Sun Belt Week 3 Previews

Arkansas State at Nebraska: This is a matchup between Arkansas State of the Sun Belt Conference and Nebraska of the Big 10 Conference. Arkansas State is heading into this game at 1-1 with a big loss to #4 Oregon in the season opener and a comeback win over lowly Memphis in week two. The Red Wolves rack up alot of yards in their offense ranking 7th nationally with 574 yards per game on offense. Led by quarterback Ryan Aplin's 606 yards passing and 110 yards on the ground, the Red Wolves are averaging 33.5 points per game. Arkansas State is struggling on defense in the opening weeks as they gave up 50 to Oregon in the first half and 28 points to Memphis in week two. The Red Wolves are in the bottom 10 overall in scoring defense. The Nebraska Cornhuskers also enter this game with a 1-1 record. The Cornhuskers dismantled Southern Miss in the opener before falling to a surprisingly good UCLA team on the road in week 2. Nebraska enters this game ranked 16th nationally in total offense with 535 yards per game and a solid 39.5 points per game, good for 25th best nationally. Quarterback Taylor Martinez is the centerpiece of the Cornhusker offense with 533 yards in the air and 122 yards on the ground early in the season. This is the second overall meeting between the two schools with Nebraska winning 38-9 at home during the 2009 season. Arkansas State tends to struggle versus speed in the backfield, especially versus athletic quarterbacks and spread offensive systems. Taylor Martinez is a dual threat for Nebraska and should be the player to watch in a game that I would say he throws for 300 and runs for another 100. Nebraska big, 41-17.

Louisiana-Lafayette at Oklahoma State: This is a matchup between Louisiana of the Sun Belt Conference and Oklahoma State of the Big 12 Conference. Louisiana comes into this game at 2-0 with wins over Lamar and conference foe Troy in the first two weeks of the season. The Ragin' Cajuns have been average on offense with the 96th ranked passing game but the 50th rated rushing attack for a total of 367 yards per game on offense. The Ragin' Cajuns are the 66th rated defense in the nation with 366 yards allowed per game to opponents. Louisiana does rank 22nd nationally with only 12 points allowed per game on the season after two weeks. Oklahoma State enters this game at 1-1 following a disappointing loss to an explosive Arizona squad. The Cowboys are 7th nationall in both rushing and passing offense ranking them as the top offense in the nation with 659 yards per game. The Cowboys have put up a ridiculous 61 points per game on the season. This is the 9th overall meeting between the two schools with Oklahoma State holding a perfect 8-0 record by an average score of 40-15. The Cowboys rolled up 61 points in a 61-34 win last fall. Louisiana is a solid team that has played a weak early schedule but move up significantly in class with the game versus Oklahoma State. Expect Louisiana to stay in the game for about a quarter and a half before Oklahoma State pulls away for a big win similar to last year's 61-34 win.

Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn: This is a matchup between Louisiana-Monroe of the Sun Belt Conference and Auburn of the South Eastern Conference. Louisiana-Monroe is coming into this game 1-0 with a 34-31 overtime win over then #8 Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Warhawks are a pass happy team that rides the arm of Kolton Browning who threw for 412 yards and 3 touchdowns in the season opener. Browning also led the Warhawks with 69 yards on the ground and another touchdown. ULM gave up 31 points and including 28 in the first three quarters. Auburn enters this meeting with ULM at 0-2 with losses to #14 Clemson and SEC foe Mississippi State to start the season. The Tigers are having a hard time getting their offense going early into this season with the 111th ranked passing game and the 82nd ranked running game. The Tigers have a good defense but gave up 27 per game in the first two games due to the offense's inability to give the defense adequate rest. This is the 9th overall meeting between the two schools with Auburn winning all 8 previous meetings by an average of 44-9. Auburn won 52-3 in their most previous meeting in 2010. ULM is the belle of the ball after a stunning win over Arkansas last week but have quite a test in a good Auburn team. Expect Auburn to do a much better job of corraling Browning and getting off the field better than Arkansas did last week. Auburn 31-14.

