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Matchups To Watch For In Patriots Versus Texans

Alas, Patriots Nation rejoice! Football returns tomorrow as the great Tom Brady and the New England Patriots take on the up-and-coming Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans who they beat last year in a close game. Here are several matchups to keep an eye out for as the game progresses.

DeAndre Hopkins versus Stephon Gilmore

This is essentially the matchup of the game. DeAndre Hopkins is easily one of the league’s best receivers with the athletic ability to make any throw catchable. He still had a 1300+ receiving season with the likes of Tom Savage and T.J. Yates at quarterback for most of the year.

Deshaun Watson was having a field day with the Patriots’ secondary last year. The key to stopping Watson is to shut down his most reliable target and make him force it to others. Think of it this way: whenever Hopkins is the primary read in a play (which is a lot) and he’s covered, it will take longer for the pass to occur and thus giving more time for pressure to come in or players to reposition themselves.

Enter Stephon Gilmore, who is easily the best cornerback on the roster. He needs to play very physical and aggressive to contain Nuk as he describes in the interview below. This is a very important test for Gilmore and the New England secondary down below. Do they have what it takes?

J.J. Watt versus Marcus Cannon

J.J. Watt is an elite player when healthy. Marcus Cannon is an elite player when healthy. Both are coming off injuries. This will be exciting to see if Watt can power and finesse his way to sack Brady or can the developed Cannon hold his ground.

The rehiring of Dante Scarnecchia, the Patriots’ legendary offensive line coach, had done wonders with Cannon. In 2015, Cannon was beaten time and time again by Von Miller in the AFC Championship. When Scarnecchia returned, his coaching skills elevated Cannon’s game (along with the rest of the line). In 2016, he had only allowed 27 pressures and played in 99.3 percent of the snaps. Cannon looks to return to this form in 2018 but has a tough challenge in the former DPOY.

Rob Gronkowski versus Tyrann Mathieu/Aaron Colvin

The task of stopping Gronk plagues the minds of every team New England faces. Houston will most likely use the free agent signings of Mathieu and Colvin to cover him along with most likely a linebacker. Whatever linebacker who covers Gronk isn’t the concern at all. Gronk can beat out most linebackers just with his route-running skills and athleticism.

Houston, if they want to slow down the New England offense, must try to do what the Chiefs did with Eric Berry last year. Only when Gronk lines up in the slot is when Colvin will cover him (as Evan Lazar had pointed out earlier yesterday).

This matchup with New England as a whole will be hard on the Texans secondary as a whole. Brady always finds a way to work with what he has, and that will always be dangerous.

Patrice Bergeron Could Miss the Start of the Season

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The Boston Bruins could be without their best player to start the year. Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston reported that Bergeron is “a little behind” after getting groin surgery in June. Bergeron seemed frustrated about having to undergo surgery so late in the offseason, and expressed his thoughts on it:

“I’m starting to feel better on the ice now, and I’m starting to increase the workload in the gym as well. Slowly, but surely, I’m feeling good. The fact that the surgery was done in June set me back a little bit…Pretty much all of July I was rehabbing and all that, so I’m a little bit behind. But I’m still shooting to be ready for Game 1 of the season on opening night. That’s the goal right now.”

Bergeron is in many people’s eyes the best player on the Bruins. Many were saying he would have a legit shot at the Hart Trophy before he went down with injury. Even though he only played in 64 games last year, he still had his third-highest total in goals with 30. He also had 33 assists, and 63 points last year. Bergy also tacked on 16 points in the 11 games he played in the playoffs ,which included 6 goals and 10 assists.

Patrice Bergeron has racked up quite a bit of accomplishments over his 14 year career. He is a two-time all-star, four-time Selke winner (award for best defensive forward), and is a Stanley Cup Champion. Bergeron is a candidate for the Hart Trophy this year if he plays at the level he did last year and stays healthy.

