2026 MAC Football Power Rankings: Week 4

Hello everyone and welcome back!

Week 4 brought some particularly relevant results to the fore, just in time for the majority of MAC games to begin.

With that in mind, it's about time to see who's standing where as we get into the games that matter.

13. Bowling Green Falcons (LW: 13)

• Unanimous #13

Another unacceptable loss for a Falcons team which had the better of a much stronger South Florida side for essentially 50 minutes of game clock. You don't generally lose games where you force two fumbles on back-to-back possessions to start the game and a turnover-on-downs soon after a four-and-out. But somehow, BGSU found a way to do it. Even knowing that kind of performance can't be sustained over a whole game, the end result (giving up two rushing TDs while going three-and-out and turning the ball over on downs in the same stretch) felt inevitable. It's a dire situation which seems to show no sign of stopping any time soon.

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

• High vote: 10 (one)
• Low vote: 13 (one)
• Average vote: 11.8

UB got their second win over an FBS team this season, but only just. Robert Morris held close to the Bulls in the first half, even taking a tie into the halftime break before finding two more scores in the fourth quarter to scare the Bulls into earning a win late. The Bulls did show some improvement in driving the ball downfield, dominating the time of possession with long, sustained drives thanks to a staunch ground game, but the passing offense outside of passes to Chance Morrow is (charitably) a work-in-progress. We said we would know more about this team after this week, and it's safe to say this team is in need of a spark if they want out of the basement.

11. Ball State Cardinals (LW: 12, up 1)

• High vote: 10 (once)
• Low vote: 11 (four)
• Average vote: 10.8

Ball State looked well outmatched against Kent State to open up MAC play, but it should also be said the team was down multiple contributors, including starting QB Keldrick Luster. Backup QB Tyler Mizzell tried his best to pick up the pieces, but looked overwhelmed against an aggressive KSU defense. Speaking of, the Ball State defense was grounded into a fine powder in what was a wire-to-wire KSU win, standing on the field for over 35 minutes of game clock. Just wasn't their day overall.

10. Sacramento State Hornets (LW: 10)

• High vote: 10 (twice)
• Low vote: 12 (once)
• Average vote: 10.6

The Hornets suffered another tough loss at home in a much-hyped conference clash with the suddenly-emergent UMass. Sac State is still in the midst of their transition into FBS play with what is essentially an FCS roster, and they looked every part of that on Saturday night as the Minutemen dictated the pace of play on the Hornets with their physicality. The tough part about being the only team in their timezone is their mistakes are amplified due to having a lot of undistracted eyes on them. All three phases had notable mistakes throughout, with a litany of penalties exacerbating the situation. A BYE week couldn't come at any better time.

9. Akron Zips (LW: 8, down 1)

• High vote: 8 (four)
• Low vote: 9 (once)
• Average vote: 8.2

The Akron Zips looked really good in the first half of their game against UNLV last Saturday, and were even in position to take a potential lead towards the end of the half. But it all came apart like an old rag in the second half, as they gave up 24-straight points– capped off by a pick-six– to lose the game. QB Brayden Roggow (who was a third-stringer during camps) has been drafted into duty and looks every part the inexperienced youngster, though his rapport with Marcel Williams should be noted for the future. The Zips defense, dealing with a lot of short field in the second half, had multiple missed assignments to boot, which did not help. There's plenty of talent here, but a 1-3 start does not give them a lot of room for mistakes if they want to get back to a bowl.

8. Kent State Golden Flashes (LW: 9, up 1)

• High vote: 7 (three)
• Low vote: 9 (once)
• Average vote: 7.6

The Flashes took a convincing win over Ball State to open their conference season. QB Dru DeShields was the leader of the effort, with three total touchdowns. He wasn't the only hero; Sean Leonard hit true on a 53-yard field goal strike, and Joel Cordoba's strip sack fumble led to a fourth-quarter safety to put KSU up 26-7. One thing they'll absolutely need to clean up, however, is penalties. They've been one of the most undisciplined units in the country, with an incredible 14 flags for 114 yards last week and an overall tally of 40 for 309 yards over four games. With the MAC's level of parity over recent years, something as simple as clean play could mean the difference between a MAC trophy or missing a bowl game.

