FAVORITE TEAMS

First off, here are five takeaways from what was a wild weekend of college football. Not to mention the biggest news during this week:

• The Sun Belt went 3-0 against Big 12 opponents. Finished 5-3 after the weekend. Louisiana and App State are in the Top 25. They could be a viable threat if they continue to win before the meeting on October 7th.
• Oklahoma’s QB Spencer Rattler impressed in starting debut this past weekend. Oh will this be an interesting run with him for the next year or two.
• COVID continues to affect the CFB world with game cancellations and postpones. It won’t stop anytime soon and it’ll affect how the playoff setup turns out in November and December.
• Injuries, inactivity, and suspensions piled on last week. West Virginia (11 suspended) and Georgia Southern (33 inactive) had the most players that weekend. It’s not just a few teams, it’ll affect so many more. Star players are vulnerable too, so don’t expect a team to be guaranteed contenders.
• With the Big Ten returning to football next month and Pac-12 pushing for a return, the love that seven Group of 5 teams received in the Top 25 looks very bleak. It was a fun two weeks while it lasted.

5. SMU (1-0) AT NORTH TEXAS (1-0) – 3PM PT / 6PM ET on CBS SPORTS NETWORK

North Texas’ offense looked unstoppable against Houston Baptist two weeks ago. Quarterback Jason Bean had a fine game throwing 217 yards for three touchdowns while completing 61% of his throws. He could be a good replacement after Mason Fine’s 4-year eligibility expired. Running back Oscar Adaway III had a big day with 118 rushing yards on only five carries for two touchdowns. There’s depth in the backfield and they have good receivers to back it up too.

SMU, however, struggled to pull away from Texas State countless times. Scoring opportunities, big plays, and the defense’s chances of leaving the field were negated by either penalties (7 of them) or turnovers (2 INTs and 1 fumble). Although it was their first game, this was a team coming off a 10-3 season and they shouldn’t have struggled against Texas State.

Despite SMU’s performance, they have offensive firepower capable of scoring a lot of points and should have no problem this weekend. However, North Texas is 4-1 at home against SMU since 1991 and the Mean Green can score points too (averaging over 30 ppg in that span since 2017). Does this game have upset written all over it? It’s possible if SMU fails to cut down on their miscues.

4. #19 LOUISIANA (1-0) AT GEORGIA STATE (0-0) – 9AM PT / 12PM ET on ESPN2

Louisiana once again threatens the West division after last week’s upset (but not upset) over formerly ranked Iowa State. Their offense didn’t put up big numbers, but they didn’t have to thanks to their defense (forced 2 turnovers), special teams (punt and kick return TD), and shutting out Iowa State in the 2nd half. Whether COVID was involved or not, the Ragin’ Cajuns were ready to play.

Georgia State was a surprise last year after a huge upset over Tennessee. Now they replace quarterback Dan Ellington and running back Tra Burnett after accounting for the offense’s production. Quarterback Cornelious Brown was named starter weeks ago and has seen the field last year. But is the freshmen capable of leading this team?

With the FAU/Georgia Southern game postponed, I chose this game as backup. Louisiana is 3-0 all-time but all were decided by 14 points or less. After their first 10+ win season in history last year and winning their first road game against a ranked Power 5 opponent, Louisiana threatens to finally take the thrown in the Sun Belt since 2005. A road win against their rival Georgia State would be a great way to start that run again.

3. #23 APPALACHIAN STATE (1-0) AT MARSHALL (1-0) – 12:30PM PT / 3:30PM ET on CBS

Appalachian State no doubt struggled coming out of the gate against a motivated Charlotte team, but they eventually took control in the 4th quarter. Their defense receives the credit for keeping Appalachian State alive and shutting down Charlotte’s opportunities for a road upset.

Marshall was expecting quarterback Isaiah Green to return, but after an unexpecting decision to enter the transfer portal, freshmen quarterback and West Virginia native Grant Wells took the stage with ease and threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns. It may have been against Eastern Kentucky, but I was very impressed with his performance. Also, here’s a running back that people should know by name, Knowledge McDaniel. Just remember that for the future.

Appalachian State lead’s the series 14-8. However, Marshall won the last two meetings and will be at home for this matchup. Appalachian State must keep up with Louisiana in the race for a Sun Belt title. They have their work cut out against a good Marshall offense. Their defense may be the key to succeeding this weekend or quarterback Zac Thomas must do whatever it takes to keep App State’s winning hopes alive.

2. #17 MIAMI (1-0) AT #18 LOUISVILLE (1-0) – 4:30PM PT / 7:30 PM ET on ABC

Quarterback D’Eriq King’s performance against UAB makes Miami a serious threat in the ACC Coastal at least. He accounted for the Canes’ two total touchdowns while his teammate Cam’Ron Harris scored the other two on the ground. Their defense looked good with Temple transfer Quincy Roche and the defensive backs leading the way.

Louisville looked similarly impressive behind quarterback Micale Cunningham. He accounted for four touchdowns, but it didn’t come without a few miscues during the game. The passing game looks strong and should play a critical part this weekend against Miami’s notorious defense.

Before last season’s blowout loss, Louisville won the last three meetings against Miami. Louisville’s offense has its work cut out against Miami’s defense. Micale Cunningham still put up decent numbers last year in their blowout loss, but he couldn’t run the ball to save his own life. What must change is Louisville’s defensive improvement and better line protection after allowing three sacks and 14 tackles for losses. If they fail to contain D’Eriq King, there’s no way they’ll succeed.

1. #14 UCF (0-0) AT GEORGIA TECH (1-0) – 12:30PM PT / 3:30PM ET on ESPN

UCF was good last season, but they had some close and unsuspecting losses (one a/g Tulsa) that kept them out of the conference title game. Also, their offseason was unorthodox as they lost 10 players to opt outs over COVID-19, including starters Kalia Davis and Tay Gowan on defense. Depth could become a concern this season. However, they still have reliable starters on both sides, including quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Georgia Tech came off a huge win over Florida State last week. According to Lindy’s Sports, they were predicted to finish second-to-last over Boston College. Now there’s potential that they could finish around the mid-ACC standings as long as they stay healthy and consistent. Quarterback Jeff Sims could be the guy to carry this team forward after leading a second half comeback from a 10-0 deficit.

This is the first meeting since 2000 and Georgia Tech is 3-0 overall and it was all at home. UCF is 1-9 all-time in the state of Georgia and 4-19 overall against ACC opponents. Georgia Tech also had success against Florida teams at home (36-15-5) and overall (51-36-7). The Yellow Jackets are looking for momentum against their second straight Florida opponent. But UCF could be more prepared than Florida State as long as roster depth isn’t an issue.

RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK’S TOP 5 GAMES

5. COASTAL CAROLINA 38

KANSAS 23

4. ARKANSAS STATE 35

KANSAS STATE 31

3. SYRACUSE 6

#18 UNC 31

2. CHARLOTTE 20

APPALACHIAN STATE 35

1. TULANE 27

SOUTH ALABAMA 24