Next we have Arizona State against Weber State............The Sun Devils are laying a big number and their offense should be more than fine......The problem here is they only return 2 Starters on Defense so once again this leaves some question marks on whether or not they can cover the huge number here so I'll most likely pass on this game as well.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
2014 College Football Preview by Well-Seasoned
- Thread starter Well-Seasoned
- Start date
Next we have Utah against Idaho State.............Here I'm leaning with Utah although Idaho State does return 19 starters which is a little concern.....Idaho State got smoked last year by BYU and Washington and now play a Utah team that smoked Weber State 70-7 last year as they had around the same record as Idaho State last year playing in the same conference.....It should be noted that Weber blew out Idaho State 32-7 last year as well.....Utah brings back their QB and should coast to a win here so I'm leaning Utah at this point.
Next we have Central Michigan playing Chattanooga..............The Chippewas bring back 18 Starters so pressure is on their coach this year to deliver as he followed Butch Jones (Brian Kelly before that) as both left Central Michigan to bigger and better things....The line here is a suspect 9.5 at the moment and Chattanooga is ranked #16 in I-AA.......It should be noted that Central Michigan only beat New Hampshire 24-21 last year, SE Missouri State 38-27 in 2012, and South Carolina State 21-6 in 2011 so they haven't really blown out any I-AA teams......I'll most likely pass on this game.........
Next we have Akron playing Howard.........I'm leaning Akron here as they bring back 14 Starters and great coaching.......Terry Bowden is in his 3rd year here and they went from 1-11 to 5-7 last year....Akron also has White Shades Chuck Amato coaching the defense (former N.C.State Head Coach.......Howard lost by 10 to Eastern Michigan last year, but they also gave up 76 points to Old Dominion......I lean Akron at this point as they finished the season well last year and they should only get better with these coaches and returning starters coming back.
Next we have East Carolina vs North Carolina Central............The Pirates favored by a big number and return QB Shane Carden.........North Carolina Central has been abused by Division I Duke 3 out of the last 4 years.........I would like East Carolina more if they had more players on defense returning, but they do not so I'll probably pass on this game.
Next we have Oregon against South Dakota...........Oregon is favored by 49.5 at the moment..........The Ducks offense will be explosive yet again as they return many, including Marcus Mariotta..........Oregon does have Michigan State on deck, but it really won't matter as this will be a blowout....The question here is when do they let off the gas pedal just like the Middle Tennessee State-Savannah State game where a running clock could come into play in a Savannah State game again.........Right now I lean 1st Half Oregon in this game.
Next we have Eastern Michigan against Morgan State.........The line here is 9 at the moment.......Eastern Michigan returns 8 on offense, but the problem here is the offense wasn't that good.....They return 5 on a defense that allowed over 500YPG last year.....They also have a new coach as well.........Morgan State has been roasted by some MAC Teams before so its tough to really trust them either.........I'll most likely pass on this game.
Next we have North Carolina against Liberty..........The Tar Heels ended the season on a high note as I had them in their bowl game as well....They won 6 out of their last 7 games and they bring back 15 Starters this year......Liberty on the other hand has been money against Division I foes posting a 6-0 ATS record since 2007.....I'll most likely pass on this game...
Next we have Duke against Elon............Duke brings back 14 Starters including the Quarterback from last year's team that won 10 games....They get to pick up right where they left off as Elon has been abused by ACC teams lately....The last 2 years Elon has lost by a combined 132-0 to both Georgia Tech and North Carolina....I'm leaning with Duke here at the moment
Next we have Arkansas State against Montana State......Current line is 8..........Arkansas State has turned into a stepping stone for coaches and once again they have a first-year coach...Hugh Freeze left after one year to Ole Miss then Gus Malzahn left after one year to Auburn then Bryan Harsin left after one year to Boise State....They only return 4 players on offense and defense has gotten worse statistically the last few years...This team is most likely going backwards this year, but at least they'll get to keep their coach....Montana State lost by only 1 point to SMU last year and 1 point to Washington State in 2010 so they have shown the ability to hang......That said, I"ll pass on this game.
Next we have Virginia Tech against William & Mary..............The Hokies return 9 on offense and no quarterback which might not be a bad thing since it was Logan Thomas....Yes, he got drafted by the NFL probably based on his physical skills, but his decision-making was more than questionable at times...With that being said the new quarterback wasn't good enough to overtake Logan Thomas so this leaves question marks on that side of the ball.......William & Mary has covered 5 out of last 6 against Division I teams so I'll most likely pass on this game.
Next we have Old Dominion against Hampton...........The Monarchs are now a Division I football team and they are heavily favored here by 26.5 at the moment...They bring back 16 Starters, including their QB......This team is explosive against lower-tier teams...That said, these two campuses are close to each other so there could be a rivalry factor involved so I'll pass on the game.
Next we have Texas Tech against Central Arkansas...............The Red Raiders will be a dominant offensive force again especially against weaker teams, but the question once again will be the defense...Central Arkansas can put up some points at times, but Texas Tech is the ultimate bully team and their defense plays better in Lubbock in these type of games so I'm leaning with the Red Raiders here at the moment.
Next we have Wyoming against Montana..........One of the most intriguing Division I vs Division I-AA matchups and the line certainly reflects that as Wyoming debuts their coach Craig Bohl who was the former Head Coach of I-AA powerhouse North Dakota State.....Current line has Wyoming favored by 1....Montana comes in ranked #5 in I-AA....Wyoming does return 16 starters here and I'll trust their new coach here as he dominated I-AA so I'm leaning with Wyoming here at the moment.
Next we have Minnesota against Eastern Illinois..........The Gophers return 15 starters from a team that went to a bowl game last year........Eastern Illinois loses QB Jimmy Garopollo to the NFL, but they still return a lot of starters as well...........I'll most likely pass on this game...
Next we have Indiana vs Indiana State..........The Hoosiers beat them last year 73-35, but only 24-17 the year before....Indiana brings back 17 Starters , including their QB so expect their offense to be great again........That said, this is an intrastate rivalry game so I don't want to lay that many points so I"ll pass on this game...
Next we have UL-Lafayette against Southern University............Southern has given up 60+points the last two years against Division (Houston and New Mexico) and UL-Lafayette returns 16 starters including the great Terrance Broadway......Despite the big number I'm actually leaning with UL-Lafayette here....