Florida International at UCF: This is an in-state matchup between Florida International of the Sun Belt Conference and Central Florida of Conference USA. Florida International comes into this game at 1-1 with a loss to Duke and overtime win over Akron on their 2012 resume. The Golden Panthers were expected by many to be the top Sun Belt team by many in the media but look to be struggling with to adapt without some of the leaders from last year's team. FIU has been gaining yards at 476 yards per game and are scoring 33.5 points per game. The defense was expected to be the main strength of the Golden Panthers this fall but after consecutive games of giving up 38+ points, it is beginning to look like many overrated the FIU defense. Central Florida enters this game at 1-1 after self-destructing in a 31-16 loss to #14 Ohio State. The Knights had several chances to get within a touchdown in the second half but penalties and turnovers killed any hope. UCF faced a good Ohio State team and stood eye to eye with them athletically for most of the game. This is the second overall meeting between the two schools with Central Florida coming out on top, 17-10, in the only previous meeting last fall. With this being an in-state rivalry game, anything can happen. UCF is the better team and were not physically dominated by #18 Ohio State last week putting them in great shape versus FIU. Expect UCF to impose their will on FIU and pull away to a comfortable win in the second half. UCF 33-17.

South Alabama at North Carolina State: This is a matchup between FBS newbie South Alabama of the Sun Belt Conference and North Carolina State of the Atlantic Coast Conference. South Alabama is entering this contest at 1-1 with a loss to UTSA and a win over Nicholls State in week two. The Jaguars are struggling on offense with the 101st ranked passing attack and the #96 ranked rushing attack in the nation. USA has averaged 20 points per game in the opening games. Defensively, the Jaguars struggled in week one versus UTSA but looked much better in the win over Nicholls State holding the FCS team to 3 points. North Carolina State enters this game at 1-1 with a loss to Tennessee and an ugly 10-7 win over Connecticut in week two. The Wolfpack are a solid passing team with 246 in the air but rank in the bottom 15 rushing the football for only 86 yards per game in two weeks. The Wolfpack have given up 21 points per game but held UConn to 7 points after giving up 35 points to a good Tennessee offense. This is the second overall meeting between the two schools with North Carolina winning the previous meeting by the score of 35-13 in Raleigh. South Alabama is stepping up in competition with this matchup and should have a hard time competing with the Wolfpack. Expect a similar game to last season with NC State winning by slightly more to the effect of 38-10 or so.

North Texas at No. 15 Kansas State: This is a matchup between North Texas of the Sun Belt Conference and #15 Kansas State of the Big 12 Conference. North Texas enters this game at 1-1 with a win over Texas Southern after a big loss to LSU in the season opener. North Texas is a rushing based team that has ran for 214 yards per game on the season with 352 yards on the ground in the week 2 win over Texas Southern. The passing game needs some work but did hit for some big plays versus an excellent LSU defense. The Mean Green defense could not stop the running game against LSU but was dominant in the week two win. This will be a great test to see just how good the North Texas defense is this year. #15 Kansas State is entering this game at 2-0 on the heels of a 52-13 win over Miami The Wildcats are the #6 rushing offense with 306 yards per game while not needing to pass the ball much due to the rushing success. The Wildcats have been dominant winning by an average of 51-11 in the opening games. This is the 7th overall meeting between the two school with Kansas State holding a 5-1 record versus the Mean Green. North Texas won the initial meeting in 1985 and Kansas State has won the last 5 with a 49-41 win in the most recent meeting in 2010. North Texas just does not match up well versus the physical rushing attack of Kansas State and will wear down rather easily. The Mean Green may play tough for a half but will get taken to the woodshed in the second half with the score along the lines of 54-21.

