Around the Group of 5: Excellent Offenses Highlight Week 10

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In today’s college football, there are 134 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Those schools are broken up into 10 conferences, nine if you don’t count the Pac 12/2 as a freestanding conference this season. There are currently four Power Conferences: the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big Ten Conference (B1G), the Big 12 Conference (Big 12) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). These conferences house the best groups of teams in college football.

But there are also excellent programs in the Group of 5 conferences. Those conferences, nicknamed the G-5, are the American Athletic Conference (AAC), Conference USA (CUSA), the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the Mountain West Conference (MWC), and the Sun Belt Conference (SBC).

Each week, I will go over the top game from each of the G-5 conferences. See below for games you may not have had much interest in but should!

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AAC

Tulane (6-2, 4-0) vs. Charlotte (3-5, 2-2) 7:30 p.m., Oct. 31, Charlotte, N.C, ESPN

The Tulane Green Wave have won 13 of their last 14 road games. First-year head coach Jon Sumrall has picked up where previous head coach Willie Fritz left off… Tulane is averaging 216.8 rushing yards per game, good for 11th in the FBS. Running back Makhi Hughes leads the way with 939 rushing yards and nine TDs… Linebacker Tyler Grubbs leads the defense in tackles with 35, sacks with 3 and INTs with 2… If there is a top 3 names of a head coach, Charlotte head coach Biff Poggi has to be included... The 49ers are looking to pass the win total from each of their past two seasons… The Charlotte offense has struggled to move the ball and score as it ranks in the bottom half of the country in most offensive statistics. The RB tandem of Cartevious Norton and Hahsaun Wilson has combined for 754 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 49ers need to protect the football as Tulane has won 25 of the last 29 games where the Green Wave had a turnover.

Conference USA

Jacksonville State (4-3, 3-0) at Liberty (5-1, 3-1), 7:00 p.m., Oct. 30, Lynchburg, Va., CBSSN

Rich Rodriguez and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks are tied with Western Kentucky for first place in Conference USA with a 3-0 record… The Gamecocks are a typical Rich Rod team, ranking 12th in the FBS in both points per game (39.7) and yards per game (465.9). Jacksonville State is also fifth in the FBS with 256.3 rushing yards per game… Quarterback Tyler Huff has thrown for 1,406 yards with 8 TDs and 4 INTs. Huff is second on the team with 654 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns… The Gamecock defense needs to tighten up if it is going to match scores with Liberty. Jacksonville State’s defense is ranked in the bottom 40 in most statistics, which is not good against Liberty’s offense…

The Liberty Flames are coming off a tough loss to previously winless Kennesaw State… Head coach Jamey Chadwell’s Liberty offense is averaging 31.5 points per game and 437.8 yards per game… QB Kaidon Salter has thrown for 1,280 yards with 10 TDs and 2 INTs. Salter is third on the team with 278 rushing yards and 2 TDs… Defensive end TJ Bush, Jr. is the star on a leaky Liberty defense. The sophomore has 30 tackles, 3 passes broken up and leads the team with 5 sacks… Liberty’s defense only gives up 115.7 rushing yards per game. Jacksonville State’s run game against Liberty’s run defense will match strength against strength.

MAC

Toledo (5-3, 2-2) at Eastern Michigan (5-3, 2-2), noon EST, Nov. 2, Ypsilanti, Mich., ESPNU

