The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame created the Michigan MAC Trophy in 2005 for the state's three MAC schools, and the rule is simple: beat both in-state rivals in the same season, or the holder keeps it. Western Michigan has had it since 2023, and it won't leave Kalamazoo this week. The Broncos beat Central Michigan 21-14 in Mount Pleasant in October, in what Western calls the Battle for the Victory Cannon, while Eastern lost to the Chippewas 35-7 at Ford Field on Nov. 4. A Western win makes the trophy theirs outright. An Eastern win leaves all three schools at 1-1, and a three-way tie keeps it right where it is, just as it did in 2024. The hardware is settled. Western is playing for first place, and Eastern is playing to keep its season alive.
Western comes in off a 42-14 win at Akron last Tuesday that it won mostly on the ground. The Broncos ran for 360 yards. Jalen Buckley ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and Cole Cabana broke an 82-yard touchdown run. Broc Lowry completed all 15 of his passes. "Outside of about seven plays, our defense played excellent tonight," Lance Taylor said afterward.
Eastern hasn't played since that night in Detroit, and it was a rough one. Central Michigan held the ball for almost 41 minutes, and the Eagles didn't pick up a first down until the final 90 seconds of the first half. Their 177 yards were their fewest against a MAC opponent since 2015, and their only score came on Jace Stuckey's 6-yard pass to Harold Mack with 10 seconds left. It was Eastern's third straight loss.
Both teams have questions at quarterback. Noah Kim, Eastern's starter, has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury. Brogan McCaughey, a fifth-year senior who came over from Yale, started both and nearly won at Ohio with two late drives. Eastern hoped the long break would help Kim, but the school hasn't said whether he'll play. Lowry's scare came on Western's opening drive at Akron, when a fourth-down sack sent him to the medical tent. Taylor called the nose "broken" on the broadcast. With regular backup Trey Petty already out injured, third-stringer Mason Reynolds came in and threw two touchdown passes. "He came in and played exceptional for us," Taylor said. Lowry returned for the second half and avoided anything worse than the broken nose.
The game turns on Buckley against Eastern's front. The Eagles gave up 232 rushing yards a game last season, and they've cut that to about 146 this fall. Buckley ran for 193 yards and two long touchdowns in last December's MAC title game, and with Western's quarterbacks banged up, expect the Broncos to lean on him all night. If Eastern can make them throw on third down, the game stays close.
The other side is whether Eastern can move the ball at all. Western has held its last two league opponents to 24 points combined. Eastern's most reliable target has been tight end Joshua Long, whose 44 catches tie the school's single-season record for a tight end. If Long can keep the chains moving on early downs, punter Daniel Hull, who averages more than 45 yards a kick, can flip the field when drives stall.
The stakes are lopsided. Western sits at 5-1 alongside Ohio, Toledo and Buffalo, and only the top two by winning percentage go to Ford Field on Dec. 5. The Broncos beat Buffalo but lost to Toledo, and Toledo and Ohio still play each other. Western closes at home on Nov. 24 against Miami (OH), a game back at 4-2. Win both and the defending champions are assured at least a share of first. Eastern's path is narrower. At 4-6, it has to win here and then beat Kent State at home on Senior Night, Nov. 24, to reach 6-6, and even a .500 record wouldn't guarantee a bowl invitation this year.
This is the 58th meeting, and Western leads the series 34-21-2. The Broncos have won the last three, including a 31-21 win in Ypsilanti last November in which they scored 31 straight points after falling behind 7-0. That clinched the regular-season title, and Western went on to beat Miami 23-13 for its first MAC championship since 2016. Eastern's last win in the series came at Waldo in 2022, 45-23, and it's 8-20-1 all-time in this stadium.
The projection is Western Michigan 28, Eastern Michigan 13. Western's running game can keep Eastern's defense on the field, its defense has been stingy in league play, and Eastern's offense hasn't found much since Kim went down. Eastern's improved run defense should keep the margin reasonable, and a healthy Kim would make it closer. A dry evening in the mid-40s with a light breeze is in the forecast.
The market, for the record: Western Michigan is about a 13.5-point favorite, and the total is 46.5. The projection (Western Michigan by 15) sits a point and a half past the line.
What breaks it: Buckley and Cabana find the same running room they had in Akron, Lowry plays clean, and Western is up two scores by halftime with Miami already on its mind. The other way it breaks: Kim is back and sharp, Eastern's front holds Western to field goals, and the Eagles keep their bowl hopes alive and send the MAC race into an even bigger tangle.