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2020 Spookiest Games of the Week: Week 8

College football on Halloween! What could be more fun? I have to say, this isn’t exactly a banner week in terms of top matchups. We’ll have to dig a bit deeper to find some interesting games, but that’s the beauty of college football, there’s so much to watch you’ll always see something new.

Top 10 Spookiest Games of the Week

10. UCF 3-2 (2-2) at Houston 2-1 (2-0)

So UCF isn’t exactly the team we thought they’d be. The Knights stumbled in back to back losses to Tulsa and Memphis, but they bounced back last week, scoring 51 points against Tulane. Houston in undefeated in AAC play and could very well take the crown from Cincinnati.

9. LSU 2-2 (2-2) at Auburn 3-2 (3-2)

The last time both Auburn and LSU entered the Tiger Bowl unranked was 2001. The game also features no Playoff stakes and will likely have no impact on the SEC West race or NY6 at-large bids. Watch it if you’re an SEC fan I guess.

8. #20 Coastal Carolina 5-0 (3-0) at Georgia State 2-2 (1-2)

Unlike the Tiger Bowl, this check out a game that could impact the NY6 race. That’s right, Coastal Carolina continues their unlikely march to be the G5 representative in either the Peach, Cotton, or Fiesta Bowl. Georgia State is a strong 2-2, with close losses coming to usual Sun Belt stalwarts Louisiana and Arkansas State, and wins over East Carolina and Troy. Do the Panthers have what it takes to play spoiler?

7. Navy 3-3 (3-1) at #22 SMU 5-1 (2-1)

Both Navy and SMU are still in the AAC race with one conference loss apiece. The winner will stay alive but the loser will likely drop out of the crowded chase. Plus it’s a great style matchup between the Midshipmen’s triple option flexbone and the Mustangs’ spread game.

6. Missouri 2-2 (2-2) at #10 Florida 2-1 (2-1)

After dropping the first two games, Missouri has leveled out and now looks like the dark horse in the SEC East race if both Georgia and Florida slip up. The Gators have had to postpone their last two games due to COVID, giving the Tigers a golden opportunity to upset a rusty UF squad.

5. #25 Boise State 1-0 (1-0) at Air Force 1-1 (0-1)

Boise State has announced themselves as the leader of the Mountain West yet again with a commanding win over Utah State. The Broncos can make a great case for the NY6 spot with an undefeated season. Air Force has played an amazing game against Navy and a horrible one vs SJSU and find themselves 1-1. I’m not sure which Falcons team to believe in but this matchup should tell us a bit more.

4. Arkansas 2-2 (2-2) at #8 Texas A&M 3-1 (3-1)

The Arkansas-A&M finally leaves Jerry World for a home site as Arkansas travels to College Station to face off against their old Southwest rivals. Arkansas has so far outplayed expectations but this game will be a real test. A&M looks like the #2 team in the SEC West and they’re gunning for a NY6 bowl.

3. Memphis 3-1 (2-1) at #7 Cincinnati 4-0 (2-0)

Old “rivals” Memphis and Cincinnati face off in the most important G5 game of the week. The Bearcats are in pole position to make the NY6 as the mid-major champion, and if things really start getting weird in the P5 then Cincinnati could make an outside run at the Playoff as the #4 squad. Wouldn’t that be crazy to see?

2. Texas 3-2 (2-2) at #6 Oklahoma State 4-0 (3-0)

Oklahoma State continues their march towards an undefeated season and their first Big 12 title in ten years. The Cowboys just managed to scrape by Iowa State and look rather beatable and it seems like they could potentially lose several games down the stretch. Texas clearly isn’t the best team in the conference but the Longhorns have the players to give OK State problems.

1. #3 Ohio State 1-0 (1-0) at #18 Penn State 0-1 (0-1)

I usually try to keep games where one team has a losing record out of the top ten, let alone the #1 game, but this is a special circumstance of course. Ohio State-Penn State is easily the best game of the week for several reasons. The Nittany Lions’ loss to Indiana, while spectacular, was an extreme fluke and if you played that game 10 more times I think PSU wins all 10 of them. Penn State is still the Buckeyes’ biggest competitor in the Big Ten East and with home field advantage (whatever that means in the COVID age) this is OSU’s best chance to lose in the regular season.

