npklemm

Did a great job of maximizing Frazier's talents while minimizing his deficiencies

Love me some Erik Parker

Match-Up: Buffalo (0-1) at Stanford (0-1) Stormstopper Line: Stanford (-9) The Bulls, led by Coach @Jordan, play on the West Coast again. This time at Stanford, coached by Coach @believer. The Bulls lost a close one to BYU last time out, and QB Levi Thompson had issues passing the ball. he completed 56% of his passes for 107 Yards. The 107 Yards doesn't bother me, but the 56% does. Buffalo needs more efficient play out of him, they don't need him to blow up anybody, but just get closer to 65%. RB Alec Self will be the bellcow again, he rushed for 128 Yards against BYU. The Bulls couldn't punch it in the end zone at all, and that will need to change this week if they want to win. WR Jake Shackelford and WR George Kimbrough will be the top 2 again, and that doesn't inspire much confidence for me. Again, the passing game is clear second fiddle in this offense, but they still need to complete passes on 3rd and Long, and I don't believe in this group to do that. The OL is ok. They have plenty of (3.5/3.5), except for at LG where they are forced to start a (1/3.5) True Freshman in Henry Radford. This OL may struggle at times this season to open up lanes for Thompson and Self to run through. The Cardinal DL should win most of their battle.s DE Shawntez Solomon (2/4.5), DT Kofi Hyde (2.5/4.5), and DE Byron Betts (2.5/4) are more talented than any player on the Bulls OL. They should create mis-matches and interruptions in the Bulls OL. OLB Alex Melendez (2.5/4) and ILB Mikeal Holman (2/4) will be key in defending the run. Melendez needs to play off the DL and contain Self inside, which should allow Holman to meet him in the hole and prevent big plays. CB Donovan Powell (4/4) and CB Damani Driver (4/4) will be more used in defending the run, but on those rare times Buffalo does pass, they should win their battles easily. On Offense, Stanford wants to run often. QB Ilan Downing (3.5/3.5) is a tall guy who loves to use his legs to exploit holes in the defense. RB Jeremiah Bonner (2/5) should see plenty of action and loves to run right up the middle and punish the middle of the defense. WR Jake Britton (2.5/4) and WR Aboubacar Oates (1.5/4.5) are a year older and should provide Downing solid targets to throw to. The OL is pretty damn good. LT Robert Davies (4.5/5) should keep Downing's blind side completely protected. LG Siaosi Louganis (2/4), C Uluwehi Seumanufagai (3/4.5), and RT Lenny LeDesma (4.5/4.5) will open up plenty of lanes for Bonner to run through. Buffalo's DL is clearly outmatched. DE Jeremiah Benitez and DT Russell Nadeau are OK players, but they will struggle to make any headway against the Cardinal OL. OLB Alexander Moffett and ILB Raymond McCain will have to play similar roles to their Cardinal counterparts. But I expect Stanford to pass a little more than Buffalo, so Moffett will be critical in pass coverage. CB Laquon Boston (4/5) should win his match-up, leaving CB Sean Floyd (3.5/3.5) to have to win his, and Floyd may do very well. If this duo can contain the Cardinal WR, that should take away the pass completely. SS Dominique Walker (4.5/4.5) will be critical, he can't allow any big plays past him in the passing game. And he also has to push up to support the Fron-7 in defending the run. Stanford is young, but they have way more talent. My Prediction: Stanford 28 Buffalo 13

