Miami (Ohio) made another trip to the MAC Championship last year. But unlike the 2023 season, this most recent appearance didn’t go the RedHawks’ way.
Miami lost 38-3 to Ohio in the conference title game. However, the RedHawks did bounce back and beat Colorado State 43-17 in the Arizona Bowl.
Miami had an overall successful 2024 season. The RedHawks went 9-5 overall with three of their losses being against Power Four opponents, and two of those contests were decided by less than 10 points.
But Miami wants to get back to winning the MAC. And the RedHawks have what it takes to do that in 2025.
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Miami (Ohio) Football’s MAC Title Betting Odds
Miami’s odds to win the MAC are +600, via BetMGM. The RedHawks’ odds of making it to the conference championship are +275.
Miami’s odds of making the College Football Playoff are +4000.
Miami (Ohio) Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
Miami’s win total Over/Under is 6.5, with Under 6.5 at -125 and Over 6.5 at +105.
Miami (Ohio) Football’s 2025 Schedule
8/28 @ Wisconsin
9/6 @ Rutgers
9/20 vs. UNLV
9/27 vs. Lindenwood
10/4 @ Northern Illinois
10/11 @ Akron
10/18 vs. Eastern Michigan
10/25 vs. Western Michigan
11/4 @ Ohio
11/12 vs. Toledo
11/19 @ Buffalo
11/29 vs. Ball State
Dec. 6 MAC Championship
Bold indicates MAC contests
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Key Miami (Ohio) Football Returners
2024 All-MAC 1st Team
K Dom Dzioban
3rd Team
DB Eli Blakey
Miami (Ohio) Football Brings Back Key Experience On Defense
With longtime starting quarterback Brett Gabbert moving on, Miami (Ohio) turned to the transfer portal to find a new signal caller. And the RedHawks found one familiar with the conference.
The RedHawks added Dequan Finn, who was the MAC’s MVP in 2023 while at Toledo before transferring to Baylor last year. Over the course of five years with the Rockets, Finn threw for 7,074 yards and 63 touchdowns while rushing for 1,840 yards and 25 TDs. He’s the only player at Toledo to pass for more than 2,000 yards and run for at least 500 in multiple seasons.
At the skill positions, Miami will be without some of its top producers from last season. Keyon Mozee (1,098 yards and four touchdowns rushing in 2024) and Kevin Davis (331 yards and four touchdowns rushing as well as 234 yards and two touchdowns on 29 catches) are gone, as are Javon Tracy (57 catches for 818 yards and seven touchdowns), Reggie Virgil (41 catches for 816 yards and nine touchdowns), and Cade McDonald (51 catches for 631 yards and three touchdowns). The RedHawks did add some pass catchers through the transfer portal, and their transfer class is ranked No. 2 in the MAC by 247Sports.
Miami’s leading returning rusher is Jordan Brunson, who ran for 299 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, while Kam Perry is the team’s returning leading receiver after catching 10 passes for 166 yards last year.
Up front, none of Miami’s primary starters on the offensive line are back, and only one of the RedHawks’ primary starters on the defensive line is returning. That’s Nasir Washington, who tallied 31 tackles, two for loss, with three passes defended in 2024.
But Miami does bring back a good amount of experience on defense overall. Five of its top 10 tacklers from last season are returning.
All-MAC third-team defensive back Eli Blakey returns after tallying 89 tackles, two pass breakups, and one interception. Fellow DB Silas Walters was second on the team with 95 tackles and 12 pass breakups while adding 2.5 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.
Linebackers Corban Hondru (70 tackles, four TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and three interceptions in 2024), Oscar McWood (51 tackles and six TFLs), and Adam Trick (37 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, and 4.5 sacks) should also continue to make impacts for Miami. And that much experience returning for the RedHawks should be crucial after they were top three in the MAC in terms of scoring defense (18.8 points per game allowed) and total defense (331.4 yards per game allowed).
Dom Dzioban, an All-MAC first-team kicker in 2024, will be key on special teams for the RedHawks. He made 26 of 30 field goals and 33 of 34 extra points in 2024.
Miami (Ohio) Football Season Prediction
I predict Miami (Ohio) won’t win the MAC Championship but will go Over 6.5 wins.
The RedHawks’ roster is going to be strong in 2025. And I think the addition of Dequan Finn gave this team a star quarterback who could lead Miami to a conference championship appearance.
The beginning of the season will be telling. The RedHawks go on the road to take on Wisconsin and Rutgers to start the year, and then have to face UNLV at home. It’s possible Miami starts the year 0-3, and that would likely knock the RedHawks out of College Football Playoff contention.
But I could also see that difficult non-conference slate preparing the RedHawks for their MAC opponents. I like the RedHawks to go at least 6-2 in conference play, even if they play Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Buffalo on the road as well as Toledo at home.
There’s no doubt this season will be difficult. But I believe Chuck Martin is a good enough head coach to help Miami navigate through it.
