Year: 2020

CSJ 2020 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Preview: Georgia vs. Cincinnati

Georgia vs. CincinnatiWhen: Friday, January 1st, 12:00 PM ESTWhere: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN Cincinnati gets its chance to show the Football Playoff Committee that they were ranked too low this season. The undefeated Bearcats will play Georgia in their home state in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day similar to how another undefeated […]

CSJ 2020 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Preview: Army vs. West Virginia

Army vs. West VirginiaWhen: Thursday, December 31st, 4:00 PM ESTWhere: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tenn.TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN Army benefited from Tennessee’s COVID-19 breakout as the Volunteers were originally slated to face West Virginia. Army was orignially left out of the bowls altogether after the bid it was given to the Independence Bowl was removed as that […]

CSJ 2020 Offerpad Arizona Bowl Preview: Ball State vs. San Jose State

Ball State vs. San Jose StateWhen: Thursday, December 31st, 2:00 PM ESTWhere: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz.TV/Streaming: CBS, CBS Sports Live The 2020 Offerpad Arizona Bowl will feature two surprising conference champions in the Mid-American’s Ball State and the Mountain West’s San Jose State. This matchup is one of only two bowl games to feature two conference […]

CSJ 2020 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Preview: Mississippi State vs. Tulsa

Mississippi State vs. TulsaWhen: Thursday, December 31st, 12:00 PM ESTWhere: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Tex.TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN The first Group of Five versus Power Five matchup takes place with Tulsa playing the SEC’s Mississippi State. This is the first of three such match-ups in this bowl season with Army facing West Virginia in the Liberty […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin Mid-Major Men’s Basketball Top 25 – Dec. 27

Below are the Top 25 Mid-Major rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Dec. 27th, 2020. New Mexico State remains in the top spot despite not playing a game. NMSU has played two sub-DI teams thus far this season and is not scheduled currently to play again until Jan. 8th against Dixie […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin High Major Men’s Basketball Top 25 – Dec. 27

Below are the Top 25 High-Major rankings, as well as overall, based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Dec. 27th. Gonzaga remains atop the standings following its two wins over Northwestern State this past week. Houston remains second in the poll after two AAC conference wins over Temple and UCF. The High-Major conferences […]

Group of Five 2020-21 Bowl Week 1 Recap & Highlights

What a first week of bowl action of the first ten bowl games of the season! Two games really caught my attention in UCF playing BYU and Coastal Carolina playing Liberty this week before the games started. BYU throttled UCF 49-23 in what looks to be QB Zach Wilson’s final collegiate game in the Boca […]

CSJ 2020 Camellia Bowl Preview: Marshall vs. Buffalo

Marshall vs. BuffaloWhen: Friday, December 25th, 2:30 PM ESTWhere: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Ala.TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN Two schools look to rebound after both lost their respective conference championship games in upsets. Marshall and Buffalo meet in this game on Christmas afternoon in Montgomery. Marshall was a team that raced out to a 7-0 start but now have lost […]

CSJ 2020 New Mexico Bowl Preview: Hawai’i vs. Houston

Houston vs. Hawai’iWhen: Thursday, December 24th, 3:30 PM ESTWhere: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Tex.TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN This bowl game is a fitting story of the 2020 college football season. The bowl game that was originally slated to be in Frisco–the Frisco Bowl was canceled last Saturday, Dec. 21st but Frisco gets a second chance to host another game […]

CSJ 2020 Montgomery Bowl Preview: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis

Florida Atlantic vs. MemphisWhen: Wednesday, December 23rd, 7:00 PM ESTWhere:  Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Ala.TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN Two programs that won their respecitive conferences hope to end their season with a win this year when Florida Atlantic faces Memphis in the first ever Montgomery Bowl, which is a replacement this year of COVID-19 for the what would have […]

CSJ 2020 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Preview: Louisiana Tech vs. Georgia Southern

Louisiana Tech vs. Georgia SouthernWhen: Wednesday, December 23rd, 3:00 PM ESTWhere: Mercedes-Benes Superdome, New Orleans, La.TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN Louisiana Tech and Georgia Southern meet for the first time in their histories when the two schools face each other in New Orleans. Louisiana Tech started its season well with a pair of wins over Southern Miss and Houston […]