Match-Up: Akron (1-0) at Ohio State (1-0) Stormstopper Line: Ohio State (-24) Coach @Garappogoat leads the Zips on to the field for the first time as they head to Columbus to take on Coach @fever_ful and the Buckeyes. QB Jake Alves gets the start once again. He was...ok against James Madison. I definitely think the Zips offense could do better with Cole Richter, but perhaps Alves is better suited for the offensive playstyle of the new coaching staff. RB Shontrell Driver is starting again, and he really struggled in their last game. He had 61 Yards on 15 Carries, and he's now going against Ohio State. I don't envision Driver improving against the Buckeyes. WR Damani Harris and WR Marlon Smiley lead the unit out wide, and they bring nothing but speed. They will stretch the field and try to open up big plays. The OL is rough, the best player is a (3/3.5), and they're playing against Cece Condon, yikes. For the Bucks, DE Cece Condon (5/5) and DE Damien Atkins (5/5) are going to be monsters. I don't know how Akron is going to stop those guys, they should completely destroy the OL. OLB Drew Edge (4/4) will bring pressure off the edge (heh), and create more chaos in the backfield. ILB Nazir Flowers (4.5/5) is forced into a role he may not be totally comfortable in, playing the Mike in a 4-3. He's talented, but perhaps out of position. But, if he can play the role well, Akron will not get anything going on the ground. The Bucks secondary has definite weak spots. CB A.P. Crosby (4.5/4.5) is very good and will shut down the Zips top WR. But, CB Jahmir Vereen (1.5/3) is the #2, and he is exploitable. Marlon Smiley should have the upper hand and create some big plays. SS Aziz Harvey (4.5/5) has a lot of work to do. A.P. Crosby is a stud, but Jahmir Vereen and FS Loto Polu (3/3) will make lots of mistakes for Harvey to make up for. If Vereen and Polu are poor, Harvey has to work overtime to make up for them. On Offense, QB Matt Ballard (5/5) is a DUDE. He's very, very good. But, Ohio State doesn't just have a good QB. They have a very good RB in RB Julius Wesley Jr (5/5). The Buckeye backfield is among the best in the country, and that makes up for a lot of holes. WR Emmanuel Lainer (3.5/4) is the top dog. Opposite of him is WR Dajuan Page (1/5). Lanier and Page are young. Lanier a SO and Page a FR. The Buckeyes also have a very good TE in TE Jonas Schumacher (4.5/4.5). With how shallow the WR corps, having a stud TE makes up for a lot of lost production. The OL is, ok. They have some talent, but it's all young. And where they're missing that higher end talent, they're running young and low on talent. The Buckeye OL can be beat by a team with an average Front-7. But, Akron doesn't really have that. They do have DT Jeremiah Clarke (5/5) and DT Olivier Ponder (5/5). This duo will create a lot of trouble up the middle, but with the rest of the Front-7, Ohio State should be able to scheme around them and mitigate their impact. CB Christian Washington (3/4) will be in for a tough battle with Emmanuel Lanier. But if Washington can take him away, that will limit Matt Ballard to just mainly two targets. CB Marc Dumas (3/3.5) will be in for it with Dajuan Page. Page is super young and underdeveloped, so he could play himself out of being impactful. The Zips don't have an answer to Jonah Schumacher though. Akron's team just isn't nearly as good as Ohio State, and I think 24 Points is completely reachable for the Buckeyes. My Prediction: Ohio State 41 Akron 10 Match-Ups: Kent State (0-0) at Missouri (0-0) Stormstopper Line: Missouri (-33) Coach @Traith gets his first start, taking on legendary Coach @randye4 and the talented Missouri Tigers. QB Cameron Hare (3/4) gets the nod again. He really struggled in 2022, passing for 1,743 Yards with 9 TDs and 11 Picks for a QB Rating of 96.14. The Flashes Offense was brutally awful in 2022, and they have to hope that Hare improves mightily. RB C.J. Williamson (2.5/4) gets the start again as well. He rushed for 491 Yards and 4 TDs last season. This offense revolves around this backfield duo, and they must be better this year if Kent State is to take a step forward. WR Ashton Hannah (3/3.5) and WR A.J. Addison (3/3) are the top guys at WR. This duo needs to step up and give Hare reliable targets. They had a combined 11 Drops on 76 receptions, a combined drop rate of 12.6%. That's not good, and with an offense that already struggles, getting better play out of WR will go a long way. The OL is ok, not good, but just ok. They don't have anyone rated higher than (3.5/3.5), and that won't do against Missouri. For Missouri, DE Patrick Grey (4.5/4.5) and DE DeMarcus Cannon (4.5/5) are a great duo, and will have a lot of fun against the Flashes. OLB Adrian Blake (4.5/4.5) and OLB Calvin Ray (4.5/4.5) will keep the middle of the field covered and force the Flashes to go to the outside. ILB Cesar Uribe (4.5/4.5) will clean up the running game. CB Amral Waters (4/5) and CB David Triplett (4/4) will cover the Flashes top WRs and take away basically all the passing options for Hare. The Safeties, FS Gabriel Mallory (4/4) and SS Erick Babcock (4/5) will take away any possible deep plays and run up and defend the run. The offense is lead by QB Travis Ricketts (4/5). Ricketts is so good, and has plenty of weapons to play with. RB Aaron Johnson (4/4) gives the Tigers a change of pace and a presence on the ground. The rushing threat is real and forces opposing defenses to defend the whole field. WR Abdul White (4/4) and WR Johann Villegas (3/4) aren't elite players, but they both stretch the field and open up things underneath for TE Mikal Valentine (5/5) to reap the rewards. The OL is the weakpoint of the team, and they have 2 (3.5/3.5) and 3 (4/4). If that's the worst part of your team, you're in good shape. For Kent State on Defense, their Front-7 leads them. DE Geno Mason (3.5/4.5), Shiloh Maxwell (2/4.5), ILB Cooper Merritt (3/4) and ILB Dwayne Felder (2.5/4) are a stout, but young unit. They should keep the Flashes in the game for a quarter. But the secondary will then let them down. CB Makai Porter (3.5/3.5) and CB Micah Tatum (3.5/3.5) have uphill battles in their match-ups, but could keep the WRs contained for a while. The safeties FS Antoine Early (3/3) and SS Aiden Monroe (2/4) have tough assignments. The Tigers love to push the ball up the field and that means the Safeties will have to be good. I think the Front-7 for Kent State can keep them in the game for a little while, but the offense will get off the field so much that the defense will get worn down quickly. My Prediction: Missouri 45 Kent State 3

