Weekday CUSA Previews: 2026 Week 5

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Welcome to the fourth season of Weekday CUSA.

Originating in 2023, Weekday CUSA has become the official name of the conference’s series of nationally televised showcases throughout the month of October. The first Weekday CUSA slate typically features Thursday and Friday night contests, before the conference fully shifts its games to Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Week 5 features the first pair of Weekday CUSA games this season. On Thursday night, WKU travels to New Mexico State, with the Hilltoppers looking for their third-straight win over the Aggies. Then on Friday, Liberty makes its first-ever trek to Newark for a battle with Delaware. Everyone else in the conference has a bye this week, except for Middle Tennessee which faces Kansas on Saturday.

Here is a glance at the two matchups ushering in Weekday CUSA for the 2026 season:

WKU @ New Mexico State

Thursday, Oct. 1 at 8 pm ET on CBS Sports Network

Spread: New Mexico State (-2.5)

Over/under: 57.5

Western Kentucky (1-3, 0-0 CUSA) had quite the rocky non-conference start. The Hilltoppers are dead last in the country in scoring differential against FBS opponents, dropping their three matchups — all on the road — by an average of 41 points. Facing Georgia and Indiana back-to-back is an impossible stretch for almost any team outside the Top 25, but the true disaster was the 49-14 loss at Nevada in Week 1. This will be WKU’s fourth road game in five weeks, and it hopes the cathartic 52-7 win over Mercyhurst last Saturday can springboard into some success. Rodney Tisdale Jr. reclaimed the starting quarterback role and posted a 19-of-23, 309-yard, 4-touchdown performance for an offensive traditionally known for its passing prowess. Star receiver KD Hutchinson still hasn’t played this year, thrusting Jonathan Stafford Jr. and Cameron Flowers into the lead receiver roles. While WKU is improving in this area, the Hilltoppers will only go as far as the run defense lets them. They currently rank fifth-to-last in the FBS with 221 yards rushing yards allowed per game on a 6.3 average. The passing defense hasn’t been much better, holding a 10-to-1 ratio of passing touchdowns surrendered to interceptions. WKU needs this conference opener badly, or else it matches last year’s total in the loss column.

New Mexico State (1-3, 0-0 CUSA) looked ready to compete in Week 0. The Aggies provided a first half scare at Florida State, but the offense has faded since a strong start in Tallahassee. New Mexico State still hasn’t broken 20 points against FBS competition this year, most recently falling 42-18 to archrival New Mexico in Week 4. The Aggies are moving the ball, owning the country’s 30th-ranked passing offense while featuring the CUSA’s second-leading rusher in James Jones. However, the scoring output isn’t matching the production considering the team has committed seven turnovers, missed 50 percent of its field goals, and failed five fourth downs. The Aggies look for a bounceback performance from quarterback Trey Hedden, who will operate with one of the conference’s best wide receivers in TK King, who has 265 receiving yards on the season. The Aggies were solid defensively until last week, but losing the turnover battle 3-0 against New Mexico put additional strain on the unit. Strong safety Nick Session has been the star of the group, recording 28 tackles, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and one defensive touchdown in a standout year.

Prediction: New Mexico State 27, WKU 24

Liberty @ Delaware

Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 pm ET on CBS Sports Network

Spread: Liberty (-7)

Over/under: 54.5

Liberty (3-1, 0-0 CUSA) finished 4-8 last season — its worst record since joining the FBS in 2018. The alarms were going off in Week 2 when Liberty was 0-1 and trailing FCS Gardner-Webb by six with under three minutes remaining. The Flames survived the scare, and they’ve been on a tear since. In the past two weeks, Liberty outscored Ball State and Coastal Carolina by a combined 85-32, showing firepower on both sides of the ball. Its defense forced four scoreless quarters across those two games, while its offense has shown tremendous versatility through the run and pass — a changeup from Jamey Chadwell’s usually run-heavy scheme. Quarterback Deshawn Purdie has taken charge of the air attack, throwing seven touchdowns without an interception this year. In fact, his last interception occurred against Delaware in the 2025 regular season finale. Purdie’s top target Makai Jackson has been the definition of an explosive receiver, recording a 34+ yard reception and a touchdown in all four games. Running back Kam Davis joined him in the explosive department last week, taking 18 carries for 166 yards. Defensively, the Flames have yet to allow more than 23 points all season, notably holding James Madison to as little as 20. Inside linebacker Derrell Farrar has been the anchor of the unit with 20 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss.

Delaware (2-2, 0-0 CUSA) looked every bit of a CUSA contender through three weeks. The Fightin’ Blue Hens held a halftime lead over Vanderbilt and competed until the finish line in a close loss and followed it up with an impressive win over Coastal Carolina — an opponent Liberty also defeated. However, tremendous adversity struck last Saturday in Charlottesville when Virginia boatraced the Hens, 42-3. Unfortunately for Delaware, the effects of that loss still linger. Star quarterback Nick Minicucci, who finished sixth in the FBS in passing last year, suffered a leg injury in the middle of the second quarter. Head coach Ryan Carty did not provide a status update on Carty, and Braden Streeter and Riley Trujillo are among the candidates who could start if Minicucci remains sidelined. Delaware will look to lean more on the run game through Jo Silver, the star of the Fightin’ Blue Hens first-ever bowl win last December. The quarterbacks could also test their luck by targeting Sean Wilson, who has been the master of 50-50 jumpballs this season. On defense, the Fightin’ Blue Hens were similarly efficient against Coastal Carolina, shutting the Chanticleers out in the second half with a significant edge in the trenches. Delaware ranks ninth nationally with 3.5 sacks per game, and linebackers Blake Matthews and Colin Gallagher lead the charge with 7.5 sacks combined.

Prediction: Liberty 31, Delaware 17

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