[benchslappedsports-blog]

If you’re not First you’re Last!

Earlier today I tweeted my picks for each Power Five conference. If you don’t like it, I don’t care, but feel free to tell me about it in the comments.

ACC:Clemson Tigers

Initial thoughts:This should kind of be a no brainer for anyone who follows the sport. What Dabo Swinney has cooking in Clemson, SC is something special, consistency. Few things are more challenging in College Football than to build and maintain a program in a Power Five league, and Dabo has done just that.

Where could they stumble?:Don’t expect Syracuse to get the Tigers this year, that game is in Death Valley and the fans haven’t forgotten what happened last year, they will turn the place into Deaf Valley.

The game in College Station for the ACC vs SEC regular season matchup should be entertaining, but don’t expect the Tigers to go easy on the Aggies.  Dabo and his team play better when the lights are brighter.

Now that those two popular picks for a trip-up-game are out of the way, go ahead and circle November 10th, that is when the Tigers could hurt. They will be playing an afternoon game in Boston, Mass against the Boston College Eagles.  That game has TRAP written all over it.  Clemson is used to playing in warmer weather and average high in Boston in November is 33.  Buckle-up Clemson fans, that game is gunna be rough.

Final Record: 11-1 heading into ACC Championship vs Miami Hurricanes

Big12: TCU Horned Frogs

Initial thoughts: This is a risky pick. Most people are picking Oklahoma because they have owned the conference the last few years, but the Mayfield era is over.  Baker Mayfield was a generational player and there are far too many questions about the Quarterback spot he left behind for me to feel confident picking them in Lincoln Riley’s “pass first, run never” offense. I expect 3 losses for OU.

Gary Patterson had too much of a pep in his step at Big12 media days for him to be worried about his team.  That man is a legend in the making.  He tends to coach the more balanced teams in a conference of one-sided talent. I trust him and his silent confidence. TCU to shock the conference.

Where could they stumble?:The Ohio State game suddenly could be a toss-up when I would have previously handed the win to Urban Meyer and his Buckeyes, but too much is unknown now, maybe this loss is less legitimate.  No matter the outcome, this is an out of conference game, but depending on how high or low the outcome is could impact how they play the following week.  College Football is all about emotions.

November 10th is a big day for TCU to lose too, I have them losing in Morgantown in front of a sellout crowd of toothless hillbillies, I mean, the University of West Virginia faithful. First one to 50 points wins.

Final Record: 10-2 heading into the Big12 Championship vs Texas Longhorns

Big10: Penn State Nittany Lions

Initial thoughts:Penn State sits in probably the strongest division in College Football this season, the Big10 East. So why am I so confident about these guys making it to the top of the mountain? James “motherf*ckin’” Franklin. The guy is an elite coach and will be adding a National Championship to his record books within the next 3 seasons.  Even with the loss of their generation player, this team reloads. With Ohio State turmoil, this could blow the race wide open and I think Penn State is poised to seize the moment, in a white out.

Where could they stumble?:November 10th is the preseason biggest weekend of the year.  Wisconsin rolls into State College, PA and shoves their ground'n'pound game down the high flying Lions’ throats. These two will be two Titans meeting under a snowy night in November and a cold loss for Penn State. No worries though, I have them rematching for the Big10 Championship and Penn State taking revenge.

Michigan State could be a tricky game for the Lions’ as well. I expect them to hold off Sparty, but this rivalry game on October 13th will be fun to watch, but I predict to be the nail in Michigan State’s playoff coffin.

Final Record: 11-1 heading into Big10 Championship vs Wisconsin

Pac12: Washington Huskies

Initial thoughts:By far the most boring conference heading into the season. After the worst bowl season performance of all time, Washington is the only team who carries hope into their season.  Chris Peterson doesn’t have bad teams, I don’t expect the Huskies to make it to the playoffs though.

