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College Sports Journal Southland Conference Previews: Week of 9/7/2019

The Southland Conference picked up two of the biggest early wins and one of the most talked about close losses to an FBS team in week one. Central Arkansas scored 21 fourth quarter points to upset Western Kentucky. Southeastern Louisiana took Jacksonville behind the woodshed in the biggest upset of the week. Unfortunately the Lions will not get to build on that momentum due to Hurricane Dorian causing the cancellation of their game with Bethune-Cookman. Houston Baptist surprised everyone by taking a fourth quarter lead against UTEP. The bottom rung Southland team came up just short, but Bailey Zappe put himself on the map as a quarterback to watch.

College Sports Journal Ohio Valley Conference Previews: Week of 9/7/2019

The OVC as a whole had a nice opening weekend, going 7-2. But the biggest surprise loss was felt by a team many thought would challenge for Frisco, Jacksonville State. The question on everyone’s mind is: was it just a bad game and JSU will bounce back, or is it a sign of things to come? Either way, the rest of the OVC surely took notice of the open door and will be looking to kick their way through.

Villanova Looks To Extend Dominance over Patriot League Foes As They Welcome Lehigh

30. 33. 38. 35. 26. 35. 31. No, that’s not a high school locker combination, or a quarterback audible. Those are the point totals Villanova were able to exact on Lehigh during their last seven meetings on the gridiron, all Wildcat victories. The Mountain Hawks have played the Wildcats seven times in the last eleven.

College Sports Journal Southern Conference Game Previews: Week of 9/7/2019

The Southern Conference did not get off to a great start in 2019, picking up only two out of conference wins. The poor weekend was punctuated by early favorite Wofford getting easily handled by South Carolina State, a team most picked to finish in the middle of the MEAC. Was it a blip in the radar? Or is the Southern Conference headed for a down year?

College Sports Journal Missouri Valley Football Conference Game Previews: Week of 9/7/2019

On paper, the Missouri Valley Football Conference did not get off to a great start, with only one win in Week 1 (although another was in Week 0). But the conference’s teams’ play was very good, as I explained in the my MVFC recap for Week 1. In Week 2, nine of the ten squads see action with six of the nine games featuring out-of-conference FCS opponents and the other three against FBS foes with one being a Power Five match-up.

College Sports Journal Big Sky Conference Game Previews: Week of 9/07/2019

The Big Sky schedule in general switches from an uphill FBS heavy schedule to a now D2 and interesting FCS matches week. With the schedule almost evenly in thirds of D2 (or lower), FCS, and FBS games will show variety of strengths and weaknesses of the Big Sky teams. Considering the hodgepodge of games available the game of the week is centered on SEMO vs. Montana State. Both are last year playoff teams and have a strong depth of players. This could be hard hitting and high-intensity game that gets decided in the fourth quarter.

Big Sky Conference Week 1 Games Review, Week of 8/31/2019

A Dalton Sneed-led Montana team went on the offensive and never looked back. It took a Coyote field goal in the second quarter for the Grizzlies to jump back from hibernation. That South Dakota field goal would be the only led Austin Simmons and company would enjoy all game long.

College Sports Journal Colonial Athletic Association Game Previews, Week of 9/7/2019

The CAA had a solid showing on opening weekend with all its teams combining to go 7-1 against FCS opponents. The lone loss was suffered by Elon to nationally-ranked North Carolina A&T, 24-21, on a 52 yard field goal as time expired. Against an FBS school, James Madison gave West Virginia all they could handle before ultimately falling to the Mountaineers. On to week two where the CAA faces four more FBS teams and a couple of strong non-conference games.

2019 College Sports Journal Conference Previews: Ivy League

Last season was one for the ages in the Ivy League, with Princeton going 10-0. It was the fourth outright Ivy League title in Princeton history, and the first since 1995. It was also the program’s second 7-0 Ivy season since league play officially began in 1956, and the 13th 7-0 season in Ivy League history, and the first since 2014. 9-1 Dartmouth was a heartbreaking second place to the Tigers, their only loss a 14-9 instant classic at Princeton. This season, will it come down to another battle of unbeatens?

