I’ll be honest. I don’t love this week’s slate of games across the Group of Five level. There are some respectable matchups, but the quality of the games doesn’t quite match a few of the previous or upcoming weeks.
If there’s ever a weekend to focus your attention primarily on the Power Five, it might be this one. Games like Alabama-Tennessee, Penn State-Michigan, Oklahoma State-TCU, NC State-Syracuse, Clemson-Florida State, and USC-Utah makes for a thrilling week at the Power Five level.
With that being said, I’m not all out on this week’s schedule. We just need to look a little harder for intriguing Group of Five matchups. If you’re like me and enjoy using multiple screens and flipping between games on Saturdays, I’m guessing a few of these matchups will gain your attention. I used college football betting odds to help guide my selections of the five must-watch Group of Five games this week.
5. Old Dominion at Coastal Carolina, Saturday, noon ET
Coastal Carolina is 6-0 to start the season, but the Chanticleers are just 2-3-1 against the spread. They haven’t looked dominant this season, and Old Dominion (2-3, 1-0 Sun Belt) is a fairly competitive team in the Sun Belt East. The Monarchs opened the season with a win against Virginia Tech, and they had a bye week to prepare for Coastal. Perhaps this is the week Coastal Carolina stumbles?
4. Kent State at Toledo, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Who doesn’t love a little MACtion? Toledo pummeled Northern Illinois last week, winning 52-32. Quinyon Mitchell intercepted four passes in the game, returning two for touchdowns, putting together one of the most impressive individual performances by any player this season. The Rockets are a 9-point favorite this weekend, but Kent State’s 2-4 record doesn’t tell the full story of the Golden Flashes’ ability. Three of their four losses are to Power Five programs.
3. Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Life has been cruel to Middle Tennessee after the Blue Raiders defeated Miami, as they’ve dropped two conference games in a row. That losing streak could grow to three against a good Western Kentucky team, which is favored by about a touchdown Saturday. This game interests me, as the loser may have to say goodbye to their dreams of winning C-USA. A win for either side, especially Western Kentucky, keeps those hopes alive.
2. JMU at Georgia Southern, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
When in doubt, tossed the ranked team into the list! That’s part of my logic for including this game, as JMU burst into the AP top 25 this week. Georgia Southern has lost a pair of Sun Belt games in a row, but the Eagles’ offense can pass the ball well – arguably the best way to move the ball against JMU – which may make this a surprisingly competitive game. If it’s not close, well, enjoy watching the lone-ranked team in the Sun Belt.
1. Memphis at ECU, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
I expected more from ECU in its recent loss to Tulane, and Memphis just blew a fourth-quarter lead against Houston. With each team coming off a disappointing loss, I’m intrigued by how they respond. On paper, this game feels evenly matched, which could lead to a competitive matchup late in the contest. ECU is favored by five points.
Honorable mention: Air Force at UNLV
Both teams are coming off disappointing losses, which took this game out of my top five, but it’s one of the top Mountain West games of the week.
Bennett Conlin is a college football contributor for HERO Sports, and he works full-time covering sports betting industry news and legislation for Sports Handle and US Bets.