Week 4 reality check O5 teams

 UNLV(MWC) is coming off a big win over Vandy while UTEP(CUSA) has stumbled this season. UNLV 24 UTEP 19.

USF played a decent game in a loss to Bama, and Rice has a win over Houston this season. USF in a nailbiter by a score of 22-20 in this AAC matchup. Look for B Brown, the USF QB, to have a solid game.

Ohio returns to MAC play after stunning Iowa St and visits Bowling Green. BobcatsD helps them survive 13-12 at BG.

South Bama(SBC) is coming off a blowout W over OK St. CMU(MAC) has lost to Notre Dame and Sparty. L Webb rushes for over 100 yards and the Jags win 27 -20 over C. Michigan.

Sept 22, 2023

M. Carroll RB - GAST 29 CAR 150YDS 1TD in a win over Coastal Carolina. I would've had that pick wrong.

Sept 24, 2023

Correct on UNLV, USF, and Ohio, but wrong on USA who lost to CMU. Quite a day for two USF players:

B. Brown QB - USF Passing:435YDS 2TD, Rushing 14CAR 82YDS 1TD

N. Simmons WR - USF 8REC 272YDS 1TD 

How about Wyoming's win over Appy, and the #herd win over VTech(ACC)

It turns out WYO/APP game was the second half of a 2015/2021home /home series. The 2021 game was re-scheduled, probably due to the covid crisis.

Week 1 O5 matchups from the gut

It's early and I'm trying to get a feel for O5 ball so I'm going from my gut.

 Army marches south to visits ULM(SunBelt). Bowden's boys survive 20-19.

Cal visits Denton and loses 24 -20 to NTX(AAC)

Tulane (AAC) gets a rough test from South Bama. TUL 27 USA 23

Sept 1, 2023

UCF 56 Kent St(MAC) 6. The entire off-season folks discussed how Sean Lewis' exit from the Kent ST HC job to become Deion's OC at Colorado was going to sting. It sure does. Rough first game for HC Kenni Burns.

Ugly start for MAC continues. Miami FLA rolls Miami O. Sparty rolls CMU.

Sept 3, 2023

Right on ULM and Tulane, way off on NTX.

He!! of a comeback: ULM 20 Army17

I doubt if Mean Joe Green could've saved NTX yesterday. Cal 58 NTX 21

Tulane took care of Biz: TUL 37 USA 17

Powerful early season upsets: Wyoming(MWC) over Texas Tech. TX St(SunBelt) over Baylor. NIU(MAC) over BC (ACC)

If UTSA(AAC) came close but no cigar against Houston. That may have been too much sh^t talk for the State of Texas.. HOU 17 UTSA(AAC) 14

Sept 5, 2023

Charlotte (AAC) visits my Terps this Saturday. I'm on upset alert. Biff Poggi, the 9ers HC, was born in Baltimore, MD and coached at St Francis Academy High School in Baltimore City.

Sept 10, 2023

When I turned on the game, the Terps were down 14-0. They got in the gear and won 38-20. Glad I was wrong on Charlotte, but I still see think the 9ers will be worth keeping an eye on in AAC play this season.

J. Mack, WR - CLT 4REC 106YDS 1TD 

Non P5 hoops, Dance is next month

 This is a slow way to get into to swing for The Dance. San Diego State Aztecs (21-5, 12-2 MWC) 45 Fresno State Bulldogs (9-16, 5-9 MWC) 43. 

Boise State (20-6 10-3 MWC) escaped Colorado State 80-78 in a much- needed win for its Dance chances.

Bad loss for Cincy (17-10 8-6AAC) to East Carolina (13-12 4-8AAC). Ben Jonson scored 16 points for ECU in a 75-71 win.

I'm curious about the SunBelt slate tonight and also the Youngstown St/Milwaukee showdown of the top dogs in the Horizon.

Feb 17, 2023

USM, the Sunbelt leader, got walloped by South Bama 85-54 which allowed ULL and Marshall to move within a game of them. Andrew Taylor hit a shot late in Marshall's comeback 84-83 win over GA Southern, and ULL beat ULM  84-67.

CUSA: MTSU made the free throws down the stretch to hang on and upset FAU 74-70

WCC: St Marys beat San Diego to remain a game ahead of Gonzaga who crushed LMU.

Youngstown St crushed Milwaukee 87-58 to take sole possession of first in the Horizon.

Feb 19, 2023

Sunbelt: USM and Marshall won to stay in the same positions, but JMU's win over ULL leaves those two teams tied for third. FYI: USA has moved to 8-8 in conference play after back to back blowout wins over USM and ULM.

CUSA: North Texas(14-3) beats UTEP 80-72 in OT for eighth straight win and moved a half game of idle FAU(14-2)

AAC: J. Cook(30PTS 7AST 4STL) had a solid night for Tulane(10-3) in a win over USF which moved them into a tie with Memphis for second place.

WCC: St Marys and Gonzaga keep winning while Santa Clara handled Portland and remains a distant third.

