Saturday’s Games: Week 6!

Florida 2-0 @ Texas A&M 1-1: These teams have played twice since 2009, The Gators and Aggies have split, FL won in 2012 ( the year T-A&M joined the SEC), 20-17 while A&M won in 2017, 19-17! TV: 11:00 / ESPN; Favorite: Florida -5

Virginia Tech 2-0 @ North Carolina 2-0: The Hookies & Tar Heals are in the ACC’s Coastal Division and have met 11 times since 2009! V-Tech has won 8 of 11, including the last four! That said, the last 2 games have been close, VT won 22-19 in 2018 & 43-41 in 2019! TV: 11:00 / ABC; Favorite: UNC -6!

Texas 2-1 vs Oklahoma 1-2: This is the annual B-12 championship game (@ least that is the perception of this meeting). The Longhorns lead the series, 62-47-5, yet since the end of WWII, (widely considered the beginning of modern era) OU leads, 37-36-3 and, in fact, have won 14 of the last 21. TV: 11:00 / FOX; Favorite: OU -2.5

Coastal Carolina 3-0 @ Louisiana 3-0: An early season Sun Belt showdown, both teams have won shockers vs the B-12, the Ragin Cajuns took down Iowa State, 31-14 & the Chanticleers whipped Kansas, 38-21. The teams have split 2 games as SBC members, CCU won 30-28 in 2018 & UL won in 19′ 48-7! TV: 11:00 / ESPN; Favorite: Louisiana -7!

UL Monroe 0-4 @ Liberty 3-0: 1st meeting. ULM is a member of the SBC and Liberty in an Independent! TV: 11:00 / ESPNU; Favorite: Liberty -21

NC State 2-1 @ Virginia 1-1: Across-divisional battle of the ACC’s Atlantic & Coastal Divisions. The Wolfpack & Cavaliers have met 3 times since 2009, State has won 2 of 3, 2011, 28-14 & in 2018, 35-21, while UVA won in 2012, 33-6. TV: 11:00 / ACCN; Favorite: UVA -10

South Carolina 0-2 @ Vanderbilt 0-2: The Gamecocks & Commodores have played 11 times since 2009 and USC has won all 11 by an average of 11.1 PPG. Will Muschamp’s coaching position @ South Carolina is in jeopardy, he needs to right this ship, beginning Saturday! TV: 11:00 / SECN; Favorite: SC-12

Duke 0-4 @ Syracuse 1-2: This is Duke’s worst start to a season in the David Cutcliffe Era. The Teams have only played twice as ACC opponents, Duke won in 2014, 27-10 while the Orange blasted the Blue Devils in 2019, 49-6. TV: 11:30 / ESPN 3; Favorite: Opened as a Pick ’em Game

The Citadel 0-3 @ Army 3-1: The Cadets take on another military school, an FCS program, located in Charleston, SC. Look for a quick game time-wise, as the Bulldogs also run the option! TV: 12:30 / CBSSN; Favorite: Army -29.5

Tennessee 2-0 @ Georgia 2-0: The Volunteers are fully committed to spoiling the prevailing thought that ‘”The world’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”, (well maybe not this year), UGA vs Florida in Jacksonville, FL, will determine the SEC East Champion. The Vols & Dawgs have meet 11 times since 2009, with the Bulldogs winning 8 of 11. TV: 2:30 / CBS; Favorite: UGA -14!

UTSA (Texas San Antonio) 3-1 @ BYU 3-0: This is the 1st meeting of these Universities on the gridiron! TV: 2:30 ESPN 2; Favorite: BYU -33

Texas Tech 1-2 @ Iowa State 2-1: The teams have ‘kicked it off’ 11 times since 2009, the Cyclones own a slight advantage, 6 wins to the Red Raiders 5 wins. TV: 2:30 / ABC; Favorite: ISU -12.5

Central Arkansas 2-2 @ Arkansas State 1-2: Central Arkansas is an FCS Program that plays in the Southland Conference (SLC) while Arkansas State is an FBS team out of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). These teams have split 2 games, ASU won in 2011, 53-24, but were upset by CA in 2016, 28-23. The FCS cannot award more then 63 full scholarships (they can award fewer / or partials up to 85, however, they cannot exceed the equivalent of 63 full scholarship dollars offered to a maximum of 85 players), the FBS must give 85 full scholarships in football to maintain their FBS status! TV: 2:30 / ESPN 3 Favorite: Arkansas State -14.5!

Texas State 1-3 & Troy 1-1: The Men of Troy and the Bobcats have played 5 times since 2009, Troy has won all five games! TV: 2:30 / ESPN 3 Favorite: Troy -7.5

Arkansas 1-1 @ Auburn 1-1: Arkansas Razorbacks shocked the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 21-14, last week, That said, the week before the dogs shock the entire college football landscape, beating the defending national champs, 44-34! Auburn is 7-4 in the last 11 games, including winning the last 4! TV: 3:00 / SECN; Favorite: Auburn -16.5

Pitt 3-1 @ Boston College 2-1: These old Big East foes have only played twice in the ACC since 2009, They have split a pair of games, Pitt won in 2014, 30-20, with BC finding a way in 2019, 26-19. TV: 3:00 / ACCN Favorite: Pitt -5!

