Thursday, September 18
Rice (3-1) (1-0 AAC) -1.5 beats Charlotte (1-3) (0-1 AAC): 28-17
Rice controlled the game on the ground, with a total passing output of 9/12 for 98 yards and a touchdown, while 9 different player rushed the ball. On the Charlotte side their starting QB Conner Harrell went down in the 2nd quarter and did not return. Nursing a multi-possession deficit and Rice running the ball and the clock, Charlotte threw the ball 44 times but was not able to mount a comeback. Rice, while not expected to be any sort of contender in the AAC, does hold a win over Louisiana in the non-con and their only loss is to P4 Houston. Charlotte is still looking for their first FBS win.
Friday, September 19
Tulsa (2-2) +10.5 beats Oklahoma State (1-2): 19-12
Tulsa scored 19 early and held on in the 4th quarter to hold onto a P4 upset. Tulsa ran a pass heavy offense but ended up with their RB Dominic Richardson getting 31 carries as they tried to run out the clock down the stretch. Oklahoma State has an argument for being the worst P4 team after scoring just 3 points through 3 quarters against a team who’s only previous win was over FCS Abilene Christian.
Iowa (3-1) (1-0 B10) -2.5 beats Rutgers (3-1) (0-1 B10): 38-28
After returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Iowa played their game and were able to pull out a win despite allowing 28 points. Mark Gronowski threw for a season high of 186 passing yards, and while Rutgers offense looked solid, the defense couldn’t compete, they could be in for a long Big Ten season. Iowa’s lone loss being to ranked rival Iowa State keeps them in the top 25 picture for the time being, but the offense will have to be more dynamic for them to win big games.
Saturday, September 21
Virginia Tech (1-3) -36.5 beats Wofford (0-4) (FCS): 38-6
VT bounces back by beating a winless FCS team. VT did not cover the 36.5 point spread. On the bright side, Kyron Drones had a nice efficient game, going 25/30 for 286 yards and 2 TDs.
South Florida (3-1) -30.5 beats South Carolina State (2-2) (FCS): 63-14
South Florida simply ran over FCS SC State here, USF is a playoff contender despite the loss to Miami (FL) last week.
Louisville (3-0) -25.5 beats Bowling Green (2-2): 40-17
Louisville wins but does not cover. Game was never close, BGSU had 3 points through 3 quarters. Miller Moss had a solid game for Louisville with 316 yards but no passing TDs.
North Texas (4-0) (1-0 AAC) -1.5 beats Army (1-2) (0-1 AAC): 45-38 OT
A big OT win for North Texas to keep themselves undefeated, shutting down’s Army’s comeback attempt. While not a team with much hype, 4-0 North Texas has a playoff shot, especially with South Florida as the only top team on the schedule, unless Navy plays their way into that conversation. There were plenty of injuries on both sides down the stretch, so we’ll have to see the severity of those.
#17 Texas Tech (4-0) (1-0 B12) +3.5 beats #16 Utah (3-1) (0-1 B12): 34-10
This game was close for most of it, with a ton of turnovers by both teams. Defenses were king until Texas Tech QB Behren Morton left the game with injury. Will Hammond came in and secured the win for Texas Tech, piling it on at the end extending the lead to 24 late. Utah’s offense had opportunities but just couldn’t quite make it work.
Memphis (4-0) +7.5 beats Arkansas (2-2): 32-31
Memphis completes the comeback off the legs of QB Brendon Lewis. A few key mistakes by Taylen Green opened the door and Memphis took advantage and stormed the field. This really opens the door for Memphis to make the playoff, as they play both USF and Tulane at home, and now carry this P4 win on their resume. For Arkansas, a rough season is ahead of them as they enter the heart of SEC play just 2-2.
TCU (3-0) -6.5 beats SMU (2-2): 35-24
TCU gets a big win over SMU here, while neither team was ranked both were close to the top 25. Josh Hoover threw for 5 TDs and 379 Yards and is in the Heisman race as it stands. TCU will have a real shot at entering the top 25 this week. SMU had flashes of greatness but just made too many mistakes to leave with a victory.