Big Sky: Eastern Montana is 15-0 in conference play.

Horizon: Youngstown St crushed Green Bay and Milwaukee lost to Robert Morris. Cleveland St and Northern Kentucky are tied for second behind YSU.

Feb 20, 2023

Most of the AAC  games were televised yesterday but I couldn't find the big dogs. Houston beat Memphis which fell to 3rd place.

Clev St edged NKU 63-62 to gain sole possession of second place in the Horizon. D. Johnson CLEV ST(16PTS 10REB)

MWC: Boise St beat UNLV 73-69 and is 1GB of SDST.

MVC: Bradley edged SIU and Drake beat Belmont which keeps the winners tied for first.

Feb 21, 2023

Houston is ranked first overall, but it doesn't seem appear to be getting the rest of the AAC much respect in Dance talk.

I've been ignoring the Big West. Hawaii(11-5) beat Cal Bakersfield to move into a tie for third with UC-Santa Barbara who lost to Cal St Fullerton(11-5). They trail UC-Riverside(12-5) and Cal Irvine(13-3).

Feb 22, 2023

San Diego St keeps rolling with a win over Colorado St. I doubt if the Aztecs will have trouble adjusting to the Pac 12 in hoops. I'm not sure if Apple TV is the answer for the Pac 12.

Feb 23, 2022

AAC- Houston 89 TUL 59. Big wake up call for second place Tulane. J. Roberts had a solid night for the Cougars (26PTS 7REB)

MWC: Boise St(12-3) handled New Mexico(7-8). Pitino Jr's Lobos have fallen fast after a nice early season start.

SunBelt: Marshall(13-4) moved into a tie for first with USM. Kinsey scored 31 for MU in a win over JMU while USM (13-4) lost to ODU(10-7). I'm keeping my eye on those hot Jags(9-8) who've won 7 of  their last 8 conference games. Isaiah Moore's scored 22 points for South Alabama in a 76-67 win over TXST(6-11).

WCC: St Mary's and Gonzaga remain 1-2 and will play each other on Feb 25. Santa Clara is hanging tough to get a Dance ticket.

CUSA: FAU(15-2) crushed UTSA, and Charlotte upset NTX(14-4)

Feb 25, 2023

Some shake-up before the Sunbelt T begins at Pensacola Bay Center on February 28. USM won the regular season with a win over TX State. Marshall and ULL tied for second after MU lost ODU and ULL beat USA last night.

Feb 26, 2023

AAC- Houston handled ECU. SMU fell to USF and continues to sputter on its way to the Pac12.

CUSA: Florida Atlantic(26-3 16-2C-USA) 75 UTEP(13-16 6-12C-USA) 49

WCC: Zags deliver a dose of reality to St Marys and the teams are tied for first. GONZ 77 SM 68. Santa Clara (23-8 11-5WCC) has to be a bubble team.  SC 81 San Diego 63

Feb 27, 2023

Stephen F. Austin (19-10 11-5 WAC) 80 California Baptist (15-14 7-9 WAC)  58. WAC was televised on ESPN U yesterday.

Memphis beat Cincy and remains in second a game ahead of Tulane in the AAC.

Feb 28, 2023

 Zags host Chicago St tomorrow, and St Mary's regular season is over, and they get the top seed. The tiebreaker was determined by the NCAA Evaluation Tool. The Gaels (25-6, 14-2 WCC) are No. 7 in the NET, while the Zags (25-5, 14-2 WCC) are No. 9. However, the Zags are ranked higher in the polls. It keeps getting goofier. Just toss a coin! 

Queens won its rd1 game against FGSU in the ASUNT, but if they win the tourney, they won't dance for the same reason, the transition to 1A process, Jax St didn't Dance last season.

March 1, 2023

MWC: Aztecs(14-3) were outscored 14-0 over the final 14:47 in a 66-60 loss to Boise St(13-4). Nevada(12-5) lost  to Wyoming(4-13) on Monday and needs to beat UNLV(6-10) to keep their Dance chances alive. SDST finishes against Wyoming, and Boise St ends with UtahSt(11-5)

MAC:  Toledo(15-2) blew out CMU and will win the conference regular season with a win over Ball St or a Kent St(14-3) loss to Akron.

I'll try to do a blog on the early conference tournaments tomorrow.

 

 

Dec 20-24 O5 bowl games

 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Eastern Michigan Eagles(8-4) vs San José State Spartans(7-4). MWC is on a nice bowl roll so I'll go with SJST to win 31 to 27.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers(8-5) vs South Alabama Jaguars(10-2) Jags lost to UCLA by 1 and Troy by 4 while WKU has a solid aerial attack.  USA 24 WKU 23

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Baylor Bears(6-6) vs Air Force Falcons(9-3)

Air Force doesn't have enough firepower to get by the Bears and the MWC roll ends. BAY 34 AFA 23

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns(6-6) vs Houston Cougars(7-5)

Cougars finish their AAC career with a narrow win over ULL of the Sunbelt. HOU 34 ULL 27

EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders(7-5) vs San Diego State Aztecs(7-5)

Two up and down teams all season. Aztecs D gets the MWC back on the winning track.

