1993 MAC Championship
Ball State goes 8-3-1, wins the MAC, and plays in the Las Vegas Bowl
Program prestige
Zeitgeist statureRegional Program VProgram outlook
Program outlook
Ball State has won a MAC title in three different decades. It just doesn't happen very often, and the wait for the next one started again with a 4-8 season under a brand-new coach.
Since Jul 3: L 24-39 vs Toledo; L 14-45 at Northwestern; W 32-31 at Bowling Green; W 34-17 vs Sacramento State. 3-5 this season.
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The pattern is real, even if the gaps are long. 1993: an 8-3-1 MAC championship season and a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. 1996: a second title in four years, punter Brad Maynard somehow winning both MAC MVP and MAC Defensive Player of the Year in the same season — a two-way honor that still stands out on the program's record book. Then 24 years of nothing, until 2020.
The 2020 team shouldn't have won that title. An eight-game, COVID-shortened schedule, a trip to Ford Field against a nationally-ranked #23 Buffalo team with the conference's best offense, and Ball State scored three touchdowns in the final 5:55 of the first half to blow the game open, holding on for a 38-28 win. Quarterback Drew Plitt was named Offensive MVP. It was the program's first championship in 24 years, and it came against a team that had no business losing.
Mike Uremovich was hired in December 2024 to start the next chapter, and his first season, 2025, went 4-8 (3-5 MAC) — a normal-looking rebuild year for a program that has never rushed its title windows. Three separate eras, three decades, and a fanbase that's learned to be patient about when the next one shows up.
On the field
No single scheme has carried across all three championship eras — what's constant is a program that finds a signature standout when the window opens (Maynard's two-way dominance in 1996, Plitt's poise in the 2020 title game) rather than a fixed offensive or defensive identity year to year.
Ball State has won 47% of its games since 1932 — 58% at home, 38% on the road.
288-321-6 all-time · 61 seasons · 1932–2026
Home
163-113-3
Away
122-198-3
Neutral
3-10
2 g
1930s
4 g
1960s
68%
1970s
48%
1980s
46%
1990s
44%
2000s
43%
2010s
42%
2020s
The CFP era
13 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.
Trajectory · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program quality
AP rank (inverted)
CFP appearance
Swipe left for earlier seasons
Ball State’s 2014–2026 record is 55-94.
Mike Uremovich
Mike Uremovich is in year 2. The methodology is taking shape.
Era Mike Uremovich · 2025–presentPrev: Colin Johnson (interim) (2024)DC: Jeff KnowlesPrev DC: Jeff Knowles (2024–2025)
2
years · era
Ball State and Northern Illinois, meeting by meeting
The series is level at 24-24-1 (since 1968); in the last 10 meetings, Ball State is 5-5
2025: Northern Illinois won 21-7. After this game, level at 24-24-1.
Last 25 meetings: ▲ Ball State won, ▼ Northern Illinois won, by how much
Each step is one meeting: up when Ball State wins, down when Northern Illinois wins, flat for a tie. Counts every game in our records since 1968. Tap the line for any season.
Moments in Ball State history
- Ball State 38, Buffalo 28MAC Championship · Dec 18, 2020
- Ball State 20, Ohio 14Oct 4, 2025
- Georgia State 31, Ball State 19Oct 17, 2015
What this program never forgets
Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.
1996 MAC Championship
The program's second title in four years, again capped by a Las Vegas Bowl trip
2020 upset of #23 Buffalo
Ball State scores three touchdowns in the final 5:55 of the first half and holds on to win 38-28, ending a 24-year title drought
Moment of the year · 2026
Lost 3-56 at Ohio State
Week 1 of 2026. A reckoning loss — the data point the next season must answer.
2023–2023
Ball State has sent 1 player to the NFL Draft since 2023 — none in the first round.
Thin. Roster development still maturing.
1
picks · 0 in round 1
#250
Nic Jones
Cornerback · 2023 · 
Kansas City Chiefs · #59/322 final season
Kansas City Chiefs · #59/322 final season
#171 all-time in draft picksthe talent factory →
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Ladder finish
Season standing · 2026 · 3-5
Season standing · 2026 · 3-5Ball State is 3-5 — below .500 in FBS.
Below .500 in FBS play. The rebuild bar.
FBS sub-.500
Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
Conference
Mid-American standing · 2026
7th in the Mid-American
Ball State is 7th of 13 in the Mid-American at 2-2. The path to the title is steep — the focus is on bowl access and rivalry wins.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio | 5-0 |
| 2 | Buffalo | 4-1 |
| 3 | Western Michigan | 4-1 |
| 4 | Toledo | 3-1 |
| 5 | Eastern Michigan | 3-2 |
| 6 | Miami (OH) | 3-2 |
| 7 | Ball State | 2-2 |
| 8 | Bowling Green | 2-3 |
| 9 | Kent State | 2-3 |
| 10 | Central Michigan | 1-3 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | 1-3 |
| 12 | Sacramento State | 1-5 |
| 13 | Akron | 0-5 |
Coaching history
Coaching history
- Hired Mike Uremovich
- Hired Colin Johnson (interim)
- Mike Neu departs
- Colin Johnson departs (interim)
- Hired Mike Neu
- Pete Lembo departs
- Hired Pete Lembo
- Stan Parrish departs
Coordinator lineage
Ball State’s offense and defense, by coordinator
FBS-relative efficiency percentile per season (2014–2026), same population as the Coordinator Mirror board. Dashed vertical lines mark a coordinator change.
Offense2014–2026
2014–2019 · Joey Lynch2020–2022 · Kevin Lynch2023 · Jared Elliott (co) / Kevin Lynch2024 · Jared Elliott
Defense2014–2026
2014–2015 · Kevin Kelly2016 · Tim Daoust2017–2018 · David Elson2019 · David Elson / Tyler Stockton (co)2020–2023 · Tyler Stockton2024–2025 · Jeff Knowles2026 · Jeff Knowles
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customs
Rituals
Three gameday rituals — the ones outsiders never quite catch.
The 2020 MAC Championship
since 2020
more
In a COVID-shortened eight-game season, Ball State upset nationally-ranked #23 Buffalo 38-28 at Ford Field to win its first MAC title since 1996 -- scoring three touchdowns in the final 5:55 of the first half to seize control. Quarterback Drew Plitt was named Offensive MVP after throwing for 263 yards and three touchdowns and adding a rushing score.
The 1990s MAC Titles (1993, 1996)
since 1993
more
Ball State won MAC championships in 1993 (8-3-1) and 1996, both capped by Las Vegas Bowl appearances. Punter Brad Maynard, a two-way standout who won both MAC MVP and MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 1996, still holds the program's career punting records.
Charlie Cardinal
since 1970
more
Charlie Cardinal is the university's mascot, embodying the cardinal-red-and-black identity that has anchored Ball State athletics for decades.
Cultural identity
2021 L
2020 W
2013 L
2012 L
2008 LReddit blowups
r/CFB moments
369
[Postgame Thread] Ball State Defeats Buffalo 38-28
All-time top community posts
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