see at season’s start, with Ta’Quan Roberson finding success in the pass game to the tune of four touchdowns and the defense logging several crucial stops to keep UB in the game. They’re not the best team in the league at present, but they’re starting to round into form.
t-5. Bowling Green Falcons (LW: 5)
- High vote: 4 (once)
- Low vote: 7 (once)
- Average vote: 5.4
BGSU had a BYE week in anticipation of the Battle of I-75 against Toledo. Two weeks ago, we saw the Falcons lose 35-20 to Ohio in one of the all-around sloppiest games in recent memory. There’s still optimism in BGSU to make a run even with the loss. We’ll see just how competitive they are against the rival Rockets.
4. Miami RedHawks (LW: 4)
- High vote: 1 (once)
- Low vote: 7 (once)
- Average vote: 4
The RedHawks are usually the last train out of the station, but that doesn’t mean it won’t reach the destination just as quick— if not quicker— than most of the others. Miami has now won their last two games in a row and sit at 1-0 in MAC play, beating opponents by a margin of 63-14 in victories. We’ve gotten quite used to this pattern with the RedHawks, and last weekend showed their ability to win no matter the gamestate, finding opportunities to take the win on both sides of the ball against NIU despite falling behind 14-0 to start the contest. Key will be the next two weeks, as they take on Akron and EMU.
3. Ohio Bobcats (LW: 1, down 2)
- High vote: 3 (three)
- Low vote: 5 (twice)
- Average vote: 3.6
Ohio took a loss they couldn’t afford, falling on the road to the Ball State Cardinals. It was the culmination of a stretch of games where the Bobbies had gotten away with some undisciplined performances in games they won, including against West Virginia and FCS Gardner-Webb. Ohio was unable to to generate pass rush in a game where the pass was king, with zero sacks and no interceptions, while letting Ball State get to Parker Navarro four times. There were no weird interceptions, no fumbles or anything like that— though they did give up a late safety. In fact, Ohio was 10-of-20 on third-down attempts and largely could move down the field. Ohio just plain lost this one, no getting around it.
2. Western Michigan Broncos (LW: 3, up 1)
- High vote: 1 (three)
- Low vote: 4 (five)
- Average vote: 2
We’ve seen hot starts to MAC play before for the Broncos under Lance Taylor, and this year seems to be no different. WMU is 2-0 in-league with wins over Toledo and UMass, where they scraped by thanks to great defensive play. Against both teams, the Broncos pitched second-half shutouts while posting 28 second-half points, an indication of their ability to adjust to what their opponent is offering up. The installation of Broc Lowry as QB has seemed to settle down the offense too, as his dual threat ability has been hard to stop to this point. WMU is now on a three-game winning streak after starting the year 0-3, and more or less control their destiny from this point as far as bowl contention or the league title.
1. Toledo Rockets (LW: 2, up 1)
- High vote: 1 (once)
- Low vote: 2 (four)
- Average vote: 1.8
Toledo jumps up to #1 after the BYE week due to Ohio’s drop. This will surely be a contentious placement, as WMU has three #1 votes to Toledo’s one, but overall, there is more confidence in Toledo’s pedigree to this point. UT at their best are nearly unstoppable, as seen in games against a very talented Western Kentucky team earlier in the season and against Akron last week. That seems to be what voters are latching onto as we head into Week 7.
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!
