MAC Football, MAC Basketball, MAC Recruiting, MAC Baseball and all of the other #MACtion hijinks in between - [email protected]
The Mid-American Conference title race is by the far the most difficult to predict. Heading into Week 12, eight teams have a path to competing in the MAC Championship. At current, no teams are undefeated in league play, while five teams sit at 4-2. Ball State, who plays Saturday, can reach a 4-2 MAC record […]
3 months ago | 1 read
When Eastern Michigan (3-7, 2-4 MAC) heads to Ball State (4-5, 3-2 MAC) to tangle with the Cardinals, it will signal the renewal of a very familiar matchup. The elimination of MAC East and West divisions last year snapped an incredible streak where the teams had squared off each year from 1973 to 2023. However, […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Wednesday night marked a significant game for Miami (OH)’s starting quarterback. Dequan Finn spent five seasons at Toledo from 2019-23, and after a brief detour at Baylor, he returned to the MAC to suit up for the RedHawks. This past week, he was slated to face his former program for the first time when Toledo […]
3 months ago | 1 read
What many thought would be a close game between hapless teams turned into a common sight for UMass’ season. Northern Illinois dominated from start to finish in a 45-3 victory. Jalen Macon won his first start of the year at quarterback with 98 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, and a 3-of-4 showing in the passing […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Two head coaches with at least 10 years of service at their current programs. Two perennial MAC championship contenders, responsible for four of the conference’s last eight titles. When Toledo and Miami (OH) meet, you can usually guarantee conference championship stakes will be on the line, and they certainly were in Wednesday night’s bout in […]
3 months ago | 1 read
For the first time since 2021, the Central Michigan Chippewas are bowl eligible. First-year head coach Matt Drinkall elevated the program into MAC contention status in year one at the helm, and Wednesday night in Mount Pleasant was an excellent step in the right direction. Central Michigan (6-4, 4-2 MAC) handled fellow conference contender Buffalo […]
3 months ago | 1 read
Game notes Setting the scene The frigid temperatures of Midweek MACtion return. Central Michigan hosts Buffalo in sub-40 degree weather Wednesday night in a battle of two 5-4 teams still alive in a busy MAC championship race. Keep your eyes fixated on the running backs and linebackers in this physical matchup where the winner clinches […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Game notes Setting the scene Two MAC contenders clash in a Wednesday night showdown. Toledo and Miami (OH) recently met in the 2023 MAC Championship Game, and both programs are annual fixtures in the conference title race. Miami qualified for the championship game in 2019, 2023, and 2024, while Toledo punched a ticket in 2017, […]
3 months ago | 1 read
When the Wagon Wheel is on the line, all bets are off. Any play can happen. No lead is safe. And chaos is certain to brew. Tuesday night’s rivalry clash between the Kent State Golden Flashes and Akron Zips featured all the madness. There was a 21-0 second half scoring run, answered by an 18-point […]
3 months ago | 1 read
In a primetime marquee matchup, Western Michigan (6-4, 5-1 MAC) took an important step in the standings, achieving bowl eligibility by besting Ohio (6-4, 4-2 MAC) in a hard-fought contest. The game started out with a promising Bobcat drive but Western Michigan’s Tate Hallock turned the tide. The Broncos’ star seventh-year senior safety stepped in […]
3 months ago | 1 read
UMass NIU may seem like a meaningless Wednesday night #MACtion clash, but both sides have much to prove. UMass may have its best chance at avoiding its first winless non-pandemic season since 1927, while NIU hopes to build much-needed momentum in a rebuilding year. Wednesday night’s contest features two offenses desperately needing a breakout performance, […]
3 months ago | 1 read
Game notes Setting the scene “So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel. Rock me mama any way you feel. Hey… mama rock me. Rock me mama like the wind and the rain. Rock me mama like a southbound train. Hey… mama rock me.” Darius Rucker, a noted MAC fan, proclaimed these famous words in […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
The second week of midweek MACtion is gearing up, but before we get back to madness, let’s review what we learned in midweek MACtion’s 2025 opening slate. There were two Tuesday games, two Wednesday games, and one Saturday game in Week 11, so here are all the thoughts, takeaways, stats, and more from the previous […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
