Memphis vs Arkansas State Prediction, Game Preview

Memphis vs Arkansas State prediction and game preview.

Memphis vs Arkansas State prediction and game preview.

Memphis vs Arkansas State Broadcast

Date: Saturday, September 5
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
Network: ESPN

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Memphis (0-0) vs Arkansas State (0-0) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on college football, go to BetMGM

Why Arkansas State Will Win

The Arkansas State offense has the chops to keep up with whatever the Memphis attack puts on the board.

It won’t matter if it’s Logan Bonner or Layne Hatcher at quarterback, the Red Wolves will crank up a passing game with the firepower to put up 300 yards through the air and score in bunches.

The Memphis defense should be a bit better as the season goes on under new defensive coordinator Mike McIntyre, but it’s not going to be a brick wall right away. ASU will come up with just enough of a ground game to take some of the pressure off of the rest of the offense.

The Red Wolves get a wee bit of a break defensively with Memphis star RB Kenneth Gainwell choosing to opt out on the 2020 season, but …

– CFN 2020 Arkansas State Preview

Why Memphis Will Win

The Arkansas State defense is going to be in for a long, long day.

Again, the offense should be strong enough to keep this from getting out of hand, but the defensive side that was 124th in the nation last year has to replace a whole slew of big producers from last year’s group.

On the other side, the ASU offensive line might get back a ton of experience, but it was but a soft breeze against most decent pass rushes last year. Now it has to go against a Tiger pass rush that gets back Joseph Dorceus and a whole slew of other active playmakers.

No, the Memphis defense won’t shut down the ASU offense to a dead stop, but it’ll hold its own just enough in key moments to turn good drives into field goal attempts.

– CFN 2020 Memphis Preview

What’s Going To Happen

Be upset is there aren’t a whole lot of fireworks.

Even without Gainwell, Memphis and new head coach Ryan Silverfield – in his first regular season game as the main man – will be more than fine. The offense should be able to keep the big plays from last season going against a mediocre ASU defense.

The Red Wolves will do their part to make Memphis keep pressing. They won’t go away, but they won’t be able to keep up in the fourth quarter.

In a new era, look for the Tigers to make a statement, at least offensively.

– CFN Experts Picks, Week 1

Memphis vs Arkansas State Prediction, Line

Memphis 44, Arkansas State 27
Bet on Memphis vs Arkansas State with BetMGM
Memphis -19, o/u: 72
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5

– CFN Preview 2020: Every Team Preview, Rankings, Predictions

Must See Rating: 3

5: Hard Knocks: Los Angeles
1: The Bradshaw Bunch

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UTEP vs SFA Prediction, Game Preview

UTEP vs SFA prediction and game preview.

UTEP vs SFA prediction and game preview.

UTEP vs SFA Broadcast

Date: Saturday, September 5
Game Time: 9:00 ET
Venue: Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Network: ESPN3

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

UTEP (0-0) vs. SFA (0-0) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on college football, go to BetMGM

Why SFA Will Win

It’s not like UTEP is poised and ready to become 2019 LSU.

One of the worst teams in college football over the last few seasons should be a bit stronger, but the Miner offense that struggled to do much of anything consistently right isn’t going to be explosive enough to run away with this game and hide.

The Lumberjack secondary has a slew of good hitters – starting with veteran S Trenton Gordon – and end Marcus Mosley is a good enough pass rusher to be a problem.

On the other side, the Miner defense that was the worst in the nation at coming up with tackles for loss isn’t going to do enough in the backfield to bother the SFA passing game. But …

– CFN Preview 2020: Every Team Preview, Rankings, Predictions

Why UTEP Will Win

Stephen F. Austin isn’t going to do enough to get behind the line, either. The lines aren’t going to be good enough to hold up, but it’s the lack of a pass rush that’s going to be the biggest help for a Miner offense that needs all the time it can get.

UTEP isn’t going to get too crazy here. It’s going to start running early on, rely on what should be an improved offensive front, and it’s not going to take too many chances. Turnovers shouldn’t be too much of a problem – if any – as the team should be around a +2, and that should be enough …

What’s Going To Happen

UTEP can’t take anyone for granted, but losing to Stephen F. Austin would be devastating for a program that has just two wins over the last three seasons.

The Miners will do something they haven’t been able to do a whole lot of – if at all – over the last several seasons, and that’s dominate on the lines. They’ll take control late with two good drives, but they’ll have to hang on in the final moments.

