Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

LSU is 10-0 vs Northwestern St outscoring them by a combined 417-0 in those games. Northwestern St is off a 24-23 win over Div-II Delta St, as NWSt stopped Delta’s St’s 2 pt conversion attempt with :10 left. The Demons led 17-0 at half but were outgained 421-355 in the game. LSU is coming off an impressive performance over #3 Oregon 40-27. NWSt is 4-18 vs FBS foes since 1999 but their last win was vs ULM in 2005. Since then, except for a 38-31 loss to Mississippi in 2007, they have lost by 20+ pts including a 65-21 loss to Air Force last year. LSU is 6-0 vs FCS teams since 2000 with the closest game being last years 32-10 win over instate McNeese St. The Demons have another FBS game vs SMU on deck. LSU is coming off a HUGE win and has a SEC game vs a ranked Mississippi St on deck but the defense could find some motavation to keep their streak of 10 straight shutouts going.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

The Tide’s last trip to State College was in ‘89, a 17-16 win (blk’d an 18 yd FG w/:13 left). QB Bolden made his 1st road start LY in Tuscaloosa going 13-29 (45%) 141 yds w/an 0-2 ratio. PSU trailed 24-0 LY early 4Q as 30% of their ttl yds and 35% of FD’s came after. The Lions did have 3 drives deep into Tide terr in the 1st 3Q’s end in 0 pts (3 TO). PSU’s opening wallop of Indy St provided little clarity to the QB battle as st’r Bolden hit 6-12-37 while McGloin was 6-8-77 but had a sure fire IR TD dropped. There’s nothing wrong with the Lions D however as they held the Sycamores to 83 yds in the 1st 3Q’s. Bama’s QB audition favored soph McCarron as the Tide scored 5 TD, 1 FG on his 10 poss vs rFr Sims’ 1 TD and 1 FG on 6. The duo combined to throw 4 int incl 1 which cost the Tide the shut out in their demolition of Kent (24-6 FD and 482-90 yd edges). Bama does have an inexperienced QB making his first road start in front of 100,000+ in Whitehouse conditions but in the end the nation's #1 defense combined with the RB duo of Richardson/Lacy will prove too much for the Lions.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

First meeting. Florida St is coming off a 34-0 win over ULM with a 372-191 yd edge, as they did not allow ULM inside their 28. CSU lost to UCF 62-0, being outgained 560-119. FSU is 5-0 vs FCS teams since 2005 including a 59-6 win over Samford last year. CSU is is 0-9 vs FBS teams including a 66-7 loss to Hawaii and a 49-21 loss to Kentucky last year. CSU was just 3-8 last year and are in a mojor rebuilding season returning just 11 starters. FSU does have a game vs #1 Oklahoma on deck and may pull the starters early, but the 2nd string should not have much trouble vs an undermanned CSU team.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

THESE TWO HAVE NOT PLAYED IN THE LAST 14 YEARS

Stanford did beat ND on the road LY but S/’96 is just 4-13 in AG’s vs non-conf opp’s. Duke has dropped 11 str hosting current non-ACC/BCS schools by an avg score of 38-15 (last win vs Rutgers in ‘95). Duke has 14 ret st’rs while SU has 11 incl QB Luck. Duke lost a heartbreaker 23-21 to Richmond LW missing a 28 yd FG with 1:28 left. Despite the 57-3 final, SU only outgained SJSt 373-237 LW and has a Pac-12 AG on deck. LY Duke hosted Bama and got drilled 62-13. Duke has hosted 13 ranked tms since ‘01 and is 0-13 and their avg loss is by 48-13! This game might be closer than what many expect but in the end the Cardinal should win by at least 2 scores.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

THESE TWO HAVE NOT PLAYED IN THE LAST 14 YEARS.

OSU is 2-8 S/‘90 when facing an AQ non-conf school. UW has a couple of extra days of prep after playing on Thurs, destroying UNLV on ESPN, 51-17 as they scored on their 1st 8 poss (7 TD). OSU is making an odd trip to the Midwest after being upset by FCS Sac St 29-28 in OT at home in the opener but does have a bye on deck. Last week the Beavers lost despite a 496-367 yd edge as a wild flurry ended regulation as a Beaver fmbl at the SSt23 was ret’d 55 yd by the Hornets to the Beavers 23. Sac St had a 28 yd FG blk’d with 2:35 left and the Beavers drove to the SSt5 only to miss a 27 yd FG on the final play of reg. OSU QB Katz started vs FOUR Top 10 tms LY, but was benched for the 2H/OT LW in favor of Mannion who Riley said had a good camp and WR Rogers DNP. UW barely got past Ariz St by 1 LY at home but didn’t have QB Wilson who hit 10-13 for 255 yds while accounting for 3 TD’s in his Badgers debut. OSU HC Riley is 1-11 on the road in Sept and will be hard pressed to improve that rec’d here.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

