Week one did not disappoint. For football junkies like me, it was amazing. We saw FCS teams upset FBS teams and some thrilling finishes. Thursday View attachment 57403 North Carolina Tar Heels 10 @ #6 South Carolina Gamecocks 27 The first game of the year wasn’t exactly a thriller. Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was a disappointment only playing 67% of the defensive snaps. Rumors are stating that Clowney was fighting a stomach virus, and that is believable after seeing the amounts of Gatorade he consumed. The Gamecocks as a whole looked solid, but not spectacular. Liberty Flames 10 @ Kent State Golden Flashes 17 We almost saw our first FCS upset of the season here. The Flames gave the Golden Flashes all they could handle but the Flashes pulled it out by scoring the final ten points of the game. The Flashes star offensive weapon Dri Archer sustained a left ankle injury and is listed day-to-day. Southern Utah Thunderbirds 22 @ South Alabama Jaguars 21 Here’s the first FCS upset of the year. The Jaguars are new to the FBS ranks, but these kind of losses aren’t expected. The Thunderbirds pulled off the victory with a 28 yard game winning field goal by Colton Cook. For the Jaguars, it is back to the drawing board. Towson Tigers 33 @ Connecticut Huskies 18 Here is the next FBS causality that really got a lot of people off guard. The Huskies offense had a hard time getting started and the Tigers took full advantage. The Huskies offense will need to get it together or else it it will be a long season. Quick food for thought, Connecticut paid Towson $275,000 for this game. Utah State Aggies 26 @ Utah Utes 30 BATTLE OF THE BROTHERS! Utah reassured their supremacy over their little brothers with a 30-26 battle till the end. Utah started and finished the game in control. View attachment 57401 Ole Miss Rebels 39 @ Vanderbilt Commodores 35 What a thriller to kick off SEC conference play! We saw some real swings in momentum in this contest. From Ole Miss scoring the first 10, to Vanderbilt scoring 21 straight. Things really got heated when Vanderbilt converted a 4th and 18 with a 42 yard completion to Jordan Matthews. The next play, quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels connected with tight end Steven Scheu on a 34 yard touchdown strike that put Vandy up 35-32. Not to be outdone, Ole Miss struck back with an electrifying 75 yard touchdown scamper back tailback Jeff Scott. This game was one that you never wanted to see end. The players gave everything they had. This game is what college football is all about. View attachment 57404 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 51 @ Fresno State Bulldogs 52 Talk about an overtime thriller. This game will go down as one of the best quarterback duels this season. Gary Nova of Rutgers threw for 348 yards and 5 TD’s while his counterpart Derek Carr threw for 456 yards and 5 TD’s. Receivers had video game like performances on both sides. This game all came down to one play in overtime. After Rutgers scored what looked like the tying touchdown, the Knights decided to go for two and the win. Gary Nova’s pass fell to the turf and the game was over. Rutgers had a chance to win it at the bell, but Kyle Federico’s 43 yard field goal attempt fell wide right. Both of these teams ought to be conference contenders this season. 24 USC Trojans 30 @ Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 13 The Trojans looked quite rough in this game. The Warriors of Honolulu put up a fight, but quarterback Taylor Graham threw it all away with four interceptions. The quarterback battle for USC looks to be nowhere near close to solved. They will be a team to keep a close eye on this week. Friday Samford Bulldogs 31 @ Georgia State Panthers 21 Welcome to the FBS Georgia State, here’s a loss to an FCS opponent. The Bulldogs kicked things off by running the opening kickoff all the way back. Georgia State responded with two touchdowns, but Samford then rattled off 24 straight. Georgia State proved that they are