Bergeron will not be on the trip with the Bruins to China this month. He will continue to rehab his injury. The Bruins start their season off against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals. Not having him for games like that could have some impact for home ice in the playoffs. Bergeron missed 18 games last year in the regular season, and 1 game in the playoffs.

Countdown to Celtics Tipoff: 43 Days

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Welcome Back to the Celtics Season Tipoff Countdown!

Each day, we’ll give a review of news surrounding the Celtics. We’ll also look back in history to see what happened on today’s date in team history (September 3rd). To round out the day’s post, we’ll give you stats and fun facts related to the number of days remaining before the first game (43 today). Let’s get to it!

Recent Team News

Danny Ainge recently opened up about the Kyrie Irving trade from last summer, and had this to say;

“I feel like there’s opportunities that you have to look at and explore, and Kyrie was one of those opportunities that, unanimously, internally it was something that we all felt like we should do,” Ainge said told ESPN. “Everybody, unanimously, wanted to do it.”

There is no doubt that Boston has zero regrets regarding this move. Both Isaiah Thomas and Jay Crowder finished the season on different teams, and the Brooklyn pick landed at No 8.

That being said- watch out for Collin Sexton (Cleveland’s selection with the pick). He averaged 19.6 points in the Summer League and is highly regarded by his fellow Rookies. If he pans out then Cleveland will be in decent shape post fallout of the Irving trade.

On This Date

Not a whole lot going on for this date in Celtics history, but on September 3, 2008 Oklahoma City team officials unveiled their new team name and logo. On this date in history the Seattle Supersonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Stats (2017-18)

Image Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

Jayson Tatum shot 43% from 3 for the season, good for 8th in the NBA. Not bad for a guy with shooting range question marks entering the league!

Boston collectively shot 43% from the field in the 2017-18 postseason. The team played in 19 total games, finishing 1 win shy of reaching the NBA Finals.

Fun Facts

Image Courtesy of Cavs Nation

NBA.com ranked Kendrick Perkins as the 43rd best Celtic of all-time! He had a solid 8 year career in a Celtic uniform, from 2003-2011. Perkins was an integral piece of the 08’ Championship run, holding down the paint as one of the better centers in the league. He averaged 6.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in his tenure with Boston.

On March 18th, 2013 Jeff Green put up a whopping 43 points in a 105-103 loss to the Miami Heat.

That concludes today’s Countdown to Celtics Tipoff. Check back here tomorrow as the clock continues to tick towards the 2018-19 season!

Top Five September Call-Ups in Red Sox History

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September first; the day rosters expand. Today the Red Sox called several players up from the minor leagues to join the club for the final month. It is yet to be seen if any of them will make a big impact, or even be used much at all. Sometimes the call-ups get a lot of playing time, and some even have a big impact on the team down the stretch. In choosing the top five September call-ups in Red Sox history, I combine how well the player did in that final month with the impact they had on the club. I do not factor in future production, only what they did in the September they were called up.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury was first called up at the tail end of June, 2007. He only made five starts before being sent back down. After spending just one day in August with the big club, Ellsbury was called back up when rosters expanded on September 1st. From that point forward, Ellsbury was a regular starter for the club despite them being in first place. During the final month, Ellsbury batted .361 with three home runs and drove in 17 runs. He was also a perfect eight for eight stealing bases.

With his stellar performance down the stretch, Ellsbury made the postseason roster despite not even having enough at-bats to remove his rookie status for 2008. Ellsbury appeared in 11 games that postseason, including all four in the World Series where he went 7-16 at the plate. Ellsbury drew two walks, doubled four times and stole a base during the World Series against the Rockies.

Jacoby Ellsbury at the 2007 World Series Parade. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Fred Lynn

The second half of the “Gold Dust Twins” was a September call-up in 1974, coming up a couple weeks after Jim Rice. Lynn got up to the plate 51 times that September and showed the fan base what was to come. Lynn had six multi-hit games, including a four hit performance against the Tigers that September. He batted .419/.490/.698/1.188 down the stretch, homering twice and driving in 10 runs.