College Sports Journal Sagarin FBS G5 Top 25–Sept. 2

Here are the Top 25 FBS Group of Five (G5) rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Sept. 2nd, 2019.UCF remains the top ranked team this week as the Knights were the preseason top team. CSJ will show weekly rankings from the Sagarin rankings throughout the season and will have a final.

College Sports Journal Sagarin FCS Top 25 – Sept. 2

Here are the Top 25 FCS rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Sept. 2nd, 2019. North Dakota State continues to hold down the top spot as the Bison had the preseason top spot. CSJ will show weekly rankings from the Sagarin rankings throughout the season and will have a final ranking.

College Sports Journal Top 25 Rankings, 9/3/2019

Week one is in the books in the FCS. There was only one FCS upset over an FBS team, but another 11 teams came within one score of an upset. Many of the top teams played FBS competition, so where was not a lot of movement with those teams in the polls. Bad losses by Jacksonville State and Wofford have plummeted both of those teams.

Highlights: CSJ FCS Top Five Games and Recap of Week 1

Week One saw quite a few Power 5 FBS teams celebrate wins against powerful FCS teams as if they had won a bowl game. Only one FCS program, Central Arkansas, managed to knock off an FBS opponent: for the second straight year, Western Kentucky was defeated by an FCS program

College Sports Journal FBS Group of Five National Players of the Week-Sept. 2

Five players including Dan Ellington from Georgia State, Mike Glass III from Eastern Michigan, Bryce Huff from Memphis, Alijah Halliburton from Wyoming, and Brandon Talton from Nevada have been selected as the College Sports Journal All-Stars for the week ending Sept. 2, 2019 from the NCAA Division I FBS Group of Five schools. The honorees.

Missouri Valley Football Conference Week 1 Review

The Missouri Valley went a somewhat disappointing 1-8 in the opening week with North Dakota State picking up the loan victory. South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Indiana State, and Illinois State all lost to FBS foes. Southern Illinois, South Dakota, and Missouri State lost to fellow FCS opponents. While there was just one win, both.

Highlights: CSJ FBS Group of Five Top Five Games and Recap of Week 1

Week 1 had its share of highlights and upsets with the Group of Five. The biggest suprise had to go to Georgia State defeating the SEC’s Tennessee. I will go through my Top 5 G5 wins over Power Five schools this week and add in a couple of great G5 vs. G5 match-ups in this.

Lehigh Wins The Internet, But Loses The Football Game to St. Francis (PA), 14-13

We live in a strange world where people consume things in bites. People consume bites like video clips quickly, and sometimes they love them enough to keep watching them, enjoy them, and share them with their friends and followers.

That’s what happened today with one play out of the 138 plays that were run in the St. Francis (PA)/Lehigh game this Saturday, the first game of the season for both teams.

East Tennessee State Defense Plays App State Tough, But Mountaineers Prevail 42-7

Eliah Drinkwitz wasn’t shy about savoring the benefits of his first victory as a college football head coach following Appalachian State’s hard-fought, 42-7 win over former Southern Conference rival and Football Championship Subdivision squad East Tennessee State Saturday afternoon before a home-opening crowd of 25,147 at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

2019 College Football Preview for Colorado’s Division I Football Programs

College football season is once again upon us! Fans can rejoice as the wait is over for college football in Colorado, but how will each team shake out? Below is a season preview for what we can expect from each team and ranked.

QUICK RECAP: St. Francis (PA) Gets Revenge For Last Year, Hold On to Win 14-13

It was a game a defensive coordinator could love, and it resulted in a thrilling victory for St. Francis (PA) and an agonizing loss for Lehigh when a late 40 yard FG attempt went wide right for the Mountain Hawks, resulting in a 14-13 win for the Red Flash.

Group of Five Opening Heavy Hitter Saturday Previews 8/31/19

We had our appetizers of college football this past Thursday and Friday but Saturday comes the main feast of action as we start the 2019 season. In this article, I will go through the teams at least I felt had a chance to finish strong in their respective Group of Five conference as they go.

College Sports Journal Patriot League Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

Colgate, who hosted Villanova in Week 0, continues their Theater of Pain tour this week as they travel out to Air Force to take on the Falcons. The rest of the Patriot League kicks off their season this Saturday with a full slate of games

Group of Five Opening Heavy Hitter Friday Previews 8/30/19

Friday typically only has a game or two in all of college football but on this opening weekend, there are two great Mountain West versus Power Five match-ups with Utah State visiting the ACC’s Wake Forest and the Rocky Mountain Showdown with Colorado State paying the Pac-12’s Colorado. Game 1 of the Night: Utah State.

