Choosing C-USA: Week 3

Welcome to week three of Choosing C-USA! So far, this league has been relatively predictable...with a few notable exceptions. East division favorites FIU are off to a surprising 0-2 start and West division favorites North Texas struggled in a loss to SMU last week. With that said, we’ve got a respectable record as far as our picks go...that’s what you all really care about, right?

Last Week: 11-2

Season Total: 23-4

Saturday, September 14th

Ball State Cardinals vs Florida Atlantic Owls - 2 PM ET

FAU got a rough hand in the first two weeks with losses to Ohio State and UCF. I think they’ll put up a much better fight against Ball State. That being said, Ball State’s offensive has looked surprisingly stellar in the first two weeks. A lot of points will be scored, but Ball State is the pick.

UTSA Roadrunners vs Army Black Knights - 3:30 PM ET

Army took Michigan to double OT last week and clearly still have the capability to move the ball, as they did last year. In front of what could possibly be a 50-50 crowd in terms of fan support, it’s hard to believe the Black Knights don’t beat UTSA. Black Knights are the pick.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Louisville Cardinals - 4 PM PT

If nothing else, this should be a fun party down at a neutral site in Nashville. WKU bounced back in a decent way against FIU last week. Louisville, however, clearly have some impressive spark in them so far in Scott Satterfield’s first year. Expect the Cards to win once they get the rushing game going.

California Golden Bears vs North Texas Mean Green - 4:15 PM ET

I said this on the Pawdcast, but I’ll say it again. I thought North Texas was a lock for this going into the season. I’m a little less confident after watching their first two games. I’m still picking North Texas though because I’m just a believer in Mason Fine at this point.

Bowling Green Falcons vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs - 5 PM ET

Tech’s offense looked lackluster last week in a win over Grambling State, but they have more than enough firepower to blow by this Bowling Green team. Tech is the pick.

Charlotte 49ers vs UMass Minutemen - 6 PM ET

Charlotte keeps looking better and better with Will Healy in charge. UMass does not with two bad losses to start the year. 49ers should have this one in the bag.

Troy Trojans vs Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles - 6 PM ET

Troy is my pick. USM is clearly on the right track based on how Jack Abraham and that offense are performing, but Troy looks up to their usual ways of scoring a lot of points and could likely outpace their opponents.

Marshall Thundering Herd vs Ohio Bobcats - 6:30 PM ET

Marshall is the pick. Their offense clearly still has work to do, however, after the kind of performance they had last week against Boise State.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Duke Blue Devils - 7 PM ET

Asher O’Hara continued his string of strong performances last week against Tennessee State. I don’t think the Blue Raiders are quite ready to pull off a milestone win against an ACC team though. Duke wins, but it will be close.

FIU Panthers vs New Hampshire Wildcats - 7 PM ET

FIU are not off to good start, but if Jame Morgan can bounce back, they should still be victorious against the visiting FCS team.

Rice Owls vs #12 Texas Longhorns - 8 PM ET

Rice just keep losing important players after the injury to Wiley Green. It doesn’t help that Texas is deserving of a top ten ranking. Texas wins this one.