College Football is off and running … well sort of! Last year on the on this past Saturday, I entered 116 game results, this year 19! So while it is back, clearly it is on life support. Let’s hope those willing to participate stay healthy as we travel through these uncharted seas!
Saturday’s big winner was a shocker, The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is widely regarded to be the weakest league in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Yet not on this past Saturday.
There are 10 conferences in the FBS and 7 independents for a total of 130 teams. The conferences are broken into 2 groups. Power 5 (P5) & Group of 5 (G5).
The P5’s consist of the ACC, B-10, B-12, Pac 12, & SEC, a total of 64 teams. On Sully’s College Football Page we count Notre Dame & BYU in this P5 (as do the B-10, SEC, & others) category for a total of 66 P5 teams.
While the G5’s includes the remaining 5 conferences, American Athletic Conference (AAC). Mountain West Conference (MWC), Conference-USA (C-USA or simply USA), Mid-American Conference (MAC), and Sun Belt Conference! A total of 64 teams, 59 in conferences and 5 independents (Liberty, U-Conn, U-Mass, New Mexico State, & Army)!
The SBC took on 3 B-12 teams, Iowa State, Kansas State, & Kansas all on the road. They were the underdog (dog) in all three games. The problem for the B-12 was no one notified Louisiana, Arkansas State, & Coastal Carolina that they had no chance in these games. As a result, Louisiana hammered ISU, 31-14, Arkansas State outscored KSU, 35-31, & Coastal Carolina took it to the Jayhawks, 38-23!
The best team in SBC, Appalachian State, beat UNC Charlotte (USA), 35-20, while Georgia Southern struggled against an FCS (Football Championship Subdivision/63 scholarships to the FBS 85 scholarships) team, Campbell University, but found a way, winning, 27-26!
The SBC did lose 3 games on Saturday, yet, 2 of their losses did little harm to the conference’s image. South Alabama led Tulane (AAC) until the final minute, falling 16-13 and Texas State lost to a C-USA team, Texas San Antonio (UTSA) in 2 OT’s, 51-48! Louisiana Monroe (ULM) got popped by what is looking to be an outstanding Army team, 37-7. The Black Knight’s blasted Middle Tennessee State the week prior, 42-0. Navy better head out to sea!!
The big loser in week one? No question, it was the B-12! The 3 losses mentioned above and then Texas Tech performance against Houston Baptist, a weak FCS team (1-10 in both 2017 & 2018 and just 5-7 in 2019), playing in the the Southland Conference (SLC) beating them, barely, 35-33!
The heavy weights in the B-12 did throw their weight around; OU blasted an FCS opponent, Missouri State, (Missouri Valley Football Conference) 48-0, while Texas annihilated Texas El Paso (UTEP) a member of C-USA, 59-3. The Miners are often regarded as the weakest program in all of the FBS (they managed one win in 2019, beating, none other than, Houston Baptist, 36-34)! West Virginia hammered another FCS program, Eastern Kentucky, 56-10. While these margins of victory were impressive, the opposition was not!
Since the B-12 is playing a 9-1 format in 2020 (9 conference games & 1 non-conference (NC) game) they need to showcase the strength of their league by winning these NC games. If Texas Tech upsets Texas or ISU upends OU, where does that leave OU & Texas in the CFP Committee minds’, when comparing them to other one loss P5’s, whose conference performed well vs NC opponents?
The ACC played in conference this week! Clemson looked strong beating Wake Forest, 37-13, North Carolina (UNC) rolled over Syracuse, 31-6, & Duke played Notre Dame (ND) tough before falling, 27-13! The QBs’ in these three games were points of national attention, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence & UNC’s Sam Howell were as advertised, while ND’s Ian Book seen confused by the Blue Devils defense in the 1st half before righting the ship in the 2nd!
Here is a link to Sully’s College Football Page and all of Saturday’s results! When you arrive at the site, click on the game date box, it will bring up a calendar, go to the 12th and it will bring up all of Saturday’s games!
http://sullyscollegefootballpage.com/Football_Stats/Games_Listings.cfm
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