Head Coach: Bowling Green’s Head Coach is Scot Loeffler. He is entering his 6th year with the program and has a 20-35 record. His record is weighed down because it took a few years to rebuild, but 2023 was his first winning record. He’s brought some notable upsets along the way, twice they’ve won as 30 or more point underdogs, a 20-7 over Toledo in 2019 and a 14-10 win over Minnesota in 2021. There was also the surprise 38-27 win over Georgia Tech last year.
Program Outlook: When I graduated from BG they were coming off back to back MAC championship appearances and on their way to winning another one, then things dropped off immediately, and it’s been nearly a decade lost in the wilderness since then. Bowling Green is coming off a 7-6 season, their first winning season since that MAC championship season back in 2015. Now the Falcons expect to be firmly in MAC championship contention this next season.
How does the 2024 Roster look?: Bowling Green is right up there with other contenders Miami and NIU with the most returning production in the MAC. BG is one of just over 30 FBS teams returning their QB, HC and both coordinators this year. BG used 2 QBs last year Connor Bazelak and Camden Orth, Bazelak is the better passer and Orth can run, bringing the option in, they gave a clear plan with both QBs. They did better than most MAC programs at keeping key players from leaving via the portal but they only added a few players as well. Defense has mostly led the way the last couple years, but that’s the side of the ball that took the heaviest losses off a unit that forced more turnovers than anybody last year. This team in general was chaos on the field, defense took the ball away and the offense gave it back frequently. It’s going to be nearly impossible for the defense to replicate forcing 28 turnovers again, so it will be up to the offense to take better care of the ball.
1 Screenshot from fbschedules.com
2024 Schedule Thoughts: Honestly this schedule is a beast. There isn’t a single easy game in BG’s non-conference schedule, even Fordham from FCS in the opener is a dangerous game. Unless Loeffler has more magic up his sleeve there’s likely pay game losses to Penn State/A&M and Old Dominion will be tough even though it’s at home. Their MAC draw includes fellow contenders Toledo, Miami, NIU, but they also get Kent State, Akron, and avoid Ohio.
Vegas Projection: BG’s win total is set at 6.5 with the odds leaning toward the under. This suggests they will see a slight regression compared to last season’s record, likely due to the tougher schedule.
2024 Best Case: The Loeffler era takes its next step. BG comes out of the OOC schedule at 2-2 but are competitive in their losses to Penn State and Texas A&M. The Falcons then charge through the MAC, they handle all 3 contenders on their way to an undefeated conference record, and aren’t deterred by playing Miami back to back weeks, they take down the Redhawks to win their first MAC championship since 2015. BG closes the deal with an impressive Cure Bowl victory over James Madison, their first bowl win in a decade, and thanks to both Penn State/A&M making the playoff, BG finishes in the top 25! Loeffler doesn’t get poached away either, but Jason Candle is hired away from Toledo by an ACC program.
2024 Worst Case: Fordham is a dangerous FCS opponent, they’ve torched MAC defenses the last 2 years and they make it a 3rd in a row, BG isn’t able to keep up and suffers a devastating opening loss. They don’t have a game to regain confidence either, they end the OOC portion 0-4, and lose a winnable game at Akron to open conference play. This leads to a 1-11 collapse of a season and suddenly the program is starting over again. Meanwhile Toledo goes undefeated and pulls a stunning first round upset in the playoff.
Welcome to Updog Sports Talk 
Leave a comment