Some Thursday Previews.

[Greenbacks]

Florida International at Central Florida.

Central Florida kicks off Year 2 of the Scott Frost era Thursday against visiting Florida International, a Conference USA squad hoping to be energized by the hiring of onetime University of Miami coach Butch Davis. UCF has increased expectations of its own after making strides last season, going 6-7 with a Cure Bowl defeat after a winless 2015 campaign.
Frost's up-tempo offense, a work in progress a year ago, rang up 501 yards -- 276 rushing, 225 passing -- and seven touchdowns (six rushing) in last season's crushing 53-14 victory over FIU. But these Panthers, despite returning 15 starters, may look nothing like that demoralized squad thanks to Davis and his new coaching staff. "We'll watch a few games from last year for personnel reasons and then we're trying to find whatever tape we can to try to have the best guess at what they're going to do," Frost told reporters. "It's a challenge, but typically in your first game, you're going to run what we've been practicing with fall camp anyway." UCF was one of the nation's most-improved teams in 2016 and can't afford to stumble in winnable games if it wants to compete for the American Athletic Conference East Division title.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Central Florida -17

ABOUT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (2016: 4-8): Despite his six-year coaching hiatus after he was fired by North Carolina in July 2011 because of an NCAA investigation, Davis brings optimism to a team that began last season 0-4 then rallied to win four of its last eight games. The offense has some talent led by star running back Alex Gardner, the school's all-time leading rusher with 2,272 career yards after running for 930 last season, but senior quarterback Alex McGough needs more protection up front (30 sacks allowed) to help him cut back on his mistakes after he threw 11 picks a year ago. The defense allowed 34.8 points per game last season, but Davis is a defensive specialist and the unit returns nine starters spearheaded by the senior linebacking tandem of Treyvon Williams and Anthony Wint, the team's top tacklers a year ago with 109 and 108, respectively.

ABOUT UCF (2016: 6-7): Quarterback McKenzie Milton gets the nod once again after throwing for 1,983 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a freshman last season. An improved offensive line figures to make his job easier as will the return of star wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith, who hauled in 57 catches for 853 yards and five scores. Still, the success of the Knights may rest heavily on a defense that returns only four starters but one is outside linebacker Shaquem Griffin, the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year who did it all in 2016 with 11.5 sacks, 92 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, seven broken-up passes and two forced fumbles.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Last year, UCF became only the eighth team in NCAA FBS history to have gone from winless to a bowl game in one season.

2. The Knights have won eight of their last nine home openers, with the lone defeat coming to FIU 15-14 in 2015.

3. Milton set a UCF freshman record for completions with 194 in 336 attempts over 10 games.

 

[Greenbacks]

Presbyterian at Wake Forest.

Wake Forest opens its season Thursday at home against Presbyterian with an experienced quarterback and hopes of earning a second consecutive bowl berth despite a rugged ACC schedule. Senior quarterback John Wolford will make his 34th career start in the season opener – his fourth consecutive opening-game start – one season after starting 11 games and directing the Demon Deacons to their first bowl berth in five years.
The good news for Wake Forest is along with Wolford and quarterback Kendall Hinton, they return most of their backfield and top receivers from a season ago. “I think we’re finally at a point that the talent on the offensive side of the ball has caught up with the defense,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson told reporters last week. The bad news is that unit finished 124th in the nation in total offense, not to mention a schedule that features four road games in a five-game stretch in October, and back-to-back games against No. 3 Florida State and No. 5 Clemson. The Blue Hose return 13 starters from last season for the start of Tommy Spangler’s second term as head coach.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network. LINE: None.

ABOUT PRESBYTERIAN (2016: 2-9, 1-4 Big South): Spangler led the Blue Hose from 2001-06, going 42-24, and spent the past three seasons as Presbyterian’s defensive coordinator. Quarterback Ben Cheek has started 12 of the Blue Hose’s past 15 games, passing for 837 yards a season ago, and All-Big South second-team receiver DaShawn Davis (42 receptions in 2016) figures to be a focal point of the offense. Linebacker Grant Beidel returns after leading Presbyterian with 75 tackles last season.

