RFC Throwback Thursday: College Football 1986

 

(Video #1 courtesy of Army West Point Athletics.)

(Video #2 courtesy of BET.)

(Video #3 courtesy of the New England Sports Network.)

(Video #4 courtesy of KGSW-TV Albuquerque, New Mexico [defunct].)

(Video #5 courtesy of National Sports Productions [defunct].)

(Video #6 courtesy of Temple University Athletics/KYW-TV Philadelphia/WPVI-TV Philadelphia/ABC Sports, et. al.)

This week's edition of RFC Throwback Thursday looks back at the 1986 college football season from the perspective of select current Group of Six Conference and FCS programs. Pay close attention to the sixth and final video, containing selected highlights from Temple's 1986 campaign.

 

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RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of September 19, 2026 Part 2

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

Editor's Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all games listed will be played on Saturday, September 19, 2026.

FCS

Rhode Island (2-1) at Stony Brook (1-2)

Monmouth (N.J.) (1-2) at Albany (N.Y.) (2-1)

NCAA Division II

Northern State (3-0) at Minnesota State-Mankato (3-0)

(The Mavericks match-up against the Wolves in an early-season showdown between two unbeaten NSIC squads!)

North Greenville (2-0) at West Alabama (3-0)

(The Tigers take on the defending Conference Carolinas champion Trailblazers in another clash of undefeated teams!)

California (Pa.) (2-0) at Shepherd (2-0)

Fayetteville State (2-1) at Johnson C. Smith (2-1)

Frostburg State (1-1) at West Liberty (2-1)

Hillsdale (2-0) at Northwood (2-0)

Valdosta State (3-0) at UNC Pembroke (2-1)

Upper Iowa (1-1) at Michigan Tech (2-1)

Saginaw Valley State (2-1) at Kentucky State (2-1)

Ouachita Baptist (1-1) at Arkansas Tech (2-0)

Southern Arkansas (1-1) at Harding (2-0)

Mars Hill (2-0) at Lenoir-Rhyne (2-1)

Minnesota State-Moorhead (2-1) at Augustana (S.D.) (2-1)

Newberry (1-1) at Wingate (1-2)

Pittsburg State (Kan.) (0-3) at Fort Hays State (1-1)

Western Oregon (2-0) at Central Washington (0-2)

NCAA Division III

Wisconsin-Platteville (2-0) at Springfield (2-0)

(The Pride hosts the Pioneers in this rare but premier non-conference clash between two unbeaten teams in Massachusetts!)

Wisconsin-River Falls (2-0) at Wartburg (1-1)

(The defending national champion Falcons travel to Iowa to battle the Knights in a huge Top 10 showdown! UWRF is ranked #4, while Wartburg is #6 in the latest d3football.com poll!)

Susquehanna (2-0) at Johns Hopkins (1-1)

(The Blue Jays hope to bounce back from an upset loss to Randolph-Macon when they return home to host the undefeated River Hawks!)

Adrian (2-0) at Mount St. Joseph (2-0)

(The Bulldogs from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association travel south to Cincinnati, Ohio, to face the Lions from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in another battle of unbeatens!)

Endicott (2-0) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (2-0)

Finally, from Belton, Texas, the American Southwest Conference Crusaders clash with the Gulls from Beverly, Massachusetts, in yet another showdown of undefeated squads!)

Shenandoah (2-0) at Case Western Reserve (1-0)

Hope (2-0) at Hanover (2-0)

Ohio Wesleyan (1-1) at DePauw (1-1)

Hobart (2-0) at Utica (2-0)

Pacific (Ore.) (0-2) at Wisconsin-Stevens Point (1-1)

NAIA

Benedictine (Kan.) (2-1) at Grand View (3-0)

(The two-time defending national champion Vikings host the Ravens in a Top 10 match-up!  The home team is currently ranked #1, and the visiting team is ranked #9 in the latest NAIA Coaches Poll!)

Lindsey Wilson (3-0) at St. Thomas (Fla.) (3-0)

(The #5 Blue Raiders from Columbia, Kentucky, head south to Miami Gardens, Florida, to face the #14 Bobcats in a battle of unbeaten teams!)

