RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of October 17, 2026 Part 3 (Top Small College Games This Weekend)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games are in BOLD type.

Editor's Note: Unless otherwise noted, all games listed will be played on Saturday, October 17, 2026.

NCAA Division II

Findlay (5-1) at Hillsdale (5-1)

(The Chargers clash with the Oilers in a key G-MAC match-up, with the winner potentially controlling their own destiny for a possible playoff berth!)

Slippery Rock (6-0) at Indiana (Pa.) (5-1)

("The Rock" will look to stay undefeated on the road as it faces a Crimson Hawks squad coming off an upset loss to New Haven last weekend!)

Edward Waters (5-1) at Benedict (5-1)

(It's the "Battle of the Tigers" in the SIAC, as the Tigers from Columbia, South Carolina, host the Tigers from Jacksonville, Florida, in a contest that could decide who plays for the SIAC championship!)

Davenport (6-0) at Roosevelt (5-1)

Ferris State (6-0) at Grand Valley State (5-1)

(Both games mentioned above will have a huge impact on the GLIAC title race!)

Henderson State (6-0) at Harding (6-0)

(The Bisons battle the Reddies in a showdown between two unbeaten GAC teams!)

Washburn (4-1-1) at Central Missouri (4-2)

Virginia Union (5-1) at Bowie State (3-3)

Newberry (4-2) at Mars Hill (5-1)

Central Washington (4-2) at Texas A&M-Kingsville (4-2)

Black Hills State (4-2) at South Dakota Mines (5-1)

NCAA Division III

WPI (4-1) at Springfield (4-1)

(The Pride hosts the Engineers in a showdown of 2-0 teams from the NEWMAC!)

Heidelberg (4-1) at Rose-Hulman (4-1)

(The Student Princes travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, to take on another team of Engineers in a rare, non-conference, mid-season clash!)

Wabash (4-1) at John Carroll (4-1)

Denison (4-1) at DePauw (4-1)

(Only two of these teams will emerge from these critical NCAC contests at 5-1 overall, with the Blue Streaks battling the Little Giants, while the Tigers take on the Big Red!)

Washington and Jefferson (4-1) at Allegheny (5-0)

(The one-loss Presidents play the unbeaten Gators on the road in this tremendous Presidents' Athletic Conference match-up!)

Wisconsin-River Falls (4-1) at Wisconsin-Platteville (5-0)

(The Pioneers will put their undefeated season on the line against the defending D-III national champion Falcons in a critical WIAC clash!)

Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) (5-0) at St. John's (Minn.) (5-0)

(The Johnnies clash with the Cobbers in a showdown of unbeatens in the MIAC!)

Hiram (4-1) at Grove City (3-2)

Hendrix (4-1) at Texas Lutheran (4-1)

St. Norbert (4-2) at Benedictine (Ill.) (5-0)

Linfield (3-1) at Whitworth (3-1)

NAIA

Keiser (4-1) at St. Thomas (Fla.) (6-0)

(The one-loss Seahawks square off against the unbeaten Bobcats with first place in the Sun Conference on the line!)

Friends (6-0) at McPherson (6-0)

(The Falcons face the Bulldogs on the road in a battle of unbeatens in the KCAC!)

Olivet Nazarene (5-0) at Marian (5-1)

(The one-loss Knights host the undefeated Tigers in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League opener for both teams!)

Evangel (Mo.) (4-2) at Ottawa (Kan.) (3-3)

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RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of October 17, 2026 Part 2 (Weekend Games From The Group Of Six And FCS)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games are in BOLD type.

Editor's Note: Unless otherwise noted, all games listed will be played on Saturday, October 17, 2026.

FBS Group Of Six

Georgia State (4-1) at James Madison (6-0)

(The undefeated Dukes hope to stay that way as they host the upstart Panthers in a critical Sun Belt Conference East Division clash!)

Toledo (4-2) at Eastern Michigan (4-3)

(The Rockets are on the road to take on the Eagles in a big early-season battle from the Mid-American Conference!)

UNLV (4-2) at Air Force (4-1)

(Fresh off an upset win over previously undefeated North Dakota State, the Rebels hope to build on that triumph when they travel to Colorado to face the Falcons in the Mountain West Conference!)

Florida Atlantic (4-1) at Army (3-2)

UMass (4-2) at Buffalo (3-3)

Western Michigan (4-2) at Central Michigan (3-3)

Troy (3-2) at Louisiana (4-2)

Nevada (2-3) at North Dakota State (5-1)

Fresno State (4-2) at San Diego State (2-4)

FCS

Dayton (4-1) at Butler (5-1)

(The Bulldogs battle the Flyers in a critical Pioneer Football League clash from Indianapolis!)

South Dakota State (5-1) at North Dakota (5-2)

(The Jackrabbits will travel to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to face the Fighting Hawks in another huge Missouri Valley Football Conference contest!)

