2009 Sun Belt Fearless Predictions
Week 1 ... Sept. 6 Games
Arkansas State |
Florida Atlantic
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Florida International
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MTSU
North Texas
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Troy
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UL Lafayette
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UL Monroe |
Western Kentucky
Sun Belt Fearless Predictions
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Week 1, Part 2
Game of the Week
Troy (0-0) at Bowling Green (0-0),7:00 EST, Thursday, September 3
Why to watch: This game might get lost among the bigger name battles on the opening night, but it could turn out to be the best of the bunch. It’s like a mid-level bowl game with both teams likely to be among the best in their respective conferences. Troy should be the star of the Sun Belt, or will at least battle Florida Atlantic for the honor, while Bowling Green has the talent to get to the MAC title game. The expectations are high for the Falcons, just being an above-average MAC team isn’t good enough, evidenced by the canning of head coach Gregg Brandon after a decent 6-6 season. In comes Dave Clawson who’ll be looking to make the offense more consistent, and with a trip to Missouri coming next week, opening up strong is a must.
Why Troy might win: The Bowling Green defensive front seven is suspect. It came up with a big season last year, but the front four needs to find playmakers right away. That could be a problem against a Troy offensive line that should be tremendous in the middle and strong at tackle in time. The Trojan spread offense is the last thing a new, young defensive front will want to deal with, and there are enough good skill players to make this a shootout.
Why Bowling Green might win: The Troy defense is always going to be strong, but it has to do some retooling in the secondary. Bowling Green’s passing attack should be excellent right away with QB Tyler Sheehan and top target Freddie Barnes likely to have huge days against a green group of defensive backs. There’s enough talent in the Falcon backfield to keep the Troy defense honest with the running game, but there should be several big plays through the air.
Who to watch: How well will the Bowling Green coaching staff know the tendencies of Troy QB Levi Brown? Brown played at Richmond for two years under Clawson before going to Troy, and while there will be a familiarity factor, the Bowling Green staff will have to spend more time preparing for Jerrel Jernigan. The star Trojan wideout will get the ball on handoffs, quick screens, and deep plays. He’ll be option one for the Falcons to stop .
What will happen: This will be a entertaining game with plenty of momentum swings. Sheehan and Brown will put on a show, and so will Barnes and Jernigan. In the end, the Falcons will come up with just enough balance offensively to give Clawson his first win.
CFN Prediction: Bowling Green 27 … Troy 23 ... Line: Bowling Green -6.5
Must See Rating: (Mad Men 5 ... NYC Prep 1) … 2
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Free Expert Football Predictions
North Texas (0-0) at Ball State (0-0),7:30 EST, ESPNU, Thursday, September 3
Why to watch: Is there life after Brady Hoke and Nate Davis? The Cardinals lost their head coach to San Diego State and their star quarterback to an attempt at becoming a pro, but there’s even more work to be done to rebuild across the board. The team that was unbeaten and got to the MAC title game before the wheels came flying off has to show right away that the success could still continue and that this could be close to the same team that dominated the conference throughout last year. North Texas hasn’t done much of anything since Todd Dodge took over as the head coach, and he could use a hot start to cool off his hot seat. His offense hasn’t taken flight, his defense hasn’t shown up over the last few years, and the wins have been hard to come by going 3-21 in two seasons. This is the first of two games against the MAC with a game against Ohio next week.
Why North Texas might win: What does Ball State have left in the bag? The Cardinals aren’t anywhere near the same team that started last year with only one starter back on the offensive line and just 11 returning starters overall. The biggest issue on defense should be the secondary, and it could be lit up if the North Texas passing game finally finds some semblance of consistency and explosiveness.
Why Ball State might win: If the Ball State passing game can find a way to get into a groove early, it could be in for a huge day. North Texas isn’t expected to have any sort of a pass rush without going through extraordinary lengths, and making a bad situation a disaster could be the cornerback situation with star Antoine Bush out with a knee injury and starter Adryan Adams likely out with a bad back. That means the opportunity is there to get a huge day from ...
Who to watch: Ball State QB Kelly Page. It’ll be the redshirt freshman’s job to fill the new shoes of Davis, and by all accounts he has the potential to be even better than his predecessor … eventually. He has excellent size, a live arm, and he’s a better runner than Davis. Now he has to show he can be a solid decision maker and that he can make a horrible UNT secondary pay.
What will happen: The Ball State offense will be fine with MiQuale Lewis and the running game easing Page into the job, but it’ll be the play of Brandon Crawford and the defensive front that’ll be the difference. UNT QB Riley Dodge will be under pressure all game long, and he’ll make just enough mistakes to allow Ball State to come up with the first win for Parrish.
