النص الكامل لحلقة It’s Time For Some Weekday MACtion

They've scored over 30 points in each of their last 72 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:55.939 three games, 42 on the road against Tulane. And this 73 00:03:55.979 --> 00:03:58.659 game isn't Boca. UTSA is known for being a home team, 74 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:01.150 but their road track record this year is really good. 75 00:04:01.159 --> 00:04:01.610 They're 3-1. 76 00:04:01.770 --> 00:04:04.550 Not only did they beat Texas State at home, but 77 00:04:04.569 --> 00:04:07.849 they snapped a Tulane 10-game home streak where I know 78 00:04:07.889 --> 00:04:10.370 Tulane's having a down year, but still 10-game home streak, 79 00:04:10.430 --> 00:04:13.129 not even Memphis could win there. So I think UTSA 80 00:04:13.189 --> 00:04:15.710 is going to win this game. and a close one 81 00:04:15.729 --> 00:04:18.430 that's going to be high scoring, Florida Atlantic is going 82 00:04:18.449 --> 00:04:21.740 to go down swinging because that's just what this offense 83 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:24.040 has been able to do all year. And once again, 84 00:04:24.060 --> 00:04:26.220 it's a Thursday night game in the American, so you 85 00:04:26.339 --> 00:04:28.339 know this is coming down to the wire. You know 86 00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:30.509 it's going to be exciting, and there is a good 87 00:04:30.569 --> 00:04:31.529 chance of overtime. 88 00:04:32.990 --> 00:04:36.589 No doubt about it. Do you think UTSA will have 89 00:04:36.610 --> 00:04:40.490 an answer for Easton Messer, who has recorded over 100 90 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:42.310 yards in each of his last three games? He had 91 00:04:42.310 --> 00:04:46.000 14 catches, 102 yards, and a touchdown against Army. 112 92 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:51.519 and 162 yards. Two touchdowns against Rice. Oh, and don't forget, 93 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:54.939 two rushing touchdowns. Oh, and don't forget, I believe a 94 00:04:55.060 --> 00:04:58.610 punt return for a touchdown. And then 189 yards and 95 00:04:58.670 --> 00:05:03.370 three touchdowns on 16 catches against North Texas. Can UTSA 96 00:05:03.529 --> 00:05:06.709 at least slow this passing attack down, which is also 97 00:05:06.769 --> 00:05:10.670 powered by Caden Veltkamp, who's among the top five leaders 98 00:05:10.850 --> 00:05:15.680 in the FBS in terms of passing yards? Can UTSA 99 00:05:15.750 --> 00:05:20.500 do enough on the defensive end to put their offense 100 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:22.839 in a position to pull off a win? 101 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:26.860 I think they actually can. UTSA's defense has done a 102 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:29.100 pretty good job this year containing the pass. They're only 103 00:05:29.139 --> 00:05:34.600 allowing a 54.9 completion rate. Nine touchdowns against seven interceptions, 104 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:37.040 which is a pretty favorable ratio this year. And they 105 00:05:37.079 --> 00:05:39.370 haven't really allowed too many explosive plays through the air. 106 00:05:39.850 --> 00:05:41.819 I look at some of the top receivers they've guarded 107 00:05:41.870 --> 00:05:45.610 this year. Chris Don Jr. from Texas State. Cam Coleman 108 00:05:45.709 --> 00:05:48.329 from Texas. They didn't really let any of them get 109 00:05:48.449 --> 00:05:50.810 out of hand where they would dominate the way Messer 110 00:05:50.829 --> 00:05:54.089 has dominated games recently with 10 plus receptions and over 111 00:05:54.089 --> 00:05:57.029 100 yards and a touchdown. I think Messer is still 112 00:05:57.069 --> 00:05:59.149 going to have a great stat line. I still think 113 00:05:59.170 --> 00:06:00.949 Florida Atlantic is going to score a lot of points. 114 00:06:01.269 --> 00:06:04.079 But I think UTSA's defense can bring enough chaos on 115 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:07.579 the back end to force some incompletions, get some deflections, 116 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:09.600 and maybe pick off a pass or two in this one. 117 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:14.279 Before we jump to another conference, Air Force Army, who 118 00:06:14.300 --> 00:06:14.939 do you like in that one? 119 00:06:16.379 --> 00:06:18.420 That's going to be tough. I like Army at home 120 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:20.870 in this one. I think both quarterbacks are going to 121 00:06:20.930 --> 00:06:23.569 rush for at least 170 yards based on what we've 122 00:06:23.610 --> 00:06:26.709 seen from them recently. I know the Service Academy games 123 00:06:26.750 --> 00:06:29.649 are low scoring, usually ugly. The under usually hits. 124 00:06:29.709 --> 00:06:30.290 I know 14-9 was it. 125 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:34.310 Air Force Navy score this year and neither quarterback really 126 00:06:34.370 --> 00:06:37.110 had a strong ground game. But with what we've seen 127 00:06:37.149 --> 00:06:39.889 out of these offenses lately with Air Force and Army, 128 00:06:40.269 --> 00:06:42.310 I do think that we are in for some really 129 00:06:42.350 --> 00:06:45.209 good action on running the football from the quarterbacks. I'll 130 00:06:45.250 --> 00:06:51.170 say Army wins maybe 28 to 21 or something like that, 131 00:06:51.250 --> 00:06:53.009 but we'll see a lot of offensive production. 