Can you believe that we are at this point in the season? We already have a team that is bowl eligible and many that could join San Diego State this weekend. Outside of the AAC and a few select teams in the MAC and Mountain West, it has not been the banner year everyone was hoping for months ago. Nevertheless, we are hitting Mid-October in stride with nearly every conference open for multiple teams to claim the crown.
Let’s take a look at this weekend’s games and the need to know information.
Five Week 7 Storylines:
- How does the Toledo offense look without Cody Thompson?
- Can North Texas defeat UTSA and take full control of the CUSA West?
- How early will Memphis/Navy hit the over of 71 at the Liberty Bowl?
- Boise State may be the final hurdle for #19 San Diego State?
- ULM is in "danger" of going 4-0 in Sun Belt play and only two games from bowl eligibility.
Biggest Line:
- East Carolina (-36) at UCF
Five Closest Lines:
- Navy At Memphis (-3.5)
- Utah State at Wyoming (-3)
- UTSA (-1.5) at North Texas
- Fresno State (-2) at New Mexico
- MTSU (-5) at UAB
Biggest G5 Over P5 Favorite:
- None
Before I break into this week’s schedule, I am keeping my eye on Conference USA this week. CUSA has not been good as a whole for a majority of the season. WKU suddenly forgetting how to play offense, MTSU fighting key injuries, Old Dominion lacking a signal caller plus injuries, and Louisiana Tech not playing up to par are just a few of the serious problems this conference is facing at the moment.
That does not mean there is no good to be seen. North Texas and UTSA have seen their stocks rise, along with Southern Miss making year one of the Hopson era look more like an aberration than the norm. In the east, the renaissance of Marshall from 2016 doormat to contender, along with FAU looking somewhat formidable under Kiffin is something to watch.
That being said, the only team in CUSA that is looking like a legitimate top 10 ranked team at this is Marshall with North Texas getting a shot to impress voters this week.
Mid-season CUSA title game prediction: Marshall vs. North Texas
Week Seven Schedule:
10/11:
- South Alabama 19, Troy 8 Final
10/12:
- Texas State at Louisiana, ESPNU
10/14:
Morning:
- EMU at Army, 11:00 AM, CBSSN
- Connecticut at Temple, 11:00 AM ESPN News
The Eagles are coming off of a close loss to Toledo, while Army beat yet another CUSA opponent in dominating fashion. If EMU can slow down the option attack of Army and actually attack downfield versus an Army side that can be beaten for big plays, we could be in store for a good game. If you do not have CBSSN, well I guess it could be a fun game to see how many times the Owls defense sacks Bryant Shirreffs on Saturday.
Early Afternoon:
- UNLV at Air Force, 1:00 PM
- Old Dominion at Marshall, 1:30 PM, ESPN3
- Akron at WMU, 2:30 PM, CBSSN
- Miami at Kent State, 2:30 PM, ESPN3
- NIU at Buffalo, 2:30 PM, ESPN3
- Ohio at BGSU, 2:30 PM, ESPN3
- Toledo at CMU, 2:30 PM, ESPN3
- #25 Navy at Memphis, 2:45 PM, ESPNU
- Houston at Tulsa, 3:00 PM, ESPN News
- Charlotte at WKU, 3:30 PM
- Wyoming at Utah State, 3:30 PM
Apparently, the MAC has decided it is better to just start every game at the same time in conference play. It is an interesting philosophy and allows the MAC to dominate a time slot with five of the eleven games starting from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM. However, the fact that Navy-Memphis is during that same slot will make it hard to give too much attention to the MAC. Expect a few points to be scored in that crucial AAC matchup of the Midshipmen and Tigers.
Late Afternoon:
- Georgia State at ULM, 4:00 PM, ESPN3
- Appalachian State at Idaho, 4:00 PM, ESPN3
- NMSU at Georgia Southern, 5:00 PM, ESPN3
- MTSU at UAB, 5:30 PM
The wasteland of G5 football is again in the late afternoon with none of the four games available without some sort of computerized device. ULM could be fun to watch as they have thrown caution to the wind and go for a shootout on a weekly basis. That has resulted in a team that scores 39.2 per game, gives up 37.0 per game, and is sitting at 3-0 in the Sun Belt with a chance to get their fourth win of the season versus a Georgia State team that only has wins over Charlotte and Coastal Carolina. Is Idaho ready to make a run at a second straight bowl appearance? They might want to get going if that is to be a reality.
Primetime:
- ECU at #22 UCF, 6:00 PM CBSSN
- UTSA at North Texas, 6:00 PM, ESPN3
- UTEP at Southern Miss, 6:00 PM
- Tulane at FIU, 6:00 PM
- Coastal Carolina at Arkansas State, 6:00 PM, ESPN3
- Cincinnati at #18 South Florida, 6:30 PM, ESPNU
I have my eyes on Denton, Texas and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I admit that I make it seem like I thought Southern Miss was a trash team and made the entire CUSA look back in beating UTSA last week. That was not my intention at all. I am just not sold on the Golden Eagles, but taking care of business in a game they should dominate would help some. I mean they do have one of my favorite players in college football in Ito Smith. Otherwise, North Texas can put a stranglehold on the west if they beat the visiting Roadrunners. Many interested parties in Birmingham and Hattiesburg will be following this game closely.
Late Night:
- New Mexico at Fresno State, 9:00 PM
- Nevada at Colorado State, 9:15 PM, ESPN2
- Boise State at #19 San Diego State, 9:30 PM, CBSSN
- San Jose State at Hawaii, 10:59 PM
You just spent an entire day of watching college football and now you are relaxing with an adult beverage as the kids go to bed. Now is the time to power through and find CBSSN one more time to watch the #19 San Diego State Aztecs take on perennial power Boise State in late night Mountain West action. Can you call it a rivalry if they have only played four times? Well, I will. This may be the last major hurdle for the Aztecs before a trip to the conference title game to possibly face Boise State once again.
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