Where could they stumble?: Where do I begin?

Auburn in primetime week one

Utah September 15th

Oregon on October 13th

Stanford on November 3rd

I see all of those games just as likely a win as they could be a loss for the Huskies.  The team is not bad, but they are not built to run the table.  They are bound to slip up one or three times.

Final Record:10-2 heading into Pac12 Championship vs USC

SEC: Georgia Bulldogs

Initial thoughts: The hottest team last year has been awfully quiet this off-season. People made noise picking them to win the east and face Alabama or Auburn for a rematch but beyond that not much is being made of the Bulldogs. This team has a lot of new names and faces which adds to the skepticism, however, Kirby Smart begins year 3with the best recruits the school has ever had, Jake Fromm takes another step towards greatness, and the fan base ignites a fire under the players to propel them to a title.

Where could they stumble?: A lot of people are warning of an upset in Columbia against the Gamecocks in week two but I think the Bulldogs start looking scary instead. I think the first possible stumble comes September 22nd when Mizzou rolls into town. Since Missouri joined the SEC, UGA and UM have had a heated back and forth. I know the 3rd Tigers have been down the last two years, but don’t expect them to stay down. Drew Locke has the potential to give the Bulldog’s secondary fits.  Pair that with a potential sleepy noon kickoff in Athens? Kirby and the boys might get left stunned.

Georgia should handle Florida at “The World’s Largest Cocktail Party"just fine, but you never know in a rivalry game, especially with a new head coach at the helm in Gainesville. I think Georgia will control the game but don’t be shocked if the ole’ "Quarterback Whisperer” pulls his season one signature win in Jacksonville against the Dawgs.

Auburn vs Georgia is probably the most underrated rivalry in the SEC and top five in the sport. These two have played more years than most programs have even existed. They are the south’s two original football teams and their clash has rocked the deep south for two centuries now.  Auburn got embarrassed on the biggest stage in the conference end of last year in Atlanta and I expect them to march into Athens on (yes, another one) November 10th and give Georgia their best shot.  Expect the Tigers to be undefeated on that Saturday and the Bulldogs to look nervous.

Final Record:12-0 heading into the SEC Championship vs Alabama

Let me know what you guys think of my picks! Think I’m wrong? tell me!  Think I’m the smartest guy in the world? Tell me!

[auburnfamilynews]

The Minnesota Gophers Look to Make a Statement. (Jesse Johnson/USA Today Sports.)

     War Eagle, everybody! SEC bowl season is here, and begins tonight in Houston, Texas. This is my favorite time of year, when I can sit back and watch lots of good teams from around the country, and see matchups of the sort I normally don’t get to see during the regular season. And mostly, I love to see how the SEC stacks up against the rest of the country. Lately, that answer has not been good. The SEC hasn’t had a winning bowl record since 2015. Last year’s SEC teams went 6-6, after fielding losing records in 2016 and 2017.

     Auburn faces a historic matchup at noon on New Year’s Day, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The two teams have never played each other in football. Minnesota has some pretty good scalps on its belt from this past season, including knocking off Penn State when the Nittany Lions were 4th in the country. A perfect season was derailed at Iowa, then the Gophers were thumped by 21 points at home against Wisconsin.

     There is no question that Minnesota can pile up the points and the yards, with a tandem of 1000-yard receivers, a great quarterback in Tanner Morgan, and a 1000-yard rusher in Rodney Smith. The Gophers are averaging 34.3 points per game. I think Auburn will be stronger up front on defense, so we will likely see Minnesota utilize quick-passing strategies like most Auburn opponents have, this season. Auburn likes to use mostly man coverage. Opponents have tried to isolate size on cornerback Javaris Davis, and speed on nickelback Christian Tutt. Auburn will allow short completions, but until the Iron Bowl, few of those passes went for very many yards as the Auburn secondary is fundamentally very sound on tackling.

