Week 3: Friday night College Football

Only one FBS game on tap for Friday night for 2018 College Football in Week 3.

Georgia State (1-1)  at Memphis (1-1)
6:00 pm
ESPN

First meeting between these two schools.

Week 4: Thursday and Friday Night College Lights

Thursday, September 24th

• Cincinnati at Memphis 6:30 pm ESPN - AAC Thursday night show down!

Friday, September 25th

• Boise State at Virginia 7:00 pm ESPN - The Broncos head to UVA for a non-Power 5 vs. Power 5 showdown
• Stanford at Oregon State 9:00 pm FS1 - The Cardinal opened the season with a B1G loss; but rebounded in the Pac 12 opener vs. USC, as the Beavers look to get a Win in Pac 12 play!

College Football '09: Let's break down the Conference USA and it's opportunities

Does the Conference USA any BCS noise with a surprise candidate in '09. How does the conference breakdown in '09 for C-USA?

• C-USA is ranked #9 by Jeff Sagarin as a conference in FBS
• The WAC at least has Boise State to carry the torch
• Unlike the C-USA, even the MAC had Ball State last year up to the bowls
• Will a program emerge as a strong Top 25 candidate for C-USA in '09?

Ranked teams in the AP and Coaches' preseason polls:

none

Some magazines do like these C-USA in the Top 25 preseason:

• East Carolina
• Houston

Teams rebuilding in the C-USA in '09

• Tulsa
• Rice

Teams rated below the FBS mark of #120 in 2009?

• Tulane
• SMU

Will the C-USA East Division finish this way in 2009??

1. East Carolina * (6-2 in '08) (5-5 in bowls)
2. Southern Miss (4-4) (9-8)
3. Central Florida (3-5)
4. Memphis (4-4) (3-3)
5. Marshall (3-5) (5-2)
6. UAB (3-5) (0-2)

Will the C-USA West Division finish this way in 2009?

1. Houston (6-2) (8-10-1)
2. Tulsa * (7-1) (7-9)
3. UTEP (4-4) (5-7)
4. Rice (7-1) (5-4)
5. SMU (0-8) (4-6-1)
6. Tulane (1-7) (4-6)

* denotes 2008 C-USA division champs (source for above list)

Last BCS title winner

No C-USA team has ever participated in a BCS bowl.

Kickoff Game of the Season

Friday, Sept 4
Tulsa at Tulane

New Orleans, La. 7:00 PM CT
GameTracker
TV: ESPN

Final Look at the C-USA teams, using the preseason Jeff Sagarin NCAA football ratings:

1. Tulsa (#53 in Sagarin ratings) - Coach Todd Graham is entering his 3rd season and the Golden Hurricane are coming off a 45-13 win in GMAC over Ball State of the MAC (back to back wins in this bowl over the MAC)... 39 letterwinners with 5 OFF and 8 DEF plus punter returing from last year's team that finished 11-3. OOC tests @ New Mexico, @ OU, Sam Houston State and vs. Boise State., so a couple big opportunities OOC for Tulsa.


2. Southern Miss (#65) - Coach Larry Fedora is entering his 2nd season at the helm for the Golden Eagles, who won 30-27 over in the New Orleans over Troy of the Sun Belt. The Golden Eagles (7-6) return 41 letterwinners, with 10 OFF and 9 DEF, but must replace PK/PT Britt Barefoot, but a PK returns with experience. Southern Miss plays Alcorn State, Virginia, @ Kansas and @ Louisville in the OOC. Big home date with UVA in Week 3.


3. Houston (#66) - Coach Kevin Sumlin also is entering his 2nd season at the helm for the Cougars. The Cougars defeated Air Force 34-28 in Armed Forces to finish 8-5. The Cougars return 41 letterwinners, with 8 OFF and 4 DEF plus both kickers for '09. In the OOC, the Cougars face Northwestern State, @ Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and @ Mississippi State. C-USA teams will have some opportunities to pick up some quality wins.


