Bowling Green

Bowling Green's offseason revolves around replacing significant offensive production lost to the transfer portal, headlined by the departures of receiver RJ Garcia II to FAU and tight end Jacob Harris to Wisconsin. The Falcons grade out 114th nationally in JP+'s preseason ratings at -8.2 points, with the offense ranking 123rd at -5.5 points after losing 61.5 PPA across 27 portal departures. Drew Pyne returns as the starting quarterback, gaining reinforcement from Oregon transfer Austin Novosad, while the defense projects as the relative strength at 102nd nationally compared to the struggling offensive unit.

JP+ projects 6.2 wins for Bowling Green in a schedule featuring road tests against Iowa State and Nebraska alongside a home matchup with South Florida as the toughest challenges. The gap between that projection and potential bowl eligibility hinges on whether Pyne can maintain effectiveness without his top receiving targets from 2025. If the defense can consistently keep games close and the rebuilt receiving corps develops chemistry quickly, six wins becomes achievable. If not, another disappointing campaign in the MAC looms large.