DETROIT — The Mid-American Conference college football coaches anticipate more of the same from Kent State this season.
The Golden Flashes were picked to finish eighth in the MAC preseason coaches poll released during the conference’s media day at Ford Field on July 22. At 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the MAC, Kent State finished in a three-way tie with Akron and Buffalo for sixth in 2025.
The eighth-place position is a much better slot than the Flashes had going into last year. Coming off a 0-12 season in 2024, Kent State was picked to finish last in the 13-team conference.
Under then-interim head coach Mark Carney, the Flashes ended a 21-game losing streak and came within one win of becoming bowl eligible. Carney was named the team’s full-time head coach after the season.
2026 MAC Football Coaches Preseason Poll voting results
The MAC’s head coaches voted in the poll, but they were not allowed to vote for their own teams.
Here are the results predicting the 2026 regular season, with the number of first-place votes listed in parentheses:
- Western Michigan (nine) — 138 points
- Miami University (four) — 134 points
- Toledo — 115 points
- Ohio — 107 points
- Central Michigan — 101 points
- Buffalo — 81 points
- Eastern Michigan — 76 points
- Kent State — 64 points
- Bowling Green — 59 points
- Akron — 52 points
- Ball State — 34 points
- Sacramento State — 28 points
- Massachusetts — 25 points
Here are the voting results predicting the MAC title game champion:
- Western Michigan — nine
- Miami — four
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kent State football picked eighth in 2026 MAC coaches preseason poll
