This Cure Bowl is another great match-up just like the game was a year ago. Coastal Carolina makes a return visit after losing the game last year versus Liberty in overtime. Northern Illinois makes its first appearance in this bowl game and the first from any MAC school in this bowl game.
The first college bowl game of the holiday season gets under way away from the United States. The lone bowl game to be played outside of the USA is this Bahamas Bowl. This game pits Toledo out of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) versus Middle Tennessee, out of Conference USA in the seventh game on the island nation (the 2020 Bahamas Bowl was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
KENT STATE vs. NORTHERN ILLINOISWHEN: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 12:00 PM ESTWHERE: FORD FIELD, DETROIT, MICH.TV/STREAMING: ESPN / WATCHESPN The Kent State Golden Flashes and Northern Illinois Huskies will meet in the MAC Championship. This is a rematch from the November 3rd meeting, which Kent State won in a wild affair at home, 52-47. Now the two will face off […]
Marshall vs. BuffaloWhen: Friday, December 25th, 2:30 PM ESTWhere: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Ala.TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN Two schools look to rebound after both lost their respective conference championship games in upsets. Marshall and Buffalo meet in this game on Christmas afternoon in Montgomery. Marshall was a team that raced out to a 7-0 start but now have lost […]
Ball State vs. BuffaloWhen: Friday, December 18th, 7:30 PM ESTWhere: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.TV/Streaming: ESPN / WatchESPN Two teams that have won five games in row meet to determine the Mid-American Conference title in Detroit in this COVID-19 shorten 2020 season. Buffalo comes into this game undefeated with five straight wins and had one game canceled […]
Below are the Top 25 Group of Five (G5) preseason rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the 2020 season. CSJ will show weekly rankings from the Sagarin rankings throughout the season and will have a final ranking after the national championship game in January. Keep in mind that all 65 G5 schools were considered […]
Its been a rollercoaster ride in the past three-to-four months when thinking about a college football season for the Group of Five and really all of college football amid the COVID-19 pandamic. As it is today our countries Independence Day and inching closer to the scheduled 2020 college football season, I poised the question what […]
The Patriot League Office announced on Monday guidance regarding the 2020 fall competition, a list of principles to “guide the development of a Patriot League 2020 Athletics Plan.”
Louisiana vs. Miami (OH) (Lending Tree Bowl) When: Monday, January 6th 7:30 PM EST Where: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala. TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN (subscription req’d) Lending Tree Bowl History (Last Seven) The bowl has been titled several different things since it began following the 1999 season. The game was known as the Mobile Alabama Bowl for its first […]
Nevada vs. Ohio (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl) When: Friday, January 3rd 3:30 PM EST Where: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN (subscription req’d) Potato Bowl History (Last Eight) December 17, 2011 Ohio 24 Utah State 23 December 15, 2012 Utah State 41 Toledo 15 December 21, 2013 San Diego State 49 Buffalo 24 December 20, […]
Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan (Cotton Bowl Classic) When: Monday, December 30th, 12:30 PM EST Where: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, Tex. TV/Streaming: ESPN/WatchESPN First Responder Bowl History This bowl game was originally slated to replace the Cotton Bowl Classic at the Cotton Bowl Stadium when the Cotton Bowl itself moved to AT&T Stadium. It […]
Eastern Michigan vs. Pittsburgh (Quick Lane Bowl) When: Thursday, December 26th, 8:00 PM EST Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich. TV/Streaming: ESPN/WatchESPN Quick Lane Bowl History Date Winning Team Losing Team December 26, 2014 Rutgers 40 North Carolina 21 December 28, 2015 Minnesota 21 Central Michigan 14 December 26, 2016 Boston College 36 Maryland 30 December […]
Four of the five Group of Five teams ranked teams won in Week 12. Cincinnati, who is currently is ranked as the highest ranked G5 team, had the toughest win this week over South Florida on the road. The Bearcats used a Sam Crosa field goal on the final play of the game, but Cincinnati […]
Wow, what a Week 11 we had in the Group of Five. Two late season Power 5 wins over the Southeastern Conference highlighted the week with Appalachian State hanging on to knock off South Carolina and Western Kentucky blowing out Arkansas. With the win, Appalachian State likely move itself again into the conversation for a […]
And then there was none. We came into Week 10 with two undefeated teams in Appalachian State and SMU and after Week 10 there are none left. Appalachian State lost at home to Georgia Southern Thursday night, while SMU lost at Memphis Saturday night. This leads to a lot of uncertainty in the Group of […]
After several weeks of at least one of the undefeated teams going down, Week 9 saw a little more normalcy in the Group of Five. The two remaining undefeated teams left in Appalachian State and SMU remained that way with each picking up wins this week. The Mountaineers won easily at South Alabama in Sun […]
Down goes #1. Just one week after capturing the top spot in the Sagarin rankings amongst the Group of Five teams, Boise State fell this week at BYU. That loss puts the list of undefeated Group of Five teams down to just two in SMU and Appalachian State. Both SMU and App State breezed to […]
For the first time in over two years, UCF is not the top ranked team in the Group of Five. Boise State now sits in the driver’s seat for the top spot and the New Year’s Six Bowl bid. The Broncos travel to independent BYU this week in their hopes to stay atop of the […]
And we are down to three. Three undefeated teams in the Group of Five that is. That number is down from the four we had coming into Week 7. Memphis fell from the ranks of the undefeated teams with its narrow loss at Temple. Appalachian State and Boise State, however, remained unscathed and SMU had […]
Wow, what a game in Dallas!! SMU came back from a three touchdown deficite to win in three overtimes over Tulsa. The Mustangs remain undefeated with the come-from-behind victory. Memphis also in the AAC West remained undefeated with its win at the Sun Belt’s Louisiana-Monroe. UCF lost to Cincinnati to likely be out of the […]
Ohio won three of its first five games, with losses coming to nonconference foes Virginia and Cincinnati.
