North Texas -1.5 vs SMU

Marshall -2.5 @ Miami(OH)

 Old Dominion -2.5 @ Liberty

La Tech -10 @ South Alabama

 MTSU +7.5 @ Vanderbilt

FIU +12 vs Indiana

UTSA + 14.5 @ Arizona St

 Rice +21 @ Houston

 FAU +24 @ OU 

WKU + 33 @ Wisconsin

It looks to be a rough first week here for good old C-USA. I say we’ll go 4-6 or 5-5 outright. I feel pretty good about LA Tech’s chance (barring meltdown ie 3rd & 93). I think Marshall should beat that spread, but if they don’t, Marshall is going to have a BAD season. ODU will sneak past Liberty. UNT should beat SMU, whatever the over is take it. I think UNT will beat the spread though. I think the toss up game here is UTSA @ Arizona State. Will UTSA’s offense be not garbage? Will Herm Edwards be not garbage? This game should set expectations for both teams this season. MTSU could pull an upset, but Brent would need to have an other worldly game in him (it’s possible), but I would say Vandy covers. I’m not buying the Butch Davis hype FIU (sorry :(). Indiana will cover. As far as the other 3 games go it’s all about just doing the best you can to not get blown out. Rice will probably lose by around 30, just try not to get players injured. OU is without Mayfield, but they are deeper than anyone FAU played last year at any position. I’m honestly surprised at the WKU line. I guess there is a very poor view of WKU.

Safest Bet: UNT vs SMU over
Risky Bet: FAU outright
Avoid At All Costs: UTSA @ AZST

These lines are already seeing some movement.

UNT -3.5 vs SMU

MARSHALL +1.5 @ Miami-OH

ODU -5 @ Liberty

LA Tech -10 @ South Alabama

MTSU +6 @ Vandy

FIU +10.5 vs Indiana

UTSA +17 @ Arizona State

Rice +21 @ Houston

FAU +21 @ OU

WKU +33 @ Wisconsin

For some reason, money is coming in on FAU and I do not know why. Was there any recent news?

Here’s how bad it is in Topper Land. Our punter just left as a GT to Northwestern... we have no other punters on the roster. The sky is falling fast.

(05-25-2018 10:44 AM)Theflash Wrote:  Here’s how bad it is in Topper Land. Our punter just left as a GT to Northwestern... we have no other punters on the roster. The sky is falling fast.

Sometimes place kickers can be serviceable punters. Do you have one of those?

Surprised ODU and Liberty has such a close line, although I guess I'm not alone in that as it has already widened a bit.

(05-24-2018 10:11 PM)AustinFromUNT Wrote:  North Texas -1.5 vs SMU

Marshall -2.5 @ Miami(OH)

 Old Dominion -2.5 @ Liberty

La Tech -10 @ South Alabama

 MTSU +7.5 @ Vanderbilt

FIU +12 vs Indiana

UTSA + 14.5 @ Arizona St

 Rice +21 @ Houston

 FAU +24 @ OU 

WKU + 33 @ Wisconsin

It looks to be a rough first week here for good old C-USA. I say we’ll go 4-6 or 5-5 outright. I feel pretty good about LA Tech’s chance (barring meltdown ie 3rd & 93). I think Marshall should beat that spread, but if they don’t, Marshall is going to have a BAD season. ODU will sneak past Liberty. UNT should beat SMU, whatever the over is take it. I think UNT will beat the spread though. I think the toss up game here is UTSA @ Arizona State. Will UTSA’s offense be not garbage? Will Herm Edwards be not garbage? This game should set expectations for both teams this season. MTSU could pull an upset, but Brent would need to have an other worldly game in him (it’s possible), but I would say Vandy covers. I’m not buying the Butch Davis hype FIU (sorry :(). Indiana will cover. As far as the other 3 games go it’s all about just doing the best you can to not get blown out. Rice will probably lose by around 30, just try not to get players injured. OU is without Mayfield, but they are deeper than anyone FAU played last year at any position. I’m honestly surprised at the WKU line. I guess there is a very poor view of WKU.

Safest Bet: UNT vs SMU over
Risky Bet: FAU outright
Avoid At All Costs: UTSA @ AZST

FAU played Wisconsin last year and was flirting with the playoff until the final weekend. So I would say Wisconsin was pretty deep. Not expecting a win, but could cover.

I'd take FAU to cover that all day

(05-25-2018 10:36 AM)goliath74 Wrote:  For some reason, money is coming in on FAU and I do not know why. Was there any recent news?

The last I saw this morning the money was coming in 69-31 in favor of OU.

(05-25-2018 11:19 AM)AustinFromUNT Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 10:36 AM)goliath74 Wrote:  For some reason, money is coming in on FAU and I do not know why. Was there any recent news?

The last I saw this morning the money was coming in 69-31 in favor of OU.

So, why is the spread narrowing?

(05-25-2018 11:01 AM)chidave Wrote:  Surprised ODU and Liberty has such a close line, although I guess I'm not alone in that as it has already widened a bit.

I think Liberty is a pretty big unknown. Will we get the Liberty with a good QB that beat Baylor or will we get the Liberty that lost to Jacksonville State 31-10.