Maryland (4-0) (1-0 B10) +9.5 beats Wisconsin (2-2) (0-1 B10): 27-10
Maryland gets the big upset win to stay undefeated. The schedule hasn’t been great yet for Maryland, but starting off with a road win in conference is gonna start making noise, especially if the defense plays as well as they did today. As for Wisconsin, the Alabama loss wasn’t crippling, this one is, the schedule only gets harder with Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, and Oregon as their next 4 games.
UNLV (4-0) -1.5 beats Miami OH (0-3): 41-38
A huge comeback from UNLV to save the season. UNLV and the entire MWC has not passed the eye test early in season, it will be an uphill battle for them to make the playoffs. With that being said, they survived scares against FCS Idaho State and now Miami OH, and they are still 4-0 and have control of their destiny.
#15 Tennessee (3-1) -38.5 beats UAB (2-2): 56-24
Tennessee failed to cover after appearing to take their foot off the gas, but played a very good all-around game prior. The biggest question mark for Tennessee was the pass defense. I still think this is a very talented team after their past couple performances, despite the loss to Georgia. UAB looks decent by AAC standards but likely trails the top contenders by a significant margin.
Central Michigan (2-2) -30.5 beats Wagner (0-4) (FCS): 49-10
Central Michigan did their job against an FCS cupcake, averaging 15.2 yards per pass attempt.
Syracuse (2-1) (0-0 ACC) +17.5 beats Clemson (1-2) (0-1 ACC): 34-21
Syracuse, despite losing their QB to a noncontact injury, pulled off a big upset over Clemson. Steve Angeli looked good, Rickie Collins not so much, so hopefully Angeli’s injury isn’t severe. Clemson has now lost any and all hype they might have had. Cade Klubnik had 60 pass attempts but still only scored 21 points. While the game wasn’t a true blowout, Clemson felt dead for nearly the whole game.
#6 Oregon (4-0) -34.5 beats Oregon State (0-4): 41-7
Oregon barely doesn’t cover but blows out winless Oregon State nonetheless. The Oregon defense really flexed its muscles today with Oregon State QB Murphy going 5/18 for 68 yards and their leading rusher having just 38 yards on 14 attempts for a 2.7 YPC. On the offensive side of the ball, nothing particularly stood out for Oregon, they just had an all-around strong game. Oregon looks the part of their #6 rating. Oregon State on the other hand, is still winless despite unranked California and G5 Fresno State already appearing on their schedule. It’s gonna be a long season in Corvalis.
#24 Notre Dame (1-2) -24.5 beats Purdue (2-2): 56-30
Notre Dame covered and the offense looked the part, dropping 56 on Purdue and handing Notre Dame their first win. The defense however allowed Purdue to score at will in the first half, leaving lingering questions about Notre Dame’s deservedness of a top 25 spot.
UCF (3-0) -7.5 beats North Carolina (2-2): 34-9
It’s been a bit of a disaster season thus far for Bill Belichick and UNC. They lost by 34 to unranked TCU, scored only 20 against Charlotte and then beat Richmond, 41-6. Today they scored just 9 points against projected Big 12 bottom feeder UCF. Both the offense and defense have failed them at multiple times this season, and the culture doesn’t look great from an outside perspective either. UCF though, really put themselves on the map this year. While they are undefeated, they started the season with a 7 point win over Jacksonville State, a win against North Carolina A&T, and then a bye week. They are still decently outside the top 25 picture, but have done all you can ask from them to right the ship after the week 1 scare.
Ohio (2-2) -25 beats Gardner-Webb (2-2) (FCS): 52-35
Despite the pedestrian record, Ohio has been a pleasant surprise and joined my G5 watch list thanks to their first 3 performances. They lost by only 3, scoring 31 against Rutgers, beat West Virginia holding them to only 10 points, and then kept it close against #1 Ohio State for a while before ultimately falling 37-9. The offense flashed against Rutgers and the defense flashed against WVU and Ohio State and coming into the week they would’ve been my MAC champion pick. Today, however, the defense was lackluster allowing 35 points to an FCS squad and failing to cover. To give them some credit, 14 of those points came in the 4th quarter so you could argue they stopped trying their hardest, but Ohio also scored 14 in the 4th, and it appears they continued playing their starters so I don’t actually believe that argument holds much weight. I need to see them play some conference games before I buy back into Ohio fully.
