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Bill ConnellyMay 28, 2025, 09:30 AM ET
- Bill Connelly is simply a writer for ESPN. He covers assemblage football, shot and tennis. He has been astatine ESPN since 2019.
"There's a batch of radical talking astir Group of 5, Power 4, the wealth and the resources and NIL. It's astir the players and it's astir lining up and banging heads and [may] the champion antheral win. You saw that [Saturday]." -- Northern Illinois diversion manager Sean Frazier, aft the Huskies' 2024 upset of Notre Dame.
The MAC is impervious that a large structure tin nutrient occasionally unthinkable things. As assemblage shot keeps trending toward closing up store and distributing much wealth to less schools, and arsenic the thought of a alleged "super league" -- 1 that would either bounds oregon wholly destruct opportunities for MAC-level schools -- continues to waft around, this league and its teams support trying to find ways to marque noise. NIU's large infinitesimal successful 2024 proved that, fixed capable opportunities, they tin inactive bash so. In the past 25 seasons, MAC teams person scored 78 wins implicit power-conference teams, and portion astir fractional of those person travel from NIU (14), Bowling Green (12) and Toledo (11), 14 existent and erstwhile MAC programs person posted astatine slightest one.
Current circumstances are making things awfully difficult, though. The bottommost fractional of the MAC has ever been beauteous shaky, and 2024 was nary exception: MAC teams occupied 4 of the bottommost 15 slots successful the year-end SP+ rankings, which besides ranked 0-12 Kent State arsenic the worst FBS squad successful 4 years. Then came a brutal offseason successful which (A) NIU arranged to permission for the Mountain West successful 2026, (B) MAC teams got deed harder than anyone other by the transportation portal and wide attrition (the MAC's 41.1% returning accumulation average was much than 12 percent points beneath the nationalist average), (C) the reigning league champion (Ohio) mislaid caput manager Tim Albin to a Charlotte programme that has had conscionable 1 winning play ever successful FBS, and (D) Bowling Green caput manager Scot Loeffler near for an NFL presumption manager occupation successful the spring.
In a assemblage shot beingness with NIL wealth and unrestricted transfers, continuity is increasing progressively hard successful MACtion country. But the league inactive boasts immoderate proven coaches and high-level talent, and stars volition inevitably emerge. Let's preview the MAC!
Throughout the summer, Bill Connelly volition preview each FBS conference, yet including each 136 FBS teams. The previews volition see 2024 breakdowns, 2025 previews and team-by-team capsules.
2024 recap
NIU stole the aboriginal headlines, but injuries and violative struggles rendered Thomas Hammock's Huskies an afterthought successful the league race. By midseason, it became progressively wide that Ohio and Miami (Ohio) were the MAC's safest bets. Miami bushed Ohio 30-20 successful the regular season, but the Bobcats' discourtesy ignited from there, averaging 36.7 points during a season-ending seven-game winning streak that included a 38-3 throttling of Miami successful the MAC title game.
Continuity table
The continuity array looks astatine each team's returning accumulation levels (offense, defence and overall), the fig of 2024 FBS starts from some returning and incoming players and the approximate fig of redshirt freshmen connected the roster heading into 2025. (Why "approximate"? Because schools sometimes marque it precise hard to ascertain who redshirted and who didn't.) Continuity is an progressively hard creation successful roster management, but immoderate teams propulsion it disconnected amended than others.
From Miami country Raion Strader (Auburn) to Bowling Green moving backmost Terion Stewart (Virginia Tech) to NIU backmost Ethan Hampton (Illinois) to Ball State choky extremity Tanner Koziol (Houston) to a fig of high-level Ohio defenders, MAC teams mislaid galore stars to power-conference schools. In all, 8 MAC teams (including 4 with caller caput coaches) fertile successful the bottommost 18 successful returning production.
Toledo and Buffalo mostly avoided the aforesaid fate, however. The Rockets and Bulls some fertile successful the apical 50 successful returning production, and during an intriguing nine-win play successful which his Bulls improved from 119th to 87th successful SP+, second-year Buffalo caput manager Pete Lembo was capable to physique a coagulated basal of redshirt freshmen arsenic well.
Despite losing Albin, Ohio attempted continuity by promoting violative coordinator Brian Smith to caput coach, and helium was capable to clasp connected to astatine slightest a fewer cardinal pieces, including backmost Parker Navarro, near tackle Davion Weatherspoon and information DJ Walker. SP+ suggests that mightiness beryllium capable to support the Bobcats successful MAC contention.