     Auburn’s key to winning this game is to get some production out of the ground game. With a healthy Auburn backfield and offensive line, this should be possible. In their last game, Minnesota was blown out by Wisconsin 38-17. The Badgers did it by rushing for almost 5 yards per carry, and eating the clock.

     The Outback Bowl will kick off at Noon Central Time on Wednesday, New Years Day, and will be televised on ESPN. We’ll have our usual trackemtigers.com open thread up and running for this one.

     There is quite the slate of post-Christmas bowl action this season. I had a great time last night watching the mighty Miami Hurricanes get shut out 14-0 in the Independence Bowl against Louisiana Tech. That team has fallen fast in recent years.

Upcoming Bowl Games, after the jump!

     In just a few minutes, the Military Bowl kicks off in Annapolis, Maryland. North Carolina will take on Temple in that one. I’ve been impressed by the job Mack Brown has done at UNC. There have been some stumbles, but the Tar Heels did win their last couple of games to get bowl-elegible, including a 41-10 thrashing of North Carolina State. Temple has lost 3 of their last 6, including blowout losses to SMU and Central Florida. I’ll take the Tarheels, in this contest.

     This afternoon, Michigan State takes on Wake Forest in the Pinstripe Bowl from Yankee Stadium in New York. Wake was looking like a challenger in the ACC before a late-season fade. Meanwhile the Spartans barely made a bowl this year. This is the sort of game the Spartans seem to find a way to win, and they should have a crowd advantage as well.

     SEC action kicks off at 5:45 PM in Houston, in the Texas Bowl. The Texas A&M Aggies take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Both teams underachieved this season, and I’ll be curious to see if the Aggies can get up off the mat after they were absolutely destroyed in the season finale against LSU.

     This evening the Holiday Bowl features Southern Cal and Iowa. This should be a virtual home game for the Trojans. This will be a good opportunity to see what decent Big-Ten and PAC-Twelve teams do in a showdown.

     Late evening action has Washington State meeting Air Force in the Cheez-it bowl in Phoenix. The Air-Raid meets the triple option, in this one. I like Air Force, in this game.

     Saturday features 4 games, 3 of them are New Years Six games, and 2 are playoff games. A pair of 11:00 AM games precede the playoffs. First, Penn State takes on Memphis in the Cotton Bowl, in Arlington Texas. Memphis won the AAC title, while Penn State missed out on the Big Ten championship game. Memphis will be playing for pride, but it is worth noting that they lost head coach Mike Norvell to Florida State in recent weeks.

     Also at 11:00 AM is the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Notre Dame takes on Iowa State. Iowa State is a potentially explosive team, but lost some close games this season. I suspect the winner in this game is the team that is more excited to be there. Notre Dame fans were expecting to be back in the Playoff, this season.

     At 3:00 PM on Saturday, we have the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl, in the first game of the college football playoff. LSU hosts Oklahoma in this one. I think LSU’s defense really came on in the second half of the season, and should be able to slow Oklahoma down. No team except Auburn really slowed LSU down, all season. LSU may be without the services of banged-up running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but the Tigers still should have plenty of firepower ready to go in this one.

     The other playoff game is Saturday evening, in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. Ohio State hosts Clemson. This is a matchup featuring the best of the ACC and the Big Ten. I think overall the ACC was the weaker conference, but Clemson played awfully well down the stretch, even so. Also, Clemson has been in the playoff every year since 2014, and knows what it takes to win it all. I would also point out that Clemson defensive coordinator has had a month to scheme up something for the Ohio State offense. In the past 4 Clemson playoff openers, the Tigers held Oklahoma to 17, Ohio State to zero, gave up 24 to Alabama in 2017, then held Notre Dame to 3 last season. I’m not looking for the Buckeyes to do any better.

     Monday December 30th, we have a quartet of bowls. At 11:00 AM, we have the Servpro Bowl in Dallas, where Western Kentucky takes on Western Michigan. I’ll be honest. I know little about either of these teams.

