There are only 11 games this week that feature Group of Five teams going head-to-head.
That’s half of the 22 G5 contests we will have the pleasure of seeing in Week 4.
Among this week’s games is what should be a fun one when San Jose State visits Toledo. This could be the best G5 matchup of the week behind James Madison and Troy. The Spartans are 1-2 but have played the sixth-ranked and the No. 18-ranked teams in the FBS. Their only win came against FCS-squad Cal Poly.
The Rockets fared better against their lone Power Five foe of the season when they lost to Illinois on the final possession of the game. They followed up with a 71-3 victory over Texas Southern last week.
College football betting odds via BetMGM currently list the Rockets as 7-point favorites.
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Battle Of Electric QBs
Spartans QB Chevan Cordeiro was tabbed the Mountain West Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. If it wasn’t for Ohio’s Kurtis Rourke, Rockets QB Dequan Finn would have been the MAC Preseason OPTY.
Both of these guys are lethal, dual-threat talents. Last season was Cordeiro’s first in San Jose and it turned out to be his best year yet. He finished with 3,250 passing yards to go with 23 touchdowns to just six picks. He added 265 yards and nine scores on the ground.
This season, Cordeiro has already passed for 546 yards, and his 91 pass attempts with no interceptions is the best mark in college football. This is impressive considering the quality of competition he has faced.
Finn has also had a great start to the season after passing for 468 yards and five TDs in the first two games. He’s added 82 yards and a score rushing the ball. Seventy-five of those rushing yards and 230 yards through the air came against a solid Illinois defense.
We can expect Finn to continue to do damage with both his legs and his arm like he did last season when he passed for 2,260 yards and 23 TDs. He also rushed for another 631 yards and nine TDs.
Both signal-callers can be dangerous and find the endzone:
Overcoming The Rockets Defense
Toledo has the best defense in the MAC and one of the best in the G5. The Rockets returned nearly all of their production from a season ago, including guys like LB Dallas Gant and CB Quinyon Mitchell.
It’ll be a tall task for Cordeiro and the SJSU offense to try and keep pace with Toledo’s, but they’ll also have to go through this daunting defense to do so.
It looks unlikely that Spartans WR Justin Lockhart will make his season debut, as he’s been battling an injury. The first-team preseason All-MW honoree should instantly boost the offense once he returns. The Spartans did get back RB Kairee Robinson last week, however, after missing Week 2. He tallied 124 yards and two TDs in the win and should help take some pressure off Cordeiro.
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Biggest X Factor?
There’s no doubt that SJSU’s defense has faced some premier offenses this season. They’ve already strapped it up against last year’s Heisman winner and the favorite to win it again in Caleb Williams.
If that’s not going to prepare you for playing against Finn, then I don’t know what will.
The Spartans lost their great defensive line from last season, including MW DPOY Viliami Fehoko, and now some inexperienced guys are filling that void. They’ll need to be relied on to get to Finn, allowing him not to escape and make plays.
I don’t know if there’s any stopping Finn, but if the D-Line can at least limit him, then SJSU could have a chance to pull off a huge upset.