2025 projections
Only 4 teams commencement retired with top-100 projections, and they marque sense: They're the 2 who played successful the rubric crippled past twelvemonth (Ohio and Miami) and the 2 who instrumentality the astir from 2024 vessel teams (Toledo and Buffalo). The likelihood of astatine slightest 1 of those teams clicking and playing astatine a top-50 oregon top-60 level are beauteous good.
The likelihood are besides beauteous bully that the bottommost information of the league is going to beryllium awfully poor. UMass returns to the MAC with a caller manager (former Rutgers adjunct Joe Harasymiak) and astir nary expectations, and 4 of the bottommost 5 slots successful the recent SP+ projections went to MAC teams.
(* Akron is ineligible for the postseason owed to APR issues.)
The aforementioned 4 top-100 teams person a combined 65% accidental of winning the league title. But I conjecture that means there's inactive a greater than one-in-three accidental of an underdog run, huh?
Five champion games of 2025
Here are the 5 league games that diagnostic (A) the highest combined SP+ ratings for some teams and (B) a projected scoring borderline of little than 10 points.
Oct. 11: Toledo astatine Bowling Green. Most of the MAC's biggest games instrumentality spot erstwhile the league shifts to midweek MACtion games successful November, but this volition beryllium an aboriginal tone-setter betwixt a talented Toledo squad with a navigable aboriginal docket and a BGSU squad with rather a fewer question marks and an intriguing caller caput manager successful Eddie George.
Nov. 4: Miami (Ohio) astatine Ohio. Last year's 2 champion teams jockey for position. Miami is simply a projected favourite successful the 5 games preceding this one.
Nov. 12: Toledo astatine Miami (Ohio). Two MACtion weeks, 2 immense games for Chuck Martin's RedHawks.
Nov. 19: Miami (Ohio) astatine Buffalo. Make that 3 immense games successful 3 weeks for Miami.
Nov. 28: Ohio astatine Buffalo. Buffalo's docket offers up a monolithic opportunity: After the play opener against Minnesota, Lembo's Bulls are projected favorites successful 10 consecutive games earlier Ohio visits implicit Thanksgiving weekend.
Conference rubric (and, technically, CFP) contenders
Head coach: Jason Candle (10th year, 73-40 overall)
2025 projection: 72nd successful SP+ (77th offense, 63rd defense), 8.8 mean wins, 6.4 league wins
It feels intolerable to adequately measure Jason Candle. On 1 hand, contempt moving the programme with much accordant concern and high-quality recruiting than immoderate league mate, he's won lone 2 MAC titles successful 10 years. It's ever going to consciousness similar the rubric complaint should beryllium higher than that for the Rockets.
On the different hand, Candle's Rockets person won 11 games doubly and person taken down Arkansas, Iowa State, BYU, Mississippi State and Pitt (the past 2 were some successful 2024). His adjacent triumph volition beryllium his 74th astatine UT, passing Gary Pinkel's full for the astir successful schoolhouse history. He fielded immoderate awesome offenses aboriginal successful his tenure, and erstwhile the Toledo defence crumbled a fewer years ago, helium made a fantastic antiaircraft coordinator prosecute (Vince Kehres) to close the ship. He's ne'er finished with a losing record. Basically, he's been bully capable to support his occupation but not rather bully capable to get hired distant by power-conference programs. And with coagulated continuity (especially astatine QB and successful a precise bully secondary), it definite feels similar he'll person a accidental astatine a 3rd MAC rubric this season. After a season-opening sojourn to Kentucky, the Rockets are projected favorites successful each remaining game.
Beating Mississippi State (by 24!) and Pitt but losing to Akron, among others, surely suggests things went sideways for a spot past year. The main crushed was an discourtesy that slipped to 88th successful violative SP+, the worst ranking of the Candle era. The Rockets scored 15 oregon less successful 4 MAC games, losing each four, and the tally crippled was the superior culprit: The Rockets were conscionable 124th successful rushing occurrence rate. The enactment was leaning connected youngsters, and the RBs didn't interruption astir capable tackles.
Candle didn't marque immoderate large unit changes but brought successful 4 violative enactment transfers, positive moving backs Chip Trayanum (Kentucky) and Kenji Christian (NC A&T), to enactment things up. If those moves work, the passing game, featuring seasoned backmost Tucker Gleason, past year's starring receiver Junior Vandeross III and NIU transportation Trayvon Rudolph -- and, perhaps, sophomore and erstwhile prima enlistee Zy'marion Lang -- could beryllium the superior beneficiary.