– CFN Experts Picks, Week 1

UTEP vs SFA Prediction, Line

UTEP 31, SFA 24
Bet on UTEP vs SFA with BetMGM
No Line, o/u: No Line

Must See Rating: 1.5

5: Hard Knocks: Los Angeles
1: The Bradshaw Bunch

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North Texas vs Houston Baptist Prediction, Game Preview

North Texas vs Houston Baptist prediction and game preview.

North Texas vs Houston Baptist prediction and game preview.

North Texas vs Houston Baptist Broadcast

Date: Saturday, September 5
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Apogee Stadium, Denton, TX
Network: ESPN3

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

North Texas (0-0) vs. Houston Baptist (0-0) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on college football, go to BetMGM

Why Houston Baptist Will Win

It’s a three-game season for the Huskies and their high-powered passing attack. QB Bailey Zappe and his receivers Ben Ratzlaff and Jerreth Sterns are all back – Sterns and Ratzlaff combined for almost 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns – against a suspect Mean Green secondary.

North Texas was okay against the pass last year, but it didn’t do much of anything to take the ball away. The D as a whole struggled to get off the field, and now it’s about to get into a dangerous shootout.

– CFN Preview 2020: Every Team Preview, Rankings, Predictions

Why North Texas Will Win

Yeah, the HBU offense is a whole lot of fun and should be good for at least 300 yards though the air, but the defense will give up yards and points just as quickly.

The pass rush should okay and there will be enough consistent pressure to force a mistake or two, but the secondary that was lit up like a Christmas tree last season is about to get hit hard by a big group of UNT receivers that will stretch the field throughout. But …

– CFN 2020 North Texas Preview

What’s Going To Happen

The North Texas offensive line is going to have problems keeping the Huskies out of the backfield.

The Mean Green QB combination of Jason Bean and Austin Aune will be tested out early to see who can get the hot hand, and the answer will be both of them.

It’ll be a fast-paced shootout with a whole lot of passing and a whole lot of big plays. HBU will come up with its share of stops and big defensive moments, but it won’t generate enough to pull this off.

North Texas vs Houston Baptist Prediction, Line

North Texas 48, Houston Baptist 20
Bet on North Texas vs Houston Baptist with BetMGM
No Line, o/u: No Line

Must See Rating: 2

5: Hard Knocks: Los Angeles
1: The Bradshaw Bunch

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UAB vs Central Arkansas Prediction, Game Preview

UAB vs Central Arkansas prediction and game preview.

UAB vs Central Arkansas prediction and game preview.

UAB vs Central Arkansas Broadcast

Date: Thursday, September 3
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
Network: ESPN3

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

UAB (0-0) vs. Central Arkansas (1-0) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on college football, go to BetMGM

Why Central Arkansas Will Win

The Bears got their warm-up game out of the way.

It wasn’t pretty, it took a whole lot of work, and there were way too many mistakes in the 24-17 win over Austin Peay, but QB Breylin Smith got hot late and the defense held on.

The UCA defensive front gave up a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, and that was about it. Austin Peay was only able to generate 77 rushing yards for the rest of the game as drive after drive stalled.

The UAB offensive front is fine, and the running game should be strong at times, but the Bears should be able to hold their own and be excellent on third downs.

Why UAB Will Win

– 2020 UAB Preview

UAB should get the snap right.

Austin Peay shot itself in the foot early on with a few bad snaps in the loss to UCA, and that changed around the tone and tenor of the game. UAB’s linebacking corps should be able to hold the Bear running game in check, and it should be able to generate more of a pass rush than the Governors were able to.

Central Arkansas failed time and again to keep the chains moving and had too many drives stall. The UAB defense might bend a bit, but as long as the offense comes up with a few early scores, the takeaways will come to halt the UCA attack.

– CFN Preview 2020: Every Team Preview, Rankings, Predictions

What’s Going To Happen

Expect UAB to do a decent job of controlling the clock with the running game. At least, it’s going to do a better job than Austin Peay was able to do.

Spencer Brown will batter away early, the Blazers will connect on a few key third down chances, and the defense will clean up the rest. Breylin Smith and the UCA passing game will get just enough yards to keep this interesting, but they’ll pay for settling for field goals.

They’ll also pay for playing just four days after the season opener. UAB will own the fourth quarter.

UAB vs Central Arkansas Prediction, Line

UAB 30, Central Arkansas 16
Bet on UAB vs Central Arkansas with BetMGM
Line: UAB -17, o/u: 48

Must See Rating: 2

5: Hard Knocks: Los Angeles
1: The Bradshaw Bunch

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Austin Peay vs Central Arkansas Fearless Prediction, Game Preview

Austin Peay vs Central Arkansas prediction and game preview.

Austin Peay vs Central Arkansas prediction and game preview.

