College Football Tournament Week 2 - Setting the Table

Week 1 Recap

The national headlines will tell tales of a disastrous week for the Big XII, SEC dominance, and the unstoppable force of Tua Tagovailoa. Here at the College Football Tournament, we have similar headlines: a disastrous week for the American, Hawaii dominance, and the unstoppable force of Mason Fine. Half of Week 1’s ten eliminations came from the AAC, putting a dent in their “Power 6” claim and potentially the long term hopes of the top-level teams from the conference; Hawaii continues to be the most surprising team of the early season, with two notches already on the Rainbow Warrior elimination belt; Mason Fine torched SMU with a supremely efficient 40 completions for 444 yards and 3 TDs.

FCS teams also helped clear some bottom-feeders from the Tournament, claiming 4 victims - eliminating East Carolina, Temple, UTEP, and San Jose State.

FOW reader picks: Week 1: 4-2; Season: 5-3

FOW reader picks: Week 1: 4-2; Season: 5-3

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Week 2

The opening week did not provide a significant amount of drama or movement, but did set us up for some weeks of massive purge from the Tournament. Week 2 will feel like a hangover from the excitement of the season-opening game, but there is much to be decided in the underwhelming slate. We have an incredible 43 possible eliminations already in Week 2, including 14 Power-5 teams putting the season on the line this week. Nine teams are guaranteed to be eliminated, who will survive these do-or-die match ups?

1. Liberty @ Army (-10) – After Liberty paid ODU $1.32 million and survived their week 1 matchup, we are sending in the Army to take care of the Flames in Week 2. Intended for use in service of freedom around the globe, here in the College Football Tournament Army will be looking to blast Liberty back into darkness.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/8, 11:00 AM, CBS Sports

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2. Western Michigan @ Michigan (-27.5) - The Shea Patterson era got off to a shaky start, as the much heralded Ole Miss transfer was unable to provide the boost to the Wolverine offense that many prognosticators suggested all offseason. The star-studded Michigan defense also came out sluggish against Notre Dame, giving up two quick TDs to start the game. Overall, Michigan was so poor that alumni were getting suspended from their jobs for opinions on the matter. Now, the Big House will host the little brother Broncos with the entire season on the line – potentially being fully removed from the Playoff discussion before B1G play even starts. WMU put a nice scare into Syracuse, but are now staring down a 0-2 start as massive road underdogs.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/8, 11:00 AM, FS1

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3. Air Force @ Florida Atlantic (-10) – The Lane Train was fully derailed and exploded in a ball of fire in Norman, as FAU got steamrolled by 49-points in Week 1. Meanwhile, Air Force pitched a shut-out in a tune-up against a bottom-tier FCS squad. We’ll get a more accurate measure of these two in Week 2, as they each face a more appropriate opponent. Given the Week 1 performances, 10 points seems a bit much, but the oddsmakers are still in love with what Kiffin has brewing in Boca.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/8, 1:00 PM, CBS Sports

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4. Kansas @ Central Michigan (-7) – It’s hard to imagine a Power 5 team could be a touchdown underdog against any G5 squad, even on the road and even after just losing at home to an FCS team, but then you remember that Kansas beat Texas and you remember anything is possible.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/8, 2:00 PM, ESPN+

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5. Appalachian State (-14) @ Charlotte – Massive B1G upsets? There’s an App for that…unfortunately the Mountaineers didn’t upgrade their operating system to the 2018 version and ended up crashing in overtime against Penn State. With nothing especially difficult until the season finale against Troy, App. State could certainly make a deep run as a lingering G5 participant, but without that Nittany Lion pelt on the wall, it’ll be tough to even re-enter the NY6 conversation. Charlotte may be the most nondescript team in FBS, having just started the program in 2013 and moving to FBS in 2015...if you told me they actually play in Charlotte, Illinois, I’d probably believe you.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/8, 5:00 PM, ESPN+

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6. Massachusetts @ Georgia Southern (-3) – Which UMass joke will prevail?

>> Georgia Southern is the team that does its job. UMass be the other guy.

>> Unlike Missy Elliott, the College Football Tournament does want a Minuteman

Where to watch: Sat. 9/8, 5:00 PM, ESPN+

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7. UL Monroe @ Southern Miss (-6) – I have to admit that I fully turned my brain off to Monroe, mentally marking them as eliminated by their Week 1 FCS game, but the Warhawks scored a last minute TD to survive into the Week 2 pool. On the flip side, Southern Miss cruised through an easy victory in their FCS tune-up game. The key question for this matchup is – if you take the colors away, can you tell the difference between a Golden Eagle and a Warhawk?

Where to watch: Sat. 9/8, 6:00 PM, ESPN3

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8. UAB (-10) @ Coastal Carolina – In what should have been one of the best and most fearsome mascot matchups one could dream up, we are instead treated to something akin to when your Mom won’t buy you the Buzz Lightyear costume, so you walk around the neighborhood with cardboard boxes taped together for Halloween – Blaze the Dragon is basically just a scrapped Florida Gator concept with wings and Chauncey the Chanticleer is a Louisville Cardinal that got mixed up in the laundry. I’m just disappointed in the missed opportunity.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/8, 6:00 PM, ESPN+

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9. Rice @ Hawaii (-17) – Yummmmmm - Welcome to the Poke Bowl. Just as in the delectable Hawaiian dish, the Rice only exists as a forgotten side-kick, intended to be fully consumed by the pure flavor of the featured flavors. The Rainbow Warriors have become a primary ingredient here in the College Football Tournament, already eliminating squads from the MWC and the AAC, and now taking aim at C-USA. As the season’s favorite surprise, Hawaii hopes to avoid ending up on the other end of the surprise this week.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/8,11:00 PM, Stadium

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