IdaGriz01
Well-known member
We now have some track records to base picks on, so here goes. Right up front, let me remind you that I never include Big Sky games in these polls because people vote their “hates” rather than really thinking about the matchups.
Three games are ranked-vs-ranked matchups and that always add some interest. But the other games I’ve included offer some interesting “story lines.”
That starts with the UNI game. Indiana State’s only loss was to FBS Louisville, then they won handily on the road at Eastern Illinois. Now they’re at home for their conference opener -- Possible upset?
It’s also the conference opener for South Dakota and SIU. I ranked SIU the (slight) underdog because of who the two teams have played. Both have wins against weak sisters (Murray State for USD, Northern Colorado for SIU.) Both lost to FBS teams. I give USD a slight plus since their other loss was to ranked Weber State, while SIU lost to unranked SE Missouri State.
Austin Peay dropped out of the top-25 with their loss this past weekend, but they are supposed to be a good team and could stage a bounce-back. That’s mostly why I included the Samford game: They were supposed to be a strong team (worried FBS Florida State), so perhaps they too are ready for a bounce-back.
I threw in the William & Mary vs #24 Colgate game to see how many wonder if Colgate is for real. W&M, with losses to FBS Virginia Tech and #2 JMU, should provide a strong test playing at home.
Harvard is not ranked, but they’ve looked pretty good so far. At home, they should be a good test for the Rams.
Two picks allowed, and you can change them later if you want to.
Three games are ranked-vs-ranked matchups and that always add some interest. But the other games I’ve included offer some interesting “story lines.”
That starts with the UNI game. Indiana State’s only loss was to FBS Louisville, then they won handily on the road at Eastern Illinois. Now they’re at home for their conference opener -- Possible upset?
It’s also the conference opener for South Dakota and SIU. I ranked SIU the (slight) underdog because of who the two teams have played. Both have wins against weak sisters (Murray State for USD, Northern Colorado for SIU.) Both lost to FBS teams. I give USD a slight plus since their other loss was to ranked Weber State, while SIU lost to unranked SE Missouri State.
Austin Peay dropped out of the top-25 with their loss this past weekend, but they are supposed to be a good team and could stage a bounce-back. That’s mostly why I included the Samford game: They were supposed to be a strong team (worried FBS Florida State), so perhaps they too are ready for a bounce-back.
I threw in the William & Mary vs #24 Colgate game to see how many wonder if Colgate is for real. W&M, with losses to FBS Virginia Tech and #2 JMU, should provide a strong test playing at home.
Harvard is not ranked, but they’ve looked pretty good so far. At home, they should be a good test for the Rams.
Two picks allowed, and you can change them later if you want to.
