YSU had the best win for Ohio on Saturday (Photo by YSU Athletics)
The FBS teams from Ohio got tricked while the FCS teams got treats on this Halloween Saturday
#4 Ohio State 6-2 (4-1 in the Big Ten)
Ohio State is a mirage. They’re a Nick Marsh left foot from being 5-5 in their last 10 games. This is who they are, though. In big games, you flip a coin, and you’ll either get a dominating win or an inexplicable loss. The loss to USC was inexplicable. Not because USC is a bad team, but because Ohio State lost in ways that have been cutting them down for eight seasons now. Red zone failures have been a problem since 2019, and clock management has only gotten worse over the years, with the 2025 Cotton Bowl and this massacre in L.A. being the latest examples. Ohio State will host Oregon this week. Will you get the team that can crush opponents or the team that somehow manages to lose even though they have the edge in almost all categories?
Cincinnati 5-3 (2-3 in the Big 12)
Cincy got murdered by Utah. You hate to be on the receiving end of a game that’s over by halftime, but the Bearcats were. Utah led UC 42-6 at the half. The Bearcats would fight back in the second half, but the hole they had dug themselves into was just too big to climb out of it. Cincy has a similar consistency problem as OSU. They dominate Texas Tech one week and the very next look like a different and awful team against Utah. Cincinnati would fall by a final score of 49-25. Morgan Scalley and Utah could have made it worse if they had wanted to. The question now is, what does Scott Satterfield have to achieve this year to keep the Bearcats from moving on? I’d say at the least he needs to go 8-5, a small improvement from last year’s 7-6 record. The Cats will play their third straight ranked opponent this Saturday at Houston.
Miami (Ohio) 5-3 (3-1 in the MAC)
The RedHawks had their bye this week. When they return to the football field, it will be mid-week MACtion at home against Buffalo.
Ohio 6-2 (4-0 in the MAC)
OU also has the week off in preparation for plenty of weeknight November games. They’ll be back on November 3rd at Akron.
Bowling Green 2-7 (2-3 in the MAC)
With their loss at Western Michigan, BGSU is almost guaranteed a losing season. Their only hope for a winning one would be that the chaos happened in the MAC that allowed them to finish 5-7, 5-3 in the MAC and get into the MAC Championship, win it, and win a bowl game. That would get them to 7-7. I don’t see it happening. Still, the Falcons need to keep fighting to hopefully lay a better foundation for 2027. They are off this Saturday and will be back when they host Kent State at home on Tuesday, November 10th.
Toledo 6-2 (3-1 in the MAC)
The Rockets also had their off week over Halloween. They will head west to play a Wednesday night game against Sacramento State on November 4th.
Akron 1-7 (0-4 in the MAC)
Akron is also off this week and will host Ohio when they return next week.
Kent State 3-6 (0-0 in the MAC)
The Golden Flashes had a brutal road trip to Sacramento for a late Friday night game this week. They jumped out to an early 7-0 lead due to a big, 92-yard touchdown pass from Dru DeShields to Wayne Harris. They then battled to a 10-6 lead at halftime and felt like they were in a good game with a chance to win on the road. Then everything unraveled in the second half. Sacramento State would outscore them 25-0 down the stretch and get their first MAC win at the expense of Kent State. The Golden Flashes have this Saturday off and will be on the road at Bowling Green on November 10th.
Dayton 7-1 (4-1 in the Pioneer League)
UD stayed in first place in the Pioneer League standings with a 44-34 win at Stetson. The Flyers got it done behind a big day from their ground game. The Dayton rushing attack racked up 252 yards and three touchdowns in the win. The passing game was solid, too, with Bryce Schondelmyer throwing for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. The Flyers will host Valparaiso at home next week in Dayton.
#4 Youngstown State 7-2 (5-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference)
Youngstown State got a huge win in a top-ten battle with North Dakota at home in Stambaugh Stadium. #4 YSU had to come back to do it, but they beat #9 North Dakota. Beau Brungard did his usual thing. Brungard was 19 of 29 for 268 yards and three touchdowns. YSU’s quarterback also had 15 carries for 64 yards on the ground. Brungard is 190 of 258 for 2,329 yards and 22 touchdowns. He’s just as effective running the ball. He has 144 carries for 711 yards and 11 touchdowns. In this game, though, Brungard wasn’t the biggest star on the field for the Penguins. More on that in a moment. Youngstown State will go up against Murray State on the road next week, as they try to stay near the top of the FCS this season.
Bill Willis Award Players of the Week
Lynn Wyche-El had six catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns, including the late go-ahead snag for YSU. He has 56 catches for 792 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has 16 carries for 127 yards and three touchdowns rushing for YSU. Wyche-El’s connection with Brungard was money on 4th and 19, down 28-24. He caught the game-winning touchdown pass for the win and for the play of the week!
Luke Hansen had the big day for Dayton in running the football. Hansen had 12 carries for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Hansen has 509 yards rushing, 157 yards receiving, and eight total touchdowns this season for Dayton. Lynn Wyche-El and Luke Hansen are the players of the week.
Play of the Week
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.
