Welcome back, college sports fans, to episode 701 or the final day of Week 5 football games. There are 108 games on the slate today, but let’s look back to the thrillers last night first.
…..
In the matchup of then unbeatens, Virginia Tech (4-1/21) was up 14-0 in the first quarter and 24-14 at the half. Late in the game Pittsburgh (5-0/8) flipped that to take a 35-23 lead. After allowing a safety and a TD, PITT was up 35-33. Cue a last-second mid-range field goal that soared over the uprights…and was deemed just wide left. The rule for above-the-scoreboard attempts is that the ball must be completely inside the uprights. This one was really close and, oh yeah, that call is not reviewable (which makes sense because there are no cameras up there pointing upward – at least not yet). One would think that was the heartbreak game of the day, but no. After two relatively easy wins by Liberty (4-1/41) and Northwestern (3-1/19) over Delaware (2-3/120) and Penn St (3-2/45), respectively, we came to our final game of the day. Previously unbeaten, and on a 19-game winning streak, Montana St (5-1/91) played one of the two remaining winless teams in the Big Sky, Idaho (1-4/234) in what should have been a blowout. Instead, the entire game was a seesaw battle. With 10:00 to go in the game, MTST had a 34-20 lead. Idaho scored to pull within 7, got the ball back and drove the field until the last play of the game pitched a beautiful 25-yard TD pass as time expired to make it 34-33 MTST. The coach decided to go for two and as the QB ran in for the couplet, Idaho completed the biggest upset of the year, 35-34.
…..
But today is about the 108 games on the docket. There are 25 Core 4 (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, and Notre Dame) vs Core 4 games. 23 Group of 6 (American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac 12, Sun Belt, and UCONN) vs Group of 6 games. We also have 54 FCS vs FCS games. Only 6 games, 3 C4 vs G6 (SYR/UCON, KAN/MTSU, and CAL/UNLV), 1 C4/FCS (LSU/McNeese), and 2 G6/FCS (UAB/SAM and FAU/TXSO), are not on level. Most on the games today are conference games as well. It’s great to be in October. Granted some Saturdays in September don’t have a lot of great matchups, but today is anything but boring. Here are all the games today, in time order, FBS then FCS.
| Time (ET) | Games of October 3rd | Conference | Vegas | GCR | Cover | TV |
| 11:00AM | Memphis (3-1/66) at Charlotte (0-4/184) | AAC | MEM -20.5 | MEM | MEM | ESPN+ |
| 12:00 | Syracuse (1-2/69) at UCONN (2-2/106) | ACC/IND | SYR -6.5 | SYR | UCON | CBS Sports |
| 12:00 | West Virginia (3-1/52) at Iowa St (2-2/59) | B12 | IAST -3.5 | WVU | WVU | TNT |
| 12:00 | UCF (3-1/22) at Houston (3-1/31) | B12 | HOU -11.5 | HOU | UCF | ESPN2 |
| 12:00 | Mid Tenn (2-2/94) at Kansas (1-2/116) | USA/B12 | KAN -20.5 | pick | MTSU | ESPNU |
| 12:00 | Alabama (4-0/2) at Mississippi St (4-0/5) | SEC | ALA -5.5 | ALA | MSST | ABC |
| 12:00 | Stanford (2-2/78) at Wake Forest (3-1/48) | ACC | WF -14.5 | WF | WF | ACC Network |
| 12:00 | Navy (1-2/115) at Air Force (2-1/87) | AAC/MWC | AF -3.5 | AF | AF | CBS |
| 12:00 | Michigan (3-1/38) at Minnesota (3-1/43) | B10 | MICH -6.5 | MICH | MINN | Fox |