Match-Up: Northern Illinois (0-0) at Clemson (1-0) Stormstopper Line: Clemson (-27) Coach @Tyrone28 takes the reigns for the first time, as he leads the Huskies into Clemson to take on Coach @Emperor and the Tigers. QB Emmett Mast (4/4) takes over under center for Charlie Sanford. Sanford was good, not great in 2022. He passed for 3,484 Yards with 33 TD and 11 Picks on 61.05% and a 134.60 QB Rating.Good, not great. Also, have to mention that he had no running game, so the whole weight of the offense fell on his shoulders. The same will be true for Mast. He has some decent weapons out wide, but will not have any support in the running game. NIU will need Mast to be as good, if not better than Sanford. RB Khalil Eubanks (3.5/3.5) will be the starter again, for some reason. Eubanks had 530 Yards with 4 TD on 3.96 YPC in 2022, woof. He was consistently bad all season. I can't imagine him being much better this year. If NIU tries to lean on Eubanks more heavily, their offensive output will crater. The Huskies bring back WR Maxwell Rider (4/4), who caught 88 Passes for 1,026 Yards with 10 TDs (and 5 Drops). WR Gabriel Davidson (3/3) returns as well, he had 70 catches for 914 Yards and 12 TDs (and 6 Drops). This duo was very good last year, and should be better this year. For a first year starting QB, Mast could do worse for supporting weapons. The OL is in great shape again. LT Jermon McCullough (4/4), LG Faresa Lealofi (3.5/4.5), and C Cooper O'Neill (4/4) are among the best in the conference. The right side is a little weak, but should still be solid against MAC Competition. Unfortunately for them, they aren't playing MAC Competition. They're playing the 2nd Ranked Team in the country. On Defense for Clemson, DEs Anthony Tolbert (4/5) and Glenn Thorpe (5/5) are nasty. They will tear their way through this NIU OL. DT Zackary Ledford (4.5/4.5) will keep the IOL occupied, this DL should give plenty of opportunities to the LBs to wreak havoc in the backfield. Clemson has a surplus of talent at LB, and will do many tricks to get them all involved. The Tigers LB Corps should be fresh throughout the game, leaving nothing to be exploited. At Corner, the Tigers run deep. CB Dion Sutton (4/4) is the top guy, while CB Darius Banjo (3/5) will be the #2. Clemson has always had great secondary play, and that shouldn't change now. At Safety, FS Ron Knight Jr (4.5/4.5) and SS DaeSean Sample (4.5/5) will clean up any messes that may happen. On Offense, QB Frederick Snyder (4/4) looks to continue his hot start. The Hybrid has a plethora of weapons to work with. One of the best being RB Demarion Moore (2.5/5). Moore had a fantastic start to his career against SJSU. Backing him up and playing 3rd Down Back is former starter RB Josiah Brock (3.5/4.5). Having a guy as good as Brock as your #2 is outlandish. Out wide, WR Andrew Harrison (4.5/5), Theo Chamberlain (4/5), and WR Sawyer Vogel (2.5/4.5) are among the best in the country in terms to 1-3 Talent. They will be incredibly hard to defend all at once. Blocking for Moore at TE is Kisona Vailopa (5/5). Vailopa isn't a big threat in the passing game, but is fantastic in blocking. The OL is very good as well. They go 4/5, 4/4, 4.5/4.5, 3.5/5, 4/4. If the weakest part of your OL is 4/4, you're in good shape. This team can do just about anything they want on offense, that flexibility is dangerous in the hands of Coach Emperor. For NIU on Defense, things aren't looking great. The top player on the DL is DE Cristopher Carmona (3.5/3.5), and against this OL, that's not good. Mike LB Oliver McNeal (5/5) is a complete stud, but he's alone on an island. Clemson will just avoid him and target everyone else on this defense. Defending those talented Clemson Receivers are: CB Jay Boykin (3/3), CB Malachi Tinsley (2.5/2.5), and CB Kai Herbert (2/3). Yikes. Clemson could throw it 50 times and win by 40. SS Antonio Weeks (4.5/4.5) is the only other player on the defense with a pro future, but his impact may be limited by Clemson's play style. He may not get tested deep, and he's not exactly a run stopper. Clemson is just so much better than NIU. My Prediction: Clemson 45 NIU 10 Match-Up: Oregon State (1-0) at Central Michigan (0-0) Stormstopper Line: Central Michigan (-14.5) Coach @robcarlson77 leads his Alma Mater on to the field for the first time as they host Coach @jc_superman and the Beavers. QB Byron Suggs (5/5) is the best QB in the conference. He's the biggest roadbump standing between WMU and another MAC West Title. Suggs gives CMU a chance against anyone. RB Daveed Huff (3.5/4.5) returns as the starter. He had 898 Yards and 9 TDs on 5.04 YPC last season. He was decent, but I'd like to see him consistently get 100+ Yards. That will make this offense truly dynamic. WR Joseph Aikman (4/4) remains the top dog out wide. Last year's top performer, WR Dontae Peppers (3.5/3.5) moves to the Slot. I don't know about that move, he really wrecked shit as the #2. But, perhaps he's better suited for the slot, Taking over as #2, WR William Coates (3/3) steps in. Aikman had 900 Yards with 11 TDs and Peppers had 1,193 Yards with 7 TDs. Having this duo back again will make Suggs' season much easier. The OL is fine, LT Leonardo Hurley (3.5/4.5) and RG Ethan Bennett (4.5/4.5) are the top guys. The other three are either (3.5/3.5) or (3/3). This unit should be good enough, but may struggle against teams like WMU. On Defense, Oregon State is perfectly average. DE Larry Swain (3/4) is the top guy on the DL, the