There are less questions connected defense, wherever Kehres' portion has averaged a 55.0 antiaircraft SP+ ranking implicit the past 3 seasons. Granted, each starter successful the beforehand six is gone, but extremity Malachi Davis and tackle Martez Poynter are sturdy veterans, and the portal brought players similar extremity Louce Julien (6.5 TFLs astatine UMass) and linebacker Hudson Miller (five starts astatine Purdue). The secondary was the spot of the UT defence past year, and 5 of past year's apical 7 return, including a dynamite nickel backmost successful Braden Awls. Sophomore transfers Amare Snowden and Braedyn Moore, some erstwhile blue-chippers from Wisconsin, could lend rapidly too.
Head coach: Brian Smith (first year)
2025 projection: 80th successful SP+ (83rd offense, 79th defense), 7.4 mean wins, 5.7 league wins
Ohio won 10 games nether Tim Albin successful some 2022 and 2023 but mislaid an unthinkable 10 starters, led by backmost Kurtis Rourke (Indiana) and all-conference tackle Kurt Danneker (Baylor), to power-conference transfers. It was an implicit bounty of endowment walking retired the door. And past the Bobcats won 11 games and a MAC rubric successful 2024. It was easy 1 of the champion coaching performances of the season. But alternatively of attempting to propulsion disconnected a akin magic enactment successful 2025, Albin near for a caller task astatine Charlotte, and OC Brian Smith moved up to the bigger office.
In backmost Parker Navarro (2,423 passing yards, 1,143 non-sack rushing yards successful 2024), near tackle Davion Weatherspoon, information DJ Walker and country Tank Pearson, positive returning moving backmost Sieh Bangura (who transferred to Minnesota successful 2024 but returned), Smith kept immoderate proven pieces successful Athens, and by MAC standards, continuity levels aren't excessively bad. But the conception of the double-dip is inactive a scary one. They inactive indispensable regenerate their starring receiver, astatine slightest 3 starting violative linemen, astatine slightest 4 rotation linemen and fundamentally each linebacker for the 2nd consecutive season. Even if you past large turnover once, having to bash truthful twelvemonth aft twelvemonth -- and portion changing caput coaches, nary little -- surely brings astir much opportunities for regression.
Bangura's instrumentality is simply a invited one; helium and Navarro signifier 1 of the astir proven MAC backfields, but they'll person an awfully caller enactment successful beforehand of them. Those liable for lone 20 of past year's 70 OL starts are back, and 4 transfers, including small-school starters Nick Marinaro (Dartmouth) and Josh Waite (Shippensburg), mightiness person to marque contiguous contributions. Leading receiver Coleman Owen is gone too, perchance leaving a big-play void.
Smith wisely held connected to antiaircraft coordinator John Hauser, whose archetypal Bobcat defence kept opponents some inefficient and nonexplosive successful 2024.
Like Toledo, Ohio boasts acold much proven entities successful the backmost than successful the front. The operation of Walker, Pearson, nickel Adonis Williams, transfers Rickey Hyatt Jr. (South Alabama) and Ronald Jackson Jr. (Montana) and possibly a youngster similar sophomore Tony Mathis should support quarterbacks frustrated. But elder tackle Bralen Henderson volition spot tons of caller rotation pieces astir him. Senior ends Kaci Seegars and Walter Bob Jr. should beryllium coagulated up front, but extent is an evident concern. No returning oregon incoming linebacker logged much than 17 snaps successful 2024.
Head coach: Pete Lembo (second year, 9-4 overall)
2025 projection: 91st successful SP+ (104th offense, 78th defense), 7.7 mean wins, 5.5 league wins
Ohio's optimistic projection is based rather a spot connected the Bobcats' beardown caller history. Buffalo, however, seems to person rather a spot much successful the "proven entities" department. Pete Lembo was Ball State's caput manager from 2011-15 and engineered arsenic galore vessel trips (two) arsenic the programme has seen successful the 9 years since his departure. He engineered contiguous betterment successful his instrumentality to MAC beingness too, and present starring rusher Al-Jay Henderson, starring receiver Victor Snow, 3 starting O-linemen and 12 of 17 defenders with astatine slightest 200 snaps each return. The ample load of redshirts should guarantee coagulated depth.
The defence didn't people retired immoderate amended than the discourtesy past year, but it seems to person less question marks successful 2025. End Kobe Stewart and linebackers Red Murdock and Dion Crawford combined for 42.5 tackles for loss, 37 tally stops and 20 sacks past play -- nary 1 other successful this league boasts that benignant of play-making prima power. The instrumentality of 300-pound elder George Wolo (injured successful 2024) should guarantee the requisite size up front. The secondary gave up excessively galore large plays past play (especially considering the prime of the walk rush), but returning 7 of past year's apical 8 DBs and adding some a young power-conference transportation (Arizona State country Keontez Bradley) and a small-school prima (Shepherd information Miles Greer) offers much options.
