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With a thrilling 34-27 victory over Toledo in Tuesday night's showcase game, the Ball State Cardinals effectively muddied up the Mid-American Conference's West Division heading into the final stretch of the season.
The Cardinals moved to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in league play with the win, and now hold the tiebreaker over a 5-1 Toledo squad that will be forced to square off with the undefeated Northern Illinois Huskies this weekend. Although a loss to NIU earlier in the season effectively eliminates the Cardinals from a chance at the MAC title game, the loss forces the Rockets into must-win mode with the West Division crown on the line.
Over in the MAC East, the Kent State Golden Flashes continue to hold down the top spot with a perfect 6-0 mark. The Flashes rolled up 48 points on an unsuspecting Miami (OH) team on Saturday, and garnered enough votes from media members to be named the No. 25 team in America in the AP Top 25 poll heading into Week 12.
Here are the full MAC standings after 11 weeks of action:
| EAST | CONF | OVERALL |
| Kent State | 6-0 | 9-1 |
| Bowling Green | 5-1 | 7-3 |
| Ohio | 4-2 | 8-2 |
| Miami (OH) | 3-3 | 4-6 |
| Buffalo | 2-4 | 3-7 |
| Massachusetts | 1-5 | 1-9 |
| Akron | 0-7 | 1-10 |
| WEST | CONF | OVERALL |
| Northern Illinois | 6-0 | 9-1 |
| Toledo | 5-1 | 8-2 |
| Ball State | 4-2 | 7-3 |
| Central Michigan | 2-4 | 4-6 |
| Western Michigan | 2-5 | 4-7 |
| Eastern Michigan | 0-6 | 1-9 |