| 12:00 | Boston College (2-2/67) at SMU (3-1/51) | ACC | SMU -21.5 | SMU | BC | The CW |
| 12:00 | Notre Dame (4-0/1) at North Carolina (2-1/54) | IND/ACC | ND -21.5 | ND | ND | ESPN |
| 12:00 | Merrimack (2-3/221) at Yale (1-1/158) | FCSIND/IVY | YALE -14.0 | YALE | YALE | ESPN+ |
| 12:00 | Fordham (1-4/247) at Lehigh (5-0/95) | PAT | LEH -22.0 | LEH | LEH | ESPN+ |
| 12:00 | Princeton (1-1/149) at Columbia (2-0/139) | IVY | PRIN -1.0 | COLA | COLA | ESPN+ |
| 12:00 | Mercyhurst (1-4/264) at Long Island (0-5/262) | NEC | LIU -10.0 | LIU | LIU | ESPN+ |
| 12:00 | Brown (1-1/163) at Rhode Island (2-3/181) | IVY/CAA | RISL -3.5 | BRO | BRO | FloFootball |
| 12:00 | Wagner (1-3/266) at C Connecticut (0-3/255) | NEC | NL | CCON | — | NEC Front Row |
| 12:00 | St Thomas (4-1/159) at Presbyterian (1-3/220) | PFL | STTH -25.0 | STTH | PC | ESPN+ |
| 12:30 | Michigan St (2-2/61) at Wisconsin (3-1/36) | B10 | WIS -9.5 | WIS | WIS | Big Ten Network |
| 12:30 | Cornell (1-1/164) at Georgetown (0-3/223) | IVY/PAT | CORN -8.5 | CORN | GTOW | ESPN+ |
| 12:30 | Richmond (4-1/188) at Lafayette (1-3/235) | PAT | RICH -7.0 | RICH | LAF | ESPN+ |
| 12:45 | Vanderbilt (3-1/44) at Georgia (4-0/7) | SEC | GEO -25.5 | GEO | GEO | SEC Network |
| 1:00 | W Michigan (2-2/103) at Buffalo (2-2/119) | MAC | WMI -12.5 | WMI | BUFF | ESPN+ |
| 1:00 | Valparaiso (1-3/196) at Morehead St (1-3/201) | PFL | VAL -2.5 | VAL | VAL | ESPN+ |
| 1:00 | Marist (2-2/153) at Stetson (1-3/216) | PFL | MARI -14.5 | MARI | STET | YouTube |
| 1:00 | Towson (0-5/259) at Monmouth (3-2/190) | CAA | MONM -10.5 | MONM | MONM | FloFootball |
| 1:00 | Morgan St (3-1/195) at Villanova (2-3/227) | MEAC/PAT | VILL -11.0 | MORG | MORG | ESPN+ |
| 1:00 | Dayton (3-0/156) at Drake (1-3/179) | PFL | DAY -5.5 | DAY | DRAK | ESPN+ |
| 1:00 | Elon (4-1/130) at New Hampshire (1-4/248) | CAA | ELON -11.0 | ELON | NHAM | FloFootball |
| 1:30 | Mercer (3-2/183) at VMI (0-5/254) | SoCon | MERC -35.0 | MERC | VMI | ESPN+ |
| 1:30 | Penn (1-1/169) at Dartmouth (0-2/187) | IVY | DART -7.5 | PENN | PENN | ESPN+ |
| 2:00 | Toledo (3-1/74) at Ball St (1-3/142) | MAC | TOL -21.5 | TOL | TOL | ESPN+ |
| 2:00 | Wofford (2-3/194) at Furman (2-3/217) | SoCon | NL | WOFF | — | ESPN+ |
| 2:00 | Norfolk St (3-2/210) at Robert Morris (2-2/193) | MEAC/NEC | NL | RM | — | NEC Front Row |
| 2:00 | Citadel (1-3/203) at SC St (5-0/128) | SoCon/MEAC | SCST -19.5 | SCST | SCST | MEAC Network |
| 2:00 | Murray St (1-4/263) at North Dakota (4-1/147) | MFC | NDAK -35.5 | NDAK | MURR | ESPN+ |
| 3:00 | Howard (1-3/265) / Hampton (1-4/258) (N) | MEAC/CAA | HOW -9.5 | HAMP | HAMP | HBCUGo |
| 3:00 | Prairie View (2-3/222) at MS Valley (1-4/238) | SWAC | PV -28.0 | PV | MSVL | SWAC TV |
| 3:00 | Indiana St (2-3/197) at South Dakota (3-2/152) | MFC | SDAK -18.5 | SDAK | INST | ESPN+ |
| 3:00 | Alcorn St (3-2/206) at Grambling (2-2/243) | SWAC | GRAM -6.5 | ACST | ACST | SWAC TV |
| 3:30 | Florida (4-0/6) at Missouri (3-1/28) | SEC | FLA -5.5 | FLA | FLA | ABC |
| 3:30 | Akron (1-3/161) at C Michigan (2-2/100) | MAC | CMI -6.5 | CMI | CMI | ESPN+ |
| 3:30 | Ohio (2-2/96) at Kent St (2-2/118) | MAC | OHIO -3.5 | OHIO | KTST | ESPN+ |
| 3:30 | Old Dominion (1-3/140) at Georgia St (3-1/58) | SUN | GAST -2.5 | GAST | GAST | ESPN+ |