     At 3:00 PM, we have the Music City Bowl in Nashville. Mississippi State takes on Louisville in that one. Mississippi State did not have their strongest season, but did make it to a bowl game. Louisville was blown out 52-27 by Miami, and 45-13 at Kentucky in recent weeks. Here’s hoping the Bullies can win one for the SEC.

     Also at 3:00 PM, there is the Redbox Bowl in Santa Clara, California. California takes on Illinois in that game. Again, I watched neither team play this season.

     Monday Night features the Orange Bowl in Miami. Florida will take on the Virginia Cavaliers. The Cavs won their last 4 regular season games to take their division, then got blasted 62-17 by Clemson in the title game. Considering that Florida had close losses to LSU and Georgia, I think the Gators are much more talented, and should bring a lot of in-state fans to this game. If Florida is motivated for this game, I think we’ll see a big Gator win.

     New Years Eve is a busy bowl day, this year. The action kicks off with the Belk Bowl in Charlotte at 11:00 AM. Kentucky will take on Virginia Tech. I keep on saying that Kentucky is unlikely to win with a wide receiver taking snaps at quarterback, and yet the Wildcats keep winning. The Hokies can put up some points, though. I don’t see Tech rolling over like Louisville did against Kentucky.

     At 1:00 PM, we have the “Tony the Tiger” Sun Bowl, from El Paso, Texas. Florida State takes on Arizona State in that one. Both teams are trying to build for next season, after forgettable 2019 campaigns.

     At 2:45 PM, the Liberty Bowl kicks off in Memphis. Navy will take on Kansas State in that game. Normally I’d rank the Big 12 ahead of the Mountain West, but I suspect Navy may be the more motivated team.

     At 3:30 PM, there is the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl, from Tucson. Wyoming will take on Georgia State in that one. I can remember opening weekend, when Wyoming knocked off Missouri and Georgia State beat Tennesee. I would think Wyoming would bring more fans to this one, but I can’t really guess who might win this one.

     At 6:30 PM on New Years Eve, the Alamo bowl kicks off from San Antonio. This one features Utah vs. Texas. Utah is fresh off an embarrassing loss to Oregon in the PAC-12 title game, while Texas has been embarrassing for a good bit of this season. I suspect that the Longhorns will fall once again, in their home state.

     Wednesday, New Years Day is strangely quiet this bowl season, with only 4 games. Auburn will play in the Outback Bowl at noon in Tampa against Minnesota. Also at noon, the Citrus Bowl will be played in Orlando, with Alabama taking on Michigan. I would have really rather seen Alabama and Auburn play at different times. I think the Tide will play angry in this game, and send Michigan fans home grumbling.

     The Rose Bowl game kicks off at 4:00 PM, in Pasadena, California. Oregon will take on Wisconsin. I like Oregon’s versatility on offense in this game.

     The New Years nightcap is the Sugar Bowl, in New Orleans. Georgia will take on Baylor. This will be a tough game for the Bulldogs. Baylor is not an easy out. The Georgia skill position players have had a lot of injuries lately, and it has been a sub-par passing year for the Bulldogs. I’m thinking we’ll see a 5th straight Georgia post-season loss.

     A couple of bowls were pushed to Thursday, January 2nd. The Birmingham Bowl kicks off at 2:00 PM, with Cincinnati and Boston College doing battle. I think the Bearcats will win this one easily. I wonder how well attended this game will be?

     The Taxslayer Gator Bowl will be played Thursday night, with Tennessee taking on Indiana. Tennessee started the season off looking like the worst team in the SEC, then won 6 of their last 7 games. I think Vol fans and players are excited to be back in a bowl game after a 2 year absence.

     Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM, we’ll have the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl from Boise, Idaho. The Ohio Bobcats will take on the Nevada Wolfpack. The extended forecast for this one looks to be rainy with temps around 40 degrees. Brrrrr.

     Saturday, December 4th will have the earliest of the bowl kickoffs, with the Armed Forces Bowl kicking off at 10:30 AM in Ft. Worth Texas. Southern Mississippi will take on Tulane. I’ll be pulling for the Green Wave, who Auburn defeated 24-6 this past season.