Rudy Pemberton

Pemberton is not as well known as the others listed. By the 1996 season he was already 26 years old when he got the call. Pemberton raked after being called up in September of that season. Pemberton had logged 30 at-bats with the Tigers in the spring of 1995 before being sent down. The Red Sox acquired him early in 1996 and he batted .326 with 27 home runs and 92 runs batted in for Pawtucket. Pemberton continued to thrive, picking up 21 base hits in 41 at-bats for a .512 batting average! Pemberton homered, drove in 10 runs and posted a 1.336 OPS.

Despite his performance, Pemberton got off to a slow start in 1997 and wound up in Japan. He spent most of the rest of his career playing foreign baseball.

Dwayne Hosey

Dwayne Hosey is a similar one to Rudy Pemberton. Hosey was already 28 years old when the Red Sox gave him his first shot in the big leagues in September of 1995. Hosey had generally put up solid numbers in the minors but had never been given a chance. In 1994 Hosey batted .333 with 27 home runs and 27 stolen bases for the Omaha Royals in AAA, but was never called up.

The Red Sox acquired Hosey on August 31, 1995 after a season down in AAA for the Royals and put him on their big league club. Hosey played a bunch for the division winners, accumulating 68 at-bats that September. He batted .338 with 3 home runs and was a perfect six for six on the basepaths. Unfortunately, he was 0-12 with two walks in their postseason series with the Indians, but he had performed well enough to start in the postseason for the club.

Clay Buchholz

How can you leave off a guy who threw a no-hitter? Buchholz had made a start on August 17th, but was sent back to the minors until rosters expanded. On September 1st, 2007, Buchholz no-hit the Baltimore Orioles, striking out nine and walking three. That alone earns him consideration. He made two more appearances that September, one in relief and one more start. He finished that September with a 2-1 record, a 0.54 ERA and .113 opponent batting average.

Jason Varitek lifts Clay Buchholz after his no-hitter on September 1, 2007.

Honorable Mentions:

Mike Greenwell, Xander Bogaerts, Austin Maddox, Carlton Fisk, Scott Cooper, Ted Cox, Nomar Garciaparra

Boston Red Sox Sweep the Miami Marlins in a Quick 2 Game Series

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Close Tuesday Win to Start the Series

Tuesday was the highly anticipated end to the Sox’s losing streak, as Eduardo Nunez grounded out to a double play to allow JD Martinez to score the winning run. The tight 8-7 win was tough to watch, as the Sox bullpen was seemingly falling apart. The Red Sox led 4-1 in the 8th when Matt Barnes came to the mound. He proceeded to give up 4 runs, giving he Marlins a 5-4 lead. Heath Hembree entered and gave up one more run before the inning was over. The Sox were quick to tie the game up after Jackie Bradley Jr’s patient at bat. Craig Kimbrel(2.55 ERA) was next up out of the bullpen, and he let up back to back walks and a single by Magneuris Sierra to a knot it up at 7.

Tuesday showed that the bullpen needs work and the team looked forward to having David Price(14-6, 3.50 ERA) take the mound Wednesday night.

“I’m not concerned. I think we need to get better. Walks are getting up there now, a lot of 3-1 counts, a lot of two-strike hits. That’s not good and they know it. That’s something that we’ve been talking about. We trust the stuff, but at the end, we have to execute.” – Alex Cora

“It was pretty amazing that we were able to pull out a win tonight, winning’s a lot more fun than losing.” – Jackie Bradley Jr.

The Seventh Heaven Inning to take the Sweep

Fenway Park felt as though the Sox were playing in Miami last night. With the heat on full blast, the Red Sox came out with a win over the Marlins 14-6. The seventh inning seemed as though it was straight out of a history book. The last time that the Red Sox had an inning like last night was in 2003 against the Miami Marlins. In the 2nd inning Mookie Betts finally hit a home run, after a dry past couple of games. David Price was taken out in the 3rd after getting hit, bringing in Hector Velasquez.

