4 G5 Football Games You Should Watch In Week 9

It’s Week Nine in the college football world, which means programs are making their case for a conference title run. 

With the exception of Conference USA, spots in the G5 league championship games are still wide open.

Let’s take a look at four G5 contests which have interesting storylines and have a chance to play a major part in bowl implications or who may represent their league in championship games.

Florida Atlantic at Charlotte

While this game may not seem like the most intriguing on the surface, each contest for both FAU and Charlotte. Tom Herman is trying to re-establish the Owls as a player in the Group of Five landscape after Lane Kiffin’s two conference titles in four seasons, followed by a very mediocre tenure by Willie Taggart. The Owls feature one of the nation’s top wideouts in veteran target LaJohntay Wester and on the surface, should easily secure a win. Biff Poggi has made headlines for his brash and bombastic personality in the Queen City, but wins have been hard to come by – which was expected by more people given the amount of roster turnover for the Niners. If his club can find a way to upset FAU, it would provide nice momentum heading into the offseason.

Tulane at Rice

After a statement win over Tulsa, Mike Bloomgren and the Rice Owls are hoping to keep the winning streak going, but they’ll be challenged by an American Athletic Conference heavyweight in Tulane. The Green Wave are riding a four-game win streak, but were pushed by North Texas last week – allowing over 340 yards passing and three touchdowns to UNT quarterback Chandler Rogers. If Bloomgren can slow the game down and limit the possessions for Tulane, while having an effective run game, the Owls may have a chance at pulling the upset.

Troy at Texas State

Make no mistake about it, this is the biggest game in the history of Texas State’s FBS history. While the Bobcats have been bowl-eligible in previous seasons, 2023’s run easily has a different feeling in San Marcos. First-year head coach GJ Kinne has managed to ignite the Texas State fanbase, resulting in sellout crowds and a buzz around the Lone Star State about the Bobcats. They’ll have to contend with Jon Sumrall’s Troy team who have enjoyed their own resurgence under his leadership and are looking to get back to a Sun Belt conference title game for the second straight season.

UNLV at Fresno State

The hotly contested Mountain West race rolls on as the surprising Rebels take their 6-1 record to Fresno to take on the Bulldogs. We’ve touched at length about the program in Las Vegas and how crucial it’s been for them to establish that the offseason coaching change away from Marcus Arroyo and bringing in veteran head coach Barry Odom was the right move. Becoming bowl-eligible for the first time since 2014 certainly proves as much – but making a push for a MWC title could be the break that this program has been looking for. They’ll have to earn it against one of the most talented teams in the Group of Five landscape with Jeff Tedford’s Fresno State club, who are led by talented signal-caller Mikey Keene. The Bulldogs are 10-point favorites and a statement win could put them in the mix for a top-25 ranking sooner than later.