After an impressive first game, the Stanford Cardinal will head to North Carolina to face the Duke Blue Devils in a matchup between two teams on very opposite ends of the football spectrum.
A glut of marquee match-ups greets the college football world in the second week of the season; one of the games that stand out is Alabama vs. Penn State.
Week 2 in the college football world gives us a tasty SEC match-up between a team on the rise and the home side Auburn Tigers, with a target on its back and lots to prove after a paltry effort in the opening week.
A week after their BCS Championship hopes could have very well been swept out of the door, Oregon will face the Nevada Wolf Pack, who finished 13-1 in 2010, and wants to come out in their first game of the season with a bang. A win over Oregon could be the bang they are looking for.
Mike London is in his second year as coach of the Virginia Cavaliers. Kevin Wilson is in his first year at Indiana University.
Even with some key offseason departures to the NFL, the Virginia Tech Hokies started their 2011 season in style, routing hapless Appalachian State 66-13. The challenge will increase slightly against East Carolina this week.
This was billed by some as a big early season matchup, but Oregon State’s inexplicable loss to Sacramento State last weekend definitely took some of the luster away from this game.
Luke Fickell started his Ohio State coaching career off with a big 42-0 win over Akron last week. The entire Ohio State program was thrilled to get back on the field and have the talk be about the team and its ability rather than off-the-field issues.
Mizzou is a ranked team coming from the Big 12, but they are underdogs in this game against a ASU team that is ranked in the USA top 25 (#23), has a solid team on both sides of the ball, and is a good dark horse pick to win the new Pac 12.
The Florida Atlantic Owls gave Michigan State a pretty good game last year before losing 30-17. Howard Schnellenberger’s Owls are much weaker than they were last year, but the Spartans are still a very powerful team.
Can Florida Atlantic hang in there this year or will it be a complete mismatch?
Florida Atlantic vs. Michigan State
Spartan Stadium
Saturday September 10, 12:00 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from JustBet
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: Michigan State -32 (-110) Florida Atlantic +32 (-110)
Over/Under: 50.5
FAU vs. MSU ATS Gambling Stats –>
A few years ago Florida Atlantic appeared to be a program that was destined to become a perennial leader in the Sun Belt Conference. The team won a bowl game in both 2007 and 2008, but since then the program has turned south in a hurry.
Last year’s team went 4-8, and most of the top players from that team graduated. The Owls were thrashed 41-3 by Florida in their season opener last weekend. Graham Wilbert is the team’s starting quarterback, but he is very inexperienced.
Alfred Morris is a talented runner that the team must get involved as often as possible, but the offensive line is a real problem area. Rob Housler and Lester Jean were both stars in the passing game last year, but both are in the NFL now. The defensive side of the football doesn’t look any better for this squad.
The team is stacked at the linebacker position, but everywhere else on the field they have question marks. The defense moved to a 3-4 over the offseason primarily because they were struggling badly to find quality defensive linemen. Florida picked up six yards per carry last week, and this run defense will be tested by the Spartans this weekend.
Expect it to be a long season for the Owls.
Michigan State wasn’t particularly impressive in their 28-6 victory over Youngstown State last weekend. The Spartans led just 7-6 late in the second quarter, but they did play better in the second half.
Kirk Cousins was extremely efficient last week in the season opener. Cousins went 18 for 22 passing while throwing for 222 yards. B.J. Cunningham caught nine passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. Edwin Baker, Le’Veon Bell, and Larry Caper are all very talented running backs for Michigan State. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Spartans have as much talent in the backfield as any team in the Big Ten this year. Look for Michigan State to try to pound the football consistently this week.
The Michigan State defense employed the bend but don’t break philosophy last week against Youngstown State. Greg Jones was the unit’s leader last year, and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit to see a big drop in production from the linebacker position this season.
Jerrell Worthy is a defensive tackle that all the NFL scouts have their eyes on. Worthy can take over a game at any time, and he does a great job of both rushing the passer and stuffing the run.
Michigan State is looking to prove that last year’s run was no fluke. Florida Atlantic will likely be at the bottom of the Sun Belt this year.
I think this one could get ugly pretty quickly.
I don’t like laying this many points, but I think the Spartans dominate here.
NCAA Gambling Trends:
Under is 10-1 in FLATL last 11 games on grass.
FLATL are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
FLATL are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games on grass.
Over is 7-1 in MCHST last 8 non-conference games.
Free College Football Pick: Michigan State -32
Score Prediction: Michigan State 45 Florida Atlantic 7
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It may not get the national coverage that some other rivalries do, but the Iowa/Iowa State intrastate rivalry is definitely important in the Hawkeye state.
The Cincinnati Bearcats travel to Neyland Stadium to take on the SEC’s Tennessee Volunteers this Saturday afternoon in a non-conference showdown between the Big East and the SEC.
Even with some key offseason departures to the NFL, the Virginia Tech Hokies started their 2011 season in style, routing hapless Appalachian State 66-13. The challenge will increase slightly against East Carolina this week.
Expectations aren’t particularly high for Rutgers or North Carolina this season – especially for the transitioning Tar Heels – but both teams may have a glimmer of hope after winning their season openers.
Both Arizona and Oklahoma State played a couple of cream puffs in week 1 of the college season, but this will be the first big test for each team that has legit conference title and BCS hopes.
The Florida International Golden Panthers square-off against the Louisville Cardinals this upcoming Friday night at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in a Sun Belt verse Big East non-conference matchup.
