Five Levels, One Saturday: TLP's Games Of The Week, Week 7

Five levels. Ten games. One Saturday.

Watch the Week 7 episode on YouTube.

College football is not one sport with a few small cousins. It is five sports that happen to share a name, and each one has fans who deserve a game to circle. This week TLP gives every level its own Marquee game and its own Honorable Mention, and the column climbs from the bottom to the top.

Every game below is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, and every one carries a TLP Watch Score (TWS) with its actual denominator.

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JUCO

JUCO is junior college: football at two-year colleges.

Marquee — Southwestern at Riverside — TLP Watch Score: 45 out of 50

Two unbeaten teams, one on offense and one on defense, and the home side is celebrating homecoming.

Southwestern College and Riverside City College are both 6–0 and 3–0 in conference play. A winner becomes 7–0 and 4–0. A loser falls to 6–1 and 3–1.

Riverside beat Chaffey 52–28 on Oct. 8. Quarterback Christopher Cooper completed 20 of 31 passes for 380 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Eric Osorio caught four passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns, including scores of 43 and 94 yards, and Mahki Gray-Virgil opened the game with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Southwestern beat Palomar 24–10 the same day, and its defense is the story. Palomar gained only 15 rushing yards. Carson Curtis had two sacks, and Brady Eads had eight tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. On offense, Caleb Blocker ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns, his second straight 100-yard game, and Dominic Duran passed for 266 yards. Those are one-game numbers, not season averages.

Kevin Craft is Riverside’s head coach, and Tom Craft is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Oscar Rodriguez Jr. is Southwestern’s head coach and also coordinates the defense and secondary. After the Palomar win he talked about assignments under fatigue and keeping the standard high after a win.

Riverside won 69–42 at Southwestern on Oct. 18, 2025. Riverside is 3–0 at home. Southwestern is 2–0 on the road.

TLP’s pick: Riverside, 35–28. The big-play passing game and the home setting carry it, and Blocker plus Southwestern’s pressure keep it close.

How to watch: 5 p.m. Eastern, 2 p.m. Pacific, at Wheelock Stadium in Riverside, California. Video is on FloCollege. No radio broadcast is listed, so the school’s free live stats are the backup.

Honorable Mention — Coalinga at Shasta — 41 out of 50. Shasta is 6–0 and Coalinga is 4–2, and both are 1–0 in league play, so the winner moves to 2–0. Shasta’s record includes a forfeit win, so it is a 6–0 record rather than six played victories. Kickoff is 4 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Pacific, in Redding, California. Shasta’s official schedule links to its Hudl page for video. TLP’s pick: Shasta, 31–21.

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HBCU

HBCU means historically Black colleges and universities. For the full HBCU experience, watch HBCU Games Of The Week. The whole HBCU landscape is covered there, and its game selections can differ from this one because the shows use different criteria.

Marquee — Edward Waters at Benedict — TLP Watch Score: 46 out of 50

An unbeaten SIAC record visits Benedict’s homecoming, and Benedict has won every meeting in the recorded series since 2021.

Edward Waters is No. 1 and Benedict is No. 6 in the Black College Football Poll’s Division II ranking (the Oct. 11 edition, published Oct. 12). Both are 5–1. Edward Waters is 4–0 in the SIAC, and Benedict is 3–1.

Edward Waters scores 42.3 points and throws for 327.8 yards per game, but it allows 37.3 points. It beat Kentucky State 61–42 on Oct. 3 after trailing 28–14 at halftime, with Tavion Faulk throwing for 498 yards and four touchdowns and Izaiah Jean-Baptiste catching 10 passes for 114 yards. Last weekend was a bye. Brian Jenkins Sr. is the head coach.

Benedict allows 18.3 points and 174.7 passing yards per game, and it runs for 205.5 yards. On Oct. 10 it beat Allen 37–24, blocking three punts and forcing four turnovers. Jett Peddy threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns, and Reece Dobard caught three passes for 97 yards and both scores. Ron Dickerson Jr. is the head coach, with passing-game experience from his time at West Florida. The two teams have played different opponents, so direct comparisons are limited.

Edward Waters’ record shows four meetings since 2021, all Benedict wins, most recently 31–27 on Oct. 18, 2025 in Jacksonville and 31–28 in Columbia the year before. Benedict is 2–0 in its home-designated games, and Edward Waters is 2–1 away.

