2024 MAC Football Power Rankings: Week 6

The top and bottom of the rankings push and pull after a largely chalk Week 6 slate.

Welcome to the seventh week of our blog’s Power Rankings!

There were just four games last week, all of which largely went chalk, so we typically wouldn’t expect too many changes. Instead, we saw several exchanges and some gaps starting to re-emerge between the 13 programs.

Let’s get right into the new and (hopefully) improved rankings!

---

13. Kent State Golden Flashes (LW: 13)

• Unanimous #13

Kent State keeps trying and they keep losing. This time it was 52-33 to Eastern Michigan. At least the Flashes showed some fight in this one, taking the Eagles deep into the third quarter before the floodgates opened. Tommy Ulatowski showed some promise in the QB spot after a slew of injuries, while Crishon McCray had nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns on the day.

---

t-11. Akron Zips (LW: 12, up 1)

• High vote: 10 (twice)
• Low vote: 12 (twice)
• Average vote: 11

Akron had a back-and-forth contest with Bowling Green on Saturday, riding the spirit of the Homecoming crowd to a fourth-quarter lead on the Falcons, but Harold Fannin Jr.’s 30-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-two play doomed the effort in a one-score loss. You have to learn how to win close games by winning in close games, and Akron doesn’t know how to do that yet in three seasons under Joe Moorhead. Will they ever?

---

t-11. Ball State Cardinals (LW: 11)

• High vote: 10 (three)
• Low vote: 12 (three)
• Average vote: 11

The Cardinals are one of the most intriguing teams in the MAC. They’re not necessarily the best team (they’re down here for a reason), but they’re also not objectively terrible either, with two close losses to conference opponents which could have gone the other way. They’re the truest dice-roll program in the conference by a long shot. This week vs. Kent State could prove to be a barn-burner, as BSU has posted points in bunches recently but also seem allergic to preventing points on defense. That game could be what both teams need.

---

10. UMass Minutemen (LW: 10)

• High vote: 9 (once)
• Low vote: 12 (once)
• Average vote: 10.6

Another week, another defeat from the jaws of victory for UMass. The Minutemen did an outstanding job of getting NIU uncomfortable in the first half of the game and took advantage with several explosive plays even after giving up an early fumble. But NIU settled in and tilled up nearly 400 yards on the ground to put the game away late. UMass needs to dig deep within themselves and figure out their identity if they want to advance as a program; they’re kind of vanilla on both sides of the ball to their detriment.

---

9. Miami RedHawks (LW: 9)

• High vote: 7 (once)
• Low vote: 9 (four)
• Average vote: 8.5

Miami’s disappointing run continues with a 10-point loss to Toledo. What looked like a promising title defense with the vast majority of their roster back now looks like a team which stayed overly loyal a year past the expiration day. The one win they have to hang their hat on is against UMass in overtime, which they were very much in danger of losing were it not for a stray field goal. It’s hard to put them lower than this until they play Ball State or Kent State, but safe to say this still isn’t what we expected at all.

---

8. Western Michigan Broncos (LW: 8)

• High vote: 7 (twice)
• Low vote: 8 (four)
• Average vote: 7.6

The Broncos won a shoot-out with Ball State, a much-needed relief after suffering a shocker of a loss to Marshall the week prior. It wasn’t easy, though, as WMU had to rely on a bevy of explosive plays to keep pace with a chippy Ball State squad on the road. Jaden Nixon was the talisman on this day, with three rushing touchdowns to help put the game away for WMU. The Broncos are another one of those teams who could be an intriguing watch due to unbalanced performances.

---

7. Buffalo Bulls (LW: 7)

• High vote: 3 (once)
• Low vote: 11 (once)
• Average vote: 7

Buffalo is the team in the MAC our voters simply cannot agree on. Ranked as high as third and as low as 11th, the Bulls seem to be an enigma to our members. Some are surely looking at the team’s tough defensive performances and taking away the potential from it going into the conference season, while others look at a severely limited offense and can’t help but be skeptical about the team’s ceiling. A BYE week coming off a UConn drumming certainly doesn’t help either.

---

6. Eastern Michigan Eagles (LW: 4, down 2)

• High vote: 2 (once)
• Low vote: 7 (once)
• Average vote: 5.16

EMU, as mentioned, took down Kent State after a bit of a sluggish start, but they’re on an extremely positive path as a 4-1 football squad through six weeks. That they’re ranked this low is likely a commentary on their strength of schedule; their best win is against a 3-3 Jacksonville State team. EMU also struggled for much of the game this week, which certainly shook the confidence of voters. They’d certainly be competitive to the teams in front of them if/when they play on the field, but for now, the voters are calling it like they see it.

---

5. Central Michigan Chippewas (LW: 5, up 1)

• High vote: 3 (three)
• Low vote: 9 (once)
• Average vote: 4.5

CMU is coming off a BYE week after an incredibly emotional victory against San Diego State to wrap up the non-conference slate at home. This week’s game vs. Ohio will be the last home game for nearly a month, and also serves as Homecoming, so there will be a lot of pressure for the Chips to perform. That said, CMU’s total offensive and defensive numbers all are top-five in the MAC and amongst the top half of teams nationally, so there is a lot of optimism here.

---

4. Ohio Bobcats (LW: 5, up 1)

• High vote: 3 (twice)
• Low vote: 5 (three)
• Average vote: 4.16

Speaking of Ohio, the Bobcats jump up another spot after the BYE week, presumably after EMU’s fall down to the sixth spot. It’s been so far, so good for the ‘Cats, as they’re the second-best rushing offense in the MAC and sit as the second-best overall defense in the MAC. They have a firm identity and stick to it, which has really helped them over most of their games. The only real weakness is their passing offense, but NAU transfer Coleman Owens has done great carrying the attack on his back.

---

t-2. Bowling Green Falcons (LW: 3, up 1)

• High vote: 2 (three)
• Low vote: 6 (twice)
• Average vote: 3.6

The Falcons had to win a squeaker against Akron on the road this week, but a win is a win at the end of the day, and BGSU showed off why they’re considered a favorite despite their record, with a balanced offensive approach (which also happens to include who could be the conference’s best player in Harold Fannin Jr.) and a defense which does enough to force favorable situations. That’ll get you a long way in MAC play, which is just what BG is hoping for after a tough out-of-conference slate.

---

t-2. NIU Huskies (LW: 2)

• High vote: 2 (three)
• Low vote: 5 (twice)
• Average vote: 3.6

NIU were in danger of a humiliating upset loss to UMass early on in DeKalb in a “had to have it” type of game, with several early turnovers through the air and the inability to keep the UMass offense in front of them. The Huskies really turned it on in the second half of the game, however, riding their ever-reliable ground game to a victory when it was necessary to do so. NIU had to do so without Antario Brown, who left with an injury midway through the contest, testing their depth in the process. Thankfully for the Huskies faithful, their defense has been more than capable of carrying the team through their offensive sputters, ranking 10th in the NCAA.

---

1. Toledo Rockets (LW: 1)

• Unanimous #1

Toledo got their revenge on Miami in dominant fashion, with a 30-20 win even despite two interceptions on the day. They’re sitting at 4-1, with a win over Mississippi State in the non-conference slate and their only loss was to a fellow strong non-Autonomous team in WKU by one touchdown in a game with strange circumstances. We’ll get a sense of how dominant this team will be after this week, as back-to-back games with NIU and BGSU await them after their stop in Buffalo. If Toledo can get through that stretch undefeated, they’re the odds-on favorite to sweep the MAC.

---

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 or in the comments section!