ABOUT WAKE FOREST (2016: 7-6, 3-5 ACC): Wolford passed for 1,774 yards a season ago and was impressive in preseason camp, beating out Hinton for the starting nod, but has thrown more interceptions (35) than touchdowns (30) in his career. Leading rushers Matt Colburn (626 yards) and Cade Carney (589 yards) are back, as is defensive tackle Zeek Rodney, a 12-game starter in 2015 who sat out last season for personal reasons. Wake Forest’s defense lost four of its top six tacklers from last season and defensive coordinator Mike Elko left for Notre Dame.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Demon Deacons were third in the ACC and 23rd nationally in scoring defense a season ago, allowing 22.2 points per contest.

2. Returning Wake Forest receivers Tabari Hines, Cam Serigne (TE) and Cortez Lewis combined for 1,288 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season.

3. Wake Forest DL Paris Black will miss the first three games for a violation of team rules.

 

[Greenbacks]

Buffalo at Minnesota.

The P.J. Fleck era begins at Minnesota on Thursday when the Golden Gophers open their season with a non-conference contest against visiting Buffalo. Fleck is in his first season as head coach with Minnesota after a successful run at Western Michigan, which included a 13-1 campaign in 2016 that ended in the Cotton Bowl.
The Golden Gophers ended their season in a bowl as well in 2016, defeating Washington State 17-12 in the Holiday Bowl, but it wasn't enough for the school to keep Tracy Claeys around after his 19 games as head coach. Fleck will be changing the offense quite a bit, including going with "co-starters" at quarterback in senior Conor Rhoda and sophomore Demry Croft. Fleck says the two will split time equally and he won't make a decision on playing one more than the other until later in the season, if he does at all. Coach Lance Leipold's squad has struggled defensively in his first two seasons at Buffalo, which is why he's hoping 6-7 sophomore quarterback Tyree Jackson can build on the promise he showed as a freshman.

TV: 7 p.m. ET. Big Ten Network. LINE: Minnesota -25

ABOUT BUFFALO (2016: 2-10): The Bulls' defense had problems last season, but the hope is that seven returning starters will make Buffalo a little tougher to move the ball on in 2017. However, defensive coordinator Brian Borland must shore up a run defense which allowed a school-record 253.2 yards per game last season. An experienced and quick linebacking corps, led by middle linebacker Khalil Hodge (seventh in nation in tackles per game with 10.25 last year), could help to stack the line and force teams to beat the Bulls through the air this season.

ABOUT MINNESOTA (2016: 9-4): Fleck has been installing the no-huddle offense that he favored at Western Michigan since he came to Minneapolis, but that doesn't mean that the Golden Gophers are going to be passing most of the time. Last season's Western Michigan offense, which averaged 41.6 points, rushed the ball 45 times a game compared to 27 passes. Throw in the fact that Minnesota has juniors Rodney Smith (1,158 yards, 16 TDs) and Shannon Brooks (650, five) in the backfield, and it stands to reason that the Gophers will look to punish teams with the ground attack.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Senior LB Jonathan Celestin is the leading returning tackler for Minnesota, having racked up 80 stops a season ago.

2. The Golden Gophers are one of the youngest teams in the nation, with 50 of their 112 players (44.6 percent) being freshmen or redshirt freshmen.

3. Minnesota first-year coaches are 19-9-1 in their debuts with the Golden Gophers, though the six most recent head coaches all lost their first game.

 

[Greenbacks]

Austin Peay at Cincinnati.

Luke Fickell has big shoes to fill as Cincinnati's new head coach - and he'll get his first chance at leading the Bearcats back into bowl consideration as they open their season Thursday night against visiting Austin Peay. Cincinnati missed out on the bowl conversation last year in Tommy Tuberville's final season at the helm and a strong showing in the opener could be just what Fickell and the Bearcats need.
After kicking off his Cincinnati tenure with a pair of 9-4 campaigns, Tuberville saw his sheen wear off in a big way - capped by a dismal 4-8 showing last season that prompted the former Power Five coach to retire. Fickell, previously an assistant coach at Ohio State, inherits a Bearcats roster that returns more than half its starters from last season - including promising quarterback Hayden Moore and electric wide receiver Devin Gray. Fickell's biggest task will be reviving a moribund running game that ranked 117th nationally and he has enlisted former Notre Dame offensive guru Mike Denbrock to make it happen. Thursday should represent a nice testing ground for that Cincinnati offense against a Governors team that surrendered nearly 50 points per game en route to an 0-11 showing last season.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: Off

