Every summer since 2007 I have created an intricate set of college football predictions for each upcoming season. This year is no exception, as I will be using my blog over the next few hours to publish my 20th annual college football preview guide which will contain 20 entries in all. The records below reflect each team’s predicted regular season overall record followed by their conference record. These records include conference title games but exclude bowl games, which will be previewed later on in a separate column on this blog. The teams marked in bold font are the ones predicted to gain bowl eligibility this season and the one marked in italics is my predicted conference champion.. Without further ado, here are my predictions for Mid-American Conference in 2026, which will look a little different with the loss of longtime member Northern Illinois who is being replaced by FCS newcomer Sacramento State.
| 1 | Miami-OH (10-3, 7-1)– conference champion |
Last Year’s Record: 7-7 (My 2025 prediction: 8-4)
Positional Strength: Defensive Line
Positional Weakness: Quarterback
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Ohio (November 10)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Western Michigan (November 24)
Bottom Line: The Redhawks have played in the past three MAC title games and there isn’t much stopping them from making it four straight. Most of the the league’s other perennial contenders (Ohio, Toledo, Buffalo, etc.) are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode, while Miami returns longtime head coach Chuch Martin along with four of its starting offensive linemen. The Redhawks do have to break-in a new starting quarterback, running back, and lead receiver, but bringing in the # 1 transfer class in the league should help ease those transitions. Expect Miami to once again rise to the top of MAC in 2026.
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| 2 | Western Michigan (8-5, 7-1)– conference runner-up |
Last Year’s Record: 10-4 (My 2025 prediction: 5-7)
Positional Strength: Running Back
Positional Weakness: Linebacker
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Miami-OH (November 24)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Rice (September 19)
Bottom Line: Last year, the Broncos and Redhawks battled it out in the MAC Championship Game, and this year, I am predicting we’ll see a title game rematch between those two squads. Western Michigan returns a remarkable seven offensive starters from last year’s squad, including their starting quarters, leading rusher, and two of their top three receivers. That is basically unheard of in today’s transfer portal era. The Broncos ultimately have a great chance of repeating as MAC champions, but I am predicting Miami to nose them out in the conference title game.
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| 3 | Ohio (9-3, 6-2) |
Last Year’s Record: 9-4 (My 2025 prediction: 9-4)- absolutely nailed my 2025 prognostication of the Bobcats!
Positional Strength: Linebacker
Positional Weakness: Offensive Line
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Toledo (November 27)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Sacramento State (October 17)- someone is going to trip up this year after their cross country flight to the MAC’s new west coast member
Bottom Line: The Bobcats lost a ton from last year’s nine win squad including their starting quarterback and running back, their top four receivers, top two tacklers, and head coach. To make matters worse, their transfer class ranks 11th in the 13 team MAC, so it doesn’t appear that an immediate fix is on the way. Still, Ohio has assembled enough talent through traditional high school recruiting over the past few seasons to remain in the upper echelon of this league.
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| 4 | Toledo (8-4, 6-2) |
Last Year’s Record: 8-5 (My 2025 prediction: 9-3)
Positional Strength: Offensive Line
Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Western Michigan (October 24)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Eastern Michigan (October 17)
Bottom Line: This program was dealt a huge blow in the offseason when long time head coach Jason Candle departed for UConn. The coaching change caused a mass exodus on the roster to the point where the Rockets only return one total starter from last year’s squad. They are in fact ranked 132 out of 138 FBS teams in terms of experience on this year’s roster. With that being said, Toledo brought in a bevy of talented guys through the transfer portal, especially along the offensive line where seven of their new guys either played at the power 4 level previously or were all-conference members in the previous leagues. Toledo isn’t quite ready to win a conference crown in year 1 under Mike Jacobs but expect the Rockets to play in their 11th consecutive bowl game in 2026.