Rhode Island (3-3) at Yale (3-1)

Marist (3-3) at Drake (2-4)

Albany (N.Y.) (3-3) at Stony Brook (4-2)

Idaho State (4-2) at Weber State (4-3)

Western Illinois (3-3) at Southeast Missouri State (3-3)

Grambling State (4-2) at Alabama A&M (5-2)

Illinois State (4-2) at Southern Illinois (3-4)

Northern Iowa (3-2) at Youngstown State (5-2)

Portland State (2-4) at Northern Arizona (5-2)

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RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of October 17, 2026 Part 1 (Weeknight Games From The Group Of Six And FCS)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games are in BOLD type.

Editor's Note: Unless otherwise noted, all games listed will be played on Saturday, October 17, 2026.

Last Week: 37-15 (.712) 

This Year: 198-91 (.692)

FBS Group Of Six

Tuesday, October 13

Delaware (2-3) at Middle Tennessee State (2-3)

Florida International (3-2) at Jacksonville State (4-2)

Wednesday, October 14

Kennesaw State (1-4) at Missouri State (1-4)

Western Kentucky (2-4) at Sam Houston State (1-4)

Thursday, October 15

East Carolina (3-2) at UAB (3-3)

Georgia Southern (2-4) at Old Dominion (2-4)

Colorado State (2-3) at Texas State (2-3)

Friday, October 16

Memphis (5-1) at Tulane (2-3)

Appalachian State (3-2) at Coastal Carolina (2-4)

FCS

Friday, October 16

Columbia (4-1) at Penn (3-2)

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RFC Throwback Thursday: The Boise State/Fresno State Rivalry ("aka" The Milk Can Trophy)

 

(Video #1 courtesy of ESPN.)

(Video #2 courtesy of ESPN.)

(Video #3 courtesy of the CBS Sports Network.)

(Video #4 courtesy of ESPN.)

This week's edition of "RFC Throwback Thursday" takes an inside look at the Boise State/Fresno ("aka" The Milk Can Trophy) rivalry ahead of Saturday night's game between the Broncos and the Bulldogs. The first video above is from the 2001 contest, while the other videos feature games from 2013, 2017, and 2018.

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RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of October 10, 2026 Part 3 (Small College Predictions)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games are in BOLD type.

Editor's Note: Unless otherwise noted, all games listed will be played on Saturday, October 10, 2026.

NCAA Division II

Grand Valley State (5-0) at Michigan Tech (4-1)

(The undefeated Lakers are on the road against the one-loss Huskies in a GLIAC game with potential playoff implications!)

Northwood (5-0) at Tiffin (4-1)

(In another battle between an unbeaten team and a once-beaten team, the Timberwolves travel to Ohio to face the Dragons in a contest that could decide the G-MAC championship!)

East Stroudsburg (4-1) at Bloomsburg (4-1)

(And, in the PSAC East Division, the Warriors hit the road to take on the Huskies in a clash that will impact that conference's championship race!)

Shepherd (4-1) at West Chester (3-2)

Anderson (S.C.) (4-2) at Carson-Newman (5-1)

Northern State (5-1) at Minnesota-Duluth (4-2)

Central Missouri (4-1) at Northwest Missouri State (3-1)

Southeastern Oklahoma State (4-1) at Harding (5-0)

Walsh (4-1) at Hillsdale (4-1)

Midwestern State (4-1) at Central Washington (3-2)

NCAA Division III

Wheaton (5-0) at North Central (4-0)

(The annual "Battle for the Little Brass Bell" takes on added meaning this season, as the #1 Cardinals host the #2 Thunder in a CCIW clash that could decide the CCIW title!)

Wisconsin-Eau Claire (4-0) at Wisconsin-Platteville (4-0)

(The Warhawks face the surprising Blugolds in another battle of unbeaten teams, this time from the WIAC.)

Rowan (3-1) at Salisbury (4-0)

Randolph-Macon (3-1) at Washington and Lee (3-1)

Wisconsin-Whitewater (4-0) at Wisconsin-La Crosse (2-2)

Howard Payne (4-0) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (3-1)

Ohio Northern (3-1) at Baldwin Wallace (4-0)

Middlebury (2-1) at Amherst (3-0)

St. John's (Minn.) (4-0) at Macalester (3-1)

NAIA

Indiana Wesleyan (5-0) at Marian (4-1)

(The undefeated Wildcats travel to Indianapolis to take on the one-loss Knights in a huge Mid-States Football Association showdown!)

Georgetown (Ky.) (3-2) at Lindsey Wilson (5-1)

Florida Memorial (3-2) at Keiser (3-1)

Campbellsville (4-1) at Cumberlands (Ky.) (4-1)

Texas Wesleyan (3-2) at Louisiana Christian (5-0)

Montana Western (2-3) at Carroll (Mont.) (4-1)

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