Kansas State2-1 @ TCU 1-1: The Wildcats & Frogs have met 8 times since 2009, they have split the games @ 4 wins each and with each team winning one of the last 2; TCU in 2018, 14-13 & K-State in 2019, 24.17. TV: 3:00 / FOX; Favorite: TCU -8.5

Middle Tennessee 0-4 ! Florida International (FIU) 0-1: The Blue Raiders & the FIU Panthers have played 11 tines since 2009, as both members of the SBC and now, with both teams playing in the East Division of C-USA! MT has won 8 of the 11 games! TV: 3:00 / ESPNU; Favorite: FIU -4.5

Florida Atlantic (FAU) 1-0 @ Southern Miss 1-3: FAU & the Golden Eagles have played twice since 2009. The Owls have won both games, in 2013, they won, 41-7 and again, in 2019, 34-17. TV: Local Access; Favorite: FAU -4!

Alabama 2-0 @ Ole Miss 1-1: As members of the SEC West, the Rebels & Tide have played every year since 2009. The Tide has rolled to a 9-2 record in that time frame. This includes the last four by scores of, 48-43 in 2016, 66-3 in 2017, 62-7 in 2018, & last year, 59-31. Saban & the Lane Train, enough said, this should be fun! TV: 5:00 / ESPN; Favorite: Bama -24

Temple 0-0 @ Navy 1-2: Temple has not been able to get on the field in 2020, this is their 1st game of the Covid-19 Season. The Owls and Midshipmen have played 5 times in the past 11 years, Temple has won 4 of the games, including three in a row. The last meeting was in 2018, a 24-17 Owl win, Navy’s only win in these years was in 2014, 31-24 @ Temple. TV: 5:00 / CBSSN; Favorite: Temple -1.5!

East Carolina 0-2 @ South Florida 1-2: The Bulls & Pirates have played 6 times since we began the site in 2009, USF has won five, losing only the 1st meeting in 2014, 28-17. TV: 6:00 / ESPN+; Favorite: USF -3.5

Miami 3-0 @ Clemson 3-0: Miami appears to be back from the dead, led by the QB, D’Eriq King (Transfer from Houston) and a sporting a better focus under 2nd year coach Manny Diaz. Clemson is led by a generational QB, Trevor Lawrence and a HC who is challenging Bama’s Nick Saban as college football best coach! These team’s are in different divisions in the ACC (Clemson in the Atlantic & Miami in the Coastal), this, in part, explains why the have played only four times in the last 11 years. The Hurricanes last win in the series was in 2010, 30-21. The Last 2 meetings have not been pretty, Clemson won in 2015, 58-0 & again in 2017, 38-3! TV: 6:30 / ABC: Favorite: Clemson -15.5!

Florida State 1-2 @ Notre Dame 2-0: The Irish & Seminoles have played 3 times since 2011, FSU won the 1st 2 games, 18-14 in 2011 & again in 2014, 31-27, while ND put a/the ‘Chop’ on the Noles Noggin in their last meeting, 2018, 42-13! TV: 6:30 / NBC; Favorite: ND -20.5!

UTEP 3-1 @ Louisiana Tech 2-1: Tech is 7-0 in the last 7 meetings, winning by an average score of 18.1 PPG. Last meeting was in 2019, a 42-21 Bulldog win TV: 6:30 / ESPN 2; Favorite: LT -15!

Marshall 2-0 @ Western Kentucky 1-2: This series has been a series of streaks. WK won 3 straight from 2014 through 2016 and then from 2017 through 2019 Marshall has had their way! TV: Local network(s); Favorite: We R Marshall -4!

Mississippi State 1-1 @ Kentucky 0-2: The SEC regularly schedules cross-division opponents (Bama vs Tennessee, LSU vs Florida and so on), MSU & UK fall into this category and as a result, these teams play every year! The MSU Dogs have won 9 of the last 11 vs the UK Cats! TV: 6:30 / SECN; Favorite: UK -3!

UNC Charlotte 0-2 @ North Texas 1-2: These C-USA teams, strangely, have met only once since 2009, in 2019, a 39-38, UNCC win! UNC Charlotte became a member of C-USA, July 1, 2015 & the teams play in different divisions! Still, 5 years and 1 meeting, just seems wrong for conference teams! TV: 7:00 / ESPNU; Favorite: UNCC -2.5

Missouri 0-2 @ LSU 1-1: This is the 3rd all time meeting between the schools. The 2 Tigers, 1st played in the 1979 rendition of Liberty Bowl, a game won by Mizzou, 20-15! Missouri joined the SEC in 2012 and have ‘kicked it off’ only once vs LSU, maybe one to many, as they got a tail-whippin, LSU 42 Mizzou 7. TV: 8:00 / ESPN: Favorite: LSU -20.5

And in these troubled times, I try to remember what my brother Pat says in his book: Attitude, The cornerstone of Leadership; Preach the Gospel, if necessary, use words! Saint Francis of Assisi.

& as always; Enjoy the games!