Conference USA Power Rankings (9/4/17)

It was an odd start to the season for CUSA as the elites struggled with inferior opponents, MTSU no showed versus Vandy again, and Marshall showed that you don’t always need an offense to win a game. With that said, let’s take a look at the CUSA power rankings.

1. Western Kentucky (1-0, 0-0): Sure, EKU is a rival, but the Hilltoppers looked a bit disinterested and looking ahead Saturday night. A win is a win and with Illinois, Louisiana Tech, and Ball State filling out a September slate, things will only get tougher for WKU.
2. Louisiana Tech (1-0, 0-0): It is hard to get up to play versus a vastly inferior opponent. The Bulldogs took care of business, but have quite a bit to work on before facing Mississippi State, WKU, and South Carolina in the next three weeks.
3. MTSU (0-1, 0-0): As usual, the Blue Raiders choked against their neighbors from Nashville. All you can really do is throw that game out the window and start new. Wins over Syracuse and Minnesota in the next two weeks could completely change the trajectory of the program this season.
4. Old Dominion (1-0, 0-0): It was an ugly game, but Old Dominion held off a tougher than expected Albany squad in week one. LaRussa showed flashes of brilliance and should have his spot cemented as a starter with his week one performance. Three turnovers cannot happen versus North Carolina and Virginia Tech if they want to pull an upset or two.
5. UTSA (0-0, 0-0): Weather kept the Roadrunners from playing in week one. They instead get to start their season with a trip to a Baylor squad smarting from a loss to Liberty in week one. If they can get this win, they could be looking at a possible 9/10 win season this fall.
6. Marshall (1-0, 0-0): I don’t even know what to make of the Thundering Herd. They cannot expect to score 21 non-offensive points every week. Until the offense proves they are improved from last season, Marshall sits in the middle of the CUSA pack.
7. Southern Miss (0-1, 0-0): There is hope for the Golden Eagles as they have found their quarterback in Kwadra Griggs. There were multiple chances for USM to beat Kentucky and they would have moved to #6 if they did, but they could not pull out the win. With Southern and ULM next on the slate, USM should start CUSA play at 2-1 overall.
8. North Texas (1-0, 0-0): The Mean Green took care of business in week one and beat the doors off Lamar as expected. Now, they have a real challenge with SMU and Iowa on the schedule before starting CUSA play with a visit from UAB.
9. UAB (1-0, 0-0): The Return got off to a great start in week one with a 38-7 win over Alabama A&M. The Blazers get into real FBS action in week two versus a solid Ball State squad, followed by Coastal Carolina. Five wins are possible for UAB this year.
10. Charlotte (0-1, 0-0): The 49ers hung around and had a chance to get within a score versus EMU, but could not put things together offensively in the 24-7 loss. Fix some mistakes and Charlotte could be battling for a bowl berth.
11. Florida Atlantic (0-1, 0-0): The Lane Kiffin era got off to a lackluster start versus a solid Navy squad. The players looked lost at times and the coaching staff looked ill prepared for the triple option of Navy. It could get ugly for the Owls in the next two weeks as they travel to #9 Wisconsin and Boston College comes to town.
12. UTEP (0-1, 0-0): The Miners were never going to compete with Oklahoma on the road. Forget that game. This week marks a matchup with Rice that could determine the worst team in Conference USA.
13. Florida International (0-1, 0-0): If Kiffin’s era got off to a lackluster start, the Butch Davis era started with a disaster. Playing rival UCF, the Golden Panthers are lucky that they didn’t give up 80 points. It was bad.
14. Rice (0-1, 0-0): With Stanford, Houston, Pitt, and Army making up the non-conference schedule, this could be the year that Rice goes 0-12. The best chances for the Owls to win a game might come in September as they travel to UTEP and host FIU.

College Football Outpost's Week One In Review

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/5069579976

Week one of the college football season is over for G5 programs. To be honest, it was an odd weekend with multiple power programs playing well below their expectations. From slightly rebuilding Western Michigan taking USC to the wire to UNLV dropping a matchup to Howard, nothing went according to plan.

