Ball State spent the first half of October looking finished. The Cardinals lost to Kent State, Toledo and Northwestern, and the Wildcats beat them 45-14. Then they won 32-31 at Bowling Green and beat Sacramento State 34-17 in Muncie on homecoming weekend. Being in the race as of today counts for something in a MAC season where Ball State sits 2-2 in league play.
Look past the streaks and these teams aren't that far apart. UMass lost to Miami (OH) by 1 and at Buffalo by 7, so the 1-3 conference record makes the Minutemen look worse than they've played in league games. Ball State's 2-game run started with a 1-point escape. The Cardinals have scored 32 and 34 the last 2 times out after topping out at 24 in the 3 losses before that, and nobody knows yet whether that's real or just Bowling Green and an FCS opponent.
Ball State is getting by without 2 pass catchers. WR D. Talbert has been out since late September and TE C. Coonrod since the Northwestern game, with no return dates for either. UMass gave up 38 to Eastern Michigan and 35 to UConn, so that defense might not make the Cardinals miss them. A 4-0 start is now a 4-4 team that needs 2 more wins to reach bowl eligibility, and a home date with a 3-5 club is about as good a chance as UMass gets.
