Kent State at Ball State

Thanks to Mark Carney, Kent State is no longer the laughing stock of the Mid-American Conference. The Golden Flashes went 1-23 and had zero wins against FBS opponents the past two years coming into this season. However, under Carney, Kent State is 3-5 overall and 2-2 in the MAC. That is the same record Ball State has. Morale has picked up at Kent State, not only with improvements on the field, but also with the school removing the interim tag and naming the popular Carney as the permanent head coach. This is the Golden Flashes' first game since that announcement. Kent State's defense doesn't have a high bar to clear in this situation. Ball State averages only 16.4 points per game. The Cardinals are third from the bottom in yards per game and passing yards per game. Ball State QB Kiael Kelly has as many interceptions as touchdown passes with three. Kelly has been sacked 28 times,  more than any quarterback in the conference. There's a reason why the Cardinals haven't been a favorite up to this point against an FBS opponent. That reason being they aren't any good. Take Kent State.