SDSU 20 MTSU 17

I didn't forget two MAC teams,Toledo/Liberty  and  Bowling Green/ NewMexico St. Hunches are here https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2022/11/countdown-to-less-independents-nearly.html

Dec 21, 2022

Off to a bad start! SJST was up 13-9 after 1Q, got blanked in the second quarter 21-0 and never recovered. EMU 41 SJST 27. Nice game for I. Hamilton WR - SJSU 5REC,137YDS,1TD

Dec 22 , 2022

If you're betting against my picks, you're doing fine. WKU was hot early and rolled South Bama. Reed threw for 497 yards and two TD passes for the Hilltoppers in a 44-23 victory.

Dec 23, 2022

Wrong again, Air Force had plenty of firepower in a 30-15 win over Baylor.

Dec 23, 2022

Little less scoring than I guessed, but the Cougars pulled out a win thanks to its QB Tune and its D shutting out the Cajuns in the second half. HOU 23 ULL 16

Dec 25, 2022

My lack of faith in the CUSA burns me again. MTSU hits a FG with two minutes to go and hangs on to beat the Aztecs 25-23. Mayden , the SDST QB, tossed three interceptions.

O5 week 12

 AAC: I'm taking ECU at home against Houston, a future B12 member, in a battle of productive QBs, Ahlers(ECU)/Tune (HOU). Houston gave up 77 points to SMU two weeks ago, while ECU is 2-1 against future Big 12 teams, after beating BYU and UCF, and losing 27-25 to Cincy.   ECU 34 HOU 31

CUSA: Frank Harris, the UTSA QB, will remain in high gear @ Rice, in an intrastate matchup and keep the Roadrunners undefeated in CUSA play. UTSA 40 Rice 27

MAC: I couldn't get to all the early MAC games so this is the one I have to pick. Snow is coming to the Buffalo area this weekend, but will only keep the final score lower. BUFF 16 Akron 6.

MWC: Boise State(7-3 6-0 Mountain West) @ Wyoming(7-3 5-1 Mountain West). Cowboys kick 5 FGs and survive. WYO 22 BSU 20

SunBelt: If the NFLN can travel to Hattiesburg, MS to televise a game, so can I. Carter Bradley will toss 3 td passes to keep South Bama on pace with Troy u in the West. USA 27 USM 20

Nov 18

I didn't pick this game, but Tulane crushed SMU 59- 24 last night. 

Nov 20, 2022

MAC game canceled, and I split on the other four.

Correct: UTSA jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back in a 41-7 win. USA withstood a mild late threat from USM, and holy sh^t I guessed the correct final score.

Wrong:  ECU got crushed 42-3 by Houston. The E stands for erratic. Wyoming went up 10-0. but Boise worked its way back slowly and won 20-17.

Nov 21, 2022

If Ohio wins this weekend, than they take the East. Will the MAC re-schedule the Buffalo /Akron game if Ohio loses? 

Nov 22, 2022

I might as well make my MAC week 13 pick here since a few MAC games are being played tonight. Bowling Green rolls into Athens, Ohio tonight. I'll ride with Rourke, Ohio's QB. Ohio 27 BG 17

Nov 23

Ohio started N Harris at Qb because Rourke was still dinged up from last week and didn't miss a beat Ohio 38 BG 14. Ohio clinches the East and will likely face Toledo from the West next week in Detroit for the MAC title. EMU has a chance of tying depending on Friday's outcomes. 

Nov 27, 2022

Toledo meets Ohio in the MAC title game, while Akron travels to Buffalo to make up the snow game.  Who knows with the MAC?

Week 7 O5 conference play

 AAC: Navy is averaging 237 yards on the ground this season and scored 52 against Tulsa last week, but may not score enough to stay with high-scoring, low-winning SMU.  SMU 40 Navy 38.

CUSA: It's the battle of the Owls. Rice is having a decent season while FAU 's only win is against a 1AA team. Rice 27 FAU 24

MAC: I'll go with BGSU (M. McDonald 106-190, 1218 YDS, 14 TD, 2 INT) over Miami(Ohio) in a nailbiter. Bowling Green 24 Miami O 23

MWC: Nevada hasn't won since beating TX St in week 1, and Hawaii gave San Diego St a good game before losing by 2 points. HAW 20 Nev 19

SunBelt: JMU and CCU are getting all the ink, but South Bama's only loss is to UCLA by a point. USA 34 ULM 23

Oct 15, 2022

I picked the AAC game right and got damn close on the final score: SMU 40 Navy 34. Mordecai to Goffney remains a solid connection for the Mustangs.

Oct 16, 2022

4-1 on my picks.

Wrong: on Rice who lost to FAU 17-14.

