THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
UAB at Miami – 8 p.m. ET
The Blazers came out with a win in their first game against an embattled Central Arkansas team and extended their home win streak to 19 (a C-USA record). Miami is looking to put two disappointing seasons behind them (13-13) and get back to contending for a conference title. UAB is no pushover, though, and should give Miami a run for their money on the Cane’s opening night.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Syracuse at No. 18 North Carolina – 12 p.m. ET
UNC is a hot pick to make a big jump in 2020 behind emerging superstar Sam Howell. After a spectacular 2018, Syracuse took a big step backward in 2019 and lost both their leading receiver and rusher. The Tar Heels need to make a statement early.
Louisiana at No. 23 Iowa State – 12 p.m. ET
ULL has a tough start to the followup of their best season in program history (11-3). The Cyclones return nine starters from a defense that ranked in the top third in the nation last year. The Ragin’ Cajuns’ defense is also in for a challenge against returning junior Brock Purdy and the nation’s 11th-ranked passing offense from last season.
Charlotte at Appalachian State – 12 p.m. ET
It was a 13-1 season for Eli Drinkwitz’ first and only season in Boone, North Carolina, and the Mountaineers return a majority of their explosive offensive production (they ranked 9th in scoring in 2019). Will Healy has Charlotte heading in a better direction (7-6 and their first bowl game in program history), but App State will prove a difficult first matchup.
Louisiana Tech at Baylor – 12 p.m. ET
Louisiana Tech is coming off their first 10-win season in program history and opens their season against a Baylor team that lost head coach Matt Rhule to the NFL. There could be more scoring in this game than expected (O/U 56.5) due to just two defensive starters returning on each team and the lack of a normal offseason.
Louisiana-Monroe at Army – 12 p.m. ET
Army is coming off a total dismantling of MTSU (42-0) this past weekend and ULM is replacing a lot of snaps from a season before. The Warhawks ranked 128th in total defense and 127th in scoring defense. The killer here is their 128th-ranking against the run– something Army specializes in. If anything, this is just an unfavorable matchup for ULM.
Duke at No. 10 Notre Dame – 12 p.m. ET
For the first time in 122 seasons, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are playing in a conference. They were given a favorable first matchup in Duke, who ranked 94th in scoring offense and 77th in scoring defense. The Blue Devils have to take care of the ball better than they did in 2019; they recorded the highest fumble rate in the FBS and Notre Dame ranked best in forcing turnovers. Should the trends continue in 2020, this game will get out of hand quickly.
UTSA at Texas State – 3:30 p.m. ET
Texas State might have been the surprise of Week 1, taking SMU down to the wire. UTSA is a much easier matchup for the Bobcats, whose backs averaged 7.2 yards per carry against a defense that ranked 63rd in the nation last season. Texas State has never won the Battle of i-35– UTSA is 3-0 since Texas State joined the FBS.
Georgia Tech at Florida State – 3:30 p.m. ET
It’s year two for Georgia Tech since switching away from the triple option. The migration to a spread system was disastrous for the Yellow Jackets, who averaged just 16.7 points per game last season (124th). Mike Norvell takes control of an FSU team that’s failed to deliver under Willie Taggart (9-12 in two seasons). Norvell, who led Memphis to the 8th-ranked scoring offense in 2019, is looking to return Florida State to their offensive prowess last seen under Jimbo Fisher.
Arkansas State at Kansas State – 3:30 p.m. ET
Arkansas State’s two-quarterback experiment in Week 1 led to neither quarterback getting going and the offense mostly stagnating (credit where credit is due, they kept the game close). The defense will have to clean it up against the run this week after allowing 227 yards on the ground last week. Kansas State ranked 41st in rushing yards last season behind Chris Klieman’s run-first attack.
No. 1 Clemson at Wake Forest – 7:30 p.m. ET
College GameDay made Winston-Salem their choice for Week 2 in what is likely the most lopsided game choice in program history (at least in terms of point spread). Clemson’s almost a shoe-in to win this one, especially with the home field environment factor removed from the 2020 season. The question is, by how much? Thirty-two-and-a-half points is a massive spread, but the Tigers outscored conference opponents by an average of 36.7 points per game last season, including a 52-3 drubbing of Wake Forest.
Tulane at South Alabama – 7:30 p.m. ET
South Alabama came out swinging in Week 1– taking down a 13.5-point favorite in Southern Miss and forcing their head coach into resigning. Receiver Jalen Tolbert was spectacular (6-169-2) and quarterback Desmond Trotter made things happen. Tulane got off to a hot start in 2019, but went just 1-5 down the stretch of the regular season.
Tulsa at No. 15 Oklahoma State – 7:30 p.m. ET
Last year’s contest was a lot closer than the scoreboard would tell, with the Cowboys covering the spread with just two minutes left in the game. Chuba Hubbard ran wild on the Golden Hurricane, amassing 256 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Tulsa will need to clean it up against the run or Hubbard will post another career day.
Western Kentucky at Louisville – 8 p.m. ET
It was night and day between 2018 Louisville and 2019 Louisville after Scott Satterfield took over the helm. WKU was a similar case, except that they turned it around midseason after being upset by Central Arkansas in Week 1 (the sole FBS team to lose to the FCS). Last year’s matchup was close– a 38-21 Cardinals win– and the same kind of contest can be expected in 2020.
Coastal Carolina at Kansas – 10 p.m. ET
This game was infamous to Jayhawk fans a season ago; the Chanticleers pulled off a huge upset and held Kansas to just seven points. Kansas has to get star running back Pooka Williams going early, as he was held under 100 yards and was kept out of the end zone in their 2019 game. The staff in Lawrence has had this game circled on their calendar, and we can expect a more focused team this time around.