Western Kentucky at Kentucky: This is an inter-state matchup between Western Kentucky of the Sun Belt Conference and Kentucky of the South Eastern Conference. WKU enters this game at 1-1 with a win over FCS' opponent Austin Peay and a loss to #1 Alabama. The Hilltoppers are a more balanced offense this season 265 yards in the air and 145 on the ground ranking them the 59th best offense in the country even after facing the vaunted Alabama defense. The Hilltopper defense is currently ranked #12 nationally and played a solid game versus Alabama after dominating Austin Peay in week 1. Kentucky enters this game at 1-1 following a loss to Louisville and a win over MAC foe Kent State. The Wildcats are a pass-oriented offense that has moved to a no-huddle philosophy designed to attack at all times. The Wildcats are the 87th ranked defense in the nation with 437 yards of offense allowed per game and 23 points allowed per game ranking them 63rd nationally in that category. This is the third overall meeting between the two schools with Kentucky going a perfect 3-0 in the previous meetings. The most recent meeting was the closest with Kentucky winning 14-3 in a game played in Nashville, Tennessee. After coming up just short in 2011 versus the Wildcats, many all over the nation think this is the year that WKU can pull the upset over the Wildcats. If WKU can handle the no-huddle of Kentucky and keep turnovers to a minimum, there should be a bad night in Lexington for the Wildcats. WKU 27-17.

Mississippi State at Troy: This is a matchup between Mississippi State of the South Eastern Conference and Troy of the Sun Belt Conference. The Troy Trojans enter this game at 1-1 with an opening win over UAB and a loss to Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns. The Trojans ran the ball well in week 1 but went back to their passing ways in week two versus Louisiana. The Trojans are averaging 359 yards passing per game. The Troy defense has been lacking to begin the season with 29 and 37 points allowed in the first two games of the year. Mississippi State comes into this game at 2-0 and just outside the top 25 nationally. The Bulldogs are very balanced on offense with 207 yards passing and 184 yards rushing per game. Defensively, Mississippi State is only giving up a miniscule 9.5 points per game including only 10 points from SEC co-member Auburn. This is the third overall meeting between the two schools with the overall record tied at 1 win a piece. Mississippi State won the most recent meeting 11-8 in 2002. This is the first time Troy has ever faced an SEC team at home although things will not be pretty for the Trojans. Mississippi should have their way with the Trojan defense and slow down the Troy passing game. Bulldogs 47-14.

Florida Atlantic at No. 7 Georgia: This is a matchup between Florida Atlantic of the Sun Belt Conference and #7 Georgia of the South Eastern Conference. Florida Atlantic enters this game at 1-1 with a win over Wagner and a loss to conference foe MTSU. The Owls are putting up just over 340 yards per game on offense but only 12 points per game, good for the 114th ranked scoring offense in the nation. the scary part of that statement is that FAU has faced an FCS team and a bad MTSU team so far. The defense has been solid giving up 16 points per game but 31 points were scored on the Owls in a 31-17 loss to MTSU. #7 Georgia is entering this game at 2-0 with wins over Buffalo and Missouri despite the suspension of 4 defensive starters. The Bulldogs have an All-American candidate in quarterback Aaron Murray and are improving day by day rushing the game. The Bulldogs are giving up 21.5 points per game but with the return of the 4 suspended starters in the next few weeks, this could be a top 10 defense. This is the first overall meeting between the two programs. Florida Atlantic realistically has no hope of a win this week and are looking to not get embarrassed versus Georgia. Georgia 45-0.

Middle Tennessee at Memphis: This is a matchup between Middle Tennessee State University of the Sun Belt Conference and Memphis of Conference USA. MTSU is entering this game 1-1 with a loss to FCS team McNeese State and a win versus conference foe FAU. The Blue Raiders are relying on a rushing attack that gets 202 yards and a passing game that puts up 209 yards per game but only 26 points per game on the season. Again, the Blue Raider defense seems to be a bit of a sticking point with 22 points allowed per game while only facing an FCS team and the worst team in the Sun Belt. Memphis enters this game at 0-2 with losses to UT Martin and Arkansas State by a total of 8 points. the Tigers were brutal in the opener getting beat by the FCS team but played better in losing late in the game versus Arkansas State. Memphis must get on track versus a soft MTSU defense and impose their will in this home game. This is the 25th overall meeting between the two schools with MTSU holding a 15-8-1 overall advantage over the Tigers. MTSU won the most previous meeting 38-31 in 2011. Memphis just hasn't looked good enough to beat much of anyone this season and have a lot to prove to the nation. MTSU should pull out this rivalry game with a strong second half. MTSU 27-21.