College Sports Journal Big South Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

The PFL starts their 2019 journeys this week with the most diverse out-of-conference slate in all fo the FCS. Butler takes on the defending FCS National Champion North Dakota State Bison, and nearby D-II Union (KY) takes on Morehead State, but the most interesting matchup might involve two surprise teams that could be a.

College Sports Journal Ohio Valley Conference Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

The Ohio Valley Conference has been Jacksonville State’s personal playground over the last five years. The Gamecocks actually lost a conference game last year, but still won the title. Can anyone continue to close the gap and knock JSU off of their perch? It doesn’t look like it, but that’s why they play the games.

College Sports Journal Pioneer Football Conference Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

New Look St. Francis (PA) and Lehigh Look To Start 2019 With A Win

Last season, St. Francis (PA) and Lehigh faced off at the exact same time of year (Saturday, Labor Day weekend) at the exact same weekend. But the teams heading onto the field this weekend are not only filled with new personnel – they are also teams eager to put disappointing, losing season behind them in 2019.

College Sports Journal Southwestern Athletic Conference Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

With many people thinking that Alcorn State will run away with the SWAC this year, it’ll be interesting to see how other teams perform out of the gate. From interesting OOC match ups with other FCS schools to potential FBS upsets, the SWAC will have plenty of chances to make their case for being a much better conference top to bottom than most people perceive it to be.

College Sports Journal Southland Conference Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

Every Southland team is playing on opening weekend, which means all Southland fans will be in for a treat of quarterback play. Better yet, there are multiple Southland teams that have a chance to pull of upsets of FBS teams this weekend. Who are they?

Group of Five Opening Heavy Hitter Thursday Previews 8/29/19

The FBS Group of Five starts with a couple of heavy weights playing some Power Five squads that will go a long way towards which G5 team will be playing in a New Year’s Six Bowl game. This will be a preview of the two heavy hitter games that I will have my eyes on.

College Sports Journal Big Sky Conference Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

The Big Sky Conference is one of the Power 3 conferences in FCS football and will continue that tradition this year too. In our College Sports Journal Top 25 four Big Sky teams placed in the top ten, including Eastern Washington and UC Davis within the top five. A strong year is in store for.

College Sports Journal Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

We are going to learn about plenty of MEAC teams after this opening weekend, especially when it
comes to North Carolina A&T going up against a power CAA foe in Elon, and a MEAC/SWAC clash
between Jackson State and Bethune-Cookman. A few FBS match ups have the potential for upsets, and we even have an in state rivalry.

College Sports Journal Missouri Valley Football Conference Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

The MVFC Conference has been the top confernce in all of FCS for nearly the last decade. All 10 MVFC teams are in action this week in non-conference games. Four games are against FBS opponents highlight the slate this week, along with two MVFC-Big Sky Challenge match-ups. The other four games have the SIU-SE Missouri State annual rivalry

College Sports Journal Northeast Conference Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

The NEC starts their 2019 football season as road warriors with the exception of Merrimack, who is not a full NEC member but is competing against mostly NEC squads. All of the games should be a challenge – with the exception of Merrimack, once again.

College Sports Journal Southern Conference Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

The Southern Conference promises to be one of the most tightly contested races in 2019. While the conference champion won’t be determined in week one, there are a couple of matchups that may be remembered in November when the playoff bracket is released.

College Sports Journal CAA Game Previews: Week of 8/31/2019

A new season is finally upon us. The Colonial Athletic Association is always among the top conference in the country and 2019 looks to be no different. Villanova already made a statement in week zero against Colgate. Most everyone else gets going this week.

Five Takeaways from Lehigh Football’s 2019 Season-Opener Two Deep

Lehigh has just released their game notes for their 2019 Week 1 tilt against St. Francis (PA), and it’s our first look at Lehigh’s starting two deep. Here are my five takeaways from the list.