not ready for the big time just yet. Florida Atlantic Owls 6 @ Miami Hurricanes 34 The Canes came out looking slow and sluggish. Freshman Stacey Coley dropped two touchdown passes and Denzel Perryman dropped an easy pick six. The Canes are the ACC Coastal favorites, and they did nothing to diminish those predictions. View attachment 57407 North Dakota State Bison 24 @ Kansas State Wildcats 21 This is the first upset that really rocked the world. The 2012 FCS National Champions upset the 2012 Big XII Champions. This isn’t the same as Appalachian State’s upset over Michigan, but it’s close. North Dakota State kept it close the whole first half before Kansas State scored two quick touchdowns to open the third quarter. The Bison clawed their way back to score the game winning touchdown with 28 seconds left on a QB sneak by Brock Jensen. Kansas State paid NDSU $350,000 for this game. This is the 4th straight year the Bison have knocked off a FBS opponent. Sooner or later they will have to join the FBS. Saturday Buffalo Bulls 20 @ #2 Ohio State Buckeyes 40 The Buckeyes started the game on fire taking a 23-0 lead into the second quarter. Buffalo outscored them 20-17 the rest of the way. The Buckeyes will have some things to work on before the real meat of the schedule begins. Massachusetts Minutemen 0 @ #23 Wisconsin Badgers 45 The Badgers came out and owned the Minutemen from start to finish. They looked like a solid team. Only time will tell though. Elon Phoenix 0 @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 70 The Jackets came out and rolled the Phoenix in this one. The defense had two pick sixes and the offense racked up 368 yards rushing. Do not ignore this team. William & Mary Tribe 17 @ West Virginia Mountaineers 24 West Virginia nearly gave this one away. The Tribe took a 17-7 into halftime before it all unraveled. The offense stalled out too many times. They will need to be sharper if they plan on upsetting Oklahoma this week. Southern Illinois Salukis 34 @ Illinois Fighting Illini 42 The game wasn’t as close as the score indicated. The Salukis’ scored their final ten points after the Illini went up 42-24. The Illini defense will need to improve if they plan on holding off Cincinnati this week. Purdue Boilermakers 7 @ Cincinnati Bearcats 42 The Bearcats really controlled the game through the ground as Munchie Legaux looked shaky. The Bearcats defense looked much improved from last season. Toledo Rockets 6 @ #10 Florida Gators 24 The Gators controlled this one throughout. Driskel look improved from last season, but the receivers just aren’t there. Florida has got themselves a ground games once again. They will have a tough test this week in Miami. Rice Owls 31 @ #7 Texas A&M Aggies 52 Texas A&M looks stacked once again on offense. Johnathan Manziel only made his off the field behavior look worse after making himself look like an absolute fool. Did he come out and look like a rockstar? Ye she did, but that is no explanation for his behavior. Mississippi State Bulldogs 3 vs #13 Oklahoma State Cowboys 21 The Cowboys came out a controlled the Bulldogs from start to finish. J.W. Walsh came in after Clint Chelf’s shaky start and looked solid. The Cowboys looked like the Big XII favorites. Temple Owls 6 @ #14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 28 The Fighting Irish won this week. Tommy Rees quieted some of the critics by performing real well. They will face the test this week, traveling to Ann Arbor. Central Michigan Chippewas 9 @ #17 Michigan Wolverines 59 Michigan dominated Central Michigan from the opening kick. Michigan did a fantastic job running the ball, but Devin Gardner threw two picks. Gardner needs to be improved if they expect to beat Notre Dame. Syracuse Orange 17 vs Penn State Nittany Lions 23 Penn State earned this tough victory. Syracuse has some problems on offense. True freshman Christian Hackenberg looks like the real deal for the Nittany Lions. BYU Cougars 16 @ Virginia Cavaliers 19 Both quarterbacks looked bad. In all