132 00:06:54.930 --> 00:06:57.730 The offensive production is interesting note. I think I like 133 00:06:57.810 --> 00:07:03.689 Army too, if only it's, because it's at home. Let's 134 00:07:03.769 --> 00:07:08.009 keep it, keep it rolling. Conference USA. We got Delaware 135 00:07:08.110 --> 00:07:11.459 at Kennesaw State, Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee, Missouri State 136 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:15.139 at FIU, Sam Houston at Jacksville State, Liberty at New 137 00:07:15.180 --> 00:07:19.240 Mexico State. Now, you know, there, we talked about on 138 00:07:19.279 --> 00:07:24.170 the show yesterday for, you know, talking about Tuesday show 139 00:07:24.199 --> 00:07:28.329 with this will come out on Wednesday. You know, there 140 00:07:28.370 --> 00:07:29.889 are a lot of teams that are kind of middle 141 00:07:29.930 --> 00:07:32.170 of

the road here and hoping to just be within 142 00:07:32.230 --> 00:07:34.129 striking distance in case some of the, you know, in 143 00:07:34.230 --> 00:07:39.370 case Jacksonville state and Liberty, you know, slip up one, 144 00:07:39.569 --> 00:07:43.610 is there any chance that Jacksonville state or Liberty slip up? 145 00:07:43.910 --> 00:07:46.709 I don't really see that happening the way they've played, 146 00:07:47.629 --> 00:07:50.509 but you know, do you see that? Could that happen? 147 00:07:50.629 --> 00:07:54.189 And then the other three games, which of these contests 148 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:55.420 stands out to you? 149 00:07:56.850 --> 00:07:58.310 I'm going to say no. These are going to be 150 00:07:58.350 --> 00:08:01.370 pretty easy wins for Jack State and Liberty. Jack State 151 00:08:01.410 --> 00:08:05.129 and Liberty are both 16.5-point favorites there. New Mexico State 152 00:08:05.170 --> 00:08:08.750 has not been the most consistent this year offensively. They 153 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:10.660 have not scored a touchdown in two of their last 154 00:08:10.699 --> 00:08:13.300 three games. And that other game over that time span 155 00:08:13.339 --> 00:08:16.160 was against Sam Houston. So it has not been the 156 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:18.279 best look for the Aggies so far this year. They're 157 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:20.500 a better team than they were last year. James Jones 158 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:22.240 has done a really good job running the football. I 159 00:08:22.259 --> 00:08:25.279 think he's still leading the CUSA in rushing yards. Automatic 160 00:08:25.300 --> 00:08:28.250 100-yard rusher, it feels like. So I would say New 161 00:08:28.290 --> 00:08:31.310 Mexico State being at home and facing Liberty, they'd have 162 00:08:31.329 --> 00:08:35.049 a slightly better chance than Sam Houston knocking off Jack State. 163 00:08:35.230 --> 00:08:37.549 Sam Houston has an interim head coach now, but I 164 00:08:37.549 --> 00:08:40.549 don't think either of those games are particularly close. Of 165 00:08:40.580 --> 00:08:42.379 the other games, the one that intrigues me the most 166 00:08:42.620 --> 00:08:45.580 is Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, just because rivalries matter in 167 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:48.679 college football. It's a hundred miles of hate. I am 168 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:53.279 of the classic college football mindset where successful season is 169 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:56.299 beating your rival's And I mean, it varies from program 170 00:08:56.320 --> 00:08:59.440 to program, but beating your rivals matters. Winning bowl games matters. 171 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:02.639 This is the heart of college football and I love 172 00:09:02.659 --> 00:09:05.950 a good rivalry and middle Tennessee's improved this year. I 173 00:09:05.970 --> 00:09:08.470 know Western Kentucky has really owned this rivalry over the 174 00:09:08.509 --> 00:09:11.529 recent years, but this game's at Johnny red Floyd stadium 175 00:09:12.029 --> 00:09:14.850 and middle Tennessee. I know they slipped up last week 176 00:09:14.889 --> 00:09:18.629 against Kennesaw state, but they've looked pretty good recently. WKU 177 00:09:18.669 --> 00:09:21.649 enters with seven straight wins from 2019 to 2025. They've 178 00:09:21.690 --> 00:09:26.259 really dominated this in the CUSA era. but middle Tennessee 179 00:09:26.279 --> 00:09:28.820 gets home field advantage and they're only down 39, 35 180 00:09:28.820 --> 00:09:31.669 to one in the all time series here. So I'm 181 00:09:31.690 --> 00:09:32.470 excited for this game. 182 00:09:33.889 --> 00:09:39.250 Absolutely. Let's jump next to the Mac. And like I said, 183 00:09:39.289 --> 00:09:41.850 this show we're recording on Monday, the show will come 184 00:09:41.889 --> 00:09:45.980 out on Wednesday. So, you know, Ohio and Akron Buffalo 185 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:50.220 in Miami, Ohio, those games will have already happened Wednesday. 