FBS CONFERENCE · 2025 SEASON
THE LONG WAIT · 2025
The MAC invented MACtion — Tuesday and Wednesday night football in November, when the rest of college football goes dark and ESPN needs programming. The format turned Toledo, Northern Illinois, and Ohio into cult programs for a certain kind of fan who found the noon Saturday games on ABC beside the point. Northern Illinois upset Iowa in 2013. Toledo beat Penn State in 2016. The MAC has no delusions about its place in the hierarchy. It has a specific identity instead: late-night, blue-collar, genuinely competitive.
Toledo and NIU have both landed Top-25 moments on Power Conference neutral sites. Which MAC program puts together the full November MACtion run that earns a bid to a bowl game worth watching — and which Tuesday night game becomes the one everyone screenshots by December?
Conference Standings · Mid-American · 2025
| # | Team | Conf |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Michigan | 8–1 |
| 2 | Ohio | 6–2 |
| 3 | Toledo | 6–2 |
| 4 | Miami (OH) | 6–3 |
| 5 | Central Michigan | 5–3 |
| 6 | Akron | 4–4 |
| 7 | Buffalo | 4–4 |
| 8 | Kent State | 4–4 |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 3–5 |
| 10 | Ball State | 3–5 |
| 11 | Bowling Green | 2–6 |
| 12 | Northern Illinois | 2–6 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | 0–8 |
Conference record determines standing. Power = neutral-field pts vs. all-level average. Last 5 = most recent game results.
Projected Standings · Mid-American · 2026
Preseason model — odds of winning at least N conference games, from current power ratings. Tiers rank projected strength; AVG = expected conference wins.
| # | Team | W–L | PWR | AVG | ≥8 | ≥7 | ≥6 | ≥5 | ≥4 | ≥3 | ≥2 | ≥1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorites | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Toledo | 5–3 | +6.6 | 5.3 | 3 | 18 | 45 | 73 | 91 | 98 | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 | Western Michigan | 5–3 | +4.8 | 4.8 | 1 | 10 | 31 | 59 | 83 | 95 | 99 | ✓ |
| 3 | Ohio | 5–3 | +3.4 | 4.6 | 1 | 8 | 26 | 53 | 78 | 93 | 99 | ✓ |
| Challengers | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Miami (OH) | 4–4 | +1.1 | 4.3 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 44 | 72 | 90 | 98 | ✓ |
| 5 | Central Michigan | 4–4 | +0.5 | 4.0 | 3 | 14 | 37 | 64 | 86 | 97 | ✓ | |
| 6 | Eastern Michigan | 4–4 | +0.0 | 3.9 | 3 | 12 | 33 | 61 | 85 | 96 | ✓ | |
| The Field | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Sacramento State | 4–4 | -0.7 | 3.9 | 3 | 13 | 34 | 62 | 85 | 97 | ✓ | |
| 8 | Akron | 4–4 | -0.5 | 3.9 | 3 | 13 | 34 | 62 | 84 | 96 | ✓ | |
| 9 | Bowling Green | 4–4 | -0.8 | 3.9 | 2 | 12 | 33 | 62 | 85 | 97 | ✓ | |
| 10 | Buffalo | 4–4 | -0.8 | 3.9 | 2 | 11 | 32 | 60 | 84 | 96 | ✓ | |
| Rebuilding | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Kent State | 4–4 | -1.6 | 3.6 | 2 | 9 | 26 | 53 | 79 | 94 | 99 | |
| 12 | Ball State | 3–5 | -3.6 | 3.4 | 1 | 6 | 21 | 46 | 74 | 92 | 99 | |
| 13 | Massachusetts | 2–6 | -8.3 | 2.5 | 1 | 7 | 22 | 49 | 78 | 95 | ||
Conference Power · FBS
| # | Conference | Avg Power |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEC | |
| 2 | Big Ten | |
| 3 | ACC | |
| 4 | Big 12 | |
| 5 | American Athletic | |
| 6 | Mountain West | |
| 7 | Sun Belt | |
| 8 | Mid-AmericanYou are here | |
| 9 | Conference USA |
Round-robin power = strength of schedule-adjusted conference average, points vs. all-level average team. Record = Mid-American's record vs. that conference across all games this season.