The Sox went into the 7th trailing 5-3, but picked up a whopping 11 hits in the inning. Eduardo Nunez has been hot at the bat and continued to do so on Wednesday. Going through the lineup, Benintendi got the first out, and hit into a double play after a sacrifice bunt in the latter part of the inning. Mookie Betts ended the night a triple shy of another cycle, proving why he is the AL MVP leader.

“That inning, we didn’t hit the ball out of the ballpark, but we ran the bases well.” – Alex Cora

“Hitting is contagious, you see your teammates go out there and put together good at-bats, put you in better spots at the plate, it’s contagious. That inning showed it.” – Brock Holt

“Everyone was just enjoying it, it’s one of those things when you’re passing it back, having fun playing the game.” – Mookie Betts

Up Next

The Red Sox will travel to Chicago for a 4 game series against the White Sox. Porcello, Eovaldi, Rodriguez, and Johnson will be the starting pitchers for the Red Sox. Eduardo Rodriguez will make his first start after being on the DL and rehabbing in the minors.

Sources

MLB

NESN

Statcast

Rob Gronkowski Feeling 100 Times better than last year

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Last offseason Rob Gronkowski found himself at a cross-road. Another last second Super Bowl Hail Mary, another incompletion. The word retirement came up post game to shock Patriot nation. Gronkowski was weighing his options. Understandable after a loss like that.

He says he feels 100 times better this year. Gronk had a monster season in 2017, tallying 69 receptions totaling 1,084 yards and 8 TD’s. We may see the best year he’s had as a Patriot.

Photo by Associated press/Fulton Sun.

GRONKOWSKI FEELING IT IN 2018

The All World TE spoke recently about the difference between last year and 2018. Which by Patriots standards is out of the norm. Bill Belichick has the team accustomed to forgetting about the past, but this relates more to Gronkowski’s mindset, not a game.

Since returning to camp he seems to be very clear-headed and engaged. Especially compared to where his mind was at this time last year.

”I just love playing the game” Gronk says, “I feel good right now. I definitely feel like 100 times better than I did last year during training camp” Gronk continues unlike a usual Patriots press conference. “When you’re feeling good, you love playing the game. I felt good enough to where I thought I could come back, go through the whole season, go throughout the camp and just keep playing the game and be enjoying it. That’s how it’s been and when you’re enjoying the game, and feeling good, you just love playing the game. It’s just something when you’re out on the field, like your mind is just in another place because you’re just focusing on what you got to do”

ROB GRONKOWSKI STILL LEARNING

During a recent interview Rob Gronkowski says he is learning as the seasons pass, and his football IQ is already very high. Learning how to be better coupled with “feeling 100 times better than last year” may lead some to suspect this might be Gronk’s greatest season yet.

Staff photo by John Wilcox.

Gronk talked about keeping his body in shape, now that he’s older he is doing things much differently. He continues his response.

“Like I said, I just try to focus on my body every single day like after practice now and just try to get better every day and get the recovery going ASAP, right after the meetings and stuff so you feel good the next day.” “There’s times I remember when I was back rookie year, second year, you would just practice, go to meetings and you would do absolutely nothing“

Gronkowski is focused on staying healthy, and feeling 100 times better than last year. He’s going to have to keep that mindset as he will be the focal point of this team’s passing attack moving forward.

ESPN’s BPI Predicts Celtics-Warriors 2019 NBA Finals Matchup

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News flash everyone! The Boston Celtics are going to be a great team this year. As long as Gordon Hayward doesn’t attempt another alley-oop dunk or Kyrie Irving doesn’t have a zen moment and realize he doesn’t want to play basketball, this team is on a direct flight to the NBA Finals.

Boston Lands in a Favorable Spot in the Finals Odds Prediction

ESPN’s BPI, which is a machine generated predictive metric, gives the Celtics the best odds to win the Eastern Conference and plots them at 2nd to win the whole enchilada. Shockingly (kidding), the Golden State Warriors are once again the overwhelming favorites to win it all.

