Diehard G6 Top 25 — Cutforth throws four touchdowns as Boise State rolls without Madsen

Boise State is still No. 1 in the Diehard G6 Top 25. Max Cutforth, starting his first game after Maddux Madsen's left knee injury, went 16-of-19 for 317 yards and four touchdowns in a 64-38 win at Colorado State. Dylan Riley ran for 192 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 73-yard touchdown on the game's second play. The Broncos rolled up 669 total yards — the eighth-most in program history — and have won eight straight.

FAU blasted then-No. 3 UTSA 60-29 on Thursday night in Boca Raton. The 60 points are the most scored in American Conference play this season. Caden Veltkamp threw four touchdowns and Leonard Farrow ran for 126 yards as FAU became bowl eligible. UTSA drops five spots to No. 8. FAU vaults eight to No. 17 — tied with Texas State for the largest climb. Texas State routed then-No. 7 Oregon State 42-21 in Corvallis, rolling up 600 total yards. Oregon State falls 11 spots to No. 18, the largest drop this season.

Louisiana Tech makes the week's other big move, jumping seven spots to No. 7 after beating Troy 41-17 for its sixth straight win. Air Force climbs six to No. 15 after winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with a 24-21 victory at Army.

Tulsa and Louisiana return to the poll. Georgia Southern enters for the first time. Three teams drop out: App State (was No. 17) after a 39-23 home loss to Georgia State, UNLV (was No. 22) after a 41-35 loss to Wyoming and Army (was No. 23) after the loss to Air Force.

Five ranked matchups headline the upcoming schedule:

Diehard G6 No. 3 North Texas at No. 8 UTSA — Saturday at 8 PM CT on ESPNU. The American's top two teams meet in the Alamodome. North Texas (5-0 in conference) can clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker with a second win over the Roadrunners. UTSA (4-1) needs a bounceback after the 60-29 loss at FAU.

No. 18 Oregon State at No. 1 Boise State — Saturday at 5 PM CT on USA Network. Boise State (5-0 Pac-12) can clinch the conference title with a win. Oregon State (3-2) has lost two straight.

No. 4 Memphis at No. 20 South Florida — Thursday at 7 PM CT on ESPN. Memphis (4-1 American) needs a win to stay close to North Texas atop the conference.

No. 10 Ohio at No. 24 Miami (OH) — Tuesday at 7 PM CT on ESPN2. The MAC's lone unbeaten (5-0) visits the RedHawks (3-2) in a Tuesday night conference game.

No. 17 FAU at No. 23 Tulsa — Saturday at 2:30 PM CT on ESPN+. FAU (3-2 American) brings its scoring offense to Tulsa (2-3). The 72.5 over/under is among the highest on the schedule.

All rankings are from the Diehard G6 Top 25, our weekly poll of the top 25 teams outside the Power 4.

Here is the Diehard G6 Top 25:

1. Boise State (8-1, 5-0 Pac-12) — Spencer Danielson, Year 3 (prev: 1)

Beat Colorado State 64-38. Max Cutforth, starting his first game after Maddux Madsen's knee injury, went 16-of-19 for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Dylan Riley ran for 192 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 73-yard touchdown on the game's second play. Harry Stewart III added 89 yards and two rushing touchdowns. The Broncos piled up 669 total yards — the eighth-most in program history — and have won eight straight.

Next: vs Oregon State (5-4, 3-2, No. 18), Saturday (5 PM CT, USA Net)

2. New Mexico (8-1, 5-0 MW) — Jason Eck, Year 2 (prev: 2)

Beat Nevada 31-3 on Friday. Scottre Humphrey rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Toa Fa'avae completed 14-of-20 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. The defense held Nevada to minus-9 rushing yards and forced a turnover. New Mexico is ranked in the AP poll for the first time in program history.

Next: vs UNLV (5-4, 3-2), Saturday (6:30 PM CT, CW)

3. North Texas (7-2, 5-0 American) — Neal Brown, Year 1 (prev: 4, +1)

Beat Rice 52-23. Tayven Jackson threw for 303 yards and a touchdown and scored on a six-yard run. Jahiem White rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns. North Texas scored on six of seven second-half possessions and has won six straight.

