Bowling Green Falcons 2026 College Football Preview
Posted June 16, 2026
2025 Recap
Record – 4-8
ATS – 6-6
Year one of the Eddie George era was a bit of a struggle, but that wasn’t totally unexpected. The Falcons were sitting at 3-3 when the season suddenly went GLUG GLUG GLUG down the drain, as they dropped their final five games in a row. The one silver lining? They still managed to knock off Toledo and Liberty — two legit Group of Six programs — which at least proved this team has the talent to compete on the right day.
Bowling Green Falcons 2026 Outlook
OFFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (MAC):
- Scoring Offense: 20.5 PPG (#10 MAC)
- Total Offense: 306.8 YPG (#9 MAC)
- Rushing: 155.5 YPG (#6 MAC)
- Passing: 151.3 YPG (#10 MAC)
- Sacks Allowed: 28 (#10 MAC)
Those offensive numbers weren’t great — bottom third of the MAC in scoring, total offense, and passing — and the pass protection was equally concerning (#10 in sacks allowed). That’s just not going to get it done. New OC Greg Nosal, a longtime Bowling Green assistant and co‑OC since 2022, now takes over as the sole play‑caller under Eddie George.
The good news? The QB situation is getting a YUUUGE upgrade over whatever they were trying last season. The headliner is Austin Novosad, who arrives from — wait for it — OREGON (!). A Ducks‑to‑Falcons transfer is a big deal, and he gives HC George a starter with pedigree and upside. Jay Kastantin (Assumption) produced big‑time at a lower level and brings legit dual‑threat juice to the table.
We’re also happy to report that the Falcons have a sneaky‑good 1‑2 RB combo. Austyn Dendy rattled off three straight 100‑yard games to close last season, and SPICY Charleston Southern transfer Ke’Marion Baldwin (778 yards, 6 TD) was a potent weapon for the Buccaneers in 2025.
The WR/TE room is worrisome. Nobody with more than five receptions last season returns. Richmond transfer Isaiah Dawson (575 yards, 4 TD) is a useful addition, but he’s not going to overwhelm anyone physically (5‑8, 190). Keep an eye on Nick Sowell (6‑5, 210, SC State) and holdover sophomore Winn Sharp. Any way you slice it, the Falcons need unknown quantities to step up, yo.
The offensive line is one of the bigger question marks. They return very little proven production after losing most of their experienced pieces, and the projected starters have limited FBS experience. The size is decent — especially on the edges with tackles like Gabe FUNK — but this is a young, unproven group that will need time to gel.
DEFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (MAC):
- Scoring Defense: 24.3 PPG (#7 MAC)
- Total Defense: 343.1 YPG (#4 MAC)
- Rush Defense: 141.4 YPG (#4 MAC)
- Pass Defense: 201.7 YPG (#7 MAC)
- Sacks: 22 (#9 MAC)
The defense was pretty solid for a 4‑8 squad — top four in the MAC in both total defense and rush defense, and they allowed just 24.3 PPG. That’ll play.
DE Myles Bradley and DT Eriq George return as the top two sack producers (9 combined), giving the front some proven playmakers. They also added experienced bodies through the portal, including former Louisville DT Selah Brown and Kade Kostus, who played 12 games for Central Michigan in 2024. Generating more consistent PENETRATION remains priority No. 1.
LB Dorian Pringle is back after a strong start last season that was cut short by injury, and he remains the clear leader in the middle of the stop unit. Unfortunately, the LB room took a major hit with the departure of several key contributors — most notably 1st Team All‑MAC tackling machine Gideon Lampron (119 tackles, 17.5 TFL). To help offset the losses, Bowling Green brought in some productive transfers, most notably Sanders Ellis from Purdue, who CRUSHED and KILLED with Tennessee State in 2024.
The secondary returns two of its most important pieces: safety Kal‑El Pascal (#2 in tackles) and CB JoJo Johnson, who posted an impossible 13 PBU last season. They also added promising depth through the portal, including NB Armahn Hale (New Mexico State) and CB Drey Braxton (NC Central).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Ruh roh.
The Falcons were very good on special teams last year (#34 per Phil Steele), but now they’ve gotta start from scratch, and it’s anyone’s guess how that SCIENCE EXPERIMENT turns out.
Schedule Analysis
Overall — When you scan this schedule, you can practically hear Chief Brody whisper it: “we’re gonna need a bigger boat.” And he definitely wasn’t talking about a pleasant day on Lake Erie when he dropped that classic line in Jaws back in 1975.
This schedule is absolutely BRUTAL, and a 0–4 start is firmly on the table — three automatic losses in non‑conference play, and don’t sleep on Tarleton State in the opener. The MAC slate is comically difficult. Get this: they play Miami Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan, and Buffalo all on the road. The saving graces are home dates with Ball State, UMass, Kent State, and Sacramento State — those four are circled as the realistic win opportunities.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot — at Iowa St (Sept 19)
After getting POLEAXED at Nebraska on Sept 12, they’ll happily take the massive payday, lose 78–0, and get out of Ames on the FIRST THING SMOKING. Just kidding. Not really.
Season Win Total
Market consensus – June 16
Over 4.5 -160
Under 4.5 +130
MEGALOCKS says:
No leanage.
We have a sneaky suspicion this squad might surprise to the upside, but the schedule feels like too much to overcome.
Note – Our official list of season win total investments will be posted in the blog section of the website.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Bowling Green, Ohio was named after Bowling Green, Kentucky by a postal worker who had once delivered mail there. The city sits in Wood County in northwest Ohio and has a population of roughly 30,000 people. And yes — that’s your Bowling Green FUN FACT of the day, delivered first‑class, no postage due, bay-bee.
The Falcons are just 5–11 in bowl games, with their last win coming back in 2014 when they took down South Alabama in the Camellia Bowl.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
The Falcons struggled in year one under Eddie George, but there are legitimately good things happening under the hood. We like the QB situation no matter how it ultimately shakes out, there’s serious juice in the RB room, and the defense feels extremely underrated heading into the season. Of course, the WR room and offensive line keep us up at night, and good luck getting to a bowl game with that schedule — it’s a certified MEAT GRINDER.
We’ll call for four or five wins, but we’ve got a sneaky suspicion their final record won’t reflect how competitive they actually are. Better days are coming in 2027.
AY ZIGGY ZOOMBA, go Falcons!