Here’s ESPN’s rationale behind these odds;

“Two reasons. First, the aforementioned departure of James, which helps free up the East and removes a major obstacle in Boston’s path,” ESPN’s Neil Johnson and Seth Walder wrote. “Second, rising expectations for the Celtics, given how well the team played in the face of major injuries and the breakout of Jayson Tatum. Boston’s defensive BPI rating (3.7) has more than doubled from this time last year (1.5).”

Think Twice About Betting Against this Celtics Squad

Image courtesy of the Boston Globe

At this point, who would realistically bet against this squad? This is a team that was a single win away from an NBA Finals birth a few short months ago despite season ending injuries to arguably their top 2 players. The man who beat them last year just enrolled his son into a school in LA and will be playing ball in the Western Conference. The East leading Toronto Raptors fired the Coach of the Year and shipped out one half of the deadly duo that made them relevant the past few seasons. To replace DeRozan, they got a talented yet disgruntled player who quit on his team last year. Oh, and he doesn’t even want anything to do with Toronto.

The 76ers are good, and will be a threat to the Celtics’ dynasty run moving forward, but not quite yet. Boston dismantled Philly in 5 games last year while Terry Rozier consistently made a mockery of their defense. I know it is tempting to ‘Trust the Process’, but I would be cautious about dropping the confetti too early on the 76ers’ championship aspirations.

Boston boasts the best finisher and ball handler the league has to offer in Kyrie Irving. They employ a duo of some of the best two-way players in the league in Gordon Hayward and Al Horford. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have superstar level ceilings and just finished embarrassing their opposition throughout the playoffs. The Celtics have debatably the top bench in all of basketball, making them the deepest team in the league. Brad Stevens is already one of the NBA’s best coaches and is only getting started.

A New Era

All of the stars are beginning to align on a new era for the Celtics. An era without a King. The Eastern Conference is completely up for grabs now more than it has been in nearly 10 years. It’s time for a new participant in the championship series, and, at least according to ESPN, that team is the Boston Celtics.

With AL East Lead Down to 6.5, Boston Needs Their Ace Back

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Chris Sale has been on the disabled list since August 19th with left shoulder inflammation. He has been battling with this issue for most of the 2nd half of the season but has made it clear to the media that he is fine. In fact, Sale has even mentioned that if the games were more important, he would be pitching.

Well, the games are about to get a whole lot more important.

Boston’s Dominance

For the majority of the season, the Red Sox have been cruising atop the AL East despite New York’s impressive season. The team leads the majors in 9 offensive categories including runs, hits, doubles, total bases, runs batted in, batting average, on base percentage, slugging, and OPS. They are currently ranked 3rd in team pitching across the majors. As it stands to head into Tuesday’s matchup with Miami, the team sits 48 games above .500 with a 90-42 record.

The Recent Skid Has The Team Searching for Answers

Via WEEI

The Red Sox remain the only team in the league that has avoided a 4-game skid. Until last weekend, they were also the only team to avoid the broomsticks all season. After the worst three-day stretch of the year for the Sox, the team has seen their 9-game lead over the Yankees dwindle down to 6.5 with 30 left to play. Everything has gone Boston’s way all season until now. This team needs something or someone to wake them up now more than ever.

Chris Sale is that someone. The 29-year-old entered the season off the heels of arguably the best campaign of his career. He was a runner-up in the CY Young race last season, yet has somehow looked even sharper in 2018. Sale owns a 12-4 record with a 1.97 ERA in 23 starts this year. He has talked about pitching when the games matter. They matter now.

It’s time for this team to get out of cruise control and put the pedal to the metal, and Chris Sale is the man behind the wheel.

Robert Kraft should be in Canton

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And now, it is with my great pleasure, that I intend to nominate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame – Robert Kraft!! The owner of the New England Patriots is more than worthy of a bronze bust in the hallowed halls of Canton. It is imperative that we campaign for this fine individual to receive his due. If there has been one individual responsible for creating the greatest dynasty in football history it has been this humble, generous, and likeable owner. Robert Kraft is one of the finest owners and executives in the NFL. It is difficult to fathom why he has not received more support for this. What follows is a journey through his life as the pivotal player in a franchise’s and sport’s success.