ABOUT AUSTIN PEAY (2016: 0-11): Being outscored 517-259 in 2016 hasn't instilled much confidence in the Governors from experts who have the team tabbed to repeat as Ohio Valley Conference bottom-dwellers yet again. Austin Peay's losing streak currently sits at 27 games - the longest active run in Division I - and while that isn't likely to end Thursday night, the program does have some promise after the strongest recruiting period in school history. Among the returnees are running back Kentel Williams, who averaged 5.4 yards per carry while scoring six rushing touchdowns in 11 games and quarterback JaVaughn Craig, who posted six TD passes and just two interceptions while adding three rushing scores in limited action.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (2016: 4-8): Gray emerged as one of the Bearcats' most consistent offensive options last season, racking up 58 catches for 860 yards to go along with five touchdowns, and look for him to play an even larger role in the offense as he and Moore continue to work on their chemistry. Moore had a bit of a roller-coaster campaign under center, opening the season on fire before being plagued by injuries and inconsistency, but he ended the year on a solid note while piling up 371 passing yards and three touchdowns in an overtime loss to Tulsa. New defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman will need to rebuild a unit that saw six starters depart, including all three starting linebackers.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Bearcats averaged 104 fewer passing yards in 2016 than they had the season before, dropping from sixth to 44th nationally.

2. Cincinnati scored eight rushing touchdowns last season, tied for the fewest in Division I.

3. Austin Peay has just one victory over the last four full seasons - a 20-13 triumph over Murray State on Oct. 18, 2014.

 

[Greenbacks]

Holy Cross at Connecticut.

Randy Edsall begins his second stint as coach at Connecticut when the Huskies host FCS foe Holy Cross on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams. Edsall, who went 74-70 in 12 years at UConn before parlaying a Fiesta Bowl berth into an ill-fated stop at Maryland, looks to right a program that has not had a winning season since he left five years ago and went 11-26 under Bob Diaco over the past three campaigns.
UConn will turn to David Pindell at quarterback after the Lackawanna Community College transfer beat out incumbent senior Bryant Shirreffs for the starting nod. Pindell is a dual threat in the backfield as he rushed for 459 yards with seven touchdowns while throwing 31 scoring passes and piling up 2,424 yards in the air as Lackawanna went 10-0 during the regular season last year. The Huskies return six starters on offense including running back Arkeel Newsome, who racked up 1,257 yards from scrimmage last season and scored a team-high seven touchdowns. Holy Cross last reached the postseason in 2009, when it won nine times and hasn't won more that six in a season since.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3.com, SNY

ABOUT HOLY CROSS (2016: 4-7): The Crusaders were picked to finish fourth in the Patriot league's preseason coaches' poll paced by all-conference linebacker Nick McBeath, one of a dozen returning starters. McBeath led the conference with 106 tackles last season but Holy Cross still struggled defensively allowing 32.3 points a game (sixth in the Patriot League). Peter Pujals returns at quarterback after an injury-riddled campaign and enters the season ranked second all-time at Holy Cross in career completions (833), pass attempts (1,366) and yards of total offense (10,524).

ABOUT UCONN (3-9): Cornerback Jamar Summers set an American Athletic Conference record with eight interceptions in 2015 and while he picked off only two passes last season he is regarded as one of the nation's best. UConn was woeful offensively in 2016, averaging 14.8 points a game which ranked last in the nation. Edsall led the Huskies to five bowl berths in his final seven seasons at UConn and looks to reinvigorate a program that lost its last six games last season and played in front of sparse crowds throughout the campaign.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Edsall was 22-34 in five seasons at Maryland with only two bowl berths
829
2. Shirreffs served as UConn's primary starter for the last two years, throwing for at least 2,000 yards each season with a combined 829 rushing over that stretch.

3. Holy Cross leads the all-time series 19-8-1 but the teams haven't met since 1985.

 

[Greenbacks]

North Dakota at Utah.

