"As a people, we are in constant need of community and connection, and we provided that for the masses of #MACtion. It was our honor and privilege." Our editor-in-chief Alan Rucker reflects on the journey in Hustle Belt's final column: www.hustlebelt.com/site-notes-o...

"As somebody with zero geographic or personal connection to the MAC prior to joining... this gritty Midwestern conference of underdogs will forever be apart of me. " After 1,597 articles over 10 years of service, @shelwick.bsky.social gives his thanks: www.hustlebelt.com/site-notes-o...

"History never just ends. That’s probably the most important thing to take away from all of this. Like a phoenix, football— and the spirit of Hustle Belt— will return from the ashes of wherever this current epoch is heading." Our own Alexis Baker's look on change: www.hustlebelt.com/site-notes-o...

"Me and you: we are college sports. ...These games need participation from everybody... everybody from the field or court (or wherever) to the ones on the sidelines. And that means you, too." A final note from former EIC @aralvarado13.bsky.social: www.hustlebelt.com/site-notes-o...

Respect to the end of one of the greats. (That old SBN site format was sooooooooo good)

"Websites are so much fun. ...[I]f your idea is... to put a nice neat thing into the world because you enjoy it, then go for it. Who knows where the idea will lead. Mine definitely surpassed the expectations." One last byline from @suss2hyphens.bsky.social: www.hustlebelt.com/site-notes-o...

"I remember my first piece that I ever wrote... Before that, I wasn’t much of a writer. I didn’t know what to expect... After putting it together, and seeing it on the site for the first time, I felt an immense amount of pride." To Hustle Belt, from Sam Kasuga: www.hustlebelt.com/site-notes-o...

"[E]ven in this final hour, we’re still not ready to leave. There are humans behind all these words written on this page. Hours, days, weeks, even months or years of thought behind every sentence published." We reflect on the current moment as our last day begins: www.hustlebelt.com/site-notes-o...

TREY PERRY FOR THE WIN! 29-0!

Lost in November for the season: the starting PG Potentially lost for the season before this game: the backup PG Fouled out with lots of time left: the soon to be MAC POTY STILL WON BABY

It's been two weeks since the big news of Sacramento State's addition to #MACtion. Get acquainted with the MAC’s newest football program, from being a stop for four current NFL contributors to a story about their head coach's past life that... can't be touched: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

Not gonna lie, getting a real "last day of school" vibe recently. It's strange how quickly a deadline can come up, yeah?

An update regarding the immediate future of Hustle Belt:

WMU signed a Will Ferrell, CMU signed a John Williams. I really need EMU to sign someone named after a famous director to land this plane.

A venue change is in the cards for the final edition of the Victory Bell Rivalry between Cincinnati and Miami. TQL Stadium, home of FC Cincinnati, will play host for the game scheduled for Sept. 19th in place of Paycor Stadium: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

NIU head coach Thomas Hammock is reportedly set to depart the program to join the Seattle Seahawks' staff as a halfbacks coach. The former Huskie HB had a record of 35-47 (23-31 in conference play) in seven seasons as head coach: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

In a shocking, nearly-unprecedented move, Sacramento State is officially a football-only member of the MAC. Initial reactions are mixed, so we sat down and wrote down the pros and cons of the Hornets' addition to the conference: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

It's officially official: Sacramento State has joined the MAC on a five-year agreement. As part of the agreement, Sac State will pay for all air travel expenses, take no money from conference media deals and pay $6M to the other MAC programs by the end of Year 1, per Yahoo's Ross Dellenger.

Ready for #MACtion in California's capitol? The Sacramento State Hornets are expected to be added to the Mid-American Conference as a football-only member starting in 2026: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

Per reports from Pete Thamel and Ross Dellenger, the MAC is expected to add Sacramento State as a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference effective 2026. Our story is upcoming.

there are college football vibes everywhere for those with the eyes to see them

Yes we've seen the Sacramento State football to the MAC news. Yes, we know they're not in middle America. Yes, we'll be writing about it. Might be a bit though.