As a Fan

When a city loses a major sport franchise it is a disruptive and painful process. The region loses a common emotional denominator. The area loses a driving economic force and the team loses its identity and a portion of its identity and history.

Watching the recent process of this play out in the Rams, Thrashers and Expos. The relocation battles of the Raiders and the Columbus crew. Seeing the shocking moves of the Baltimore Colts and the Cleveland Browns can leave a fan base angry and hurt. Even if there is a reconciliation and the team stays, it can ill will for years to come. If there is something you can say about Robert Kraft. He is the ultimate fan. And was willing to do what it took to keep them in New England.

In 1971 he began his association with the Patriots with something that hundreds of fans do. He became a season ticket holder. When the team was playing he was in the same stands, eating and drinking the same food and cheering for the same players as everyone of us. In 1987 after an unsuccessful bid to purchase the team he instead chose to buy the Foxboro Raceways right next door. This ensured that he would be involved in the team’s future stadium decisions.

And involved he was. When the stadium was used as collateral for a Jackson 5 tour and subsequently place in bankruptcy Kraft stepped in. His ownership of the stadium and the lease was essential in preventing a move to Jacksonville.

Then in 1994 he refused to allow James Orthwein to break the lease in an attempt to move the team to St. Louis. Finally Kraft was able to complete the purchase and officially became the owner of the franchise.

As an Owner and Executive

One of the greatest sins a NFL owner can do is presume to know more about how to out a winning football team on the field than coaches and scouts. There are other considerations when running a franchise. Salary cap, marketing, cash flow for multi-million dollar salaries and television contracts that are important factors in the business. Many owners that have strayed from these areas and attempted to dive into the day-to-day runnings of the team have been met with frustrating failures. An inability to win football games and championships can hurt a brand far more than an incorrect marketing scheme.

When Kraft took over the Patriots he believed in allowing football people to run football teams. And it’s returned dividends on his investment beyond anyone’s imagination. When he took over the team, it’s 34 year win total was 229 including playoffs and a loss in Super Bowl XX. And in the 24 seasons that he’s owned the team they have tallied 294 victories and 9 more Super Bowl appearances with 5 Championships. He’s truly done what he set out to do when he purchased the franchise.

“My objective in buying the Patriots is to help bring a championship to New England.”
-ROBERT KRAFT, JAN. 21, 1994

As an Ambassador of the Sport

The NFL has a colorful cadre of characters in it’s ownership. Al Davis and his resistance of the league. Brash Jerry Jones’ Texas confidence and Jerry’s World opulence. And then it has it’s royalty and statesman. The Rooney family and the Mara family have all been a standard to learn from and emulate. Robert Kraft has joined those ranks and then some during his tenure as owner of the franchise.

Whether it’s been attempting to negotiate labor peace in the face of personal tragedy. Or promoting the sport abroad with the opening of the Kraft Family Sports Campus in Israel. And the countless charities that he personally and through the Patriots Foundation supports.

In New England we hear all of the little stories that have a big impact on people’s lives but may get lost in the shuffle of the world stage of Super Bowl victories. Replacing stolen wheelchairs for fan’s, providing experiences for ill children and honoring his late wife’s memory through the Women’s Association. If there is anyone worthy of being a face of the NFL it should be this man and his legacy will impact the sport for generations.

Get Him Now!

The path to a bronze bust and a gold jacket is difficult for players. The path for contributors is even more so. Many worthy candidates are forced to wait years before being considered and every inductee is honored and welcomed. The sport would be greatly benefited by having this pillar of it’s community enshrined while he is still active and engaged in the NFL’s well-being. The sad story of the posthumous honoring of Ralph Wilson and Art Rooney should never be repeated. If Jerry Jones’ can be inducted to football’s highest honor while he is still striving to direct the Dallas Cowboys to victories then the Hall of Fame voters should ensure that Robert Kraft is inducted as well.

