Group of Five Rundown: Year of the Sun Belt
A year ago, Cincinnati and Houston made the headlines and the American Athletic Conference led the way when it came to Group of Five programs.
With Marshall upsetting Notre Dame and Appalachian State taking down Texas A&M, as well as three other near-upsets of teams from Power 5 conferences in the last two weeks, this is turning into the Year of the Sun Belt.
Five teams from the Mid-American Conference are listed as underdogs by more than 20 points according to the college football lines. That is a result of three of them squaring off against ranked teams, with Kent State playing at No. 1 Georgia, Northern Illinois hitting the road to meet eighth-ranked Kentucky and Central Michigan visiting No. 14 Penn State.
Another game to watch for another reason is the Hawaii-New Mexico State contest as both teams were included in this week’s edition of college football’s Dirty Dozen.
Here is a look at some games those who bet online might want to keep an eye on.
Game of the Week
Indiana Hoosiers vs Cincinnati Bearcats
- Date, time, TV: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Line: Cincinnati -17
This Cincinnati team is not as talented as the group that earned one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff field in 2021. Still, any time the Bearcats get to face a Big Ten team, and especially an undefeated Big Ten team, it is a big deal.
Former Auburn running back Shaun Shivers is Indiana’s top rusher, although his numbers are just ordinary in two games against Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
Connor Bazelak and Cam Camper have connected 23 times in the first three games.
Former Eastern Michigan quarterback Ben Bryant has taken over at Cincinnati with Desmond Ridder off to the NFL and he is completing 70.1% of his passes for 863 yards.
Ivan Pace leads the Cincinnati defense with 6½ tackles for loss.
Players of the Game vs. Miami (OH):
▪️Offense: @Tylerscott21_
▪️Defense: @ivan_pacejr
▪️Special Teams: @GetLiveLT_11 #Bearcats | #TEAM pic.twitter.com/XmYkQ2Ppd4— Luke Fickell (@CoachFick) September 19, 2022
Other Games to Watch
TCU Horned Frogs vs SMU Mustangs
- Date, time, TV: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Line: TCU -1½
Former Southern Methodist coach Sonny Dykes returns to Dallas where he coached at SMU for the previous four seasons, so that is certainly an interesting subplot for this matchup.
TCU (2-0) is leading the Big 12 with an average of 521.5 yards per game. Max Duggan, who has lost his two previous starts against SMU, has completed 78% of his passes with five touchdown passes and no interceptions in two games. Eleven different players have at least two catches.
SMU (2-1) is second in the American Athletic Conference with nearly 350 passing yards per game, so the defensive backs could be busy.
TCU has covered against the college football odds in just four of its last 13 games.
James Madison Dukes vs Appalachian State Mountaineers
- Date, time, TV: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- Line: Appalachian State -7
It has been a smooth transition for James Madison moving from the FCS to FBS level.
The Dukes (2-0) outscored their first two opponents 107-14. Quarterback Todd Ceneio has nine touchdown passes and no interceptions and he is also the second-leading rusher.
Five of the TD throws have gone to Kris Thornton.
Appalachian State (2-1) has made waves with a near upset of North Carolina followed by a stunning win over nationally ranked Texas A&M.
Chase Brice has thrown nine touchdown passes while Camerun Peoples leads a deep pool of running backs.
Nick Hampton leads the Mountaineers with three sacks.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Miami Hurricanes
- Date, time, TV: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
- Line: Miami -25½
Middle Tennessee (2-1) is last in the Sun Belt in offense with an average of 311 yards per game. The Blue Raiders will be facing a Miami team that is averaging 475 yards of offense. The Hurricanes (2-1) have shown balance both running and passing the ball in 2022.
Jordan Ferguson, Marley Cook, Quindarius Dunnigan and Christian Dixon all have multiple sacks and they will look to make Miami quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Tyler Van Dyke uncomfortable.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs Ole Miss Rebels
- Date, time, TV: Saturday, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Line: Ole Miss -21
Tulsa (2-1) leads the country in passing offense with Davis Brin leading the way with 1,206 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and just one interception in the first three games. Keylon Stokes already has 28 catches for 457 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 16 Ole Miss (3-0) has allowed just one touchdown pass and an average of 192 passing yards, so it will be an intriguing game within game.
The Rebels have allowed only 13 points in the first three games and will look to slow down the talented Tulsa offense.
Tulsa has covered in three of the last four contests when the college football picks listed the Golden Hurricane as the underdog.
