2026 Western Michigan
5–2 (3–0 Mid-American Conference), coached by Lance Taylor. The season’s Wikipedia article records 4–2, over six games to the seven on file here. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Monmouth 49–14Sep 12
By 35 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Buffalo 20–17Oct 3
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | at 16Michigan | L 12–13 | 37% |
| Sep 12 | vs Monmouth | W 49–14 | 83% |
| Sep 19 | at Rice | W 28–21 | 65% |
| Sep 26 | vs Boise State | L 7–32 | 56% |
| Oct 3 | at Buffalo | W 20–17 | 60% |
| Oct 10 | vs Kent State | W 38–7 | 78% |
| Oct 17 | at Central Michigan | W 21–14 | 59% |
| Oct 24 | at Toledo | Preview | 47% |
| Oct 31 | vs Bowling Green | Preview | 81% |
| Nov 10 | at Akron | Preview | 77% |
| Nov 17 | vs Eastern Michigan | Preview | 79% |
| Nov 24 | vs Miami (OH) | Preview | 71% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
- Record
- 5–2
- Conference
- 3–0 shared first in Mid-American Conference
- AP now
- Unranked
- Points
- 175–118
- Coach
- Lance Taylor
- Elo
- 1590 +24 this season
- SP+ rating
- -3.2 No. 88 of 138; offense No. 105, defense No. 55, special teams No. 45
- SRS
- −0.6 No. 70 of 138 in FBS
- Returning
- 100% of last season’s EPA, No. 1 of 136
- Recruiting class
- No. 112 roster talent No. 108 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Walt Bell
- Defensive coordinators
- Greer Martini and Duane Vaughn
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.11 | 42% | 1.07 | 73rd of 138 |
| Defense | 0.09 | 43% | 1.15 | 63rd of 138 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.09 off 0.11 def | 42% off 45% def | — | 73rd off 73rd def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 45% | 7.4 yds | 13% | 3.30 | 11% |
| Defense | 44% | 9.7 yds | 16% | 3.10 | 14% |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 4.3 | own 29 | 13% allowed |
| Defense | 2.7 | own 25 | 14% caused |
CORE rating -4.4, 86th of 138 (offense -2.6, defense 1.7).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Broc Lowry QB | 1,044 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Broc Lowry QB | 8 TD |
| Rushing yards | Jalen Buckley RB | 542 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Jalen Buckley RB | 7 TD |
| Receiving yards | Aveion Chenault WR | 326 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Baylin Brooks WR | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Justyce Betts LB | 52 tkl |
| Sacks | Scoop Gardner Jr. DE | 4 sacks |
| Interceptions | Daeh McCullough S | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2026 class
| Donovan Triplett ATH | ★★★ | No. 1754 |
| Brodon Moore CB | ★★★ | No. 1806 |
| Harper Hughes WR | ★★★ | No. 1914 |
| Ryan Rocheleau TE | ★★★ | No. 1914 |
| Max Baker DL | ★★★ | No. 1914 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2026 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
| Receivers | 5 | 3.0 | 0.847 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Whole class | 18 | 3.0 | 0.841 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 104
The 2026 roster104 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 54 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 14
The 2026 portal Austin Alexander DE | ★★★ | from  North Carolina |
 Daeh McCullough S | ★★★ | from  Louisville |
 Kouri Crump S | ★★★ | from  VMI |
 Tahj Owens S | ★★★ | from  Princeton |
 Will Ferrell CB | ★★★ | from  Presbyterian |
 Trey Petty QB | ★★★ | from  Illinois |
 DeJuan Echoles LB | ★★★ | from  Ball State |
 Ahmed Tounkara DL | ★★★ | from  Ohio State |
 Adam Parks TE | ★★ | from  New Mexico State |
 A.J. Green RB | ★★★★ | from  Arkansas |
| Ben Roebuck OL | ★★★ | from  Michigan |
 Brenden Anes LB | ★★★ | from  Tennessee |
And 2 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 13
 Brady Jones QB | ★★★ | to  Oregon State |
| Isaiah Street DE | ★★★ | to  Ohio |
| Popeye Williams DE | ★★★★ | no new school on file |
| Derek Pennington LB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Fitzroy Ledgister CB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jason Mitchell S | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jordan Buckley DL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Joshua Lloyd DE | ★★★ | to  Austin Peay |
| Tre’ Hartwell RB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Isaiah Paul CB | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Mark Konecny QB | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Devin Miles RB | no new school on file |
And 1 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2026 Mid-American Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ohio | 3–0 | 5–2 | |
| Western Michigan | 3–0 | 5–2 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 3–1 | 4–4 | |
| Toledo | 2–1 | 5–2 | |
| Buffalo | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| Miami (OH) | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| Bowling Green | 2–1 | 2–5 | |
| Central Michigan | 1–2 | 3–4 | |
| Ball State | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
| Kent State | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
 Massachusetts | 1–3 | 4–3 | |
 Sacramento State | 0–4 | 1–6 | |
| Akron | 0–3 | 1–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.