The new season has yet to begin for Utah – that will happen Thursday night when the Utes host North Dakota – but already there’s been a notable upset in Salt Lake City. Sophomore Tyler Huntley, and not returning starter Troy Williams or Alabama transfer Cooper Bateman – a pair of seniors – will start at quarterback for Utah.
Coach Kyle Whittingham made the announcement on Aug. 21, giving the nod to the athletic Huntley, who attempted seven passes and had nine rushing attempts in four games last season as a true freshman. Whittingham left the QB decision up to new offensive coordinator Troy Taylor, and the head coach green-lighted the call to go with Florida’s 2015 Gatorade High School Player of the Year. “Tyler has a lot of upside,” Whittingham told reporters last week. “He’s very athletic. It was an intense competition, and there was little separation. With Tyler’s mobility and with the upside we think he has, that is the direction we went.” Williams, who will still serve as an offensive captain, will be the primary backup after starting all 13 games for the Utes last season and finishing fifth in the Pac-12 in passing yards with 2,757.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Utah -22


ABOUT NORTH DAKOTA (2016: 9-3, 8-0 Big Sky: The Fighting Hawks are the favored in the preseason coaches and media polls to repeat as champs of the FCS-level Big Sky Conference after tying Eastern Washington atop the standings a year ago. That earned coach Bubba Schweigert conference coach of the year honors, and he’ll have 14 offensive and defensive returning starters to work with in his fourth season. Senior safety Cole Reyes, the Big Sky preseason Defensive Player of the Year, headlines the crop of returnees while third-year starting quarterback Keaton Studsrud and preseason All-Big Sky running backs John Santiago and Brady Oliveira lead the offense.

ABOUT UTAH (2016: 9-4, 5-4 Pac-12): Despite owning one of the conference’s least-experienced rosters with 10 returning starters, the Utes have been picked to finish second to No. 4-ranked USC in the South Division. To get there, though, Utah will have to replace five of its six first- or second-team All-Pac 12 selections a season ago, including a pair of offensive-line standouts and leading-rusher Joe Williams. The Utes did get a huge boost last week with the return to practice of 2016 leading tackler and 2016 All-Pac 12 honorable-mention safety Chase Hansen, who had been sidelined for the first three weeks of camp with an unspecified injury.

EXTRA POINTS

1. This will be the first meeting between the teams, but Utah has beaten its last four FCS foes by an average score of 48-5.

2. North Dakota is playing an FBS opponent for the fourth straight season after falling to 4-8 Bowling Green 27-26 a year ago.

3. Utah junior punter Mitch Wishnowsky is a first-team Associated Press Preseason All-America selection after the Ray Guy Award winner led the nation in net average last season at 44.6 yards.

 

[Greenbacks]

Tulsa at Oklahoma State.

Mike Gundy spent the better part of the offseason using his mullet to promote the Oklahoma State "brand", but as a coach entering his 13th season with the school, he'd like nothing more than for his offense to take center stage for the rest of the year. Buoyed by perhaps the most electric trio of offensive playmakers in the Big 12, the 11th-ranked Cowboys begin their quest for a third consecutive 10-win season on Thursday when they host Tulsa.
Mason Rudolph is the Big 12's leading returning passer and running back Justice Hill is the league's second-leader rusher, while preseason All-American James Washington is considered by some draft analysts as the top senior receiver in the country. Along with defending national champion Clemson, the Cowboys were the other FBS team last season to boast a 4,000-yard passer (Rudolph), a 1,000-yard rusher (Hill) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Washington). Although school record-setting quarterback Dane Evans, American Athletic Conference-leading rusher James Flanders and two 1,000-yard receivers (Keevan Lucas and Josh Atkinson) have all moved on to greener pastures, the Golden Hurricane still possess a fair amount of their own firepower from the nation's sixth-highest scoring offense from 2016. Senior running back D'Angelo Brewer finished third in the AAC in rushing with 1,425 yards, while Justin Hobbs and Keenan Johnson hope to become the third set of Tulsa receivers in as many years to top 1,000 yards.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1. LINE: Oklahoma State -18.

ABOUT TULSA (2016: 10-3): Sophomore Chad President and freshman Luke Skipper are locked in a tight competition to replace Evans, who threw for 11,680 yards and 84 touchdowns in his career with the Golden Hurricane. A preseason candidate for the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards, Brewer is coming off a season in which had ran for over 100 yards six times and should benefit from an offensive line that returns four of five starters. Tulsa lost its top two tacklers from a season ago in linebackers Trent Martin and Matt Linscott, but head coach Philip Montgomery likes what he has on the defensive line and in the secondary, especially defensive end Jeremy Smith (team-high 13.5 tackles for loss).