 Right: on Bowling Green who beat M-O 17-13. Hawaii got a great game from Parson who rushed for 136 yards and 3TDs in a 31-16 win over Nevada. SBama kicked it in to gear in the second half for a 45-38 win over ULM. Carter Bradley(USA) tossed for 420 yards and 3TDs.

Stunbelt theme this season has been if you're undefeated, you're in trouble. Georgia Southern handed JMU its first loss and ODU did the same thing to CCU.

O5 regular season winds down

 Cincy visits a decent ECU squad and will not cover the 14 point spread but will remain undefeated. The Bearcats D held Mordecai(SMU) in check last week and will slow down Ahlers. CIN 30 ECU 20. Next week Cincy will face Houston, whose only loss this season was to Texas Tech(B12), in the AAC title game.

Zappe (WKU) has tossed 48 TD passes, and Ali has scored 20 rushing TDs for Marshall. I don't think the Herd D will be able to contain Zappe. WKU 31 MAR 23 in a game that decided who plays UTSA in the CUSA title game next week.

I'll take the Gabbert to Sorenson connection to lead Miami (O) to a 27 -25 win over Kent St and a ticket to Detroit to face NIU in the MAC title game.

Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State have a shot to play in the MWC title game next Saturday. SDST wins and they're in. The Aztecs D will take charge in a 19-16 win over Boise St .

ULL Ragin' Cajuns will play App St in Sun Belt championship game next Saturday. Coastal Carolina's mid-season stumble kept them out of next week's game, but look for McCall to toss a few TD passes in a 31-10 win over South Bama this Friday.

Nov 27, 2021

Cincy took its time getting in gear while ECU played some fired up D early. Cincy 35 ECU 13.

SDST O played the first half against Boise St like they were hungover but found enough caffeine in the second half for a 27-16 win. They better bring more against Utah St in the MWC title game.

Nov 27, 2021  evening

Wells injury was obviously a factor, but that was brutal second half for Marshall who got zapped 53-21 by WKU.   Miami O lost to Kent St in OT 48-47 in a wild one. Gabbert and Sorenson were great for M(O), but Cooper and Williams rushed for close to  to 300 yards for Kent St. McCall and CCU needed OT to beat South Bama 27-21. 4-1 on my picks. 

BTW what happened to UTSA who got clobbered by NTX

Nov 29, 2021

Jax State to hire Rich Rodriguez, ULM OC, as head football coach ahead of 2023 FBS move to the CUSA

Fresno has a HC opening with the departure of Kalen DeBoer to UW(PAC12). Most of his resume is 1aa and NAIA then this:

2017–2018 Fresno State (OC/QB) 2019 Indiana (OC/QB) 2020–2021 Fresno State (HC)

Dec 1, 2021

La Tech hired Texas Tech's interim HC Sonny Cumbie as its next football coach, but Cumbie will coach TT in the bowl game.

Groundhog Day to the AAC and the O5 hoops

 Houston, we have a meltdown. East Carolina (8-6, 2-6 AAC). #JaydenGardner had 21 points and 15 rebounds for ECU in an 82-73 upset of fifth-ranked Houston  (15-2, 10-2 AAC). Wichita St(6-2), Memphis(7-3), and SMU(6-4) won their conference games  to stay close to the Cougars.

Here's my pre-Groudhog Day blog https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2020/12/o5-football-conferences-hoops-teams-as.html 

feb 6, 2021

Checking in the CUSA: #herd were outscored 54-30 in the 2nd half of a 82-81 loss to ODU. MTSU upset Charlotte and UAB(8-1) keeps trolling with a win over UTEP, but La Tech(8-3) stayed on the Blazers' heels with a win over  North Texas(5-2)

Feb 7 

Nice bounce back the #herd with a strong first half. MU 87 ODU 67. NTX beat La Tech and UAB rolled UTEP.

Feb 9 2021

ECU  crashed quickly after upsetting Houston a few days ago with losses to Memphis and SMU in AAC play.

Moving to the  MWC: Jordan Schakel scored 23 points for the SDST Aztecs in an easy 85-54 win over SJST and UNLV edged AFA.  Aztecs are staying in the MWC hunt. 

feb 11, 2021

Wichita State(12-4, 8-2 AAC) barely survived UCF(5-10, 3-9 AAC) 62-61 last night. Alterique Gilbert scored 17 points including Wichita State's last five points. Houston cruised by USF

Kalu Ezikpe( 22 PTS, 4 REB, 3 STL) led ODU((10-5, 6-3 C-USA) to a 78-76 win over Charlotte and moved the Monarchs to within a half games of WKU in the CUSA East.

