I-AA/FCS @ IA/FBS:
As has become the tradition,
there are certainly many teams stepping up
this week for their "money games".
Also, many teams are stepping down for their
customary "warm-up". The most notable
money games are Florida A&M at Miami (FL), Eastern Illinois at Iowa, Jacksonville State at Mississippi, UC-Davis at Cal, Stephen F. Austin at Texas A&M (this could also be in the upset watch list), NDSU at Kansas, and Youngstown State at Penn State.
Upset watch: The larger clubs are scheduling much smarter now than in years past. Lower echelon IA/FBS clubs are playing the same at the I-AA/FCS level. Some of the possible upsets include ...Hampton at Central Michigan (two rebuilding clubs), SE Louisiana at Tulane, Eastern Washington at Nevada, Richmond at Virginia, Wofford at Ohio, Sam Houston St. at Baylor,
Eastern Washington @ Nevada
Not to show age, but it seems like just a few years ago when this was a conference game. The Wolfpack was a very successful I-AA program and EWU was an "upstart". The boys from Reno will have very strong offense in 2010, but this may not be the case on the defensive side of the ball. EWU must watch out for the Nevada secondary, which are quick and ambitious. Stay on the ground and in the short passing game.
St. Francis (PA) at Liberty
These are two teams that I have a particular interest in watching in 2010. The Flames seem to be the consensus choice for the new auto-berth from the Big South. Meanwhile, St. Francis is making large on and off field strides under first-year head coach Chris Villarrial. It will be interesting to see if this transfers on to the score board and the "Win" column.
William & Mary @ Massachusetts
Well, a big game in week one of the CAA. The Tribe seems to be heavily-favored. For the Minutemen, this is Morris' second-year and reports were very favorable coming out of camp last week.
Southern Utah at Wyoming
SUU should be a much improved club in 2010. Probably not this improved, but one to track.
Fordham @ Bryant
This is really a game between two first-year independent clubs. For those that do not know, Fordham has begun to offer scholarships beginning in 2010. Being a violation of Patriot League rules (why the conference thinks people do not understand grants has always been a mystery), so they will compete as an independent. Bryant will be in their third season at the Division-I level and looking to compete for the new NEC auto-bid to the play-off.
Delaware State @ Southern
This is the 2010 MEAC/SWAC Challenge, and will be held in 0 Orlando, Fla. The game kicks off at 12:00 p.m., and will be televised live on ESPN, ESPN HD and ESPN3.com.
Eastern Kentucky at Missouri St.
This is always a great match-up. Do not overlook the Bears or the Colonels in 2010.
Bucknell @ Duquesne
The Dukes are looking to return to prominence at the mid-major ranks. Meanwhile, the Bison begin play in their historic 125th-season.
Appalachian State @ Chattanooga
Head Coach Russ Huesman guided the Mocs to a 6-5 record in 2009, and all indications are they will better this
record in 2010. A conference game in this first week is a little unusual. ASU is predicted to win the SoCon.
Stephen F Austin @ SE Louisiana
It was a tough decision to make (with UMass playing William and Mary), but this is our first "game-of-the-week" for 2010. This game will have a significant impact on the SLC in 2010.