TLP’s pick: Benedict, 34–31. The defense and the punt-block pressure win it, and Edward Waters’ rested, explosive passing offense makes it a one-possession game.

How to watch: 2 p.m. Eastern at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, on ESPN Plus. No game-specific radio is listed, so Benedict’s free live stats are the backup.

Honorable Mention — Grambling State at Alabama A&M — 91 out of 100. No. 4 Grambling (4–2, 2–1 SWAC) visits No. 3 Alabama A&M (5–2, 2–1) on Alabama A&M’s homecoming, in the Black College Football Poll’s FCS ranking. Grambling beat Jackson State 45–38 on Oct. 10, with Jacobe Robinson responsible for five touchdowns. Alabama A&M beat Bethune-Cookman 55–17 and allows 18.4 points a game against Grambling’s 37.7 scored. The Tigers lead the series 23–9 and won 13–10 last year. Kickoff is 3 p.m. Eastern, 2 p.m. Central, at Louis Crews Stadium in Huntsville, on SWAC TV, with WJAB 90.9 FM on the radio. TLP’s pick: Alabama A&M, 38–31. The defense and the 4–0 home record beat the comeback offense.

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FCS

FCS is the Football Championship Subdivision: NCAA Division I football with its own national championship playoff.

Marquee — South Dakota State at North Dakota — TLP Watch Score: 81 out of 100

A rested No. 1 carries its ground game into a dome where the home team has not lost this season.

South Dakota State is No. 1 and North Dakota is No. 11 in the Oct. 12 Stats Perform poll. South Dakota State is 5–1 and 2–0 in the Missouri Valley, with four straight wins and an Oct. 10 bye. North Dakota is 5–2 and 2–1, lost 24–17 at Northern Iowa on Oct. 10, and is 3–0 at home. A win makes South Dakota State 6–1 and 3–0, or North Dakota 6–2 and 3–1. No playoff clinch is at stake.

South Dakota State averages 40.8 points, 503.7 yards and 291.8 rushing yards, and it allows 16.0 points and 117.3 rushing yards. North Dakota averages 38.9 points, 458.7 yards and 213.0 rushing yards, and it allows 27.3 points and 105.9 rushing yards. Josiah Johnson has 680 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 103 carries for State, and Grahm Goering has 19 catches for 309 yards. North Dakota’s Charles Langama has 454 rushing yards and five touchdowns, Deng Deng has 478 receiving yards, and Braden Mohr has 7.5 sacks.

State’s most recent game, a 31–14 win at Illinois State on Oct. 3, included three forced turnovers and only 92 rushing yards allowed. Dan Jackson is in his second year as State’s head coach, with a background in defensive backs and special teams. Eric Schmidt is in his second year as North Dakota’s head coach, and he played linebacker there.

State won 34–31 in overtime at North Dakota on Nov. 22, 2025 and has won the last five in the series. North Dakota plays at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, an indoor stadium, on Family Weekend with a White Out.

TLP’s pick: South Dakota State, 31–24. The ground game, the scoring defense and the extra rest carry it, and North Dakota’s home record and run defense make it a fight.

How to watch: 2 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Central, on Midco Sports, ESPN Plus and Midco Sports Plus. Both schools have free radio, including 96.1 The Fox for North Dakota.

Honorable Mention — Northern Iowa at Youngstown State — 76 out of 100. No. 19 Northern Iowa (3–2, 2–0 Missouri Valley) goes to No. 6 Youngstown State (5–2, 3–1) in the Oct. 12 Stats Perform poll. Youngstown quarterback Beau Brungard has 1,821 passing yards and 17 touchdown passes, plus 567 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. Kickoff is 6 p.m. Eastern at Stambaugh Stadium in Youngstown, Ohio, on ESPN Plus, with 570 WKBN on the radio. TLP’s pick: Youngstown State, 31–24. Brungard at home is hard to stop.

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GROUP OF SIX

The Group of Six is the six FBS conferences outside the Power Four: the American, Conference USA, the Mid-American, the Mountain West, the Pac-12 and the Sun Belt. The name Group of Five was in documented use during the 2012 negotiations over access to major bowls, before the playoff replaced the BCS in 2014. It became six after ten of the Pac-12’s twelve schools left in 2024, the NCAA removed the league’s autonomy status, and the Pac-12 rebuilt and relaunched on July 1, 2026 with nine full members, eight of them playing football. No separate Group of Six admission process is established in the reviewed records. The College Football Playoff’s rules now list it with the other five, and this season the highest-ranked team from those six conferences, champion or not, gets an automatic playoff spot. These conferences compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the sport’s top division, alongside the Power Four.