rest are (3.5/3.5). Swain needs to be in Suggs's face early and often. Letting Suggs get comfortable is a losing strategy for the Beavers. All of the starting LBs are (3.5/3.5), which might not be enough against CMU. It's hard to imagine any of these guys really standing out. Mike LB Nathaniel Brumfield (3.5/3.5) may have to step up and contain Huff. Keeping Huff contained puts more pressure on Suggs, and that could be a way to slow him down a little. At Corner, CB Dylan Talbert (3/4) gets the task of covering Joseph Aikman. The Beavers have to hope he's up to the challenge, because if he isn't, Oregon State is going to allow a lot of points. CB Sincere Harris (3/3) and Jordan Nunn (2.5/3.5) will have to keep the other guys contained. SS Eli Woods (3.5/3.5) has to play center field and clean up duty. He can't let Peppers get loose and run rampant through this defense, and he has to make sure Aikman doesn't push the ball up the field willy nilly. A lot rides on Woods this week. Offensively, Oregon State wants to run, and then run some more. QB Jeffrey Davies (3.5/3.5) loves to run and use his legs to punish the defense. RB Jayden Frey (3/4) will be the primary ball carrier, OSU is setup to run the option and keep the ball moving in all sorts of directions. Out wide, WR James Reed (3.5/3.5) and WR Kyle Stalling (3/3) will take the lead. They may be big down the stretch as the CMU defense doesn't have much talent in the secondary. The OL is probably the strength of the team. LT Mason Hamby (4/4), LG Brody Harvey (3/4), and RT Nathan Baumgartner (4/4) lead the unit. The C and RG are both (3.5/3.5). This group will open up holes for Davies and Frey to run through. On Defense for CMU, DE Dante Joiner (2.5/4) and DT Kareem Lindsey (4/4) have a lot to do this week. They have to shed blocks and disrupt the running game in the backfield. Hitting the QB/RB early and throwing them off can slow down this offense. LB Justice Noriega (3/3) will have to come in and clean up the running game after Joiner and Lindsey disrupt it. CB DeSean Mathis (3.5/35) and CB Nazir Rouse (3/3) have even match-ups this week, they will have to shut down the WRs late to get his Beaver Offense off the field. 14.5 Points is a lot, and with the weakness of CMU's defense and facing a running based offense, I don't like that line. My Prediction: Central Michigan 31 Oregon State 20 Match-Up: UNLV (0-1) at Toledo (1-0) Stormstopper Line: Toledo (-20) Coach @choninja21 leads the Rockets into the Glass Bowl for the first time as they take on the coachless Rebels. The Rockets are now turning to QB Mario Pierre. Grubbs wasn't exactly bad, but he wasn't good. If Grubb's passing performance in Week 0 is what they're going to get consistently, you might as well get the running ability of Pierre. I like this move for Toledo. RB Alvin Hines had a good first start. His attempts were limited, but he was very efficient and effective with the ball. Having this rushing duo in the backfield should keep this offense on the field. WR Prince Malone was good against Kentucky, getting 70 Yards and a TD. He has to consistently be that reliable to give Pierre a target on 3rd Down. The OL is elite, and will give Pierre and Hines plenty of lanes to run in. The UNLV defense is...not good. On the DL, DE Oliver Witherspoon (3.5/3.5), DT Gabe Hummel (3.5/3.5), and DT Eli Baum (3.5/3.5) have the tough task of taking on the Toledo OL. They are severely out-matched. And it's not like UNLV has a great LB Corps to make up for it. The best LB they have is ILB Jeffrey Jennings (3/4). OLB Anthony Perkins (3.5/3.5) will be the primary pass rusher for the Rebels, and he has to try and get to Pierre. Pierre is not a great passer, and getting pressure on him will throw him off even more. At Corner, either CB Isiah Penning Ton (3.5/3.5) or CB Kwon Carrington (3.5/3.5) will have to cover Prince Malone. And I don't like that match-up for either of them. SS Abdoul McClain (3.5/3.5) has to cover up all the mistakes of the defense, and I don't know if he's up to it. On Offense, UNLV is a little better. QB Benjamin Jacobson (3.5/3.5) will be the starter. UNLV will also like to run the ball as much as possible, this game could be over pretty quickly. RB Bronson Willingham (3/4.5) will be the starter. Jacobson and Williingham will keep the pressure on the Toledo Front-7, their speed will force the defense to cover all angles and play wide to keep them contained. WR Julian Hanks (3/3) and WR Anderson Polu (3/3) should see the most action, and their impact will be minimal. The OL is the best unit on the team most likely. LT Kevin Lockhart (3/4) and RG Jaden Aleman (4/4) make the best duo in any unit on the team. The rest of the OL should be filled by 3.5s, and be a solid unit. Nothing special, but solid. On Defense, DE Wardell Jean Georges (2.5/4.5) and DT Damian Larkin (5/5) will be the main forces trying to break up the OL and create negative plays in the backfield. Stopping these two will be critical for UNLV. ILB Ryan Carr (4.5/4.5) will come in and clean up after Jean-Georges and Larkin make a mess of things. CB Jerraud Bynum (3.5/3.5) and CB Quinton Wilkerson 93.5/3.5) probably have their best match-ups all season long, and should fest. FS Mekhi Singleton (4.5/4.5) will get plenty of chances to come up and lay the wood on Willingham. 20 Points feels like a lot, just because both teams will run and the clock won't give Toledo enough chances to run up the score. My Prediction: Toledo 31 UNLV 13

