← Matchups

Ball State

MAC · 1-1 · power +1.3 · #156
Our numberBALL -0.6 no book has priced this game

Kent State

MAC · 1-1 · power -1.3 · #190
Our side
MoneylineBALL to win ours 48%
Projected score 27–27 BALL – KENT
2026-09-26 · kickoff TBD Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium · Kent, OH MAC game Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series Ball State lead 25–8 · 33 meetings since 1977
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game even 28 ranks apart
Ball State Cardinals #225 rush offense Kent State Golden Flashes #197 run defense
Pass game edge Kent State Golden Flashes 118 ranks
Ball State Cardinals #262 pass offense Kent State Golden Flashes #144 pass defense
Run game even 35 ranks apart
Kent State Golden Flashes #255 rush offense Ball State Cardinals #220 run defense
Pass game edge Kent State Golden Flashes 55 ranks
Kent State Golden Flashes #143 pass offense Ball State Cardinals #198 pass defense
Ball State Cardinals Run-heavy · 62% run Ball-control Dual-threat QB · 50 rush ypg Kent State Golden Flashes Balanced · 57% run Ball-control
Mike Uremovich · 4-8 · defense-minded Mark Carney · 5-7

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Ball State Cardinals
DB Anthony Pinnace 6 tkl · 1 PD #261 DB
TE Tate Hoover 6 rec · 23 yds · 1 TD #70 TE
RB Jalen Bonds 86 rush yds · 1 TD · 2 rec #211 RB
DB Kamron Chamble 4 tkl · 2 INT #507 DB
Kent State Golden Flashes
DL Jaihien Roy 6 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.0 TFL #51 DL
LB Rocco Nicholl 13 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL #145 LB
LB Hayden Dawahare 10 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL #234 LB
QB Dru DeShields 311 pass yds · 1 TD · 2 INT #102 QB

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Ball State CardinalsMAC +1.3 +0.1 +1.2 #156
Kent State Golden FlashesMAC -1.3 +3.2 -4.6 #190

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Ball State offense vs Kent State defense+4.7 pts
Kent State offense vs Ball State defense+2.1 pts

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.