(05-25-2018 11:21 AM)goliath74 Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 11:19 AM)AustinFromUNT Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 10:36 AM)goliath74 Wrote:  For some reason, money is coming in on FAU and I do not know why. Was there any recent news?

The last I saw this morning the money was coming in 69-31 in favor of OU.

So, why is the spread narrowing?

21 points is still an enormous spread for 69-31 money. I would expect it to get down to 17 just before kickoff.

(05-25-2018 10:44 AM)Theflash Wrote:  Here’s how bad it is in Topper Land. Our punter just left as a GT to Northwestern... we have no other punters on the roster. The sky is falling fast.

I feel you on the punter front. Last year we lost our best punter in school history and the first 6 games were BRUTAL for punts. We alternated between 2 guys, both RS Freshmen. On the bright side, the only way to get better is through experience, so just survive the first 6 games or so and you’ll be fine.

ODU fans can relate to looking kickers before start of season. Good luck!

Posted from mobile device. Hopefully it's coherent.

No one will know how to accurately judge Marshall in Vegas or anywhere else until we actually name a starting QB and have played a few games. What I do know is that Marshall has a lot more talent on the field than Miami OH and has every year since we moved up from IAA in 1997 except the 2003 game and that was Ben Roethlisberger's Jr year and they went 12-1 and finished 13th at the end of the season. Marshall is 9-2 against the RedHawks since 1997.

This Marshall team has a ton more speed than Miami OH and that's because of the areas focused on in recruiting. Miami OH recruits mainly in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and through out the mid west. They do get a few Florida kids sprinkled in. Marshall recruits Florida (29), Georgia (27), North/South Carolina (12) for most skill positions and then West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio for the big boys on OL/DL.

Also besides having to name a new starting QB Marshall has both new OC and DC in Tim Cramsey and Adam Fuller. Cramsey comes from Sam Houston State where they had the #1 offense in IAA the past 2 years scoring 45.2 points per game in 2016 and 44.1 points per game in 2017. Fuller has been on the Marshall staff since 2013 as LB coach and set and learned under Chuck Heater for the last 4 years. I don't expect to much of a change in the defense, maybe a tweak here or there.

I would be surprised if Miami OH wins this game.

We can relate to the kicking woes as well. It’s the main reason why we went 0-12 last season. Sean Kugler didn’t place too much emphasis on recruiting a kicker. Last year our only scholarship kicker was a guy that went 0-1 in junior college and only had six career attempts in high school.

Technically that's week 2 for Rice (plus we host the game - it's at Rice and not UH). We host Prairie View A&M the week before that so I have a feeling our line will change quite a bit depending on how we look in that game.

clt is concerned that we aren’t playing a first week game

(05-25-2018 11:21 AM)AustinFromUNT Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 11:01 AM)chidave Wrote:  Surprised ODU and Liberty has such a close line, although I guess I'm not alone in that as it has already widened a bit.

I think Liberty is a pretty big unknown. Will we get the Liberty with a good QB that beat Baylor or will we get the Liberty that lost to Jacksonville State 31-10.

It's Liberty's first home game against an FBS team — a team against whom they'd like to develop a rivalry — and the first game in its expanded stadium (from 19K to 25K, making this almost assuredly their most attended home game ever). A lot of variables make this a super tricky play, even if this WASN'T late May and three months from opening kickoff.

(05-25-2018 05:43 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 11:21 AM)AustinFromUNT Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 11:01 AM)chidave Wrote:  Surprised ODU and Liberty has such a close line, although I guess I'm not alone in that as it has already widened a bit.

I think Liberty is a pretty big unknown. Will we get the Liberty with a good QB that beat Baylor or will we get the Liberty that lost to Jacksonville State 31-10.

It's Liberty's first home game against an FBS team — a team against whom they'd like to develop a rivalry — and the first game in its expanded stadium (from 19K to 25K, making this almost assuredly their most attended home game ever). A lot of variables make this a super tricky play, even if this WASN'T late May and three months from opening kickoff.

Their coach is Turner Gill its not that tricky. Gill is 66-78 lifetime as a head coach At Buffalo 20-30, at Kansas 5-19 and at Liberty 41-29 with one playoff game. Now lets break his seasons down:

Buffalo:
2006 2-10 (1-7)
2007 5-7 (5-3)
2008 8-6 (5-3) International Bowl (38-20 loss to UConn)
2009 5-7 (3-5)

Kansas:
2010 3-9 (1-7)
2011 2-10 (0-9)

Liberty
2012 6-5 (5-1)
2013 8-4 (4-1)
2014 9-4 (4-1) Playoff loss (at Villanova 29-22)
2015 6-5 (3-3)
2016 6-5 (4-1)
2017 6-5 (2-3)

So even though Gill has a 41-29 record at Liberty when you break it down its all wins over the likes of Gardner Webb, Coastal Carolina (who started football in 2003), Presbyterian (Who is headed to the non-scholarship Pioneer Leage), Monmouth and Kennasaw State (started football in 2015).

If ODU loses this game or its even close in the end then ODU is going to have a looooooooong season.