2019 NCAA Division I College Football Team Previews: UCF Knights

UCF picked up right where it left off in 2017 in Coach Heupel’s first year at the helm by storming through the regular season, extending its nation-leading win streak to 25 games. The streak included a pair of come-from-behind wins over Memphis (twice) and Temple, to claim the program’s second consecutive AAC championship

2019 NCAA Division I College Football Team Previews: Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati kicked off the season with a six-game win streak until an overtime loss to Temple snapped the hot start. But the Bearcats picked right back up by winning four of their final five games (with the other loss at UCF) and qualified for a first bowl game in three seasons.

2019 NCAA Division I College Football Team Previews: Fresno State Bulldogs

The Bulldogs won their third MWC championship since joining the league in 2012. Fresno State lost 24-17 to Boise State on the road during the regular season but the Bulldogs avenged their loss to the Broncos in the conference title game, earning a 19-16 win in overtime.

2019 NCAA Division I College Football Team Previews: Memphis Tigers

The Tigers were 4-4 following back-to-back losses to UCF and Missouri. It was the worst start by a Memphis team since 2013. The team responded by winning its remaining four regular-season games, securing the Tigers’ second consecutive appearance in the AAC Championship Game against UCF.

2019 NCAA Division I College Football Team Previews: Boise State Broncos

The Broncos fell short of winning their second Mountain West title in three years when they lost 19-16 in overtime to Fresno State in the MW title game and was the last official game as Boise State’s trip to the First Responder Bowl against Boston College resulted in a game cancellation due to lightning in the first quarter with the Broncos trailing 7-0 for a 10-3 overall (7-1 MWC) finish.

2019 College Sports Journal Conference Previews: Mountain West Conference

The Mountain West Conference was ranked as the top Group of Five conference last year with Boise State and Fresno State definitely the class of the league the last two seasons. The Broncos and Bulldogs have met in the MW Championship game the past two years.

One Week Away, Lehigh Finishes Preseason Prep for 2019 Football Season

Much of preseason practice for a football involves building the skills, plays and toughness that’s required for the full grind of a full season. For the 2019 Lehigh Mountain Hawks, it seems to be about more than just that. With new head coach Tom Gilmore, a big theme that has emerged in preseason training camp.

2019 NCAA Division I College Football Team Previews: Florida Atlantic Owls

FAU went just 5-7 (3-5 C-USA) that ended poorly with closed with painful losses to North Texas and Charlotte by three points apiece. This was a year after Coach Lane Kiffin led the Owls to a bowl victory during his debut campaign in Boca Raton in 2017.

2019 NCAA Division I College Football Team Previews: Arizona Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats Location: Tuscon, AZ Coach: Kevin Sumlin (5-7@Ariz., 91-50 overall) 1st Season Stadium: Arizona Stadium (Capacity: 55,675) CSJ Projections: 9th: Pac 12 (5th: South) 2nd: Arizona 53rd: FBS 53rd: Division I 2018 In A Sentence: The first year of the Kevin Sumlin era was one of inconsistency. With some great wins (44-15 over Oregon).

College Sports Journal Sagarin FCS Top 25–2019 Preseason

Below are the Top 25 FCS preseason rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the 2019 season. CSJ will show weekly rankings from the Sagarin rankings throughout the season and will have a final ranking after the national championship game in January. Sagarin rankings provide the only rankings that actually ranks all Division I schools.

College Sports Journal Sagarin FBS G5 Top 25–Preseason 2019

Below are the Top 25 Group of Five (G5) preseason rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the 2019 season. CSJ will show weekly rankings from the Sagarin rankings throughout the season and will have a final ranking after the national championship game in January. Sagarin rankings provide the only rankings that actually ranks all.

CSJ Week 0 Game Preview: Arizona at Hawai’i

Arizona at Hawai’i When: Saturday, August 24th 10:30 PM EDT Where: Aloha Stadium, Halawa, Hawaii (50,000) How to Watch: CBS Sports Network, CBS Sports.com (subscription required) Arizona Wildcats See the 2019 CSJ Arizona team preview here. The Coach Kevin Sumlin era did not get off to a good start in Tucson last year. A 5-7.

2019 NCAA Division I College Football Team Previews: North Dakota State Bison

NDSU won its seventh national title in the past eight years with its win over Eastern Washington in the National Title Game and did it with its second undefeated record team in that span (15-0, 8-0 MVFC). Coach Chris Klieman coached his last game with the Bison after being named the new head coach at the Big 12’s Kansas State.