If you had Western Michigan running the table at the start of August, honestly, you’re either a psychic or a die-hard alum. The preseason was all about Toledo and Miami (OH). Everybody expected a slugfest between the Rockets and the RedHawks. But the way the mid american conference football standings shook out by December left a lot of experts scratching their heads.
It was a weird year. A fun, chaotic, Tuesday-night-MACtion kind of weird.
Western Michigan basically walked into the room and took over. They finished the regular season sitting pretty at 7-1 in the conference, securing the top spot all for themselves. No ties. No complicated math. Just a 10-4 overall record that culminated in a trophy at Ford Field. It wasn't just that they won; it’s that they did it after a rocky 0-3 start to the season. People had written them off by mid-September.
The 2025 Regular Season Breakdown
The real drama wasn't at the top, though. It was the mess right underneath.
Imagine three teams staring at each other with identical 6-2 conference records. That’s what happened with Miami (OH), Ohio, and Toledo. Because the MAC dumped divisions this year, the tiebreaker rules became the most important document in the Midwest. Even though Miami had actually lost to both Ohio and Toledo during the season, they somehow emerged from the tiebreaker pile to grab the second spot in the title game.
Here is how the top of the conference looked when the dust settled:
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- Western Michigan: 7-1 Conf | 10-4 Overall
- Miami (OH): 6-2 Conf | 7-7 Overall
- Ohio: 6-2 Conf | 9-4 Overall
- Toledo: 6-2 Conf | 8-5 Overall
- Central Michigan: 5-3 Conf | 7-6 Overall
Miami’s path was kind of miraculous. They beat Ball State 45-24 in the finale to force that tie. Meanwhile, the preseason favorite, Toledo, ended up on the outside looking in despite a solid 8-5 year. It’s brutal. You play all year, win six conference games, and a tiebreaker ends your championship dreams.
Why the Mid American Conference Football Standings Looked Different
The 2025 season was the first time the MAC operated without the East and West divisions. It changed the vibe. Before, you just had to be better than the five teams in your neighborhood. Now, you’re fighting 12 other schools for two chairs.
UMass was also back in the mix, though "mix" might be a generous word. They finished 0-8 in the conference and 0-12 overall. It was a tough re-entry.
Down in the middle of the pack, things got crowded. Akron, Buffalo, and Kent State all finished at 4-4 in the MAC. It’s that parity that makes the conference so hard to bet on. One week you think Buffalo is a sleeper, and the next week they're losing a heartbreaker. Akron actually had a decent showing but was ineligible for the postseason due to a low Academic Progress Rate (APR) score. That’s a tough pill for the players to swallow when they’ve put in the work on the field.
Individual Brilliance in the Standings
You can't talk about these standings without mentioning Jalen Buckley. The Western Michigan running back was a human highlight reel. In the championship game against Miami, he went for 193 yards. Two of his touchdowns were over 60 yards. When you have a guy like that, your conference record is going to look a lot better.
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Western Michigan swept the awards too.
- Broc Lowry: Offensive Player of the Year.
- Nadame Tucker: Defensive Player of the Year (and the Vern Smith Leadership Award).
- Lance Taylor: Coach of the Year.
It was a total takeover.
The Bottom Half Struggles
While the top was tight, the bottom of the mid american conference football standings was a bit of a basement. Northern Illinois and Bowling Green struggled, both finishing 2-6 in conference play. NIU ended 3-9 overall, which is a far cry from their usual "giant killer" status.
Ball State and Eastern Michigan weren't much better at 3-5.
The gap between the top four and the bottom four felt wider this year than usual. Maybe it was the lack of divisions, or maybe Western Michigan and the "Big Three" (Miami, Ohio, Toledo) just had more depth.
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Bowl Season Results
The standings usually tell you who’s going where in December. This year, the MAC sent five teams to bowl games.
Western Michigan smashed Kennesaw State 41-6 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. It was a victory lap for Lance Taylor’s squad. Ohio also showed up, beating UNLV 17-10 in the Frisco Bowl.
The other three? Not so great.
- Toledo lost a close one to Louisville (27-22) in the Boca Raton Bowl.
- Central Michigan got handled by Northwestern (34-7).
- Miami (OH) struggled in the Arizona Bowl, losing 18-3 to Fresno State.
It’s a reminder that while the MAC is incredibly competitive internally, the step up to Power 4 or high-end G5 competition is still a climb.
Actionable Insights for MAC Fans
If you're following the conference for next year, keep an eye on the transfer portal. With Western Michigan's success, expect bigger schools to come sniffing around their roster.
- Watch the APR: Schools like Akron need to fix their classroom metrics, or the wins on the field won't matter for bowl eligibility.
- Schedule Strength: Ohio and Toledo had better overall records than Miami (OH), but the conference schedule is what dictates the championship.
- Lowry's Growth: Broc Lowry is only going to get better. If he stays in Kalamazoo, the Broncos are the team to beat again.
The biggest takeaway from the 2025 mid american conference football standings is that momentum is everything. Western Michigan started 0-3 and ended as champions. In the MAC, your September doesn't have to define your December.
Keep a close eye on the early 2026 recruiting classes. The balance of power in the MAC shifts fast, and with divisions gone, every single game against a conference opponent carries massive weight for those tiebreakers that favored Miami this time around.