Recent events in the college football scheduling landscape have shaken up how teams are approaching their future games. One potential solution in the MAC? Why not look to the familiar Ford Field? Our own @omarrashonborja.bsky.social looks at the pros and cons: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

Western Michigan's Nadame Tucker, UB's Red Murdock, and three Toledo defensive backs (Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Avery Smith, Andre Fuller) receive invitations to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

Heldman did not get a combine invite

After a 29-year run which saw multiple classics of Bowl Season, the Detroit Bowl at Ford Field is set to shut down. It's a major loss for the MAC, which now has no postseason games affiliated with a Power conference: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

I am eternally grateful for every one of these folks. Hustle Belt ignited a real passion for MACtion that will stay with me for life. I will miss this and their in-depth coverage so much!

this sucks. sorry friends.

Cue Taps

They're the best in town! (If you're like, really, really hungry.)

every day we stray further from the light

very sorry to hear it, yall do great work

This account wouldn’t exist if not for Hustle Belt helping me, a new Bobcat over a decade ago, learn more about and eventually become a true believer in my school and its conference. I hate that Everything Is Worse Now has come for such an institution. 😿

I love Hustle Belt. It’s been such a great resource as a fan of Toledo and the MAC. Even if the mods banned me from the message board roughly a decade ago for making a joke about the intelligence of CMU students (fair, honestly). I wear that as a badge of honor.

Sorry to see you guys go. When I ran Big East Coast Bias with @robertoneill31.latenightgrin.com we knew where to go for all things MAC to collab on, especially those Know Your Foe posts in March. Know that you did the thing, served people well, and made a lot of folks delighted to read your stuff.

Pour a final one out from the beer garden. Thanks. 🥃

Man this BITES. Hustle Belt is a consistent and vibrant source of MAC coverage at a time when the powers that be in media have said all but "F them programs" when it comes to non-P4 college football coverage, and now it gets shuttered.

Sorry to hear, guys. Y'all always did a great job.

That’s a shame. One of the few places to find great analysis on the MAC!

Nooooo! Hustle Belt we will miss you. You've done fantastic work for years and I always appreciated the fact that there was a great site dedicated to covering the MAC. Good luck to all of you in the future.

Hustle Belt is an insanely valuable resource for anything/everything MAC related. When I wrote for SBN’s Wisconsin site I always knew when the Badgers played a MAC team in football I was going to get funny, informed answers to my questions from Hustle Belt. Hope they continue on elsewhere!

Absolutely wild. I remember the day my friend looked at me and suggested I apply to write for Sussman's MAC blog since I was always reading his baseball stuff anyway. Also, it let me grow from where I was, having started out as a baby at the Echo.

Thanks, dad <3

Respect to a real one.

15 years is a long time to be in one place in the sports media industry. Unfortunately, we have been told our time at SB Nation is coming to an end. Thank you so much for following us, and please read our statement below: www.hustlebelt.com/site-notes-o...

The first week of #MACtion has come and gone, and that means the arrival of our latest MAC Football Power Rankings! There's a new leader atop the board, while the race for the bottom sees three different teams get at least one 13th place vote: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

The Matt Drinkall era of Central Michigan football begins in dramatic fashion with a 16-14 victory over San Jose State under the Friday night lights: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

Gather 'round, folks: we're in for a late one tonight. The Central Michigan Chippewas under first-year coach Matt Drinkall travel West to take on Ken Niumatalolo's San Jose State Spartans in a game scheduled for a 10:30 p.m. Eastern time kick-off: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

The Ohio Bobcats put up a spirited effort against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Thursday, but a costly second quarter on special teams created too big a hole to dig out of in a 34-31 loss: www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...

For the first time in over a decade, the UMass Minutemen will carry a conference banner into a football game. Their opponent? The Temple Owls, who look to re-tool under famous program-builder KC Keller. What can we expect to see in this former A-10 clash? www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football...