Ok, I've been running post and have noticed that I feel like shit during it. I'll try running pre tomorrow and see how I feel.

Evening Runners, do you run post dinner or pre dinner?

BOFA will drive you into the ground

AT overrated

Match-Up: UTEP (0-0) at Eastern Michigan (0-1) Stormstopper Line: Eastern Michigan (+6.5) Coach @cobaltblade99 gets his first shot at coaching when his Eagles host the Miners. QB Robert Frazier gets the start once again. He went 16/28 for 155 Yards with 1 TD and 1 Pick in Week 1. The Eagles really need him to play better this week if they want to win. RB Tyler Pearson had 111 Yards and 2 TDs. He's the clear star of the Offense. He'll need to carry the rock at least 27 times if EMU is to win. They can't rely on Frazier's arm to win the game. WR Abraham Adame and Giovanni Hooker will the be the top two guys out wide again. That doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the passing game. The Eagles only managed a 2.8 OL Rating in their first game. The Gameplan on offense relies on Pearson carrying this team. Even with how good he is, he needs help. His OL has to be better, or Pearson will get hit in the backfield far too often. On Defense for UTEP, DT Kyle Meadows (4/4) is going to try and derail the EMU Offense. He has favorable match-ups with the IOL for Eastern, and could get to Pearson in the backfield often. Even if Meadows doesn't drag him down, he can at least push him away from the designed hole for the run and allow his teammates to track down Pearson. The LBs for UTEP are not in great shape. ILB Malachi Raji (3/3.5) will be the main guy behind Meadows trying to clean up and contain Pearson. If Raji doesn't make the play, Pearson could be gone. CB Kevin Miles (4/4) should lock down Adame while CB Kristian Christian (3.5/3.5) should keep Hooker occupied for most of the game. UTEP doesn't have a Safety that they can rely on consistently, this may be the place Eastern tries to exploit in the passing game. On Offense, QB Darnell Prince (3.5/3.5) should get the nod. Prince isn't a super talented player, but he is mobile enough to keep the Eastern defense guessing. RB Luke Wallace (3.5/3.5) or Tracy Hatcher (3.5/3.5) will be the primary back, if Wallace is the top guy, look for Hatcher to get some looks on 3rd Downs. Neither player will scare the Eagle defense, but they will need to keep the offense on the field on 3rd Downs and extend drives. WR Uzumati Jones (4.5/4.5) is the star of the team. He will be fed as much as possible. He's the lone player on this offense that will get any amount of minutes in the Pros. He isn't alone however, as TE Ari Blair (4/4) is another good receiving option. Having these two, who can attack different points of the offense, gives Prince a lot of options against Eastern Michigan. The OL for UTEP is not great, not terrible, but not great. I can't imagine this unit making lots of holes for the RBs. On defense, DE Nicholas Bass is the to guy on the DL, and has to keep the RBs from getting to the outside. OLB Marlon Grier (3.5/3.5) and OLB Brian Pearson will both be the primary pass rushers for EMU, and they have to get pressure on Prince. UTEP has two good receiving options who can do big damage to the Eagles defense, getting to Prince is the best way of stopping those options. CB Javier Blackwell (3/3) is severely out-matched, but SS Ibrahima Griggs (4/4) will be there to provide support. If this duo can remove Jones as a target, then Prince has just one target in Blair. Limiting what UTEP can do in the passing game is the strategy that can lead to an Eastern Win. In the end, I don't think the Eastern OL will give Pearson enough support to outduel Jones and Blair. My Prediction: UTEP 24 Eastern Michigan 20

