TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
It’s year two for Around the Group of 5, where I take 1 game from each of the G-5 conferences and give some analysis. While the Power 4 conferences get most of the attention, there are some excellent programs in the G-5 conferences.
The G-5 conferences are the American Conference (American), Conference USA (CUSA), the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the Mountain West Conference (MWC), and the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). See below for games you may not have had much interest in, but you should!
Northwestern (0-0) at Tulane (0-0) Noon EST, Aug. 30, New Orleans, LA on ESPNU
The Tulane Green Wave ended 2024 on a three-game losing streak, which included a loss to the Florida Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl. Several players are gone from that 9-5 team, but Tulane landed one of the top QBs from the transfer portal in former BYU QB Jake Retzlaff. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound gunslinger threw for 3,595 yards with 23TDs and 15 INTs over the last two seasons.
There are a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball. Head coach Jon Sumrall will need this group to gel quickly if they are going to duplicate last year’s success.
While Northwestern is a Big Ten school, they are not a powerhouse. The Wildcats brought in former SMU QB Preston Stone this year. When healthy, Stone is a very good QB. The Wildcats’ defense is solid, but they will struggle to make a bowl game in 2025. This game is very winnable for the Green Wave.
Missouri State (0-0) at USC (0-0) 7:30 p.m. EST, Aug. 30, Los Angeles, CA on Big Ten Network
The Missouri State Bears made the jump to the FBS ranks this year. Their first game as a member of the FBS: a road game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against USC.
Head coach Ryan Beard‘s offense is led by senior QB Jacob Clark. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder threw for 3,604 yards with 26 TDs and 6 INTs in 2024. The top two rushers and top two receivers are all gone from last year’s squad.
The defense in 2024 was leaky at best and figures to be much of the same with a jump in competition to the FBS level. The top five tacklers from 2024 are gone. Look for a lot of shootouts that Missouri State will need to rely on the offense to win.
USC finished 7-6 in 2024 but is looked at by many in the media as being a College Football Playoff dark horse. QB Jayden Maiava took over for an ineffective Miller Moss and won 3 of the final 4 games. The talent level heavily favors the Trojans.
Western Michigan (0-0) at Michigan State (0-0) 7:00 p.m. EST, Aug. 29, East Lansing, MI on FS1
Heading into year 3 under head coach Lance Taylor, the Western Michigan Broncos are looking to continue to improve their previous season’s win total. The Broncos were 6-7 in 2024 which included a loss in the Veterans Bowl to South Alabama, 30-23.
Taylor lured junior college stud Brady Jones to Kalamazoo. Jones threw for 4,456 yards with 44 TDs last year at Riverside Junior College. Jones is locked in a battle with Broc Lowry to be the Broncos’ QB1. Lowry has only 8 pass attempts at the FBS level.
Running back Jalen Buckley returns, he was second on the team with 683 rushing yards and 9 TDs. Tight end Blake Bosma is also back after finishing 2024 with 37 catches for 403 yards and a team-leading 6 receiving TDs. Buckley is on the preseason watchlist for the Maxwell Award while Bosma is on the preseason watchlist for the Mackey Award.
WMU’s defense was its Achilles’ Heel in 2024. There was a lot of turnover from that side of the ball. Taylor needs to tighten up the defense if the Broncos are going to get back to a bowl game.
Michigan State is entering year 2 under head coach Jonathan Smith. The duo of QB Aidan Chiles and WR Nick Marsh will lead the Spartans to a few surprising wins. If the Broncos catch the Spartans looking ahead to Week 2 against Boston College, they may sneak out of East Lansing with a win.
Boise State (0-0) at USF (0-0) 5:30 p.m. EST, Aug. 28, Tampa, FL on ESPN
The Boise State Broncos are the popular pick among the talking heads to land the G-5’s CFP spot. While the Broncos lose a massive part of their potent offense from 2024, Ashton Jeanty, head coach Spencer Danielson’s offense does return a lot of production.
QB Maddux Madsen threw for 3,018 yards with 23 TDs and only 6 INTs in 2024. He was also the second leading rusher with 221 yards and 5 TDs. The offensive line is stacked and has a few who will play on Sundays.
Redshirt freshman Sire Gaines will step into the role of RB1. In minimal action in 2024, Gaines rushed for 156 yards and 1 TD. The TEs and WRs are solid and will be scorching opposing defenses.
The Broncos’ defense loses a lot of production, but they are still one of the better units in the G-5. Defensive End Jayden Virgin-Morgan, safety Ty Benefield and cornerback A’Marion McCoy led Boise State in sacks, tackles and passes broken up, respectively. All are back.
USF head coach Alex Golesh is entering year three with the Bulls. He had significant roster turnover in 2024, but the offensive line remains intact. Some feel the Bulls can challenge for the American championship. However, Boise State is out to prove that the Broncos can win without their former All-American RB Jeanty.
Mississippi State (0-0) at Southern Miss (0-0) Noon EST, Aug. 30, Hattiesburg, MS on ESPN
When head coach Charles Huff was announced as the new coach of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, 25 of his former players at Marshall followed him to Hattiesburg. That is the main reason why Southern Miss is looked at by many as being able to make a bowl game in 2025.
QB Braylon Braxton gets the nod as QB1. In 2024, Braxton finished with 1,624 passing yards with an incredible 19 TDs and only 2 INTs. He was also the second-leading rusher with 610 yards and 4 TDs.
The defense has 13 transfers from a Marshall defense that led the Thundering Herd to a Sun Belt Championship. This unit is vastly improved over what Southern Miss has had the last two years.
Mississippi State is entering its second year under head coach Jeff Lebby. The Bulldogs lost 10 games last year, including a home loss to Toledo of the MAC. While injuries contributed heavily to the losses, I’m not so sure Mississippi State will walk into Hattiesburg and own the Golden Eagles.
TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
Broadcast Information The Navy Midshipmen host the UAB Blazers as both squads open conference play in the American. The Midshipmen walloped the VMI Keydets in Week 1, 52-7. UAB held on to defeat the Alabama State Hornets 52-42. In-Conference Head Start Navy and UAB will be the first in-conference meeting for the American in 2025. […]
TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
Week 1 of the Group of 5 games saw the team predicted to get the G-5 College Football Playoff spot lose big. The USF Bulls crushed the Boise State Broncos 34-7 on Thursday night. Now, the G-5 playoff spot is up for grabs, more so than most believed prior to the Week 1 games. While […]
TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
Heading into year two in offensive coordinator Drew Cronic’s “Millennial” Wing-T, the Navy Midshipmen are looking to build on 2024’s 10-3 season. Navy is riding the wave of momentum, having won its final three games, including an upset of rival Army in the 125th Army-Navy game. When you think of the Navy offense, the first […]
