Miami (Ohio) at Kent State, Noon, ESPN+
The first of two division title games this weekend, this one is quite a bit harder for me to get a good grasp on than the latter. The MAC has been completely up in the air all season, and just when it looked like Kent State and NIU were going to take command of it, they lost to Central and Western Michigan, respectively. The Huskies are still locked into the MAC West spot, earning their first division crown since 2018.
But, the East is up for grabs here, thanks to that Kent State loss to Central Michigan. Both groups enter at 6-5 with five wins to two losses in conference play, and there are no other tiebreakers to consider. The winner is in the conference title and claims the MAC East, the loser is out.
Beyond just the scope of this season, the stakes are high for both squads. Chuck Martin, who has found himself routinely on “hot seat” lists despite a distinctly cool seat, has the chance to earn his third division title and second outright and could nab his second league crown as well with a victory over NIU next week.
He seems to have made a comfortable niche for himself at Miami and could be in for a pay bump - both personally and within his assistant pool - if he earns some more proof of concept. With the rest of the non-Kent State East struggling, this could mark the start of a really nice run for Martin and the RedHawks.
Meanwhile, Sean Lewis and the Golden Flashes are battling history. Kent State hasn’t won its division since 2012, and has only one MAC title in its history, all the way back in 1972 under Don James. Unlike Martin, Lewis does seem to be something of a hot commodity in coaching circles, and bringing a title to Kent State would go a really long way in potentially securing a Big Ten job (though those actually have to open for that to happen, and that’s not been the case yet).
As for the football itself, it’s good! It’s really good! There’s a great style clash offensively because these two have almost completely opposite approaches to moving the ball. Kent State’s offense has the highest success rate in the MAC by a pretty large margin, but it’s also easily the least explosive. Dustin Crum is good, as are these receivers, but they aren’t exactly burning down the field.
Miami, meanwhile, pretty much only creates big plays. It has the third-worst success rate in the league but it’s second in explosiveness. Brett Gabbert has been quietly fantastic at QB this season and I love Jack Sorensen out wide, but Miami can’t run even a little bit, and its inability to chew up yards has been a big part of making this team so tough to get a read on. When Miami’s offense is cooking, the RedHawks can beat anybody. When it isn’t, they lose to zombie Ohio.
Miami’s defense is significantly better, but that offense gives me a lot of pause, even against a bad Kent State defense.
Georgia Southern at Appalachian State, 2:30 p.m., ESPN+
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