2024 MAC Football Power Rankings: Week 7

Does anyone want to be #1 in the Power Rankings? Bueller?

Welcome to the eighth edition of our blog’s Power Rankings!

Another week, another #1 in the Hustle Belt Power Rankings falling out of the top spot. This will mark the third time in four weeks a team we ranked first fell in the next rankings, with three different teams affected. It’s been that kind of season as we find ourselves halfway through the 2024 campaign. It’s still anybody’s game for the most part, so we’ll probably see even more change than we already have to this point.

This week saw big steps and even larger drops, so let’s get right into the new and (hopefully) improved rankings!

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13. Kent State Golden Flashes (LW: 13)

• High vote: 12 (twice)
• Low vote: 13 (five)
• Average vote: 12.71

Kent State is still at the bottom of our rankings, but their play over the past two weeks has been encouraging. It would be easy to fold up shop and try again next season, but Tommy Ulatowski— a former starter who reclaimed the role due to injury— and Chrishon McCray have single-handedly dragged this team into being competitive and I think that speaks to a culture of accountability.

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12. UMass Minutemen (LW: 10, down 2)

• High vote: 11 (once)
• Low vote: 13 (twice)
• Average vote: 12.14

Predictably, the Minutemen were trounced by a ranked SEC team. The contest was never close, with Mizzou finding the endzone just two plays into the game and winning 45-3. What was a little disappointing was that UMass never tried to steal possessions or be aggressive. Choosing to defer the kickoff, not going for it on fourth-down, being very conservative with playcalls on both sides of the ball… You’re not going to win such a game straight-up when you’re the less-talented team. It reeked of a lack of confidence.

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t-10. Ball State Cardinals (LW: t-11, up 1)

• High vote: 10 (four)
• Low vote: 12 (once)
• Average vote: 10.57

Ball State escaped a close game with Kent State on Saturday to move up to two wins on the season. That’s an important milestone, but one which raises more questions than it answers. Objectively, BSU is more talented than KSU as a unit, and were favored going into the game. They held a comfortable double-digit and let it get away from them due to a lack of urgency. The fact it was close at all given KSU’s situation is a bit of an indictment. Whether it’s on coaching or something else, BSU needs to self-scout and fix their problems ASAP.

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t-10. Akron Zips (LW: t-11, up 1)

• High vote: 10 (three)
• Low vote: 11 (four)
• Average vote: 10.57

The Zips played an extremely spirited contest against Western Michigan on the road. It was great to see them take advantage of a team being slow to start, building up a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter. Sadly, it all went to pot from there, as they allowed a miserable 24-0 WMU run aided in part by several turnovers to end the half and never really looked the same in the second half. They’re now 1-6 and looking at a BYE. The postseason is all but a distant dream unless they tighten up and go on an unbelievable streak. It’s hard to be optimistic they can do that considering what we’ve seen to this point.

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9. Eastern Michigan Eagles (LW: 6, down 3)

• High vote: 7 (once)
• Low vote: 9 (three)
• Average vote: 8

EMU got waxed by a Miami team whose only win prior to last weekend was against UMass in overtime. It was a big step back after their dominant win over a feisty— if wounded— Kent State squad the week before. There was no one thing which went wrong in the game, either. EMU was quite simply outplayed, allowing a 75-yard passing touchdown to open the contest and then giving away several turnovers to take them out of contention early. They’ve shown flashes of potential throughout the season, and are still 4-2, but this is a particularly discouraging loss.

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8. Central Michigan Chippewas (LW: 5, down 3)

• High vote: 5 (once)
• Low vote: 9 (twice)
• Average vote: 7.14

CMU suffered yet another slow start, and yet again had another furious comeback rally to put themselves back into contention. Unlike the last few times, however, the Chips lost at home. This game was particularly painful, as they were down by as much as 24-0 in the first half on Homecoming Day, and lost QB Joe Labas for the season on an unprotected rusher as well. The comeback effort was impressive, especially on the defensive side, but their inconsistent play continues to be baffling at best and insulting to their roster talent at worst.

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7. Bowling Green Falcons (LW: t-2, down 5)

• High vote: 5 (twice)
• Low vote: 9 (once)
• Average vote: 7

BGSU took a brutal loss to NIU on Saturday, and it was not close. The Huskies defense smothered the opposing Falcons throughout and stopped them from doing what they liked to do— but BG didn’t help themselves either, limiting Harold Fannin Jr. to four total touches on the day. Darlings of the leagues only a few weeks ago, BGSU are now in danger of not qualifying for the postseason sitting at 2-4 with some incredibly tough games upcoming. It was a disappointing backwards step into some of their worst habits which kills their year-over-year momentum.