Feb 12, 2021

Michael Flowers posted 18 points and seven rebounds for South Alabama in a 73-70 win over Troy . GA St beat Ga Southern. TX St over UTA. ULM over ULL. #sunbelt

feb 17, 2021

#akron appears to be  the rising star in the MAC.  Bryan Trimble Jr. scored 22 points for Akron(13-4, 11-3 MAC) in an81-76 win over NIU. Toledo(17-6, 12-3 MAC) beat Miami O, and Kent State

(13-5, 10-4 MAC) beat WMU.

feb 19. 2021

The Shockers (13-4, 9-2) defeated  Houston (17-3, 11-3) 68-63 and moved into first place in the AAC standings. Tyson Etienne and Alterique Gilbert each scored 16 points for the victors.

feb 21

South Bama beat App St by two points  in each of the back to back games and sits atop at the Sunbelt East at 10-5.

San Diego St(17-4,11-3). swept Fresno St in back to back games and is ranked in the top 25. Boise St(18-4, 14-3) is unranked but  has a better MWC conference and also overall record. Boise will try to rectify  that when they visit SDSU for back to back games.

feb 22, 2021

Houston (18-3, 12-3 American) took out its anger on Cincinnati(7-8, 5-5 American). Quentin Grimes had 20 points and eight rebounds for HU in the 90-52 win.

DeVante’ Jones scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Coastal Carolina(7-5) in a 65-55 win over Georgia Southern and stay tied in the loss column with South Bama(10-5), but it will have to be resolved in a Conference tournament due to all the unbalanced schedules.

feb 24, 2021

MAC tightens up: Ben Roderick and Ben Vander Plas scored 17 points apiece for Ohio in a  90-73 win . Buffalo crushed NIU. 

feb 27,2021

I watched  the first half of the Marshall /NTX game and am not surprised the Herd lost 77-65. They played matador D and, made a ton of turnover s on O. NTX is 9-2 in CUSA play, but La Tech(11-4) and UAB(11-4) won their respective games to stay in the hunt in West .  ODU(9-4) is right there with WKU(8-5) in the West after  Kalu Ezikpe recorded 14 points and 13 rebounds in a 67-61 win over MTSU.

March 1

A flew blowouts yesterday. HOU 98 USF 52 in AAC action. WKU 91 FIU 58 in the CUSA. Utah St 87 Nev 66 in the MWC.

Memphis(14-6, 10-3 AAC) beat Cincy yesterday for its fifth win in a row.

March 2

Guess who's making a late run in the MWC.  David Roddy posted  22 points and 12 rebounds for Colorado State(16-4, 13-3 mwc) Air Force 74-44 win over AFA. CSU is tied with SDSU for first place.

Sunbelt shines ,CUSA hopes: week ending October 17

 I missed that the CCU/ULL Sunbelt was last night  and it was quite a battle. McCall to Heligh connection was key  for Coastal Carolina(4-0, 2-0 Sun Belt) in a 30-27 win over ULL(3-1, 2-1 Sun Belt).

TxSt started out the season playing exciting , aggressive football, but they've faded quickly. It won't get much better in this week's visit to South Alabama .  J. Tolbert(15 REC, 327 YDS, 3 TD) will have a big game for  USA in a 30-20 home victory over TX St.

Georgia Southern found an opponent in UMass who reversed it's early decision to cancel  it's 2020 season and will now  be a fill-in for teams who need to fill  their schedules. Unless the Minutemen have another Andy Isabella, I don't think they'll do well  at Georgia Southern. GS 42 UMass 16.

Can Knox and the #herd survive the passing of La Tech QB, Luke Anthony who has tossed ten 10 passes this season. Home field may be just enough for La Tech to pull out a close 24 21 win over Marshall U. 

Oct 16

Tucker Gregg GAST ( 14 CAR, 142 YDS, 1 TD)- He!! of night in a 59-52 loss to Ark St.

Oct 18

3-0 for the weekend. TX St hung tough for most of the game but South Bama had enough in the tank for a 30-20 win, the score I predicted.. Kennedy III and Werts were far too much for Umass to handle. GA Southern 41 UMass 0.  When  the #herd D stopped La Tech at the goal line on the final play of the 2nd quarter to maintain a 14-3 lead,  I thought they'd win.  Wells and Knox had good games  for Marshall in a 35-17 win.

A shout out to undefeated Liberty for a 38-21 win over Syracuse of the ACC. Do you think Auburn misses Willis, the Liberty QB?

Will the Sunbelt shine against B12 on Sept 12? Or others?

Three Sunbelt team will get close but not get a cigar against the Big 12 on Saturday. Coastal Carolina upset Kansas last season but Les Miles won't let that occur again. Pooka Williams will rush for 150 plus  in a KU win. ULL will give Iowa St (Big 12) a difficult time and lose a close one. Purdy's arm will win the day for ISU. Arkansas St will have a tough time containing Skylar Thomphson of Kansas St .

However, the non B12 matchups will  result in some wins. App St hosts an improving Charlotte(CUSA) squad in a matchup that may cement a growing regional rivalry. App St won 56-41 last season, but this game will be lower scoring.  App St DBs will make some big plays in a 23-19 win. South Alabama will upset Tulane(AAC) behind the Trotter to Tolbert connection.