These 2 met in LY’s Alamo Bowl LY (1st meeting S/’42). In the 1H UA drove into OSU terr 6x’s and despite a 209-168 yd edge, the Cats trailed 23-7 at the half. OSU’s potent off was held to just 312 yd. OSU blew out ULL 61-34 with 666-320 yd and 31-19 FD edges and to make matters worse the Cajuns’ 1st 2 TD’s were IR TD’s as they totalled 162 of their yds in the 4Q. UA only led N Ariz 14-10 at the half before scoring the gm’s last 27 pts as they finished with a 487-259 yd edge but were outrushed 80-75. AZ has just 10 ret st’rs and an inexp OL (5 new st’rs) making their 1st road start on ESPN Thurs night. UA has the D edge (#28-53) but OSU has the off (#2-34) and ST (#8-57).

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

1st Meeting.

Fresno lives for these gms, but LY was whipped by its two toughest road foes (Miss and Boise) by a comb’d 106-38. Fresno lost 36-21 to Cal in front of a crowd decked mostly in red in Candlestick Park as they were outgained 413-210 and outFD’d 18-11. QB Carr hit just 21-33-142 in his debut LW as he was harassed (4 sks) after C Helepiko was KO’d in the 1Q. The staff went to a conservative gm plan with the instability up front and 14 of the Bulldogs’ 16 drives were 5pl or fewer. The D set up 1 TD with an int and also rec’d a fmbl in the EZ for another score. NU dominated Chattanooga as expected as QB Martinez was the Huskers’ #1 rusher (113, 3 TD). Neb has large edges on offense (#43-80) and D (#6-85) and there could be a huge matchup edge up front for the Huskers as DT Crick could manhandle a reshuffled OL.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

EC has dropped B2B gms vs VT and LY’s 49 pts all’d was a series high. EC led 10-0 and 27-21 late 3Q before VT’s 28 unanswered allowed them to win 49-27. Pirates have won 6 str home openers but 4 have been decided by 5 pts or less, incl upsets of WV and Tulsa. VT is 17-1 in true road openers (last loss was ironically in Greenville ‘92). EC also upset VT 27-22 at a neutral site in ‘08. LTH VT only won 16-3 in their “revenge” gm for that loss. EC does have just 12 ret st’rs incl QB Davis who hit 30-44-251, 1-2 ratio vs VT LY. LW EC led SC 24-14 in the 1H before all’g 42 2H pts in the 56-37 loss. VT rolled up 518 yds vs #2 FCS App St for a 66-13 win LW their highest total under Beamer S/‘95 putting their HC 1 win away from 200. VT has Marshall on deck while EC has a bye. The offenses are close and this is QB Thomas’ 1st road start but VT has massive edges on defense (#14-107) and ST’s (#13-71).

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

SC beat UGA at Williams-Brice Stadium for the 1st time S/’00 LY, 17-6. RB Lattimore rushed for 182 yds (4.9) and 2 TD for SC and UGA WR Green missed the gm (susp). Spurrier said of UGA DC Grantham who came from the NFL, “that little inside zone play, the NFL doesn’t run that play. That’s a new little scheme for Grantham I guess.” SC did have a 228-73 yd edge at half but UGA, down by 1 TD, also fmbl’d at the SC1. UGA HC Richt’s seat is as hot as ever after LW’s 35-21 loss to Boise where the UGA defense was carved up by QB Moore. SC fell behind EC early LW 17-0 as QB Shaw got the start but he was relieved by LY’s starter Garcia who ran for 2 TD’s and threw for another in the 56-37 win. Taking away an odd 41-37 score in ‘09, these two teams’ other 12 recent matchups have been by an avg score of UGA 16-11. Georgia is my pick to win the SEC and Richt is 7-3 in this series (4-2 vs Spurrier) and desperately needs a win.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

Since ‘96, UN is 0-5 in this series w/a avg loss by 23 ppg with the last meeting in ‘03. LY’s Wolf Pack win at BYU snapped a string of 14 str road opener losses. Ducks are on a 16-1 home opener run (loss in ‘04 vs Indiana). UO is off a massive letdown in the opener vs #4 LSU in which they were done in by 3 TO’s in their own territory as LSU outscored the Ducks 24-14 in the 2H but do only have Missouri St on deck. UO avg 609 ypg at home LY but UN surprisingly only all’d 317 ypg on the road. UN has just 12 st’rs back and this is the first start for their young QB. UO’s avg home win was 59-15 LY and they have a game under belt edge and will be well prepared to face a team that finished 12-1 and #12 AP LY.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

