TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
Week 7 has the chance to be the best week of Group of 5 games this year. Of the 10 teams featured, only two have records under .500. Four of the teams have either one loss or no losses. Below are this week’s featured games.
No. 24 USF (4-1, 1-0) @ North Texas (5-0, 1-0) 7:30 p.m. ET, Oct. 10, Denton, TX on ESPN2
The gem of the week in the G-5. USF opened the season beating Boise State and Florida before falling at Miami. Head coach Alex Golesh’s offense is led by Byrum Brown. The dual-threat QB has 1,194 passing yards with 10 TDs and 4 INTs. He also leads the Bulls in rushing with 282 yards and 3 TDs.
The USF defense has given up 378.6 yards and 22.4 points per game. LB Mac Harris is the star of the defense. Harris is second on the team with 42 tackles and leads with 4 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Harris also has a 93-yard pick six.
In two road games, North Texas has gone to overtime to get wins over Western Michigan and Army. However, this game is being played in Denton, TX, where the Mean Green has won easily in all three home tilts.
USF will be a much more difficult opponent and Eric Morris’ squad must be up to the test. QB Drew Mestemaker has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 1,247 yards with 11 TDs and zero INTs.
Mestemaker spreads the ball around as 17 different players have caught at least one pass this season. RBs Makenzie McGill, II and Caleb Hawkins have combined for 625 rushing yards and 11 TDs.
North Texas’ defense has been tough, giving up 20 points and 316.2 yards per game. The Mean Green have caused 11 turnovers so far, tying them for 7th in the FBS. LB Shane Whitter leads in solo tackles (23), assisted tackles (25) and total tackles (48).
Louisiana Tech (4-1, 2-0) @ Kennesaw State (3-2, 1-0) 7:00 p.m. ET, Oct. 9, Kennesaw, GA on ESPNU
#WeekdayCUSA is in full swing when the Bulldogs and Owls meet. Louisiana Tech’s only loss came at LSU, and the Bulldogs gave the Tigers all they could handle.
Sonny Cumbie’s Bulldogs are a grinding, defensive team, giving up 346.4 yards and 13.6 points per game. The run defense is No. 28 in the FBS at 105.6 yards per game, which is a good counter for the Kennesaw State rushing attack.
LBs Klobe Fields and Mekhi Mason run the Bulldogs’ defense. The duo has combined for 71 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 passes broken up, 2 INTs and a pick six.
Kennesaw State is in its second season as a member of the FBS. First-year head coach Jerry Mack’s squad has already surpassed 2024’s win total. The Owls offense has struggled a bit this season, averaging 355.6 yards per game. QB Amari Odom has 754 passing yards with 4 TDs and 1 INT. After accounting for sack yardage, Odom is second on the team with 162 rushing yards and 2 TDs.
The Owls’ defense has been leaky, giving up 402.6 yards and 23.2 points per game. LB Baron Hopson leads with 47 tackles, almost double the amount of the second leading tackler. Kennesaw State has created only three turnovers, a number that must change if the Owls are going to win.
Toledo (3-2, 1-1) @ Bowling Green (2-3, 0-1) noon ET, Oct. 11, Bowling Green, OH on ESPNU
The Battle of I-75, with Toledo leading the overall series by just 1 win at 43-42-4. The Rockets’ offense leads the MAC in scoring offense with 35.8 points per game, total offense with 442.4 yards per game and rushing yards per game with 212.4.
QB Tucker Gleason has been inconsistent in 2025. He has 925 yards with 7 TDs and 3 INTs. Ohio State transfer RB Chip Trayanum leads the Rockets with 476 rushing yards and 6 TDs. Gleason’s favorite target is WR Junior Vandeross, III, who has 31 catches for 380 yards and 6 TDs.
Head coach Jason Candle’s defense leads the MAC in total defense at 223.8 yards per game, scoring defense at 12.4 points per game, rushing defense at 92.0 yards per game, pass defense at 131.8 yards per game, defensive pass efficiency at 94.82 and fumbles recovered with 6. The 223.8 yards and 131.8 passing yards both rank No. 6 in the FBS.
Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has done it all for the Rockets’ defense. McNeil-Warren is second with 27 tackles, has .5 sacks, 1 pick six and is No. 2 in the FBS with 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.
First-year head coach Eddie George has had a rough transition offensively to the FBS ranks. His Falcons rank in the bottom 30 in the FBS in total offense (322.6), scoring offense (21.2), and pass offense (166.0). QB Drew Pine has 830 passing yards with 4 TDs and 5 INTs.
The defense, while doing better than the offense, is still middle of the pack when it comes to statistics. The Falcons give up 25.8 points and 368.0 yards per game. On the ground, the defense is giving up 134.8 yards per game. That plays into Toledo’s strength, unfortunately.
Utah State (3-2, 1-0) @ Hawai’i (4-2, 1-1) 11:59 p.m. ET, Oct. 11, Honolulu, HI on Mountain West App/Spectrum Sports
Utah State is a shootout waiting to happen. On offense, the Aggies average 36.4 points per game. QB Bryson Barnes has 1,143 passing yards with 11 TDs and 1 INT. Barnes is second on the team with 245 rushing yards and leads with 6 TDs. However, Barnes has been sacked 18 times for a loss of 114 yards.
And now for the other half of that shootout: the Aggies rank No. 110 in the FBS in scoring defense, giving up 30.4 points per game. LB John Miller leads with 48 tackles and is tied for sixth in the FBS with 5 sacks.
Timmy Chang’s Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors lead the FBS in pass attempts with 269. When you throw as much as Hawai’i does, you’re going to run into both sacks and interceptions. QBs Micah Alejado and Luke Weaver have combined for 7 INTs and have been sacked a total of 19 times. 14 different Rainbow Warriors have registered at least 1 reception.
On defense, Hawai’i has a bend-but-don’t-break defense. The Rainbow Warriors give up 315.5 yards and 23.5 points per game. DB Peter Manuma has 33 tackles, 1 sack and 4 passes broken up.
If this game comes down to a last-second FG, Hawai’i’s K, Kansei Matsuzawa, is 16-16 this season and has made 17 straight overall. There’s a reason his nickname is “The Tokyo Toe.”
Louisiana (2-3, 1-0) @ James Madison (4-1, 2-0) noon ET, Oct. 11, Harrisonburg, VA on ESPN2
Boasting the No. 23-ranked rushing offense in the FBS, Louisiana will look to control the ball and the clock. The Ragin’ Cajuns average 212.2 rushing yards per game. The two-headed monster of RBs Zylan Perry and Bill Davis has combined for 725 rushing yards and 8 TDs.
The need to control the clock is because the Louisiana defense gives up 401.4 yards and 32.2 points per game. That doesn’t bode well for a matchup with an offense as potent as James Madison’s.
The Dukes’ rushing attack is No. 10 in the FBS, averaging 241.6 yards per game. 12 different Dukes have at least 1 carry. RB Wayne Knight leads the way with 426 yards and 4 TDs.
The stout James Madison defense imposes its will on opposing offenses. The Dukes surrender a paltry 13.6 points and 217.2 yards per game. The points rank tied for No. 13 in the FBS while the yards are No. 4.
TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
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TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
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TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
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