MACtion Arrives: MAC East Report

On Halloween night a great college football tradition resumes with weeknight MAC football, affectionately known as MACtion. The next several Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be filled with MAC contests to fill out the November college football schedule as the division races heat up headed towards the MAC Championship on December 2nd. Here is a breakdown of the current MAC East standings and what to expect in the division race in the next month. 

 

Miami, OH: The Redhawks lead the MAC East, looking to get back to the MAC Championship with the titles for the program in 2003, 2010, and recently in 2019. Miami is 4-1 while +70 in MAC scoring with the Redhawks already bowl eligible at 7-1 overall, including a notable win over Cincinnati. Miami competed well in its toughest MAC test, the division crossover game with Toledo, losing 21-17 for the only conference loss so far. Miami will be favored at home the next two weeks vs. Akron and Buffalo before the regular season finale at Ball State. Quarterback Brett Gabbert has the best QB Rating in the conference while the Redhawks have appealing defensive numbers, especially against the run. Miami is in a great position to win the division. 

 

Buffalo: The Bulls won their only MAC Championship back in 2008 but did win the MAC East in 2018 and 2020. The results since Lance Leipold left for Kansas have not been as strong with Maurice Linguist currently 14-19 in his third season but the Bulls did win a bowl game last season and are currently in second place in the East standings. Buffalo went 0-4 in non-conference play and the 3-1 start in MAC play includes wins the two teams that are 0-4 in MAC play. The remaining schedule is very difficult, playing at Toledo this week while still facing Ohio and Miami, as the Bulls are not likely to seriously challenge in the division race and should be considered a long shot to return to a bowl game. Buffalo is allowing 5.4 yards per rush this for the worst per carry run defense in the MAC, though the numbers have improved in recent games. 

 

Ohio: The Bobcats fell short vs. Miami in a critical game in the division race last week, losing 30-16 at home despite leading 9-0 after the first quarter. The Bobcats are 6-3 and should be able to confirm a bowl bid with a favorable remaining schedule, though two of the final three games are on the road. Kurtis Rourke is one of the better MAC quarterbacks and Ohio features a solid run defense, allowing only 3.5 yards per rush this season. The rushing offense for the Bobcats has not been up to past standards but Tim Albin and the Bobcats still have a chance for a second straight 10-win season, even if they are a long shot to catch Miami in the division race due to losing the head-to-head tiebreaker. 

 

Bowling Green: The Falcons stunned Georgia Tech in early October, a win that looks even better at this point in the season. That highlight result has the Falcons still in the mix for a return to the postseason after last season’s breakthrough. Bowling Green Has won the past two weeks in MAC play as well but earlier in the season lost badly vs. Ohio and Miami, two of the better teams in the MAC. The remaining schedule includes losing teams in three of the final four as Bowling Green should have a decent opportunity to reach six wins. The toughest remaining game with Toledo is at home, as is this week’s division crossover game with Ball State, a key game in the path for the Falcons. Missouri transfer Connor Bazelak hasn’t had great numbers, and he missed the win over Buffalo which was led by Camden Orth. Bowling Green has rushed for over 200 yards in back-to-back games while also putting up 175 rushing yards in the win over the Yellow Jackets as the Falcons will have some appeal moving forward as a team that can finish strong. Having lost 27-0 to Miami makes contending in the East division unlikely, but the Falcons should be considered a threat to move up into the top three in the division by season’s end. 

 

Akron: The Zips have clinched a losing season with six straight defeats since beating FCS Morgan State by three points. Akron did nearly beat Indiana and has four one-score losses as this has been a competitive team at times this season. Akron has not scored more than 17 points in any MAC game however but the rivalry game with Kent State this week will be at home for the team’s most favorable opportunity of the conference season. Michael Alaimo has just two touchdown passes this season for the Zips, who have also averaged just 2.5 yards per rush on offense the past three games. 

 

Kent State: Like Akron, Kent State is 0-4 in MAC play with the Flashes -77 in conference scoring. Kent State has faced a difficult first four games in the league path however and the Flashes could still have a chance to turn in multiple wins in the final four weeks. This week’s game with Akron will be a good opportunity while the four remaining opponents for Kent State are a combined 6-10 in MAC play with only Northern Illinois featuring a winning record. A difficult transition season under new head coach Kenni Burns was not unexpected, but every MAC loss has come by at least 14 points. Kent State has averaged just 2.5 yards per rush this season, only ahead of Hawaii ranking #132 nationally.