Texas St played ok in a loss to SMU last week but will fall to UTSA(CUSA) in a nailbiter .

ULM faces an Army squad that rolled MTSU 42-0 last week. Warhawks will score some points but  will not have enough D  to muster a victory.

sEPT 13, 2020

I'm here to eat crow. Those three Sunbelt teams, CCU, ULL, and Ark St  had a great games in knocking off Big 12 squads. South Bama crumbled in the final 20 minutes and lost to Tulane 27-24. T. Spears rushed for 105 yards on eleven carries for the Green Wave.

I was correct on App St, UTSA,  and Army, but TX St forced OT before losing, and I thought Coach Traylor of UTSA was going to blow a gasket on the sidelines. UTSA RB, Sincere McCormick, rushed for 197 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries.

Sept 14, 2020

 ULL Ragin' Cajuns in first college football rankings since 1943 They're ranked 19 in this week's AP Top 25.

MWC players then others in the 2020 NFL draft

MWC: RD1: #Jordan.Love QB from Utah St went the the Packers . RD2: Ezra Cleveland, OL from Boise St went to the Vikings . RD3 Logan Wilson LB from Wyoming to Bengals
SunBelt: RD2: Robert Hunt OL from LA Laf to the Fins. RD3 Darrynton Evans RB from AppSt went to the Titans.
AAC: RD3 Antonio Gibson RB from Memphis went to the Redskins. Josh Jones OL from Houston went to the Cardinals. Matt Hennesy OL from Temple went to the Falcons. Josiah DeGuera TE from Cincy went to the Packers. Matt Peart OL from UConn went to the Giants
CUSA: RD3 Alex Highsmith Edge rusher from Charlotte went to the Steelers.
MAC- No one taken in first three rounds. Maybe in the next few rounds?
Rounds 4 through 7 -what caught my attention
First MAC player drafted was in rd5. Danny Pinter, an OL from Ball St, went to the Colts
Justin Rohrwasser, a kicker fromMarshall (CUSA), went to the Pats
Cole McDonald, a prolific passer from Hawaii(MWC) didn't go to rd7 to the Titans.
Undrafted FA signings
I thought these O5 guys would've been drafted: Benny LeMay, RB, Charlotte(CUSA) signed by Browns. Michael Warren, RB, Cincinnati (AAC) signed by the Eagles, Patrick Taylor, RB, Memphis (AAC) signed by the Packers. Warren was the biggest surprise- In 38 games with the Bearcats, he ran for 2,918 yards and scored 34 rushing TDs

May 6, 2020

Grambling St is scheduled to be the Jags first opponent on Sept 12 at the South Alabama's new Hancock Whitney stadium. Maybe this will help the Jags recruit better. Jags have had one player drafted since 196o who played in the NFL . Rams drafted Gerald Everett in rd2 in 2017.

May 22, 2020

Big  Mack time in Chicago.  #LedariusMack , a FA DL from Buffalo U (MAC) , will get a chance to play alongside his  brother, Khalil, with the Chicago Bears.

May 25, 2020

 Pats signed  QB J’Mar Smith,  an undrafted FA from Louisiana Tech(CUSA). Talented kid that BB will play somewhere other than at  QB.

June 13, 2020

 Another Ju Ju in the league. Rams signed Ju Ju Hughes, a UFA  safety from Fresno St (MWC).

June 23, 2020

Rams also signed the other Love. Josh Love, San Jose St QB and MWC Offensive Player of the Year (2019).

June 25, 2020

Saints signed Jordan Steckler, ALL MAC  OL from  Northern Illinois. Brees needs all the protection he can get.

July 2, 2020

I missed this earlier. Two Charlotte (CUSA) players were drafted. Defensive end Alex Highsmith was taken by the Steelers in the third round and offensive lineman Cameron Clark went in the fourth round to the Jets. Ol Miss will become the first SEC team to play the 49ers at home and it will also mark the first meeting between the programs.It's part of a 2026 and 2027 home and home series.

July 9

I was reading a column that had Brent Brennan, the SJST HC, on the hot seat and started wondering about SJST players who have played in  the NFL. Steve Deberg, who was drafted by Dallas in 1977,  stands out. He played for a few teams,  and was the QB for Denver in the 1983 playoffs and KC in the1990, and 1991 playoffs.

Oct 6

Remember when the Packers use of a rd1 pick for Jordan Love , a QB, was going to cause problems. GB is 4-0. Rodgers tossed four TD passes in last night's win over Atlanta.

Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/charlotte-49ers/article242315471.html#storylink=cpy

Sunbelt Hoops hunches 2019/20

1) Georgia Southern Eagles: Can Trevior Lamar replace #TookieBrown ? Isaiah Crawley is a solid scorer and rebounder
2) South Alabama Josh Ajayi, who averaged 16.4 points per game last season, and fellow double-digit scorer Trhae Mitchell are key players, but look out for Andre Fox who scored 24 points  against Chattanooga last week.
3) Texas State Bobcats:  Nijai Pearson remains a player to watch player to watch for the Bobcats who finished secind in conference play last season.
4) Appalachian State Mountaineers- Justin Forrest returns  but they 'll miss Shabazz.
5) Georgia State Panthers: Coach Hunter runs Tulane now so it might be a year  of adjustment for Coach Lanier who will rely heavily on Kane Williams. Ga St gave Duke a tough game but lost 64-53 last week.
6) UT Arlington Mavericks- Davis and Narcis are solid forwards, but the Mavs will need more.
7) Coastal Carolina Chanticleers: Frater and Jones  return.
8) Troy Trojans: KJ Simon scored a career-high 21 points in a narrow loss to UAB- they'll need more of that.
9) Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns lost Jakeenan Grant (SBC DoY) and Stroman , the SBC assists leader
10) Arkansas State Red Wolves will rely on a few transfers to replace Ty Cockfield
11) UL Monroe Warhawks: Ertel and JD Williams return.
12) Little Rock Trojans- Good luck to Coach Darrell Walker in filling the void of Rayjon Tucker turning pro.

dec 24

I thought the Sunbelt Georgia schools were going to upset bigger conference teams but it didn't occur . I. Smith(25 PTS, 6 REB, 1assist) kept Ga Southern in the game, but Edwards (23 PTS, 3 REB, 4 assists) came through for the Dawgs . GA(SEC) 73 GAS 64.
Georgia St got a big night from K. Williams (22 PTS, 3 REB, 2 assists) but F. Hunt(18 PTS, 7 REB, 2 assists) and the Mustangs took control late. SMU(AAC) 85 GA St 76

jan 3,2020

Keeping a promise to a buddy and reporting good news for South Bama. Josh Ajayi ( SALA - F
13 PTS, 12 REB, 1 AST) in a 60-57 win over ULL.
The Georgia school each remained undefeated in Sunbelt play. Ga St beat App St, and GA Southern beat CCU.

jan 12

 South Bama D: USA 52 Ark LR 43. The second place Jags are one GB of the Georgia schools and ArkLR. #NijalPearson scored 22 points to power Texas State past App St 82-57. GA St beat ULM. CCU beat UTA. GA Southern beat ULL. Ark St beat Troy

Jan 18

Georgia schools and Ark LR sit atop the Sunbelt standings with 6-2 records.   Justin Roberts scored 20 points  in Georgia State's 72-63 victory over  South Bama, who faces Georgia Southern,  a winner over Troy, Thursday night. Ark LR beat CCU and faces App St today.

jan 25

South Bama Jags are 5-5 in SunBelt action. They beat GA Southern last saturday then lost to Ark St Thursday night. Josh Ajayi has solid stats 15.8 PPG 8.1 RBG. ARK LR (8-2) is in first in the SunBelt.

Feb 3

 Trhae Mitchell scored 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting for South Alabama(6-7) in a 79-69 win Georgia Southern(7-5) on Saturday. Ark LR (11-2) is in first place.

Feb 8

Sunbelt placed a Friday night game on the schedule and South Bama(7-7) moved to .500 in conference play with a 70-66 win over Troy(5-9).  Josh Ajayi scored 20 points the Jags.

feb 14

 Fox and Mitchell each scored 20 for  S Alabama(8-7) in its 78-75 win over UL-Lafayette 78-75. Jags are tied with App St, who lost to GaSt(10-5) and 4GB of Ark LR(12-3) who lost to TXST(9-6)

feb 21

 Josh Ajayi scored 19 points and South Alabama(10-7) shot 70% from the floor in a 78-70 win over AppSt. TXST(11-6) beat Georgia Southern(10-7). Ark LR(12-4) is in first place.

feb 29

Isaiah Crawley scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds for GA Southern(12-7) in a 79-70 win over GA St., but still trail TX St(13-6) a narrow winner over over UTA last night. TX St finishes the season against South Bama(11-7) on March 3. If ArkLR(14-4) wins today against ULL, they lock up first place.

March 4

How about South Bama(13-7)  beating TX St(13-7) to finish in a tie for second ,and Georgia St beating  first place ArkLR(15-5)..  ULL scored 69 points in a second half  comeback win over CCU.

March 31

Georgia Southern hires Brian Burg , former asst at Texas Tech

April 11

  Sunbelt Conference shifts 2021-25 men's and women's basketball championships from NOLA to Pensacola, Fla. It is the first time the conference will play the men’s championship in FLA . The women’s championship was held at the USF Dome in Tampa, Fla in 1988.

May 15

 It's official I can call the SunBelt, the SBC. They released a new logo today.

July 13, 2020

Ole Miss (SEC) and Georgia State (Sunbelt) announce a football/basketball weekend in Oxford, MS for 2026 season. Men's hoops on Nov 20, 2026 and pigskin on Nov 21.

