|
|
Six games on tap for the WAC today, only one of which starts before 7 PM Eastern. NFL games may kick off before the WAC is done playing.
2:00 PM, WAC Sports Network- Idaho at Western Michigan: This is an interesting game, with Idaho coming in off a disappointing loss to Colorado State, and Western having been beaten soundly by Toledo last week. While there doesn’t seem to be much at stake in this one, victories aren’t easy to come by down the stretch on either schedule, and getting this one could be key in quest for bowl eligibility. Interestingly, Idaho was 2-0 against the MAC last year. Line: Idaho by 3.5. That seems generous, but I have a hard time picking this to be really close- I think either team could win, but it’ll be by a touchdown in a shootout kind of game. Let’s say Idaho 45-38.
8:00 PM- UC Davis at San Jose State: San Jose State filled in their 13th game (Hawaii Rule) with a second FCS opponent. UC Davis is 1-3 on the year including a 52-3 loss to Cal. No line.
8:00 PM, WAC Sports Net- Boise State at New Mexico State: Any team could be vulnerable if they overlook conference opponents, but there gap is too wide in this one. Read Post
After 10 of them last week, the MAC has no games against BCS opponents today, instead mostly playing league games and a couple against non-BCS teams.
12:00 PM, CBS College- Temple at Army: Both teams are sitting in at 3-1 and playing very well, with Army coming off a win over Duke last week. Temple should have Army outmanned, but the Black Knights have been playing above their talent level all year. Line: Temple by 6. Temple should win, but I’m not comfortable spotting Army that many. Let’s go with 24-21 for the Owls.
12:00 PM- Ohio at Eastern Michigan: Ohio has been a huge disappointment so far this season, having yet to notch a FBS win. Eastern Michigan is far from a good team, and this is Ohio’s chance to break through and get on the right track. Line: Ohio by 10. Once again, far more points than I’m willing to spot a 1-3 team. Ohio should win this one maybe 28-21.
1:00 PM- Kent State at Miami: Kent State, who pushed Ohio & Temple to the end last year, has also failed to win a FBS game in two tries so far, although both were against quality BCS opponents. Miami is 2-2 and 1-0 in the league, hoping to notch another big win today. Line: Kent State by 3. I think Kent State has shown a lot on defense and may be able to stifle the Redhawks today, and win this one 30-10.
2:00 PM, WAC Sports Network- Idaho at Western Michigan: This is an interesting game, with Idaho coming in off a disappointing loss to Colorado State, and Western having been beaten soundly by Toledo last week. Read Post
The weekend did not quite go as planned for the WAC, going 1-3 against the Mountain West, just 3-6 on the day, and losing one of their unbeaten teams in the process. On the flipside, Boise State won on national television and Nevada has reached #25 in the polls.
Colorado State 36, Idaho 34- 51 weeks after Idaho beat the Rams for the second of what would be 12 straight losses, CSU manages a 4th quarter comeback and wins on a last second field goal to break the skid.
Nevada 27, BYU 13- Nevada used a devastating rushing attack to defeat the Cougars, handing BYU their third consecutive loss. As noted, 4-0 Nevada is ranked for the first time since 1948.
Kansas 42, New Mexico State 16- The Aggies may have hoped for a repeat of North Dakota State’s performance against the Jayhawks, but it was not to be.
Southern Miss 13, Louisiana Tech 12- Southern Miss intercepted a La Tech pass at their own 20 late in the game to shut down the Bulldog comeback and escape with the narrow win in Ruston.
Mississippi 55, Fresno State 38- Read Post
Nevada netted a big win Friday night to kick off the weekend, which saw the league go 3-0 against other non-BCS conferences while coming up short in a bid for another BCS win. But nobody lost to a FCS team, which is always a nice touch.
Colorado 31, Hawaii 13- Hawaii failed on two trips inside the 10 in the first half, but still led at halftime 10-0. Colorado figured something out at halftime, outscoring the Warriors 31-3 in the final two periods. Next Week: Charleston Southern at Hawaii
Navy 37, Louisiana Tech 23- Navy found its scoring offense as Louisiana Tech blew a 23-16 halftime lead when the Midshipmen scored three unanswered touchdowns to close out the game. Next Week: Southern Mississippi at Louisiana Tech, Navy at Air Force
San Jose State 16, Southern Utah 11- SJSU trailed 11-10 until a touchdown with 70 seconds to go put them ahead and saved the Spartans from an embarrassing defeat. Next Week: San Jose State at Utah
Fresno State 41, Utah State 24- Read Post
The WAC got their week off to a nice start last night, and are poised to have a big day today.
3:30 PM, Fox Regional- Hawaii at Colorado: Hawaii’s offense has put up good numbers so far, although their defense remains suspect. Colorado has been less than impressive, beating lowly Colorado State before getting curbstomped by Cal last week, 52-7. Still, beating the Buffs in their home opener is no easy task. Line: Colorado by 13. I don’t see how CU is going to score enough points to escape Hawaii by that much. I’m not sure Hawaii wins this one, but I don’t think Colorado will run and hide either. I’ll say CU 35-28.