The discourtesy has a spot much to prove, but size should help: From a axenic height-and-weight standpoint, the extent illustration should look similar thing from a powerfulness conference. Henderson measures successful astatine 6-foot-0, 210 pounds, wideouts Nik McMillan (6-1, 224) and Chance Morrow (6-6, 195) could play large roles, and 2 imaginable all-MAC guards, Trevor Brock and Tyler Doty, mean 6-6 and 325 pounds betwixt them. Snow, a erstwhile walk-on, is simply a small feline successful the slot (5-8, 165), but helium proved dependable and durable successful 2024, catching astatine slightest 4 passes successful 9 games.
Note that I haven't said a connection astir the backmost presumption yet. With C.J. Ogbonna gone, violative coordinator Dave Patenaude volition apt beryllium choosing betwixt 2024 backup Gunnar Gray and, much likely, journeyman Ta'Quan Roberson. Roberson has thrown for 2,188 vocation yards and was decent astatine UConn (one of his 3 erstwhile schools) successful 2023. He should beryllium capable to thin connected a coagulated tally game, but Ogbonna was susceptible of large plays present and there, and Roberson has averaged conscionable 10.3 yards per completion successful his career. MAC contention volition astir apt necessitate much than that.
A mates of breaks distant from a run
Head coach: Chuck Martin (12th year, 65-67 overall)
2025 projection: 96th successful SP+ (135th offense, 35th defense), 6.5 mean wins, 4.7 league wins
Chuck Martin was designed successful a laboratory to frustrate me. He eschews analytics arsenic it pertains to 4th downs. (The RedHawks went for it conscionable 11 times successful 101 fourth-down opportunities, a 10.9% spell complaint that ranked 133rd successful FBS.) He is all-in connected the "play not to lose" crippled absorption approach, and it's contributed to a 22-31 vocation grounds successful one-score finishes since helium began astatine Miami successful 2014. He's old-school successful a batch of unhelpful ways.
He's besides 1 hellhole of a programme builder. He took implicit erstwhile Miami was astatine a peculiarly debased ebb, and helium has built things ceramic by brick.
Miami, 2014-15: 5-19 record, 120.0 mean SP+ ranking
Miami, 2016-22: 40-40 record, 93.9 mean SP+ ranking
Miami, 2023-24: 20-8 record, 63.5 mean SP+ ranking
Martin and his remarkably accordant unit -- successful 11 years, he's had 2 violative coordinators and 3 antiaircraft coordinators -- place and make endowment well, play carnal and reasonably uncomplicated ball, enactment large absorption connected peculiar teams and make the highest level of immoderate MAC team.
We're going to find retired a batch astir the stableness of said level successful 2025. At this constituent I spot Martin to proceed to nutrient coagulated two-deeps with athleticism that exceeds their recruiting rankings. But ... damn, did the RedHawks suffer a batch this offseason: Every superior violative starter is gone, arsenic are fundamentally 5.5 of the starters successful the antiaircraft beforehand six. The secondary remains mostly intact, but ace cornerback Raion Strader near for Auburn.
Martin inked lone 3 antiaircraft transfers -- a coagulated amusement of religion successful past year's backups and imaginable stars similar borderline rusher Adam Trick and information Silas Walters. But the discourtesy underwent a portal overhaul: backmost Dequan Finn (Toledo/Baylor), 5 receivers (including erstwhile Notre Dame blue-chipper Deion Colzie), 2 choky ends and 3 violative linemen came aboard. Finn, moving backs Kenny Tracy (injured successful 2024) and Jordan Brunson should signifier the basal of a beardown tally crippled if the violative enactment holds up, and the defence gets the payment of the doubt. But losing this overmuch accumulation is astir a warrant of regression. We'll spot if Martin's program-building prowess tin forestall a collapse.
Head coach: Thomas Hammock (seventh year, 32-38 overall)
2025 projection: 106th successful SP+ (133rd offense, 61st defense), 6.3 mean wins, 4.5 league wins
Like galore evaluation-and-development guys, Thomas Hammock was comparatively dilatory to clasp portal life. NIU's caput manager brought successful conscionable 15 full transfers from 2022-24, but he's grabbed 13 this offseason. He needed reinforcements conscionable astir everyplace helium looked. The Huskies' classical upset of Notre Dame drove an eight-win play -- NIU's 3rd winning twelvemonth successful 4 -- but Hammock's Huskies mislaid their starting quarterback, their apical 2 moving backs, their apical 4 walk catchers, 5 of their apical six violative linemen, and 11 of 16 defenders with astatine slightest 200 snaps (including the apical 4 antiaircraft tackles). Defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto near for Fresno State, too.
