Stonehill (0-1) travels to Ohio. No market line yet; the model gives Ohio a 97% shot.
What’s at stake
Ohio
- Ohio is the MAC program whose Frank Solich tenure + Tim Albin continuation + Peden Stadium hill setting define what historic-southeast-Ohio football looks like.
Stonehill
- Stonehill is still shaking off a 18-point loss.
Face-off
What each fanbase carries into this one.
Stonehill
The chip · vs the national mediaPlenty of skeptics thought Stonehill would get buried in the NEC. Instead, the Skyhawks are 4-8 (3-4 in conference) in year one, overachieving against predictions and proving they belong.
What this game touches
The eligibility wait — finally arriving. After building a strong D-II program, Stonehill had to wait for FCS eligibility. Now that the 2025 season is here, every win and loss in the NEC matters in ways it never could in D-II. The program is proving the wait was worth it with a 4-8 record in year one.
Ohio
The chipAthens doesn't carry a grudge so much as a quiet pride: the Bobcats keep getting their coaches stolen by bigger programs, and they keep reloading and winning bowls. The fanbase has stopped apologizing for being good in a league nobody watches.
What this game touches
The program that can't keep a coach. Tim Albin won Ohio its first MAC title since 1968 in 2024, then immediately left for Charlotte. His successor Brian Smith went 8-4 but was fired for cause in December 2025 amid a misconduct investigation. Defensive coordinator John Hauser, the third head coach in three seasons, won the Frisco Bowl on his first night running the team.
Best players
Ohio
- Britton Watts (PK) · 1 tackles
- Sieh Bangura (RB) · 2025: 1,392 rushing yards
- Adonis Williams Jr. (S) · 2025: 75 tackles
Conditions
Ohio is 77% at home, 47% on the road since 2018 (34-10 home, 20-23 away).