The Ohio Bobcats (6-3, 4-1 MAC) are set to travel to Western Michigan (5-4, 4-1 MAC) to take on the Broncos as one part of a dream scenario for #MACtion fans. Primetime match-ups of the MAC’s marquee teams over the next three weeks will clear the log jam at the top of the standings— from […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Hello everyone and welcome back! Welcome to a Monday afternoon edition of the Hustle Belt MAC Football Power Rankings! With the weeknight season now fully in swing for all 13 members, intrigue surrounds the conference on the national level. A number of results turned the MAC title race on its head, with no more undefeated […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
In a highly-anticipated Satuday matchup between Pudge and the MACCOON Eastern Michigan (3-7, 2-4 MAC) and Bowling Green (3-7, 1-5 MAC), it would be the homestanding Eagles who would stop the bleeding and pick a up a win, sending their fans home happy with a 27-21 victory over the Falcons. The game itself was a […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
The Bowling Green Falcons (3-6, 1-4 MAC) and Eastern Michigan Eagles (2-7, 1-4 MAC) get set to take each other on this Saturday, hoping to put an end to odious losing streaks. The Falcons, who have suffered from a rash of injuries and an ineffective offense, have lost three straight games, and find themselves in […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Former Western Michigan defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland, who had been a second-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, passed away late Wednesday evening, per multiple sources. He was 24 years old. The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed on Thursday morning Kneeland died of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound after a […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Ball State and Kent State entered a Wednesday night matchup in Muncie, IN wielding identical résumés. Led by first-year head coaches, both MAC teams were 3-5 and 2-2 in conference play. Wednesday night would be one of separation, vaulting one a massive step closer to bowl eligibility and the other on the brink of postseason […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
A familiar face lined up opposite side of the Northern Illinois Huskies. Trayvon Rudolph spent five years with the program, becoming the program record-holder for most receiving yards in a single game. But on this particular Wednesday night, he donned Toledo Rockets colors, ready to put on a show against his former team. The opening […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Midweek MACtion kicked off at InfoCision Stadium on Tuesday night, pitting the Akron Zips against the MAC’s newcomer, the UMass Minutemen. Akron (4-6, 3-3 MAC) dominated the winless Minutemen (0-9, 0-5 MAC) in a 44-10 affair. The 34-point victory marked Akron’s largest over an FBS opponent since defeating Kent State by 38 in the 2002 […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
In a shocking turn of events, Rhode Island athletic director Thorr Bjorn, who had recently signed a five-year extension in June, has reportedly been hired to join the UMass athletic department as a “senior deputy athletic director” and “chief of business administration.” ESPN’s Pete Thamel was first to report, with UMass confirming the hire on […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Game notes Setting the scene Northern Illinois vs. Toledo was a defining matchup for years, often having significant influence on the MAC title race. No teams have more MAC Championship Game appearances than the Huskies and Rockets, which qualified nine and eight times, respectively. However, this annual matchup is no more after Wednesday night. Toledo […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Game notes Setting the scene Midweek MACtion returns Wednesday night, and Kent State (3-5, 2-2 MAC) and Ball State (3-5, 2-2 MAC) converge in Muncie sporting identical overall and conference records. Both the Golden Flashes and Cardinals are vastly improved from last year’s products, with Kent State lapping its 2024 win total by three and […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Tuesday night’s 44-10 final result between the Akron Zips (4-6, 3-2 MAC) and the UMass Minutemen (0-9, 0-5 MAC) was not the most conventional blowout, but by night’s end, Akron was able to secure the win and keep their dreams of a .500 season alive, surviving one of the most bizarre games of the 2025 […]
3 months ago | 0 reads