College Football in Ohio – Week 11

Cincinnati 7-2 (5-1 in the Big 12)

UC had their off week this week. They’ll need the rest for their final three games. The Cats control their own destiny; win out and you’re in the Big 12 Championship. They have a tough road, though. They face three teams that will go bowling this year in Arizona, BYU, and TCU.

Miami (Ohio) 5-4 (4-1 in the MAC)

The RedHawks had a couple of winning streaks come to an end against their rivals in the Battle for the Bricks. Their 11-game winning streak against conference opponents in the regular season came to an end, as did their five-game winning streak this season. They can still play in their third straight MAC Championship game if they win out, but that begins on Tuesday against Toledo.

Ohio 6-3 (4-1 in the MAC)

With their hard-fought, 24-20 win over Miami, the Ohio Bobcats now sit alone at the top of the MAC standings. They may have first place, but they have a road trip to play another challenger this week. They’ll go to Kalamazoo to play Western Michigan on Tuesday. The winner will be one step closer to the MAC title game, but the loser will essentially be eliminated.

Bowling Green 3-7 (1-5 in the MAC)

What started out as a promising season has taken a turn for the worse for Bowling Green. At 3-3, it looked like the Falcons would likely get to a bowl game in coach Eddie George’s first year. Bowling Green has since lost four in a row, including a 27-21 defeat against EMU that has now eliminated the Falcons from the postseason. They host Akron in their home finale on November 18^th.

Toledo 5-4 (3-2 in the MAC)

The Rockets are all over the place. In their losses, they’re averaging a shade under 14 points per game. In their wins, they are averaging over 47 points per game. Their win over Northern Illinois was their lowest output in victory this seaso,n and they won 42-3. Toledo is still alive in the hunt for the MAC title, but they play their former quarterback, Dequan Finn, and Miami on Tuesday in a pivotal battle in the conference standings.

Akron 4-6 (3-3 in the MAC)

Akron has won two games in a row for the first time this season. They only have two games left against Kent State and Bowling Green. The NCAA screwed so even if they win their last two games and get to six wins, they can’t go to a bowl. But that won’t stop the Zips from playing hard. If they finish 6-6, they’ll be the proud owners of a four-game winning streak, and the NCAA will have egg on their face for their stupidity.

Kent State 3-6 (2-3 in the MAC)

Kent State lost to Ball State 17-13 in Muncie this week. This dropped the Golden Flashes to 3-6, putting the bowl aspirations in serious jeopardy. They’ll need to win their last three games against Akron, Central Michigan, and Northern Illinois, or their season will end in DeKalb on November 28^th.

Dayton 6-3 (4-2 in the Pioneer League)

The Flyers had this week off to prepare for their home finale and pivotal game next week against Drake. The winner will be in sole possession of first place in the Pioneer League headed into the final week of the season.

Youngstown State 6-4 (3-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference)

#21 YSU battled #15 SIU at home in Stambaugh Stadium. Youngstown State’s offense shredded Southern Illinois, totaling 648 yards and 48 points in the 48-38 win. Star quarterback Beau Brungard had another big game in the win. With two games left in the regular season, Brungard is 211 of 313 for 2,423 yards and 18 touchdowns passing. Rushing the ball, he has 186 carries for 1,145 yards and 18 touchdowns. Brungard has the 11^th most passing yards and 4th most rushing yards in the FCS. Should he choose to enter the transfer portal after this season, Brungard will be a highly sought-after recruit heading into 2026. First, he and YSU have their home finale next week against Indiana State.

Bill Willis Award Player of the Week

Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, Beau Brungard, Sieh Bangura, and Jordan Gant all had great games in their teams’ victories this week. I went with Beau Brungard as the player of the week because of how absolutely dominant he was in a ranked win, both passing and rushing the football. Against SIU, he was 26 of 35 for 345 yards and four touchdowns through the air. On the ground, he had 15 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

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.