G’s Expectation or What to Watch Week 2

Greetings oh great and wonderful college football fans. Week 2 is here and, although the games aren’t as big (as a whole) as week 1, there are some interesting games on the docket. I’m watching Kansas at Coastal Carolina right now and Kansas has the lead 9-7 early in the second. The Chanticleers won on the road last year to start their dream season and Kansas is in upset mode (27 point underdogs) and the first Power 5 school to play in Conway, SC. More on the Big 12 in a second. Another potential upset game that will be fun to watch will be FCS North Dakota at Utah State (9:00 all times Eastern). The Fighting Hawks are 9 point underdogs, but are a really good team, normally.

…..

A bit of news as Coastal just scored on a QB keeper, the Big 12 has formally extended offers to BYU, Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston. BYU is an independent and will shift in 2023 according to what I’ve read with the others coming 2023 or 2024. The 3 American conference teams will really diminish what is currently thought of as the best Group of 5 set of teams. It will also drop the conference to 8 teams (Memphis, SMU, East Carolina, Navy, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, and Tulsa). Could they try to add some combination of Air Force, Liberty, or Army to boost their numbers? More to come obviously, but the fallout from the Texas/Oklahoma shift to the SEC is far from over.

…..

At noon tomorrow, there are a couple of games that are worth paying attention to. The first is Oregon at Ohio St (-14.5). Both are in the polls top 12 (12th and 3rd respectively) and both won their 1st games…not as easily as expected – yeah, let’s say it that way. Oregon was the only team in the Pac12 North to win in week one and cannot afford a loss if they want to be a part of the playoff discussion. Ohio St, following a less than stellar showing at Minnesota needs to solidify their position. I expect this one to be hard fought to the end.

…..

Blocked punt recovered in the end zone – Coastal up 28-9 now.

…..

The other early game that I’m interested in is FCS Kennesaw St at Georgia Tech (no line). The Owls won their warm up (Division II Reinhardt) 35-25 but Tech lost in the last minute (TD and 2-point conversion with 0:38 to play) to N Illinois despite being a 19 point favorite. The GCR has Tech as the #1 most difficult schedule pre-season and another loss to an “easy” team will make for what could be an historic disaster and long season for the Jackets. They will probably win (Kennesaw has a history of bullying small teams and cowering against big schools), but it’s worth watching. I know a lot of Tech fans read the blog and I feel your pain, but the matchup is intriguing.

…..

The afternoon has a few must see games including one that can only be seen on ESPN+. First, at 3:30, Navy hosts Air Force (-6.0). While the game itself may not be as captivating as others, especially if you like a passing game, these are future service men who are preparing to serve their country upon graduation. Anybody willing to put their lives on the line for others they don’t even know, gets a nod on the GCR, especially on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. At 4:30, another game between 2 polls ranked teams with #10 Iowa at #9 Iowa St (-4.5). This earliest of rivalry games has even bigger stakes as both Iowa schools are hoping for January relevance. This one will be exciting, I think. The ESPN+ game involves a team I rarely talk about, but is my alma mater. Presbyterian, which scored 84 points last week behind an FCS record 10 TD passes from starter Ron Hefley (and 2 more from the backup) with coach who doesn’t believe in punting, hosts the University of Fort Lauderdale at 4:00. Can the Blue Hose break their week old all time scoring record? Can they hit triple digits? Will they fall on their faces because they don’t punt?

…..

Kansas with a 34-yard TD run making the game 28-15 following a failed 2-point conversion.

…..

The evening gives us 3 Power 5 matchups worth watching. At 7:00 Mississippi St hosts NC St (-1.0). The Bulldogs blocked a FG to win after a massive comeback while the Wolfpack trounced South Florida. BUT, the ACC as a conference struggled last week against Power 5 teams. If NC St wins big, look for them to complete for an ACC title. While neither will probably win the SEC East, Missouri will invade Kentucky (-5.5) in what could be the team that comes in second. The Wildcats looked better in week 1, but this game is important to both. At 8:00, Washington who was preseason ranked but lost to FCS Montana limping in to the Big House of Michigan (-6.5). The Huskies showing well against the Wolverines is more than personal pride – the fate of the Pac 12 could depend on it, especially if Oregon loses to Ohio St earlier in the day. The Pac-12 plays 9 conference games and if the North division continues its overall bad play, the South champion won’t have a lot to hang their hat on come playoff consideration.

…..

For the night owls, Stanford travels to Southern Cal (-17.0) which is a must win for both. Because of probable losses by the North, the Trojans have to be perfect. They probably will win, but it just shows how critical everything is out west this year.

…..

Halftime; 28-15 Chanticleers

…..

And the final game to watch once again highlights the Pac 12 North. Hawaii visits Oregon St (-11.0) and if the Beavers drop this – broken record. In week one, Stanford lost to Kansas St 24-7, Oregon barely beat Fresno St 31-24 scoring 10 in the last 7:45, Oregon St lost to Purdue, Washington (then number 20) lost to FCS Montana, and California lost to Nevada. While the South is 6-1 with UCLA 2-0 and the only loss being Arizona to BYU 24-16, the pressure is on already.

…..

That’s it for today – have a great football weekend. Let me know what you think and please share with others. Thanks for reading, G