UConn (2-2) -20.5 beats Ball State (1-3): 31-25
UConn came into the season with a little bit of hype, not on the national level as true playoff contender, but as a sneaky team some thought could make some noise and potentially appear in the top 25. As an independent, their schedule includes plenty of G5 teams as well as 3 lower tier ACC opponents. While the opportunity was there, it’s truly been squandered at this point. They lost to Syracuse, which is not a bad loss but was a bit of a must win with a weak schedule like this, they then gave Delaware their first ever FBS win and now fell two touchdowns short of the spread against MAC bottom feeder Ball State. While they might make a bowl with their schedule it’s safe to say any hype is gone. Ball State lost a combined 73-3 to Purdue and Auburn and won by only 5 against FCS New Hampshire prior to this, and still lost to UConn despite covering; Ball State still appears to be in for a rough season.
James Madison (2-1) -7.5 beats Liberty (1-3): 31-13
Both teams came into the year with conference championship aspirations, but after Liberty’s slow start JMU was a true road favorite in this one. Liberty kept it close early, but Alonza Barnett and JMU pulled away late to cover comfortably. James Madison was expected to have an elite backfield duo this season in George Pettaway and Ayo Adeyi, but Junior Wayne Knight led the team in both attempts and yards today. As for Liberty the offense and entire season is a disaster. They have 3 G5 losses and their only win came against FCS Maine. QB Ethan Vasko struggled last week and was just 4/10 for 37 yards today before exiting with an injury. The backups didn’t do any better at 2/6 for 21 yards and 1/5 for 17 yards.
#11 Oklahoma (4-0) (1-0 SEC) -6.5 beats #22 Auburn (3-1) (0-1 SEC): 24-17
This may be the most SEC result possible, a 7 point victory by the home team in a battle between 2 ranked teams, with big defensive plays but still solid scoring. The story of this game was the Oklahoma defense and their 10 sacks, giving Jackson Arnold a final stat line of 21 rushes for -11 yards. Outside of the pressure, the rest of the Auburn offense looked adequate. The Oklahoma run game was non-existent with their leading RB going 11 for 13 yards, and even John Mateer getting just 29 yards on 10 attempts. Despite the good run defense, Auburn only got 1 sack. Ultimately, both teams gave me reasons to be impressed and reasons to be hesitant.
Troy (2-2) +5.5 beats Buffalo (2-2): 21-17
Troy scores 21 unanswered in the last 11 minutes to shock Buffalo and sneak out a win on the road. They played FCS Nicholls way too close, but then kept it close against Clemson and then lost to Memphis, so I really didn’t know how to rate Troy and frankly I still don’t. With Goose Crowder unavailable Tucker Kilcrease led the offense with a balanced rushing attack. Buffalo’s offensive performance was ultimately unremarkable outside of the near even split at QB between Roberson and Gray.
#13 Ole Miss (4-0) -11.5 beats Tulane (3-1): 45-10
Tulane has looked like one of the best teams in the G5 thus far with wins over Northwestern and Duke, and is close to the top 25. Ole Miss is playing with a backup QB, and yet, they blew Tulane out of the water. Chambliss threw for 307 yards with 2 TDs and 0 INTs, while also rushing for 112 yards. Meanwhile, the Ole Miss defense held Tulane QBs to 56 and 48 yards. Ole Miss is legit, and the AAC as well as the G5 playoff spot is as open as ever.
#21 Michigan (3-1) (1-0 B10) -1.5 beats Nebraska (3-1) (0-1 B10): 30-27
Nebraska had the best stats in the country after beating 3 cupcakes, but couldn’t pull out a win against Michigan here. Ultimately, the Nebraska Defense allowed too many breakaway runs to be able to keep up. Michigan nursed a small lead all game and was able to stick to their gameplan and run the ball frequently to a win. The loss to Oklahoma looks more forgivable every week, and Michigan could be a legitimate threat in the already top heavy Big Ten.