With that said, let’s take a look back at week one.

• Most impressive win: Coastal Carolina 38, UMass 28.
• Worst Loss: Howard 43, UNLV 40.

Five storylines heading into week two:

Who will be the quarterback at Boise State?

No one is going to put the Broncos win over Troy in the College Football Hall of Fame. It was ugly and at times, just flat out hard to watch as neither team seemed to find anything positive on offense for a majority of the game.

The problem with Brett Rypien last season was his inability to find consistency. One week he looked like an All-American and the next, he looked like a backup. Partially due to a gameplan by Hasin and company and also due to how the game went, Rypien barely saw the field in the final quarter with graduate transfer Montell Cozart leading the offense. The Broncos (barely) did enough to win, but Harsin will have a whole new group of people to block on Twitter in the coming week due to his handling of the quarterback position.

Now, we have to ask if Cozart is now the #1 and Rypien is spelling him, vice versa or some other decision will be made. It seems like the Broncos will go with the same plan as in week one. Don’t worry, all Boise State has next week is a trip to #24 Washington State. No biggie.

Can South Florida start play at opening kickoff?

Does a team automatically forget how to play football with Charlie Strong as its head coach? For the second straight week, the Bulls came out poor in the opening quarter and never led until 2:43 was left in the third quarter. In the end, it was a somewhat comfortable 14-point win, but this is getting ridiculous.

If USF starts like that versus… ummm… forget that for now because their schedule is soft this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if USF is closer to #25 than #15 when the AP Poll comes out on Monday.

Western Michigan isn’t going away that easily.

Surely, the Broncos couldn’t hang with a USC team expected to play in the playoff this season after losing so many important players. They would still be good, but they were not going to be anywhere near the level of last season.

Not so fast, my friend.

With 4:37 left in the game, the Broncos were within 35-31 and had a real chance to pull the upset. A long run and a pick-six ended those hopes but told the rest of the MAC that Western Michigan isn’t going anywhere this fall.

What is even more impressive is the fact that WMU hung in there despite playing the game virtually one dimensional on offense. Jon Wassink passed for 67 yards, but a three-headed monster at running back rushed for 219 yards on 36 carries and gashed a pretty good USC defense.

Coastal gets an FBS win in its first try.

It took so many other teams multiple years to get their first win over an FBS opponent after making the jump from the FCS. Everyone assumed the Coastal Carolina would need multiple attempts to accomplish that feat, but the Chanticleers. Used a run game that basically gave a carry to anyone on the depth chart and added to the misery that is UMass football with a 38-28 win.

Osharmar Abercrombie finally got his shot at the starting position after racking up nearly 1,200 yards as a three-year backup to De’Angelo Henderson and set a career high with 149 yards on 17 carries. CCU as a whole rushed for 321 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

Service Academies represent.

Navy 42, Florida Atlantic 19. Army 64, Fordham 6. Air Force 62, VMI 0. All three service academies stepped into the 2017 season with dominant performances over outmatched programs. While none of the three teams were expected to be tested, a combined 168-25 is a pretty good weekend.

Three teams that disappointed in week one:

• MTSU: I could go on and on about the lack of defense on the part of the Blue Raiders, but this was another big game that they did not show up for. Blame the players, blame the coaches, blame whoever, but MTSU has shown an inability to show up for games like this in recent seasons and it has to end if they are to be considered an elite G5 program.
• East Carolina: I could have easily gone with South Florida from the AAC, but the Pirates officially hit rock bottom in being completely dominated during a loss to James Madison. ECU looks like a mess under Scottie Montgomery and fans have to be wondering what could have been if Ruffin was still around instead of being let go after the 2015 season.
• Kent State/Akron: I could have picked one over the other, but they were virtually the same program on Saturday. Sure, they were playing the #5 and #6 teams in the nation and there are excuses to be made. I personally watched the first halves of these games and felt like Penn State and Clemson had to make a concerted effort to keep from breaking 40 points in the opening two quarters. It was flat out ugly football.