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6. Miami RedHawks (LW: 9, up 3)

• High vote: 5 (twice)
• Low vote: 8 (once)
• Average vote: 6.28

The RedHawks, as previously discussed, absolutely trounced EMU to nab their second win of the season, and it could not have come at a much better time. Their loss to Toledo the week prior really put their title defense under the eight-ball, and they really needed a box score to point to and say “this is what we’re about.” Brett Gabbert looked like his 2021 self with four touchdown tosses, the defense forced a normally effective offense into several back-breaking mistakes and special teams were good enough to hold serve. This could be the shot in the arm the team needed to get back into ship-shape.

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5. Western Michigan Broncos (LW: 8, up 3)

• High vote: 3 (once)
• Low vote: 9 (once)
• Average vote: 6

WMU ran all over an Akron team which had nothing left to give as soon as the going got tough. It was an extremely encouraging performance, as they trailed 17-0 early but never gave up, forcing a special teams turnover for points to ignite a big run where all three phases played a role in accumulating a 24-18 halftime lead. It would eventually be a 31-24 victory for the hosts after a lengthy weather delay, with the WMU running game proving vital in wearing down the Zips. They’re still a little shaky at times, but they’ve done enough at this point to start to be able to trust them in tight situations.

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4. Toledo Rockets (LW: 1, down 3)

• High vote: 3 (twice)
• Low vote: 6 (once)
• Average vote: 4.14

Objectively, even with the losses suffered in the offseason, this should be the most talented team in the conference. They were the preseason favorite to win it all, and Jason Candle’s contract extension going into the weekend is proof they’re doing something right as well. But then came the game itself. The Rockets came out flat to start against Buffalo and never recovered, as the Bulls doubled them up in a romp. Tucker Gleason was hurt mid-game, which certainly doesn’t help either, but it’s another baffling loss in what should have been a clear win for Toledo. Hopefully they can rebound to make good on their promising outlooks, but having a second clunker over the last few weeks doesn’t feel good.

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

• High vote: 2 (twice)
• Low vote: 4 (twice)
• Average vote: 3

The Bobbies ran over, around, through and above the Chippewas on the road in a game where they took a commanding 24-8 lead into the halftime break. Parker Navarro especially gave them fits, cruising out to nearly 200 total yards on his own. The defense also stood tall, allowing just 63 yards in the first half. It was a confirmation of what the team can look like at their height. However, the team hit a major rut in the second half, punting on all but one possession and having to rely on a late field goal late in the contest to walk away with a win against a team utilizing their third-string QB. They’ve been a nice surprise up to this point; can they maintain going forward?

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2. NIU Huskies (LW: t-2)

• High vote: 1 (twice)
• Low vote: 4 (once)
• Average vote: 2.14

NIU smothered BGSU to continue to add to their resume for the future. It was not their cleanest game, to be certain, especially on the offensive side of the ball. QB Ethan Hampton’s status moving forward will be uncertain due to a recurring injury. Backup QB Jared Holst has filled in quite nicely in spot duties there, but it was clear NIU will lean on their league-leading running game no matter who is under center.

Their defense, the fourth-best in the NCAA, has buoyed them to this point in the year, giving NIU the opportunity to navigate some of their defensive struggles. It’s that strength we continue to rank highly and why NIU is seen by a few of our voters as the favorite to win the MAC title come December.

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1. Buffalo Bulls (LW: 7, up 6)

• High vote: 1 (five)
• Low vote: 2 (twice)
• Average vote: 1.28

You beat #1, you get the chance to have your resume re-examined. Buffalo now holds MAC wins over both preseason favorite Toledo and NIU, who by statistics, is the most dominant team in the league.

They’ve accomplished their MAC record with an amazing defense, centered on stopping the run and forcing mistakes in the pass game to give the offense short fields. The offense is still a bit of a work-in-progress, with the passing game particularly limited, but the run game has produced enough to allow the Bulls to limit opposing possessions. The longer the season goes on, the more Buffalo can round into form. That’s a very dangerous prospect, and not one we saw coming at the start of the year.

Taking down a WMU that’s 2-0 in MAC play and has stacked up points like Jenga blocks in recent weeks would go a long way to legitimizing their campaign.

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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!