Western Michigan (1-3) (1-0 MAC) +11.5 beats Toledo (2-2) (0-1 MAC): 14-13
A Toledo team that was expected to be at or near the top of the MAC came out flat today, scoring less points against winless Western Michigan than they did week 1 in an 8 point loss to Kentucky. Gleason was held to just 89 passing yards, and the 153 rushing yards by leading rusher Chip Trayanum wasn’t enough after Western Michigan erased a 13-0 deficit and went for 2 in the final minute to secure the victory.
Eastern Michigan (1-3) +1.5 beats Louisiana (1-3): 34-31
This game was a banger between 2 underperforming teams, Louisiana tied the game with under a minute left and EMU walked it off with a FG 40 seconds later. Louisiana had lofty expectations coming into the year but those seem extremely unlikely now
Duke (2-2) (1-0 ACC) -3.5 beats NC State (3-1) (1-1 ACC): 45-33
Undefeated NC State is no more, as Duke pulled away in the second half. Mensah had the best game of his Duke career while NC State threw 3 picks to essentially seal their fate. I still believe either of these teams could pull off some upsets in the ACC this season.
Mississippi State (4-0) -24.5 beats Northern Illinois (1-2): 38-10
NIU kept it incredibly close in the first half before being shut out in the 2nd and failing to cover. Despite the final result, I am not sold on Mississippi State being anything other than one of the worst teams in the SEC. Even against NIU they had just 160 passing yards.
#7 Florida State (3-0) -44.5 beats Kent State (1-3): 66-10
Florida State took care of business against Kent State, but the most notable part of this game was Tommy Castellanos going down with an leg injury. Florida State fell off a bit after that, but still covered and improved their stock in my eyes, pending the severity of the Castellanos injury.
#18 Georgia Tech (4-0) -24.5 beats Temple (2-2): 45-24
GT got off to a huge early lead, but then played essentially even ball with Temple the rest of the way and failed to cover. Ultimately, they were never really at risk of losing this game though so I’m not going to hold it against them. Haynes King had a fine but unspectacular game, with the Georgia Tech rushing attack stealing the show.
San Jose State (1-2) -13.5 beats Idaho (2-2) (FCS): 31-28
San Jose State needed a bit of a late comeback to survive FCS Idaho. A team I once considered a sleeper in the MWC appears to be anything but that through 3 games.
Kennesaw State (2-2) +4.5 beats Arkansas State (1-3): 28-21
Arkansas State fought valiantly to overcome a 21-0 deficit but ultimately was unsuccessful. Kennesaw State QB Amari Odom threw for 308 yards and ran for 101 more. Arkansas State is falling down the Sun Belt rankings.
Delaware (3-1) (1-0 CUSA) +5.5 beats FIU (2-2) (0-1 CUSA): 38-16
Is FBS debutant Delaware, … good? Not that FIU is a world beater but Delaware now has 3 wins with a single loss to P4 Colorado. Minicucci has looked good and created an admirable air attack in Delaware. FIU doesn’t appear to be a contender in Conference USA.
Kansas (3-1) (1-0 B12) -13.5 beats West Virginia (2-2) (0-1 B12): 41-10
A win over WVU isn’t a big resume boost but I’ve consistently been higher on Kansas than consensus and this game helps to prove that. QB Jalon Daniels didn’t have an amazing game but did have 3 TDs and 0 INTs, but RB Leshon Williams helped to carry the load. The Kansas defense did their job again, bouncing back from the Missouri loss. WVU appears to be a low end B12 team after all despite the Pitt win.
Akron (1-3) -10.5 beats Duquesne (1-3) (FCS): 51-7
Akron has been considered one of the worst teams in the FBS but did what they needed to do against FCS Duquesne. RB Jordan Gant had a great game.
Missouri State (2-2) -14.5 beats UT Martin (0-4) (FCS): 42-10
FBS debutant Missouri State covered the spread against a winless FCS squad behind an efficient passing attack.
Western Kentucky (3-1) -8.5 beats Nevada (1-3): 31-16
Solid win for CUSA contender Western Kentucky after winning the 4th quarter 21-3. They led by 8 with under a minute left before returning Nevada’s onside kick attempt for a TD.
