RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of October 28, 2023-The Midweek Edition (FBS Group Of Five/FCS)

Editor's Note: With all but one of the Group Of Five conferences choosing to play games on weeknights (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays) for the next few weeks, there will be special, flexible installments of the "RFC Weekly Predictions" that will be posted until at least mid-November. The second posting of the "Predictions" will (hopefully) be available by no later than Wednesday, October 25, 2023. With that said, on to the latest installment of this segment.

Last Week: 71-29 (.710)

This Year: 591-259 (.695)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

FBS Group Of Five 

Tuesday, October 24

New Mexico State (5-3) at Louisiana Tech (3-5)

Liberty (7-0) at Western Kentucky (4-3)

Wednesday, October 25

Jacksonville State (6-2) at Florida International (4-4)

UTEP (2-6) at Sam Houston State (0-7)

Thursday, October 26

Georgia State (6-1) at Georgia Southern (5-2)

(The Eagles play host to the Panthers in a contest that could eventually decide the East Division's representative in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game on December 2!!! Airtime is at 7:30 pm EDT on ESPN2!!!)

RFC Road Trip: Atlanta to Statesboro, Georgia

Friday, October 27

Florida Atlantic (3-4) at Charlotte (2-5)

Saturday, October 28

Miami (Ohio)-(6-2) at Ohio (6-2)

(The Bobcats will do battle with the Redhawks in a key showdown for first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division!!! Airtime is at 3:30 pm EDT on the CBS Sports Network!!!)

RFC Road Trip: Oxford, Ohio to Athens, Ohio

Troy (5-2) at Texas State (5-2)

(Here's another key game to keep an eye on this week, as the Trojans take on the Bobcats in a clash for at least a share of first place in the Sun Belt Conference West Division!!!)

RFC Road Trip: Troy, Alabama to San Marcos, Texas

UNLV (6-1) at Fresno State (6-1)

(The Bulldogs face the Rebels in a critical Mountain West Conference clash between two one-loss teams!!! Airtime is at 10:30 pm EDT/9:30 pm CDT/8:30 pm MDT/7:30 pm MST-PDT on Fox Sports 1!!!)

RFC Road Trip: Las Vegas, Nevada to Fresno, California

Tulsa (3-4) at SMU (5-2)

Western Michigan (2-6) at Eastern Michigan (4-4)

Memphis (5-2) at North Texas (3-4)

Tulane (6-1) at Rice (4-3)

Wyoming (5-2) at Boise State (3-4)

Arkansas State (3-4) at Louisiana-Monroe (2-5)

Louisiana (4-3) at South Alabama (4-3)

Marshall (4-3) at Coastal Carolina (4-3)

FCS

Thursday, October 26

Long Island (1-6) at Central Connecticut State (3-4)

South Carolina State (3-4) at North Carolina Central (6-1)

Friday, October 27

Brown (3-3) at Penn (5-1)

Saturday, October 28

South Dakota State (7-0) at South Dakota (6-1)

(The defending national champion Jackrabbits square off against the surprising Coyotes in a contest that could decide the Missouri Valley Football Conference champion!!!)

RFC Road Trip: Brookings, South Dakota to Vermillion, South Dakota

Montana State (6-1) at Idaho (5-2)

(The Big Sky Conference Bobcats hit the road to face a Vandals squad that's still recovering from a tough loss to Montana just two weeks ago!!!)

RFC Road Trip: Bozeman, Montana to Moscow, Idaho

Lafayette (6-1) at Georgetown (D.C.)-(4-3)

Holy Cross (4-3) at Fordham (5-2)

Northern Iowa (4-3) at Illinois State (4-3)

Princeton (3-3) at Cornell (3-3)

New Hampshire (4-3) at Rhode Island (4-4)

Missouri State (3-4) at Youngstown State (4-3)

Marist (4-3) at St. Thomas (Minn.)-(5-3)

Mercer (5-3) at Western Carolina (5-2)

Campbell (4-3) at Richmond (5-3)

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RFC Throwback Thursday: Big West Conference Football-1994 & 1995

 

(Video #1 courtesy of KJZZ-TV Salt Lake City, Utah.)

