SoCon Week 5 Preview: Preseason Favorites Already in Trouble

Week 5 brings some big matchups to Southern Conference football. After a full slate of games last weekend, three SoCon teams will kick off their league schedules while one hits the road for a tough non-conference test. Can Mercer and Chattanooga bounce back, or will the chaos continue in 2025?

Furman at Samford

The Furman Paladins (2-1) head to Birmingham looking to secure their third victory of the season against struggling Samford (0-4, 0-2 SoCon). This will be the 27th meeting between the two programs with Furman holding a 14-12 advantage in the series.

The Paladins have been in close games all season long. They're 2-1 after Week 4, with every game decided by four points or less.

Samford is still looking for their first win after four weeks. They've already dropped two SoCon games, so they're basically in must-win mode if they don't want to end up at the bottom of the SoCon standings come season end. The Bulldogs need to find some offense and get their home crowd into the game early.

The Pick: Furman should have enough firepower to handle a winless Samford team, but don't expect a blowout.

Western Carolina at Campbell

Last year, Campbell upset then-ranked #17 Western Carolina 24-16.

Now the Catamounts (1-3, 1-0 SoCon) travel to face the Camels (1-3, 1-1 CAA) looking for payback - and this time they have Taron Dickens. Dickens showed what Western Carolina was missing last week against Samford, throwing for 582 yards and 6 touchdowns in a huge performance. That's the kind of firepower Campbell didn't have to worry about in last year's upset win.

The Camels proved last year they can hang with quality FCS teams. However, I think this year with Dickens under center, Campbell will have a lot more to worry about.

The Pick: This is a completely different Western Carolina team with Dickens under center. Those 582 yards and 6 TDs show what Campbell will be facing - something they didn't have to deal with last year.

Mercer at ETSU

Mercer won the SoCon championship for the first time in program history in 2024. The Bears (2-1, 2-0 SoCon) have had a rocky start to 2025. Their season opener against UC Davis was ruled a "No Contest" due to weather while Mercer was trailing 23-17 with 7:46 left. They then lost 15-10 to Pioneer League team Presbyterian College before barely beating Wofford 22-21. Last week's 38-0 win over The Citadel was their first dominant performance of the year.

ETSU (2-2, 0-0 SoCon) opens their conference schedule at home against the defending champions. The Buccaneers are ranked #25 in our FCS Top 25 and have losses to FBS Tennessee and now #17 West Georgia. With new coach Will Healy bringing in over 20 Division I transfers, ETSU will look to lean on that experience this weekend.

Mercer needs to show they can play consistently after an up-and-down start. This is a huge test for the defending champions against a ranked opponent with serious talent and home field advantage.

The Pick: ETSU is ranked for a reason. The Buccaneers should win this one at home and announce themselves as the SoCon favorite.

The Citadel at Chattanooga

The Citadel (1-3, 1-1 SoCon) travels to face Chattanooga (1-3, 0-0 SoCon) in a battle between two struggling teams. The Bulldogs shocked Samford 40-13 in Week 2, but have struggled since then and got blown out 38-0 by Mercer last week.

Both teams have had difficult seasons so far. Chattanooga opens their SoCon schedule at home, which should give them extra motivation to get their first conference win.

The Mocs need to take advantage of playing at home against a Citadel team that just got dominated by Mercer. This could be a good spot for Chattanooga to build some momentum.

The Pick: Chattanooga at home should be able to handle a Citadel team coming off a bad loss, but The Citadel showed they can surprise people with that Samford upset.

What This Weekend Means

The SoCon looks nothing like the preseason predictions. Mercer was picked to repeat as champions, but their inconsistent play has opened the door for other teams. Chattanooga was the preseason runner-up choice, yet they sit at 1-3 heading into conference play.

Furman wasn't expected to do much after going 3-8 last season, but they already have two wins despite losing to Presbyterian College in overtime. Meanwhile, Samford was picked fifth but looks destined for the bottom after The Citadel dominated them 40-13 in Week 2.

With conference play starting for most teams, this weekend will show which teams are ready to make a real run at the conference title. ETSU is the only SoCon team ranked our Week 4 FCS Top 25, though both Furman and Mercer received votes in our poll.