2026 MAC Football Power Rankings: Week 2

Hello everyone and welcome back!

Week 2 has come and gone, with the majority of members playing FCS opponents. Typically, this means there isn't a lot of movement because of the level of competition, but boy oh boy would you be wrong this year!

The MAC ended up winning against all eight FCS teams, but the action shown was enough for voters to start separating teams near the bottom. Same with games against FBS competition, where the MAC went 1-4.

How has that affected the rankings? Let's take a look.

13. Bowling Green Falcons (LW: 13)

• Unanimous #13

No surprises here. BGSU is now 0-2 after getting pasted by Nebraska by a margin of 53-7, with a game against an angry Iowa State upcoming. Projecting the next win on the schedule is pretty impossible at the moment unless they find a spark over the next few weeks.

12. Buffalo Bulls (LW: 11, down 1)

• High vote: 12 (three)
• Low vote: 11 (two)
• Average vote: 11.2

Generally, when you're on the receiving end of a highlight involving a quarterback mossing your starting defensive backs for a trick play touchdown, you're not in a good spot. FIU is a decent CUSA side, but not a world-beater. The rushing attack has been limited in both games this year (averaging only 106.5 yards per contest) and backup Jason Wright is in line to start this week vs. Penn State due to starter Elijah Holmes suffering a recent knee injury, so optimism is not high in Buffalo at present.

11. Central Michigan Chippewas (LW: 7, down 4)

• High vote: 9 (once)
• Low vote: 12 (once)
• Average vote: 10.8

This was by far the most concerning result of Week 2, as CMU squeezed by a scrappy Colgate side to take home a one-score victory. It was a sloppy affair despite perfect weather, with CMU's defense collecting four turnovers while Colgate collected three. Credit to the Chippewa defense, which did its best after a tough outing against New Mexico. That said, the offense and special teams have both taken a clear, significant step back from 2025. Current belief in the team locally is low; the honeymoon period is in danger of ending if the staff loses to a similarly-rebuilding Wyoming.

10. Sacramento State Hornets (LW: t-9, down 1)

• High vote: 10 (two)
• Low vote: 11 (three)
• Average vote: 10.6

Sac State fell back down to earth last weekend, taking an expected– if tough– loss to PAC-12 member Fresno State in an in-state mid-major matchup under the national TV lights. The Hornets kept pace in the game's first quarter, but that focus broke in the second frame, and they were never able to recover. These are expected speed bumps for a program that is new to the FBS level; Hornets fans shouldn't panic too much considering the jump in competition, this is a Year 0 situation. Take small wins where you can and hope the adversity galvanizes the team by the time the MAC season starts in full.

9. Ball State Cardinals (LW: 12, up 3)

• High vote: 9 (three)
• Low vote: 11 (once)
• Average vote: 9.2

Ball State didn't have the greatest of starts against their FCS competition last week, tossing a rainbow interception directly into the hands of a Stony Brook defender. However, they put that gaffe behind and bounced back in a big way, collecting the biggest win by points margin under Mike Uremovich's tenure. It's an encouraging sign of growth for a Cardinals team which couldn't show much against the #1 team in the nation to start the year.

t-7. Akron Zips (LW: 8, up 1)

• High vote: 7 (three)
• Low vote: 8 (two)
• Average vote: 7.4

The question that has surrounded the Zips the last few weeks has been "how will Akron function without their expected starting quarterback?" Apparently, the answer is "just fine, thank you!" Cibastian Broughton has looked like a natural under center after replacing Reese Poffenbarger, leading the team in the air with a completion rating of 83 percent and four touchdowns to zero interceptions while also leading in rushing yards (153). We know last week was against FCS Robert Morris, but the general offensive philosophy Joe Moorhead has shown is seemingly yielding results. They'll need to bolster their defense, however, which has been remarkably down.

t-7. Kent State Golden Flashes (LW: t-9, up 2)

• High vote: 6 (twice)
• Low vote: 9 (once)
• Average vote: 7.4

Kent State weathered through both the conditions and a froggy Wofford side which came in on a hot streak in order to take away a victory last weekend. The game was played in the pouring rain, which certainly meant less-than-ideal circumstances, but three major faux pas on special teams– which is typically a calling card for KSU– are notable to point out. Dru DeShields was a positive, with three total touchdowns on the day as was the defense (seven TFLs, five sacks and two picks). It's back to buy game hell for KSU this week, as they're the Big Noon Showdown opponent for Ohio State.