After winning the MAC in 2017, Toledo had injuries and inconsistent play, especially on the defensive side of the football, led to to the team struggling early in 2018.
Western Michigan looked to have a promising season in Coach Lester’s second year but dropped four of its final five games including a Famous Idaho Potato Bowl loss to BYU to finish 7-6 overall (6-2 MAC).
The Huskies won the MAC West and defeated Buffalo to win the program’s fourth MAC title game in its history but lost the Boca Raton Bowl to C-USA champion UAB to finish 8-6 overall (6-2 MAC) and also lost Coach Rod Carey, who took the head job at Temple following the bowl game.
Buffalo went from 10 losses in 2016 to 10 wins in 2018–finishing 10-2 in the regular season (7-1 MAC) and winning the MAC East before falling to Northern Illinois in the MAC title game. The Bulls also lost to Troy in the Dollar General Bowl to finish on a two game losing streak.
The Eagles went 7-6 overall (5-3 MAC), good enough for a tie for second in the West Division and a berth in the Camelia Bowl where EMU ended up losing to Georgia Southern 23-21.
The Redhawks were again inconsistent–much like the full Coach Martin tenure. Miami finished 6-6 overall (6-2 MAC) but just missed out on a bowl game bid as one of the four teams that were bowl eligible but failed to get the call.
The Golden Flashes are one of four programs to have existed in the FBS prior to the 2010s and has not won a bowl game and last year Kent State finished just 2-10 (1-7 MAC) in Coach Sean Lewis’ first year at the helm.
The Cardinals finished 4-8 overall (3-5 MAC) which doubled the win total over Coach Neu’s team in 2017.
Last season was incredibly disappointing for all associated with CMU as the Chippewas posted just a 1-win season (1-11 overll & 0-8 MAC) that cost Coach John Bonamego his job.
The Zips were bitten hard by the injury bug in 2018 to finish just 4-8 overall (2-6 MAC) and let long time Coach Terry Bowden go following the season.
After two-and-a-half embattled seasons as the head coach of Bowling Green , Mike Jinks’ tenure was fired following a 3-9 (2-6 MAC) 2018 season.
In the college basketball landscape we all know about Duke, North Carolina, Michigan, Tennessee and Kentucky. Some combination of those teams litter the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 every March. But there are always a couple of mid major teams that go on runs and play in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 20/23 Marquette University men’s basketball team (9-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) hosts No. 14/15 Buffalo (11-0, 0-0 MAC) Friday night for a top-20 matchup at 7:30 p.m. in Fiserv Forum.
Was it a fluke, or was it a sign of things to come? That’s what Syracuse fans must be wondering after the Orange were upset 68-62 by Old Dominion last Saturday. Now they face Buffalo in a bigger challenge.