Next: at UTSA (7-2, 4-1, No. 8), Saturday (8 PM CT, ESPNU)

4. Memphis (7-2, 4-1 American) — Charles Huff, Year 1 (prev: 5, +1)

Had a bye. Memphis beat then-No. 9 Army 49-22 in its last game — Marcus Stokes accounted for five touchdowns and completed 29-of-35 for 371 yards. The Tigers open as 6.5-point favorites at South Florida on Thursday night.

Next: at South Florida (6-3, 2-3, No. 20), Thursday (7 PM CT, ESPN)

5. North Dakota State (7-2, 4-2 MW) — Tim Polasek, Year 3 (prev: 6, +1)

Had a bye. The Bison beat UTEP 31-7 in their last game — Nathan Hayes threw for 240 yards and Marion Moore returned a fumble 46 yards for a touchdown. NDSU travels to Hawaii on Saturday night.

Next: at Hawai'i (3-6, 2-4), Saturday (10 PM CT, CW)

6. Liberty (8-1, 5-0 CUSA) — Jamey Chadwell, Year 4 (prev: 8, +2)

Beat New Mexico State 30-14. Deshawn Purdie completed 19-of-28 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown. Chase Reeves kicked three field goals, including a 49-yarder. Liberty held the ball for 37:05 and forced three turnovers. The Flames have won eight straight.

Next: vs Middle Tennessee (5-4, 3-2), Saturday (2:30 PM CT, CBSSN)

7. Louisiana Tech (7-2, 5-0 Sun Belt) — Sonny Cumbie, Year 5 (prev: 14, +7)

Beat Troy 41-17. Blake Baker completed 16-of-19 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. Trey Kukuk added 8-of-10 passing for 68 yards and a touchdown in relief. Marcus Calwise Jr. caught nine passes for 137 yards and a score. Troy committed five turnovers — its most since 2016. Louisiana Tech has won six straight and leads the Sun Belt West.

Next: vs Southern Miss (3-6, 2-3), Saturday (4 PM CT, ESPN+)

8. UTSA (7-2, 4-1 American) — Jeff Traylor, Year 7 (prev: 3, -5)

Lost to FAU 60-29 on Thursday. Owen McCown threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns, but UTSA could not contain FAU's ground game — the Owls rushed for 339 yards and scored 21 first-quarter points. UTSA lost two fumbles. The Roadrunners host No. 3 North Texas on Saturday in the American's biggest remaining regular-season game.

Next: vs North Texas (7-2, 5-0, No. 3), Saturday (8 PM CT, ESPNU)

9. James Madison (8-2, 5-2 Sun Belt) — Billy Napier, Year 1 (prev: 10, +1)

Beat Southern Miss 54-23 on Thursday. JC Evans accounted for four touchdowns — three rushing and one passing — and completed 19-of-26 passes for 251 yards. JMU scored 38 second-half points after leading 16-14 at halftime. The Dukes have won two of three after dropping their first two games since starting 7-0.

Next: at UConn (4-5), Saturday (11 AM CT, CBSSN)

10. Ohio (7-2, 5-0 MAC) — John Hauser, Year 1 (prev: 12, +2)

Beat Akron 28-20 on Tuesday. Akron outgained the Bobcats 392-358 and led 17-14 in the fourth quarter before Ohio rallied. Duncan Brune broke a 91-yard touchdown run with 3:57 remaining to seal it. Dom Dorwart caught a 60-yard touchdown from Nick Poulos. Ohio is 5-0 in MAC play for the first time since 1997.

Next: at Miami (OH) (5-4, 3-2, No. 24), Tuesday (7 PM CT, ESPN2)

11. Toledo (7-2, 4-1 MAC) — Mike Jacobs, Year 1 (prev: 9, -2)

Beat Sacramento State 20-17 on Wednesday. CJ Miller rushed for 135 yards and Autavius Ison added 101 yards and a touchdown as the Rockets piled up 230 yards on the ground. Toledo held Sacramento State to eight total rushing yards.

Next: vs Massachusetts (5-4, 2-3), Wednesday (6:30 PM CT)

12. Jacksonville State (7-2, 5-0 CUSA) — Charles Kelly, Year 2 (prev: 13, +1)

Beat Sam Houston 47-14. Caden Creel threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 87 yards and another score — 333 total yards. Jamill Williams caught a 31-yard touchdown and returned a kickoff 85 yards for a score, Jax State's first kickoff return touchdown since 2017. The Gamecocks committed zero turnovers — their first clean game of the season. Jalen Likely's eight-yard rushing touchdown extended the NCAA's longest active streak to 67 consecutive games.