Marquee — UNLV at Air Force — TLP Watch Score: 69 out of 100

A team that gains 439 yards without throwing a pass against a defense that scored last week without an offensive touchdown.

UNLV is 4–2 and 2–0 in the Mountain West. Air Force is 4–1 and 2–1. Both have won three straight, and ESPN’s model has them nearly even. A UNLV win makes it 3–0 in conference play, and an Air Force win makes it 3–1. No clinch is claimed.

Through Oct. 10, Air Force averaged 28.8 points and 325.6 rushing yards, with just 74.4 passing yards, and it converts 53.8 percent of its third downs. UNLV averages 23.0 points and allows 20.8, with 141.3 rushing yards allowed per game. Air Force beat NIU 28–7 on Oct. 10 with 439 yards, all of them rushing, and converted 10 of 13 third downs. Owen Allen and Evan Medders each scored twice on the ground, and Blake Fletcher had 11 tackles and an interception.

UNLV beat North Dakota State 13–7 the same day without an offensive touchdown. Andre Porter returned an interception 23 yards for a score, the defense picked off three passes, and Ramon Villela kicked two field goals. Jai’Den Thomas ran for 112 yards on 22 carries. Jackson Arnold has 1,140 passing yards and eight touchdown passes, plus 330 rushing yards and five rushing scores.

Dan Mullen is in his second year at UNLV, after a 10–4 first season. Troy Calhoun is in his 20th season at Air Force, having arrived in 2007 from the Houston Texans’ offensive staff. UNLV won 51–48 in Las Vegas on Oct. 11, 2025, and 31–27 at Falcon Stadium in 2023. Air Force is 2–1 at home.

TLP’s pick: Air Force, 27–24, with modest confidence. The ground game, third-down conversions and the home setting give Air Force the edge, and UNLV’s takeaways make it a one-possession game. Watch whether UNLV forces long third downs on early downs, whether its offense can score without a defensive touchdown, and whether one takeaway or kicking sequence decides it.

How to watch: 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 1:30 p.m. Mountain, at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, on CBS Sports Network. KVOR 740 AM carries the game for Air Force, and UNLV’s radio home is ESPN 1100 AM and 100.9 FM.

Honorable Mention — Georgia State at James Madison — 57 out of 100. James Madison is 6–0 and 3–0 in the Sun Belt, on homecoming, with an 11-game conference winning streak. Georgia State is 4–1 and 1–0, rested after beating Old Dominion 42–10 on Oct. 3. James Madison won 27–24 at Georgia Southern on Oct. 10 and won last year’s meeting 14–7. Kickoff is noon Eastern at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia, on ESPNU, with WSVA 550 AM and 92.1 FM on the radio. TLP’s pick: James Madison, 27–17.

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POWER FOUR

The Power Four is the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12 and Southeastern conferences: college football’s richest and most powerful conference group, at the top of the FBS landscape.

Marquee — Ohio State at Indiana — TLP Watch Score: 86 out of 100

Last December it was 13–10. This October, the number is 22.

No. 4 Ohio State is 5–1 and 3–0 in the Big Ten. No. 5 Indiana is 6–0 and 3–0 (AP poll, Oct. 11). ESPN’s Football Power Index ranks them third and seventh and gives Ohio State a 52.1 percent chance, Indiana 47.9. That is model probability, not betting information. Indiana won the Dec. 6, 2025 Big Ten Championship Game 13–10, ending a 29-win series run for Ohio State that began in 1991, and it arrives on a 22-game winning streak. A win makes either team 4–0 in the Big Ten, and Indiana’s streak 23. At 86, it is the Power Four’s top score, ahead of Missouri at Ole Miss at 71.

Last week Indiana trailed Nebraska 17–6 in the fourth quarter before Josh Hoover found Nick Marsh for touchdowns of 75 and 44 yards. Marsh finished with 187 yards and two scores.

Ohio State averages 42.7 points and 503.5 yards, with 337.8 passing and 165.7 rushing, and allows 13.2 points and 96.2 rushing yards. Indiana averages 40.2 points and 462.7 yards, with 241.3 passing and 221.3 rushing, and allows 11.8 points and 75.0 rushing yards. Indiana has 20 sacks to Ohio State’s 9. These came against different schedules, so they are descriptions, not forecasts.