186 00:09:52.179 --> 00:09:58.309 And by the way, Midweek Maction is back. Let's go. Wednesday, 187 00:09:58.429 --> 00:10:02.580 Ball State at UMass. Toledo at Sac State, Central Michigan 188 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:08.679 at Versus. No, yeah, Ford Field, right? Versus Eastern Michigan. 189 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:12.970 I think the game that really stands out to me 190 00:10:13.009 --> 00:10:18.019 the most there is CMU versus EMU. What stands out 191 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:21.429 to you about those two teams taking the field at 192 00:10:21.490 --> 00:10:22.029 Ford Field? 193 00:10:22.730 --> 00:10:26.470 Yes, we mentioned earlier on another podcast that I think 194 00:10:26.490 --> 00:10:29.029 the Central Michigan versus Eastern Michigan game is going to 195 00:10:29.070 --> 00:10:32.830 decide bowl eligibility. Central Michigan enters at 3-5, Eastern Michigan 196 00:10:32.850 --> 00:10:35.580 at 4-5, and I think whoever wins this game is 197 00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:37.879 going to be bowl eligible going down the road. Central 198 00:10:37.899 --> 00:10:41.799 Michigan recently, they've been burdened by some close losses. They 199 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:44.379 almost came back and beat Western Michigan. They had a 200 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:47.230 14-point rally in the fourth quarter there. And then they 201 00:10:47.250 --> 00:10:50.289 fell one point short at home against Miami, Ohio. Central 202 00:10:50.309 --> 00:10:52.750 Michigan has to shift their MO a little bit. They 203 00:10:52.789 --> 00:10:54.500 were a team that really wanted to run the ball 204 00:10:54.580 --> 00:10:57.700 past minimally. And they used Angel Flores as their main 205 00:10:57.799 --> 00:11:00.940 quarterback to guide the ground game. And he could rush 206 00:11:00.980 --> 00:11:03.860 for over 100 yards on any given game. And now 207 00:11:04.059 --> 00:11:06.230 they have to go to Jaden Glasser. They're more pass 208 00:11:06.299 --> 00:11:08.610 oriented team right now, as we saw from the Miami,

209 00:11:08.669 --> 00:11:12.610 Ohio game. So Central Michigan's kind of changed up things 210 00:11:12.649 --> 00:11:19.509 a bit. Eastern Michigan this year. They've been interesting where 211 00:11:20.389 --> 00:11:22.970 that UMass win has kind of been their statement that 212 00:11:22.990 --> 00:11:25.840 they've had this year. They haven't really been close in 213 00:11:25.860 --> 00:11:28.200 many of their losses other than their Ohio and San 214 00:11:28.220 --> 00:11:30.259 Jose State game. They've been blown out a few times 215 00:11:30.299 --> 00:11:33.600 this year. Oh, my gosh. 216 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:37.100 Oh, my goodness. Yeah. 217 00:11:37.139 --> 00:11:40.110 They've done a good job of keeping the offense going 218 00:11:40.190 --> 00:11:42.049 even when Nick Devereaux was out, but they have a 219 00:11:42.070 --> 00:11:44.340 good wide receiver core there. Noah Kim, he was up. 220 00:11:45.059 --> 00:11:47.440 Mac's leading quarterback last year, but he missed the last game. 221 00:11:47.480 --> 00:11:49.980 Brogan McCaw, he played. I think he's going to start 222 00:11:50.019 --> 00:11:54.970 again against central Michigan, but yeah, four field lights going 223 00:11:54.990 --> 00:11:58.090 to feel like the Mac championship type atmosphere there. And 224 00:11:58.230 --> 00:11:59.409 I think that's going to be cool for a lot 225 00:11:59.429 --> 00:12:01.090 of people in Detroit to go to on a Wednesday 226 00:12:01.129 --> 00:12:04.279 night where you'll have a bigger city with more people available. 227 00:12:04.779 --> 00:12:05.500 It's a rivalry. 228 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:07.460 You get to play it at four field. I think 229 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:09.419 the atmosphere is going to be great for that one. 230 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:14.620 Real quick. I know it can be debatable whether UConn 231 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:18.120 should be under the umbrella of G6. We do our 232 00:12:18.220 --> 00:12:22.139 G6 weekly top 25 and include UConn. So I wanted 233 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:23.919 to take a moment real quick to talk about the 234 00:12:23.990 --> 00:12:28.509 Huskies because they get to take on North Carolina this week. 235 00:12:28.529 --> 00:12:32.549 And they're currently sitting at 4-4 in Jason Candle's first 236 00:12:32.590 --> 00:12:37.970 year as head coach. They finished the season against North Carolina, 237 00:12:38.330 --> 00:12:42.909 James Madison, Old Dominion, at home. And then at Wyoming, 238 00:12:42.929 --> 00:12:48.740 4-4 with North Carolina coming up. Do we think they 239 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:53.139 could be bowl eligible? And is beating UNC contingent upon that? 240 00:12:56.139 --> 00:12:59.950 I think they can get the Old Dominion and I 241 00:12:59.970 --> 00:13:02.129 think they get the Wyoming game. I do not think 242 00:13:02.149 --> 00:13:04.570 they get the home games against North Carolina or James 243 00:13:04.610 --> 00:13:07.110 Madison there. Although James Madison has struggled as