reality, neither offense really did a great job yet this was a game you couldn’t look away from. The Cavs pulled this one out behind a thirteen yard rushing touchdown from Kevin Parks. View attachment 57402 Northern Illinois Huskies 30 @ Iowa Hawkeyes 27 Iowa defeated NIU last season. The Huskies took this one led by Heisman hopeful Jordan Lynch. his 33 yard touchdown strike tied it with 5:05 left. Then Mathew Sims iced it with a 36 yard field goal with four seconds left. This win should propel NIU to an undefeated season, but you never know. Nicholls State Colonels 3 @ #3 Oregon Ducks 66 Oregon’s offense exploded as predicted. This team looks to be as fun as usual. #1 Alabama Crimson Tide 35 vs Virginia Tech Hokies 10 The offensive line of the Tide looked a little shaky. The rest of the team looks as good as usual. Christion Jones opened scoring with a 72 yard punt return for a touchdown and sent the game to halftime with a 92 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Lance Thomas picked up where he did last season by looking dreadful. Virginia Tech is in for a long season if they don’t improve. View attachment 57408 Eastern Washington Eagles 49 @ #25 Oregon State Beavers 46 This was the biggest upset of the week by far. The Eagles took a 29-17 lead into halftime. Oregon State fought back to take a 46-43 lead with 4:50 left. Then Vernon Adams ran in his second touchdown of the game with 18 seconds left to take the lead. It all came down to the final play when Trevor Romaine missed the 52 yard field goal attempt and the celebration ensued. Sean Mannion had a career day for the Beavers, but just came up short. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 0 @ #16 Oklahoma Sooners 34 The Sooners defense showed no signs of weakness and the Sooners did not fall into the same trap the Arkansas Razorbacks did. Trevor Knight looked rather shaky in his first start at quarterback. Knight has the talent, but his execution was a little off. View attachment 57406 McNeese State Cowboys 53 @ South Florida Bulls 21 The Bulls opened things up with a 80 yard touchdown run by Marcus Shaw. Then it all fell apart as the Cowboys scored the next 40. USF has a lot of work to do if they want to get anywhere this season. UAB Blazers 31 @ Troy Trojans 34 Here’s another exciting overtime finish. The Blazers held a 31-17 lead going into the fourth quarter. Then the Trojans made the comeback. They tied it up and then put it home in overtime with the 30 yard field goal by Will Scott after the defense stopped UAB on 4th down. View attachment 57405 #5 Georgia Bulldogs 35 @ #8 Clemson Tigers 38 Tajh Boyd is for real folks. He accounted for all five of Clemson’s touchdowns while avoiding a costly turnover. Georgia, they just didn’t look like they were ready for the chaos that is Death Valley. Clemson has stamped themselves as contenders while Georgia needs to avoid another loss if they want to stay in this thing. New Mexico State Aggies 7 @ #15 Texas Longhorns 56 Texas started slow, and then took off. NMSU struck first with, but it was all Longhorns after that. Wyoming Cowboys 34 @ #18 Nebraska Cornhuskers 37 The score made this game look much closer than it actually was. Taylor Martinez looked sharp leading the Huskers to their first victory of the season. Give the Cowboys credit for not quitting. Northern Iowa Panthers 28 @ Iowa State Cyclones 20 Northern Iowa just seemed to be in control throughout this one. The Cyclones put up a fight. but it just wasn’t enough to avoid an upset at the hands of the FCS opponent. Panthers running back David Johnson had an amazing game showing holes in the Iowa State defense. Eastern Illinois Panthers 40 @ San Diego State Aztecs 19 The eighth and final FCS upset happened in San Diego. The Panthers came out and dominated the Aztecs in the second half. Aztecs quarterback Adam Dingwell had a disastrous game throwing four interceptions and completing only 42.851% of his passes. The Aztecs better get themselves ready for their contest against Ohio State or it