| 3:30 | Ohio St (3-1/15) at Iowa (4-0/20) | B10 | OHST -14.5 | IOWA | IOWA | CBS |
| 3:30 | California (2-2/93) at UNLV (2-2/84) | ACC/MWC | UNLV -2.5 | UNLV | UNLV | CBS Sports |
| 3:30 | Samford (1-3/182) at UAB (2-2/108) | SoCon/AAC | UAB -30.5 | UAB | SAM | ESPN+ |
| 3:30 | Virginia (3-1/34) at Florida St (2-2/63) | ACC | VIR -1.5 | VIR | VIR | ESPN2 |
| 3:30 | Louisville (2-2/64) at NC St (2-2/72) | ACC | LOU -3.5 | LOU | NCST | ACC Network |
| 3:30 | Bowling Green (0-4/177) at Miami OH (2-2/83) | MAC | MIAO -12.5 | MIAO | MIAO | ESPN+ |
| 3:30 | Wyoming (2-2/110) at North Dakota St (4-0/26) | MWC | NDST -17.5 | NDST | NDST | The CW |
| 3:30 | Auburn (3-1/32) at Tennessee (3-1/29) | SEC | TENN -6.5 | TENN | TENN | ESPN |
| 3:30 | E Michigan (2-3/126) at UMASS (4-0/25) | MAC | UMAS -5.5 | UMAS | UMAS | ESPN+ |
| 3:30 | Chattanooga (3-2/137) at E Tenn St (3-2/200) | SoCon | ETSU -3.5 | CHAT | CHAT | ESPN+ |
| 3:30 | Sacred Heart (1-3/207) at Maine (1-4/245) | CAA | MAIN -2.5 | SH | SH | FloFootball |
| 3:30 | Holy Cross (1-4/244) at William & Mary (2-3/240) | PAT | W&M -4.5 | HC | HC | ESPN+ |
| 3:30 | Delaware St (3-2/192) at Albany (2-3/170) | MEAC/CAA | ALB -2.5 | ALB | ALB | FloFootball |
| 3:45 | Marshall (3-1/85) at James Madison (4-0/24) | SUN | JMU -18.5 | JMU | JMU | ESPNU |
| 4:00 | Maryland (2-2/76) at Nebraska (4-0/11) | B10 | NEB -14.5 | NEB | NEB | Fox Sports 1 |
| 4:00 | UTEP (1-3/173) at New Mexico (3-1/50) | MWC | NMEX -22.5 | NMEX | NMEX | MW+ |
| 4:00 | N Colorado (2-3/186) at Montana (4-1/141) | SKY | MONT -26.5 | MONT | NCOL | ESPN+ |
| 4:00 | Davidson (2-3/209) at San Diego (1-3/225) | PFL | SDIE -16.5 | DAV | DAV | ESPN+ |
| 4:00 | TN St (1-3/246) at W Illinois (2-3/218) | BSOV | WILL -12.5 | WILL | WILL | ESPN+ |
| 4:00 | Alabama St (3-1/165) at Bethune (2-2/232) | SWAC | ALST -7.5 | ALST | BETH | SWAC TV |
| 4:15 | Purdue (1-3/104) at Illinois (2-2/68) | B10 | ILL -10.5 | ILL | ILL | Big Ten Network |
| 4:15 | Kentucky (3-1/46) at South Carolina (2-2/60) | SEC | SCAR -2.5 | KENY | KENY | SEC Network |
| 5:00 | New Haven (1-4/214) at Austin Peay (4-1/133) | NEC/UAC | NL | AP | — | ESPN+ |
| 5:00 | Youngstown St (3-2/171) at S Illinois (3-2/175) | MFC | YST -3.5 | YST | YST | ESPN+ |
| 5:00 | Alabama A&M (4-1/136) / Jackson St (4-0/145) (N) | SWAC | JAST -9.5 | ALAM | ALAM | SWAC TV |
| 6:00 | Oregon St (2-2/88) at Colorado St (2-2/111) | PAC | ORST -6.5 | ORST | COST | USA |
| 6:00 | TX Southern (1-3/226) at FAU (3-1/57) | SWAC/AAC | FAU -44.5 | FAU | FAU | ESPN+ |
| 6:00 | NC A&T (1-4/236) at Bryant (3-1/160) | CAA | BRY -14.5 | BRY | BRY | FloFootball |
| 6:00 | North Alabama (3-2/176) at E Kentucky (1-3/231) | UAC | EKY -1.5 | NALA | NALA | ESPN+ |
| 6:00 | Campbell (4-1/157) at NC Central (2-3/213) | CAA/MEAC | CAMP -11.0 | CAMP | NCC | MEAC Network |
| 6:00 | Incarnate Word (2-2/219) at Steph F Austin (5-0/101) | SLAN | NL | SFA | — | ESPN+ |
| 6:00 | Gardner Webb (1-4/174) at Chrls So (2-2/199) | BSOV | NL | GWEB | — | ESPN+ |