For a wobbly offense, this turnover could beryllium seen arsenic an accidental for renewal. NIU ranked 115th successful violative SP+ for each of the past 2 seasons; the tally crippled was decent past season, but the Huskies ranked 103rd successful yards per dropback with nary discernible explosiveness successful the passing game. Hammock made an inspired coordinator hire, bringing successful Quinn Sanders, the University of Charleston caput manager who oversaw the No. 1 discourtesy successful Division II (per SP+). Charleston combined a relentless tally crippled with over-the-top passing; 1 could spot however that mightiness beryllium appealing to the physicality-minded Hammock.
Hammock brought successful backmost Jackson Proctor, a decent dual-threat from Dartmouth, but QB appears to beryllium Josh Holst's occupation to lose. The sophomore was beardown successful the Huskies' 28-20 vessel triumph implicit Fresno State, and sophomore RB Telly Johnson Jr. became the go-to backmost precocious successful the season. That's a bully starting point, but lone 1 returning receiver gained much than 60 receiving yards, and the enactment volition beryllium loaded with sophomores and juniors. It'll beryllium big, though: Hammock has established a bully pipeline of guys listed astatine 6-foot-4 oregon taller and 300 pounds oregon heavier.
It's harder to marque airy of the antiaircraft turnover. NIU has averaged a top-40 antiaircraft SP+ ranking implicit the past 2 seasons but fundamentally returns 2.5 starters connected that broadside of the ball. Defensive extremity Roy Williams and country Jacob Finley are coagulated starting points connected the perimeter, but caller coordinator Rob Harley mightiness request smaller-school transfers similar tackle Dasean Dixon (Albany) and information Jasper Beeler (Saginaw Valley State) to thrive quickly. Otherwise the two-deep volition beryllium loaded with freshmen and sophomores.
Head coach: Eddie George (first year)
2025 projection: 111th successful SP+ (98th offense, 121st defense), 5.3 mean wins, 4.0 league wins
Scot Loeffler was starting to get somewhere. After going conscionable 7-22 successful his archetypal 3 seasons astatine BGSU, helium hovered astir .500 each twelvemonth from 2022 to 2024, but the underlying numbers (122nd successful SP+ successful 2022, 94th successful 2023, 77th successful 2024) suggested fantabulous progress. In 2024, the Falcons had their champion discourtesy successful 9 years and their champion defence successful 11. But Loeffler near to go the Philadelphia Eagles' QBs manager successful precocious February -- an understandable but highly inconvenient move.
BGSU made an intriguing replacement hire, however, successful Eddie George, the Ohio State fable and, much recently, writer of a bully revival astatine Tennessee State. After going 15-18 successful his archetypal 3 seasons astatine TSU, his Tigers jumped to 9-4 with a archetypal FCS playoff bid past fall. He brought some TSU coordinators with him (OC Travis Partridge, DC Brandon Fisher), and aft Loeffler had already added 15 transfers successful the winter, George signed different 10.
Translation: This is going to beryllium a caller team. BGSU's 59 returning starts are the 3rd lowest successful a turnover-heavy conference, and 47 of those starts are from 1 portion (OL). The defence returns fundamentally 0.5 starters (safety Darius Lorfils, who started six games).
I'm truly intrigued by immoderate of the antiaircraft newcomers, though. Defensive tackle Eriq George (son of the coach) had 12.5 TFLs for TSU, and linebacker Gideon Lampron had 26.5 TFLs astatine Dayton. Corners Mark Cannon Jr. (Illinois State) and Jalen McClendon (TSU) combined for 4 picks and 32 walk breakups. Throw successful immoderate youngsters with beardown recruiting rankings -- antiaircraft lineman Collins Acheampong (UCLA), linebacker Andrew Hines (Wake Forest), information Jay'Quan Bostic (Toledo), country Key'on Washington (West Virginia) -- and George mightiness person thing here.
The discourtesy mightiness not person rather arsenic overmuch upside, but acquisition could nutrient a precocious floor. The enactment so returns 4 starters, each seniors, and veterans Drew Pyne (Mizzou) and Justin Lamson (Stanford) volition vie astatine QB. The accomplishment corps, however, is simply a full mystery. Tight extremity Arlis Boardingham (Florida) is athletic, and receivers Brennan Ridley (Hampton) and Allen Middleton (Southern Illinois) combined for 1,018 receiving yards arsenic FCS freshmen, but it's hard to find who mightiness spot a ton of the shot successful 2025.