Coastal Carolina (2-2) (1-0 SB) +14.5 beats South Alabama (1-3) (0-1 SB): 38-20
I had Coastal Carolina as one of the worst teams in the Sun Belt, and the spread today shows that, but a big second half shows Coastal is here to play. The Coastal Defense caught 2 interceptions and forced 5 fumbles, recovering 1 and returning it for a TD.
#23 Missouri (4-0) (1-0 SEC) -10.5 beats South Carolina (2-2) (0-2 SEC): 29-20
LaNorris Sellers returned from an injury some expected to keep him out this week, but South Carolina still couldn’t take care of business, with Missouri winning the game in the 4th. Ahmad Hardy had a big game with 138 rushing yards and a TD. South Carolina’s season has truly gone downhill while Missouri still looks to be a major player in the SEC.
Jacksonville State (2-2) -35.5 beats Murray State (0-4) (FCS): 45-10
Jacksonville State did what they were supposed to do in this one. RB Cam Cook had a great game.
Georgia Southern (2-2) -20.5 beats Maine (0-4) (FCS): 45-17
Good bounce back from Georgia Southern even though the level of competition was very low. The defense played quite well.
Boise State (2-1) (1-0 MWC) -11.5 beats Air Force (1-2) (0-2 MWC): 49-37
Even though they covered, Boise State did not and has not performed like a playoff contender thus far this season. Dylan Riley played well in the Ashton Jeanty role, but the defense is not up to par and QB Maddux Madsen has not picked up the slack in the way Boise State needs him to.
Marshall (2-2) -2.5 beats Middle Tennessee (1-3): 42-28
Solid win from Marshall, Carlos Del Rio-Wilson had a great game with 4 TDs.
BYU (3-0) -5.5 beats East Carolina (2-2): 34-13
Don’t be fooled, ECU is a pretty good G5 team, but BYU took care of their hardest test of the season so far on the road, which isn’t saying much. BYU still has a lot to prove, but has done all you can ask of them so far given their schedule. Bear Bachmeier had a good game with 246 yards and a TD.
Virginia (3-1) (1-0 ACC) -16.5 beats Stanford (1-3) (1-1 ACC): 48-20
Good game from Chandler Morris and Virginia, but Stanford has a case for worst team in a power 4 conference.
Washington (3-0) -20.5 beats Washington State (2-2): 59-24
Washington unsurprisingly wins the Apple Cup as one of the biggest road favorites of the week. Washington State’s new starting QB Zevi Eckhaus actually looked pretty good, but Washington QB Demond Williams looked better going 16/19 for 298 yards and 4 TDs, as well as leading the team in rushing yards with 88. Washington likely remains unranked but heads into Big Ten play undefeated.
#4 Miami (FL) (4-0) -8.5 beats Florida (1-3): 26-7
Miami failed to pull away from Florida for most of this game despite an early 13-0 lead, but scored 13 4th quarter points to put an exclamation point on their win. DJ Lagway was dreadful once again throwing for only 61 passing yards and adding -8 rushing yards. Carson Beck wasn’t a whole lot better but did enough. Miami’s tough stretch of games isn’t over yet though, with Florida State up next.
Louisiana Tech (3-1) -3.5 beats Southern Miss (2-2): 30-20
Louisiana Tech, moving to the Sun Belt after this season, gets a win over their future conference rival, despite not scoring in the 2nd half. Braylon Braxton did his job for Southern Miss but it was too little too late.
Arizona State (3-1) (1-0 B12) +1.5 beats Baylor (2-2) (0-1 B12): 27-24
Preseason Big 12 favorite Arizona State got off to a rough start, losing to Mississippi State, but have begun to bounce back with a solid conference win over Baylor. Both teams were unranked but in striking range of the top 25. RB Bryson Washington was excellent once again for Baylor.
#19 Indiana (4-0) (1-0 B10) -7.5 beats #9 Illinois (3-1) (0-1 B10): 63-10
Fernando Mendoza went 21/23 for 267 yards and 5 TDs in a blow out of #9 Illinois. Indiana is the winner of the week and should be flying up ranking boards. Illinois looked completely lost, scoring less against Indiana than Old Dominion did, only getting 9 first downs and punting non-stop.
