Ball State

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Mid-American · Mike Uremovich, year 2 (5-9) · Scheumann Stadium · 22,500 · 10,390 avg in 2026

The nationunrankedAP / Coaches
The model#130 CFB ZeitgeistSP+ #134 (-25.0) · FPI #131
The marketLiberty by 14at Liberty · our model 28% Ball State · a number, not a pick

LastW 41–17 vs Stony Brook · Sat Sep 12 · Kamron Chamble 2 INT, 2 tackles

Nextat Liberty · Sat Sep 19 · 4 pm ET · Williams Stadium (VA) · Liberty by 14 · series 0-1 · Game preview

Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2

Zeitgeist statureRegional Program V#172 all-time– holding
The era · 2014 through 2025

The CFP Era

12 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.

Era record 51-88 12 seasons
Best season 6-1 2020
TRAJECTORY · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program Quality AP Rank (inverted) CFP Appearance
'14'16'18'20'22'24NOW
CHAPTERS · 12 seasons · tap to open the archive
'14 5-7 '15 3-9 '16 4-8 '17 2-10 '18 4-8 '19 5-7 '20 — '21 6-6 '22 5-7 '23 4-8 '24 3-9 '25 4-8

Ball State's 2014–2025 record is 51-88. The era is still being written; the CFP line is the one the program is arguing for.

Era win %
.366
Ranked seasons (AP)
0/12
Best AP finish
—

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.

Read the full essay — 3 more paragraphs

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.

program outlook · as of 2026-07-03

All-time record · Ball State

Ball State has won 47% of its games since 1932 — 58% at home, 38% on the road.

286-317-6 all-time · 61 seasons · 1932–2026

Home 162-112-3
Away 121-195-3
Neutral 3-10
2 g 1930s
4 g 1960s
68% 1970s
48% 1980s
46% 1990s
44% 2000s
43% 2010s
42% 2020s

Coaching Era · Ball State

Mike Uremovich

Mike Uremovich in year 2 of the rebuild. The methodology is taking shape.

Era Mike Uremovich · 2025–presentPrev: Mike Neu (2016–2024)DC: Jeff KnowlesPrev DC: Tyler Stockton (2020–2023)
The full CFP-era story →The full coaching lineage →
2 years · era

Program memory

What this program never forgets

Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.

1993 MAC Championship

Ball State goes 8-3-1, wins the MAC, and plays in the Las Vegas Bowl

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 season — so far · Ball State · 2026

Lost 3-56 at Ohio State

Week 1 of 2026. A reckoning loss — the data point the next season must answer.

Decisive Marginvs Top-5 (#1)

NFL Draft Pipeline

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 · #59/322 final season
#171 all-time in draft picksthe talent factory →

More in this tab

Ladder finishHow far up the ladder this season got.

Season standing · 2026 · 1-1

Ball State is 1-1 and unranked in the season's first weeks.

Even or better through the season's first weeks. The resume is still forming.

Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
Coaching historyEvery hire and departure on record, not just the current era.

Coaching history

  • Hired Mike Uremovich2025
  • Hired Colin Johnson (interim)2024
  • Mike Neu departs40-63, 9 seasons
  • Colin Johnson departs (interim)0-2, 1 season
  • Hired Mike Neu2016
  • Pete Lembo departs33-29, 5 seasons
  • Hired Pete Lembo2011
  • Stan Parrish departs6-19, 3 seasons
Coordinator lineageOffense and defense under each coordinator.

Unit 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
2014201620182020202220242026
2014–2019 · Joey Lynch2020–2022 · Kevin Lynch2023 · co-Jared Elliott / Kevin Lynch2024 · Jared Elliott
Defense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014–2015 · Kevin Kelly2016 · Tim Daoust2017–2018 · David Elson2019 · David Elson / co-Tyler Stockton2020–2023 · Tyler Stockton2024–2026 · Jeff Knowles
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customsThe gameday customs unique to this program.

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 identityWhat college football loses if this program didn't exist.
BowlsEvery bowl this program's played, and how it did.

Bowl / Postseason Ledger

Recent postseason (2020-2021): 1-1

Most recent: 2021 — loss 20-51 (home). Last 5 postseason: 1-1.

20212020
Reddit blowupsThe plays that blew up on r/CFB.

r/cfb moments

369
[Postgame Thread] Ball State Defeats Buffalo 38-28
Dec 2020 · r/cfb

All-time top community posts · ranked by upvotes

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