CSJ 2020 RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Preview: BYU vs. UCF

BYU vs. UCFWhen: Tuesday, December 22nd, 7:00 PM ESTWhere: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Fla.TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN UCF accepted this bowl bid almost two weeks ago but when its opponent of BYU was announced around a week later, this game just moved up the ladder in terms of significance for this bowl season. In the last regular season […]

CSJ 2020 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Preview: Tulane vs. Nevada

Tulane vs. NevadaWhen: Tuesday, December 22nd, 3:30 PM ESTWhere: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, IdahoTV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN Tulane and Nevada are both making a bowl game for the third consecutive year, with Nevada coming back to the blue turf after losing to Ohio 30-21 last season. Tulane last year won the Armed Forces Bowl over Southern Miss. Nevada won […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin Mid-Major Men’s Basketball Top 25 – Dec. 20

Below are the Top 25 Mid-Major rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Dec. 20th, 2020. New Mexico State reclaims the top spot despite not playing a game. NMSU has played to sub-DI teams thus far and is not scheduled currently to play again until Jan. 8th against Dixie State. Wright State […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin High Major Men’s Basketball Top 25 – Dec. 20

Below are the Top 25 High-Major rankings, as well as overall, based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Dec. 20th. Gonzaga remains atop the standings following its big win over Top 10 ranked Iowa. Houston remains second in the poll after an easy win over Alcorn State this past week. The High-Major conferences […]

CSJ 2020 Myrtle Beach Bowl Preview: Appalachian State vs. North Texas

Appalachian State vs. North TexasWhen: Monday, December 21st, 2:30 PM ESTWhere: Brooks Stadium, Conway, S.C.TV/Streaming: ESPN, WatchESPN Appalachian State and North Texas M are set to kick off bowl season Monday afternoon in the inaugural Myrtle Beach Bowl. This is the first bowl game due to the Dec. 19th Frisco Bowl being canceled. The Mountaineers are appearing […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin FBS G5 Top 25 – Dec. 19

Here are the Top 25 FBS Group of Five (G5) rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Dec. 19th, 2020–the last regular season rankings. Cincinnati stays at the top spot after capturing the AAC title against Tulsa to stay undefeated. Former #1 BYU stays at the #2 spot and was off this […]

2020-21 College Bowl Games for Group of Five Schools so far

In this unique year with COVID-19, the college football season still played on for the Group of Five. Some conferences like the Mid-American and the Mountain West Conferences joined the season late, while the American Athletic, Conference USA, and Sun Belt Conference started their seasons on time. With COVID-19, several bowl game have been canceled […]

2020 FBS Group of Five Championship Games Highlights and Recaps

A year like no others had a week pretty much the same as the rest of the 2020 season. Only four of the five Group of Five championship games were played due to COVID-19 reasons for the Sun Belt Conference title game between Louisiana and Coastal Carolina. Outside of that game, the other four games […]

CSJ 2020 American Athletic Conference Championship Game Preview — Tulsa at Cincinnati

Tulsa at Cincinnati When: Saturday, December 19th, 8:00 PM ESTWhere: Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OhioTV/Streaming: ABC / WatchESPN This championship game was supposed to be a rematch as the two teams were scheduled to play in Tulsa with the winner getting the home field advantage for the AAC title game. But COVID-19 got in the way last week to allow […]

CSJ 2020 Mountain West Conference Championship Game Preview

Boise State vs. San Jose StateWhen: Saturday, December 19th, 4:15 PM ESTWhere: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.TV/Streaming: FOX / Fox Sports Live The Mountain West Championship game is intended to be hosted by the top team in the league. That team this year is the surprising San Jose State. But 2020 and COVID-19 will not […]

CSJ 2020 Sun Belt Conference Championship Game Preview — Louisiana at Coastal Carolina