Head coach: Matt Drinkall (first year)
2025 projection: 117th successful SP+ (127th offense, 102nd defense), 5.3 mean wins, 4.0 league wins
Matt Drinkall inherits unit from a squad that won lone 13 games successful its past 3 years nether Jim McElwain, and helium mightiness institute a beauteous large stylistic displacement with unproven violative personnel. This doesn't consciousness similar the commencement of an "a mates of breaks distant from a run" tale. But a affable docket and existent antiaircraft continuity -- a uncommon commodity successful this league -- mightiness marque the Chippewas betterment candidates.
Drinkall brings NAIA occurrence to the array -- helium improved Kansas Wesleyan from 2-9 to 13-1 with a playoff semifinal tally implicit 5 years successful Salina -- and helium was asked by Jeff Monken to modernize Army's enactment onslaught pursuing regularisation changes successful 2023. The changes didn't truly take, and helium was demoted to Army O-line manager successful 2024, but the Iowa grad inactive has Midwestern ties and an absorbing violative background.
We astir apt won't spot overmuch of an enactment onslaught with incumbent Joe Labas the apt starting QB. Labas started fractional of 2024 earlier a season-ending injury; his full-season numbers (seven TDs, 7 INTs) were colored by a horrid, five-INT show against Florida International, but helium wasn't overmuch of a runner regardless. The instrumentality of slot antheral Tyson Davis (injured successful 2023) assures astatine slightest 1 experienced wideout, but nary different returnee had much than 66 receiving yards successful 2024, and Tulane transportation Trey Cornist is officially the astir proven moving backmost ... with 149 rushing yards past year. Drinkall is an O-line guy, and CMU should person bully size up front, positive possibly immoderate assistance from FCS transfers John Iannuzzi (Columbia) and Jacob Russell (Valpo).
Veteran Sean Cronin, astir precocious Army's D-line coach, takes implicit arsenic antiaircraft coordinator, and his No. 1 task is bringing stableness to a dramatically all-or-nothing unit: CMU ranked 11th nationally successful worldly complaint and 13th successful sack complaint but gave up a spectacular fig of large plays. Linebackers Jordan Kwiatkowski and Dakota Cochran (combined: 23.5 TFLs) are thrilling, and information Caleb Spann thrives adjacent the enactment of scrimmage. They are undeniable playmakers, and cornerback Kalen Carroll (Cincinnati) is 1 of the conference's fewer incoming power-conference starters. But glitches were devastating successful 2024, and Cronin volition apt dial the hazard illustration backmost a bit.
Head coach: Chris Creighton (12th year, 57-75 overall)
2025 projection: 113th successful SP+ (116th offense, 111th defense), 5.1 mean wins, 3.5 league wins
Chris Creighton has been pulling disconnected .500ish seasons astatine EMU for agelong capable that we're forgetting however awesome going .500 astatine EMU truly is. The Eagles won 5 games conscionable 3 times successful the 24 seasons earlier Creighton's accomplishment from Drake successful 2014, and present they've bowled six times successful the past 9 years. Collapsing from 5-2 to 5-7 past year, acknowledgment to some epic wounded issues and adjacent defeats, was a genuine disappointment alternatively of a roundabout accomplishment.
With truthful galore MAC programs dealing with large turnover, this would consciousness similar an accidental for Creighton and EMU ... if they weren't dealing with the aforesaid thing. The Eagles instrumentality lone 4 players who started much than 5 games past season, though the injuries meant that rather a fewer of the returnees saw the field. That's particularly existent connected defense, wherever 11 returnees started astatine slightest once. Still, Creighton brought successful 7 antiaircraft transfers (plus 4 JUCOs) to guarantee a rebound for a portion that collapsed from 67th to 115th successful antiaircraft SP+. New playmakers request to emerge, but antiaircraft extremity Jefferson Adam made 5.5 TFLs successful conscionable 185 snaps, and nickel backmost Barry Manning had 3 tally stops and 2 walk breakups successful 193 snaps; some could go stars with starter-level playing time.
The discourtesy collapsed to 130th successful violative SP+ successful 2023 but rebounded a spot past twelvemonth contempt 18 guys starting astatine slightest 1 game. Only six of those 18 return, but I'm intrigued by newcomers similar backmost Cameron Edge (Maryland) and moving backmost James Jointer Jr. (Liberty), and receiver Terry Lockett Jr. is 1 of the league's much explosive returning wideouts. The barroom for further betterment is beauteous debased -- conscionable support guys semi-healthy, and you could instrumentality to the apical 100.
Since Creighton's arrival, lone NIU has played successful much one-score games among MAC teams than EMU -- astir astonishing considering EMU's fast-paced discourtesy and fourth-down willingness -- and that dynamic astir apt won't alteration successful 2025: Ten of the Eagles' 12 games are projected wrong azygous digits, and six of the past 8 are projected wrong a touchdown. Win the adjacent ones they didn't triumph past year, and 2025 volition beryllium beauteous exciting.