Who is Ahven?

Welcome to the MAC! Please go here: And politely request to be assigned to Akron. Then go here: And make an account. Keep your Username the exact same as it is here. Afterwards, find the blue box with the text "Need a team?". The text directly below is a link to request a new team. Make sure you select CFBHC Akron, not CBBHC Akron. Please feel free to PM me for any questions you may have. #MACTION

Match-Up: Miami (OH) (0-1) at Rutgers (1-0) Stormstopper Line: Rutgers (-8.5) The coachless Redhawks take on Coach @Quasar and he Scarlet Knights of Rutgers in New Jersey. Miami looks to be overmatched once again. Ashton Hilliard will line up under center again, and that doesn't bode well for Miami. He completed 51% of his passes for just 197 Yards with 1 TD and 1 INT against Fresno State. His backfield partner was somehow worse. RB Nazir Randolph rushed for 45 Yards on 12 Carries and lost a fumble in the process. The Rutgers defense doesn't quite have the talent that Fresno does, but they're still a talented group. Miami may put together a couple competent drives, but it's hard to see this team scoring more than 14. If Hilliard and Randolph do what they did last week, Miami is dead in the water. Julian Newton and Ahmed Crosby were fine last week, each going for 50+ with no drops. But that's a pretty low bar to clear. There are no real playmakers here who can help out Hilliard. The OL put in a bad performance, putting up only a 3.6 Rating. They have to be better this week. The Knights have a formidable DL. DE Kwon Durham (3.5/3.5) brings the pressure off the edge, while DT Shawn Marshall (2/5) eats up space and stuffs the run in the middle, on the other side DE Dahntay Parks (1.5/4.5) is the most underdeveloped, but is raw talent. If he can play up to his potential, the Miami OL is in for a super long day. In the Secondary, CB Thierno Foreman (4/4) has a big advantage over whoever Miami lines up as their #1. I expect Foreman to shut whoever that is down. In the back, SS Rodrigo Martinez (4/4) should be there to break up any big play attempts over the middle. On offense for Rutgers, it's the Omari Ricks-hargrove (2/5) show. The dynamic scrambler doesn't have much in the way of skill talent support, so the weight of offense will be entirely on his shoulders. If Miami can somehow slow him down, they have a shot in this game. RB Kahoni Polu (3.5/3.5) is limited, but could break open a few plays that puts Rutgers in scoring position. He's not going to consistently power the offense down the field, but if he can break a run for 15+ runs here and there, that takes so much pressure off of Ricks-Hargrove. Out wide, WR Robert McClendon (3.5/3.5) and Vernon Eubanks (3.5/3.5) should have mostly favorable match-ups. If they're allowed to give ORH open targets, this Miami defense will struggle to get off the field. The real strength of the Rutgers Offense is the OL, they have (3.5/4.5) at LT and LG, a (5/5) at C, and a (4/4) at RT. This unit will pave the way for ORH and Polu, Miami will have issues getting pressure into the backfield. For Miami on Defense, DT Morris Jackson is key. He had 4 Tackles and 1 TFL against Fresno, but Miami needs way more from him. He has to beat out C Beckett Day (5/5) consistently and put pressure right in the face of ORH. ORH is talented, but still super raw, if he gets pressure right up the middle early, that could throw him off balance for the rest of the game. OLB Ivan Forsythe will need to bring support on the edge and force ORH into Morris Jackson. Forsythe had 5 Tackles and 2 TFL last week, but if he can keep ORH in the pocket and force him to step up right into Morris Jackson, that could be a winning strategy. CB Jeremiah Christy will need to come to play. He has to take away the top receiving option for ORH, doing so may make the Freshman hold on the ball just a little too long. I see a potential for Miami to keep this game interesting, but they just lack so much talent everywhere. My Prediction: Rutgers 31 Miami 13 Match-Up: Liberty (0-1) at Ball State (1-0) Stormstopper Line: Ball State (-21) The Cardinals look to get their first win at home when they take on Liberty. QB Erik Parker gave Cards fans reason to hope in their Week 0 Blowout loss to UCLA. He completed 65.5% of his passes for 207 Yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Nothing to write home about, but with the issues Ball State had at QB in 2022, having a competent QB in 2023 is a welcome sight. Luckily for him, he has one of the best RBs in the Conference besides. RB Damani Laws ran for 128 Yards on 23 Carries for a TD against UCLA. Laws is a big play just waiting to happen, and with an improved OL in front him, he becomes that much more dangerous. Neither of the stud players at WR/TE really showed up in Week. Instead, WR Bruce Edmondson and WR Jonah Rubin lead the team. If Ball State can get production from the rest of their WR group, they force defenses to cover the whole field. But, they do need their stars to show. WR Sebastian Amato has to be better than 32 Yards and Steven Moya needs to actually get involved. Liberty doesn't have any player that can cover them, so you should expect good games out of both. The Cards OL is a work in progress. They're good on the interior, but weak at Tackles. Liberty doesn't have the personnel on defense to take advantage of that however. Their best DL is a either a (1.5/3) DT or a (2/2.5) DT. They won't be able to get much pressure on Parker and Laws in the backfield. In the LB Corps, ILB Daniel Collins and OLB Justin Villa (both 3.5/3.5) will need to make up for that. If this duo is not able to force any mistakes, Liberty is in for a long night. Behind them, CB Steven Taylor (3.5/3.5) will have to do his best at covering Amato. I don't like his chances that much, but Amato has never been that impressive. SS Paul Moore (4/4) is the long player on the team who will play Sundays. It's a lot to put on the shoulders of a safety, perhaps one of the positions with the least noticeable impact on the statsheet. But, if Moore prevents big plays and forces turnovers, Liberty may keep it close for a while. Things don't get much better on offense. QB Garrett Cameron (2.5/3.5) will take the lead in the offense, but he doesn't have much help. RB Charles Becker (2.5/2.5) should be his partner in the backfield, and you can't really rely on him to do much for you. WR William Perry (3.5/3.5) looks to get the majority of the looks, and he may have a fine game. But there aren't many other players on the team to throw to. Perry can't do it all himself. The OL is a mess, they have some 3.0s and 1 3.5. This group will struggle to protect their QB. For BSU defensively, DT Vincent Uribe (3/3.5) is in good position to record his first career stats. The OL in front of him is weak, and he should benefit from that. DE Samuel Cleveland (2/4) should be able to do the same. OLB Dominique Brantley (1/4.5) had a fantastic first game, notching 4 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, and 1 Pick. He doesn't have to be so important this week, he should be able to make his presence felt in the backfield and not worry too much about coverage. CB Amara Flowers will be lined up against William Perry, and that's the Flames' lone threat out wide. If Flowers can contain Perry, Liberty will really struggle. Ball State is not a great team, but Liberty is just so bad. My Prediction: Ball State 31 Liberty 7

