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Hustle Belt

https://www.hustlebelt.com/ | 188 entries published

MAC Football, MAC Basketball, MAC Recruiting, MAC Baseball and all of the other #MACtion hijinks in between - [email protected]

Latest Entries

Ohio promotes John Hauser to head coach

As per Ohio tradition, the Bobcats didn’t have to search far to find their next head football coach. Ohio promoted interim head coach and defensive coordinator John Hauser to the full-time head coaching position on Friday, Dec. 26 — three days after Hauser guided the program to a Frisco Bowl victory over UNLV. Hauser is […]

2 months ago | 3 reads

Ohio thrives in 17-10 Frisco Bowl win over UNLV

Sieh Bangura and Parker Navarro ended their storied careers for the Ohio Bobcats with a triumphant 17-10 win in the Frisco Bowl over UNLV. Ohio won a staggering seventh-straight bowl game with the victory, only trailing Minnesota (8) for the longest active bowl win streak in the FBS. The ground game carried the Bobcats like […]

3 months ago | 2 reads

Louisville outlasts Toledo 27-22 in chaotic Boca Raton Bowl finish

Two top 20 defenses colliding in Florida for the 2025 Boca Raton Bowl implied a low-scoring, defensive-driven slugfest. And the matchup between Toledo and Louisville unfolded in that manner… at least for three quarters. But the fourth quarter was a masterclass of unadulterated chaos. And Louisville (9-4, 4-4 ACC) thrived in that frantic environment, picking […]

3 months ago | 5 reads

2025 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl Game Preview: Ohio Bobcats vs. UNLV Rebels

Last year, Ohio capped its first MAC Championship season since 1968 with a signature postseason win over Conference USA champion Jacksonville State, solidifying the program’s best season in the modern era. This year, another opportunity for a statement win emerges in the Frisco Bowl against a 10-3 UNLV team which was in the College Football […]

3 months ago | 1 read

2025 Boca Raton Bowl Preview: Toledo Rockets vs. Louisville Cardinals

Game notes Setting the scene The 2025 Boca Raton Bowl features a battle between two programs that haven’t met in 44 years. The Toledo Rockets (8-4, 6-2 MAC) and Louisville Cardinals (8-4, 4-4 ACC) sports identical overall records, and one receives an opportunity to enhance its season with a trophy. Both Toledo and Louisville added […]

3 months ago | 1 read

BetBelt: Current MAC Odds and Playoff Picks

Sure, some people may be counting down the days to Christmas. You may have kids or a spouse that this is your opportunity to quantify your love for them to make up for the other 364 days that you’ve been a terrible spouse or parent. Perhaps you’re looking forward to the roll over to the […]

3 months ago | 4 reads

Ohio fires football head coach Brian Smith for cause

The Ohio Bobcats will be the latest team aboard the coaching carousel in 2025, officially parting ways with first-year head coach Brian Smith on Wednesday afternoon. Smith was hired last December prior to the postseason following the surprise departure of previous head coach Tim Albin following Ohio’s MAC Championship victory in 2024. Smith led the […]

3 months ago | 3 reads

Murdock, Tucker, McNeil-Warren represent MAC as 2025 AP All-Americans

The 2025 Associated Press All-American team was revealed Monday. The AP is among the most prestigious All-American selectors. It is one of five selectors recognized by the NCAA to determine “consensus” and “unanimous” All-Americans. It is also the second oldest of the five major All-American selectors — first nominating a team in 1925. Three players […]

3 months ago | 7 reads

One storyline to watch in each MAC 2025 bowl game

Cue Andy Williams’ 1963 hit “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” because it currently applies, as Bowl Season is finally here. The 45-game bowl slate — including all College Football Playoff rounds — kicked off Saturday night in Los Angeles and continues through the national championship in mid-January. This year, the Mid-American Conference […]

3 months ago | 9 reads

Jalen Buckley powers through to deliver Western Michigan MAC title

Coming out of Batavia High School in Illinois, Jalen Buckley wasn’t on anybody’s radar. No major recruiting service assigned the high school safety/running back a star value, and he lacked scholarships from FBS programs. But Buckley wasn’t ready to quit the football dream, so he walked on Tim Lester’s team at Western Michigan in 2022. […]

3 months ago | 6 reads

Toledo hires Mercer’s Mike Jacobs as new football head coach

The Toledo Rockets have moved quickly to find a new leader of the football program, reportedly tabbing Mike Jacobs as the replacement to Jason Candle, who departed for UConn last week. Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports was first to report the deal being finalized on Wednesday afternoon. Toledo confirmed the hire later on via Twitter. […]

3 months ago | 6 reads

Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor signs new deal through 2030

Fresh off a MAC Championship last weekend, Western Michigan head coach will also have a fresh new contract in hand, keeping him in Kalamazoo for the foreseeable future. Per Tony Paul of the Detroit News, Taylor’s new contract, which lasts until 2030, will pay at least $1.222 million per year and up resources for both […]

3 months ago | 4 reads

Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl Opening Odds

Give a sport a Sunday selection process and there’s sure to be controversy. Leave all the arguments and chaos makers in their national pulpits with their Miami and Notre Dame commentaries and hot takes, because we have post season MACtion to discuss. And where there’s a game, there’s a line. And where there’s a line, […]

3 months ago | 4 reads

Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Opening Odds

Give a sport a Sunday selection process and there’s sure to be controversy. Leave all the arguments and chaos makers in their national pulpits with their Miami and Notre Dame commentaries and hot takes, because we have post season MACtion to discuss. And where there’s a game, there’s a line. And where there’s a line, […]

3 months ago | 4 reads

GameAbove Sports Bowl Opening Odds

Give a sport a Sunday selection process and there’s sure to be controversy. Leave all the arguments and chaos makers in their national pulpits with their Miami and Notre Dame commentaries and hot takes, because we have post season MACtion to discuss. And where there’s a game, there’s a line. And where there’s a line, […]

3 months ago | 5 reads

Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl Opening Odds

Give a sport a Sunday selection process and there’s sure to be controversy. Leave all the arguments and chaos makers in their national pulpits with their Miami and Notre Dame commentaries and hot takes, because we have post season MACtion to discuss. And where there’s a game, there’s a line. And where there’s a line, […]

3 months ago | 6 reads

Myrtle Beach Bowl Opening Odds

Give a sport a Sunday selection process and there’s sure to be controversy. Leave all the arguments and chaos makers in their national pulpits with their Miami and Notre Dame commentaries and hot takes, because we have post season MACtion to discuss. And where there’s a game, there’s a line. And where there’s a line, […]

3 months ago | 6 reads

Toledo accepts invitation to Boca Raton Bowl against Louisville

The Toledo Rockets (8-4, 6-2 MAC) had to wait longer than their conference peers due to a chaotic bowl assignment period which saw three teams decline invitations, but that wait is now over, as they draw the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Louisville Cardinals (8-4, 4-4 ACC) in the Boca Raton Bowl. Dave Briggs of the Toledo […]

3 months ago | 7 reads

Ohio accepts invitation to Frisco Bowl against UNLV

The Ohio Bobcats are back in Bowl Season for the fourth-straight year. Ohio will draw UNLV for the 2025 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl, which kicks off from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX on Tuesday, Dec. 23. This marks the first-ever Frisco Bowl played at the Ford Center, which is the Dallas […]

3 months ago | 6 reads