Just looking for a way to 6-6
Head coach: Lance Taylor (third year, 10-15 overall)
2025 projection: 118th successful SP+ (112th offense, 117th defense), 4.8 mean wins, 3.5 league wins
After back-to-back losing seasons for a seemingly stalling WMU program, 2024 brought immoderate positivity: Thanks chiefly to a 5-1 grounds against teams ranked successful the triple digits successful SP+, Lance Taylor's Broncos eked retired six wins and a vessel bid.
In presumption of balancing ratio and explosiveness, the WMU discourtesy was 1 of the much well-rounded successful the conference.
Walt Bell's discourtesy is predicated astir beardown rushing and speedy passing; it's an evident interest that lone 2.5 starters instrumentality (tight extremity Blake Bosma, defender John Hofer and receiver and seven-game starter Malique Dieudonne), but inferior moving backmost Jalen Buckley (683 yards, 9 TDs) is good, Bosma (88% drawback rate) is an ratio cheat code, and Taylor brought successful intriguing power-conference transfers specified arsenic moving backmost Cole Cabana (Michigan), receiver Christian Leary (Alabama/Georgia Tech) and linemen Raheem Anderson (Michigan) and Hunter Whitenack (Illinois). Quarterback Hayden Wolff is gone, but I deliberation either sophomore Broc Lowry oregon JC All-American Brady Jones volition capable successful beauteous good there.
The defence hasn't yet generated immoderate traction nether Taylor, who is connected his 3rd coordinator successful 3 years. New DC Chris O'Leary was a Notre Dame expert and, successful 2024, the safeties manager for Jim Harbaugh's L.A. Chargers. This feels similar a high-ceiling, low-floor hire, and O'Leary's occurrence successful 2025 volition beryllium derived chiefly from a fig of smaller-school transfers, the astir intriguing of which are astir apt antiaircraft extremity Kershawn Fisher (Nicholls), linebacker Sefa Saipaia (Ferris State), country Jordon Thomas (Eastern Kentucky) and information Marvin Smith (Alabama A&M). Returning information Tate Hallock is simply a keeper, but newcomers volition archer the tale.
Head coach: Joe Moorhead (fourth year, 8-28 overall)
2025 projection: 132nd successful SP+ (131st offense, 120th defense), 4.5 mean wins, 3.2 league wins
In 3 years astatine Akron, Joe Moorhead has proved to beryllium a beauteous coagulated endowment evaluator, and going 4-8 successful 2024 -- aft the Zips went a combined 7-47 from 2019-23 -- was an undeniable success. But hard jobs stay hard successful perpetuity; Moorhead hasn't made immoderate advancement connected discourtesy (average violative SP+ ranking: 126.7), the Zips' APR scores person dropped capable to get them banned from the postseason (not that six wins was peculiarly apt anyway), and Moorhead's superior reward for coagulated endowment recognition is that said endowment has been plucked away: Seven Zips transferred to power-conference teams this offseason.
It's benignant of a mislaid twelvemonth already, successful different words. But successful Michael Johnson Jr. (Syracuse), moving backmost Chris Gee (Colgate), O-lineman Allen Jones Jr. (West Alabama), prolific linebacker Cam Hollobaugh (Walsh), information Mehki Flowers (Penn State) and others, Moorhead's 2025 transportation haul has decent upside. So, too, mightiness returnees similar seasoned backmost Ben Finley, 6-foot-7 antiaircraft extremity Bruno Dall, linebacker Shammond Cooper (injured successful 2023) and inferior country Elijah Reed.
Akron is simply a projected favourite successful lone 3 games but is simply a projected one-score underdog successful 5 others -- overachieving against projections conscionable a small could marque this a decent season, adjacent if bowling is already disconnected the table.
Head coach: Mike Uremovich (first year)
2025 projection: 134th successful SP+ (123rd offense, 131st defense), 3.4 mean wins, 2.5 league wins
After the dilatory emergence and arsenic dilatory autumn of the eight-year Mike Neu era, Mike Uremovich takes the reins astatine BSU. The NIU grad and erstwhile Temple and NIU violative coordinator knows the MAC and has crafted occurrence from constricted Midwestern resources astatine some NAIA's St. Francis (Illinois) and FCS' Butler. His 2024 Butler squad ranked 35th successful SP+, easy the highest successful the non-scholarship Pioneer Conference.
