Youngstown State's Beau Brungard headlines college football in Ohio this week (Photo by Youngtown State Athletics)
Ohio State gears up for The Game, a few Ohio teams fight for the MAC title, and Youngstown State is in the FCS Playoffs!
Ohio State 11-0 (8-0 in the Big Ten)
As the saying goes, the 11 warm-ups are over for Ohio State. Now, the games that matter are here, starting with The Game. Ohio State defeated Rutgers 42-9 to move to 11-0. Now, they play the cheaters up north. While michigan’s victories have been voided by their cheating, Ohio State is still without a victory since 2019. Saturday is a moment of truth for Ryan Day and his program moving forward.
Cincinnati 7-4 (5-3 in the Big 12)
UC lost their third straight game. The Bearcats fell at home, 26-14. The bright side for UC is their three losses in this losing streak came against 9-2 Utah, 8-3 Arizona, and 10-1 BYU. These aren’t bad teams that the Cats have lost to. They have two more games, their next one on the road at TCU, who is also 7-4. If Cincinnati can beat TCU, and win a bowl game, a 9-4 record will be a further step in the right direction after a 5-7 season just a year ago.
Miami (Ohio) 6-5 (5-2 in the MAC)
The RedHawks got bowl eligible with their win over Buffalo on Wednesday night. Redshirt freshman Thomas Gotkowski was the quarterback in the win after DeQuan Finn’s midseason departure. Gotkowski was 13 of 23 for 185 yards and a touchdown, and added another 26 yards and a touchdown rushing. Miami is now bowl eligible for the seventh straight season (not counting the 2020 Covid season), and have been eight times in head coach Chuck Martin’s 12 seasons. The 37-20 victory also keeps their MAC title hopes alive.
Ohio 7-4 (5-2 in the MAC)
The Bobcats won their seniors’ last game in Athens, 42-14. They routed UMass to keep their MAC title hopes alive for now. Their talented running game, led by running back Sieh Bangura bulldozed UMass, rushing for 363 yards and six touchdowns as a team. Bangura had 196 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. Ohio will conclude their regular season on Black Friday when they visit Buffalo.
Bowling Green 3-8 (1-6 in the MAC)
Eddie George’s team fell to Akron on Senior Night in Bowling Green. They lost a heartbreaker to Akron, 19-16. After a 3-3 start to the season, Bowling Green has lost five in a row. The loss to Akron was their final home game of the year. They’ll play one more game this Tuesday night at UMass. The loser will have the infamous distinction of finishing dead last in the MAC in 2025. Losing a sixth straight, and to 0-11 UMass would be very bad for Bowling Green.
Toledo 7-4 (5-2 in the MAC) 6-4 (4-2)
The Rockets got a big win at home over Ball State to keep their MAC title hopes alive. The 38-9 victory means that if Toledo defeats Central Michigan, and Buffalo defeats the Ohio Bobcats, Toledo would play Western Michigan for the MAC Championship in Detroit on December 6th. The red-hot Rockets have won four straight MAC games by at least three touchdowns each. They play at Central Michigan on Saturday.
Akron 5-7 (4-4 in the MAC)
Akron completed their season with a 19-16 win over Bowling Green. Akron’s five wins this season are their most since going 7-7 in 2017. While no one likes moral victories, Akron fans have to appreciate on a small level that the team has improved their record over the last two seasons under coach Joe Moorhead. It will be interesting going forward to see if this is a trend, or if 5-7 is still the ceiling as it has been for the last 20 years.
Kent State 4-7 (3-4 in the MAC) 4-6 (3-3)
While their season is not over, Kent State won’t play in the postseason in 2025. Their 28-16 loss to Central Michigan keeps them from going bowling. They lost their last home game of the year on Senior Night. The Golden Flashes haven’t won back-to-back games since 2021. Given that they were 1-11 in 2023, 0-12 in 2024, and started this season 1-4, being in contention for bowl eligibility going into your 11th game of the season is a step in the right direction. They wrap up their season next week at Northern Illinois.
Dayton 7-4 (5-3 in the Pioneer League)
The Flyers may not be playoff-bound, but they at least ended their winning season with a victory. Dayton drilled Davidson on Saturday, 42-14. The Flyers finished fifth in the Pioneer Football League. Dayton is 17-16 under head coach Trent Andrews, improving from 4-7 in 2023, to 6-5 in 2024, and 7-4 in 2025. If this kind of continued progress is made under Coach Andrews, big things are in store for the Flyers in 2026.
Youngstown State 8-4 (5-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference)
The Penguins are in the playoffs! Youngstown State beat Northern Iowa, 35-32, and at 8-4 clinched an at-large playoff berth. As the #15 seed in the FCS Playoffs, Youngstown State will host Ivy League co-champions Yale on Saturday in a first-round game in Stambaugh Stadium. The winner will play at Montana State on December 6th. Big Game Beau had another strong game in their eighth victory.
His performance in the win over UNI made Brungard 254 for 368 for 2,913 yards passing with 225 carries for 1,378 yards rushing. He also has a 50-yard catch. Beau knows touchdowns, too, with 48 this season. 23 passing touchdowns, 24 rushing, and his 50-yard catch went to the endzone too.
Bill Willis Award Player of the Week
It’s starting to be the weekly Beau Brungard award. This time, he was 20 of 25 for 226 yards and two touchdowns passing and added 22 carries for 143 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Brungard will have another chance this Saturday, but hopefully, has some competition from some Buckeye players.
Writer’s Note: The FBS rankings are from The College Football Power Rankings at TheForkball.com. The FCS rankings are from the FCS STATS Poll.
