CLEVELAND, Ohio – After winning the Mid-American Conference Championship in 2020, the Ball State football team was picked to run it back by the league's head coaches, the conference office announced Tuesday.
The Cardinals, who were also chosen to win the league for a second consecutive season by the annual media poll, received nine first-place votes to win the West Division and four votes to claim the championship crown.
Overall, Ball State received 65 points, which was tops in the league, followed by East Division favorite Kent State (63). The Cardinals were picked ahead of Western Michigan (53), Toledo (51), Central Michigan (39), Eastern Michigan (26) and Northern Illinois (18) in the West.