of late. 244 00:13:07.690 --> 00:13:12.870 You look at UConn's schedule, though. And if someone just 245 00:13:13.590 --> 00:13:17.230 obscured the results and you had to pick the four wins, 246 00:13:17.370 --> 00:13:19.429 it's pretty easy to pick which four teams that they 247 00:13:19.460 --> 00:13:23.759 beat on the schedule. And Temple, UMass, Southern Miss, and 248 00:13:23.799 --> 00:13:26.620 their FCS team, Wafayette, where I feel like that there's 249 00:13:26.659 --> 00:13:29.120 been a gap between the teams that UConn has beat 250 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:31.159 and the teams that they haven't been able to get past. 251 00:13:31.490 --> 00:13:34.289 And there are some teams, Maryland's been a struggle this year. 252 00:13:34.330 --> 00:13:36.570 That was one of their losses. I know Syracuse has 253 00:13:36.610 --> 00:13:38.870 improved recently. The fact that they got to overtime now 254 00:13:38.889 --> 00:13:42.159 looks like a good, resume point for UConn, but they've 255 00:13:42.179 --> 00:13:43.919 just been falling a little short in some of those 256 00:13:43.990 --> 00:13:47.230 losses so far. North Carolina, they're coming off an emotional 257 00:13:47.269 --> 00:13:49.669 loss against Miami, but they really showed in that game 258 00:13:49.750 --> 00:13:51.769 what they're capable of as an offense. So I do 259 00:13:51.809 --> 00:13:53.789 think that the Tar Heels are going to come into 260 00:13:54.370 --> 00:13:57.909 Connecticut this week and get that win after two really 261 00:13:57.960 --> 00:14:00.779 heartbreaking losses in a row for UNC, even though their 262 00:14:00.860 --> 00:14:02.820 offense has turned the corner under Billy Edwards. 263 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:11.769 Yeah. UConn, an interesting team for sure. And especially after, 264 00:14:11.789 --> 00:14:17.470 you know, Jim Moore left you, you, but Jason candle 265 00:14:17.509 --> 00:14:20.029 coming in, you would have thought UConn would continue to 266 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:25.419 be a, you know, a strong program and yeah. Okay. 267 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:28.039 Maybe fine in candles first year. They're not quite to 268 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:31.659 what they were previously, but I think if they miss 269 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:35.169 a bowl game, that's gotta be that's gotta be a 270 00:14:35.230 --> 00:14:37.330 failure at the end of the day, considering what this 271 00:14:37.429 --> 00:14:42.669 UConn program has done recently, but let's keep it going. 272 00:14:42.750 --> 00:14:45.629 Just like, just like you're keeping moving forward here through 273 00:14:45.669 --> 00:14:50.649 all the sneezes, respect to you, Steve, let's go to 274 00:14:50.669 --> 00:14:54.080 the mountain West. Cause we got a couple interesting games 275 00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:58.659 here to New Mexico at Nevada, NIU at San Jose 276 00:14:58.679 --> 00:15:05.000 state air force at army Hawaii. Wait, Am I doing 277 00:15:05.009 --> 00:15:06.899 this right? Yeah, Air Force at Army. We already talked 278 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:10.700 about that one. Hawaii at UTEP, Wyoming at UNLV. I 279 00:15:10.740 --> 00:15:13.460 think the number one game that stands out to me 280 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:16.809 here is Wyoming at UNLV, a game with a lot 281 00:15:16.830 --> 00:15:21.090 of Mountain West Championship implications. What stands out to you 282 00:15:21.110 --> 00:15:22.649 about that one? Who do you like in that one? 283 00:15:23.730 --> 00:15:25.409 What stands out to me is that Wyoming is still 284 00:15:25.450 --> 00:15:27.789 alive in the Mountain West Championship game. It did not 285 00:15:27.850 --> 00:15:29.970 feel like that watching them earlier in the season against 286 00:15:30.009 --> 00:15:32.429 Colorado State and Central Michigan in those games that they 287 00:15:32.470 --> 00:15:34.990 lost and when they finished scoreless against North Dakota State. 288 00:15:35.409 --> 00:15:37.250 It didn't feel like they'd have the offense to get 289 00:15:37.309 --> 00:15:40.490 that far, but they have looked a lot better recently. 290 00:15:40.529 --> 00:15:43.049 Tyler Hughes is really taking control of the run game. 291 00:15:43.090 --> 00:15:46.470 We saw that against Air Force, and he's had two 292 00:15:46.610 --> 00:15:50.289 back-to-back 140-plus yard games on the ground where Wyoming's kind 293 00:15:50.340 --> 00:15:52.840 of operating like a service academy with how much their 294 00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:57.149 quarterback running is pertinent to their offensive success and they've 295 00:15:57.190 --> 00:16:00.840 definitely improved ever since taking that approach but UNLV I 296 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:03.840 just think has more weapons offensively Jet Thomas he had 297 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:07.019 a pretty good game last week keeping them alive against 298 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:09.259 Northern Illinois that game probably shouldn't have been as close 299 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:13.019 in fact it's in Las Vegas UNLV's back there they 300 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:16.860 have some more they have a lot more firepower through 301 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:18.659 the air with Jackson Arnold where I think that they're 302 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:22.570 a more versatile team then I think that UNLV is 303 00:16:22.610 --> 00:16:24.450 going to win this game, and that would be a 304 00:16:24.990 --> 00:16:28.379 huge step forward in securing their Mountain West championship hopes. 