***Bonus disappointment: Georgia State/UNLV***

Three teams that impressed in week one:

• Marshall: You can make the argument that it was smoke and mirrors that won the game for the Thundering Herd over Miami. The run game was nonexistent, Litton was average, and the defense gave up 429 yards. In many cases, this is the recipe for a blowout loss, but Marshall found a way to win. Keion Davis took two kickoffs to the house and basically won the game for them.
• Western Michigan: As I said earlier, WMU hung toe to toe with one of the best teams in the nation and proved to the MAC that they will be a force to be reckoned with. That run game will be tough for any G5 team to slow down.
• Tulane: Facing a tougher than usual Grambling squad, Tulane raced ahead and easily controlled their FCS foe. Jonathan Banks took the long road from Kansas State to the JUCO ranks and finally Tulane and ran the offense well with 185 yards passing and another 69 on the ground. Overall, the Green Wave accounted for over 250 yards and over six yards per carry in the win.

G5 players of the week:

• Offense: Zach Abey, Navy: 235 yards rushing, 110 yards passing, three total touchdowns versus FAU.
• Defense: Anthony Winbush, Ball State: 7 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks versus Illinois.
• Special Teams: Keion Davis, Marshall: Two kickoff returns for touchdowns versus Miami OH.

College Football Outpost's Week One Predictions: G5 And FCS Top 25

I have decided for week one to only give my predictions for the G5 games played on Saturday. Next week, I will predict every game. Let’s take a look at this week’s offerings.

MAC:

• Clemson over Kent State
• Penn State over Akron
• Ball State over Illinois
• Michigan State over Bowling Green
• USC over Western Michigan
• Miami over Marshall
• Ohio over Hampton

CUSA

• Oklahoma over UTEP
• UAB over Alabama A&M
• Kentucky over Southern Miss
• Old Dominion over Albany
• Miami over Marshall
• North Texas over Lamar
• Louisiana Tech over Northwestern State
• Western Kentucky over Eastern Kentucky
• MTSU over Vanderbilt

AAC:

• Notre Dame over Temple
• South Florida over Stony Brook
• James Madison over East Carolina
• SMU over Stephen F. Austin
• Tulane over Grambling

Independent:

• UMass over Coastal Carolina 

MWC:

• Iowa over Wyoming
• Air Force over VMI
• Northwestern over Nevada
• Boise State over Troy
• San Jose State over Cal Poly
• New Mexico over Abilene Christian
• San Diego State over UC Davis
• UNLV over Howard
• Fresno State over Incarnate Word
• Hawaii over Western Carolina

Sun Belt

• Boise State over Troy
• Georgia over Appalachian State
• UMass over Coastal Carolina
• Louisiana over Southeastern Louisiana
• Texas State over Houston Baptist
• Auburn over Georgia Southern
• Ole Miss over South Alabama
• Nebraska over Arkansas State 

STATS FCS Top 25:

• #1 James Madison over East Carolina
• #2 North Dakota State over Mississippi Valley State
• Texas Tech over #5 Eastern Washington
• Pittsburgh over #9 Youngstown State
• #10 Villanova over #17 Lehigh
• #11 Wofford over Furman
• #12 Chattanooga—Bye week
• Mississippi State over #14 Charleston Southern
• Kansas State over #15 Central Arkansas
• #16 Citadel over Newberry
• Iowa State over #18 Northern Illinois
• #20 Illinois State over Butler
• Tulane over #21 Grambling
• San Jose State over #23 Cal Poly
• Old Dominion over #24 Albany

 Some games have already been played this week.