Austin Peay vs Central Arkansas Broadcast

Date: Saturday, August 29
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Network: ESPN

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Austin Peay (0-0) vs. Central Arkansas (0-0) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on college football, go to BetMGM

Why Austin Peay Will Win

There might be a whole lot of big things going on with the program, but the amazing run defense from last season should still be a killer.

It anchors around the explosive 5-9, 285-pound Josephus Smith on the inside – coming off a 50-tackle, 7.5-sack, 18.5 tackle-for-loss season – and has most of the other main men around him. The Governors allowed just 104 rushing yards per game and were amazing at forcing turnovers.

The O line should once again be solid, and QB Jeremiah Oatsvall is back after missing most of last year hurt – watch out for JaVaughn Craig, too, who stepped in and was terrific – but it should all come down to that run D.

Central Arkansas struggled to get the ground game going last season, and it’s about to run into a brick wall. But …

Why Central Arkansas Will Win

Here comes the UCA passing game.

It wasn’t exactly Joe Burrow and LSU winging it around, but the Bears got a record-setting season out of junior Breylin Smith, a 6-3 bomber who had a problem with interceptions, but threw 32 touchdown passes for an O that averaged close to 300 yards per game through the air.

Deep threat Tyler Hudson returns after averaging close to 18 yards per catch – he leads a big, dangerous receiving corps – and the young line that struggled at times in pass protection throughout last year should be a whole lot better.

The Austin Peay pass rush will be fine, but it should be held in check just enough to let Smith push the ball deep.

What’s Going To Happen

The X factor is Austin Peay offseason coaching change, with Mark Hudspeth’s “unacceptable conduct” being enough to turn a suspension into a resignation. Now the pressure is on interim head man Marquase Lovings, who follows Hudspeth after one of the best seasons ever for the Governor program, who followed Will Healy, who went on to make Charlotte football good.

Lovings will be fine, Austin Peay will be fine, and the defense will make up for faltering last year in a rough 24-16 loss.

The Governor D dominated for most of the game, but Breylin Smith came up with two fourth quarter touchdown passes as UCA pulled away for the win. It was also the game when Oatsvall went down for the year hurt.

This time around, Austin Peay will generate enough first half points – and will hit on its third down chances, unlike last year – to hold on late in a fun, close fight to kick off whatever this 2020 college football season will be.

Austin Peay vs Central Arkansas Prediction, Line

Austin Peay 27, Central Arkansas 21
Bet on Austin Peay vs Central Arkansas with BetMGM
No Line Available, o/u: No Line Available
Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 4

5: Spending a fortune for the full college experience
1: Spending a fortune for college as a streaming service

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College Football Schedule, Predictions, Previews, Lines, TV, Scoreboard: Week 1

The Week 1 college football predictions, TV schedules, game previews and game times, broken down by conference.

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The Week 1 college football predictions, TV schedules, game previews and game times, broken down by conference.

All Listed Gametimes EST

Results So Far: SU 0-0, ATS 0-0, o/u: 0-0

Click on each game for game preview & prediction

Thursday, September 3

South Alabama at Southern Miss
Time: 8:00 TV: COMING
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING

Saturday, September 5

Arkansas State at Memphis
Time: COMING TV: COMING
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
– Bet on this game with BetMGM

Houston Baptist at North Texas
Time: COMING
TV: COMING
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
– Bet on this game with BetMGM

SMU at Texas State
Time: COMING TV: COMING
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
– Bet on this game with BetMGM

Middle Tennessee at Army
(possibly Sept. 5)
Time: COMING TV: COMING
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
– Bet on this game with BetMGM

Monday, September 6

BYU at Navy
Time: 8:00 TV: ESPN
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
– Bet on this game with BetMGM

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Big Ten Football Week 1 Early Predictions, What The Lines Should Be

The Big Ten has released its football schedule. Here’s a quick first look at each Week 1 game with predictions and possible lines.

The Big Ten has released its football schedule, starting in the first week of September. Here’s a quick first look at each game with predictions and possible lines.

Pete Fiutak @PeteFiutak

Let’s have fun and just assume the Big Ten season will go off without a hitch. Done before the lines are released for the early games, here are the first guesses, predictions, and line projections for Week 1 of the Big Ten season.

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Ohio State vs Illinois

Thursday, September 3
Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL

Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: The Buckeyes will struggle early on as they try to win the Fiesta Bowl as they press a little out of the gate, and then things will get back to normal early in the second quarter.

Illinois might have a slew of transfers coming in for the defensive front, but it won’t be enough as the Ohio State offensive line starts banging away and taking over. The big plays will come as Justin Fields and company start to score quickly, but the time of possession battle will lean the other way in the second half.