305 00:16:28.980 --> 00:16:31.500 If you have that tiebreaker of Wyoming and a tiebreaker 306 00:16:31.539 --> 00:16:34.000 of North Dakota State, that'll feel like a two-game lead 307 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:35.559 over the rest of the conference at that point. 308 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:40.419 Yeah, Wyoming is on a three-game win streak, and that's 309 00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:42.730 nothing to scoff at, but it is against San Jose State, 310 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:45.309 Northern Illinois, and then also Air Force, which is a 311 00:16:45.370

--> 00:16:49.940 solid win, don't get me wrong, but Yeah. They've already 312 00:16:49.980 --> 00:16:53.200 lost to North Dakota state earlier this season, central Michigan, 313 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:56.710 Colorado state. I think they are looking better generally to 314 00:16:56.730 --> 00:17:00.309 your point in recent weeks, but yeah, I still like 315 00:17:00.350 --> 00:17:04.390 that UNLV offense. I still like the rebels to get 316 00:17:04.430 --> 00:17:11.490 it done, especially in Vegas. So, but still nonetheless going 317 00:17:11.509 --> 00:17:14.750 to be interesting to keep an eye on, you know, 318 00:17:14.829 --> 00:17:17.410 one quick thing I wanted to touch on here is 319 00:17:17.529 --> 00:17:19.990 NIU at San Jose state and And in that one, 320 00:17:20.089 --> 00:17:24.430 I like San Jose state and from, and they would 321 00:17:24.450 --> 00:17:30.579 be five and five in that situation. Yeah. Right. Yeah. 322 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:33.670 They would be five and five. Yes. If they be NIU, 323 00:17:35.140 --> 00:17:39.569 they close out the season at air force versus UNLV 324 00:17:39.630 --> 00:17:44.029 versus North Dakota state. So am I doing the math here? 325 00:17:44.049 --> 00:17:49.900 Would they have to get to seven wins or wait, Yeah, 326 00:17:50.259 --> 00:17:52.019 maybe 5-5. 13-game schedule. 327 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:55.720 They'd be a priority. At 6-7, they would be the 328 00:17:55.769 --> 00:17:59.390 priority team if not enough for bowl eligible. And they 329 00:17:59.529 --> 00:18:01.990 created that. There's two Puerto Rico bowls. They created an 330 00:18:02.069 --> 00:18:04.450 extra one. There's like the San Juan Bowl and the 331 00:18:04.490 --> 00:18:06.970 Puerto Rico Bowl. So there's 84 teams. So I think 332 00:18:06.990 --> 00:18:09.789 that there will be an extra spot. So as long 333 00:18:09.890 --> 00:18:11.690 as they win two of those games and finish 6-7, 334 00:18:11.710 --> 00:18:16.380 then they– should probably lock up a spot as one 335 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:18.440 of the 84 teams. And you never know if someone's 336 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:20.759 going to rage quit and go Notre Dame all over again. 337 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:21.920 Yeah. Right. 338 00:18:22.259 --> 00:18:22.509 Right. 339 00:18:22.609 --> 00:18:25.690 Exactly. Or, you know, yeah, just drop out for any 340 00:18:25.730 --> 00:18:29.269 number of reasons, but they, they get NIU and then 341 00:18:29.309 --> 00:18:34.450 they close at air force UNLV NDSU. That is a 342 00:18:34.670 --> 00:18:38.950 tough way to close out this season. Do we think 343 00:18:38.990 --> 00:18:41.559 they can get to that point? Even can they even 344 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:43.920 get to six wins at that point? 345 00:18:45.089 --> 00:18:47.190 I'm not sure. Having three of the final four at 346 00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:50.160 home helps. And the fact that San Jose State's defense 347 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:53.279 has kept games so low scoring that they're able to 348 00:18:53.339 --> 00:18:56.539 compete in all these games. I mean, they haven't allowed 349 00:18:56.579 --> 00:18:59.200 more than 28 points in a game since that opener 350 00:18:59.259 --> 00:19:04.809 against USC. They've done a good job of just keeping 351 00:19:04.849 --> 00:19:07.869 themselves in the game with their defensive performance. And we've 352 00:19:07.890 --> 00:19:10.730 seen struggles out of UNLV and North Dakota State's offenses 353 00:19:10.750 --> 00:19:12.170 this year. I think one of those is going to 354 00:19:12.210 --> 00:19:14.990 be a close game decided in the final minutes. But 355 00:19:15.049 --> 00:19:16.529 if I had to bank on it right now, I 356 00:19:16.549 --> 00:19:19.039 would say San Jose State finishes the regular season at 5-8. 357 00:19:19.210 --> 00:19:25.109 Going to be interesting to watch, no doubt about it. 358 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:28.140 Let's go to the Pac-12 now. Boise State, we got 359 00:19:28.180 --> 00:19:31.759 three games. We got a three-pack in the Pac-12. We 360 00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:36.089 got Boise State at Colorado State, Fresno State at Utah State. 