The Toledo Rockets are doing their name of Rockets justice with their offensive mentality. Toledo head coach Jason Candle is utilizing an Air-Raid offense, and the Rockets are averaging 262.6 passing yards per game… QB Tucker Gleason has 1,645 yards with 15 TDs and 6 INTs. WR Jerjuan Newton is 12th in the FBS with 745 receiving yards and second with 10 touchdowns… The Toledo defense gives up a lot in the passing game, surrendering 225.1 passing yards per game. However, cornerback Avery Smith is tied for fourth in the FBS with 12 passes broken up. So, the Rockets do have pieces in place to defend a potent passing attack… The Eastern Michigan Eagles also are solid in the passing game. Chris Creighton’s Eagles average 243.2 passing yards per game… QB Cole Snyder has 1,822 passing yards with 9 TDs and 2 INTs… Eastern Michigan likes to spread the ball around on offense as 15 different players have caught a pass this season… The Eagles’ defense, like Toledo’s, is susceptible to the pass. Eastern Michigan gives up 26.0 points per game and 217.1 passing yards per game. Defensive linemen Peyton Price and Donovan Green are tied for the team lead with 4.5 sacks. Both will need to get to Gleason if Eastern Michigan is going to win this game… While these teams seem like mirror images of each other, Toledo is 21-3 in the last 24 meetings between the Rockets and Eagles. Will history stay on Toledo’s side?

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Mountain West

Air Force (1-6, 0-4) at Army (7-0, 6-0), noon EST, Nov. 2, West Point, N.Y., CBS/Paramount+

Times have been tough this season for the Air Force Falcons. Head coach Troy Calhoun’s Falcons are only averaging 15.3 points per game, 131st out of 134 teams, and 295.3 yards per game, 127th… On defense, Air Force has only accumulated 5 sacks and 1 INT on the season. The Falcons have caused 11 fumbles, recovering 8, but this will be a difficult game for Air Force… Army, on the other hand, has been on fire! Head coach Jeff Monken’s Black Knights are averaging 40.4 points per game and are the leaders in the FBS in rushing yards per game with 359.1… QB Bryson Daily is the leading rusher with 909 yards and leads the nation with 19 rushing TDs… RB Kanye Udoh is second on the team with 633 rushing yards and 7 TDs… The Army defense has been stingy this year, only giving up 12.43 points per game and 281.9 yards per game. Both averages are top 10 in the nation for each category. LB Brett Gerena has 30 tackles and 2 sacks… Both teams should be well rested as they each are coming off a bye week.

Sun Belt

Louisiana (6-1, 3-0) at Texas State (4-3, 2-1), 7:30 p.m. EST, Oct. 29, San Marcos, Texas, ESPN2

The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns have gotten bowl eligible due in large part to a potent offense. Head coach Michael Desormeaux’s Ragin Cajuns offense averages 34.1 points per game (27th in FBS), 443.4 yards per game (27th) and 264.0 passing yards per game (33rd)… Quarterback Ben Wooldridge has thrown for 1,785 yards with 15 TDs and 4 INTs and leads the team with 5 rushing TDs. Wooldridge’s 69.6 completion percentage is ninth in the FBS… Tight end Terrance Carter has been the top target of Wooldridge, hauling in 29 catches for 465 yards and 4 TDs… Louisiana’s defense is in the top 30 in the FBS in yards per game at 320.0. The passing defense is 12th in the FBS, giving up only 166.3 yards per game… GJ Kinne’s Texas State Bobcats also have a lethal offense. Texas State is very comparable to Louisiana statistically. The Bobcats average 34.7 points per game (26th in FBS), 460.6 yards per game (14th) and 275.1 passing yards per game (28th). QB Jordan McCloud has thrown for 1,891 yards with 20 TDs and 7 INTs. McCloud is also second on the team with 217 rushing yards and leads with 5 TDs… RB Ismail Mahdi leads the rushing attack with 646 yards and 2 TDs. Mahdi has 303 rushing yards over the last two games… The Texas State defense has been leaky this season but has been tough in conference play. The Bobcats are only giving up an average of 16.67 points per game in Sun Belt action. If offense is your thing, this is your game. Expect a high-scoring, high-flying back-and-forth matchup.

Group of 5 Truth Serum

Truth serum is something stated that is not necessarily a popular take but is more truth than fiction. This week’s truth serum: Some are questioning Army’s hype due to a low strength of schedule. Air Force is a rival, but Army will more than cover the 22.5-point spread.