4. East Carolina (#73) - Coach Skip Holtz enters his 5Th season, after making the Top 25 for 3 weeks last year after wins over Virginia Tech, West Virginia, @ Tulane and @ North Carolina State. OOC opponents for '09 are Appalachian State, @ West Virginia, @ North Carolina and vs. Virginia Tech for four very challenging OOC opponents for ECU, who return 51 letterwinners, with 9 OFF and 7 DEF plus both kickers. ECU lost 19-25 in Liberty vs. Kentucky to finish 9-5 last year.


5. Rice (#91) - Coach David Biliff enters his 3rd season at the helm for the Owls, who are coming off a 38-14 win over Western Michigan the Texas to finish 10-3. The Owls return 49 letterwinners, including 4 OFF and 9 DEF plus both kickers. The OOC slate includes @ Texas Tech, @ Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Navy for the Owls in '09.


6. Central Florida (#93) - Coach George O'Leary enters his 6Th season leading the Knights. The Knights finished 4-8 last year... 44 letterwinners return, with 9 OFF and 6 DEF plus punter. The OOC schedule begins with Samford, Buffalo, Miami-FL and @ Texas intermixed with C-USA play.


7. Memphis (#100) - Coach Tommy West is entering his 9Th season for the Tigers. The Tigers finished 6-7 last year, but lost 14-41 to USF in the St. Petersburg. The Tigers return 49 letterwinners, with 5 OFF and 7 DEF plus their placekicker. The '09 OOC slate opens with Mississippi as usual, with @ Middle Tennessee, UT-Martin and a later season game at Tennessee after 5/8Ths of C-USA play.


8. UTEP (#101) - Coach Mike Price enters his 6Th season at the helm for the Miners who were 5-7 last year. The Miners return 55 letterwinners, including 8 OFF and 7 DEF plus their punter. The OOC schedule includes Buffalo, Kansas, @ New Mexico State and @ Texas in '09, before opening C-USA play vs. Houston.



9. Marshall (#103) - Coach Mark Snyder is entering his 5Th year at the helm for the Thundering Herd that finished 4-8 last season. The Herd return 46 letterwinners, with 8 OFF and 8 DEF plus both kickers. The OOC slate begins with Southern Illinois, @ Virginia Tech, Bowling Green, then a later game in the middle of C-USA play @ West Virginia.


10. UAB (#118) - Coach Neil Callaway enters his 3Rd season at the helm for the Blazers. The Blazers return 51 letterwinners, with 11 OFF and 7 DEF from a 4-8 team in '08. The Blazers open the '09 season vs. Rice and vs. SMU in C-USA, then play @ Troy and @ Texas A&M and later OOC games @Mississippi and vs. Florida Atlantic.
    
11. Tulane (#134) - Coach Bob Toledo is entering his 3rd season and finished 2-10 last year. The Green Wave return 53 letterwinners, including 7 OFF and 6 DEF plus punter. The Green Wave picked up wins over ULM and SMU in '08. The OOC slate for '09 includes BYU, McNeese State, @ Army and @ LSU.


12. SMU (#135) - Coach June Jones enters his 2Nd season at the helm for the Mustangs, after leaving Hawaii. His first season finished 1-11, with only win against FCS Texas State. The Mustangs return 51 letterwinners, including 8 OFF and 8 DEF but will have to see an newcomer emerge as PK/PT. OOC schedule for Mustangs in '09 is Stephen F. Austin, @ Washington State, @ TCU and Navy.

A look back at last year's statistics in the Conference USA.

peace

St. Petersburg Bowl: South Florida (7-5) vs. Memphis (6-6)

The 3RD bowl of the day and the 2008-09 bowl season is the inaugural 2008 St. Petersburg Bowl with in-state South Florida Bulls (7-5, 6TH in the Big East) vs. Memphis Tigers (6-6, tied for 2ND in the C-USA East) on ESPN2. The Big East vs. the C-USA... the weak sister of the BCS against a mid-major conference.