Ark has won 17 str non-conf HG’s and is 10-0 under Petrino. Ark only had a IAA foe LW with Troy on deck and will be trying to give their young QB some added confidence. They easily handled Missouri St 51-7 with 24-9 FD and 466-163 yd edges. Joe Adams tied an SEC rec’d with 2 PR TD’s and QB Wilson hit 18-24-260, 2-0 ratio (Mitchell 10-11-104, 1 TD). NM has been one of the weakest tms in the NCAA the L/2Y. LW they scored their 1st TD in an opener S/’05, but fell to Colo St, 14-10. Late 4Q, they had the ball at the CS15 but QB Austin (20-31-179, 1-0) fmbl’d on a sk, the 3rd fmbl lost on the day. NM also suffered thru 9 pen and vs a MW DL (avg 6-3 256) all’d 10 sks! which doesn’t bode well vs an SEC DL. On the road LY NM was outgained 480-238 and lost by 32 ppg. They were 0-3 vs ranked tms losing by an avg of 65-10! With huge edges all around (off #8-114, D #18-96 and ST #20-89), Ark names the score.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

Tim Beckman was the CB cch at OSU from ‘05-’06. UT has been shutout in both prior meetings (‘98 and ‘09). OSU won 38-0 at Browns Stadium (23-9 FD and 522-210 yd edge) in their last meeting in ‘09 as OSU was off a loss to USC. Toledo is off a 58-22 win over a New Hampshire tm that had beaten an FBS foe in 5 of the prior 6 yrs. Toledo has 18 ret st’rs (only lost 9 lett) and has upsets of Michigan and Purdue on the road the L/3Y. OSU has just 8 ret st’rs without the susp plyrs. Both are off impressive performance as Toledo had a 591-332 yd edge while OSU had a 517-90 yd edge. OSU QB Bauserman was named the st’r and threw 12-16-163 with a 3-0 ratio and also rushed for a TD. Toledo has beaten a BCS team in each of the L/3Y and will be much more competitive than fellow MAC member, Akron, while OSU has Miami, FL on deck.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

LY it was a Thurs Nt gm in Starkville and Aub did have a 210-125 yd edge at half and led 17-7 despite Cam Newton being int’d in the EZ and AU dropping 6 passes. MSU pulled to 17-14 to open the 3Q and at the end MSU was SOD at the AU41. LW the Tigers nearly became the first defending Nat’l Champ to lose their season opener S/’98 (Mich) as they scored 2 TD’s in the final 2:07 to pull out a 42-38 win over Utah St. New QB Trotter did throw for 263 (74%) with a 3-0 ratio. Miss St was dominant LW racking up a schl rec’d 645 yds led by RB Ballard who ran for 166 (16.6) and 3 TD. Auburn is 17-1 in SEC openers while Miss St has lost 11 str SEC openers. Auburn is 9-1 vs Miss St with a +157 ypg edge. Miss St has the D edge (#25-58) and is the more exp’d and talented tm but Auburn has a lot of history on its side and the home field edge.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

Mich St is 2-0 in this series. LY Fla Atl trailed 30-14 when they had a TD ruled down short. Down 16 (2 scores) Schnellenberger, with 2:50 left, went for the FG and did not att an onside kick! Fla Atl was dominated by Florida last week being outFD’d 29-11 and outgained 468-137 in the 41-3 loss. Kirk Cousins only hit 9-17-142 LY and should have more success vs an Owl secondary that lost 3 st’rs after finishing #115 in the pass D LY. However, FAU has a bye on deck and LTH Mich St only won 17-0 in a gm played in a monsoon.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

These schools’ only meeting was in ‘02 as Florida won in Gainesville 51-3. Florida does have their SEC opener on deck and is coming off Muschamp’s 1st gm as HC in The Swamp so this is their “B-” game for Sept. The Gators dismantled FAU 41-3 LW as RB Rainey became the 3rd player in the FBS S/’96 to have a rush TD, rec TD and a return TD in the same game. UAB had all of Aug to prepare for this as it is their opener (UF GUB edge) and LY they did very well vs SEC tms. They went into Tenn and had a 544-287 yd edge and only lost because of 5 TO’s. Also they led Miss St 24-23 in the 4Q before falling 29-24. UAB is the more exp’d team w/16 ret st’rs while UF has 10. While the situation favors the Blazers, their close calls vs SEC tms LY should get the attention of the Gators and UF has huge edges on off (#22-71), def (#9-72) and ST’s (#31-90).