Julian Sayin has 1,772 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and two interceptions. Jeremiah Smith has 48 catches for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns. Hoover has 1,364 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and no interceptions, and Turbo Richard has 71 carries for 597 yards and five touchdowns.

Ryan Day is in his eighth season at Ohio State, with an 87–13 record. Curt Cignetti is in his third at Indiana at 33–2, and 19–0 at Memorial Stadium through Oct. 10. Indiana is 4–0 at home this season. The last Bloomington meeting was Ohio State 23–3 in 2023.

PFF’s 2026 team grades, rechecked Oct. 14:

PFF grade	Ohio State	Indiana
Overall	96.1	95.2
Defense	92.8	91.2
Pass blocking	71.2	83.8
Coverage	93.0	81.0
Run defense	92.6	93.5
Special teams	67.0	90.3

PFF also grades Smith 94.5 on offense, Sayin 90.8 passing, Hoover 80.8 passing and Richard 89.2 rushing. These are season grades.

Five keys

1. Locate Smith. His 11 touchdowns and 94.5 offensive grade meet Indiana’s 81.0 coverage grade.
2. Protect Sayin. Ohio State’s 71.2 pass blocking meets Indiana’s 20 sacks.
3. Sustain Indiana’s ground game. Its 221.3 rushing yards and Richard’s 89.2 grade meet Ohio State’s 92.6 run defense.
4. Preserve Hoover’s ball security. His 17 touchdowns and no interceptions meet Ohio State’s 93.0 coverage grade.
5. Finish drives and win field position. Indiana scores in the red zone 91.7 percent of the time and grades 90.3 on special teams, to Ohio State’s 86.7 percent and 67.0.

Three things to watch live: whether Ohio State’s first two drives are disrupted before routes develop, whether Indiana stays out of third-and-long early, and touchdowns versus field goals on each side’s first two red-zone possessions.

TLP’s pick: Indiana, 24–21. Ohio State has the better coverage and the better passing game, but in a three-point game Indiana’s 20 sacks, its 90.3 special teams grade, its ground game and a home stadium where Cignetti is 19–0 get the call.

How to watch: noon Eastern at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana, on FOX and the FOX One app. FOX is free over the air with an antenna where reception is available. Audio is the Indiana Sports Radio Network or the Ohio State Sports Network and 97.1 The Fan.

Honorable Mention — Missouri at Ole Miss — 71 out of 100. No. 13 Missouri (5–1) visits No. 9 Ole Miss (4–1) on Ole Miss’s homecoming, both 2–1 in the SEC (AP poll, Oct. 11). Jamal Roberts has 828 rushing yards and eight touchdowns for Missouri against an Ole Miss defense that allows 176.4 rushing yards a game. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 2:30 p.m. Central, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, on SEC Network. Missouri’s official Listen page and the Varsity Network carry the radio. TLP’s pick: Ole Miss, 31–27. The home setting wins it, and the defense has to slow Roberts.

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The week in one line

Forty-five. Forty-six. Eighty-one. Sixty-nine. Eighty-six. One at the top of every level, and every one of them has something left to settle.

Pick your level. Turn it on. Find your game.

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SOURCES

PFF grades are from PFF’s 2026 data, filtered to NCAA, regular and postseason, rechecked Oct. 14. There is no comparable PFF team table for the other levels, so those segments use official team, school and conference sources.

Other sources: each school’s game center, schedule, statistics, roster and coaching pages; official game notes, recaps and previews from the schools involved; the AP Top 25 (Oct. 11), the Stats Perform FCS poll (Oct. 12), the Black College Football Poll editions of Oct. 11–12; ESPN’s Football Power Index and game data; the NCAA Division I football championship page; the College Football Playoff selection protocol and revenue pages; and the rebuilt Pac-12’s official launch announcement of July 1, 2026. Broadcast, streaming and radio details are as of Oct. 15, 2026. Verify all entitlements before kickoff.

Official game and broadcast listings:

• Southwestern at Riverside — official listing
• Coalinga at Shasta — official listing
• Edward Waters at Benedict — official listing
• Grambling State at Alabama A&M — official listing
• South Dakota State at North Dakota — official listing
• Northern Iowa at Youngstown State — official listing
• UNLV at Air Force — official listing
• Georgia State at James Madison — official listing
• Ohio State at Indiana — official listing
• Missouri at Ole Miss — official listing

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Harry B. and TLP use AI to research and assist in the publication of this article. AI makes mistakes, so please check for yourself.