Uremovich's discourtesy is mostly built astir adapting to subordinate strengths, and the superior spot of his 2025 Cardinals mightiness beryllium versatility. Senior backmost Kiael Kelly is simply a amended jock than passer, and moving backmost transportation Qua Ashley (Kennesaw State) caught 28 balls retired of the backfield past year. Throw successful slot antheral (and punt returner) Qian Magwood and 5-foot-8 Bucknell WR transportation Eric Weatherly, and you've got a acceptable of bouncy and versatile, if not peculiarly large, skill-corps guys. They could besides person the largest brace of tackles successful the MAC with returnee Chris Hood (6-foot-10!) perchance pairing with Butler transportation Adam Dolan (6-foot-8), for immoderate that's worth.
Despite BSU's antiaircraft collapse, Uremovich kept coordinator Jeff Knowles successful place, and with bully reason: He was Uremovich's DC astatine Butler successful 2023. The antiaircraft beforehand returns disruptive options successful linebacker Joey Stemler and tackle Darin Conley, but a mediocre secondary has been overhauled. Uremovich brought successful 10 antiaircraft transfers, but lone 3 are seniors -- this mightiness beryllium a multiyear rebuild connected D.
Head coach: Joe Harasymiak (first year)
2025 projection: 13th successful SP+ (119th offense, 135th defense), 3.5 mean wins, 2.2 league wins
It's been a beauteous directionless FBS tally for UMass. The Minutemen spent their archetypal 4 FBS seasons successful the MAC earlier choosing independency implicit all-sports membership, but aft 9 years and conscionable 18 wins, they're back. At caput coach, they've tried seasoned retreads (Mark Whipple, Don Brown) and young hotshots (Walt Bell), and thing has generated traction. Now it's clip to spell Full Rutgers. Massachusetts autochthonal Joe Harasymiak takes implicit aft 3 years arsenic Greg Schiano's antiaircraft coordinator astatine RU. Schiano is the ultimate, obsessive "skip nary steps" programme builder, and 1 tin spot the entreaty to specified an attack astatine UMass.
Harasymiak brought successful 34 transfers, but portion a fewer of them are seniors who could lend rapidly -- backmost Grant Jordan (Yale), violative lineman Mike Entwistle (Harvard), antiaircraft extremity Josh Nobles (Jackson State), linebacker Timmy Hinspeter (Rutgers), information Malcolm Greene (Virginia) -- immoderate of the much intriguing players connected the roster are underclassmen.
Redshirt freshman backmost AJ Hairston could fend disconnected some Jordan and Utah transportation Brandon Rose for playing clip astatine QB, portion transfers similar moving backmost Rocko Griffin (UTSA), receiver Tyree Kelly (USF), tackle Malachi Madison (Virginia Tech), linebacker Nick Hawthorne (Boise State) and disruptive safeties Kendall Bournes (Concord) and Zeraun Daniel (Georgetown) are each juniors oregon younger.
This is going to instrumentality immoderate time. UMass is simply a projected favourite successful lone 1 2025 game, but hey, erstwhile you've averaged lone 2 wins per play successful FBS, the barroom for advancement is awfully low.
Interim caput coach: Mark Carney
2025 projection: 136th successful SP+ (134th offense, 133rd defense), 2.8 mean wins, 2.2 league wins
If the barroom is debased astatine UMass, it's conscionable laying connected the level astatine Kent State. Under caput manager Kenni Burns, the Golden Flashes went conscionable 1-23 successful 2 seasons, but it's really adjacent worse than that: In my year-end, all-division SP+ rankings, they not lone ranked a distant past among the 134 FBS teams, they ranked 227th overall, down 79 FCS teams and 14 Division II teams. They would person been good beneath mean successful the FCS' Missouri Valley Football Conference. Hell, they'd person been 4th successful D2's GLIAC. This was an utterly atrocious shot team.
That conscionable means there's obscurity to spell but up, right? Even with Burns getting dismissed astatine conscionable astir the astir awkward imaginable clip of twelvemonth (mid-April) and violative coordinator Mark Carney taking implicit arsenic interim caput coach, it's going to beryllium astir intolerable to beryllium that atrocious again.
I'm not going to effort to merchantability you connected the merits of transfers similar backmost CJ Montes (Fordham), violative lineman Jamarcus Hill (Southeast Missouri), antiaircraft extremity Jamond Mathis (Southern Illinois) and antiaircraft tackle Thomas Aden (Pitt) oregon genuinely decent returnees similar defender Dustyn Morell oregon nickelback Canaan Williams. I'm conscionable going to enactment that, with truthful galore different MAC teams facing large turnover, Kent State could beryllium adjacent capable to the remainder of the battalion to triumph a crippled oregon two. And erstwhile the barroom is acceptable astatine "midtier GLIAC team," it's beauteous casual to possibly amusement a motion oregon 2 of progress.
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