Last year saw Bowling Green secure its first winning season since 2015. The Falcons finished the regular season 7-5 and 5-3 in MAC play before losing in the Quick Lane Bowl for the second consecutive season. They had a rough start to the year but won five of their final six regular season games, with the only loss during that span coming to Toledo by one point.
It feels like head coach Scot Loeffler has finally turned this program around, and his sixth season here should be his best yet. It took a few tough seasons and some patience, but the Falcons are once again a MAC contender and currently have the third-best odds to win the league title behind Miami (Ohio) and Toledo.
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
Bowling Green Football’s MAC Title Odds
Bowling Green’s odds to win the MAC are +600, via BetMGM.
Bowling Green Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
Bowling Green’s win total Over/Under is 6.5, with the Over at +100 and the Under at -120.
Bowling Green Football’s 2024 Schedule
8/29 vs Fordham
9/7 at Penn State
9/21 at Texas A&M
9/28 vs Old Dominion
10/12 vs Northern Illinois
10/19 vs Kent State
10/26 at Toledo
11/5 at Central Michigan
11/12 vs Western Michigan
11/23 at Ball State
11/29 vs Miami (Ohio)
Bold indicates MAC contests
Key Bowling Green Football Returners
2023 All-MAC First Team
TE Harold Fannin Jr.
Second Team
RB Terion Stewart
CB Jordan Oladokun
Third Team
OL Alex Wollschlaeger
For more Group of Five coverage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Terion Stewart, Harold Fannin Jr. Headline Experienced Bowling Green Group
Talk about a dangerous duo.
Running back Terion Stewart and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. are two of the best offensive players in the conference heading into the season.
Despite both players missing multiple games last year, they still finished among the league’s best in production. Stewart missed the final four games but was seventh in the conference in touchdowns (eight) while his 84.7 yards per game ranked fourth. Next to Antario Brown (Northern Illinois) and Jalen Buckley (Western Michigan), Stewart is among the best RBs in the conference and could be BGSU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Fred Coppet in 2016.
Fannin missed two games but still was sixth in the MAC with 623 yards while his six TDs tied for second most. He’s big, fast, and athletic. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end is a nightmare for both linebackers and defensive backs to cover, posing matchup problems all over the field.
These two will need to stay healthy for BGSU to be a threat. Fannin also established a solid connection with Connor Bazelak, who should remain the Falcons’ starting quarterback.
Bazelak had early struggles in 2024 but bounced back and started 11 games, finishing with 1,935 passing yards and 12 TDs. He’ll have some friendly QB competition with Camden Orth potentially taking some snaps and mixing up the offense. Orth is a good runner and played in every game last season. His 208 rushing yards were third most on the roster. Bazelak has plenty of Power Four experience, however, and started for both Missouri and Indiana prior to joining BGSU.
There’s likely to be only one underclassmen starting between the offense and defense, and that is transfer cornerback Edward Rhambo. The sophomore started five games for Northern Arizona last year. Along with other defensive backs Darius McClendon and CJ Brown, Rhambo is one of three transfers who are likely to earn starting roles. All three should fit in nicely with returning second-team All-MAC selection Jordan Oladukon. The front six starters will all be seniors except for junior linebacker Joseph Sipp, who is the leading returning tackler for this defense.
2024 Bowling Green Football Season Prediction
I don’t think Bowling Green will win the MAC this season, but I won’t count them out on making a run to the MAC title game.
The MAC did away with divisions this year and instead three sets of four teams will all play each other and the top two teams in the conference will make it to the championship. In the Falcons’ pod is Toledo and NIU — two of the top four teams in the conference. This could pose some issues for BGSU, but the Falcons do play Toledo and Miami at home. If the Falcons can pull out the win in one of these games then that will create some havoc in the league.
There’s a lot to like about BGSU, and the culture seems to be great, especially if there are all-conference players transferring in from other teams around the MAC. Loeffler’s squad should find itself in another bowl game come December as he seeks his first postseason victory and the Falcons seek their first conference title since 2015.
