Weekly Preview - College Football Swings Into Full Gear

August 28, 2017 by Dave Congrove

With Labor Day upon us, the 2017 college football season swings into full gear over a 5-day weekend beginning Thursday. 86 games now are on tap after officials announced on Tuesday that Houston's game at UTSA has been postponed. Presently, there is no room on the schedule for a make-up date as Houston's only open date is November 11 and UTSA's is September 30.

If the effects of Hurricane Harvey cause more games to be moved or cancelled, we will do our best to update you.

46 games this week match FBS programs with FCS schools. As a result, the weekend features several great intersectional matchups wrapped around a lot of filler.

Of course, no matter who your team is playing, it's a big game. And some of the more intriguing pairings are not necessarily among the higher-ranked teams.

Sure, everyone will be watching Florida State-Alabama, Florida-Michigan, Virginia Tech-West Virginia, and Tennessee-Georgia Tech. But you should also carve out some time to pay attention to Tulsa-Oklahoma State, Troy-Boise State, and Colorado-Colorado State.

FAU hosts Navy in Lane Kiffin's debut as head coach of the Owls, while Texas welcomes Maryland to Austin for Tom Herman's first game as head coach of the Longhorns.

Jeff Brohm's debut as head coach at Purdue pits the former Louisville quarterback against his alma mater and returning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. The Boilermakers and Cardinals will tee it off in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Butch Davis steps on the field as a head coach for the first time since the 2010 season when his FIU Panthers open at UCF on Thursday night.

Georgia gets a not-so-fluffy home opener against Appalachian State, while Wyoming at Iowa looks very inviting.

Notre Dame opens at home against Temple as a 17.5-point favorite in Vegas, but the Congrove Computer Rankings say it's more like 1.48.

Nine FBS teams actually began their season last week and only two of those schools - Stanford and Rice, are idle this week.

FBS vs. FCS

98 FBS teams play 1 FCS opponent this year. 46 of those games take place this week. The 98-game total for this season is down substantially from the 110 schools that played 113 games vs. FCS schools last year.

BYU's win over Portland State was the only FBS vs. FCS  last week in what was dubbed "week zero".  BYU unimpressively prevailed, 20-6.

Including BYU's win, FBS schools are 1,131-108 (.913) vs. the FCS since 2003.

Streaks

Alabama - Had 26-game winning streak snapped (was FBS longest) in a 35-31 loss to Clemson in the National Championship game. Won 36 straight regular season nonconference games (FBS longest). Won 11 straight road games (tied FBS longest). Won 17 straight conference games (FBS record). Won 24-7 vs. Washington in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 31. Lost 35-31 to Clemson in National Championship game on January 9. Plays Florida State in Atlanta on Saturday.

Oklahoma - Won 12 straight overall (FBS longest). Won 11 straight road games (tied FBS longest). Won 35-19 vs. Auburn in the Sugar Bowl on January 2. Hosts UTEP on Saturday.

Houston - Won 15 straight home games (tied FBS longest). Lost 34-10 to San Diego State in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 17. Game at UTSA on Saturday has been postponed.

Fresno State - Lost 10 straight overall (FBS longest). Lost 13 straight FBS games (FBS longest). Season complete. Hosts FCS member Incarnate Word on Saturday.

Rutgers - Lost 14 straight conference games (FBS longest). Hosts Washington on Friday.

Kansas - Lost 41 straight road games (FBS longest). Hosts FCS member Southeast Missouri State on Saturday.