Louisiana at Coastal CarolinaWhen: Saturday, December 19th, 3:30 PM ESTWhere: Brooks Stadium, Conway, S.C.TV/Streaming: ESPN / WatchESPN Undefeated Coastal Carolina hosts one-loss Louisiana in possibly the most anticipated Sun Belt football game in the history of the league. This is the first trip to the SBC title game for the Chanticleers and the third straight for […]

CSJ MAC Championship Game Preview — Ball State vs. Buffalo

Ball State vs. BuffaloWhen: Friday, December 18th, 7:30 PM ESTWhere: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.TV/Streaming: ESPN / WatchESPN Two teams that have won five games in row meet to determine the Mid-American Conference title in Detroit in this COVID-19 shorten 2020 season. Buffalo comes into this game undefeated with five straight wins and had one game canceled […]

CSJ 2020 Conference USA Championship Game Preview — UAB at Marshall

UAB at MarshallWhen: Friday, December 18, 7:00 PM ESTWhere: Joan Edwards Stadium, Huntington, W.Va.TV/Streaming: CBS Sports Network / CBS Sports App Two teams that have rarely met recently will vie for the Conference USA championship game in this unique 2020 COVID-19 filled season this Friday. Marshall hosts UAB in this game by virtue of its better conference record. […]

College Sports Journal FBS Group of Five National Players of the Week-Dec. 14

Five players including Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina, Jaelon Darden from North Texas, Justin Hall from Ball State, Jordan Smith from UAB, and Shamar Garrett from San Jose State have been selected as the College Sports Journal All-Stars for the week ending Dec. 14, 2020 from the NCAA Division I FBS Group of Five schools. […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin FBS G5 Top 25 – Dec. 12

Here are the Top 25 FBS Group of Five (G5) rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Dec. 12th, 2020. Cincinnati stays at the top spot despite missing its game this week against Tulsa due to COVID-19 reasons. Former #1 BYU stays at the #2 spot with its regular season finale win […]

Highlights: CSJ FBS Group of Five Top Five Games and Recap of Week 15

In what was to be the last regular season weekend, there was a lot on the line in all conference races to determine the participants in the five Group of Five conference title games.  It was also a week in a normal, non-COVID-19 season that would have ended with the Army-Navy game.  While that game […]

GAME PREVIEW: Nevada vs. San Jose State

Nevada vs. San Jose StateWhen: Friday, Dec. 11th 10:00 PM EDTWhere: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.TV/Streaming: CBS Sports Network/Watch CBS Sports Network A trip to the Mountain West Conference title game is on the line when San Jose State plays Nevada in this contest. The game was to be hosted by San Jose State but because […]

College Sports Journal FBS Group of Five National Players of the Week-Dec. 7

Six players including Israel Tucker from Louisiana Tech, Michael Pratt from Tulane, Carson Strong from Nevada, Blaze Alldredge from Rice, Jeffery Gunter from Coastal Carolina, and Zack Long from Tulsa have been selected as the College Sports Journal All-Stars for the week ending Dec. 7, 2020 from the NCAA Division I FBS Group of Five […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin Mid-Major Men’s Basketball Top 25 – Dec. 6

Below are the Top 25 Mid-Major rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Dec. 6th, 2020. New Mexico State stays atop the rankings this week despite not playing a Division I opponent as of yet. The Aggies did defeat NAIA Benedictine Mesa (AZ) this past week. Furman remains second in the poll […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin High Major Men’s Basketball Top 25 – Dec. 6

Below are the Top 25 High-Major rankings, as well as overall, based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Dec. 6th. Gonzaga remains atop the standings following the Bulldogs two wins to start the season last week over Power Six conference West Virginia. Houston remains second in the poll after the Cougars picked up […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin FBS G5 Top 25 – Dec. 6

Here are the Top 25 FBS Group of Five (G5) rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Dec. 6th, 2020. Cincinnati moves into the top spot. While Cincinnati had a bye this week, former #1 BYU lost at Coastal Carolina this week to allow the Bearcats to move into the top position […]

Highlights: CSJ FBS Group of Five Top Five Games and Recap of Week 14

In a game that happened basically overnight, it turned out to be one that many are calling an instant classic.  The game was BYU at Coastal Carolina—a match-up of two 9-0 teams coming into the game made possible due to the Chanticleers cancelation with its game with Liberty due to COVID-19 reasons amongst the Flames […]

