TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
Week 6 of Around the Group of 5 offers five teams with either no losses or just one loss. We’re entering conference play, which means these games mean more now. Below are this week’s featured games.
Tulsa (2-3, 0-2) @ Memphis (5-0, 1-0) 8:00 p.m. ET, Oct. 4, Memphis, TN on ESPNU
Memphis is, arguably, the best team in the G5 so far. QB Brendon Lewis has completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 1,003 yards with 5 TDs and 2 INTs. Lewis is also second on the team in rushing with 353 yards and leads with 6 rushing TDS.
RB Sutton Smith leads with 420 rushing yards and is second with 5 TDs. The tandem of Cortez Braham, Jr. and Jamari Hawkins has combined for 35 catches for 621 yards and 4 TDs.
LB Sam Brumfield leads the defense with 30 tackles and 3 sacks. The Memphis defense gives up only 91.4 rushing yards per game, a good counter to the Tulsa rushing attack.
Tulsa has three tough G5 losses, to New Mexico State, Navy and Tulane. However, the Golden Hurricane defeated Oklahoma State in Stillwater, in the game that cost the Cowboys’ long-time head coach, Mike Gundy, his job.
The offense is led by RB Dominic Richardson, who is No. 11 in the FBS with 490 rushing yards and 2 TDs. Richardson is also active in the passing attack with 11 catches for 58 yards.
The defense is led by the nation’s No. 1 tackler in LB Ray Coney. The junior has 56 total tackles on the season. The defensive line duo of J’Dan Burnett and Byron Turner, Jr. have combined for 10 sacks.
Western Kentucky (4-1, 2-0) @ Delaware (3-1, 1-0) 7:00 p.m. ET, Oct. 3, Newark, DE on CBS Sports Network
As is always the case with a team coached by Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky’s offense is one of the best passing offenses in the country. QB Maverick McIvor is fifth in the FBS in passing yards with 1,474 and ninth in passing TDs with 11.
The distribution of passes in the offense is impressive. 16 Hilltoppers have at least 1 reception. 6 Hilltoppers have at least 13 catches. 7 Hilltoppers have at least 100 receiving yards and 8 have at least 1 TD.
The defense is in the back half in the FBS in scoring defense at 22.6 points and 386.8 yards per game. DE Harper Holloman has been a consistent force for WKU. The sophomore has 15 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 4 passes broken up.
Delaware has been a surprise in its first season as a member of the FBS. The Blue Hens have scored at least 35 points in each of their three wins. QB Nick Minicucci has thrown for 1,065 yards with 8 TDs and 2 INTs. RB Jo Silver has 326 rushing yards, 3 TDs and averages 7.2 yards per carry.
On defense, the Blue Hens have been leaky in their first season in the FBS. Delaware is giving up 26.3 points and 407.8 yards per game. The pass defense gives up 241.5 yards per game, playing into Western Kentucky’s strength.
LB Dillon Trainer leads the team with 2.5 sacks. The team as a whole only has 10 sacks, which will need to be better when facing a pass-happy team like Western Kentucky.
Ohio (3-2, 1-0) @ Ball State (1-3, 0-0) noon p.m. ET, Oct. 4, Muncie, IN on CBS Sports Network
The Ohio Bobcats’ record is a bit deceiving. The two losses came at Rutgers and at Ohio State. The Bobcats nearly pulled off the upset in Piscataway.
QB Parker Navarro is completing 66.1 percent of his passes for 1,078 yards with 8 TDs and 4 INTs. Navarro is second on the team in rushing with 321 yards and 3 TDs. RB Sieh Bangura leads the team with 414 rushing yards and 4 TDs.
The Ohio defense is tied for fifth in the FBS with 7 interceptions. LB Cameron Hollobaugh has two of the INTs, one of which was a pick-six. Unfortunately for Ohio, Ball State is better at running the ball than passing it. The Bobcats give up 163.0 rushing yards per game.
Ball State has struggled this season under first-year head coach Mike Uremovich. The Cardinals are averaging only 15.5 points and 272.0 yards per game.
