Unbelievable 2025 MAC Bowl Moments: The Game-Changer, MVP Shocks, and the Ultimate All-Bowl Team Revealed!

As the curtain falls on the 2025 college football season, it’s time to cast a keen eye on the Mid-American Conference’s postseason saga. After an electrifying 2024, when the MAC shattered records with a clean sweep of five bowl victories, this year brought a more tempered showing — just five teams marched into bowl games, emerging with a combined 2-3 record. Yet, the champions from recent seasons, Ohio and Western Michigan, still managed to snatch hardware in December, reminding us all that this league’s pulse beats strong. I find myself fascinated by the twists and turns of these matchups — moments that range from defensive lockdowns to surprise offensive bursts. So, let’s dive into the standouts, the spectacular, and yes—the hustle—that defined the 2025 MAC bowl season. Whether it’s a jaw-dropping touchdown run or a game-changing sack, there’s plenty to unpack here, including a specially curated All-Hustle Belt Bowl Team that honors those who refused to let the spotlight slip away. Stick with me, because this journey through the season’s closing chapter is one you won’t want to miss. LEARN MORE

The 2025 college football season is almost in the books.

In 2024, the Mid-American Conference made history by winning five bowl games for the first time ever. This year, the league only sent five teams to the postseason and generated a 2-3 record — with the last two MAC champions, Ohio and Western Michigan, taking home trophies in December.

Now, we reflect on the highlights of the 2025 MAC bowl season, picking superlatives and an All-Hustle Belt Bowl Team to officially put a bow on the best time of year for college football fans:

Game summaries

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Western Michigan 41, Kennesaw State 6

Perhaps no bowl game in 2025 ended quicker than this 11 a.m. ET kickoff in Conway, SC. Western Michigan led 27-0 after the first quarter thanks to Jalen Buckley’s 172 first quarter rushing yards. The Broncos also scored two defensive touchdowns in a thorough domination of the Conference USA champions. Buckley won MVP honors based on his first quarter efforts alone, sweetening the MAC champs’ season with a 10th victory.

Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl: Louisville 27, Toledo 2022

What looked like a defensive-oriented slugfest suddenly escalated in the fourth quarter. Louisville led 14-3 entering the final frame, but 32 combined points were rattled off in the fourth. Toledo’s offense shined under new starter Kalieb Osborne, but the defense struggled vs. Louisville’s running back tandem of Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown. But the Rockets’ 14 flags were the most costly factor.

Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl: Ohio 17, UNLV 10

Ohio entered the game with defensive coordinator John Hauser serving in an interim role, and the Bobcats’ defense dominated the Mountain West runner-up’s offense in the Lone Star State. Meanwhile, Parker Navarro and MVP Sieh Bangura guided the rushing attack in their final collegiate games, extending Ohio’s bowl win streak to seven. Hauser was promoted to head coach three days later.

GameAbove Sports Bowl: Central Michigan 34, Northwestern 7

The game was tight in the middle of the second quarter until Central Michigan turned the ball over on three consecutive plays. Northwestern produced touchdown drives of 29, 16, and 23 yards fresh off those turnovers en route to a 21-0 halftime lead. Central Michigan committed its fourth giveaway coming out of halftime, leading to a seamless Northwestern win.

Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl: Fresno State 18, Miami (OH) 3

Miami (OH) battled in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl for the second-straight year, but the outcome was far different from its 43-17 domination of Colorado State in 2024. The RedHawks struck first at 3-0, but they only attained 192 yards and finished 6-of-22 passing, allowing the Fresno State Bull Doggs to celebrate with the famous rapper during the postgame ceremony.

Best game: Boca Raton Bowl — Louisville 27, Toledo 22

Last year, selecting Toledo’s bowl game — a 6-overtime thriller vs. Pittsburgh in the GameAbove Sports Bowl — was a no-brainer. This year, the choice wasn’t as definitive as no MAC bowl game would earned ‘ESPN Instant Classic’ status if it occurred on an old NCAA video game. There wasn’t a single second half lead change in any of the five bowl games.

However, the fourth quarter of the Boca Raton Bowl between Toledo and Louisville produced more adrenaline than any other moment of the MAC bowl season. The game initially unraveled exactly as expected — two elite defenses forcing constant turnovers and punts. In fact there were seven collective punts in a scoreless second quarter.

The score sat at 7-3 until a late third quarter drive by the Cardinals which saw Miller Moss complete a 5-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Meeks to cap a 77-yard drive, elevating Louisville’s advantage to 14-3. There were 17 combined points in the first three quarters, but the Cardinals and Rockets exploded for 32 combined points in an electrifying fourth stanza.

Louisville opened the fourth with an 11-yard Isaac Brown touchdown run on the quarter’s opening play. Freshman quarterback Kalieb Osborne then rallied Toledo with its first touchdown drive of the day, completing a 26-yarder down the seam to tight end Jacob Petersen on 4th-and-long. After a quick stop, Toledo trimmed the deficit to 21-13 as freshman kicker Robert Hammond III — who never attempted a field goal prior to the Boca Raton Bowl — drained a clutch 50-yarder.