All photos courtesy of Getty images unless noted otherwise.

Be sure to check out other great articles for all your favorite Boston sports teams on Bostonsportsextra.com

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College Football Week 0 Preview and Predictions

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The 2018 college football season starts this weekend. There are only four games on the schedule with no ranked teams, but some games are interesting. This week in college football has been called week 0 because of the lack of teams that play. The four matchups include 2 FBS VS FBS matchups, and 2 FBS VS FCS matchups.

Duquesne VS UMass

Betting Odds: UMass -24.5, O/U 67.5

The first college football game of the season will feature the UMass Minutemen vs the Duquesne Dukes. UMass enters this game with high expectations for the year. If they win all of their favored games they will become bowl eligible for the first time since they joined the FBS. UMass got off to a really rough start last year going 0-6. However, it was not all bad as they played teams like Mississippi ST very close, and finished winning the 4 of 6. The Minutemen have a great offense led by QB Andrew Ford. On the other hand, Duquesne is only playing for the upset. If they lose it is no big deal for them, but a win means a lot. The Dukes start this year right outside the top 25 in the FCS, so a win would do wonders for their season.

Final Prediction: UMass 41, Duquesne 16

Prairie View A&M VS Rice

Betting Odds: Rice -21, O/U 61

This is probably the least appealing FBS game of the week. One major storyline is how new head coach Mike Bloomgren will fare in his debut with Rice. Prairie View A&M will also be welcoming in a new head coach in former Grambling State offensive coordinator Eric Dooley. Prairie View has a very good defense at the FBS level led by cornerback Ju’Anthony Parker who led the team in INTs (4), and turned 2 of those 4 picks into touchdowns. On the other side of the football is C-USA team, Rice. Rice has been at the bottom of the C-USA for years now, and look to get out of there with a new head coach. The Owls have a good running game with twin running backs Aston and Austin Walter running behind fullback Giovanni Gentosi. This team is still a few years away from competing in the C-USA, but they should be able to pull out a win this week.

Final Prediction: Rice 23, Prairie View A&M 16

Hawaii VS Colorado ST

Betting Odds: Colorado ST -14.5, O/U 58

This game will be the first head-to-head conference matchup of the year in college football. The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors will face the Colorado ST Rams in Mountain West action. Colorado ST enters this season trying to get past the 7-win mark as they have not won a bowl game in their last 3 attempts. The Rams will have to figure out some things early on as they look to replace star wide receiver Michael Gallup, as well as their top receiving tight end from a year ago. Colorado ST will have a new QB as Washington transfer K.J. Carta-Samuels takes over under center. For Hawaii, this game will set the tone for how their season will go. They went a very disappointing 3-9 last year just one year removed from a bowl game. Hawaii will return their famous run-and-shoot offense that made them so good a few years ago. Overall, with Colorado ST having so many pieces to replace on offense, I believe Hawaii will pull off the upset.

Final Prediction: Hawaii 26, Colorado ST 23

Wyoming VS New Mexico ST

Betting Odds: Wyoming -3.5, O.U 45

This game will feature 2 FBS schools that made a bowl game last season. The pair of teams have major holes to fill on both sides of the ball. New Mexico ST is the only FBS team to lose their leading passer, rusher, receiver, and tackler from last season. The Aggies will open up with new QB Matthew Romero, a very mobile talent. Wyoming has to fill the shoes of first-round pick Josh Allen who played QB for them last year. The Cowboys defense will bring back most of their starters from a year ago. The Wyoming defense in 2017 led the nation with a +24 turnover margin thanks to Andrew Wingard and Carl Granderson. Overall, Wyoming and New Mexico ST will look different than what they looked like last year in their bowl winning season.

Final Prediction: Wyoming 20, New Mexico ST 14

This week in college football is a fun week to sit back, and enjoy a few games with bowl implications. I will continue this series every week of the college football season while keeping score of my picks.