Championship market · 2025
| # | Team | Best odds | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Michigan | +300 | 6bk |
| 2 | Miami (OH) | +340 | 6bk |
| 3 | Toledo | +360 | 6bk |
| 4 | Ohio | +600 | 6bk |
| 5 | Central Michigan | +710 | 6bk |
| 6 | Eastern Michigan | +980 | 6bk |
| 7 | Bowling Green | +1400 | 6bk |
| 8 | Buffalo | +1300 | 6bk |
| 9 | Akron | +1600 | 6bk |
| 10 | Kent State | +3000 | 6bk |
| 11 | Ball State | +3500 | 6bk |
| 12 | UMass | +8000 | 6bk |
Sportsbook consensus — best odds across multiple books · 2026-06-22 · American odds (e.g. +450 means bet $100 to win $450)
Mid-American is outperforming its raw power profile. The league body of work is stronger than the market would expect.
The league stack, sorted by predictive strength. Power is shown as neutral-field points versus the all-level average team, while resume is shown on a 0-100 season score.
| Rank | Team | Record | Power | Resume | ATS | Wins vs Market | Recent Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #13 | Toledo | 8-5 | +19.1 | 90 | 10-3 | -1.57 | 3-1 over the last 4 (W12 W13 W14 L17) |
| #22 | Western Michigan | 10-4 | +17.3 | 94 | 11-3 | +2.65 | 4-0 over the last 4 (W13 W14 W15 W16) |
| #42 | Ohio | 9-4 | +15.8 | 91 | 7-6 | +0.86 | 3-1 over the last 4 (L12 W13 W14 W17) |
| #77 | Miami (OH) | 7-7 | +13.6 | 77 | 8-6 | -0.63 | 2-2 over the last 4 (W13 W14 L15 L18) |
| #86 | Central Michigan | 7-6 | +13.0 | 77 | 8-5 | +0.80 | 2-2 over the last 4 (W12 W13 L14 L17) |
| #95 | Eastern Michigan | 4-8 | +12.5 | 46 | 7-5 | -0.71 | 2-2 over the last 4 (L9 W11 W12 L14) |
| #110 | Akron | 5-7 | +11.9 | 55 | 6-6 | +0.28 | 3-1 over the last 4 (W9 W11 L12 W13) |
| #118 | Buffalo | 5-7 | +11.7 | 61 | 4-8 | -2.52 | 1-3 over the last 4 (W10 L12 L13 L14) |
| #119 | Bowling Green | 4-8 | +11.7 | 49 | 5-7 | -1.89 | 1-3 over the last 4 (L10 L11 L13 W14) |
| #139 | Kent State | 5-7 | +10.9 | 49 | 6-6 | +1.93 | 2-2 over the last 4 (L11 W12 L13 W14) |
| #157 | Northern Illinois | 3-9 | +10.3 | 39 | 3-9 | -2.38 | 1-3 over the last 4 (L11 W12 L13 L14) |
| #196 | Ball State | 4-8 | +8.9 | 31 | 6-6 | +0.67 | 1-3 over the last 4 (W11 L12 L13 L14) |
| #263 | Massachusetts | 0-12 | +4.2 | 6 | 3-9 | -3.06 | 0-4 over the last 4 (L11 L12 L13 L14) |
Rank movement since the most recent refresh.
Teams whose stock dropped most since the last refresh.
Who beat the number most often this season.
| Team | Cover Rate | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Western Michigan | 78.6% | 11-3 ATS |
| Toledo | 76.9% | 10-3 ATS |
| Central Michigan | 61.5% | 8-5 ATS |
| Eastern Michigan | 58.3% | 7-5 ATS |
| Miami (OH) | 57.1% | 8-6 ATS |
Win total minus the market's implied expectation, by team.
| Team | Wins vs Market | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Western Michigan | +2.65 | 14 lined games |
| Kent State | +1.93 | 12 lined games |
| Ohio | +0.86 | 13 lined games |
| Central Michigan | +0.80 | 13 lined games |
| Ball State | +0.67 | 12 lined games |
How wide the league's power spread runs from top to bottom.