361 00:19:37.150 --> 00:19:40.390 And the number one game to me, Texas State at 362 00:19:40.509 --> 00:19:45.619 Oregon State. probably the two best passing offenses in the 363 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:50.660 g6 maybe two of the best in the country. I 364 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:55.539 think I like Oregon State to bounce back at home, 365 00:19:56.099 --> 00:19:59.880 but how do you see this matchup unfolding and who 366 00:19:59.900 --> 00:20:03.009 do you ultimately foresee winning? 367 00:20:04.089 --> 00:20:08.309 I think we're ready for Pac-12 after dark. Back-to-back, let's 368 00:20:08.349 --> 00:20:10.859 run it back, 46-45. I think this is going to 369 00:20:10.890 --> 00:20:13.339 be a high-scoring game. I think it's just going to 370 00:20:13.380 --> 00:20:16.640 be a showcase of offensive skill position players. I know 371 00:20:16.680 --> 00:20:20.059 Texas State didn't really have the best offensive performance a 372 00:20:20.099 --> 00:20:22.220 few weeks ago against Utah State, but I still trust 373 00:20:22.259 --> 00:20:25.279 that offense's ability to get things done, especially with as 374 00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:28.640 rough as Oregon State's defense looked past week. I mean, 375 00:20:28.700 --> 00:20:30.880 Oregon State's defense, I said they were a solid enough 376 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:35.259 unit earlier. I mean, they're not a strong unit. They're 377 00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:38.400 74th nationally in run defense, 55th in pass defense, where 378 00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:41.240 they're not one of the best in the Pac-12. But 379 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:43.819 they're a solid unit, but I still think Texas State 380 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:46.549 can really exploit even a solid defense and get a 381 00:20:46.569 --> 00:20:48.230 lot of points on them. And they can do it 382 00:20:48.250 -->

00:20:50.890 in a multitude of ways. We saw earlier that Texas 383 00:20:50.910 --> 00:20:52.609 State was one of the best rushing teams in the country. 384 00:20:52.630 --> 00:20:54.990 They're still ranked sixth in rushing yards per game. But 385 00:20:55.009 --> 00:20:57.230 against Boise State, they were able to shelf that a 386 00:20:57.250 --> 00:20:59.970 little bit and dominate more with Brad Jackson through the air. 387 00:21:00.309 --> 00:21:03.190 So Texas State's offense has multiple ways it can attack. 388 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:06.059 Oregon State is going to attack with Braden Atkinson. He's 389 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:08.400 going to throw for 350 yards a game, even in 390 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:11.089 a loss like last week. And their offense is still 391 00:21:11.109 --> 00:21:13.029 going to get things done. This week, I think they're 392 00:21:13.069 --> 00:21:15.710 able to finish those drives that they missed, turn those 393 00:21:15.750 --> 00:21:18.730 field goal drives into touchdowns, convert some of those fourth 394 00:21:18.769 --> 00:21:20.789 downs that they failed last time, or maybe even not 395 00:21:20.829 --> 00:21:22.890 get to them. I think Oregon State's going to win 396 00:21:23.369 --> 00:21:25.430 the highest scoring game of the week here at Texas State. 397 00:21:25.789 --> 00:21:30.019 We've already had five 100-point games this year. Last year, 398 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:32.400 we only had one. It was that Marshall-Louisiana game that 399 00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:36.220 went to double overtime. And this year we've already had 400 00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:39.220 five 100-point games. I think this one could be down 401 00:21:39.240 --> 00:21:39.839 for a sixth. 402 00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:46.730 And let's just march right on to the Sun Belt, 403 00:21:47.170 --> 00:21:51.470 finish it off strong here. We got JMU at Southern Miss, 404 00:21:51.789 --> 00:21:55.630 ODU at Coastal Carolina, Georgia State at App State, ULM 405 00:21:56.289 --> 00:22:01.589 at Arkansas State, Marshall at Georgia Southern. Louisiana Tech at Troy, 406 00:22:01.869 --> 00:22:05.369 South Alabama at Louisiana. There's a few candidates to be 407 00:22:05.410 --> 00:22:08.569 the conference game of the week here. I'm kind of 408 00:22:08.609 --> 00:22:12.710 looking at Marshall at Georgia Southern, because as you have 409 00:22:12.750 --> 00:22:17.880 talked about, this is a Georgia Southern podcast. So do 410 00:22:17.910 --> 00:22:22.059 we like the Herd versus the Eagles here, or is 411 00:22:22.119 --> 00:22:25.660 there another game that particularly stands out to you? 412 00:22:26.390 --> 00:22:28.380 I think the one I'm most excited to watch is 413 00:22:28.430 --> 00:22:31.779 Louisiana against South Alabama. I'm going to Sunbelt West showdown. 