| 6:00 | TN Tech (4-0/109) at W Carolina (2-3/198) | SoCon | TNTC -9.5 | TNTC | WCAR | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | UTSA (3-1/62) at Rice (1-3/132) | AAC | UTSA -12.5 | UTSA | UTSA | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | ULM (0-4/180) at South Alabama (2-2/102) | SUN | SALA -14.5 | SALA | SALA | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | Arkansas (2-2/73) at Texas A&M (2-2/65) | SEC | TAM -13.5 | TAM | ARK | ESPN2 |
| 7:00 | BYU (3-0/13) at TCU (2-2/71) | B12 | BYU -6.5 | BYU | BYU | ESPN |
| 7:00 | Ga Southern (1-3/134) at Coastal (1-3/131) | SUN | GASO -2.5 | CCAR | CCAR | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | Nwestern St (0-5/253) at Lamar (3-1/162) | SLAN | NL | LAM | — | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | Chicago St (1-4/215) at Tarleton (4-0/97) | FCSIND/UAC | TAR -49.5 | TAR | CHST | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | Ark Pine Bluff (2-2/230) at Southern (2-3/241) | SWAC | SOUT -4.0 | APB | APB | SWAC TV |
| 7:00 | South Dakota St (4-1/135) at Illinois St (4-1/117) | MFC | SDKS -1.5 | ILST | ILST | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | Colgate (4-1/127) at Harvard (2-0/105) | PAT/IVY | HARV -5.5 | HARV | HARV | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | Nicholls (2-3/256) at Houston Chr (2-3/239) | SLAN | NL | HOCH | — | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | Rio Grande (2-3/202) at East Texas (1-4/212) | SLAN | RG -10.5 | RG | ETEX | ESPN+ |
| 7:30 | Texas Tech (4-0/18) at Colorado (2-2/80) | B12 | TXTC -13.5 | TXTC | TXTC | Fox |
| 7:30 | Miami FL (4-0/3) at Clemson (3-1/37) | ACC | MIAF -15.5 | MIAF | MIAF | ABC |
| 7:30 | Washington (3-1/56) at Southern Cal (4-1/35) | B10 | SCAL -9.5 | SCAL | WASH | NBC |
| 7:30 | Utah St (1-3/114) at Boise St (3-1/49) | PAC | BOIS -18.5 | BOIS | BOIS | CBS Sports |
| 7:30 | Army (2-1/81) at LA Tech (1-2/123) | AAC/SUN | ARMY -1.5 | ARMY | ARMY | ESPN+ |
| 7:30 | Temple (1-3/146) at South Florida (4-0/40) | AAC | SFLA -6.5 | SFLA | SFLA | ESPNU |
| 7:45 | McNeese (2-3/189) at LSU (3-1/17) | SLAN/SEC | LSU -53.5 | LSU | LSU | SEC Network |
| 8:00 | Indiana (4-0/12) at Rutgers (1-3/112) | B10 | IND -24.5 | IND | IND | Big Ten Network |
| 8:00 | Arkansas St (2-2/113) at Louisiana (3-1/53) | SUN | LAU -6.5 | LAU | LAU | ESPN+ |
| 8:00 | Weber St (2-3/204) at Cal Poly (3-2/178) | SKY | CP -4.5 | CP | CP | ESPN+ |
| 8:00 | N Arizona (3-2/185) at Idaho St (4-0/77) | SKY | IDST -7.0 | IDST | IDST | ESPN+ |
| 8:00 | West Florida (3-1/151) at Abilene Chr (1-4/224) | UAC | ABCH -4.0 | WFLA | WFLA | ESPN+ |
| 8:00 | S Utah (1-4/211) at Utah Tech (0-5/260) | SKY | SUT -13.5 | SUT | UTTC | ESPN+ |
| 9:30 | Fresno St (3-1/47) at Washington St (1-3/138) | PAC | WAST -2.5 | FRST | FRST | USA |
| 10:30 | Baylor (3-1/39) at Arizona St (2-1/70) | B12 | AZST -3.5 | BAY | BAY | ESPN |
| 10:30 | Texas St (2-2/92) at San Diego St (1-3/129) | PAC | TXST -9.5 | TXST | SDST | The CW |
| 10:30 | E Washington (1-4/228) at UC Davis (3-2/191) | SKY | UCD -9.5 | UCD | UCD | ESPN2 |
| 11:00 | Cincinnati (4-0/16) at Arizona (3-1/42) | B12 | ARIZ -6.5 | CIN | CIN | Fox |
| MID | San Jose St (2-2/99) at Hawaii (1-3/148) | MWC | HAW -3.5 | SJST | SJST | MW+ |
…..
That’s it for today. Tune in tomorrow for the next iteration of the GCR Top 266 – will we have yet another Top Team? Thank you for reading, commenting, and sharing with others. Until tomorrow, JoJo and G