Toledo needed one more stop, but that stop never came. Brown broke free for a 53-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive, but things got more intriguing when Toledo blocked the extra point and returned it the other direction to transform the score into 27-16. Osborne once again captained a long touchdown drive, finishing with a Chip Trayanum touchdown run to make it 27-22. However, Toledo’s defense — which produced stop after stop in the first half — couldn’t answer the bell in crunch time. Louisville picked up first downs on three consecutive runs to ultimately position itself for victory formation. And thanks to the new sponsor of Bush’s Beans, the Cardinals won the right to eat beans from the trophy during a lively postgame ceremony.

Best play: Jalen Buckley house call on first play

The Myrtle Beach Bowl kicked off at 11 a.m. ET, and while your bagel was still in the toaster, Western Michigan was already piling on the points. On the first play from scrimmage, running back Jalen Buckley utilized several great blocks and navigated through a sea of Kennesaw State defenders en route to a 65-yard house call.

It was the ultimate tone-setter in a game where Western Michigan led 27-0 after the first quarter and ultimately exited with a 41-6 shellacking of Kennesaw State. Buckley won MVP honors for his 174-yard effort, kick-started by this play.

Offensive Player of Bowl Season

Jalen Buckley, RB, Western Michigan

Buckley produced arguably the most efficient 174-yard outing of the season in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. The star Western Michigan running back entered the bowl fresh off a 193-yard, 2-touchdown effort in the MAC Championship Game to lead the Broncos to glory. Buckley only continued his rampage on the teal turf of Brooks Stadium in Conway, SC. He opened the contest with a 65-yard tone-setting rushing touchdown and continue to break off long run after long run. Buckley attained 172 rushing yards on seven carries in the first quarter alone. With a 27-0 margin entering the second quarter, Western Michigan gave its workhorse back a well-deserved respite. He only fielded on handoff for the remainder of the 41-6 domination, finishing with eight attempts for 174 yards and a touchdown — good enough to secure the MVP honors.

Defensive Player of Bowl Season

Rodney McGraw, DE, Western Michigan

As great as Western Michigan’s offensive showing was in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, the defensive effort was equally impressive — and all of it started with McGraw. On his fourth defensive snap of the game, the senior defensive end strip-sacked Kennesaw State quarterback Amari Odom, and the loose ball was scooped up by Western Michigan defensive end Kershawn Fisher for a 47-yard touchdown. Fast-forward to the fourth quarter, at the 2-minute timeout, and McGraw struck again. He completed his second strip-sack of the afternoon, preventing Kennesaw State from reaching double-digits in the lopsided showdown. McGraw finished with five tackles, 2.5 sacks, one pass breakup, two QB hurries, and two forced fumbles — both of which were recovered by Western Michigan in the 41-6 domination.

Special Teams Player of Bowl Season

Ryan Millmore, P, Western Michigan

Even in a 35-point victory, Western Michigan had some really impressive punts. Millmore was sent out four times, and he booted the ball a collective 185 yards in the Myrtle Beach Bowl — averaging to 46.3 yards per punt. Two of his attempts landed inside the 20-yard line, and he additionally booted a 52-yarder for a touchback. Kennesaw State finished the contest with an average starting field position of its own 24-yard line thanks to Millmore’s services.

2025 All-Hustle Belt Bowl Team

Here are our selections for the most outstanding MAC players this bowl season, according to position or position group:

Pos.	Player	College	Stats
QB	Kalieb Osborne	Toledo	17/28, 167 yards, 1 pass TD, 77 rush yards
RB	Jalen Buckley	Western Michigan	8 rush, 174 yards, 1 TD
RB	Sieh Bangura	Ohio	19 rush, 149 yards, 1 TD
WR	Langston Lewis	Central Michigan	8 rec, 83 yards
WR	Chase Hendricks	Ohio	4 rec, 87 yards
WR	Junior Vandeross	Toledo	7 rec, 61 yards
TE	Jacob Petersen	Toledo	3 rec, 60 yards, 1 TD
OL	Raheem Anderson	Western Michigan	N/A
OL	Chad Schuster	Western Michigan	N/A
OL	Jordon Jones	Ohio	N/A
OL	Gavin Dabo	Western Michigan	N/A
OL	Hunter Whitenack	Western Michigan	N/A
DL	Rodney McGraw	Western Michigan	5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2.5 TFL, 2 FF
DL	Martez Poynter	Toledo	6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL
DL	Ike Ackerman	Ohio	5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL
DL	Tyson Lee	Western Michigan	4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL
LB	James Camden	Western Michigan	10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL
LB	Malcolm McCain	Miami (OH)	13 tackles, 1 TFL
LB	Langston Long	Toledo	8 tackles, 1.5 TFL
LB	Jordan Kwiatkowski	Central Michigan	8 tackles, 1.5 TFL
DB	Joey Pope	Western Michigan	2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD
DB	DJ Walker	Ohio	6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT
DB	Eli Blakey	Miami (OH)	13 tackles
DB	Tate Hallock	Western Michigan	8 tackles, 1 INT
K	Robert Hammond III	Toledo	2/3 FG, long 50
P	Ryan Millmore	Western Michigan	4 punts, 185 yards, 2 inside 20, long 52
RS	Bryson Hammer	Toledo	3 PR, 29 yards