7. Eastern Michigan Eagles (LW: 7)

• High vote: 6 (three)
• Low vote: 9 (twice)
• Average vote: 7.2

The Eagles took care of business against FCS Lindenwood this week, though the effort was not quite as dominant as one might have liked to see. EMU scored two early touchdowns, then got stuck in neutral on offense, with three field goals and a field goal attempt in the second and third quarters before finally putting the game away on a Noah Kim to Benson Prosper hook-up late in the fourth. It's been a problem all season for EMU, and you hoped to see different against this level of competition. That said, the defense looked good, forcing four three-and-outs, two punts, a field goal and two turnover-on-downs over the entirety of the game– especially as the offense tried to figure things out. They're perhaps the most polarizing team in our rankings at present.

6. Central Michigan Chippewas (LW: 6)

• High vote: 6 (twice)
• Low vote: 9 (once)
• Average vote: 7

The Chippewas were simply pasted against the Miami Hurricanes last week. Nothing much they really could have done to prevent that, the talent gap was simply too much. Now they look forward to the MAC slate, where they hope to show improvements from their being walloped in opening week action. There's some big issues to address still– namely their NCAA-worst passing offense efficiency and the defense's inability to get stops on leverage downs. But they still have one of the MAC's best rushing offenses and produce turnovers at a pretty significant rate.

5. UMass Minutemen (LW: 5)

• High vote: 3 (once)
• Low vote: 5 (three)
• Average vote: 4.2

The Minutemen flew cross-country and took care of business against Sacramento State to open their MAC slate on Saturday night under the lights. What really stood out was just how dominant the Minutemen looked from start to finish; there were concerns that going up against FBS talent would result in a potential reversion to mean. Instead, UMass made sure it was understood they were the better team that night, making Sac State look small on the field and demoralizing them with a lot of power looks. There are better MAC teams out there (as we'll get to in a moment), but UMass is at this point the only undefeated MAC team, and now has a conference win under their belts. That's a credit to the coaching staff and players for proving the skeptics– including us– wrong.

t-3. Miami RedHawks (LW: 4, up 1)

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

The RedHawks won a rare non-conference contest this weekend over UConn, and had to steal this one at the gun down their starting quarterback David McComb. It's the program's fifth such win under Chuck Martin, and perhaps their most important after dropping a heart-breaker against rival Cincinnati the week prior. Miami fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter on some efficient drives by UConn, but stuck to their principles and dragged UConn into the dirt with them, winning the final three quarters by a 24-7 margin. This could be the most explosive Miami offense we've seen in years– and it's through the passing game, a rarity for a Martin-coached program. The RedHawks now head into MAC play at 2-2.

t-3. Ohio Bobcats (LW: 3)

• High vote: 2 (twice)
• Low vote: 5 (twice)
• Average vote: 3.4

The Bobbies got back on track with an expected win over FCS Stonehill last weekend. The Skyhawks played Ohio fairly close to start, much like they did against UMass, but Ohio was able to put the game away effectively in the second half, winning by a final margin of 35-7. They were able to do it with a lot of backup pieces playing as well, something to keep in mind as Ohio rolls into conference play. When QB Nick Poulos and HB Duncan Brune come back, this team will be more dangerous than they already are.

2. Western Michigan Broncos (LW: 1, down 1)

• High vote: 1 (three)
• Low vote: 4 (twice)
• Average vote: 2.2

Western finally took a loss, and it was right at the worst possible moment: in front of a sold-out crowd and in blowout fashion. Boise State was always going to be a tough opponent, even without the stakes of a potential College Football Playoff spot behind the game, but Boise showed their poise and talent from the get-go, scoring on their first offensive drive and immediately going for two points to push the margin to two scores early and set the tone. It was an aura-shattering loss due to the circumstances. They looked uncomfortable from kickoff onwards and were unable to establish their identity on either side of the ball. In short, Boise State neutered 'em. They'll get a chance at redemption by starting on the MAC slate, but with two losses on the record (and trust me, the powers-that-be does treat the Michigan game that way), their national relevance is over.

1. Toledo Rockets (LW: 2, up 1)

• High vote: 1 (twice)
• Low vote: 2 (three)
• Average vote: 1.6

Toledo absolutely put San Diego State to bed on Saturday, with a decisive 41-16 victory. That final tally is certainly no indication of just how dominant Toledo was. SDSU got the jump to go up 3-0, and then Toledo replied with a 34-point unanswered streak– which included a defensive touchdown and three scoring drives of three-plays or less– before the Aztecs could put up any type of reply later in the second half. It's UT's second win at home against an opponent from a higher-prestige mid-major in as many weeks after an improbable take-down of Temple two weeks back, and they looked game against Michigan State to open the season as well. If there were concerns about Mike Jacobs' takeover affecting the team's momentum, consider that answered for the moment.

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!