It’s been quite the conference turnaround for Chuck Martin‘s Miami (OH) squad the past couple of years.
In the head coach’s first four seasons, the Redhawks went 14-18 in MAC play. With Wednesday night’s dominating 44-3 win over Bowling Green, Miami improved to 5-1 in the league on the season; the past two years, that record now stands at 11-3.
Not only that, but Miami is one win away from claiming its first MAC East title since 2010, closing out the regular season against winless Akron and a road trip to 4-5 Ball State.
At 6-4, the Redhawks could be going bowling for the first time since 2016 and just the second time in nearly two decades. Two more wins would give the football program its most victories in a season since the 10-4 2010 squad that won the division and the conference championships.
Miami’s four losses this season, incidentally, have come to No. 2 Ohio State, No. 17 Cincinnati, No. 20 Iowa and Western Michigan, which currently leads the MAC West division.
In the latest win, a 27-point second quarter fueled Miami’s 37-3 halftime lead en route to its most lopsided win of the season over a non-FCS school. Their previous four FBS wins had come by a combined 25 points, including three by seven points or less.
Bowling Green, meanwhile, was officially eliminated from the postseason as the Falcons’ record now sits at 3-7 on the season.