GAME PREVIEW: BYU at Coastal Carolina

BYU at Coastal CarolinaWhen: Friday, Dec. 5th, 5:30 PM ESTWhere: Brooks Stadium, Conway, S.C.TV/Streaming: ESPNU/WatchESPN (subscription req’d) Wow, how things can change in the course of just a few days. I was set to write up a preview for Liberty visiting Coastal Carolina but that game was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns with the Liberty program. Within hours […]

GAME PREVIEW: Louisiana at Appalachian State

Louisiana at Appalachian StateWhen: Friday, Dec. 4th, 8:30 PM ESTWhere: Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, N.C.TV/Streaming: ESPN/WatchESPN (subscription req’d) This was the game that before the season started was what I had predicted to be again for the Sun Belt Conference championship for the third straight season. The original Sun Belt Conference title game was slated for Dec. 4th […]

College Sports Journal FBS Group of Five National Players of the Week-Nov. 29

Five players including Jaret Patterson from Buffalo, Holton Ahlers from East Carolina, Jalen Tolbert from South Alabama, Quindell Johnson from Memphis, and Julian Ross from Ohio have been selected as the College Sports Journal All-Stars for the week ending Nov. 29, 2020 from the NCAA Division I FBS Group of Five schools. Jaret Patterson, Buffalo, […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin Mid-Major Men’s Basketball Top 25 – Nov. 29

Below are the Top 25 Mid-Major rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Nov. 29th, 2020. New Mexico State stays atop the rankings this week despite not playing a Division I opponent as of yet. The Aggies did open their season with a close victory at NAIA Arizona Christian. Two Southern Conference […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin High Major Men’s Basketball Top 25 – Nov. 29

Below are the Top 25 High-Major rankings, as well as overall, based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Nov. 29th. Gonzaga remains atop the standings following the Bulldogs two wins to start the season last week over Power Six conference teams in Kansas and Auburn. Houston remains second in the poll after the […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin FBS G5 Top 25 – Nov. 28

Here are the Top 25 FBS Group of Five (G5) rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Nov. 28th, 2020. BYU stays at the top spot and Cincinnati stays at the second spot. Both teams did not have a game this week. The other undefeated G5 teams (that have played at least […]

Highlights: CSJ FBS Group of Five Top Five Games and Recap of Week 13

This was the week that the first College Football Playoff rankings came out and to say the least, I was surprised with the rankings. Below were the Committee’s rankings from this past Tuesday. I was not too surprised with the teams selected, although I thought Liberty should have been in the Top 25 given its […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin Mid-Major Men’s Basketball Top 25 – Preseason 2020-21

Below are the Top 25 Mid-Major rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the preseason of the 2020-2021 season. New Mexico State is the preseason pick for the Mid-Major rankings. The Mid-Major conferences include America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin High Major Men’s Basketball Top 25 – Preseason 2020-21

Below are the Top 25 High-Major rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the preseason of the 2020-2021 season. Gonzaga is the preseason pick for not just the High-Major rankings but were the top spot overall. The High-Major conferences include AAC, A-10, Conference USA, Mountain West, West Coast, and Missouri Valley conferences. Sagarin rankings provide the […]

College Sports Journal FBS Group of Five National Players of the Week-Nov. 22

Six players including Sincere McCormick from UTSA, Davis Brin from Tulsa, Jaret Patterson from Buffalo, Dustin Crum from Kent State, Zaven Collins from Tulsa, and Tyler Snead from East Carolina have been selected as the College Sports Journal All-Stars for the week ending Nov. 22, 2020 from the NCAA Division I FBS Group of Five […]

College Sports Journal Sagarin FBS G5 Top 25 – Nov. 21

Here are the Top 25 FBS Group of Five (G5) rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Nov. 21st, 2020. BYU stays at the top spot after is blowout win over FCS North Alabama. Cincinnati stays at the second spot after its big road win at UCF. The other undefeated G5 teams […]