     The bowl season continues on Monday evening, January 6th, with the Lending Tree Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Louisiana takes on Miami of Ohio in that one. I expect that the Ragin’ Cajuns will carry that one.

     Finally, on Monday evening, January 13th we’ll have the College Football National Championship Game, from New Orleans. It is an interesting situation this season, as we have over a 2 week delay between the playoff games and the final. My prediction is that we will see LSU and Clemson do battle in this one.

The post A Week Crammed Full of Bowls! appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.

from Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog http://trackemtigers.com/a-week-crammed-full-of-bowls/

[thecollegefootballguy]

2019 Top Games of the Week: Week 2

Guys, Week 2 really isn’t that good. We’ve got two high profile matchups and a bunch of nothing going on at the highest level. The G5 and FCS have some interesting games, but the P5 is relatively desolate.

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. #21 Syracuse 1-0 (0-0) at Maryland 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

Fun stat: neither Syracuse or Maryland have given up a point yet. Obviously that’s gonna change. The Terrapins weren’t expected to do much this year, but they started things off on the right foot by victimizing poor Howard 79-0. They’ll face much stiffer resistance this weekend. The Orange are tasked with winning on the road for the second week in a row, though the Terps should prove to be a tougher test than Liberty. Yeah Week 2 isn’t great.

9. Army 1-0 at #7 Michigan 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

This one could get interesting. It probably won’t, but we can fantasize about Army running circles around big, tough Michigan for a while.

8. Arkansas 1-0 (0-0) at Ole Miss 0-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

The football gods have given us a crap-tastic schedule, so let’s start rolling in the dirt. Arkansas and Ole Miss have an early season date with destiny, with the winner temporarily getting out from under some serious pressure. The loser of this game is probably gonna go full meltdown for the rest of the year, and these fan bases are gonna light a fire under their coaches for failing to improve.

7 . Cincinnati 1-0 (0-0) at #5 Ohio State 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

A man can dream. Cincinnati has the opportunity (however small) to take down in-state juggernaut Ohio State. The Bearcats have one P5 scalp so far, but the Buckeyes are a much different beast than the Bruins.

6. California 1-0 (0-0) at #14 Washington 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

One of these teams is set out to avenge an embarrassing loss from the previous season, and it ain’t Cal. The Bears’ shocking upset of Washington last year fully dumped the conference champions on their butts and (temporarily) knocked them out of the Top 25 for the first time since 2015. I’m not sure it’ll play out that way this time. Cal’s defense didn’t look great against UC Davis so I don’t have super high hopes for the repeat attempt.

5. #25 Nebraska 1-0 (0-0) at Colorado 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

Hey, the CU-NU rivalry is back on, and both teams have a lot to prove. Week 1 wasn’t very kind to Nebraska and while they did win, the Cornhuskers’ uninspired performance against South Alabama is calling into question their bullish ranking. Colorado, meanwhile, pulled away from in-state rival Colorado State last week and could make an even bigger splash against a higher profile opponent. God, they should really play more often.

4. #23 Stanford 1-0 (0-0) at USC 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

Perhaps it’s a bit cruel putting this matchup all the way at #4 seeing as how both team’s starting QBs could be out, but it’s a rivalry and an important conference game. USC and Stanford both have very tough schedules coming up. It’s absolutely imperative to win this game to have any hope in their division races.

3. Miami FL 0-1 (0-0) at North Carolina 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

Hell, as far as I know this will decide the ACC Coastal. Miami wasn’t exactly outmuscled in their loss to Florida so the Hurricanes are definitely in the running to retake the crown. Meanwhile, North Carolina pulled off one of the more high profile upsets last week when they took down rival South Carolina in Charlotte. Let’s see how good the Tar Heels actually are, but before that, go watch Mack Brown’s heartwarming postgame interview. Mack’s back!