• #6 Jacksonville State—Bye week
• #3 Sam Houston State—Beat #7 Richmond 48-34 on Thursday
• #4 South Dakota State—Beat Duquesne 51-13 on Thursday
• #8 North Dakota—Lost to Utah 37-16 on Thursday
• #13 New Hampshire—beat Maine 24-23 on Thursday
• #19 Samford—Beat Kennesaw State 28-23 on Thursday
• #22 Fordham—Lost to Army 64-6 on Thursday
• #25 Western Illinois—Beat Tennessee Tech 41-14 on Thursday

CFO's Essential Guide To Week One Of The College Football Season

By Johntex - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1180565

So, we made it through another offseason full of recruiting (yawn), arrests, and musical chairs on roster and coaching staffs. Officially, the season started last Saturday with South Florida attempting to give hope to the rest of G5 nation with a lackluster start to the 2017 season. Otherwise, it was a grouping of lackluster games with a wild Hawaii/UMass game that no one saw sprinkled in to complete the college football appetizer.

Enough of the hors d’oeuvres, it is time for the main course.

American Athletic Conference:

Thursday:

Florida International at Central Florida, CBSSN, 5:30 PM EST

• Austin Peay at Cincinnati, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST
• Tulsa at #10 Oklahoma State, FS1, 6:30 PM CST: This game hold some intrigue as Tulsa has an impressive run game and three of the best blockers in the AAC. They can stay in this game if they are able to control the clock with time-consuming drives and cause turnovers. I just don’t think that a Tulsa squad breaking in a new quarterback has the weapons to outscore a Cowboys team that is a dark horse pick to make the College Football Playoff.
• Holy Cross at UConn, ESPN3, 6:30 PM CST
• Louisiana Monroe at Memphis, CBSSN, 8:00 PM CST: Other than getting to see just how explosive this Memphis team can be, there is little intrigue to this game. I, along with many others, see the Tigers as the only AAC team that could take down USF in a title game. I am more interested in the Memphis defense to see just how improved that unit is in 2017.

Friday:

• Navy at Florida Atlantic, ESPNU, 7:00 PM CST: I am a diehard G5 guy and I have a hard time building up any enthusiasm for the game. Navy is Navy and will play hard, while FAU is hard to judge and just do not have the talent needed on the defensive side of the ball to stop the Midshipmen. This could be an oddly entertaining game for those bored on a Friday night.

Saturday:

• Temple at Notre Dame, NBC, 2:30 PM CST: Both teams are hard to judge, but Temple could gain some publicity with a win over the Golden Domers on national TV. I just don’t see them pulling the upset unless someone like Armstead has a 175+ yard game.
• Stony Brook at #19 South Florida, ESPN3, 3:00 PM CST
• James Madison at East Carolina, ESPN3, 5:00 PM CST: Even though it is the defending FCS champions coming to town, this is a must win game for ECU in the Montgomery era. Win this for AAC pride.
• Stephen F. Austin at SMU, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST
• Grambling at Tulane, ESPN3, 7:00 PM CST

Conference USA

Thursday:

• Florida International at Central Florida, CBSSN, 5:30 PM EST: The Butch Davis era is underway and the Golden Panthers should be easily dispatched by UCF. It could be interesting to see if Davis has closed the gap from last season somewhat.

Friday:

• Charlotte at Eastern Michigan, ESPN3, 5:30 PM CST: The 49ers are projected to finish at or near the rear of CUSA while EMU has the pieces in place to make back to back bowl berths. This game will be incredibly ugly. Do yourself a favor and just keep it on as background noise while watching another game.
• Navy at Florida Atlantic, ESPNU, 7:00 PM CST: Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin, Lane Kiffin.

Saturday:

• UTEP at #7 Oklahoma, FOX, 2:30 PM CST
• Alabama A&M at UAB, 2:30 PM CST
• Kentucky at Southern Miss, CBSSN, 3:00 PM CST: A rematch from last season’s oddball game that saw the Wildcats dominate early and then give up like 70 points in a row. This game is more evenly matched than many expect, but the Golden Eagles have to find a quarterback that and put pressure on the UK secondary.
• Albany at Old Dominion, ESPN3, 5:00 PM CST
• Miami OH at Marshall, 5:30 PM CST: This is a huge measuring stick game for both programs. The RedHawks are projected to finish second in the MAC east and some think they could unseat Ohio this fall. Playing well versus Marshall is crucial for national perception. Marshall needs to prove that last season was a fluke and get Chase Litton back on the right track this season. This could be a very exciting game that comes down to the wire.
• Lamar at North Texas, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST
• Northwestern State at Louisiana Tech, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST
• Eastern Kentucky at Western Kentucky, 6:00 PM CST
• Vanderbilt at MTSU, CBSSN, 7:00 PM CST: This is a game that the Blue Raiders have circled on their calendar since last year’s odd game. Too many silly mistakes cost MTSU a chance at beating Vanderbilt in Nashville and that weighs heavily on the senior class’ mind. This game has the capability to end up 38-35 with the last team on offense winning the game.

MAC:

Thursday:

• Buffalo at Minnesota, Big Ten Network, 6:00 PM CST
• Elon at Toledo, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST
• Rhode Island at Central Michigan, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST 

Friday:

• Charlotte at Eastern Michigan, ESPN3, 5:30 PM CST: The Eagles finally have real expectations heading into a season and this game will see just how they handle everyone watching. The 49ers are surprisingly competitive but are still a couple of years from making a bowl run.
• Boston College at Northern Illinois, CBSSN, 8:30 PM: This game makes for a good way to wind down your Friday night. While it is doubtful that the Huskies will pull out a win, Boston College is just average enough to give them a punchers chance.

Saturday:

• Kent State at #5 Clemson, ESPN, 11:00 AM CST
• Akron at #6 Penn State, ABC, 11:00 AM CST
• Ball State at Illinois, BTN, 11:00 AM CST
• Bowling Green at Michigan State, ESPNU, 11:00 AM CST
• Western Michigan at #4 USC, PAC12 Network, 4:15 PM CST: Last year, this game would have been much better. USC is just too good for a WMU team trying to replace Corey Davis and company.
• Miami OH at Marshall, 5:30 PM CST: This is a huge measuring stick game for both programs. The RedHawks are projected to finish second in the MAC east and some think they could unseat Ohio this fall. Playing well versus Marshall is crucial for national perception. Miami seems like the team in the MAC that comes out of nowhere and takes a national power down in route to a 10+ win season.
• Hampton at Ohio, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST

Mountain West:

Friday:

• Colorado vs. Colorado State, PAC12 Network, 7:00 PM CST: If you are to catch one game on Friday, make it this one. The Rams looked impressive on offense and showed improvement in the second half versus Oregon State. A second straight win could put CSU on the outside looking in for a top 25 poll berth.
• Utah State at #9 Wisconsin, ESPN, 8:00 PM CST

Saturday:

• Wyoming at Iowa, BTN, 11:00 AM CST: We have heard the hype of Josh Allen all offseason and this is game that he could earn that hype. The Cowboys are facing a tough Iowa team that just makes life miserable for everyone involved, audience included. It will not be pretty, but a solid to good performance in this game could all but seal Allen’s declaration to the NFL.
• VMI at Air Force, ESPN3, 1:00 PM CST
• Nevada at Northwestern, BTN, 2:30 PM CST
• Troy at Boise State, ESPNU, 2:45 PM CST: One of the oddest start times in week one gives us one of the most compelling games of week one. The Trojans are back on the rise and have a senior class looking to return to Sun Belt glory. Boise State is looking to get back into discussion for a seat at the NY6 table at the end of the season. Boise State is better overall, but Troy has proven the ability to play above their heads versus quality teams in early season games… remember Clemson?
• Cal Poly at San Jose State, 6:30 PM CST
• Abilene Christian at New Mexico, 7:00 PM CST
• UC Davis at San Diego State, 7:30 PM CST
• Howard at UNLV, 8:00 PM CST
• Incarnate Word at Fresno State, 9:00 PM CST
• Western Carolina at Hawaii, 10:59 PM CST

Sun Belt:

Thursday:

• Tennessee State at Georgia State, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST
• Sacramento State at Idaho, ESPN3, 8:00 PM
• Louisiana Monroe at Memphis, CBSSN, 8:00 PM CST: Head coach Matt Viator and company have a tough task in hand to upset the Tigers. Memphis could play poorly if they are looking forward to an upcoming visit from UCLA.
• New Mexico State at Arizona State, PAC12 Network, 9:30 PM CST: Crazier things have happened than the Aggies pulling an upset over the Sun Devils, right?