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

First meeting. West Virginia is off a rare Sunday game, beating in-state rival Marshall 34-13 in a weather shortened game. They still had a 291-187 yd edge over the Herd but only led 20-13 early 3Q. Norfolk St is off a 37-3 win over Div-II Virginia St. WV is 7-0 vs FCS teams since 2002 winning by an average 50-11 including a 31-0 win over Coastal Carolina last year. Norfolk St has played just 3 FBS opponents since 2007, losing by a combined 128-3 including a 31-0 loss to Rutgers last year. WV has a trip to Maryland on deck, while Norfolk St has their MEAC opener on deck and will likely be looking to get out healthy and with a check.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

THESE TWO HAVE NOT PLAYED IN THE LAST 14 YEARS.

MO has won its L/6 true road openers and the L/5 have been by DD’s vs tms like Ole Miss, Neb, Nev and LY vs Tex A&M! Ariz St is the Pac-12 South preseason favorite and didn’t disappoint last Thurs in their meeting with UC Davis (517-243 yd edge). MO’s opening win over Miami, OH was costly as they lost 2 def st’rs, DE Jacquies Smith (elbow) and LB Will Ebner (ankle) to inj. This is QB Franklin’s 1st road start (129 pass, 66 rush in win LW over Miami) and it is in the desert at night.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

1st meeting.

USF is 14-0 in Raymond James Stadium openers with the avg win by 32 ppg. USF ended LY with B2B losses at home and never in the program’s history have they lost 3 straight HG’s. USF is off a big 23-20 upset over ND in a game that was extended due to weather delays. The score is misleading as USF was outgained 508-254 but was +5 TO’s. QB BJ Daniels was just 18-30-128 with 1 TD. New BSU HC Lembo was the Elon HC the L/5 ssns going 35-22 incl a 28-13 loss at USF in ‘07. Ball St is off an upset of in-state BCS foe Indy 27-20 at Lucas Oil Stadium. BSU has their MAC opener on deck and this is their least important game of Sept. USF’s biggest edge is on D (#32-102). BSU QB Wenning hit 23-29-173 with a 2-0 ratio vs IU. The Florida heat could be a factor in this game, giving an even bigger edge to the Bulls.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

THESE TWO HAVE NOT PLAYED IN THE LAST 14 YEARS.

Texas is 0-2 vs BYU with the last meeting in ‘88, a 47-6 defeat (yes, UT was 4-7 that yr). BYU’s off was unusually weak for most of LY but got better as true Fr Heaps (PS#2) gained exp and they put up 42.4 ppg the L/5. LW the Cougs trailed Ole Miss 13-0 into the 4Q (UM did have 96 yd IR TD). Heaps led BYU 72/8pl for a TD then LB Van Noy chased down UM’s QB and FF, taking it into the EZ for the TD and a 14-13 win. BYU had 20-13 FD and 316-208 yd edges with Heaps hitting 24-38-255, 1-1 ratio. Everything about Texas was unusually weak LY as they went from the Nat’l Title gm to a losing ssn. It looked like another long season was on the horizon as the Horns only led Rice 13-6 at HT. They settled for two 1H FG’s inside the Rice22 before finally waking up in the 2H with 3 TD’s on their 1st 4 poss, winning 34-9. The Horns finished with 22-16 FD and 506-224 yd edges as QB Gilbert hit 13-23-239, 1-0 ratio and Davis pulled in 115 rec yds. After losses to Iowa St and Baylor LY, I expect UT to put the hammer down at home TY.

Rushing

Passing

Points

TO’s

ST

On the surface Air Force looks like the pick with a Sr QB, at home, off an FCS foe with a bye next wk. TCU is on its 2nd str AG and was dealt a devastating blow LW, when it was the veteran D that surprised. After ranking #1 in the NCAA in ttl D each of the L/3Y, TCU played surprisingly mediocre all’g Bay to put up 564 yds and 50 pts (most yds S/’06, most pts S/’05). Soph QB Pachall showed veteran leadership leading a late TCU comeback, before 2 forced passes on the final drive (25-39-251, 4-1 ratio). I do like the matchups as TCU has two AA LB’s (who have to be upset about LW) and AF has lost 3 str and has been held 97 ypg below its ssn rushing avg in MWC play vs TCU. AF entered LY’s gm ranked #1 NCAA in rush yd and TCU’s Wesley single-handedly outrushed the entire AF squad (209-184). AF handled S Dakota LW, building a 30-7 HT lead before all’g two 4Q TD’s to make the final 37-20, finishing with a 487-368 yd edge. LTH (‘09), TCU dealt with freezing rain and icy conditions and only won by 3, but this time the weather will be better and since this is week two, so TCU spent time in the offssn working on the option. Expect the Frogs to play with a chip on their shoulder as its them vs the MW.