During the early stages of conference play in college football, this is a good time to assess the contenders. Here is a list of contenders in the MAC sorted by how they appear in the HERO Sports Group of Five Top 25 Media Poll this week.
Ranking Of MAC Teams
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Ohio |
| 2 | Toledo |
| 3 | Western Michigan |
| 4 | Central Michigan |
| 5 | Buffalo |
| 6 | Miami (Ohio) |
MAC Contenders
Ohio (3-2, 1-0 MAC)
Season Highlights: Winning at home, 17-10 over West Virginia, and last week earning a 35-20 home win over Bowling Green as graduate quarterback Parker Navarro threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 66 yards and two scores.
Key MAC Games: Oct. 18 vs. Northern Illinois; Nov. 4 vs. Miami (Ohio); Nov. 11 at Western Michigan; Nov. 28 at Buffalo.
Fast Fact: For the third straight year, the Bobcats have begun MAC play 1-0.
Outlook: The Bobcats are the defending MAC champions, and they won’t relinquish their title very easily. At this stage, this is the team to beat.
Toledo (3-2, 1-1)
Season Highlights: An earlier 45-21 non-conference win over Western Kentucky, which is No. 15 in this week’s HERO Sports G5 Top 25.
Key MAC Games: Oct. 11 at Bowling Green; Nov. 5 vs. Northern Illinois; Nov. 12 at Miami (Ohio); Nov. 29 at Central Michigan.
Fast Fact: Toledo leads the MAC in both scoring offense (35.8 points per game) and scoring defense (12.4 PPG allowed).
Outlook: A 14-13 loss at Western Michigan, in which the Rockets squandered a 13-0 lead, certainly puts more pressure on Toledo. But the Rockets, who don’t have to face Ohio, still have the ability to be there at the end of the season.
Western Michigan (2-3, 1-0)
Season Highlights: Opening the MAC schedule with a 14-13 home victory over Toledo. The Broncos spotted Toledo the first 13 points of the game before coming back. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Broc Lowry made his first career start and threw for 201 yards while rushing for 50 yards and two touchdowns.
Key MAC Games: Oct. 25 at Miami (Ohio); Nov. 1 vs. Central Michigan; Nov. 11 vs. Ohio; Nov. 18 at Northern Illinois.
Fast Fact: Western Michigan leads the MAC with 18 sacks.
Outlook: That win over Toledo puts Western Michigan in good position, but the offense will have to produce more for the Broncos to remain a contender.
Central Michigan (3-2, 1-0)
Season Highlights: The Chippewas opened the season with a 16-14 win at San Jose State. Last week, they earned a solid 24-13 home victory over Eastern Michigan in their MAC opener.
Key MAC Games: Oct. 18 at Bowling Green; Nov. 1 at Western Michigan; Nov. 12 vs. Buffalo; Nov. 29 vs. Toledo.
Fast Fact: Over the last two games in wins over Wagner and Eastern Michigan, Joe Labas has completed 26 of 30 passes (87%) for 379 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Outlook: Statistics can somewhat be misleading because the Chippewas are allowing 29 points per game, but that was aided by a 63-3 loss at Michigan. Central Michigan could be a contender, and the Oct. 18 game at Bowling Green could tell us a lot about both teams’ chances.
Buffalo (2-3, 1-0)
Season Highlights: Despite losing their opener 23-10 at Minnesota, the Bulls trailed by three early in the fourth quarter in a competitive game at a Big Ten venue.
Key MAC Games: Nov. 1 at Bowling Green; Nov. 12 at Central Michigan; Nov. 19 vs. Miami (Ohio); Nov. 28 vs. Ohio.
Fast Fact: The last two losses to Troy and UConn were by a combined seven points.
Outlook: The Bulls, who played with backup quarterback Gunnar Gray for injured Ta’Quan Roberson in last week’s 20-17 home loss to UConn, have a chance to gain some momentum, but those last four above-mentioned games are difficult, and it would take a lot for them to earn a championship game berth.
Miami (Ohio) (1-3, 0-0)
Season Highlights: Despite the loss, a 41-38 home defeat to unbeaten UNLV (No. 6 in the HERO Sports G5 Top 25) showed that the RedHawks can compete with top-level G5 teams. Miami led 38-24 entering the fourth quarter before being outscored 17-0. Last week, quarterback Henry Hesson, making his first home start for injured Dequan Finn, threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-0 over FCS Lindenwood.
Key MAC Games: Oct. 4 at Northern Illinois; Oct. 25 vs. Western Michigan; Nov. 4 at Ohio; Nov. 12 vs Toledo; Nov. 19 at Buffalo.
Fast Fact: Miami has earned four consecutive bowl berths.
Outlook: After losing to Ohio 38-3 in last year’s MAC Championship, Miami faces a tough late-season schedule. Consecutive games against Ohio and Toledo could determine whether the RedHawks can make a return appearance to the title game.
Uncertainty Tier
Bowling Green (2-3, 0-1)
Season Highlights: An earlier 23-13 home win over Liberty. Even though Liberty is 1-4, this is the Falcons’ best win, with the other a 26-7 victory over FCS Lafayette.
Key MAC Games: Oct. 11 vs. Toledo; Oct. 18 vs. Central Michigan; Nov. 1 vs. Buffalo.
Fast Fact: Including his time at Texas Southern before joining Bowling Green this year, tight end Jyrin Johnson has at least one reception in 38 consecutive games. This season, he has 12 receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Outlook: The game at Toledo will likely determine if the Falcons can contend. The one MAC loss was last week’s 35-20 defeat at Ohio where the Falcons never led.
Northern Illinois (1-3, 0-0)
Season Highlights: In two losses, the Huskies were competitive – 20-9 at Maryland and 6-3 at home against San Diego State, which is No. 20 in this week’s HERO Sports G5 Top 25. In the Maryland game, NIU trailed just 13-9 entering the fourth quarter. The Huskies lost to San Diego State on a last-second 25-yard field goal.
Key MAC Games: Oct. 4 vs. Miami (Ohio); Oct. 18 at Ohio; Nov. 5 at Toledo; Nov. 18 vs. Western Michigan.
Fast Fact: Northern Illinois is last in the country in scoring offense, averaging 10.2 points per game.
Outlook: The offense must show improvement if the Huskies have designs of becoming bowl-eligible, let alone competing for a MAC Championship berth.
Rest Of The MAC
Eastern Michigan (1-4, 0-1)
The Eagles are last in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 278 yards per game after surrendering 305 in last week’s MAC contest, a 24-13 loss at Central Michigan.
Ball State (1-3, 0-0)
The Cardinals were competitive in a 31-25 loss to UConn, which is ranked No. 22 in this week’s HERO Sports G5 Top 25.
Kent State (1-3, 0-1)
The Golden Flashes were competitive in an earlier 31-28 home loss to Buffalo, holding an early 14-0 lead. Kent State gets no break this week, traveling to Oklahoma in its final non-conference game.
Akron (1-4, 0-1)
The lone win was a 51-7 victory over FCS Duquesne.
UMass (0-4, 0-0)
The closest game was a 27-26 home loss to FCS Bryant, which won on a last-second 25-yard field goal.
