Ball State: 2026 Week 3 recap

Ball State sits at 0–1 after a 56–3 road loss to Ohio State in Week 1—a result that left the Cardinals' rating essentially flat at −25.1, ranking 133rd nationally. The margin tells you everything: this was a mismatch between power-conference infrastructure and a Mid-American program still finding its footing. GIE projects Ball State to win roughly 2.8 games this season, with a playoff probability of zero and conference-title odds effectively nonexistent. The Cardinals host Stony Brook this week, a chance to reset and build some early-season momentum before conference play intensifies. Execution on third down (converting at a 30% clip so far) and red-zone efficiency (12.8% TD rate) will be critical if Ball State wants to climb out of this hole.