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (2016: 10-3): Rudolph enters the season ranked in the top six among active FBS players in five career categories: passing yards (8,714; third), passing yards per game (300.5; second), passing yards per attempt (9.1; second), pass efficiency (154.12; third) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (55:17; sixth). Washington's 26 career receiving touchdowns is the highest total among all active FBS players heading into 2017, while his 2,923 career receiving yards and 19.2 career yards per reception lead all active receivers from Power 5 conferences. Cornerback Adrian Baker, a graduate transfer from Clemson, should give the Cowboys a lift at cornerback in a secondary led by preseason All-Big 12 free safety Tre Flowers, who has 200 career tackles and is one of only five starters returning on defense.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Washington is only of only three Cowboys with 10 or more receiving touchdowns in multiple seasons and one of five with multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

2. Tulsa set a school record in 2016 with eight 300-yard rushing games.

3. Hill's 1,142 yards rushing last season led all FBS freshmen and was the fifth-best single-season effort from a freshman in Big 12 history.

 

[Greenbacks]

Ohio State at Indiana.

Ohio State goes into another season with high expectations and will be tested right out of the gate on the road, as the second-ranked Buckeyes visit Indiana on Thursday for an early Big Ten matchup. J.T. Barrett returns at quarterback for Ohio State with Heisman Trophy aspirations after completing 61.5 percent of his passes, throwing for 24 touchdowns and running for nine scores last season.
“His accuracy and just his energy level now are incredible,” Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer told reporters of Barrett. “He’s providing that energy for everybody. He’s always done that, but … he’s got complete ownership of everything going on in that offense.” Tom Allen, who begins his first full season as coach at Indiana, hopes to end Ohio State’s 22-game winning streak in the series on the way to leading the Hoosiers to their third straight Bowl appearance. Indiana has the benefit of a productive senior quarterback in Richard Lagow (3,362 passing yards in 2016) and an All-American caliber senior linebacker in Tegray Scales (33.5 career tackles for loss). The Hoosiers will have to contain a talented Buckeyes offense that will be led by first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, who was fired as Indiana’s coach in December after going 26-47 over six years in Bloomington.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Ohio State -21

ABOUT OHIO STATE (2016: 11-2): Barrett rushed for 100 yards three times while throwing just seven interceptions last year, but he will have to be even better with the departure of his top three receivers from 2016. Parris Campbell could step up to a key swing role on offense and the Buckeyes will depend a lot on sophomore running back Mike Weber (1,096 yards, nine TDs), who is expected to play after being slowed by a hamstring injury in the preseason. Three high draft picks from the secondary must be replaced on a defense that is led by lineman Tyquan Lewis (eight sacks last year) as Ohio State opens the season against a Big Ten team for the first time since 1975.

ABOUT INDIANA (2016: 6-7): Allen will be looking for more efficiency from Lagow, who completed 57.8 percent of his passes in 2016 and had 19 touchdown tosses but also threw 17 interceptions - four in his last two games. The Hoosiers do not have a running back returning that gained at least 250 yards, although they have a talented receiving corps that is led by junior Nick Westbrook (54 catches, 995 yards, six TDs in 2016). The status of junior Simmie Cobbs, who missed most of last season with an injury after registering 1,035 yards on 60 catches in 2015, is uncertain for the opener after he was arrested last month.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Ohio State TE Marcus Baugh, the team’s top returning pass catcher (24 for 269 yards in 2016), is probable after being hampered by a toe injury during the preseason.

2. Indiana K Griffin Oakes has converted 53 career field goals and needs one to pass Mitch Ewald as the school’s all-time leader.

3. Meyer is 61-6 in five years since coming to Ohio State, with just two losses in 41 Big Ten games, and 15-0 in season openers during his career.

 

[Greenbacks]

Florida A&M vs Arkansas.

After a disappointing end to last season, Arkansas is anxious to get a head start this year when they travel to War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark., to host Florida A&M on Thursday in the Razorbacks' season opener. Arkansas wants to erase the bitter taste of two late-season defeats that saw a potentially successful campaign head south in a hurry.
The Hogs hope to find consistency on offense led by a traditionally strong running game that can control the clock and wear down opposing defenses with a punishing offensive line. Though Arkansas lost star running back Rawleigh Williams to a career-ending neck injury during spring practice that forced him to retire, Devwah Whaley figures to fill those cleats admirably as the new featured tailback. The sophomore saw success in a limited role last season, rushing for 602 yards while averaging 5.5 yards per carry and landed on the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award. "Last year, as the season wore on, we really thought in certain situations he was a guy that we thought would beat out Rawleigh by the end of the spring and fall," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema told reporters. "And he hasn't done anything to disappoint us in that regard ... I think he's got the bag of all tricks.''