It’ll be more of a methodical win for OSU than sensational.

First Thought Prediction: Ohio State 41, Illinois 17
First Thought Line Guess: Ohio State -27.5

– Big Ten 2020 Composite Schedule, 10 Most Interesting Games

Indiana vs Wisconsin

Friday, September 4
Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI

Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: These two haven’t played since 2017 with Wisconsin winning the last ten games since dropping a stunner in 2002.

How ugly has the series been? Over the last five games, Wisconsin has won by an average of 60 to 12 with the low mark an 83-20 squeaker back in 2010.

This year’s Hoosier team, though, should be more of a problem for Bucky.

QB Michael Penix and the offensive backfield should give the Badger D fits for about a half, and the lines are just strong enough to hold up. But the reworked UW O line will take over and super-recruit RB Jalen Berger gets into a groove.

First Thought Prediction: Wisconsin 30, Indiana 16
First Thought Line Guess: Wisconsin -10

Minnesota vs Michigan State

Saturday, September 5
Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: It’s the opener of the Mel Tucker era at Michigan State as his Spartans get a Minnesota team looking to prove that 2019 wasn’t any sort of a fluke.

Can the Gopher passing game get hot early on without star receivers Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman around anymore? It’ll be okay, but the running game will struggle against a Spartan defensive front will be a rock right out of the gate.

On the flip side, the Michigan State offense won’t be able to take advantage of a good defensive performance as drive after drive stalls. Minnesota will pull it out on a late field goal in a rough game with points and good offensive plays coming at a premium.

First Thought Prediction: Minnesota 20, Michigan State 19
First Thought Line Guess: Michigan State -3.5

NEXT: Penn State vs Northwestern, Michigan vs Purdue, Iowa vs Maryland, Nebraska vs Maryland

Pages: 123

Pac-12 Football Week 1 Early Predictions, What The Lines Should Be

With the Pac-12 football season scheduled to start on September 26th, here’s a first look at each game with predictions and possible lines.

The Pac-12 is playing a 10-game conference-only season, scheduled to start on September 26th. Here’s a quick first look at each game with predictions and possible lines.

Pete Fiutak @PeteFiutak

Let’s just assume we really will have a college football season. Everyone will be safe, everything will go off without a hitch, and …

Let’s just hope this thing responsibly gets off the ground.

Done before the lines are released for the September 26th games – and blowing off that first week is very, very flexible – here are the first guesses, predictions, and line projections for Week 1 of the Pac-12 season.

[jwplayer zttcjcuk]

Get all lines and bet on all sports at BetMGM

Colorado vs Oregon

Saturday, September 26
Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR

Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: A case could be made that this will be the 1 vs. 12 game in the overall Pac-12 power rankings – and it’s a perfect chance for Karl Dorrell to come up with a massive opening statement in his Colorado head coaching career.

The expectations will be through the roof for the loaded Ducks, but the Buffaloes should have just enough on the lines to keep this from being the 45-3 wipeout of last year. Oregon will win, but it’ll take a half to heat up.

First Thought Prediction: Oregon 38, Colorado 16
First Thought Line Guess: Oregon -23.5
Bet on this with BetMGM

– Preseason Pac-12 Predictions For Every Game

Cal vs Oregon State

Saturday, September 26
Reser Stadium, Corvallis, OR

Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: Just how good is Cal? The Bears have a sneaky-good team with what looks to be another amazing defense to go along with an offense that should start to do something positive on a regular basis if QB Chase Garbers can stay in one piece.

Just how good is Oregon State? The Beavers might not have the lines, but they have the linebacking corps and the skill guys to be one of the Pac-12’s teams to watch out for. They beat the Bears 21-17 last year in Berkeley, but Garbers was out.

First Thought Prediction: Cal 26, Oregon State 20
First Thought Line Guess: Cal -2.5
Bet on this with BetMGM

Utah vs Washington State

Saturday, September 26
Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: There might be bigger Pac-12 games on a national scale in Week 1, but this might just be the most interesting. Utah has a whole slew of changes to make in the offensive backfield – but it’s going to be just fine. Washington State has a whole slew of changes with the new coaching staff – but it’s going to be fine.

On the road, the Utes are going to pound and pound some more on an okay Wazzu defensive front. The offensive line will take over right away and make things easier for everyone else. The Utah secondary will hold up just enough against the Cougar passing game.

First Thought Prediction: Utah 34, Washington State 17
First Thought Line Guess: Utah -9.5
Bet on this with BetMGM

NEXT: Arizona State vs Arizona, Stanford vs Washington, USC vs UCLA

Pages: 12

First Look: Wyoming vs. Weber State

Wyoming will need to be on its toes if it wants to defeat Weber State.