Morningside (2-1) at Dordt (2-1)

(The #7-ranked Mustangs go on the road to face a Defenders squad that's currently tied for 11th with Marian!)

Evangel (3-0) at McPherson (3-0)

(The #18 Bulldogs battle the #17 Valor in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference action!)

Ottawa (Kan.) (3-0) at Southwestern (Kan.) (2-1)

Midland (3-0) at Northwestern (Iowa) (2-1)

Southern Oregon (1-1) at Montana Tech (3-0)

Missouri Baptist (1-1) at William Penn (2-1)

Bonus Predictions

Wisconsin-Stout (NCAA Division III) (2-0) at Roosevelt (NCAA Division II) (3-0)

Wisconsin-La Crosse (NCAA Division III) (0-2) at Wayne State (Mich.) (NCAA Division II) (0-2)

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RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of September 19, 2026 Part 1

Last Week: 33-10 (.767)

This Year: 60-26 (.698)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

Editor's Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all games listed will be played on Saturday, September 19, 2026.

FBS Group Of Six vs. FBS Group Of Six

Coastal Carolina (1-1) at Delaware (1-1)

(The Blue Hens battle the Chanticleers in a big early-season, non-conference match-up!)

Temple (1-1) at Toledo (1-1)

(The American Conference Owls travel to northwest Ohio to take on the Mid-American Conference Rockets in a showdown between second-year head coach K.C. Keeler and first-year head coach Mike Jacobs!)

Marshall (1-1) at Missouri State (1-1)

(The Thundering Herd from the Sun Belt Conference hits the road to face the Conference USA Bears in another non-conference clash!)

UConn (1-1) at Southern Miss (1-1)

Western Michigan (1-1) at Rice (1-1)

Nevada (1-1) at Middle Tennessee State (1-1)

Ohio (1-1) at South Alabama (1-1)

Ball State (1-1) at Liberty (1-1)

Georgia Southern (1-1) at Jacksonville (1-2)

FBS Group Of Six/FCS

South Dakota (3-0) at Boise State (1-1)

(Fresh off a huge win over Memphis, the Broncos hope to continue their winning ways against the undefeated Coyotes from the Missouri Valley Football Conference!)

UT-Martin (1-2) at Memphis (2-1)

FCS vs. FCS

Youngstown State (2-1) at South Dakota State (2-1)

(The Jackrabbits play host to the Penguins in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both teams!)

South Carolina State (3-0) at Furman (2-1)

(The Paladins host the unbeaten Bulldogs in a contest that has potential postseason implications!)

Austin Peay (2-1) at West Florida (2-0)

Houston Christian (2-1) at Incarnate Word (1-1)

Hampton (1-2) at Norfolk State (1-2)

Harvard at New Hampshire (1-2)

Princeton at Bryant (2-1)

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RFC Bonus Predictions Week Of September 12, 2026

Editor's Note: Welcome to "RFC Bonus Predictions" here on the Real Football Central blog. This column predicts the games missing from the "RFC Weekly Predictions" column. So, what are we waiting for? Let's get started!

All games mentioned will be played on Saturday, September 12th, 2026.

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

FBS Group of Six vs. FCS

Colgate (2-0) at Central Michigan (0-1)

FCS

Incarnate Word (1-0) at Northern Arizona (1-0)

Southeast Missouri State (1-1) at Southern Illinois (1-1)

Albany (N.Y.)-(1-1) at Long Island (0-2)

NCAA Division II

Ferris State (2-0) at Central Washington (0-1)

Albany State (Ga.)-(0-2) at Savannah State (0-1)

NCAA Division III

North Central (1-0) at Wartburg (1-0)

(After rolling past Bethel [Minn.] 44-21 in a "#1 vs. #2 Game" to open the season last weekend, the Cardinals will travel to Iowa to face a Knights team that beat Monmouth (Ill.) on the road!)

Hardin-Simmons (1-0) at Wisconsin-La Crosse (0-1)

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RFC Throwback Thursday: East Carolina at N.C. State 1983

(Video courtesy of Turner [TBS] Sports.)

