It has been a sincere pleasure to keep up with the ebb and flow of the Group of Five through this series, but all good things must come to an end.

The two-day conference championship bender brought with it plenty of intrigue. Liberty closed out an undefeated season with a shootout win over New Mexico State. Boise State and Troy each ran away with the trophies in their matchups with UNLV and Appalachian State, respectively. SMU marched into New Orleans and held Tulane to a season-low in total yards (269) en route to an upset win, and Miami (OH) got some revenge for its lone conference loss of the season in taking down Toledo.

Bowl season is upon us, and the Group of Five has a plethora of marquee matchups to close an already memorable 2023 season. James Madison and Jacksonville State will each get chances to compete in the postseason (in your face NCAA), Liberty will represent the GO5 against Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl and the likes of Memphis, SMU, Tulane, UNLV, Troy, South Florida and Boise State will all have chances to take down Power Five foes.

But, here at the watch, we like to focus exclusively on GO5 vs. GO5 matchups.

There are a plethora of GO5 bowl matchups that all deserve their own unique attention, but I chose to key in on three games for the sake of article length. 

Thus, here is the final Group of Five Watch of the year:

Miami OH (11-2) vs. Appalachian State (8-5)

Dec. 16, 2023 | 3:30 PM ET | ABC

Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl

MyBookie Odds: App State -3.5

Last Meeting: Never Played

Stars To Watch: Rashad Amos (RB, Miami OH), Joey Aguilar (QB, ASU)

Why the various bowl selection committees refused to match up any conference champions perplexes me, but a MAC champion vs. the Sun Belt runner-up will have to do.

And, this should still be a wildly entertaining game. The RedHawks overcame a midseason injury to starting quarterback Brett Gabbert to rally and take down Ohio and Toledo en route to their first MAC championship since 2019. Aveon Smith was the key to the late-season rally, as his dual-threat ability complemented the running of Rashad Amos perfectly, and the Miami (OH) defense was suffocating down the stretch. The 23-14 title game victory over Toledo was a perfect cherry on top of yet another successful campaign for the MAC’s all-time winningest program, and winning a 12th game would serve as the climax of Chuck Martin’s already successful 10-year career as coach in Miami. Smith recently entered the transfer portal though, meaning that the RedHawks will likely have to lean heavily on Amos in this one.

Standing opposite Miami (OH) is the Group of Five’s original David. Appalachian State pulled off the most notable upset in college football history, was one of the first programs to make the leap from the FCS to the FBS and has found great success ever since. The Mountaineers had to claw their way back from a 3-4 start to the season to qualify for the Sun Belt title game, most notably being the only team to take down James Madison in an upset that shocked the nation. Joey Aguilar has been a gunslinger all season long, and the Mountaineers defense really came into its own down the stretch as well.

Unfortunately, ASU ran into a hot Troy team in the Sun Belt Championship Game and lost 49-23, although the game was closer than that final score indicates. Therefore, I would not write this Mountaineers team off due to that result by any means.

In the end, Miami (OH) just has a team of destiny feel to it in 2023, and I think the RedHawks win a dramatic game that comes down to the last couple of drives. Then, Martin gets to be showered in guacamole (surely, right?).

Score Prediction: Miami (OH) 27, Appalachian State 20

James Madison (11-1) vs. Air Force (8-4)

Dec. 23, 2023 | 3:30 PM ET | ABC

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

MyBookie Odds: JMU -3

Last Meeting: Never Played

Stars To Watch: Jordan McCloud (QB, JMU), Emmanuel Michel (RB, AF)

The NCAA tried its best, but it’s very difficult to keep an 11-win team out of the postseason. The Dukes of James Madison were fortunate enough to qualify thanks to the FBS not having enough six-win teams to play in bowl games (even Minnesota made it with five wins).

Thus, we are treated to one more game in this ever-entertaining 2023 season from JMU. Curt Cignetti has moved on to take over as head coach at Indiana, and Damian Wroblewski (offensive line coach/co-offensive coordinator) was recently announced as the acting coach for this game. Star quarterback Jordan McCloud also announced that he would be entering the transfer portal, but he will still compete in this game. With him taking the field for one final time as a Duke, JMU will have the services of one of the nation’s most explosive playmakers and its team leader. Running backs Kaelon Black and Ty Son Lawton both entered the portal as well, so McCloud will shoulder much of the offensive burden in this game. Regardless, this JMU defense is elite, and this program has too much pride and excitement in competing in its first ever bowl game to go out and lay an egg.