TV: 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network. LINE: Arkansas -51

ABOUT ARKANSAS (2016: 7-6): The Razorbacks struggled on defense last season, allowing 6.75 yards per play. That led to a change at defensive coordinator as former Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads, who served as defensive backs coach last season, takes over a defensive unit that was victimized too often by the big play last season. "I don’t know if embarrassed is the wrong word, but I don’t know if it’s the right word,” Rhoads told Tulsa World. “Nonetheless, we gave up too many yards last year; we gave up too many points and too many big plays.''

ABOUT FLORIDA A&M (1-0): The Rattlers opened their season against Texas Southern on Aug. 26, using a strong defensive effort and balanced offense at home to carve out a 29-7 victory. Florida A&M held the Tigers to 202 yards of total offense -- 62 on the ground, but figure to be in for a bigger challenge while facing an SEC opponent. Quarterback Ryan Stanley threw for one touchdown and ran for another while the backfield tandem of Devin Bowers and Ricky Henrilus combined for 122 yards on the ground.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arkansas opens the season in Little Rock for the first time since 2009.

2. The Razorbacks have won 10 consecutive home openers, outscoring their opponents by an average of 44.2-14.8.

3. Returning Arkansas QB Austin Allen led the SEC in 200-plus yard games (11), yards per attempt (8.6) and completions for a first down (150). He also threw for 300 or more yards four times -- all in SEC games.

 

[Greenbacks]

UL Monroe at Memphis.

Riley Ferguson and Anthony Miller will look to take the Memphis offense to the next level as they begin their senior season Thursday in a non-conference game against visiting Louisiana-Monroe. The quarterback-wide receiver tandem spearheaded the top passing attack in the American Athletic Conference a season ago, but now with a more experienced offensive line, the duo could take the Tigers' show national.
Ferguson threw a school record 32 touchdown passes -- 13 to Miller -- to surpass the mark set by Paxton Lynch, who went on to become a first round draft pick of the Denver Broncos. Miller followed suit by setting school records with 95 receptions and 1,434 receiving yards, the latter breaking the mark set by Isaac Bruce, who is one of 14 players with 1,000 career receptions in the NFL. The Warhawks have yet to settle on a starting quarterback as Caleb Evans and Garrett Smith have each seen time with the first team in practice after splitting the duties under center last season. Neither was particularly effective last season in Matt Viator's first season as coach as the duo combined for 2,071 yards with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Memphis -26

ABOUT ULM (2016: 4-8): The Warhawks return their top two rushers from last season in junior Ben Luckett and senior Thomas Koufie, who together ran for 880 yards and 14 touchdowns a season ago. Sophomores Duke Carter IV and Austin Vaughn will also be part of backfield that will run behind senior left guard Frank Sutton, Jr., one of three returning starters on the offensive line and the only member of the team to earn preseason All-Sun Belt honors. David Griffith and Chase Day, the team leaders in tackles and tackles for loss, return for a defensive unit that surrendered 39.1 points per game last season.

ABOUT MEMPHIS (2016: 8-5): If the offense had a weakness last season it was on the line, which was slow to adjust to the new scheme implemented by position coach Ryan Silverfield. That shouldn't be a problem this season as the unit returns four starters in center Drew Kyser, guards Dustin Woodard and Gabe Kuhn, and tackle Trevon Tate while adding competition in the form of four-star recruit Obinna Eze and transfers Roger Joseph, Harneet Gill and Tauvaga Ho Ching II. In addition to Miller, who needs 71 receptions to become the school's all-time leader, the Tigers also return senior receiver Phil Mayhue, who at 6-3 gives Ferguson a bigger target than the 5-11 Miller.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Mayhue, who totaled 42 receptions for 677 yards and four touchdowns last season, brings a 28-game reception streak into the season.

2. Memphis sophomore RB Tony Pollard was the AAC Special Teams Player of the Year in 2016 after racking up 1,068 returns yards and two touchdowns.

3. Only Washington's Jake Browning and Dante Pettis connected for more touchdowns (15) than Ferguson and Miller did last season.

 

[Greenbacks]

New Mexico State at Arizona State.

