Kent State Golden Flashes

Kent State is No. 126 of 138 in the model after week 6 (2-4, 1-2 in conference play). Its projected final record is 4.8-7.2, with a 1% chance to win out and a 0% chance to make the playoff.

Updated · See Kent State in the full rankings

2026 at a glance

  • #126in the model (– from last week)
  • 4.8-7.2projected final record
  • −12.2points vs. an average FBS team, neutral field
  • 0%chance to make the playoff

Scouting report: Kent State's best unit is its pass defense (No. 77 in FBS); its weakest is its rush offense (No. 133). Overall, the offense ranks No. 127 and the defense No. 91, adjusted for opponents. These ranks rest on 6 games, so expect them to move week to week.

Résumé: No. 111, by wins above what a typical top-25 team would expect against Kent State's schedule. That measures what the record is worth; the power rank (No. 126) measures how good the team is.

Deserved wins: playing the way it has, Kent State would usually have won 2.3 games; it has won 2.

Postseason odds: <1% to win the Mid-American, 0% to make the 12-team playoff, 0% to earn a first-round bye and 0% to win the national title. 28% to reach 6 wins. (Model estimates; how the playoff odds work.)

Rank by week: Wk 1: 131 → Wk 2: 135 → Wk 3: 130 → Wk 4: 128 → Wk 5: 126 → Wk 6: 126
Week 1: No. 131Week 2: No. 135Week 3: No. 130Week 4: No. 128Week 5: No. 126Week 6: No. 126

Rankings for weeks 1-6 were rebuilt after launch from games through each week; later weeks are published live.

Season stats

  • 13.7points per game
  • 32.5points allowed per game
  • 35%offensive success rate
  • 45%success rate allowed

Success rate: share of plays that keep an offense on schedule (half the yards needed on first down, 70% on second, all of it on third or fourth). Garbage time excluded.

Leaders

  • Passing: Dru Deshields, 975 yards, 4 TD, 6 INT
  • Rushing: Mason Blakemore, 202 yards on 52 carries, 1 TD
  • Receiving: Wayne Harris, 25 catches, 355 yards, 1 TD

Schedule and win odds

WeekOpponentResult or win chancePlayed like
1at South CarolinaL 0-57<1% win
2vs WoffordW 36-1596% win
3at No. 5 Ohio StateL 3-591% win
4vs Ball StateW 26-1399% win
5vs OhioL 10-1333% win
6at Western MichiganL 7-381% win
7at South Florida16% to win
8vs Akron70% to win
9at Sacramento State73% to win
11at Bowling Green43% to win
12vs Miami (OH)40% to win
13at Eastern Michigan38% to win

Win chances come from the model's current ratings, including home field. Played like: how often a team wins a game it played the way it played this one, based on the box score. Rankings shown are the model's.

Mid-American in the model

#TeamRecordConf.Projected
65Western Michigan4-22-08.3-3.7
75Toledo4-21-18.0-4.0
89Ohio4-22-08.1-3.9
98Miami (OH)3-31-16.5-5.5
99Massachusetts4-21-27.4-4.6
115Eastern Michigan4-33-06.0-6.0
119Central Michigan3-31-16.1-5.9
122Buffalo3-31-16.0-6.0
125Bowling Green2-42-04.4-7.6
131Ball State1-50-23.5-8.5
134Akron1-50-22.4-9.6
138Sacramento State1-50-32.1-9.9

This week's picks and rankings

Every week's top 25, game of the week and picks are in the weekly breakdown. Latest: Week 7 college football picks and power rankings: the model's case for LSU.

How the model works: each team starts from a preseason rating (last season, returning production, roster talent), and every game moves it using the final margin and play-by-play efficiency, adjusted for opponents. Projections simulate the rest of the season 10,000 times. More on the method. Data from CollegeFootballData.com.