2026 MAC Football Week 4 Game Preview: South Florida Bulls at Bowling Green Falcons

Eddie George and Brian Hartline both rose to football fame in the state of Ohio. During illustrious Ohio State careers, George won the Heisman Trophy in 1995, while Hartline won a national championship in 2007.

After productive NFL careers, both former Buckeyes traded in the cleats for headsets.

Hartline finally left his alma mater after eight years of service as a receivers coach for his first head coaching opportunity at South Florida. So far, it’s off to a stellar start, as he leads one of two undefeated teams in the American Conference.

George is in his second season leading Bowling Green and fifth overall as a head man. Last year, he was able to secure several statement victories at Doyt Perry Stadium, including wins over Liberty and archrival Toledo. He’ll look for another against Hartline’s Bulls.

The two Buckeye greats will battle it out in the state of Ohio this Saturday.

Game notes

• Time and date: Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time
• Location: Doyt L. Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio
• Network: The game will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. A valid subscription is required for viewing.
• Bowling Green radio: Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (color) will provide the BGSU call for Eagle FM 99.
• Spread: South Florida is a 17.5-point favorite, with an over/under of 48.5.
• All-time series: South Florida leads, 1-0, with the last meeting ending with a final score of South Florida 29, Bowling Green 7 (November 16, 2002).

South Florida Bulls outlook

South Florida (3-0, 1-0 American) hasn’t won with style points under Brian Hartline, but that’s not important, because they’re winning ball games and sport an undefeated record after three weeks.

The Bulls have overcome early game adversity in all three matchups this year, outlasting FIU in a defensive war of attrition, stunning Army with a 10-point comeback in the final five minutes, and playing a tightly contested first half against FCS Delaware State before dominating after the break.

There has been one central theme of all three wins: South Florida is a fourth-quarter team. The Bulls’ highest scoring output in each game has been in the final stanza, outscoring opponents 44-16 through three contests.

South Florida’s offense isn’t generating its 2025 numbers, but the Bulls are improving on a weekly basis. Quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. has shown increasingly more comfort since the second half of the Army game, where he led two touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter. The former Mississippi State and LSU starter is fresh off his first 300-yard showing since 2024, and he has refrained from mistakes this year, owning a 66.3 completion rate without an interception. With help from the offensive line, he’s done a good job avoiding sacks too, and he’s only taken two on the season.

Van Buren turned this pocket elusiveness into a team-high 45 rushing yards at Army. But in the other games, he hasn’t utilized his legs as much. Instead, D.J. Crowther and Jason Collins Jr. are making it their mission to keep the Bulls’ run game churning. Crowther posted the first 100-yard run game last week, supplemented with three touchdowns, but the Bulls have yet to generate a 60-yard rusher against FBS competition this year.

While most of USF’s offensive production can be attributed to transfers, one holdover particularly stands out. Wide receiver Joshua Porter burned Army’s coverage for the game-winning touchdown in Week 2, and he’s currently the leading receiver for the Bulls with 181 yards. Big Ten transfers Bryson Rodgers and Arhmad Branch are also steady contributors in a unit that’s still learning to gel.

The most impressive component of the Bulls’ 3-0 start has been the rebuilt defense under former East Carolina defensive coordinator Josh Aldridge. USF ranks third in the American with 16.7 points allowed per game, and it gets off the field when it needs to, sporting the best third down defense in the conference. It’s a bend-don’t-break unit. The Bulls allowed between 350-390 yards in all three games, but that production hasn’t translated to the scoreboard.

USF’s ability to generate turnovers is one reason for that. The Bulls, which tied for ninth in takeaways last season, are sustaining the trend this year with a 5-1 advantage thus far. Safety Tavin Ward was the only primary starter retained from 2025’s opportunistic defense, and he’s off to a stellar start to 2026 with 16 tackles and an interception. Ward is one of four defensive backs included in the team’s top seven tacklers. USF is required to make a slew of stops in the secondary considering it ranks 92nd nationally in pass defense — and that’s in a three-game sample size with one matchup being against run-heavy Army.

Bowling Green Falcons outlook

Bowling Green (0-3, 0-0 MAC) will finally shut the door on a disappointing non-conference slate after Saturday. The Falcons are one of seven winless FBS teams and one of six teams to drop a game to FCS competition this year, falling in wire-to-wire fashion to Tarleton State in the opener. The FCS upset in the home opener is the most significant blemish on Bowling Green’s schedule, but the other results weren’t great either.

The Falcons lost road matchups at Nebraska and Iowa State by a combined score of 111-14. They’ve struggled mightily in all three facets to stumble to their first 0-3 start since 2020.

Bowling Green ranks last in the FBS in scoring offense (9.0 points per game), last in total offense (240 yards per game), second-to-last in scoring defense (43.7 points allowed per game), and second-to-last in total defense (506 yards allowed per game). The Falcons are on the wrong side of explosives in both facets, allowing the most 20-yard plays per game in the country, while producing just one 30-yard pickup all season. And they’ve also allowed two special teams return touchdowns.

So, let’s find a positive. Bowling Green is first in the MAC and tied for 10th nationally in fewest sacks allowed, only surrendering two all season, despite attempting 68 passes. The Falcons’ offensive line has provided sturdy protection for quarterback Jay Kastantin, who had an efficient 24-of-30, 262-yard opener in the near comeback against Tarleton State. Bowling Green hasn’t eclipsed 100 passing yards in either of the two games since, but Kastantin’s efficiency has been satisfactory for a first-time FBS starter– especially considering he was playing Division II football this time last year.

Bowling Green fields the nation’s 132nd ranked rushing offense, and the unit only averages 2.8 yards per carry. Toward the end of last season, the Falcons appeared to unlock a star in Austyn Dendy, a six-foot-one, 230-pound running back who rushed for 110+ yards in each of his final three outings. Dendy’s potential is clear, but Bowling Green is still waiting to unlock him in 2026 after a slower start.

Tight end Jeremiah Scoby has been the most productive offensive player to date. Scoby has 14 receptions for 138 yards, when the next closest Falcon receiver has eight and 98, respectively. Thanks to Scoby’s scolding start, Bowling Green is on track for a fourth-straight season of its tight end leading the receiving yards category.

The main defensive stalwart has been middle linebacker Dorian Pringle. The redshirt sophomore only registered 29 tackles in his first two seasons combined, but through three games this year, he has a team-high 32 — tied for eighth in the FBS.

Cornerback JoJo Johnson, who ranked second nationally with 13 pass breakups a year ago, missed the Iowa State game due to injury and his status remains unknown against South Florida. Johnson is already on an All-MAC pace in 2026, producing one of the team’s two interceptions and the lone fumble recovery in just two appearances.

Prediction

This is the only Week 4 matchup between a 3-0 team and an 0-3 counterpart. While the winless team benefits from homefield advantage — where Bowling Green finished 3-3 last season, compared to 1-5 on the road — the Bulls enjoy advantages in most position groups.

Brian Hartline brought in one of the top transfer classes in the American Conference, and while growing pains have been evident at moments in games, the Bulls continue to get stronger as time progresses. Michael Van Buren, D.J. Crowther, and Joshua Porter shouldn’t face much resistance from statistically the second-worst defense in the country. Meanwhile, the Bulls’ defense, which hasn’t given up more than 24 this year, stifles Bowling Green to one touchdown at most.

South Florida starts 4-0 for the first time since 2018, while Bowling Green remains winless heading into MAC play.

Prediction: South Florida 38, Bowling Green 6