Wk 4 · 2026
Ball State Cardinals at Kent State Golden Flashes — Sat, Sep 26
Sat, Sep 26 ·
Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium, Kent, OH
· ESPN+ FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
12:00pET
KENT -2.5 · total 51.5 DraftKings opened -4.5 · 2 toward BALL
Ratings differential KENT by 2.0
What is at stake
A MAC game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Ball State form
L 14-45at NUL 24-39vs TOLL 13-26at KENTL 15-51at LIBW 41-17vs STBK
2026 season
Kent State form
L 7-38at WMUL 10-13vs OHIOW 26-13vs BALLL 3-59at OSUW 36-15vs WOF
2026 season
Ball State this season
Straight up1-5 · 17% (6 games)
Against the spread3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Over / under5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Kent State this season
Straight up2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Against the spread3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Over / under4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 4
| Opponent | Ball State | Kent State |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State Big Ten | at L 3-56 preview | at L 3-59 preview |
| Bowling Green MAC | at Wk 7 · scheduled preview | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
| Sacramento St MAC | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview |
| Ohio MAC | at Wk 12 · scheduled preview | vs L 10-13 preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Ball State leads 8–4 · Kent State won the last one
12 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
6.9 points toward Ball State
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-26 | Ball State 13 — 26 Kent State | at KENT | Kent State |
| 2025 | 2025-11-05 | Kent State 13 — 17 Ball State | at BALL | Ball State |
| 2024 | 2024-10-12 | Ball State 37 — 35 Kent State | at KENT | Ball State |
| 2023 | 2023-11-18 | Kent State 3 — 34 Ball State | at BALL | Ball State |
| 2022 | 2022-11-01 | Ball State 27 — 20 Kent State | at KENT | Ball State |
| 2019 | 2019-11-23 | Ball State 38 — 41 Kent State | at KENT | Kent State |
| 2018 | 2018-09-29 | Kent State 24 — 52 Ball State | at BALL | Ball State |
| 2013 | 2013-10-12 | Kent State 24 — 27 Ball State | at BALL | Ball State |
| 2012 | 2012-09-29 | Ball State 43 — 45 Kent State | at KENT | Kent State |
| 2010 | 2010-10-30 | Ball State 14 — 33 Kent State | at KENT | Kent State |
| 2008 | 2008-09-27 | Kent State 20 — 41 Ball State | at BALL | Ball State |
| 2006 | 2006-11-24 | Kent State 6 — 30 Ball State | at BALL | Ball State |
Ball State leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Keldric Luster QB #6 | 76/119, 662 YDS, 5 TD, 3 INT |
| Tyler Mizzell QB #9 | 19/33, 209 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Rushing | TJ Horton RB #4 | 37 CAR, 301 YDS, 4 TD |
| Jalen Bonds RB #2 | 24 CAR, 126 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Johnny Thompson Jr. RB #20 | 24 CAR, 74 YDS | |
| Receiving | Donovan Hamilton WR #1 | 20 REC, 220 YDS, 1 TD |
| Jamarion McDougle WR #10 | 12 REC, 135 YDS | |
| Jabari Smith WR #5 | 12 REC, 132 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Isaiah Thacker WR #11 | 13 REC, 112 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Sterling Smith DB #1 | 35 |
| Cincear Lewis LB #6 | 26 | |
| Quentavius Scandrett DB #33 | 25 | |
| Sacks | Layton Starks LB #11 | 1.5 |
| Jared Badie LB #31 | 1 | |
| Ka'Shawn Thomas DT #94 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Kamron Chamble DB #13 | 2 |
| Cedric Franklin II DB #18 | 1 |
Kent State leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Dru DeShields QB #12 | 70/120, 757 YDS, 3 TD, 5 INT |
| Da'Realyst Clark WR #8 | 1/1, 29 YDS | |
| Rushing | Dru DeShields QB #12 | 39 CAR, 183 YDS, 3 TD |
| Mason King RB #0 | 39 CAR, 166 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Brandon White RB #22 | 40 CAR, 126 YDS | |
| Receiving | Da'Realyst Clark WR #8 | 19 REC, 246 YDS, 1 TD |
| Wayne Harris WR #6 | 16 REC, 204 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Ardell Banks WR #1 | 7 REC, 167 YDS | |
| Terik Mulder TE #89 | 6 REC, 61 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Rocco Nicholl LB #4 | 24 |
| Joel Cordoba DB #2 | 24 | |
| A'tiq Muhammad DB #1 | 22 | |
| Sacks | Rocco Nicholl LB #4 | 3 |
| Jaihien Roy DL #33 | 2 | |
| Semaj Bridgeman LB #17 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Norey Johnson DB #18 | 1 |
| Rafael Terrero Jr. LB #20 | 1 | |
| Jaihien Roy DL #33 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.