(Video #2 courtesy of KOLO-TV Reno, Nevada.)

This week's installment of "RFC Throwback Thursday" turns the clock to back to the mid-1990's. That was when the Big West Conference (formerly the Pacific Coast Athletic Association) sponsored football at what was then the NCAA Division I-A, now FBS, level. Unfortunately, due to the constant conference realignment that continued throughout the remainder of the 1990's, the Big West Conference ended its' sponsorship of football after the 2000 season. 

The first video above is from October 22, 1994. That was when the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana) Ragin' Cajuns faced the Utah State University Aggies at Logan, Utah. The second video below is from October 21, 1995, when the University of Nevada Wolfpack traveled to Ruston, Louisiana to do battle with the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs.

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RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of October 21, 2023-Weekender Edition

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

Note: For Part 1, please scroll down or click here.

FBS Group Of Five

Saturday, October 21

UTSA (3-3) at Florida Atlantic (3-3)

(The Owls host the Roadrunners in a critical American Athletic Conference contest, with both teams coming in at 2-0 in conference action!!!)

RFC Flight Plan: San Antonio, Texas to Boca Raton, Florida (via Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

Coastal Carolina (3-3) at Arkansas State (3-3)

Appalachian State (3-3) at Old Dominion (3-3)

(In a couple of crucial Sun Belt Conference clashes, the Red Wolves will play host to the Chanticleers, while the Mountaineers will hit the road to face the Monarchs!!!)

RFC Flight Plan: Conway, South Carolina to Jonesboro, Arkansas 

RFC Road Trip: Boone, North Carolina to Norfolk, Virginia

Louisiana-Monroe (2-4) at Georgia Southern (4-2)

Western Michigan (2-5) at Ohio (5-2)

Buffalo (2-5) at Kent State (1-6)

Colorado State (3-3) at UNLV (5-1)

FCS 

Saturday, October 21

Norfolk State (2-4) at Howard (2-4)

South Carolina State (2-4) at Delaware State (1-5)

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

St. Francis (Pa.)-(2-4) at Duquesne (3-3)

Butler (4-3) at Dayton (2-5)

Samford (3-4) at VMI (3-3)

Monmouth (N.J.)-(3-3) at Elon (3-4)

Southeast Missouri State (2-4) at Tennessee Tech (2-4)

Rhode Island (4-3) at Albany (N.Y.)-(4-3)

Abilene Christian (3-3) at Stephen F. Austin (3-4) 

Austin Peay (4-2) at Southern Utah (2-4)

NCAA Division II

Thursday, October 19

West Virginia State (4-2) at Frostburg State (5-1)

Saturday, October 21

California (Pa.)-(5-1) at Slippery Rock (7-0)

("The Rock" plays host to the Vulcans in a showdown that could the PSAC West Division title!!!)

Indianapolis (6-0) at Quincy (5-2)

(Fresh off a huge win at Truman State in a battle of unbeaten teams, the Greyhounds will look to stay undefeated on the road against the Hawks in another key GLVC contest this weekend!!!)

Minnesota State (7-0) at Augustana (S.D.)-(7-0)

(Sole possession of first place in the NSIC will be at stake when the Mavericks face the Vikings in another showdown of undefeated squads!!!)

Harding (7-0) at Southern Arkansas (6-1)

(The one-loss Muleriders play host to the unbeaten Bisons in a critical Great American Conference clash!!!)