Air Force has experienced a much different 2023 season. The Falcons began the year at 8-0, rising to as high as No. 17 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Then, six turnovers happened against Army. Then, four more against Hawai’i. Then, UNLV marched into El Paso County and dominated the second half en route to a pivotal win. And to cap it all off, a 27-19 loss to Boise State in the season finale to be pushed out of the Mountain West title game. 

The Falcons were one of the most efficient and disciplined teams in the country early in the season, fielding the nation’s best ground attack. Where all that went is a mystery, but a win over JMU could right most of the late-season wrongs and give Air Force something to hang its hat on this offseason.

Frankly, I don’t see that happening. I picked against JMU once this season and was humbled. I never did it again, and this team has only disappointed on one occasion. The Dukes’ front seven should hold its own against Air Force’s ground game, and even without McCloud, the offense should be able to manufacture enough points to win.

Score Prediction: James Madison 42, Air Force 21

Toledo (11-2) vs. Wyoming (8-4)

Dec. 30, 2023 | 4:30 PM ET | CW Network

Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl

MyBookie Odds: Toledo -2

Last Meeting: Toledo 34-31 (2012)

Stars To Watch: Peny Boone (RB, Toledo), Easton Gibbs (LB, Wyoming)

It was heartbreak for Detroit native Dequan Finn and his Rockets at Ford Field. Toledo was looking to carry an 11-game winning streak and claim its second straight MAC title with a season sweep of Miami (OH), but the RedHawks defense stumped the favorites in a 23-14 victory. Now, Finn has entered the transfer portal, meaning that Toledo will be without its longtime signal-caller for this game.

12 wins is still attainable, but it will certainly have to be earned. Wyoming is as tough and physical of a team as you will find in the nation, and the Cowboys have also been the cardiac kids of this season, pulling off miraculous wins over Texas Tech, Appalachian State and Fresno State. Late losses to Boise State and UNLV silenced any conference championship hopes for this team, but with a win, Wyoming would have recorded nine victories in a season for the first time since 1996. 

The offense has rarely been pretty, and the defense has been stout. That’s just the way Craig Bohl has always done things out in Laramie, and it works. His group will also likely be dead-set on avenging a loss to another MAC team in last season’s Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl, where Ohio clinched the game with this score in overtime:

The Ohio Bobcats (my alma mater) won the Inaugural Barstool Sports (my employer) Arizona Bowl on a walk-off TD right in front of my face. Nobody can hurt me today. pic.twitter.com/jmK7vibHFp

— Alex Busch (@alexbusch93) December 31, 2022

Toledo will be hard-pressed to find the explosive plays it has relied upon for much of this season in this game, so the Rockets will likely have to learn from its struggles in the rock fight against Miami (OH) to come out on top in this one. Per usual, Wyoming will fight hard and make this a game, but I’ll trust Peny Boone to generate enough offense for Toledo to come out on top.

Score Prediction: Toledo 20, Wyoming 16

And, here’s five other Group of Five vs. Group of Five matchups to keep your eye on:

1. Jacksonville State (8-4) vs. Louisiana (6-6)

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Dec. 16, 2023 | 2:15 PM ET | ESPN

Rich Rodriguez gets to lead his team into a bowl game in JSU’s inaugural season in the FBS. Their reward is to take on a streaky Louisiana squad in its home state.

2. New Mexico State (10-4) vs. Fresno State (8-4)

Isleta New Mexico Bowl

Dec. 16, 2023 | 5:45 PM ET | ESPN

The Aggies have had arguably their best season in program history, and Diego Pavia and Co. would love nothing more than to cap it off with a win over a reeling Fresno State squad.

3. Georgia State (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Dec. 23, 2023 | 3:30 PM ET | ABC

I included this one purely because it was the hardest game for me to pick for this bowl season. Seriously, I had one confidence point in this game. Both of these teams have had crazy highs and disastrous lows this season. And, how could I not include the world Famous Idaho Potato Bowl?

4. Texas State (7-5) vs. Rice (6-6)

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Dec. 26, 2023 | 5:30 PM ET | ESPN

Two up-and-coming programs in the state of Texas will square off in this one. The Owls haven’t won more than six games in a season since 2014, while Texas State has never competed in a bowl game at the FBS level.

5. UTSA (8-4) vs. Marshall (6-6)

Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl

Dec. 19, 2023 | 9:00 PM ET | ESPN

Both of these schools will say goodbye to one of their best players in program history. Frank Harris leaves San Antonio after a lengthy, record-breaking career, while Rasheen Ali will look to run wild one last time with the Herd.

My final Group of Five power rankings as we enter bowl season:

1. Liberty
2. James Madison
3. SMU
4. Troy
5. Tulane
6. Miami (OH)
7. Boise State
8. San José State
9. UNLV
10. New Mexico State