Next: at Western Kentucky (3-6, 2-3), Saturday (2:30 PM CT, ESPN+)

13. Wyoming (6-3, 5-1 MW) — Jay Sawvel, Year 3 (prev: 16, +3)

Beat then-No. 22 UNLV 41-35. Samuel Harris rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Wyoming led 34-21 at halftime after outgaining UNLV 308-83 in the first half. UNLV scored 14 unanswered points bridging the third and fourth quarters to make it 41-35, but Tyson Shamsid-Deen intercepted a pass in the end zone with under two minutes remaining to seal it — his second interception of the game. Wyoming has won five of six.

Next: at UTEP (1-8, 0-5), Saturday (9 PM CT, FS1)

14. Western Michigan (6-3, 4-1 MAC) — Lance Taylor, Year 4 (prev: 15, +1)

Had a bye. Western Michigan beat Bowling Green 23-10 in its last game — Cole Cabana broke an 82-yard touchdown run and the defense recorded three interceptions on Bowling Green's final three possessions.

Next: at Akron (1-8, 0-5), Tuesday (6 PM CT, CBSSN)

15. Air Force (7-2, 3-2 MW) — Troy Calhoun, Year 20 (prev: 21, +6)

Beat then-No. 23 Army 24-21. Evan Medders completed 6-of-8 passes for 84 yards, including a 24-yard go-ahead touchdown to Simon Kibbee. Kemper Hodges rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown. Army rallied from 17-7 down to take a 21-17 lead in the third quarter before the Falcons answered. Air Force ran out the final 5:27 on a 10-play drive. The victory gives the Falcons the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the 22nd time — the most of any service academy.

Next: vs San Jose State (5-5, 3-3), Saturday (6 PM CT, CBSSN)

16. Texas State (5-4, 3-2 Pac-12) — GJ Kinne, Year 4 (prev: 24, +8)

Beat then-No. 7 Oregon State 42-21. Brad Jackson completed 16-of-20 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown. Torrance Burgess Jr. rushed for 196 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. Davian Jackson added 107 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. Texas State rolled up 600 total yards — 386 on the ground — in front of 36,714 at Reser Stadium. It was the first meeting between the two programs.

Next: vs Fresno State (5-4, 2-3, No. 25), Saturday (3 PM CT, CW)

17. FAU (6-3, 3-2 American) — Zach Kittley, Year 2 (prev: 25, +8)

Beat then-No. 3 UTSA 60-29 on Thursday. Caden Veltkamp threw for 210 yards and four touchdowns. Leonard Farrow rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown, including a 59-yard run. Easton Messer caught three touchdown passes and threw one on a trick play. FAU piled up 563 total yards and committed zero turnovers. The 60 points are the most scored in American Conference play this season.

Next: at Tulsa (5-4, 2-3, No. 23), Saturday (2:30 PM CT, ESPN+)

18. Oregon State (5-4, 3-2 Pac-12) — JaMarcus Shephard, Year 1 (prev: 7, -11)

Lost to then-No. 24 Texas State 42-21. Braden Atkinson completed 20-of-36 passes for 192 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Oregon State was outgained 600-347 and managed 80 rushing yards. The Beavers have lost two straight after starting 5-2. Oregon State travels to No. 1 Boise State on Saturday needing a win to stay alive in the Pac-12 race.

Next: at Boise State (8-1, 5-0, No. 1), Saturday (5 PM CT, USA Net)

19. Buffalo (6-3, 4-1 MAC) — Pete Lembo, Year 3 (prev: 20, +1)

Beat then-No. 18 Miami (OH) 34-31 in overtime on Tuesday. Jason Wright threw for 358 yards and two touchdowns despite two interceptions. Chance Morrow caught 12 passes for 199 yards and both touchdowns. Buffalo rallied from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit. Oliver Hautanen's 27-yard field goal gave Buffalo the lead in overtime, and Miami's Kellan McLaughlin missed a 45-yard attempt to end it. First Buffalo win at Miami since 2015.

