The Pittsburgh Panthers will play against an Division II opponent, the Austin Peay Governors, in an early-season tune-up on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET at Heinz Field. The Panthers were on the positive side of .500 (8-5) last season and are hoping to kick off an even more successful year.
Pitt is the favorite in this one, with an expected 27.5-point margin of victory.
The Georgia Southern Eagles will play against a Division II opponent, the Campbell Fighting Camels, in an early-season tune-up on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. The Eagles were on the positive side of .500 (7-6) last season and are hoping to kick off an even more successful year.
Georgia Southern has the odds in their favor, so they’ll need to guard against complacency. It would take nothing short of a miracle for Campbell to pull off a win, but maybe they can at least keep Georgia Southern from covering the spread.
How To Watch
The UTSA Roadrunners will face off against the Texas State Bobcats at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium. The Roadrunners struggled last year, ending up 4-8. Texas State was 3-9 last season and is coming off of a 31-24 loss against the SMU Mustangs this past Saturday.
Two last-season offensive stats to keep an eye on: UTSA ranked 20th worst in the nation with respect to passing touchdowns last season, where the team accrued only 13 (bottom 85%). Texas State experienced some struggles of their own as they were fourth worst when it came to rushing touchdowns last season, with the squad coming up with only eight overall. It’s possible one of these Achilles’ heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
Since the experts predict a defeat, UTSA will need to dig deep. We’l
The Florida State Seminoles and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are opening their 2020 seasons against one another at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. Last year was nothing to brag about for FSU (6-7), so the team is looking forward to a new start. Likewise, coming off of an uninspired 3-9 last-season record, Georgia Tech has set their aspirations higher this season.
A couple numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: The Seminoles ranked 13th worst in the nation with respect to passing yards allowed per game last year, where the squad gave up 276.7 on average (bottom 91%). The Yellow Jackets experienced some struggles of their own as they were seventh worst when it came to passing yards per game last season, with the team coming up with only 133.9 on average. So maybe these sore spots will just cancel each other out if things haven’t changed too much in the offseason.
FSU is the favorite in this one, with an expected 12.5-point margin of victory. A victory is hardly a sure thing, especially this early in the season, so expect a good game.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Duke Blue Devils will face off at 2:30 p.m. ET Sept. 12 at Notre Dame Stadium to kick off their 2020 seasons. After an 11-2 record last season and a win in the Camping World Bowl, Notre Dame is coming in with an eye to spark another quality season. On the other hand, last year was nothing to brag about for Duke (5-7), so the squad is looking forward to a new start.
Two offensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: The Fighting Irish were eighth best in the nation in passing touchdowns, finishing the 2019 season with 37. Less enviably, the Blue Devils ranked 17th worst in the nation with respect to yards per game last year, where the team accrued only 329.7 on average (bottom 88%). So the Duke squad has its work cut out for it.
Notre Dame has the odds in their favor, so they’ll need to guard against complacency. These early season matchups can go either way as both teams get back into playing shape.
The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks will face off against the Army West Point Black Knights at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Blaik Field at Michie Stadium. Last year was nothing to brag about for the Warhawks (5-7), so the team is looking forward to a new start. Army West Point was 5-8 last season and is coming off of a 42 to nothing victory against the Middle Tenn. Blue Raiders this past Saturday.
Two last-season stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Louisiana-Monroe was third worst when it came to rushing yards allowed per game last year, with the squad giving up 252.7 on average. To make matters even worse for Louisiana-Monroe, Army West Point was third best in the nation in rushing yards per game, finishing the 2019 season with 297.2 on average. So the Louisiana-Monroe squad has its work cut out for it.
Since the experts predict a loss, Louisiana-Monroe will need to dig deep. Perhaps they’ll be able to flip the script and come out with a big win.
The Kansas State Wildcats will face off against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at noon ET on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. While the Wildcats were not exactly top dog last year, they did wrap up the year with an winning record of 8-5. Arkansas State was 8-5 last season and is coming off of an 37-24 defeat against the Memphis Tigers this past Saturday.
A couple last-season stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: K-State was seventh best in the nation in passing touchdowns allowed, finishing the 2019 season giving up only 12. But the Red Wolves ranked eighth in the nation in passing touchdowns, closing the year with 37 overall. These opposing strengths should make for an exciting matchup.
K-State has the odds in their favor, so they’ll need to guard against complacency. These early season matchups can go either way as both teams get back into playing shape.
The West Virginia Mountaineers will play against a Division II opponent, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, in an early-season tune-up on Saturday at noon ET at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Last year was nothing to brag about for the Mountaineers (5-7), so the squad is looking forward to a new start.
West Virginia has the odds in their favor, so they’ll need to guard against complacency. It would take nothing short of a miracle for Eastern Kentucky to pull off a victory, but maybe they can at least keep West Virginia from covering the spread.
How To Watch
The Appalachian State Mountaineers and the Charlotte 49ers will face off at noon ET Sept. 12 at Kidd Brewer Stadium to kick off their 2020 seasons. The Mountaineers ended up 13-1 last season and capped things off with a win over the UAB Blazers in the New Orleans Bowl, so they are on the hunt for another strong season. While Charlotte was not exactly top dog last year, they did wrap up the year with a winning record of 7-6.
A couple numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Appalachian State was seventh best in the nation in overall offensive touchdowns, finishing the 2019 season with 65. Less enviably, the 49ers were 15th worst when it came to touchdowns allowed last year, with the team giving up 50 overall (bottom 89%). The good news for Charlotte, of course, is that these forces working against them might not carry over into the new season.
Appalachian State has the odds in their favor, so they’ll need to guard against complacency. These early season matchups can go either way as both teams get back into playing shape.
The Iowa State football team will make its 2020 debut Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium against Louisiana.
Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m.
The Cyclones went 7-6 last year, finishing the year with a loss to 15th-ranked Notre Dame in the Camping World Bowl.
The Ragin’ Cajuns went 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the Sun Belt Conference, winning the Lending Tree Bowl against Miami (Ohio). They’re the pick to win their Sun Belt division this season.
How to watch Iowa State football vs. Louisiana
When: 11 a.m. CT, Saturday, Sept. 12TV: ESPNESPN broadcasters are scheduled to be Tom Hart (play-by-play), Mike Golic Sr. (analyst), and Cole Cubelic (sideline).Online live stream: ESPN.com/watchOnline radio stream: TuneInRadio: KDRB-FM 100.3
