Toledo is the team to beat. Ball State is fun but needs work. And Harold Fannin Jr. is must-watch.
We’re almost halfway through the 2024 college football regular season.
It’s certainly been an eventful first half for the Mid-American Conference, with Northern Illinois piecing together a Week 2 statement upset over No. 5 Notre Dame, 16-14, and Toledo invading SEC country to demolish Mississippi State, 41-17.
Every team is now at least one game into MAC play with Akron and Ball State already being two games deep. Last weekend, only seven of the league’s teams took the field. Western Michigan outlasted Ball State 45-42 in a high-scoring thriller. Toledo avenged its 2023 MAC Championship Game loss by knocking off Miami (OH), 30-20. Bowling Green edged Akron in a tight 27-20 finish. And finally, Northern Illinois rallied past UMass 34-27 in non-conference action.
Here are three takeaways from Week 6 of MAC football:
Toledo is the team to beat, once again
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No MAC team remains unbeaten, but the closest is the Toledo Rockets at 4-1 and 1-0 in conference play. The Rockets have known nothing but winning for 14 seasons and counting, last generating a sub-.500 record in 2009. Jason Candle’s squad is off to another stellar start. Toledo earned a signature Week 3 win over Mississippi State in Starkville, and on Saturday, it won a game that was certainly circled on its calendar — a 2023 MAC Championship Game rematch vs. Miami (OH).
The Rockets took care of business against the RedHawks in the 2023 regular season, but in the conference title game, Miami mucked the game up by forcing two turnovers and stifling a typically strong Toledo run game. Candle ensured the rematch would unfold in a different manner. Toledo utilized a high-powered offense led by the Tucker Gleason and Jerjuan Newton connection to post 30 points on the RedHawks — a feat which no team accomplished on Miami in the RedHawks’ prior 17 matchups.
Toledo even lost the turnover battle 2-1 due to a pair of first half interceptions in Miami territory and still comfortably led by 17 for the majority of the second half. This Rockets team presents a great balance to it. They feature a top 30 scoring offense led by an efficient passing attack and a top 35 scoring defense spearheaded by an elite run-stopping group. The Rockets did lose a close contest at WKU where committing four turnovers ultimately did in them in after leading by double-digits in the second half, but overall, this team has shown every sign of being a contender in the MAC.
Toledo is riding a two-game streak of MAC Championship Game appearances and with divisions scrapped, the Rockets just have to finish among the top two conference records to make it a third-straight.
Ball State’s defense needs work, but its games will be fun
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Ball State produced a very concerning non-conference slate. The Cardinals allowed 62+ points on multiple occasions, getting shellacked 62-0 by Miami (FL) and 63-7 by James Madison. And their lone win was over FCS Missouri State, and it didn’t transpire in the most comforting fashion as Ball State escaped with a 42-34 win.
However, while the Cardinals are 0-2 in MAC play, they’ve shown plenty of promise — and the games have been thrilling. The offense looks smooth and free-flowing with the ability to generate explosive plays. There’s just one concern — the defense has not fixed its woes.
Ball State’s defense ranks second-to-last in the FBS, yielding 48.2 points per game. The Cardinals are 131st in passing defense at 301 yards allowed and 120th in run defense at 211 yards allowed per game. Summing those two parts together, Ball State is also second-to-last in yards surrendered, with only Kent State giving up more.
Those stats aren’t exactly skewed by Ball State’s non-conference outings, as it yielded 527 yards to Central Michigan and 461 to Western Michigan. And it’s been pick your poison too. The Chippewas mainly attacked on the ground, averaging 10.2 yards per rush with 335 yards. The Broncos primarily struck through the air as quarterback Hayden Wolff connected on 26-of-29 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns.
Every opponent — including FCS Missouri State — scored at least 34 on the Cardinals through five games, and Ball State needs to find methods to improve on that side of the ball. Dialing up the aggressiveness and forcing turnovers would be a start as they are racking up 1.4 sacks and 0.8 takeaways per game, which both rank below 100th in the FBS.
However, not all is dreary in Muncie. The Cardinals’ offense has been explosive and exciting in MAC play, gaining 431 yards on Central Michigan and 397 on Western Michigan. Kadin Semonza has moved the ball exceptionally through the air, proving this team can score. So combine Ball State’s dynamic offense with a defense struggling to get consistent stops? The results are thrilling shootouts.
Harold Fannin Jr. is absolutely must-watch television
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This isn’t a new hot take. It’s just important to reiterate.
Think of all the college tight ends that kept your eyes glued to the television. Jermaine Gresham, Kyle Pitts, and Brock Bowers are probably the main ones on that list. It may seem premature to throw Harold Fannin Jr.’s name in a list with those collegiate greats, but it’s absolutely warranted at this point.
The Bowling Green tight end is now riding a four-game streak of 130+ yard receiving performances. He has won the MAC Offensive Player of the Week in three-straight weeks which is an extremely rare honor for a tight end. Here are Fannin’s stat-line this season:
- vs. Fordham (FCS): 6 receptions, 67 yards
- at Penn State: 11 receptions, 137 yards, 1 TD
- at Texas A&M: 8 receptions, 145 yards, 1 TD
- vs. Old Dominion: 12 receptions, 192 yards, 2 TD
- at Akron: 9 receptions, 135 yards, 2 rushes, 37 yards, 1 TD
He is fourth in the country in receiving yards at 676, and he’s already been subject to a bye week. The amount of separation between Fannin and the next closest tight end in the FBS (Ball State’s Tanner Koziol) is 285. Fannin doesn’t exactly have a weakness in the bag. He’s explosive, leading the entire country with three receptions of 60+ yards. He’s elusive, breaking the most tackles of any FBS receiver at 18. The tight end also excels as a blocker. And when the game was on the line vs. Akron in a tie 20-20 ballgame with under three minutes left, what play does Scot Loeffler and staff fire up? An end around to Fannin of course. He sprinted 31 yards to the house for his fifth-career rushing touchdown, showcasing his versatility in a crucial moment.
Every week, it’s always Fannin and teams know it’s coming. He should be the Mackey Award frontrunner at the moment, already en route to an All-American selection. That’s what makes him such a special player, and that’s why Bowling Green is must-watch television.