Monday MAC Musings: 2025 Week 14

We’ve reached the end. This column debuted in the middle of last season, and for the first time ever, it survived the grind of an entire regular season.

It was quite an eventful year for the Mid-American Conference, which is now in championship mode, preparing the highly-anticipated matchup between Western Michigan and Miami (OH). Miami won a three-way tiebreaker over Ohio and Toledo to qualify, emerging thanks to a superior record vs. common opponents despite losing to both the Bobcats and Rockets. In addition to those four teams, Central Michigan is also bowling. The other eight MAC teams saw their seasons effectively conclude this week (well, except Akron, which saw its season end on Tuesday night of Week 13).

So let’s reflect on the final week of regular season MACtion, as we wave goodbye to the 2025 iterations of roughly two-thirds of the conference:

• This game kicked off at 4:30 p.m. ET. Yes, we were introduced to the unique concept of MACtion happy hour. I’m not gonna lie — for two bowl ineligible teams playing their finale, it actually felt like a cool novelty. Any other week besides Thanksgiving, it probably wouldn’t have worked as well.

• UMass… where do we start? The Minutemen became the 19th FBS team to finish 0-12 or worse in the sport’s history. UMass was only remotely close to one FBS win — Oct. 18 vs. Buffalo. The other 10 FBS matchups were 18+ point defeats.

• Bowling Green earned its largest margin of victory vs. FBS competition since 2016 in the 31-point domination. This stat was very common to post after UMass games this year. Against the Minutemen, Akron earned its largest margin of victory since 2002, Temple and Northern Illinois since 2019, Iowa and Central Michigan since 2020, and Kent State since 2021.

• Some notable UMass statistical rankings — scoring offense (136th), scoring defense (136th), total offense (136th), rushing offense (133rd), rushing defense (134th). This team struggled in a multitude of areas without a defining strength. It was a historically brutal season.

• The last three 0-12 FBS teams were all from the MAC. 2019 Akron, 2024 Kent State, and 2025 UMass all went 0-12. The two recent ones both lost to a sub-.500 FCS team in order to reach that undesirable mark.

• Bowling Green’s offense looked for answers all season, but the Falcons finally enjoyed a breakthrough performance with a season-high 45 points. The run game was excellent as Austyn Dendy rushed for 115 and two touchdowns while Cameron Pettaway added 87. Dendy looks like a potential future star for the Falcons.

• The long wait is finally over. Western Michigan is headed to its first MAC Championship Game since 2016, when P.J. Fleck finished the regular season undefeated and spearheaded a New Year’s Six run. The Broncos fielded several good teams since, but the 2025 squad was finally the one to break the drought.

• A good Western Michigan offensive game means minimal passing. The Broncos fired fewer than 15 passes in each of their last three games (all wins) and instead rallied behind a dominant three-headed monster in the backfield — quarterback Broc Lowry and running backs Jalen Buckley and Devin Miles. Lowry was especially lethal down the stretch of the season, totaling 80+ rushing yards in each of his last seven games.

• Western Michigan just needed time to figure out its offense in the first few weeks of the season. The defense was always there. The Broncos experimented with a two-QB system during their 0-3 start and didn’t utilize Lowry as a rusher enough. Figuring things out before conference play was a key to their special run, and they’ve won eight of nine.

• Joshua Franklin doesn’t stick out in the box score, but he was Western Michigan’s most impactful defensive player Tuesday night. He deflected two passes into the air, which were intercepted by fellow defensive backs. Overall, Western Michigan was a takeover machine, winning the turnover battle 5-0 at The Factory.

• Eastern Michigan was solid over the last six games, posting a 3-3 record, but that sluggish 1-5 start doomed the Eagles. They posted their third-straight losing season with a 4-8 finish — their worst showing in a full season since 2015. Still, one down year shouldn’t diminish what Chris Creighton created here in Ypsilanti, and he certainly elevated the standard.

• Buffalo finishing 5-7 with this roster is certainly a disappointment. The Bulls went 9-4 last year, entered the season on a 5-game win streak, and returned more starting talent than anyone else in the MAC. They even looked positioned for a MAC title run but dropped three-straight to finish the season.

• That concludes a storied college career for Red Murdock. The inside linebacker set the all-time FBS career forced fumbles record at 17, surpassing former Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack during this season. At the conclusion of the regular season, he ranks second in total tackles at 142 — the same spot he ranked in 2024 at the end of the year. Murdock is cemented as a program legend and is a guaranteed NFL player.

• Ohio is at its best when it just scorches teams on the ground like it did Friday. Parker Navarro rushed for 121, Sieh Bangura contributed 120, and Duncan Brune rounded out the trio with 69 — and the team totaled 359 yards. There aren’t many MAC teams that can light up the air for 300-400 yards this year, but there are many capable of rushing for 300+ yards.