Northern Illinois vs. Buffalo When: Friday, November 30, 7:00 PM EST Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich. TV/Streaming: ESPN2 / WatchESPN Northern Illinois Huskies (7-5, 6-2 MAC) MAC West Division Champions Location: DeKalb, Ill. Enrollment: 13,454 Sagarin Rating: 77 (15 in G5) Season Recap: Northern Illinois clinched the West Division title of the Mid-American Conference with a 6-2 record, […]
UCF defeated Navy and remains the only unblemished team left in the Group of Five. While the Knights kept winning, other Group of Five conference contending teams including San Diego State, Fresno State, North Texas, South Florida, Houston, and Georgia Southern fell this week. Below is a brief summary of each conference and its race […]
Ohio at Cincinnati When: Saturday, September 22, 12:00 PM EDT Where:Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio TV/Streaming: ESPNU / ESPN App Ohio Bobcats (1-1, 0-0 MAC) The rivalry is renewed with the Bearcats. Saturday marks the first meeting of the two schools since Oct. 3, 1981, 36 years ago. The all-time series, which began in 1896, is knotted at 23-23-4 […]
Nevada at Toledo When: Saturday, September 22, 12:00 PM EDT Where: Glass Bowl, Toledo, OH TV/Streaming: CBS Sports Network / CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App Nevada Wolfpack (2-1 overall, 0-0 MWC) Nevada defeated Oregon State 37-35 last week but really it should not have been this close. Leading 30-7, Nevada nearly blew a 23-point lead in the second […]
Akron at Iowa State When: Saturday, September 2, 11:00 AM CDT Where: MidAmerican Energy Field At Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA TV/Streaming: FSN / Fox Sports Go Akron Zips (2-0, 0-0 MAC) – Week 3 W at Northwestern 39-34 For the first time in Akron football’s FBS history, the Zips defeated a Big Ten opponent as Akron held […]
Ohio vs. Virginia When: Saturday, September 15, 4:30 PM EDT Where: Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN TV/Streaming: ESPN2 / WatchESPN Ohio Bobcats (1-0, 0-0 MAC)-Week 2 – Bye The Bobcats opened the 2018 season with a 38-32 victory over FCS Howard in Week 1. Last week, Ohio had a bye week. The Bobcats are coming off of a 2017 […]
South Florida and Houston had big home wins over Power 5 squads and Navy had the upset win over previously Top 5 in the Power Poll Memphis to highlight Week 2 action in the FBS Group of Five schools. The biggest riser for a second straight week has to be Hawai’i, where a team we […]
Howard at Kent State When: Saturday, September 8th, 3:30 PM EDT Where: Dix Stadium, Kent, OH TV/Streaming Coverage:ESPN+ (subscription) Howard (0-1, 0-0 MEAC, last week L 32-38 at Ohio) Last week, head coach Mike London and the Bison came up just short as they were edged out by Ohio University, 38-32, despite putting up an impressive 645 total […]
Here at College Sports Journal, we thought it would be best to see how the Group of Five stack up with our opinions and not so much the Sagarin rankings alone. We will still be sharing the Top 25 Sagarin rankings weekly but we will also now start a power poll that will take the […]
College Sports Journal announces their 2018 Fearless Prediction for the Order of finish of the MAC, the first of our Group of Five Conference previews. For the last few seasons, it has not been difficult to pick the MAC winners as the preseason favorite ultimately would win the league. A year ago, Toledo won the […]
Ohio Bobcats Location: Athens, OH Coach: Frank Solich (97-71 @Ohio, 155-90 overall) 14th Season Stadium: Penden Stadium (Capacity: 24,000) CSJ Projections: 1st: MAC (1st in East Division) 2nd: Ohio 61st: FBS 64th: Division I 2017 In A Sentence: With an offense that produced over 39 points per game, Ohio looked poised to make the MAC title game […]
Toledo Rockets Location: Toledo, OH Coach: Jason Candle (21-7) 3rd Season Stadium: Glass Bowl (Capacity: 26,248) CSJ Projections: 2nd: MAC (1st in West Division) 3rd: Ohio 65th: FBS 68th: Division I 2017 In A Sentence: For all of the success the Rockets has enjoyed in recent years, Jason Candle’s 2017 Rockets accomplished something that had not been […]
Northern Illinois Huskies Location: DeKalb, IL Coach: Rod Carey (44-24) 6th Season Stadium: Huskie Stadium (Capacity: 24,000) CSJ Projections: 3rd: MAC (2nd in West Division) 2nd: Illinois 73rd: FBS 76th: Division I 2017 In A Sentence: NIU used its defense to get back to a winning season after finishing 5-7 in 2016 to finish 8-5 but […]
Western Michigan Broncos Location: Kalamazoo, MI Coach: Tim Lester (6-6@WMU, 46-29 overall) 2nd Season Stadium: Waldo Stadium (Capacity: 30,200) CSJ Projections: 4th: MAC (3rd in West Division) 3rd: Michigan 81st: FBS 85th: Division I 2017 In A Sentence: After Western Michigan went 13-1 and had a Cotton Bowl appearance in 2016 and also lost its head […]
Buffalo Bulls Location: Buffalo, NY Coach: Lance Leipold (13-23 @UB, 122-29 overall) 4th Season Stadium: UB Stadium (Capacity: 29,013) CSJ Projections: 5th: MAC (3rd in East Division) 3rd: New York 86th: FBS 92nd: Division I 2017 In A Sentence: The Bulls won the final three games of the season to finish 6-6 and gain bowl eligibility […]