414 00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:34.960 I know the Sunbelt West, it's not, it doesn't, it 415 00:22:34.980 --> 00:22:37.460 may not have the title stakes because Louisiana Tech has 416 00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:39.460 two games up on the conference and they've already beaten 417 00:22:39.480 --> 00:22:41.920 both South Alabama and Louisiana. But in terms of just 418 00:22:41.980 --> 00:22:44.220 a game I'm interested to watch the matchup for, I 419 00:22:44.269 --> 00:22:46.750 think it would be this one where both teams are 420 00:22:46.769 --> 00:22:50.910 coming off of rough losses and South Alabama lost at 421 00:22:50.910 --> 00:22:53.490 15 at home to Louisiana Tech. And before that they 422 00:22:53.529 --> 00:22:56.170 lost the close game on a Tuesday night to Marshall 423 00:22:56.190 --> 00:22:58.740 and And then Louisiana Tech was upset by Southern Miss 424 00:22:58.779 --> 00:23:01.519 last time out. But I think that these teams have 425 00:23:01.539 --> 00:23:05.339 shown to be pretty good for most of the part 426 00:23:05.380 --> 00:23:07.180 this year. I mean, Lunch Winfield, he's a fun dual 427 00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:09.299 threat quarterback to watch. And then South Alabama has a 428 00:23:09.339 --> 00:23:12.450 really dynamic running game. I think this one could be 429 00:23:12.910 --> 00:23:16.170 maybe high 20s, low 30s scoring game back and forth. 430 00:23:16.529 --> 00:23:18.210 So in terms of an even matchup, this is the 431 00:23:18.289 --> 00:23:20.750 one I'm most excited for. But yeah, the Sunbelt has 432 00:23:20.789 --> 00:23:23.430 a lot of just solid games this week. I think 433 00:23:23.450 --> 00:23:26.210 Georgia Southern Marshall's another one of those. Georgia Southern is 434 00:23:26.349 --> 00:23:29.190 the new front runner in the Sunbelt East. They had 435 00:23:29.230 --> 00:23:32.579 a tough non-conference schedule, but they're back now. And I 436 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:35.960 know they have that tiebreaker not on their side against 437 00:23:35.980 --> 00:23:37.799 James Madison, but if they keep winning, it's not going 438 00:23:37.819 --> 00:23:41.339 to matter. Louisiana Tech at Troy could get interesting. Louisiana 439 00:23:41.380 --> 00:23:44.900 Tech is leading the Sunbelt West division. Troy's the reigning champ. 440 00:23:45.380 --> 00:23:47.369 And Troy is coming off a big emotional win over 441 00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:49.109 James Madison. I just don't know if they'll have the 442 00:23:49.210 --> 00:23:52.589 offensive firepower to match what Louisiana Tech's shown on paper recently. 443 00:23:55.569 --> 00:23:58.170 Georgia State has fallen off the past few weeks. A 444 00:23:58.569 --> 00:24:01.309 few surprising losses in a row at home to Coastal 445 00:24:01.329 --> 00:24:04.130 Carolina by double digits right after losing to Arkansas State 446 00:24:04.150 --> 00:24:06.730 and JMU. So Georgia State's kind of lost some of 447 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:10.059 its luster from its 4-1 start. And then the last 448 00:24:10.099 --> 00:24:12.859 thing I'll say is, how is James Madison playing on 449 00:24:12.900 --> 00:24:17.180 another Thursday night? James Madison fans have to

hate Thursday. 450 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:18.539 That has to be the worst day of the week 451 00:24:18.579 --> 00:24:19.019 for them now. 452 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:20.559 Right? 453 00:24:22.359 --> 00:24:23.720 What if this goes to overtime? 454 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:25.819 What if this goes to overtime again? 455 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:27.440 It's in Hattiesburg. 456 00:24:28.039 --> 00:24:28.700 At this rate. 457 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:31.740 Southern Miss beat Louisiana. 458 00:24:32.299 --> 00:24:33.180 Then they beat ULM. 459 00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:36.400 They've won two straight. They're hot right now. I don't know. 460 00:24:36.940 --> 00:24:39.779 It's a team that's getting hot against a team that's 461 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:43.789 getting cold at the wrong time, but I think James 462 00:24:43.829 --> 00:24:46.069 Madison wins big, but I'm just saying it's a Thursday 463 00:24:46.109 --> 00:24:47.029 night with James Madison. 464 00:24:47.069 --> 00:24:51.569 Anything's possible. You know, as thinking about Thursday night, my 465 00:24:51.630 --> 00:24:55.750 wife is a JMU alum and she went out to 466 00:24:56.069 --> 00:24:58.509 a birthday dinner with her friends last Thursday and she 467 00:24:58.549 --> 00:25:00.509 was having a great time until she came home and 468 00:25:00.549 --> 00:25:04.750 watched the end of that Troy game. So hoping for 469 00:25:04.789 --> 00:25:07.289 her sake that she has a little bit better time 470 00:25:07.309 --> 00:25:12.160 this Thursday, but yeah, something else to keep an eye 471 00:25:12.200 --> 00:25:16.549 on here with the Sunbelt. There are 10 teams that 472 00:25:16.609 --> 00:25:20.329 are four and four or better in the league. I'm 473 00:25:20.369 --> 00:25:21.990 not going to ask you to go through every single 474 00:25:22.029 --> 00:25:26.089 game here, but can we see double digit bowl eligible 475 00:25:26.150 --> 00:25:27.710 teams here at the end of the day, if the 476 00:25:27.789 --> 00:25:30.250 league continues to kind of beat up on itself and 477 00:25:30.289 --> 00:25:32.630 we see that many six and six teams, is that, 478 00:25:33.259 --> 00:25:35.619 I mean, I think that happened a couple of years ago, 479 00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:39.799 but yeah, I don't know. Do you foresee that being 480 00:25:39.819 --> 00:25:45.500 a potential result at the end of the regular season? Yes. 481 00:25:45.980 --> 00:25:46.759 It was in 2023. 482 00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:49.420 Sunbelt had, was it 12? 483 00:25:49.420 --> 00:25:50.200 Was it 12? 484 00:25:50.200 --> 00:25:52.779 I want to say the Sunbelt. 485 00:25:52.339 --> 00:25:53.789 Had 12 bowl teams. 486 00:25:53.809 --> 00:25:54.640 Yeah, they went. 487 00:25:54.529 --> 00:25:56.170 5-7 that year. 488 00:26:06.269 --> 00:26:09.230 Yeah, they had 12 teams in 2023 where everyone was 489 00:26:09.269 --> 00:26:13.180 just finishing six and six. Help it. And we had 490 00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:15.500 a few last year. I remember Marshall Georgia

