# 2025 Western Michigan Broncos football team
The 2025 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented [Western Michigan University](https://www.edgepedia.org/western-michigan-university) in the 2025 [NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i-football-bowl-subdivision) season as a member of the [Mid-American Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/mid-american-conference) (MAC). The Broncos finished 10-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play under head coach Lance Taylor, won the MAC Championship Game 23-13 over Miami (OH) on December 6 at Ford Field in Detroit, and closed the season with a 41-6 win over Kennesaw State in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/western-michigan/2025-schedule.html) • [2](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/6/football-broncos-win-2025-mac-championship.aspx) • [3](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/19/football-broncos-cap-off-historic-season-with-dominant-win-at-the-myrtle-beach-bowl.aspx)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 10-4 overall (23rd of 136 FBS teams), 7-1 in MAC play[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/western-michigan/2025-schedule.html) |
| Head coach | Lance Taylor, 10-4 in his third season; named 2025 MAC Coach of the Year and extended through the 2030 season[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/western-michigan/2025-schedule.html) • [4](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/8/western-michigan-university-extends-contract-of-head-football-coach-lance-taylor.aspx) |
| Conference result | MAC champions; defeated Miami (OH) 23-13 in the title game on December 6 at Ford Field[2](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/6/football-broncos-win-2025-mac-championship.aspx) |
| Bowl result | Won the Myrtle Beach Bowl 41-6 over Kennesaw State on December 19, the program's third bowl win[3](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/19/football-broncos-cap-off-historic-season-with-dominant-win-at-the-myrtle-beach-bowl.aspx) |
| Scoring | 348 points for (24.9 per game, 88th of 136); 243 against (17.4 per game, 9th of 136)[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/western-michigan/2025-schedule.html) |
| Streak | Won ten of the final eleven games after a 1-3 start[5](https://wmubroncos.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) |
| Honors | Edge rusher Nadame Tucker, a senior, named to the AP All-America first-team defense[6](https://apnews.com/article/f0a2aa9aa723b453d0015ee197c8ff6f) |
## Season summary
The Broncos opened with three losses against bowl-subdivision and ranked opposition: 6-23 at Michigan State on August 29, 30-33 at home to North Texas on September 6, and 0-38 at ninth-ranked Illinois on September 13.[5](https://wmubroncos.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) A 14-13 home win over Toledo on September 20 began a run in which Western Michigan won ten of its final eleven games.[5](https://wmubroncos.com/sports/football/schedule/2025)
**Conference run.** After the Toledo win, the Broncos beat [Rhode Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/rhode-island) 47-14, won 21-3 at Massachusetts, and shut out Ball State 42-0 on [Homecoming](https://www.edgepedia.org/homecoming). Their only conference loss came on October 25, 17-26 at Miami (OH), where the RedHawks rallied in the fourth quarter.[5](https://wmubroncos.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) • [7](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/5/football-mac-championship-preview-how-wmus-1-0-mentality-led-them-to-detroit.aspx) Western Michigan then closed the regular season with four straight wins: 24-21 over Central Michigan in the Battle for the Victory Cannon, 17-13 over Ohio on Senior Night, 35-19 at Northern Illinois, and 31-21 at Eastern Michigan, securing bowl eligibility and a place in the conference title game.[5](https://wmubroncos.com/sports/football/schedule/2025) • [7](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/5/football-mac-championship-preview-how-wmus-1-0-mentality-led-them-to-detroit.aspx)
## MAC Championship Game
The Broncos entered the December 6 title game at 8-4 overall and 7-1 in the MAC, facing Miami (7-5, 6-2) at [Ford Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/ford-field). It was Western Michigan's first appearance in the championship game since 2016, while Miami was playing in its third straight final.[7](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/5/football-mac-championship-preview-how-wmus-1-0-mentality-led-them-to-detroit.aspx) Western Michigan won 23-13, avenging its October loss and capturing the 2025 MAC football title.[2](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/6/football-broncos-win-2025-mac-championship.aspx) • [8](https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/mac-sports/documents/2025/12/16/2025_FB_Release_Bowl.pdf)
## Myrtle Beach Bowl
On December 19 at Brooks Stadium in [Conway, South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/conway-south-carolina), the Broncos defeated [Conference USA](https://www.edgepedia.org/conference-usa) champion Kennesaw State 41-6. The win was the program's third bowl victory in its history and capped a season the university described as historic.[3](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/19/football-broncos-cap-off-historic-season-with-dominant-win-at-the-myrtle-beach-bowl.aspx) Western Michigan was one of five MAC teams in bowls that season, alongside [Toledo, Ohio](https://www.edgepedia.org/toledo-ohio), Central Michigan, and Miami.[8](https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/mac-sports/documents/2025/12/16/2025_FB_Release_Bowl.pdf)
## Aftermath
Two days after the title game, athletic director Dan Bartholomae announced a contract extension keeping Lance Taylor at Western Michigan through the 2030 football season. Taylor, hired before the 2023 season, had taken over a rebuilding roster, produced back-to-back bowl-eligible teams, and won the MAC championship in his third season.[4](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/8/western-michigan-university-extends-contract-of-head-football-coach-lance-taylor.aspx) The 2025 season followed a 6-7 campaign in 2024, when the Broncos went 5-3 in conference play for their first winning conference record since 2019.[9](https://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/41285/western-michigan-broncos-football-preseason-preview-2025)
## References
1. [2025 Western Michigan Broncos Schedule and Results, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/western-michigan/2025-schedule.html)
2. [Broncos Win 2025 MAC Championship, WMU Athletics](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/6/football-broncos-win-2025-mac-championship.aspx)
3. [Broncos Cap Off Historic Season With Dominant Win at the Myrtle Beach Bowl, WMU Athletics](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/19/football-broncos-cap-off-historic-season-with-dominant-win-at-the-myrtle-beach-bowl.aspx)
4. [Western Michigan University Extends Contract of Head Football Coach Lance Taylor, WMU Athletics](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/8/western-michigan-university-extends-contract-of-head-football-coach-lance-taylor.aspx)
5. [2025 Football Schedule, WMU Athletics](https://wmubroncos.com/sports/football/schedule/2025)
6. [Big Ten puts 10 on AP All-America first team, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/f0a2aa9aa723b453d0015ee197c8ff6f)
7. [MAC Championship Preview: How WMU's 1-0 Mentality Led Them to Detroit, WMU Athletics](https://wmubroncos.com/news/2025/12/5/football-mac-championship-preview-how-wmus-1-0-mentality-led-them-to-detroit.aspx)
8. [2025 MAC Football Bowl Release, Mid-American Conference](https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/mac-sports/documents/2025/12/16/2025_FB_Release_Bowl.pdf)
9. [2025 MAC Football Preseason Preview: Western Michigan Broncos, Hustle Belt](https://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/41285/western-michigan-broncos-football-preseason-preview-2025)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football programs › 2025 season articles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license