Sunbelt, who started sponsoring football in 2001, has won
eight times to 70 losses in a match against the Big 12. A quarter of those
gains came on Saturday afternoon.
This is the first appearance no one could have anticipated
at the Big 12, which carried somewhat realistic hopes of putting multiple teams
in the hunt for college football during a season currently lacking in Pac-12
and Big Ten.
No. 25 Iowa lost to Louisiana Lafayette. Kansas lost to
Arkansas. While both are talented teams from the Group of Five - we'll touch on
both teams below - this kind of start for the Big 12 is a disaster, and deals a
real blow to the league's national credibility.
Here are the rest of the winners and losers on Saturday:
The winners
Sun belt
Let's be clear: There is very good football being played in
the Sun Belt. Two wins in one day against the Big 12 should help shine a
spotlight on teams outside of Appalachian State, the current king of the
conference and one of the best teams in the Group of Five. While not by the
standard set by the American, who is annually considered the leader of the
Group of Five in the New Year's Six Pots Race, Saturday's victories are
validating Arkansas, Louisiana and the conference as a whole.
Louisiana
The Ragin 'Cajuns are heading to the top 25 after Saturday's
win 31-14 in Iowa, although they probably should have been there already. But a
place in the Amway Coaches poll is a landmark of the program and the latest
sign that third-year coach Billie Napier is destined to land on the shortlist
for several Power Five openings, should schools decide to make a change in
training amid this environment.
Arkansas State
While the Red Wolves marks an annual post-season lockdown,
the show only had one win against Power Five: 18-14 win over Texas A&M in
2008. Perhaps the most impressive parts of Saturday's win in Kansas? The ASU
defense held the Wildcats to 91 yards to the ground and allowed the wildcats to
convert only one of 11 attempts in third.
West Virginia
The Mountaineers' 56-10 win against Eastern Kentucky
qualifies as the Big 12's best win on Saturday afternoon. It was also the only
win. (This is where we mention that his in-state rival Marshall beat EKU 59-0
last weekend.)
army
The Black Knights were ready to go from the start. After a
sporadic and somewhat disappointing 2019, the Army opened with a 42-0 win over
Central Tennessee and Saturday's 27-7 win over Louisiana Monroe. Last year’s
downturn looks like a temporary setback rather than a sign of things to come.
Spencer Rattler
The most recent Heisman Trophy Award contender in Oklahoma
finished his debut against Missouri with 290 lane yards and four touchdowns for
three incomplete cases. Not bad for a preparatory year student. The season
opener showed how the Sunners passing game would expand under Rattler after a
year of relying on a more balanced attacking plan under Galen Horts, who
finished second in Heisman's vote as a senior.
Texas Crime
Texas coach Tom Herman has attempted an off-season restart
by hiring two new coordinators: Mike Jurchic in attack and former Rutgers coach
Chris Ashe in defense. Early returns are positive. Longhorns' 59-3 victory over
choppy UTEP saw big-back Sam Ehlinger throw 429 yards and five touchdowns in
the first half.
Losers
Florida
What will be said about new coach Mike Norville after losing
16-13 at home to Georgia Tech in his first match? His tenure was a miserable
start after the Seminole lost to an opponent chosen to finish last in the conference.
The scary part: Georgia Tech beat FSU and should have won more than three
points only. The Yellow Jackets made multiple turns and two shot attempts were
blocked.
Iowa state
This is a bad setback for ISU and a worrying sign of a team
expected to take a place in the Top 25 list and take first place among the
first group in the Big 12. Is Louisiana any good? Hurricanes must hope for
that. If so, the transformation may come once the team enters the conference
schedule. And things turned
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