Saturday:

• Troy at Boise State, ESPNU, 2:45 PM CST: This is a chance for the Sun Belt to show just how close they are to the rest of the G5 elite. Troy has the talent to pull the upset, but heading cross country to face the Broncos on the blue turf is a tough task.
• Appalachian State at Georgia, ESPN, 5:15 PM CST: While I am not ready to call for the upset, this game could make the Athens faithful very nervous. The Mountaineers will make it very interesting with a chance to hang tough in the fourth quarter.
• UMass at Coastal Carolina, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST: Welcome to the FBS Coastal, here is UMass.
• Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST
• Houston Baptist at Texas State, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST
• Georgia Southern at #12 Auburn, SEC Network, 6:30 PM CST
• South Alabama at Ole Miss, ESPNU, 6:30 PM CST: As long as the Jaguars are playing out of conference, they have a chance to beat anyone. It’s that tricky Sun Belt play that always confuses them.
• Arkansas State at Nebraska, BTN, 7:00 PM CST

Independents:

Friday:

• Fordham at Army, CBSSN, 5:00 PM CST: It is time to see if Army benefitted from a weak schedule or they are really a perennial bowl team for the first time since, well a long time ago. Fordham plays football at the FCS level and have a guy named Chase Edmonds at running back. He is good at football.

Saturday:

• UMass at Coastal Carolina, ESPN3, 6:00 PM CST: At least the Minutemen aren’t scheduling home and home game in season with opponents… yet.

MAC Week One Preview

The MAC is getting started with 12 games during Week One of the college football season with two G5 teams coming to town? I see the MAC going 5-7 in those 12 games.

Mountain West Week One Preview

With 12 games being played by Mountain West teams to start the 2015 season, Week One should be a very good start to the season as I have all but two teams winning their season opener.

Top 15 G5 Games To Watch: Week 1

There are over 50 games involving G5 teams in week one of the regular season but only 15 that interest me with a combination of a possible exciting game that has a chance at being interesting to everyone watching. There are also some that are in the list because I honestly do not know what to expect out of one or both of the teams this fall.

Ranking In Order Of Watchability Of The MWC Week One Games

Mountain West Conference Week One Games Ranked:

Week One Friday night Group of Five vs. Power Five matchups

The second official night of FBS football involves five games that match up Group of Five teams versus Power 5 teams. Of those five games, four will be hosted by Group of Five teams with Western Michigan hosting Michigan State, Hawaii hosting Colorado, Boise State hosting Washington, and SMU hosting Baylor.

Opening night Group of Five vs. Power Five matchups

In the opening Thursday night of college football, the Group of Five consisting of the MAC, MWC, Sun Belt, AAC, MWC, Army, and BYU face off versus Power Five (SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12) opponents in 4 games. Of those 4 games, Group of Five teams are getting a hosting/neutral site game in 2 games.

Week 1 Receiving Leaders

Week 1 Rushing Leaders

Week one passing stats

Week One Scoreboard

Saturday Action: 9/2/12

From the highs of Nevada and Texas State to the lows of Memphis, Florida International, and Tulsa; lets look at how the weekend went for the MAC, WAC, MWC, Sun Belt, Conference USA, and Independents. 

Week One: Louisiana versus Lamar

Lamar at Louisiana-Lafayette: This is a matchup of Lamar of the Southland Conference in the FCS and Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns of the Sun Belt.

Week One: Hawaii versus USC

Week One: Toledo versus Arizona

Week One: Florida International versus Duke

Week One: North Texas versus LSU