There are so many games going on tonight that it’s going to take at least two posts. It’s a beautiful thing. Happy College Football Day, everyone. We’ll go vaguely from east to west on this thing. My plan for this year is to offer a little more opinion on potential outcomes, for better or for worse. All times Eastern, lines courtesy of Vegas.com. Let’s go.
7:00 PM – Southeast Missouri State (FCS) at Ball State: The SE Missouri Redhawks went 2-9 last year. That is the extent of my knowledge of Ball State’s opponents. The Ball State Cardinals might be a decent team this year and should win easily. No line.
7:00 PM – Rhode Island (FCS) at Buffalo: The Rhode Island Rams went 1-10 last year, and that is all I know about Buffalo’s guests. Once again, they should be no match for Buffalo, new coach and all. No line.
7:00 PM – Hampton (FCS) at Central Michigan: As you have probably figured out, there won’t be much time spent researching these 1-AA opponents. The Hampton Pirates were 5-6 last year, and again should not stand in the Chippewas way. As usual for FCS games, no line. If you find one offshore, just stay away, Vegas dodges them for a reason.
7:00 PM – Murray State (FCS) at Kent State: The Murray State Racers went 3-8 last year. I could have just copy/pasted these first four, huh? Kent State better not lose. No line.
Now, on to the good stuff.
7:30 PM, Big Ten Network- Marshall at #2 Ohio State: Finally, a proper FBS matchup. In which Marshall is probably going to get stomped. Marshall has a new coach and replaces RB Darius Marshall, who left for the draft but is presently unemployed. They bring back a lot of starters otherwise, but I read somewhere that Ohio State is pretty good. Line: Ohio State by 28. At a glance that seems high, but last year Ohio State won four times by 30+, so Tressel’s not so conservative when he can crush somebody. This probably goes something like 42-7.
7:30 PM, ESPNU- Minnesota at Middle Tennessee State: I was a lot more optimistic about this game before Dwight Dasher got himself ruled ineligible. The Blue Raiders still have a lot of talent on the team, but they’re led by a pair of JuCo quarterbacks who haven’t stepped onto a 1-A field yet. MTSU is going to need a near-perfect game to shut down the Golden Gophers. Line: Minnesota by 1.5 to 2.5. I don’t like it- I don’t think this one will be that close- either MTSU is going to stink up the joint or they’ll win by a touchdown. I have no idea which one. If I were to make a wager, it’d probably be Middle Tennessee straight up for a small amount.
7:30 PM, ESPN- Southern Miss at South Carolina: Steve Spurrier must love these opening night engagements with Conference USA, and ESPN and the rest of us do too. South Carolina should win, but they have an opponent that can play and could give them a challenge if the Gamecocks sputter. Southern Miss should be particularly stout on defense, with a talented front seven back, but they have experience at QB and really should keep this game close. Line: South Carolina by 14. I think that’s too much, USM keeps it within 10.
Part 2 coming soon, and maybe some other stuff later in the day. Football!