2. #12 Texas A&M 1-0 (0-0) at #1 Clemson 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

This is what we’re really interested in watching. Texas A&M nearly knocked Clemson out of the Playoff race early on last year, now the Aggies have to go to Death Valley to attempt the upset this time. This could very well be the Tigers’ toughest test of the season and it’s coming with a bit of concern over QB Trevor Laurence, who threw two picks last week in what should have been an even bigger blowout of Georgia Tech.

1. #6 LSU 1-0 (0-0) at #9 Texas 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

Oh yeah, we’ve got a top ten matchup. It’s a bit hard to tell if LSU or Texas is truly “back” anymore, or what that really means, but this game could do a whole lot to help us figure that out. The Tigers made huge strides last season but still can’t get over the hump by beating Alabama. The Longhorns were inconsistent but managed to score huge, high profile victories over Oklahoma and Georgia to make their case for being fully returned to the top ten pantheon. I can’t wait to see what happens in this oh-so-well-timed nonconference battle.

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5 G5 Games of the Week

5. Minnesota 1-0 (0-0) at Fresno State 0-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

I’m convinced Fresno State would have beaten USC if the Bulldogs hadn’t allowed that unfortunate kick return touchdown. Fresno is still going to be one of the better G5s out West and they have a “golden” opportunity to claim a P5 win against the Gophers. Minnesota managed to stave off South Dakota State last week but a trip to the Central Valley is a much different proposition.

4. North Texas 1-0 (0-0) at SMU 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

The Safeway Bowl is going to be a big deal for both North Texas and SMU. The Mustangs are facing a difficult conference slate and need to pick up wins wherever possible. Meanwhile, North Texas is attempt to reassert themselves as C-USA favorites and could use the good press from beating their DFW rival in Dallas.

3. San Diego State 1-0 (0-0) at UCLA 0-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

I’m not sure how relevant San Diego State will be in 2019. On one hand the Aztecs have a pretty easy path to another West championship outside their date with Fresno. On the other hand, it looks as though the plug and play days where they relied on undersized running backs to push their way through opponents might be over. SDSU faces a high profile matchup and a trip to the Rose Bowl. UCLA might be mortal, but they still almost beat Cincinnati, even if that was somewhat luck assisted.

2. #18 UCF 1-0 (0-0) at FAU 0-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

Man, I wish this game happened in 2017. FAU is probably still in flux and shouldn’t win this game, but boy it would be fun to see the Owls make it close. 

1. Marshall 1-0 (0-0) at #24 Boise State 1-0 (0-0) (Friday 9/6/19)

Oh hey, look at that, Boise is ranked again. It’s Conference USA mainstay vs Mountain West heavyweight in this out of conference clash. As far as I’m concerned this game owns Friday night because there’s nothing else worth watching on TV.

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FCS Games of the Week

#6. #9 Kennesaw State 1-0 (0-0) at Kent State 0-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

I’m super surprised that the FCS only scored one measly win over the FBS last week. Here’s a good opportunity for another.

5. North Dakota 1-0 at #1 North Dakota State 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

The in-state rivalry between North Dakota and NDSU has smoldered for years while the two were in different conferences. Now, the Fighting Hawks and Bison will face off yearly once more. It doesn’t hurt that UND is probably getting better, but it also won’t help them this year either.

4. #17 Furman 1-0 (0-0) at Georgia State 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

Furman gets a transitive win over Tennessee if they pull this off.

3. #6 Maine 1-0 (0-0) at Georgia Southern 0-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

This one will be tough, but it’s one of the highest profile FCS-FBS games of the week.

2. #15 North Carolina A&T 1-0 (0-0) at Duke 0-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

The defending national champions make a trip to Durham in the only game in North Carolina involving a ranked team.

1. #12 Southeast Missouri State 1-0 (0-0) at #13 Montana State 0-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/7/19)

Oh wow it’s an actual ranked FCS vs FCS bout. Both teams have a pretty good chance at making the Playoff so this is more what you should watch to see how the other half plays when it’s not a body bag game. It’s good football, I promise.