Arizona State heads into its season opener against visiting New Mexico State on Thursday with most of its key offensive personnel back from last campaign but a number of new coordinators on its coaching staff. Billy Napier takes over as offensive coordinator after spending the past four seasons as wide receivers coach at Alabama, and Phil Bennett will run the defense after serving in the same role for Baylor over the last six campaigns.
Manny Wilkins returns at quarterback for the Sun Devils after passing for 2,329 yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games last season. Wilkins is expected to be more cautious with his running style, as he missed two games due to injury last year and was banged up in a handful of others. Blake Barnett, a transfer from Alabama, is waiting in the wings should Wilkins struggle or get injured again. New Mexico State hasn’t won more than four games in a season in the last 12 years, but the Aggies also return their starting quarterback, leading rusher and seven of their top eight receivers.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Pac 12 Network. LINE: Arizona State -23

ABOUT NEW MEXICO STATE (2016: 3-9): Seven starters return on offense for the Aggies - including senior quarterback Tyler Rogers, who threw for 2,589 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. Interceptions have plagued Rogers in his three-year career, as he's been picked off 38 times while throwing 42 scoring passes. Five of his 12 interceptions last year were in the red zone, but he still led the Sun Belt Conference in passing efficiency (116.7).

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (2016: 5-7): Senior running backs Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage are expected to get the bulk of the carries for the third consecutive season, and they'll look to improve after each put up better numbers in 2015. The top returning receiver is 6-4 sophomore N'Keal Harry, who made a team-high 58 catches for 659 yards and five touchdowns last year. DJ Calhoun will anchor the defense after leading the Sun Devils with 77 tackles last season, including 11 1/2 for a loss, and fellow senior linebacker Koron Crump finished tied for third in the Pac-12 with nine sacks.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arizona State has averaged 37.8 penatly yards over the last five seasons - the fourth-fewest in the nation behind Navy (25.2), Army (36.2) and Air Force (37.7).

2. The Sun Devils are one of three Division I teams that does not return a kicker or punter who had at least one attempt last season.

3. New Mexico State RB Larry Rose III set a single-season school record with 1,651 rushing yards in 2015, then missed the first three games last year after undergoing sports hernia surgery before recording 865 yards on the ground.

 

[Greenbacks]

Rot.	Team	Spread	Money Line	Total Points	Team Points
Thursday, Aug 31, 2017 - NCAA Football Game
169	FIU			+17	-113			+700			Ov	56½	-112			Ov	20	-115		Un	20	-115
170	Central Florida			-17	-107			-950			Un	56½	-108			Ov	37	-115		Un	37	-115
215	Presbyterian			+40	-110
216	Wake Forest			-40	-110
135	Buffalo			+24	-110						Ov	50	-110			Ov	13	-115		Un	13	-115
136	Minnesota			-24	-110						Un	50	-110			Ov	37	-115		Un	37	-115
217	Austin Peay			+46½	-110
218	Cincinnati			-46½	-110
219	Tennessee St			+15½	-110
220	Georgia State			-15½	-110
221	Elon			+44½	-110
222	Toledo			-44½	-110
223	Rhode Island			+34½	-110
224	Central Michigan			-34½	-110
199	Tulsa			+17½	-103			+725			Ov	69½	-112			Ov	27	-110		Un	27	-120
200	Oklahoma State			-17½	-117			-1000			Un	69½	-108			Ov	43½	-115		Un	43½	-115
225	Holy Cross			+25½	-110
226	Connecticut			-25½	-110
227	North Dakota			+20½	-110
228	Utah			-20½	-110
133	Ohio State			-21	-116						Ov	57½	-105			Ov	38½	-125		Un	38½	-105
134	Indiana			+21	-104						Un	57½	-115			Ov	17½	-120		Un	17½	-110
229	Florida A&M			+48½	-110
230	Arkansas			-48½	-110
137	Louisiana Monroe			+25½	-110						Ov	63	-113			Ov	17½	-130		Un	17½	+100
138	Memphis			-25½	-110						Un	63	-107			Ov	44	-120		Un	44	-110
231	Sacramento St			+23½	-110
232	Idaho			-23½	-110
139	New Mexico State			+22	-105						Ov	69½	-108			Ov	23½	+100		Un	23½	-120
140	Arizona State			-22	-115						Un	69½	-112			Ov	46	-115		Un	46	-115

 

[Greenbacks]

Odds above are from BETONLINE.

 

[indiana]

G/B........appreciate the info.........BOL with action this weekend.........indy

 

[Greenbacks]

No problem indy.

Good luck tonight!