College Football in Ohio – Conference Championship Weekend

Cincinnati 7-5 (5-4 in the Big 12)

The Bearcats have a rough draw in their bowl game opponent. They’ll play Navy, which is 9-2 and may be 10-2 by the time they get to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. Navy has had a pretty good year in the American Conference and can run the ball on just about anyone. Cincinnati will try to finish what was a promising start to the season off with a win. UC has lost four straight and not won since October 25^th.

Miami (Ohio) 7-6 (6-2 in the MAC)

The boys from Oxford, Ohio, will play in the Arizona Bowl for the second straight season. This year, they’ll battle the Mountain West’s Fresno State. The RedHawks will be eyeing their fourth season with eight or more wins and their fifth winning season under head coach Chuck Martin. They’ll have to get through 8-4 Fresno State first.

Ohio 8-4 (6-2 in the MAC)

The Bobcats will look for their ninth win against 10-3 UNLV from the Mountain West. They’ll face off in the Frisco Bowl. While there is uncertainty surrounding Athens about Ohio’s coaching situation, the team has a chance to get to nine wins and finish a solid year with a decisive victory. The Bobcats will be that much better to begin 2026 with a 9-4, Frisco Bowl Champion, 2025.

Bowling Green 4-8 (2-6 in the MAC)

Bowling Green’s season has concluded, and they are gearing up for 2026.

Toledo 8-4 (6-2 in the MAC)

While the Rockets usually play fellow teams from Ohio and across the northern border, playing Louisville in the Boca Raton Bowl will mean they also played all FBS teams from Kentucky in the 2025 season. Interim head coach Robert Weiner will try to get the Rockets to 9-4 with a win over UL on December 23^rd in Florida.

Even bigger than where the Rockets will go bowling is who their next head coach will be. With Jason Candle’s departure to UConn, Toledo chose a new coach. They went with Ohio’s own Mike Jacobs. The Maumee native and Ohio State alum was 20-6 in his two seasons for FCS Mercer and will be Toledo’s head coach next fall.

Akron 5-7 (4-4 in the MAC)

Akron’s season has concluded with their most wins since 2017. The Zips will try to improve to having a winning season in 2026.

Kent State 5-7 (3-4 in the MAC)

The Golden Flashes rebounded from a nightmare 1-23 stretch in 2023-2024 to get to 5-7 this year. They’re already looking to 2026 like their Northeast Ohio brothers, Akron.

Dayton 7-4 (5-3 in the Pioneer League)

The Flyers’ season has concluded, and they recently recognized and celebrated a successful and hard-fought season.

Youngstown State 8-5 (5-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference)

Youngstown State had a sadly historical loss last week to Yale. This week, they had a tremendous off-field victory. Star quarterback Beau Brungard declared his intentions to return to YSU for his senior season. This is big for the Penguins, as Brungard could have started at many FBS programs had he hit the transfer portal as many expected him to. This year, Brungard is 277 of 403 for 3,260 yards and 26 touchdown passes. He also has 242 carries for 1,468 yards and 27 touchdowns running the football.

Bill Willis Award Player of the Week

Ohio State’s all-American defensive end Caden Curry was the Bill Willis Player of the Week due to his big game in Indianapolis. Curry had seven tackles, three tackles for a loss, two sacks, and a pass deflection. He was a huge part of why Ohio State held the #1 team in the nation to only 13 points. Curry has 60 tackles for Ohio State this year, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks (which is sixth in the nation and first in the Big Ten), two fumble recoveries, and a fumble forced.

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.