This week's episode of "RFC Throwback Thursday" turns the clock back to Saturday, September 10, 1983. That was when the East Carolina University Pirates faced the ACC North Carolina State University Wolfpack in a nighttime non-conference game in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

In a close contest, the Pirates outlasted the Wolfpack, 22-16, to move to 1-1 overall. However, despite finishing the 1983 season at 8-3 overall, East Carolina found itself on the outside looking in when bowl season arrived, although they finished their campaign ranked #20 in the final Associated Press poll. 

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RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of September 12, 2026

Last Week: 11-12 (.478)

This Year: 27-16 (.628)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

FBS Group Of Six vs. FBS Group Of Six

Memphis (2-0) at Boise State (0-1)

(The Broncos will try to bounce back from their season-opening loss to Oregon when they host the undefeated Tigers!)

North Dakota State (2-0) at Air Force (1-0)

(The Falcons face the FBS newbie Bison in the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams!)

South Florida (1-0) at Army (1-0)

Jacksonville State (1-1) at Ohio (0-1)

Appalachian State (1-0) at East Carolina (1-0)

UNLV (1-1) at North Texas (0-1)

Saturday, September 12

FBS Group Of Five/FCS

Montana State (2-0) at Nevada (1-0)

(The defending FCS national champion Bobcats travel to face the Mountain West Conference Wolfpack in an unlikely battle of unbeaten teams! Airtime is at 10:30 pm EDT on the CW Television Network!)

Holy Cross (0-2) at Miami (Ohio) (0-1)

Monmouth (N.J.) (1-1) at Western Michigan (0-1)

Stony Brook (1-1) at Ball State (0-1)

Saturday, September 12

FCS vs. FCS

William & Mary (2-0) at Lehigh (2-0)

(It's an early-season showdown for first place in the Patriot League when the Mountain Hawks take on the Tribe in a battle of unbeaten teams!)

Furman (1-1) at Mercer (2-0)

(The unbeaten Bears battle the once-beaten Paladins in the Southern Conference opener for both squads!)

Eastern Washington (1-1) at South Dakota (2-0)

North Carolina A&T (0-2) at North Carolina Central (1-1)

Saturday, September 12

NCAA Division II

Indiana (Pa.) (1-0) at West Chester (1-0)

(The Crimson Hawks clash with the Golden Rams in the PSAC opener for both teams!)

Michigan Tech (2-0) at Emporia State (2-0)

Saginaw Valley State (2-0) at Northwood (1-0)

Lenoir-Rhyne (1-1) at Newberry (1-0)

Assumption (0-1) at Frostburg State (0-1)

Indianapolis (1-1) at Davenport (2-0)

Wingate (1-1) at Carson-Newman (2-0)

Minnesota-Duluth (1-1) at Wayne State (Nebraska) (2-0)

NCAA Division III

Grove City (0-1) at Mount Union (0-1)

(After seeing both an 85-game regular-season winning streak and a 38-game winning streak in season openers snapped in an upset loss at Wheaton this past weekend, the Purple Raiders hope to get back on track hosting the Presidents Athletic Conference Wolverines this weekend!)

Cortland (1-0) at Union (N.Y.) (0-1)

Wheaton (1-0) at Albion (0-1)

Brockport (1-0) at Hobart (1-0)

Johns Hopkins (1-0) at Randolph-Macon (0-1)

Grinnell (1-0) at Concordia-Chicago (1-0)

NAIA

Montana Tech (2-0) at Montana Western (1-0)

(The Orediggers hit the road for the first time this season when they battle the Bulldogs in a battle of unbeaten teams in the Frontier Conference!)

Southwestern (Kan.) (2-0) at Evangel (2-0)

(The Valor hosts the Moundbuilders in a battle of unbeaten squads from the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference!)

William Penn (2-0) at Benedictine (Kan.) (1-1)

Keiser (0-1) at Bethel (Tenn.) (1-0)

Mount Marty (2-0) at Northwestern (Iowa) (1-1)

Southeastern (Fla.) (1-0) at Reinhardt (0-2)

St. Thomas (Fla.) (2-0) at Georgetown (Ky.) (1-1)

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