Emporia State (5-2) at Central Missouri (6-1)

Pittsburg State (Kan.)-(7-0) at Northwest Missouri State (4-3)

Colorado School of Mines (7-0) at Black Hills State (4-3)

West Florida (5-2) at Delta State (7-0)

Lenoir-Rhyne (7-0) at Newberry (4-3) 

Allen (6-1) at Miles (5-2)

North Greenville (3-4) at West Georgia (4-2)

UT-Permian Basin (6-1) at Angelo State (4-2)

Albany State (Ga.)-(4-3) at Edward Waters (4-3)

NCAA Division III

Friday, October 20

Massachusetts Maritime (2-4) at Western Connecticut State (4-2)

Saturday, October 21

Salve Regina (5-1) at Springfield (5-1)

Hobart (5-1) at Union (N.Y.)-(6-1)

Ithaca (5-1) at Rochester (5-2)

(The noon EDT slate of games features a key NEWMAC clash, as well as a pair of crucial Liberty League contests!!!)

Muhlenberg (6-0) at Dickinson (5-1)

(The unbeaten Mules hit the road to face the one-loss Red Devils in a big Centennial Conference contest!!!)

Hanover (5-1) at Mount St. Joseph (5-1)

(The Lions play host to the Panthers in a showdown of one-loss squads in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference!!!)

Rose-Hulman (4-2) at Franklin (3-3)

(But don't overlook that other HCAC match-up, as the Engineers will go up against the Grizzlies, with both teams sitting at 3-0 in league play!!!)

DePauw (7-0) at Wittenberg (5-1)

(Here's a battle for sole possession of first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference, with the 5-0 Tigers from Indiana traveling to Ohio to face the 4-0 Tigers!!!)

Washington (Mo.)-(5-1) at North Central (6-0)

(The defending national champion Cardinals will clash with the one-loss Bears in a game with tremendous CCIW championship implications!!!)

Washington & Jefferson (5-1) at Carnegie Mellon (6-1)

(Finally, the Tartans take on the Presidents in a critical Presidents Athletic Conference contest!!!)

Cortland (5-1) at St. John Fisher (4-2)

Endicott (5-1) at Nichols (3-3)

Shenandoah (4-2) at Randolph-Macon (6-0)

Ursinus (4-2) at Johns Hopkins (6-0)

Lebanon Valley (4-2) at Delaware Valley (5-1)

Wisconsin-Oshkosh (4-2) at Wisconsin-La Crosse (5-1)

Berry (5-1) at Sewanee (3-3)

Nebraska Wesleyan (4-3) at Central (5-1)

Wheaton (5-1) at Carroll (Wis.)-(4-2)

Augsburg (4-2) at St. Olaf (4-2)

St. Norbert (4-3) at Concordia (Wis.)-(5-1) 

Heidelberg (4-2) at Marietta (4-2)

Redlands (4-2) at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5-1)

NAIA

Saturday, October 21

Saint Francis (Ind.)-(4-2) at Marian (6-0)

(The Knights clash with the Cougars in an Mid-States Football Association Mideast Division contest where both teams enter at 3-0!!!)

Southeastern (4-2) at Keiser (4-2)

(The Fire squares off against the Bobcats in a big Sun Conference showdown!!!)

Friends (6-1) at Evangel (7-0)

(The undefeated Valor plays host to the one-loss in a showdown for supremacy in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Kessinger Division!!!)

Dordt (5-1) at Northwestern (Iowa)-(7-0)

(The defending national champion Red Raiders will do battle with the upstart Defenders in a key GPAC clash!!!)

Louisiana Christian (7-0) at Ottawa (Ariz.)-(5-1)

(The Spirit squares off against the Wildcats in a significant Sooner Athletic Conference showdown!!!)

College of Idaho (6-1) at Carroll (Mont.)-(6-0)

(The Fighting Saints will face the 'Yotes for first place in the Frontier Conference!!!)

Roosevelt (4-3) at Olivet Nazarene (4-2)

Reinhardt (4-2) at Point (3-4)

Ave Maria (4-2) at St. Thomas (Fla.)-(4-3)

Missouri Valley (4-2) at Benedictine (Kan.)-(5-2)

Avila (1-6) at Tabor (2-5)

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