6. Eastern Michigan Eagles (LW: 6)

• High vote: 5 (one)
• Low vote: 8 (one)
• Average vote: 6.4

Eastern Michigan was certainly in contention for a potential upset early on in East Lansing against Michigan State, but a few bad plays in the third quarter let the game get away from them in what turned into a blowout loss. One can squarely blame the offense here, which had 45 yards in their final seven possessions, with five punts, an interception and a turnover-on-downs. It's part of a larger concern, as EMU has collapsed in the second half of all three of their games on offense, with just one TD scored after the start of the third quarter in three games. They're up this high largely on the strength of their conference win.

5. Miami RedHawks (LW: 5)

• High vote: 5 (three)
• Low vote: 6 (one)
• Average vote: 4.8

Miami played angry last weekend, walloping FCS foe Holy Cross (who was already 0-2 heading into the contest) for a 42-0 margin in the first half and a convincing win overall. We've seen this before coming off bad FBS losses with the RedHawks in non-conference games, so we're trying not to jump too far ahead of our skis here. That said, they looked good in all three phases, and still maintain one of the more talented rosters in the MAC. They should be a future contender.

4. UMass Minutemen (LW: 4)

• High vote: 3 (two)
• Low vote: 5 (one)
• Average vote: 3.8

UMass starts 2-0 for the first time in FBS program history after a convincing win over a decent FCS team in Sacred Heart. If there were concerns the Rutgers game was a mirage, they were put to sleep in Amherst, as UMass dominated in every phase of the game and was in control from start to finish. It's a great start for a fanbase starving for a reason to celebrate. UMass' future prospects will be up in the air until we see them again against peer competition. However, the good times will likely continue to roll for now with another FCS team coming to town this week in Stonehill.

3. Ohio Bobcats (LW: 3)

• High vote: 3 (three)
• Low vote: 4 (twice)
• Average vote: 3.4

Ohio played perhaps the most thrilling game of the weekend, as they defended home field in a late-night monsoon to claim a 4OT victory over 2025 CUSA runners-up Jacksonville State. What made the effort more impressive was that the Bobbies lost QBs Nick Poulos and Matt Vezza, starting halfback Duncan Brune, safety DJ Walker and linebacker Charlie Christopher to game-ending injuries– and still found a way to persevere and win with a true freshman third-stringer at QB. We were already pretty high on Ohio's MAC chances to start the season, but this week was a confirmation they're legit.

2. Toledo Rockets (LW: 2)

• Unanimous #2

Toledo, as expected, eviscerated Central Connecticut State last weekend. Toledo never misses an opportunity to bury FCS teams in the dirt, and Saturday was no different, winning 63-10. They're 1-1 with a tough loss to Michigan State the previous week, and draw a nice road matchup against Temple to prove they're capable against their mid-major peers as well. There is still a lot to learn about this team after two games, but there's a lot of faith in this roster and coaching staff to maintain Toledo's traditional spot in the league.

1. Western Michigan Broncos (LW: 1)

• Unanimous #1

We all know the story by now with Western, which took another turn on Wednesday afternoon. Depending on who you ask, they're 1-1 or 2-0 after an expected victory over FCS Monmouth, which featured the best offensive attack at the FCS level in 2025. WMU is the reigning MAC champion, bring back a good majority of their starters and have votes in the Associated Press Top 25 until they take another loss. No other MAC team will come close to WMU until that point– if we ever get there.

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 @ByTheBelt, over on Bluesky at bythebelt.bsky.social, or in the comments section below!