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| 5 | Central Michigan (8-4, 5-3) |
Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2025 prediction: 7-5); another dead-on preseason prediction from me last season
Positional Strength: Offensive Line
Positional Weakness: Quarterback
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Buffalo (November 18)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Western Michigan (October 17)
Bottom Line: First year coach Matt Drinkall did a tremendous job last year getting this squad back to its first bowl game in four seasons. In order to take the next step, Central Michigan must improve on its 111th ranked offense, which may be difficult with new starters at quarterback and running back in 2026. Still, a favorable schedule featuring eight games against teams that did not qualify for a bowl game in 2026 should help this team attain bowl eligibility for the second consecutive season.
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| 6 | Eastern Michigan (6-6, 4-4) |
Last Year’s Record: 4-8 (My 2025 prediction: 4-8); another perfect preseason prediction from me last season!
Positional Strength: Wide Receiver
Positional Weakness: Defensive Line
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Toledo (October 17)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Akron (October 10)
Bottom Line: Chris Creighton hasn’t gotten enough credit in his 12 year tenure in Ypsilanti for turning around this program which was the doormat of the MAC for decades. In fact, prior to Creighton’s arrive EMU hadn’t had a winning seasons since 1995 and hadn’t played in a bowl game since the 1987. Under Creighton, the Eagles have played in five bowl games and finished with four winning seasons. Unfortunately, EMU has taken a step back the past two years with a 5-7 mark in 2024 followed by a 4-8 mark last year. Nevertheless, Creighton has put together some solid recruiting classes the past few years, and I think this will be the season the Eagles will reap the rewards from those, especially since they are returning their starting quarterback (who previously started at a Power 4 school), top receiver (who was 3rd team all-MAC last season), and their top three tacklers from 2026. Expect the Eagles to find their way back to a bowl game this season, especially with their very manageable schedule which features conference games against league bottom dwellers Kent Sate and Akron and FBS newbie Sacramento State as well as non-conference matchups against lowly UMass an FCS foe in Lindenwood.
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| 7 | Sacramento State (5-7, 4-4) |
Last Year’s Record: 7-5 (My 2025 prediction: N/A)
Positional Strength: Quarterback
Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Ohio (October 17)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. North Dakota State (September 19)
Bottom Line: A couple of teams have made the jump from FCS to FBS in each of the past several seasons, and almost all of them have outperformed their preseason expectations. We have come to assume as college football pundits that these new FBS programs will struggle in their initial season playing a higher level of football but most of them have not done so (see Delaware and Missouri State last year, Jacksonville State in 2023, and James Madison in 2022). I am not going to make the same mistake this season, as I am going to resist my urge to place the Hornets near the bottom of the MAC standings (like most experts) and instead call for them to flirt with bowl eligibility. I still don’t think this conference is a great fit geographically or culturally for Sacramento State, but I do believe the huge geographic advantage they will possess in each of their their MAC home games will reap some benefits initially.
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| 8 | Buffalo (6-6, 3-5)* |
Last Year’s Record: 5-7 (My 2025 prediction: 10-3); last season was a major disappointment for Lembo’s squad
Positional Strength: Defensive Backfield
Positional Weakness: Quarterback
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at FIU (September 12)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Ball State (November 11)
Bottom Line: This prediction may seem a bit confusing, as I am calling for the Bulls to win six games yet to fall short of bowl eligibility. That is because a scheduling snafu has forced Buffalo to play two FCS teams in 2026 (Albany and Robert Morris), and because NCAA rules only allow for a team to count one FCS win towards bowl eligibility they will need to win five additional games (7 total) to reach a bowl this season. Pete Lembo is a great coach who produced immediate results in his first season with this program in 2024. However, the Bulls struggled with quarterback play last season (14 total interceptions throw), and there is a lot of uncertainty around that position in 2026 as well. All in all, Buffalo’s inability to successfully fill the most important position on the field may cost them a bowl game for the second consecutive season.
