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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!
American Athletic Conference
No. 19 Army (9-0, 7-0) at No. 6 Notre Dame (9-1), 7 .m. EST, Nov. 23, Bronx, N.Y., NBC/Peacock
Jeff Monken’s Army Black Knights have lit the college football world on fire statistically. Army’s offense is ranked 22nd in scoring offense with 35.2 points per game and leads the nation in rushing offense with 334.9 rushing yards per game. That total is 72.1 yards per game more than the next highest team averages. Quarterback Bryson Daily has rushed for 1,062 yards and 21 TDs so far. The 21 TDs has Daily tied for second in the nation with Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson. The Army defense averages 273.9 yards and 10.33 points per game. While both statistics are top 5 in the country, the level of competition and the style of offense used by Army contributes to those stats. The Notre Dame offense should increase both of Army’s defensive averages.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in the thick of the College Football Playoff race. Head coach Marcus Freeman’s offense is averaging 38.0 points and 415.7 yards per game. Irish QB Riley Leonard has thrown for 1,789 yards with 12 TDs and 4 INTs. Leonard is second on the team in rushing with 641 yards and leads with 13 rushing TDs. The Irish defense should be charged with theft as they are tied with James Madison for the nation’s lead in turnovers with 25. Safety Xavier Watts has accounted for 5 turnovers, 4 INTs and 1 fumble recovery. This will be the 52nd meeting between the two teams and the 10th time both teams are ranked for the game. Many have questioned Army’s strength of schedule through 9 games, this will be by far the toughest test for the Black Knights.
Conference USA
Sam Houston State (8-2, 5-1) at Jacksonville State (7-3, 6-0), Noon EST, Nov. 23, Jacksonville, Ala., CBSSN
KC Keeler’s Sam Houston State Bearkats have been the surprise of CUSA. The Bearkats have won 8 games on the strength of their defense. Their offense has been sluggish, ranking in the lower part of the FBS in yards per game (366.4), points per game (24.7) and passing yards per game (168.7). The run game, however, averages 197.7 yards per game, No. 26 in the nation. RB Jay Ducker leads the team with 580 yards and 7 TDs. QB Hunter Watson is 2nd on the team with 485 yards and 6 rushing TDs. The defense has been very good, giving up 319.3 yards per game and 20.1 points per game. DB Caleb Weaver leads the squad with 70 tackles, 53 of which are solo tackles. Weaver also has 5 passes defended and 4 INTs.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, Rich Rodgriguez’s team is one of the top rushing teams in the nation. The Gamecocks are No. 4 in the nation with 258.2 rushing yards per game. RB Tre Stewart has 1,219 yards, No. 7 in the nation and 19 touchdowns, tied for fifth in the nation. QB Tyler Huff is the second-leading rusher with 902 yards and 10 TDs. Huff is well on track to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in both passing and rushing this season. As good as the offense is, the Jacksonville State defense has not played to the level of the offense. The Gamecocks give up 410.0 yards per game, 29.4 points per game and 184.5 rushing yards per game. All three stats rank No. 98 or higher in the nation. Safeties Antonio Carter and Fred Perry will be relied upon against the Sam Houston State run game. The duo has combined for 156 tackles on the season. The winner of this game is in the driver’s seat to land in the CUSA Championship Game.
Mid-American Conference
Ohio (7-3, 5-1) at Toledo (7-3, 4-2) 7 p.m. EST, Nov. 20, Toledo, Ohio, ESPN2
Toledo needs to win their last two games if Jason Candle’s Rockets want to have a chance at making the MAC Championship game. QB Tucker Gleason has thrown for 2,032 with 19 TDs and 7 INTs. Gleason also leads the Rockets in rushing TDs with 6. WR Jerjuan Newton averages 15.8 yards per catch and is tied for second in the nation with 10 receiving TDs. Toledo’s defense has done a good job, only giving up 21.1 points and 352.9 yards per game. Safety Maxen Hook is the leader of the Rockets defense. The senior has logged 88 tackles, 53 of which are solo tackles, tied for 12th in the nation. Junior cornerback Avery Smith is tied for third in the nation with 14 passes defended.