CFN Prediction: Ball State 44 … North Texas 23 ... Line: Ball State -17
Must See Rating: (Mad Men 5 … NYC Prep 1) … 2
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Western Kentucky (0-0) at Tennessee (0-0),12:20 EST, ESPN GamePlan, Saturday, September 5
Why to watch: It’s football time at Tennessee and there might not be a more interesting team going into the season. Lane Kiffin has certainly kept the Vols on the front-burner with all the bluster and all the controversy, and now it’s time to show that this really is a new era and this really is a Tennessee team that will play like Tennessee again. With UCLA up next week and the showdown against Florida to follow, the Vols have to treat this like a preseason game and find something, anything, that might work on offense. For Western Kentucky, this is the official introduction into the world of the FBSers after being a provisional program for the last few years. The expectations are low after an ugly 2-10 season and with massive personnel changes across the board, but if the Tennessee offense sputters and coughs out of the gate, WKU has the potential to make this interesting.
Why Western Kentucky might win: The Hilltoppers didn’t get much going on a regular basis offensively last season, and they need to find playmakers who can prove they can come up with big plays, but the offensive line has the potential to be a strength. All five starters return up front and there are a few decent running backs to work with, led by Tyrell Hayden, so if WKU can pound the ball early, the offense might be able to take some control of the game.
Why Tennessee might win: The Hilltopper defensive front is going to have major issues. It’s not a good line and it’ll be shoved all over the place, so while Kiffin would like to put a charge into his passing game and come up with more vertical big plays, the Vols should be able to put the game away early on by pounding the rock and getting the exciting, talented backs as much work as possible. The potential star of stars could be ...
Who to watch: Super-recruit Bryce Brown. He was a pain in the butt in the recruiting cycle and left Miami out to dry, but there’s no denying his talent. Arguably the nation’s No. 1 prospect, Brown landed in Tennessee and is expected to not only see time right away, but he could be one of the week one breakout performers on a national scale. While he’ll be a lock for a big game, the real question mark will be at quarterback where Jonathan Crompton gets the start and needs to show right away that he’s a better, more effective passer than he was last season when he failed to get the offense moving.
What will happen: It’ll be a bloodletting. Kiffin will want to establish a new attitude and a new confidence right away, and that will start with a blowout of a rebuilding WKU. Welcome to the big time, Hilltoppers.
CFN Prediction: Tennessee 45 … Western Kentucky 10 ... Line: Tennessee -30
Must See Rating: (Mad Men 5 … NYC Prep 1) … 2… Free Expert Football Predictions
Middle Tennessee (0-0) at Clemson (0-0),
6:00 EST, ESPN360.com, Saturday, September 5
Why to watch: So exactly where does Clemson stack up in the ACC this season? The opener will begin to provide some answers. Last year was a whirlwind in Death Valley, with the Tigers beginning No. 9 nationally, firing Tommy Bowden after a disappointing start, and getting hot late under Dabo Swinney. Back for his first full season on the sidelines, the coach has a Heisman contender in RB C.J. Spiller and enough talent on both sides of the ball to push for a league crown. All eyes will be on Kyle Parker, who won one of the country’s closest quarterback battles. After going 5-7 in successive seasons, Middle Tennessee State is hoping to turn the corner in 2009 and make a push for the postseason. What better way for a group of underrated skill position players to get noticed than by shocking a name-brand opponent on the road?
Why Middle Tennessee might win: Whatever problems the Blue Raiders had on offense last year could be a distant memory in 2009. Dwight Dasher is a sprightly playmaker at quarterback, who’s surrounded by most of last season’s top producer. Leading rusher Phillip Tanner returns, as do most of last year’s top receivers and six linemen with starting experience. If Tony Franklin’s spread offense gets digested quickly, Middle Tennessee State will cause problems with this group.
Why Clemson might win: The Blue Raiders have problems containing Sun Belt offenses, which does not bode well for this match up. Five starters return to a Tiger offensive line that feels it has something to prove after last season’s debacle. It’ll dominate an undersized opponent at the point of attack, springing Spiller and Jamie Harper, and allowing Parker the time needed to locate top receivers Jacoby Ford and Xavier Dye. Middle Tennessee State better have that new playbook down cold because this Clemson D is one of the stingiest ones it’ll face all year.
Who to watch: NFL scouts have already begun drooling over the futures of the Clemson defensive ends, senior Ricky Sapp and sophomore Da’Quan Bowers, yet their production was modest a year ago. In fact, the Tigers were last in the ACC in sacks, a head-scratcher that cannot continue this fall. New coordinator Kevin Steele needs his two edge guys to create much more pressure. Hunting down a jackrabbit, like Dasher, will be good practice for the next 11 games.
What will happen: Expect a buzz of excitement and anticipation to fill the air as Clemson begins its quest for a title in the wide-open ACC. All eyes in the stadium will be fixed on the young quarterbacks, Parker and Willy Korn, who’ll both play and hold the key to success for the program in 2009. The Tigers will feed off the energy inside the stadium, getting a huge day from the defense and Spiller in his debut as the feature back.
CFN Prediction: Clemson 34 … Middle Tennessee 10 ... Line:
-18.5
Must See Rating: (Mad Men 5 ... NYC Prep 1) … 1.5...
Free Expert Football Predictions
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Week 1, Part 2