South Florida was projected by most preseason magazines as a top two team in the Big East and possible New Year's Bowl pick, but the season never was, after winning five straight, only to win 2 of their final seven games. With Memphis, the Tigers enter nationally known more for basketball, rather than football.

Last year, Memphis lost the New Orleans Bowl to the Sun Belt's Florida Atlantic 27-44, while USF lost last year's Sun Bowl 21-56 to Oregon. USF is playing in its fourth consecutive bowl game, with their only win coming in the '06 Papajohns.com Bowl over East Carolina of C-USA. This is Memphis' biggest bowl game, since it is the first vs. a BCS opponent. The Tigers are playing in their fifth bowl in six seasons.

Both teams had two common opponents (Central Florida and Louisville) this season. USF split with both teams, while Memphis lost to both teams. All four games were within a possession for each team. I'll give South Florida the edge playing in-state in this year's bowl vs. Memphis.

Cidsports predictions:

South Florida 24

Memphis 16

http://twitter.com/cidsports

peace

It's not basketball, so will the 2008 C-USA season be relevant nationally?

The Conference USA nearly won the basketball crown last season, with the University of Memphis' Tigers falling short vs. the University of Kansas in the NCAA Title Game. But, what about football in 2008 for the Conference USA? Will the Conference USA be relevant on a national level in 2008?

The C-USA has never been relevant in the BCS. Unlike Memphis in basketball, there really isn't a marquee name in the conference at a national level in college football. Tulsa is about the only consensus type team in the conference... the top pick in the C-USA West. One preseason magazine picked a C-USA team in the Top 25, with Gold Sheet picking Eastern Carolina #25. Tulsa is my preseason #25 team, with a strong offense under coach Todd Graham, entering his third season.

Top 20 C-USA OOC games for '08:

1. West Virginia at East Carolina
2. Louisville at Memphis
3. Cincinnati at Marshall
4. East Carolina at Virginia Tech in season opener
5. Marshall at Wisconsin
6. Tulsa at Arkansas
7. Marshall at West Virginia
8. Central Florida at Boston College
9. East Carolina at Virginia
10. Central Florida at Miami-FL
11. East Carolina at North Carolina State
12. SMU at Texas Tech
13. UTEP at Texas
14. Memphis at Mississippi in season opener
15. Southern Mississippi at Auburn
16. Houston at Oklahoma State
17. Rice at Vanderbilt
18. Tulane at Alabama in the Green Wave's season opener
19. Tulane at LSU
20. UAB at Tennessee

Street & Smith's Preview asked: And what does a Conference USA team have to do to sneak into the BCS Party?

"You have to go undefeated and win all your games," (new Southern Miss coach
Larry) Fedora says.

Tulsa appears the best candidate to go undefeated, but they were 3 games short in '07, so they have a lot of ground to cover in '08.

Who are the top teams in '08 for the C-USA in football (my picks):

C-USA East

1. East Carolina ( 6-2 C-USA in '07)
2. Central Florida (7-1 C-USA in '07)
3. Memphis (6-2 C-USA in '07)
4. Marshall (3-5 C-USA in '07)
5. Southern Mississippi (5-3 C-USA in '07)
6. UAB (1-7 C-USA in '07

C-USA West

1. Tulsa (6-2 C-USA in '07)
2. Houston (6-2 C-USA in '07)
3. UTEP (2-6 C-USA in '07)
4. SMU (0-8 C-USA in '07)
5. Rice (3-5 C-USA in '07)
6. Tulane (3-5 C-USA in '07)

• Biggest Game in '08: Oct. 26th - UCF at Tulsa (Sunday game)
• Biggest Game in C-USA East: Nov. 2nd - East Carolina at UCF (Sunday game)
• C-USA Title Game Prediction: Tulsa over East Carolina
• Coach of the Year: Todd Graham, Tulsa

C-USA has a lot of ground to cover to get to the level the WAC and Mountain West. Those other two leagues have crashed the BCS bowl party. It's been four years, since major realignment of the C-USA. Tulsa may sneak into the Top 25, but I see them more like TCU in previous years and coming up short.

peace