will be absolute bloodshed. #12 LSU Tigers 37 vs #20 TCU Horned Frogs 27 The Tigers proved they can pound the rock and their defense proved they are still one of the best in college football. Zach Mettenberger still leaves much to be desired. #19 Boise State Broncos 6 @ Washington Huskies 38 Holy cow folks, the Huskies came to play. Their defense might have bent, but they did not break. Keith Price showed why there is so much hype around him and the upcoming season. For the Broncos, this loss probably ends any hopes of being BCS busters. Nevada Wolfpack 20 @ #21 UCLA Bruins 58 Wolfpack quarterback Cody Fajardo is legit, so is UCLA’s offense led by their quarterback Brett Hundley. Hundley had a fantastic performance and proved that all that off-season hype was not for naught. #22 Northwestern Wildcats 44 @ California Golden Bears 30 Northwestern’s defense is the reason they won this game picking off Jared Goff three times returning two for touchdowns. The Wildcats do have two major injury concerns in offensive weapon Kain Colter and running back Venric Mark. Schedule (All time are EST and P.M. unless noted) (Teams in bold are my pick to win) Thursday Florida Atlantic Owls @ East Carolina Pirates (-20.5) 7:30 FOX Sports 1 Sacramento State Hornets @ Arizona State Sun Devils (-35) 10:00 Pac-12 Network Friday Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ Boston College Eagles (-3) 8:00 ESPN2 UCF Golden Knights @ FIU Golden Panthers (+24.5) 8:00 CBS Sports Network Saturday Eastern Kentucky Colonels @ #8 Louisville Cardinals (-41) 12:00 ESPN3 #12 Florida Gators @ Miami Hurricanes (+3) 12:00 ESPN/Watch ESPN/ESPN Mobile TV #13 Oklahoma State Cowboys @ UTSA Roadrunners (+27) 12:00 FOX Sports 1 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles @ #21 Wisconsin Badgers (-45) 12:00 Big Ten Network Southeastern Louisiana Lions @ #24 TCU Horned Frogs (-42.5) Miami (Ohio) Redhawks @ Kentucky Wildcats (-17) 12:00 ESPN3/Gameplan USF Bulls @ Michigan State Spartans (-23) 12:00 ESPNU/Watch ESPN Norfolk State Spartans @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights (40.5) 12:00 CBS Sports Network Eastern Michigan Eagles @ Penn State Nittany Lions (-24) 12:00 Big Ten Network Houston Cougars @ Temple Owls (+3) 12:00 ESPN3/Gameplan Cincinnati Bearcats @ Illinois Fighting Illini (+7.5) 12:00 ESPN2/Watch ESPN Missouri State Bears @ Iowa Hawkeyes (-24.5) 12:00 Big Ten Network Bowling Green Falcons @ Kent State Golden Flashes (+7) 12:00 ESPN3/Gameplan Indiana State Sycamores @ Purdue Boilermakers (-17) 12:00 Big Ten Network Western Kentucky Hilltoppers @ Tennessee Volunteers (-13.5) 12:21 ESPN3/Gameplan South Carolina State Bulldogs @ #4 Clemson Tigers (-52.5) 12:30 ESPN3/Gameplan Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders @ North Carolina Tar Heels (-17.5) 12:30 ESPN3/Gameplan Army Black Knights @ Ball State Cardinals (-8) 1:00 ESPN3 Western Carolina Catamounts @ Virginia Tech Hokies (-42) 1:30 ESPN3 Maine Black Bears @ Massachusetts Minutemen (-4) 2:00 ESPN3 Weber State Wildcats @ Utah Utes (-23.5) 2:00 Pac-12 Network Chattanooga Mocs @ Georgia State Panthers (-10.5) 2:00 ESPN3 Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks @ Boise State Broncos (-35) 3:00 ESPN3 New Hampshire Wildcats @ Central Michigan Chippewas (-3) 3:00 ESPN3 Utah State Aggies @ Air Force Falcons (+9.5) 3:30 CBS Sports Network #2 Oregon Ducks @ Virginia Cavaliers (+22) 3:30 ABC/ESPN2/Watch ESPN San Diego State Aztecs @ #3 Ohio State Buckeyes (-28) 3:30 ABC/ESPN2/Watch ESPN Buffalo Bulls @ #23 Baylor Bears (-27) 3:30 Toledo Rockets @ Missouri Tigers (-17) 3:30 ESPNU/Watch ESPN Alcorn State Braves @ Mississippi State Bulldogs (-42) 3:30 ESPN3/Gameplan South Alabama Jaguars @ Tulane Green Wave (-6) 3:30 Old Dominion Monarchs @ Maryland Terrapins (-19) 4:00 ESPN News/Watch ESPN Idaho Vandals @ Wyoming Cowboys (-28) 4:00 #6 South Carolina Gamecocks @ #11 Georgia Bulldogs (-3) 4:30 ESPN/Watch ESPN/ESPN Mobile TV Duke @ Memphis (+4) 4:30 ESPN3 Portland State Vikings @ California Golden