#20 Vanderbilt (4-0) -26.5 beats Georgia State (1-3): 70-21
Vandy avenged their loss to Georgia State from last year by stomping them this year, helping to justify their inclusion in the top 25 despite a lack of preseason expectations. 4 different players threw passes, but it was the run game that scored a majority of their points. Georgia State, as expected, looks to be near the bottom of the Sun Belt.
#3 LSU (3-0) -48.5 beats SE Louisiana (2-1) (FCS): 56-10
LSU barely fails to cover but more importantly their Clemson win continues to look worse by the week. The defense played great this week though, with both QBs putting together solid outings.
#8 Texas (3-1) -39.5 beats Sam Houston (0-4): 55-0
Texas continue to take care of business after the season opening loss to Ohio State. Arch Manning had only 3 incompletions to go with 3 TDs and hopefully is turning a page heading into SEC play. Sam Houston may be in contention for worst FBS team though.
Utah State (3-1) -23.5 beats McNeese (1-3) (FCS): 48-7
Utah State takes care of FCS McNeese. Their sole loss is to Texas A&M, leaving them in contention for the playoffs as it stands. Bryson Barnes had a good all around game.
Texas State (3-1) -32.5 beats Nicholls (1-3) (FCS): 35-3
The Texas State defense does their job and the group of Texas State RBs lead the team to victory. Texas State looks like a top team in the Sun Belt but need QB Brad Jackson to step up if they want to make real noise.
UL Monroe (2-1) +5.5 vs UTEP (1-3): 31-25
UTEP had a big 4th quarter to make it close but UL Monroe outplayed them despite Armenta having only 8 completions.
UTSA (2-2) -5.5 beats Colorado State (1-2): 17-16
UTSA survived a Colorado State comeback attempt to move to 2-2 after RB Robert Henry Jr. ran for 144 yards and a TD, while also adding 76 receiving yards and a TD.
Colorado (2-2) -12.5 beats Wyoming (2-2): 37-20
Colorado finally looks like a competent and complete team, albeit against lowly Wyoming. Salter had a great game through the air and on the ground, while the Colorado defense did their job, for the most part. I still don’t think Colorado is a world beater by any means but maybe they can stay out of the basement of the Big 12. Wyoming still has some mystery around their level of play, with wins over Akron and FCS Northern Iowa and losses to P4 Utah and Colorado, we’ll see what they’re capable of entering MWC play.
San Diego State (2-1) +13.5 beats California (3-1): 34-0
In a surprising blowout upset, the San Diego State defense dominated Cal. They played a beautiful game throwing just 3 incompletions and allowing 0 points. Cal freshman phenom Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele struggled with 2 INTs and a completion percentage below 50%. San Diego State bounced back in a big way from a Washington State loss, and looks like a top team in the MWC.
#25 USC (4-0) (2-0 B10) -18.5 beats Michigan State (3-1) (0-1 B10): 45-31
USC, a surprise addition to the AP rankings this week, had a solid win over undefeated Michigan State even though they failed to cover. QB Jayden Maiava, RB Waymond Jordan, and WR Makai Lemon all had great games. Michigan State will look to rebound against Nebraska next week, but doesn’t have the greatest resume with a poor offensive performance against Western Michigan, 2 point win over BC, and a 17 point win over FCS Youngstown State.
Fresno State (4-1) (1-0 MWC) -2.5 vs Hawai’i (3-2) (0-1 MWC): 23-21
QB E.J. Warner leads Fresno State to a conference win in Honolulu. Neither team got it going on the ground, and Fresno State was able to survive by stopping Hawai’i’s game tying 2 point conversion attempt with 0:10 left. Fresno State’s lone loss game to Kansas week 1, also holding wins over Oregon State and Georgia Southern.
Final Thoughts
Ranked teams did their job this week, with only Illinois, Utah, and Auburn losing their games, all 3 of which being against other ranked teams. There will be some shakeup on the G5 side of things though with Memphis’ big win, Tulane’s big loss, and other contenders taking care of business as well.