Thursday Night Score: Akron 16 James Madison 10 My Prediction: Akron 27 James Madison 10 POTG:OLB Brian Graham, Akron, 5 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 INT What Happened: The Zips went with a questionable offensive gameplan and barely eaked out a win they should have had comfortably. Shoutout to Coach @dankadar on getting his first win! Jake Alves got his first start, and was ok. He finished 20/35 for 208 Yards with 1 TD and 1 Pick, as well as 45 Rushing Yards. Jake isn't a great passer, and that showed this week. But he is a dynamic runner, getting 45 Yards on 9 Carries. The Zips will need some better passing from Alves if they want to contend for the East. RB Shontrell Driver wasn't given nearly enough carries in my opinion. He finished with 15 carries for 61 Yards. WR Damani Harris lead the team in receiving with 64 Yards, and Aiden Snell caught the lone TD pass. Going 3/10 on 3rd Downs against James Madison is not a good look. Akron will need to clean that up, and one way to do that is to run more. Defensively for the Dukes, Will King had himself a game, 3 Tackles, 1 Pick and 2 PD. He was all over the place and a constant thorn in the side of Alves. Marvin Lambert and Tarell Blackwell each had a sack, while Robert Hayes lead the team with 7 Tackles, tacking on 2 TFL and a FF. On offense for JMU, QB Cooper Fleming was not good. He finished 18/32 for 188 Yards with 1 TD and 2 Picks. I'm surprised that the Dukes didn't try to run it more. RB Samuel Jones finished with 16 Carries for 82 Yards (including a 21-Yarder). The Dukes may have prevented a couple field goals if they possessed the ball more with Jones. Tanquest Jackson lead the team in receiving with 70 Yards, while Belmore Norris had the lone TD Reception. James Madison had a 3.0 OL Rating, while Akron had a 2.6. Yikes. The best player on the field for Akron was OLB Brian Graham, who had 5 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, and a Pick. He did everything for this defense, getting pressure on Fleming, stuffing Jones in the backfield, and creating turnovers. Great all-around game from him. CB Christian Washington had the other Pick, while Damione Ridley and Carlos Edmonds each had a sack. Akron won by only 6, this game should not have been close. Score: Toledo 31 Kentucky 27 My Prediction: Toledo 24 Kentucky 13 POTG: Toledo Offensive Line, 6.9 Rating, 1 Sack Allowed What Happened: Toledo was able to maintain enough of a ground game on their limited touches to keep the ball away Kentucky, and save their defense from falling apart. Shoutout to Coach @choninja21 on getting his first win! QB Giovanni Grubbs was not good in his first start. He finished 17/32 for 175 Yards with 2 TDs and 2 Picks, while adding 34 Yards on the ground. If this is what you're gonna get out of him passing, I would rather start Pierre myself. He gives you more on the ground at least. RB Alvin Hines was very good in his first start. He finished with 17 Carries for 95 Yards with 2 Touchdowns. If you take away his longest carry, he still had 4.9 YPC the rest of the game. He's not quite the home run hitter that Ciamo was, but he was efficient and kept this offense on the field. WR Prince Malone lead the team in receiving with 70 Yards and a TD, while Jaiden Hightower had the other TD Reception. On Defense for Kentucky, Zac Forte and Darron Bynum each had a pick. Russell Corbin sacked Grubbs once, and Alshon Sinclair lead the team with 7 Tackles. They created two turnovers, held the QB to just above 50% Completion, but still gave up 31 Points. I think this unit is in for a long year. On Offense for UK, QB Zachary Masters got the lion's share of the offensive load, which is a questionable decision. Masters finished 26/45 for 245 Yards with 2 TDs and 1 Pick. That's not great, not great at all. RB Devon Burton, who I thought would be the focal point of the offense, had 10 Carries for 45 Yards and a TD. Even with a QB performance like that, and a lack of a rushing attack, this team put 27 Points on the Toledo Defense. Darron Pittman lead the team in receiving with 84 Yards, while Lamarr Swann and Marlon Benavides each had a TD Reception. For Toledo on Defense, OLB Blake Gauthier had 4 Tackles with 2 TFL, a Sack, and a Pick. He was all over the place. He may have single-handedly held off Kentucky just enough to win. OLB Dennis Jarrett was also very good, getting 3 Tackles with 1 TFL and a Sack. CB Jerraud Bynum and CB Quinton Wilkerson combined for 3 PD and 11 Tackles. This defense was not nearly as good as they should have been. Giving up 27 Points to this Kentucky team is not a good look. Friday Night: Score: Fresno State 30 Miami (OH) 7 My Prediction: Fresno State 45 Miami (OH) 13 POTG: QB Teddy Cagle, Fresno, 22/34 for 232 Yards with 2 Touchdowns. What Happened: Miami was down 20-0 at Halftime, and that was game. QB Ashton Hilliard had a rough go of it in his first game. He went 18/35 for 197 Yards with 1 TD and 1 Pick. RB Nazir Randolph finished with 12 Carries for 45 Yards and a lost fumble. I just don't know where the offense is going to come from for Miami. Neither the QB or the RB are any good, and the skill talent around them is also not good. Miami may score under 10 PPG for the rest of year. Julian Newton lead the team in receiving with 55 Yards, while Ahmed Crosby had the lone TD Reception. For Fresno's Defense, Zontavius Bethea was a monster. He had 7 Tackles with 1 TFL, a Pick, and a PD. He impacted the game on all fronts. Mateo Evans had 2 TFL. But, this defense didn't have any real overwhelming statistics. They didn't have to, they didn't need to get pressure on Hilliard to create bad plays. They didn't need to constantly be in the backfield to disrupt the running game. Miami did that for them. Fresno's Offense was very good in the first half, and then they took the foot off the gas pedal a little in the second half. This team could have won by 40 if they really wanted to. QB Teddy Cagle was good, going 20/34 for 232 Yards with 2 TDs. RB Shaq Wyatt finished with 22 Carries for 106 Yards and a TD. The duo were good all game long, although Cagle's Completion % leaves a little to be desired. Blake Coates lead the team in receiving with 85 Yards and a TD, while Tywin Helm caught the other TD Reception. On Defense for Miami, Ivan Forsythe did what he could. He finished with 5 Tackles and 2 TFL, and Morris Jackson added 4 Tackles with 1 TFL. This defense couldn't generate any pass rush, couldn't disrupt any passes, or create any turnovers. They're going to be gashed all year long. Fresno finished 4/9 on 3rd Downs, while Miami finished 2/12. Oof. Saturday Morning: Score: Maryland 52 Eastern Michigan 24 My Prediction: Maryland 35 Eastern Michigan 10 POTG: QB Brian Andersen, Maryland, 20/27 for 245 Yards with 3 Touchdowns. 