QB Kiael Kelly has thrown for 472 yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs. Kelly is second on the team with 170 rushing yards. That total is amazing considering Kelly has been sacked a staggering 15 times already this season, losing 74 yards. RB Qua Ashley leads the Cardinals with 295 rushing yards and 3 TDs.
On defense, Ball State is surrendering 33.25 points and 429.8 yards per game. The Cardinals are tied for last in the FBS, having generated only 1 turnover so far in 2025. DE Nathan Voorhis leads the team with 3.5 sacks.
UNLV (4-0, 0-0) @ Wyoming (2-2, 0-0) 7:00 p.m. ET, Oct. 4, Laramie, WY on CBS Sports Network
Dan Mullen’s UNLV Rebels are looking for their first 5-0 start since 1974. QB Anthony Colandrea has thrown for 940 yards with 8 TDs and 3 INTS. Colandrea is second on the team in rushing with 229 yards and 1 TD.
The workhorse of UNLV’s offense is RB Jai’Den Thomas. The junior from Atlanta, GA, has rushed for 393 yards and 5 TDs. Thomas and Colandrea lead an offense that averages 450.0 yards per game.
The Rebels’ defense has struggled this season, giving up 28.25 points and 427.8 yards per game. However, UNLV is tied for second in the FBS with 8 interceptions. DB Aamaris Brown was recently added to the Bednarik Award Watch List as he is tied for the FBS lead with 4 INTs.
Wyoming QB Kaden Anderson has struggled this season with consistency. Anderson has completed only 55.1 percent of his passes for 711 yards with 5 TDs and 2 INTs.
Wyoming has a pair of RBs who carry the load for the offense. True freshman Samuel Harris and senior Sam Scott have combined for 475 yards and 2 TDs.
Wyoming’s defense has been stingy, giving up 18.75 points and 359.0 yards per game. NT Ben Florentine has 12 tackles, 3 sacks and 1 blocked kick.
Coastal Carolina (2-2, 1-0) @ Old Dominion (3-1, 0-0) 6:00 p.m. ET, Oct. 4, Norfolk, VA on ESPN+
Coastal Carolina hasn’t quite gotten it going on offense yet. QBs Tad Hudson and MJ Morris have combined for only 586 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs. The run game has seen 11 different Chanticleers attempt a rush for a total of 585 yards. The Chants are coming off a win at South Alabama, 38-20. Coastal fans are hoping they can ride the wave of momentum to get the W at ODU.
The Coastal defense is getting pounded for 26.5 points and 381.0 yards per game. DB Ja’Marion Wayne leads the Chants with 5 passes broken up.
Old Dominion is winning with a good balance of offense and defense. The offense averages 33.5 points per game while the defense only gives up 16.5 points per game.
QB Colton Joseph has 900 passing yards with 8 TDs and 4 INTs. Joseph also leads the team in rushing with 367 yards and 4 TDs. 67.2 percent of the passes for ODU have been caught by either Ja’Cory Thomas (16), Tre’ Brown, III (14) or Na’Eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding (15).
The defense is led by Jeremy Mack, Jr., who has 26 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 pass broken up, 1 INT and 1 forced fumble. This defense is a group of ball hawks, as they’ve already recovered 5 fumbles on the season.
TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
Over the next few weeks, the Group of 5 conferences are going to start sorting out their championship game participants. This week, there are major games in the American Conference and Mountain West Conference. These games will start to shape the postseason for both. Below are this week’s featured games. American Conference USF (6-1, 3-0) […]
TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
The Navy Midshipmen (6-0, 4-0) have won all six games so far this season. In five of the six games, they have scored at least 32 points. At the midway point of the season, the only question is, why aren’t the Midshipmen ranked in either Top 25 poll? Navy has played four conference games so […]
TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
We are halfway through the 2025 season, and the postseason picture for a number of conferences is going to start to take shape. The next few weeks will feature games that have major postseason implications for the Group of 5. Below are this week’s featured games. American Conference Army (3-3, 2-2) @ Tulane (5-1, 2-0) […]
