The Bowling Green Falcons currently have a 2-3 record for 2025 with a two-week losing streak. It was not the start the Falcons expected, with the newly hired Heisman-winning, 4x Pro Bowler head coach in charge. Eddie George, as a first-year coach for the Falcons, has been experiencing the rollercoaster of wins and losses. Despite having three losses, Eddie’s impact is strongly felt at home games at the Doyt Perry Stadium. Eddie not only has his team undefeated at the home venue but he also helped them break a ten-year-old record in his short tenure as a coach.

BGSU, on their official Instagram handle, announced that the September 13 game against Liberty at Doyt had over 23,000 fans, breaking the largest home crowd recorded since the Toledo Rockets game in 2015. The final score against Liberty was a 23-13 victory for the Falcons. Home crowd advantage is working out for George and his squad. The program wants to continue the momentum.

In 2015, 23,492 fans were in attendance, and Bowling Green lost to Toledo by 44-28. That marked the fifth consecutive loss for the Falcons against Toledo, which continued until 2018. Since then, no other coach has attracted this many fans to the Doyt in the last decade. A nod to the change in culture and the impact on the fans by coach George. It is only fitting that their very next home game is also against Toledo in “The Battle of I-75” on October 11. The program has now urged fans to show up. “Your impact is real, and now, we need you again. Let’s make history by packing the Doyt and breaking that attendance record.”

The Falcons started their season with a dominating 26-7 win against Lafayette at their home. They lost their second game against Cincinnati by 20-34, marking their first loss. They bounced back with a home win over Liberty. However, the next two games away from home didn’t turn out well, losing to Louisville by 17-40 and losing to Ohio by 20-35. Every time the Falcons came home, they won.

“The Battle of I-75” comes to Doyt

“The Battle of I-75” is one of those historical rivalries within the MAC Conference. The battle is between the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and the University of Toledo (UT). Both universities are separated by about 25 miles (40 km) along Interstate 75 (I-75), hence the name. They first met on October 3, 1919.

It is an annual game, and this will be their 90th meet, with Toledo leading with a 43-42-4 record. The Bowling Green is just a win away from tying the record. In the initial stages of the rivalry, Bowling Green had the upper hand over Toledo. However, the mid-2000s turned the rivalry upside down, as Toledo paid back with winning streaks. In the last ten games played against each other, Toledo is 7-3. They met last year at Toledo, where Bowling Green won the game by 41-26.

According to DraftKings, the Rockets are the 7.5-point favorites to win this year’s Battle of I-75. However, the spreads suggest drastic movement towards the Falcons. Since it is the opening of odds, things can change over the period of time. Although odds opened in favor of the Rockets, the Falcons are undefeated at home under Eddie. This will keep the money line rolling, making it an interesting game to look out for.