4 Carries for 25 Yards and 1 TD. What Happened: Maryland scored early, scored in the middle, and scored late. QB Robert Frazier for EMU was not good. He went 16/28 for 155 Yards with 1 TD and 1 Pick. He was forced to throw more as the Eagles went down big early and had to try and make up the difference. RB Tyler Pearson was good in his limited touches. He finished with 19 Carries for 111 Yards and 2 Touchdowns (one a 30-Yarder). Eastern wants to run as much as a possible, but with the defensive issues they had today, that just wasn't possible. TE Johnny Lake lead the team in receiving with 60 Yards, while Giovanni Hooker caught the lone TD reception. On Defense for Maryland, Isaiah Simpkins picked off Frazier once, Matthias Delaney Jr. sacked him twice, and DeMarco Pitts sacked him once. Freddie Hendricks lead the team with 7 Tackles, and added 2 TFL and 1 PD. As good as that is, they still gave up 24 Points to this offense. That has to be worrisome for Coach @tsweezy and his staff. On Offense, QB Brian Andersen was fantastic. He went 20/27 for 245 Yards and 3 Touchdowns, while adding 25 Yards and a TD on the ground. He was efficient and attacked this defense in multiple ways. RB Marc Beasley finished with 23 Carries for 128 Yards and 2 Touchdowns (one a 41-Yarder). Outside of his long run, Beasley was held mostly in check, 22 Carries for 87 Yards. Leon Snodgrass lead the team in receiving with 95 Yards and a TD, Rafael Barajas and Spencer Odom each caught a TD Pass. On Defense for Eastern, Thomas Randle-Douglas had 3 Tackles, 0.5 Sack, and a FF. Nicholas Bass added half a sack as well. But all in all, this defense was mostly ineffectual. They basically didn't exist. Score: Ohio 31 Arkansas 19 My Prediction: Arkansas 27 Ohio 24 POTG: QB Austin Lowe, Ohio, 28/41 for 304 Yards with 2 TD and 1 Pick What Happened: Ohio scored TDs every Quarter to keep the pressure on the Razorbacks, and Arkansas couldn't mach them. Shoutout to Coach @bbates728 on his first win! QB Austin Lowe for the Bobcats was good. He went 28/41 for 304 Yards with 2 Touchdowns and 1 Pick. The offense will be on his shoulders this year, and if he plays like this, Ohio could be in for a 10-Win season. RB Mike Cazares, the Miami (OH) Transfer, was pretty good in his first start. He finished with 85 Yards on 18 Carries and a TD. FB A.J. Hairston got involved as well with a TD. Cazares doesn't need to be great for this offense, he just needs to give a good change of pace and be efficient. He had a 4.72 YPC this week, and that feels like a good place for him to be. WR Dontae Hicks-Lundy lead the team in receiving in his first game, with 95 Yards and a Touchdown. Micah Lanier had the other TD reception. On Defense for Arkansas, Zion Oates did what he could. He had 3 Tackles, a Pick, and a PD. Franklin Holloway III had 4 Tackles, 1 TFL, and a Safety to add more pressure to the Bobcats offense. But, that's the best this defense could do. Only one sack on a MAC team that thew it over 40 Times is a bad omen for this Razorbacks Defense. Offensively, they were hyper inefficient. QB Grant Benton went 19/34 for 197 Yards with 1 TD and a Pick, and added 15 Yards on the ground. This Arkansas team really needs Benton to be better than this, especially on the ground. He has to be a true dual threat, 15 Yards on 4 Carries is just not good enough. RB Samuel Crenshaw finished with 14 Carries for 50 Yards and a TD. Already not a good game, take away his long run, and he had a Sub-3.0 YPC. Yikes. WR Derek Thrasher lead the team in receiving with 67 Yards, while Shiloh Lundy added 62 Yards and caught the lone TD Reception. On Defense for Ohio, Richard Bright picked off Benton once, while William Coates and Paul Boykin combined for a sack. This defense didn't have many eye-popping statistics, but they shut down the run and forced Benton to be a passer, which is not his skillset. Saturday Afternoon: Score: Western Michigan 27 San Diego State 20 My Prediction: San Diego State 38 Western Michigan 28 POTG: RB DeSean Madison, WMU, 21 Carries for 110 Yards and 2 TD What Happened: The Bronco Defense held the Aztecs to under 5.0 YPC, and made David Edmondson look back. QB Keith Jackson won his first start for the Broncos. The Hyped QB went 22/34 for 233 Yards with 1 TD and a Pick, while adding 23 Yards on the ground. Not a bad first game, but not elite. RB DeSean Madison had 21 Carries for 100 Yards and 2 Touchdowns, a slow game by his standards. But he still had over 100 Yards on 5.0+ YPC and 2 Scores. This kid is too damn good. WR Villamu Vianu'upo lead the team in receiving with 72 Yards in his first start, while Micah Nobles caught Keith Jackson's first career TD Pass. On Defense for SDSU, Micah English picked off Jackson and added 5 Tackles. Larry McBride and Noel Ferguson each sacked Jackson once. Jamari Scales lead the team with 6 Tackles, and added a PD. This defense created a turnover and sacked the QB Twice, but they couldn't quite contain Madison. Holding him to 110 Yards on 21 Carries is actually a good job for a defense, but it wasn't enough in this game. The Offense was not there for SDSU like I expected. QB David Edmondson went 17/31 for 188 Yards 1 TD and a Lost Fumble. I did not see that coming, WMU has some talent in the secondary, but a lot of it is young. But, they really stepped up and forced a bad game out of David. RB A.J. Garrett finished with 20 Carries for 92 Yards and a TD. I expected a better game out of him as well. With the SDSU OL, I thought he was going to go for 120 or so. But, the Bronco Defense really stepped up and contained him well. Eddie Doss lead the team in receiving with 62 Yards and a TD. On Defense for WMU, Kayden Soriano was the hero. He had 3 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1.5 Sacks, and a Forced Fumble on Edmondson. Victor Roberson combined with Soriano on his Half Sack. ILB David Goresh lead the team with 7 Tackles and recovered Edmondson's fumble. This defense put in a much better performance than I expected. Saturday Night: Score: BYU 17 Buffalo 9 My Prediction: BYU 31 Buffalo 17 POTG: WR Roman Byrne, BYU, 9 Receptions for 99 Yards and 1 TD What Happened: A bad offensive game developed as Buffalo couldn't push the ball into the end zone and BYU threw it 51 Times for some reason. QB Levi Thompson was Levi Thompson. He went 9/16 for 107 Yards while adding 29 Yards on the ground. 16 Pass Attempts is a bit too much for my liking. RB Alec Self finished with 26 Carries for 128 Yards. He was pretty good, but not good enough in this one. Jake Shackelford lead the team in receiving with 42 Yards. BYU's defense got 3 Sacks on Levi Thompson, who threw it 16 Times. Yikes. Those sacks came from Tristan Alvarado, Braylon Conley, and Frank Cornell. Matthew McGrath lead the team in tackles with 8 and added 2 TFL. Buffalo is a one-dimensional offense, but they can be very effective at that one dimension. BYU didn't completely shut them down, but they held firm in the Red Zone and forced short Field Goals from the Bulls. Offensively, BYU went in a bizarre direction. QB Max Walker finished with 29/51 for 322 Yards with 2 TDs and a Pick. I'm not really sure why the Cougars went so pass heavy, that's Buffalo's only real strength on defense, defending the pass. RB Adarius Galloway, who had a fantastic 2022, had just 8 Carries for 25 yards. He wasn't allowed to get in any sort of rhythm. You have to imagine that if he was given a fair share of the load, BYU would have won by 3 Scores. Roman Byrne was good however, as he had 9 Catches for 99 Yards and a TD. Justin Dobbs had 6 catches for 98 Yards and a TD, but also a drop. For Buffalo, CB Laquon Boston picked off Walker once. But Buffalo's ineffective Front-7 was unable to generate any real pass rush. Dominique Walker lead the team with 7 Tackles. Buffalo's defense needed to do just a little more, but they just aren't capable of doing so. MAC OOC Record: 4-3 My Prediction Accuracy (Week): 5-2 My Prediction Accuracy (Season): 6-3

Updated for Week 0 and 1