Week 4 Other5 OOC matchups

Wyoming(MWC) @ Tulsa(AAC) Two solid RBs ,Brooks of Tulsa and T.Smith of Wyoming, will each go over 100 yards rushing. Home team will win 24-23 and hand the Cowboys their first loss this season
South Alabama(SunBelt) @ UAB(CUSA) This intrastate matchup may turn into an aerial show beat the Jags Johnson and the Blazers Johnstston.  UAB 41 USA  33
Toledo(MAC) @Colorado St (MWC). Rams  get in gear and win 20 17 at home. look for Collin Hill to have a big aerial day for CSU at home.
sept 19- I'll stick with #CSU rams despite just learning that Hill suffered his third torn ACL since 2016 during last week's loss to Arkansas. Coach Bobo  will likely start Patrick O’Brien, a transfer from Nebraska.
sept 20: Meanwhile in AAC play Tulane stunned Houston  38-31 on a 53 yard reception by Mcleskey. 

sept 21 review

Tulsa blew a 17 point lead but got it together late with a Brooks' 19-yard touchdown run and a fumble recovery at the 3-yard line during the final minute in a 24-21 win over Wyoming. 
Johnston threw for 313 yards and 3 Tds in the Blazers 35-3 win over South Bama.
OBrien threw for 405 yards and 1TD and Marvin Kinsey Jr. rushed for 246 YDS, 2 TD
but it wasn't enough to stop Toledo who got  228 rushing yards, 3 TD from Bryant Koback and 119 rushing yatds and 1TD from Mitchell Guadagni. TOL 41 CSU 35

sept 23

 How about San Jose St grabbing five INTs and  winning 31-24 at Arkansas? The last time SJST beat a power conference opponent was in 2006 when the Spartans beat Stanford. 

Week 3 Other5 OOC four Matchups

 Cincy Bearcats (AAC) will be fired up after the Buckeyes beat down  and will take it out on intrastate opponent Miami (OH) in a 333 16 victory. Brent Gabbert, the Redhawks QB will be passing the ball often.
CUSA is off to a rough start  so let's see if playing  Independent schools helps.
UTSA(cusa) hosts Army(IND) coming off an OT to Mich at Ann Arbor. Home field won't be enough for the Roadrunners who will derailed by Hopkins and the Cadets 30 -19.
Charlotte should get healthy against a UMass squad that lost SIU,a 1AA squad, last week. Benny Lemay will rush for 150 for Charlotte in a 27-20 win over the Minutemen.

South Alabama(Sunbelt) hung with Nebraska two weeks and beat a 1a opponent last week , but  the schedule gets tough again when they visit Memphis(AAC). USA will rely heavily on Minter rushing the ball , but the Memphis aerial show led by Brady White will prevail 34 -22

sept 15

Bearcats took their time getting in gear but  went onto a 35-14 win over MiamiO.
USM hung on to beat Troy  while Charlotte pummeled UMass, and Army handled UTSA.
Shoutout to #chrisReynolds tossing two TD passed for Charlotte.
In games I didn't pick. Easterm Michigan (MAC) upset Illinois(B10), and Marshall (CUSA) hung on to edge Ohio(MAC).

Sunbelt 2018 football predictions

SunBelt East
Appalachian State and Troy led the  Sun Belt in scoring defense last year and should keep these squads vying for the East slot in the Championship game. The Nov 24 matchup could decide who moves on.  Georgia State and  Georgia Southern tend to find their footing by mid season and could be bowl eligible. Maybe Marvin Sanders, the new DC at Coastal Carolina, makes a difference

West
 Arkansas State's  high-powered offense  led by quarterback Justice Hansen and a  strong receiving corps are the best bet for  the West title game slot. Caleb Evans, ULM QB , will keep the Warhawks  in contention. South Bama has highly touted freshman QB, Cephus Johnson. Keep your eyes on  Ishmael Davis DL, Texas State, for comeback player of the year.  ULL remains in rebuild mode.

Aug 18

Some early ESPN Sunbelt focus Friday, Sept. 14
Georgia State at Memphis  (AAC)   coverage-(ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPNews)

Aug 30

In an article about the Sunbelt  which has twelve teams in most sport but only 10 football teams , I found this.   .  Texas-Arlington and Ark- Little Rock do not currently field football teams, though there has been some discussion about Little Rock reviving its long-dormant program.

Sept 2.

#appst knocked off Michigan on 9/1/07 when they were 1AA and took PennSt to the limit  yesterday 9/1/18 before falling 45-38 yesterday- He!! of a game. South Bama took La Tech  to the final minutes before falling 30-26. Meanwhile Ga St and  ULM barely survived 1AA opponents.

sept 6

Can #appst bounce back from the tough loss at #psu and beat #charlotte (CUSA) who barely survived Fordham. Yes Jalin Moore  will gain 100+ for APP in a win.
oct 10- #appst started out slow last night but Zac Thomas got threw 2 TDS and the D was solid in a 35-9 win over Ark St.