The Ohio Bobcats are in a three-way tie with Miami (7-4, 6-1) and Bowling Green (6-4, 5-1) for first place in the MAC. Tim Albin’s squad averages 201.0 rushing yards per game, good for 19th in the nation. QB Parker Navarro has struggled throwing the ball but makes up for it in the run game. Navarro is second on the team with 662 rushing yards and leads the team with 9 rushing TDs. Anthony Tyus III leads the team with 726 rushing yards and is second with 7 TDs. WR Coleman Owen has been Navarro’s main target. The senior wideout has 56 catches for 882 yards and 5 TDs. The Ohio defense has been solid, giving up only 19.6 points and 308.2 yards per game, both totals are in the top 25 in the nation. The 197.9 passing yards per game given up by Ohio will be one of the stingiest passing defenses Toledo has faced this season.
Mountain West Conference
No. 24 UNLV (8-2, 4-1) at San Jose State (6-4, 3-3), 10 p.m. EST, Nov. 22, San Jose, Calif., FS1
The Rebels have lit up the scoreboard in 2024, averaging 39.9 points per game, tied with No. 13 SMU (9-1, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) for No. 6 in the nation. QB Hajj-Malik Williams has only started 7 games this season, but he’s thrown for 1,436 yards with 14 TDs and only 3 INTs. Williams also leads the Rebels in rushing with 646 yards and 8 TDs. WR Ricky White III leads the Rebels with 63 catches for 867 yards and 10 TDs. Crazy stat of the day, White, the leading receiver, leads the nation in punt blocks with 4. If there is a weakness for Barry Odom’s UNLV defense, it is the pass defense. The Rebels are 119th in the nation in passing defense, surrendering 260.5 yards per game. LB Jackson Woodard has 99 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 8 passes defended, 4 INTs and 1 fumble recovery.
San Jose State has an incredible aerial attack. Ken Niumatalolo's Spartans are No. 4 in the nation with 343.7 passing yards per game. QBs Walker Eget and Emmett Brown have shared QB duties. No matter who has been throwing the ball, the primary target is one of the nation’s best receivers, Nick Nash. The senior leads the nation with 95 receptions, 1,282 yards, 14 TDs, 9.5 receptions per game and 128.2 yards per game. On Nov. 19, Nash was named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award given to the nation’s best receiver.
The most glaring weakness for the offense has been the 14 interceptions thrown by Spartan QBs. The San Jose State defense has been scorched this season, giving up 25.9 points and 394.0 yards per game. LB Jordan Pollard leads the team with 90 tackles and has added 2 sacks, 3 passes defended and 1 INT. If UNLV wins this game, it will mark the first time in program history that the Rebels have gone undefeated in road games for a season. SJSU WR Nash has more receiving TDs this season than 47 FBS schools have thrown.
Sun Belt Conference
James Madison (8-2, 4-2) at Appalachian State (4-5, 2-4) 2:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 23, Boone, N.C., ESPN +
The offensive dominance by the James Madison Dukes has not slowed up under new head coach Bob Chesney. The Dukes average 35.3 points and 186.7 rushing yards per game. QB Alonza Barnett III has thrown for 2,226 yards with 22 TDs and only 2 INTs. Barnett leads the Dukes with 7 rushing TDs. Defensive lineman Khairi Manns is tied for 13th in the nation with 8 sacks. Cornerback Terrence Spence is tied for second in the nation with 5 INTs.
The App State Mountaineers have struggled this season and need to win both of their final two games for Shawn Clark's squad to become bowl-eligible. While the Mountaineers are only averaging 26.6 points per game, they are ranked No. 34 in the nation in passing yards per game with 277.3. QB Joey Aguilar has thrown for 2,496 yards with 19 TDs and 12 INTs. WR Kaedin Robinson leads App State with 53 catches for 840 yards and 2 TDs. Robinson averages 15.8 yards per catch, but will miss the rest of the season due to injury. The Mountaineer defense has been beaten like they stole something. App State gives up 34.8 points per game (119th in the nation), 201.8 rushing yards per game (118), 218.1 passing yards per game (64) and 419.9 total yards per game (110). As a team the Mountaineers are ranked No. 128 in the nation in turnover margin at minus-1.22. If App State wins it will mark the 100th victory for the Mountaineers as a member of the FBS.
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: San Jose State’s Nick Nash should be the Biletnikoff Award winner but will be penalized for playing in the Group of 5.
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