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First Look: Wyoming vs. Weber State

Cowboys can not take Wildcats lightly.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Cowboys defense will be tested.

The Wyoming Cowboys open the 2020 season

Team: Weber State
Conference: Big Sky
2019 Result: 11-4 (Reached FCS semifinals)
Head coach: Jay Hill
All-time series: Wyoming leads 4-0

Do not let the FCS moniker fool any Wyoming fans about this Weber State team. The Wildcats have made the playoffs in each of the past four years with three of those years they finished in the top-six teams. Head coach Jay Hill has done an amazing job since taking over the job and took them from a 2-10 season in year one to three-straight double-digit seasons.

Who to watch for:

The top player to watch is junior running back Josh Davis. He is a three-year starter and is a preseason All-American heading into the 2020 season. As a freshman he was named Big Sky freshman of the year and was recognized with some national awards, and he has been a first-team All-Big Sky player in each of the past two years.

This Wildcats offense is built to put up points and will be a good challenge against this Wyoming defense that lost two players to the NFL Draft in Logan Wilson and Cassh Maluia from the linebacker position. Plus, there are a few other defenders lost. This unit has talent returning but this is a game to test them before the face Utah, Louisiana, and Ball State for the rest of the non-conference schedule.

This Wildcats offense put up a solid 27 points per game en route to making it to the FCS semifinals in 2019.

Another week and more high honors for the Wildcats. Weber State is No. 3️⃣ in the country in the @AthlonSports FCS rankings.

Josh Davis, Trey Tuttle and Ty Whitworth all earned preseason All-America honors! https://t.co/hTVebTb7oi #PurpleReign #WeAreWeber #BigSkyFB pic.twitter.com/KPJi6Nbw97

— Weber State Football 🏈 (@weberstatefb) June 4, 2020

The defense returns its top three tacklers in Conner Mortensen, Noah Vaea and Preston Smith; those three combined for 296 tackles. They do lose a few key players who got back to the backfield in Adam Rodriguez who led the team in tackles for loss with 15 and also sacks at 10.5. The other key loss is Jonah Williams who had 11 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

This Wildcats team can not be taken lightly and Wyoming should look back to last year which saw San Diego State only defeat them 6-0. So, that should be seen as a cautionary tale for this Wyoming squad to not take Weber State lightly.

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First Look: San Jose State vs. Central Michigan

Spartans take on the Chips in Week 1 of the college football season.

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First Look: San Jose State vs. Central Michigan

Early look at the Spartans Week 1 opponent.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Early OOC looks.

With the summer months upon us, it is time to take a look at the non-conference schedules for the Mountain West team-by-team. San Jose State takes on Central Michigan from the MAC and the Spartans will be heading to Michigan for the season opener.

Team: Central Michigan
Conference: MAC (West Division)
2019 Result: 8-6
Head coach: Jim McElwain (8-6, second year)
All-time series: 1-1

San Jose State takes on the Chips in Week 1 and it will be a good challenge for the Spartans and it will feature a former familiar face in its head coach Jim McElwain as he coached Colorado State from 2012-14 with a 22-15 record.

This Central Michigan team is going to be a tough one for the Spartans as the Chips are the highest-rated team in the MAC West for SP+ and projected to go back to its conference title game.

Offensive players to watch:

The quarterback situation is extremely dicey for Central Michigan as David Moore is likely to miss this game, plus the first month of the season after testing positive for a banned substance. That leaves them with untested quarterbacks in sophomore George Pearson, redshirt freshman Daniel Richardson, or incoming freshman Tyler Pape.

They do have weapons to assist the new quarterback. Running back Kobe Lewis who averaged 5.9 yards per carry and had 12 touchdowns. Lewis also was good for some big plays with 31 runs of 10 or more and nine of 20-plus.

The receiving group could be the best of all as they return two of the top three wide outs in Kalil Pimpleton and JaCorey Sullivan, plus they have a solid tight end in Tony Poljan. All of these will help the new quarterback adjust and have some friends to get the ball to.

Defensive players to watch:

On the other side of the ball, Central Michigan is a bit stronger overall with key players back in LB Troy Brown, DT Robi Stuart, and DE LaQuan Johnson. Brown was a first-team All-MAC player last year and led the league in tackles for loss last year. Those other two have a legitimate chance to join Brown as one of the best defenders in the league.

This defense could be one of the top best that the Spartans face all year and with San Jose State breaking in a new quarterback this will be a pretty big challenge in Week 1.

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