Next: at Ball State (3-6, 2-3), Wednesday (6:30 PM CT, ESPN2)

20. South Florida (6-3, 2-3 American) — Brian Hartline, Year 1 (prev: 11, -9)

Lost to East Carolina 20-17 on Friday. Andrew Conrad's 55-yard field goal with two seconds remaining beat the Bulls in Greenville. ECU lost starting quarterback Mitch Griffis and leading rusher TJ Engleman Jr. to injuries during the game — Emory Williams took over and threw two touchdowns, both to Landon Sides (14 catches, 126 yards). USF has lost two of its last three.

Next: vs Memphis (7-2, 4-1, No. 4), Thursday (7 PM CT, ESPN)

21. Louisiana (6-3, 3-2 Sun Belt) — Michael Desormeaux, Year 5 (prev: NR)

Beat South Alabama 28-26. JJ Garner returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and added a 65-yard rushing touchdown — 239 all-purpose yards. Lunch Winfield completed 10-of-14 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown and rushed 19 times for 97 yards. Micah Johnson's interception with 1:29 remaining sealed it. Louisiana returns to the poll and has clinched bowl eligibility for the ninth straight season.

Next: vs UL Monroe (2-7, 2-3), Thursday (8 PM CT, ESPN2)

22. Georgia Southern (5-4, 4-1 Sun Belt) — Clay Helton, Year 5 (prev: NR)

Beat Marshall 49-13 on homecoming in front of 24,023. Max Johnson threw four touchdown passes — including a 70-yarder to Alex Taylor and a 45-yarder to Jeremiah Ware — and ran for a fifth. Chace Calicut returned an interception 24 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles started 1-3, with the three losses coming at Clemson (22-7), at Jacksonville State (31-27) and at nationally ranked Houston (42-28). Georgia Southern has won four of its last five since then — the only loss a three-point defeat at then-unbeaten James Madison. The Eagles are 4-1 in Sun Belt play and enter the poll for the first time.

Next: at Georgia State (5-4, 2-3), Saturday (2:30 PM CT, ESPN+)

23. Tulsa (5-4, 2-3 American) — Tre Lamb, Year 2 (prev: NR)

Beat Tulane 60-10. Baylor Hayes completed 26-of-33 passes for 338 yards and four touchdowns. Oran Singleton Jr. caught 13 passes for 177 yards and three scores. Tulsa piled up 562 total yards and led 32-0 at halftime. The 50-point margin is the largest in the history of the Tulsa-Tulane series. Tulsa returns to the poll on the strength of the best P4 victory by a G6 team this season — at Oklahoma State.

Next: vs FAU (6-3, 3-2, No. 17), Saturday (2:30 PM CT, ESPN+)

24. Miami (OH) (5-4, 3-2 MAC) — Chuck Martin, Year 13 (prev: 18, -6)

Lost to then-No. 20 Buffalo 34-31 in overtime on Tuesday. D'Shawntae Jones rushed for 112 yards and Caleb Heavner completed 12-of-23 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown. Miami led by 15 points in the fourth quarter but could not hold on. Kellan McLaughlin's 45-yard field goal attempt in overtime missed wide. Miami hosts No. 10 Ohio on Tuesday night.

Next: vs Ohio (7-2, 5-0, No. 10), Tuesday (7 PM CT, ESPN2)

25. Fresno State (5-4, 2-3 Pac-12) — Matt Entz, Year 2 (prev: 19, -6)

Lost to Utah State 17-10. Jayden Mandal threw for 262 yards and a late touchdown, but Fresno State managed just 16 rushing yards on 27 carries. Utah State recorded 10 tackles for loss. The Bulldogs have lost two straight after their upset of Oregon State.

Next: at Texas State (5-4, 3-2, No. 16), Saturday (3 PM CT, CW)

Dropped out

App State (5-4, 2-3 Sun Belt, prev: 17) — Lost to Georgia State 39-23 at home. The Mountaineers committed three turnovers and were outpossessed 37:19 to 22:41. It was Georgia State's first-ever win over App State. The Mountaineers have lost two straight.

UNLV (5-4, 3-2 MW, prev: 22) — Lost to then-No. 16 Wyoming 41-35. Wyoming led 34-21 at halftime. UNLV rallied in the fourth quarter but Tyson Shamsid-Deen's end-zone interception with 50 seconds remaining sealed it.

Army (5-4, 4-2 American, prev: 23) — Lost to then-No. 21 Air Force 24-21. Army rallied from 17-7 down to lead 21-17 in the third quarter but could not score in the fourth. Air Force won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.