Bears (-27.5) 5:00 Pac-12 Network Syracuse Orange @ #19 Northwestern Wildcats (-16.5) 6:00 Big Ten Network Southern Miss Golden Eagles @ #22 Nebraska Cornhuskers (-28) 6:00 Big Ten Network Richmond Spiders @ North Carolina State Wolfpack (-27) 6:00 ESPN3 Navy Midshipmen @ Indiana Hoosiers (-12.5) 6:00 Big Ten Network James Madison Dukes @ Akron Zips (-3.5) 6:00 ESPN3 Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs @ Marshall Thundering Herd (-42.5) 6:30 Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns @ Kansas State Wildcats (-10.5) 6:30 FOX Sports 1 Sam Houston State Bearkats @ #7 Texas A&M Aggies (-37) 7:00 ESPN3/Gameplan UAB Blazers @ #9 LSU Tigers (-34.5) 7:00 ESPNU/Watch ESPN #15 Texas Longhorns @ BYU Cougars (+7) 7:00 ESPN2/Watch ESPN West Virginia Mountaineers @ #16 Oklahoma Sooners (-21) 7:00 FOX Samford Bulldogs @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-32.5) 7:00 ESPN3/Gameplan Southeast Missouri State Redhawks @ Ole Miss Rebels (-50) 7:00 ESPN3/Gameplan North Texas Mean Green @ Ohio Bobcats (-4) 7:00 ESPN3 Colorado State Rams @ Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (-10.5) 7:00 CBS Sports Network Prairie View A&M Panthers @ Texas State Bobcats (-31.5) 7:00 ESPN3 South Dakota Jackrabbits @ Kansas Jayhawks (-23) 7:00 ESPN3/Gameplan Lamar Cardinals @ Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (-28) 7:00 Grambling State Tigers @ Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (-41) 7:00 ESPN3 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks @ Texas Tech Red Raiders (-38) 7:00 Savannah State Tigers @ Troy Trojans (-51) 7:00 ESPN3 Nicholls State Colonels @ Western Michigan Mustangs (-28.5) 7:00 ESPN3 Arkansas State Red Wolves @ Auburn Tigers (-13.5) 7:30 ESPN3/Gameplan Austin Peay Governors @ Vanderbilt Commodores (-47.5) 7:30 ESPN3/Gameplan #14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ #17 Michigan Wolverines (-4) 8:00 ESPN/Watch ESPN/ESPN Mobile TV Central Arkansas Bears @ Colorado Buffaloes (-13.5) 8:00 Minnesota Golden Gophers @ New Mexico State Aggies (-15) 8:00 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors @ Oregon State Beavers (-27) 8:00 Pac-12 Network Montana State Bobcats @ SMU Mustangs (-9.5) 8:00 ESPN3 New Mexico Lobos @ UTEP Miners (-6) 8:00 UC Davis Aggies @ Nevada Wolfpack (-17.5) 9:05 Cal Poly Mustangs @ Fresno State Bulldogs (-27.5) 10:00 ESPN3 Washington State Cougars @ #25 USC Trojans (-16) 10:30 FOX Sports 1 Arizona Wildcats @ UNLV Rebels (+10.5) 10:30 CBS Sports Network San Jose State Spartans @ #5 Stanford Cardinal (-25.5) 11:00 Pac-12 Network My Top 10 Games of the Week View attachment 57400 1. #6 South Carolina Gamecocks @ #11 Georgia Bulldogs The Bulldogs are desperate for the win. Can they pull off the upset and end South Carolina's three year winning streak? View attachment 57411 2. #14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ #17 Michigan Wolverines This is the last time we will see this game for a while. Will it live up to the hype? View attachment 57409 3. #12 Florida Gators @ Miami Hurricanes BATTLE FOR THE SEMINOLES CANOE! View attachment 57410 4. San Jose State Spartans @ #5 Stanford Cardinal San Jose State nearly pulled it off last season, can they do it pull it off this year? 5. #15 Texas Longhorns @ BYU Cougars Can BYU stun Texas in Provo? 6. Syracuse Orange @ #19 Northwestern Wildcats How will Northwestern look with Colter and Mark banged up? 7. #2 Oregon Ducks @ Virginia Cavaliers How badly will Oregon beat Virginia? 8. San Diego State Aztecs @ #3 Ohio State Buckeyes How will San Diego State rebound from their embarrassing loss last week? How will Ohio State look after last weeks performance? 9. Utah State Aggies @ Air Force Falcons Utah State will be looking for their first win as a member of the Mountain West Conference. 10. Weber State Wildcats @ Utah Utes BATTLE FOR THE BEEHIVE BOOT!
Great article, JEM. UT @ BYU should be a good one. I'm also curious to see how the Aggies do, if for nothing else, to see what Johnny does next.