7:00 PM- Navy at Louisiana Tech: Three weeks ago, I would have said this is an easy one for Navy. It still might be, but not if the Midshipmen can’t generate more points than they have so far. The Bulldogs haven’t shown much in the way of offense either, so either way I expect this one to be low scoring. Line: Navy by 3. I think it will be just a little more, Navy 21-17.
8:00 PM- Southern Utah at San Jose State: SJSU can’t sleep on Southern Utah- they pushed Wyoming to 28-20 and then beat FCS San Diego 32-3 last week. Upset Watch is on, but there is no line.
8:00 PM, WAC Network- Fresno State at Utah State: Read Post
Without two of their best teams playing, things were somewhat quiet out west, but Virginia Tech’s loss to James Madison puts the WAC in the pile with those eastern leagues wishing week 2 would just go away. Boise State needs VT to be flawless, not lose to FCS teams, to keep Boise alive in the national title hunt. On the field, things went better, with a pole-axing of a MWC team, a surprising win over an independent squad, and no actual losses to FCS competition. If not for Virginia Tech…
Wisconsin 27, San Jose State 14- San Jose made a ton of mistakes early, and Wisconsin did enough with them to put the game out of reach. The Spartans refused to give up, posting their 14 in the second half, but it wasn’t to be. Next Week: Southern Utah (1-1) at San Jose State
Hawaii 31, Army 28- Hawaii jumped out to a 21-0 lead before Army surged back and took command 28-21. Hawaii leveled things, but Army was in field goal position before fumbling it back to the Warriors with 24 seconds to go. That was all they needed, as Hawaii moved into field goal position and finished off the Black Knights. Next Week: Hawaii at Colorado (1-1), North Texas (0-2) at Army
Nebraska 38, Idaho 17- Read Post
We’re flipping things around this week, since Conference USA has two games tomorrow night, we’ll get them tomorrow and give you the WAC preview in this space, since all their games are conveniently set for Saturday.
12:00 PM, CBS College- Hawaii at Army: Hawaii’s offense showed a lot against USC- they can rack up the yards and score points. But their defense looked pretty bad- was that a good offense, or are they in trouble? Army won a tough game over an Eastern Michigan team they probably should have handled with a bit less difficulty. Line: Army by 3. Hawaii is taking the longest trip of any team this season, for a game that kicks off at 6 AM Honolulu time. I’m sure they’re taking steps to alter their schedule ahead of time, but that still makes things difficult. I think Army’s defense is good enough to slow down the Warriors, but it will be close. Army 32-28.
12:00 PM, ESPN- San Jose State at #11 Wisconsin: San Jose comes off a tough game against the #1 team in the country and gets rewarded with a trip to see the #11 team. The goal at this point is to improve if you can, and keep guys healthy before WAC play starts in October.
12:30 PM, Idaho at #7 Nebraska: Read Post
The WAC had an outstanding weekend, which is good considering they’ve had a few rough weeks leading up to kickoff. Capped off by Boise State’s win last night, all but one team was competitive against good competition, and nobody was threatened by a FCS team. To recap the Saturday games:
Oklahoma 31, Utah State 24- Utah State rallied back from a 21-0 second quarter deficit to keep the Sooners on their toes. They arrived at the final score with 2:31 to go, but weren’t able to add on from there. Still, the Utah State passing attack looks like the real deal (Prediction: Oklahoma by a ton. 0-1). Next Week: Idaho State at Utah State
Alabama 48, San Jose State 3- This was never going to be anything else. We knew SJSU was in a tough spot, new coach and all, so this is nothing to be surprised or concerned with (Prediction: Alabama would cover 38. 1-1). Next Week: San Jose State at Wisconsin
Read Post
It was not a pretty night for non-BCS teams across the country last night, particularly those going up against BCS conference schools. It could have been worse- nobody lost to a FCS school, although some tried. A quick rundown of last night’s action follows.
Lots of good stuff lined up for today- Friday night football preview and weekend previews for four conferences, at the very least. Happy College Colors Day. Flags up!
Read Post
We’re halfway through looking at just one night worth of football, and we have 14 weeks of this goodness. Ahh, feels nice, right? Ok, back to your previews. Once again, all times eastern, lines from Vegas.com, and rankings are from the coaches poll.
8:00 PM- Florida Atlantic at UAB: This is the only game of the night featuring two non-BCS opponents going at it. Both teams have question marks, with UAB trying to replace QB Joe Webb, and FAU replacing just about everything but the quarterback. UAB should have a substantial edge here, but these types of games are hard to read in week 1. Line: UAB by 14. That seems generous- for FAU. UAB won the same game last year by 27, and I think they might do it again.
8:00 PM, Regional TV- Northern Illinois at Iowa State: NIU is hoping that this game is the coming out party for a big 2010 season. They’re stacked and the favorite to win the MAC, but ISU won’t be a pushover game just because they aren’t a national power. That said, if the Cyclones are looking ahead to Iowa, they could find themselves in trouble. Line: Iowa State by 4.5. I like NIU’s chances of winning this game a lot. I like their chances of keeping within four even more, I’d take NIU plus the points.
8:00 PM- Southeastern Louisiana (FCS) at Tulane: The SE Louisiana Lions went 6-5 in 2009. Tulane better win this one, because they’re not going to get much of a chance against Ole Miss, Houston, or Rutgers. Or many other teams after that. No line.
Read Post
|
|