• First of all, this game was objectively a banger. This was an incredible back-and-forth between two teams looking to exhaust all offense left in the engine. The final score was quite unexpected too, as both teams’ recent histories suggested this would end up 17-13 or something like that.

• Northern Illinois, you will be missed. NIU was such an integral part of the conference. The Huskies tied the record for most MAC Championship Games won at five, earning all five championships in the range from 2010-21. They represented the conference well on the Orange Bowl stage in 2012, becoming the only MAC team to qualify for a BCS bowl during the 1998-13 BCS era. NIU sent a top-3 Heisman finisher to New York in Jordan Lynch in 2013. And the program earned countless “Boneyard” wins, most recently getting its time in the limelight during last season’s 16-14 upset over eventual National Championship participant Notre Dame. There’s also the famous Diesel the Husky high-five GIF, which we can’t forget. This program was synonymous with MACtion, and I’ll miss seeing that MAC patch on the Huskies’ uniforms as they head to the Mountain West or 2026.

• Dru DeShields finished the season with 18 touchdowns and only three interceptions. That went a long way in Kent State’s vast improvement.

• Kent State finished 5-7 which doesn’t qualify for a bowl game, but the Golden Flashes leaped an incredibly far distance from last year. This was a lifeless 0-12 team in 2024 and Mark Carney had them a game away from bowling (and they were excruciatingly close to knocking off Buffalo and Ball State, so chances were there). Quite an inspiring season for a team picked to finish dead last in the MAC by the coaches.

• It was cool seeing Gavin Garcia (one of the few remnants of the Sean Lewis era) enjoy a career day with 151 rushing yards for Kent State. The Golden Flashes spent all year trying to ignite the run game, and it finally materialized in the finale vs. a usually-solid NIU run defense.

• This game was shaping up to be the MAC’s most anticipated matchup of the week, and it ended up just being a dud. First, Central Michigan was basically eliminated from the conference title game prior to kickoff thanks to wins by Western Michigan and Ohio. Second, Toledo was essentially eliminated during the game because Miami (OH) was handling Ball State with ease. And third, the game was simply uncompetitive.

• Tucker Gleason exited this game due to neck/back pain, and redshirt freshman Kalieb Osborne did a tremendous job stepping up. Osborne showcased his dual-threat abilities with 108 yards and a touchdown on a 5-of-7 showing, adding 52 yards as a runner. Potential future MAC star in the making.

• It was only fitting the regular season ended in an Emmanuel McNeil-Warren masterclass. He might be the highest drafted MAC player in this upcoming class, and he registered six tackles, two pass breakups, and an interception as Toledo’s defense suffocated Central Michigan to three points. I really hope we see one more McNeil-Warren game in the Rockets’ upcoming bowl, but that was a heck of a career if otherwise.

• Some Toledo defensive ranks this year — 2nd in total defense, 4th in scoring defense, 5th in pass defense, and 8th in run defense. Also ranked top 10 in sacks and top 25 in turnovers forced. What an all-around dominant unit.

• Toledo will not be participating in the MAC Championship Game despite an insane league-best +178 point differential in MAC play this year (outscored opponents 251-73). Western Michigan produced the next best differential at +85. The Rocket defense stymied every single opponent, but the offense stopped working at critical times in their two losses — a blown 13-0 lead at Western Michigan and a blown 21-0 lead at Bowling Green.

• Miami wasn’t necessarily an offensive juggernaut all season. Then redshirt freshman Thomas Gotkowski gets inserted at quarterback and the RedHawks suddenly drop 37 and 45 in their last two games. Gotkowski amassed 226 passing yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 44 in this offensive masterclass. Miami had 21 first quarter points — a rarity for a team subject to slow starts. This offense is peaking at the right time.

• This week’s stat-line for Miami’s ultimate deep threat Kam Perry — 2 receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown. Yes, he increased his receiving average which now stands at 24.7 to conclude the regular season. Perry only has 35 receptions but a legitimate shot to hit 1,000 yards with the MAC Championship Game and subsequent bowl remaining. He will need 135 yards in those two contests.

• Miami wasted zero time clinching the MAC title game. The RedHawks were win-and-in and left zero doubt with a 31-10 halftime score. Chuck Martin knows how to win these when the chips are on the table. That’s three-straight championship appearances for the RedHawks — the first team to make three in a row since Bowling Green and Northern Illinois both did from 2013-15.

• Rivalry trophies are cool. Now that Ball State loses the Bronze Stalk with NIU off to the Mountain West, the Red Bird Rivalry Trophy can shift to its most desired regular season prize.