Southern had 491 00:26:15.539 --> 00:26:17.099 a battle for six and six at the end of 492 00:26:17.140 --> 00:26:19.759 the year. Then App State gets a Birmingham Bowl invite 493 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:23.559 after some other teams go down. So, I mean, it's 494 00:26:23.619 --> 00:26:26.099 not unprecedented where I think we could see 10 or 495 00:26:26.339 --> 00:26:30.069 maybe 11 teams, especially if there aren't enough spots and 496 00:26:30.089 --> 00:26:31.549 we're going to have to bring in a five or 497 00:26:31.609 --> 00:26:34.099 seven team. But the Sun Belt has enough parity where 498 00:26:34.140 --> 00:26:36.000 I think a lot of those 4-4 teams are just 499 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:40.559 going to continue being a 4-4 team, being a 500 500 00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:44.109 team that goes 6-6 in the regular season. So, I mean, 501 00:26:44.589 --> 00:26:48.130 if you're not ULM or Old Dominion, maybe Southern Miss, 502 00:26:48.849 --> 00:26:50.430 you're probably making a bull right now. 503 00:26:50.450 --> 00:26:55.019 Dang. Which is kind of the classic argument, right, of 504 00:26:55.670 --> 00:26:57.940 if you have a conference that beats up on each other, 505 00:26:57.960 --> 00:27:01.279 is that a good league or is that a mark 506 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:04.160 of a not-so-good league? You know, is it just a 507 00:27:04.190 --> 00:27:07.700 bunch of mediocre teams that kind of take turns beating 508 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:11.859 each other? Or is it just that competitive that it's 509 00:27:12.039 --> 00:27:16.660 not easy to win week in, week out? I kind of, 510 00:27:17.059 --> 00:27:20.359 in the scope of the G6, I tend to lean 511 00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:23.559 with the latter. You know, because there are a number 512 00:27:23.900 --> 00:27:27.789 of teams that, there's different styles here. And I think 513 00:27:28.950 --> 00:27:32.640 it is a competitive league. So, I'm looking forward to it. 514 00:27:32.980 --> 00:27:36.200 I'm looking forward to the end of the regular season 515 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:40.130 and seeing how many teams ultimately end up in the postseason. 516 00:27:42.849 --> 00:27:44.789 Is there anything else that you want to hit on here? 517 00:27:44.970 --> 00:27:47.750 Is there anything that has stood out to you as 518 00:27:47.809 --> 00:27:51.619 we look ahead to this week's slate? 519 00:27:54.039 --> 00:27:57.480 I'm just excited for Maction again. I love the week Maction. 520 00:27:57.519 --> 00:28:00.470 It's a fun time of the year. And we always 521 00:28:00.509 --> 00:28:04.690 get crazy play, like onside kicks, fake spikes, weird comebacks. 522 00:28:05.299 --> 00:28:08.740 Midweek Maction is truly, that's like the dawn of how 523 00:28:08.819 --> 00:28:12.000 midweek football Tuesday, Wednesday nights was created. I know that 524 00:28:12.019 --> 00:28:15.319 Weekdays USA kept us entertained, but Midweek Maction, there's just 525 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:18.420 something else about it when it's November, the snowy games 526 00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:21.940 hit in central Michigan and stuff like that. But really 527 00:28:21.960 --> 00:28:24.329 excited for that. And then Thursday night in the American Conference, 528 00:28:24.630 --> 00:28:26.829 that game is just a guaranteed banger every week. And 529 00:28:26.930 --> 00:28:30.190 UTSA FAU seems like the perfect game to continue that tradition. 530 00:28:30.250 --> 00:28:31.910 So those are some of the things I'm most excited 531 00:28:31.970 --> 00:28:32.710 about this weekend. 532 00:28:33.329 --> 00:28:36.529 For sure. And we can't wait for it here. Thanks 533 00:28:36.549 --> 00:28:39.680 so much for the time, Steve, as always really appreciate it. 534 00:28:40.299 --> 00:28:41.940 This has been the pool report with Colton pool. If 535 00:28:41.980 --> 00:28:44.200 you like what you heard and want more mid-major football coverage, 536 00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:46.259 make sure you subscribe and give us a five-star review. 537 00:28:46.460 --> 00:28:48.059 Make you can find me in the work that I'll 538 00:28:48.099 --> 00:28:49.880 be doing, covering the group of six over on Twitter 539 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:52.359 slash X at C pool reporter. And if you're so inclined, 540 00:28:52.380 --> 00:28:54.690 you can support my G six coverage. at the pool 541 00:28:54.710 --> 00:28:58.480 report on Substack. And now, I think it's about time 542 00:28:58.529 --> 00:28:59.650 we get out of here.