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| T-9 | Akron (4-8, 3-5) |
Last Year’s Record: 5-7 (My 2025 prediction: 3-9)
Positional Strength: Wide Receiver
Positional Weakness: Linebacker
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Eastern Michigan (October 10)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Buffalo (November 27)
Bottom Line: You got to give credit to the Akron athletic department with their creativity this summer. This football program has been irrelevant nationally for the better part of two decades now, yet everyone in college football is talking about them due to their edgy promo where they are allowing one season ticket holder, selected at random, to design the first series of offensive plays in the Zips’ home opener. It is a great move… assuming the Zips don’t falter in that first series and end up losing to lowly Robert Morris. Akron did show signs of progress under Joe Moorhead last season and ultimately would have qualified for a bowl game had they not lost to Kent State at home as a 7 point favorite in the second to last game of the year. This year, the loss of star quarterback Ben Finley and their top eight tacklers will cause this program to take a slight step back.
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| T-9 | Bowling Green (3-9, 3-5) |
Last Year’s Record: 4-8 (My 2025 prediction: 4-8); I correctly predicted first year struggles for Eddie George’s crew.
Positional Strength: Linebacker
Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Ball State (October 17)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Tarleton State (September 5); Tarleton already upset Army in last year’s season opener, and the Falcons will be extremely vulnerable early on this season due to their lack of returning experience.
Bottom Line: The hiring of Ohio State great and former NFL star Eddie George garnered a lot of attention for Bowling Green’s program but in did not yield the desired results on the field in year one of his tenure. As a result, changes were made at both coordinator positions and the roster has been almost entirely revamped. They bring in a potential stud quarterback in Austin Novosad from Oregon to improve their 124th ranked passing offense, but Bowling Green is still one of the least experienced teams in the entire country this season. Expect some growing pains for the Falcons in 2026 as this program navigates wholesale changes in scheme and personnel.
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| 11 | Kent State (3-9, 2-6) |
Last Year’s Record: 5-7 (My 2025 prediction: 3-9)
Positional Strength: Quarterback
Positional Weakness: Defensive Line
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Bowling Green (November 10)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Sacramento State (October 30)
Bottom Line: Like the Zips of Akron discussed above, Kent State was one of the great comeback stories of 2025, as they rose up from the absolute rock bottom of FBS (0 wins over FBS foes in 2023 or 2024) and flirted with bowl eligibility at the end of last season. As a result, the Golden Flashed bring a great deal of momentum into their 2026 campaign, as they ended 2025 with three upset victories in their final five games and return their starting quarterback from that squad (Dru DeShields). Nevertheless, I am predicting a sophomore slump of sorts for Mark Carney’s crew in the second year of his tenure, as the Golden Flashes face a brutal early season schedule and have major concerns along both the offensive and defensive lines. Expect a step back from Kent in 2026.
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| 12 | UMass (2-10, 1-7) |
Last Year’s Record: 0-12 (My 2025 prediction: 2-10)
Positional Strength: Linebacker
Positional Weakness: Running Back
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Ball State (November 4)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Sacred Heart (September 12)
Bottom Line: I just couldn’t bring myself to put a team I am predicting to finish 2-10 on my list of surprise teams for this upcoming season, but two wins, including one over an FBS opponent, would be a breakthrough season for the Minutemen. UMass enters the 2026 season as the clear-cut worst team in all of FBS, as they have not beaten a fellow FBS foe since late 2023. This year though, the schedule gives them several opportunities to get that breakthrough win as they play FBS newcomer Sacramento State and then get chance to host fellow MAC bottom-dwellers Ball State and Akron. I think UMass wins one of those contests thanks to a revamped and slightly upgraded roster led by former Virginia Tech dual threat quarterback William “Pop” Watson (pictured above).
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| 13 | Ball State (2-10, 1-7) |
Last Year’s Record: 4-8 (My 2025 prediction: 0-12)
Positional Strength: Offensive Line
Positional Weakness: Quarterback
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Buffalo (November 11)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Sacramento State (October 24)
Bottom Line: I admittedly overestimated how bad Ball State was going to be in 2025 as my 0-12 projection for the Cardinals ended up being a bit off. Still, this squad wasn’t particularly talented in 2025, and I expect them to be definitively worse in 2026, as they have arguably the worst quarterback, kicker, and defense in the league. Maybe I am underestimating Ball State again, but this squad is a far cry from the Covid squad of 2020 who ended the regular season ranked in the top 25. Expect another losing season in Muncie.
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