Kent State Golden Flashes at Western Michigan Broncos
Fri Oct 9 · 11:00 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 6d ago·2 min read
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Western Michigan is coming off the best season in program history. Kent State is just happy to remember what winning feels like. This one has 'trap game' written all over it for the Broncos.
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KENTWMU
KENTWMU
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Best BetWestern Michigan
Western Michigan is the clear class of this matchup coming off a MAC title season with 10 returning starters, while Kent State is still rebuilding on both lines. The Broncos should be moneyline chalk here, and there's little in Kent State's profile that points to an upset on the road against a program this deep.
Kent State
+DeShields returns after 2,030 yards, 18 TDs in 2025
−Passing game inconsistent when under 6.3 yards/attempt
Western Michigan enters the 2026 season as the class of the MAC after going 10-4 last year, beating Miami (OH) for the conference title and blowing out Kennesaw State in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Lance Taylor won MAC Coach of the Year for the turnaround and got rewarded with a contract through 2030. Quarterback Broc Lowry and running back Jalen Buckley, who topped 1,000 rushing yards on nearly 6 yards a carry, are both back to run it again.
Kent State is coming from a completely different place. Mark Carney took the interim tag off in late October after steering the Golden Flashes to a 5-7 finish, a five-game improvement that snapped an FBS-long 21-game losing streak and marked the program's biggest step forward in years. Dru DeShields threw for 2,030 yards and 18 touchdowns against just 3 picks in his first year as the starter, and he's the engine this offense runs through again in 2026.
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KENT Kent State
WMU Western Michigan
The gap on paper is real. Western Michigan returns 10 starters off a championship roster; Kent State is still patching holes after losing leading receiver Cade Wolford and playmaker Da'Shawn Martin to the transfer portal, plus its top two tacklers on defense. This is the kind of spot — road trip, MAC also-ran on the schedule — where a loaded favorite can get complacent.
Kent State Golden Flashes
Oct 2?vs Ohio—
Sep 25?vs Ball State—
Sep 19?@ Ohio State—
Sep 12?vs Wofford—
Sep 5?@ South Carolina—
Western Michigan Broncos
Oct 2?@ Buffalo—
Sep 25?vs Boise State—
Sep 19?@ Rice—
Sep 12?vs Monmouth—
Sep 5?@ Michigan—
Recent form.
The bigger question for Western Michigan isn't the offense, it's whether the defense can hold up without its best pass rusher. Losing a 14.5-sack lineman off the front four is the kind of thing that shows up against teams that can actually throw it, and DeShields proved last year he can put up numbers. Kent State's defense has its own questions after losing its top two tacklers, so neither side is walking in at full strength.
Kent State's turnaround story is legitimate, but turning a corner and beating a defending conference champion on the road are two very different things. Western Michigan has the talent gap, the coaching continuity, and the two-way run game to be favored comfortably here — the Golden Flashes' path is keeping it a shootout and hoping the Broncos' new-look front four has an off night.
