Weekly Preview - NC State visits Clemson, UCLA hosts Washington, Arkansas hosts Alabama

September 26, 2022 by Staff

There are 64 games on this week's schedule, and all but 13 are conference clashes. Six FBS teams will entertain a FCS school while just nine teams are idle.

Two games pit Super 16 Poll teams against each other - No. 11 NC State at No. 5 Clemson, and No. 14 Ole Miss at No, 9 Kentucky. All four teams are 4-0.

After a close escape at Wake Forest this past Saturday, the Tigers return home as mere 3.41-point favorites over the Wolfpack, according to the Congrove Computer Rankings at CollegeFootballPoll.com. Clemson has the longest home winning streak in the nation at 36 and Dabo Swinney's team will be looking to avenge last season's 27-21 overtime loss to NC State. 

Ole Miss gets a 4.96-point edge from the computer on its visit to Lexington. The Rebels lead the series 29-14-1 and are looking to start a season with a 5-0 record for the first time since 2014.

Get the Complete Schedule and Picks for every game, and visit the FanDuel Sportsbook for the most up-to-date odds.

In games involving the computer's top four teams, No. 1 Ohio State entertains Rutgers as a 33.12-point computer play, while No. 2 Alabama heads to Arkansas as a 13.98-point computer pick and a 16.5-point sportsbook favorite. Meanwhile, No. 3 Michigan is favored by just 5,43 at Iowa, and No. 4 Georgia is a 21.06-point road choice over Missouri.

Three of the top five odds-on Heisman favorites are the QB's of the Buckeyes (CJ Stroud), Tide (Bryce Young), and Bulldogs (Stetson Bennett).

The college football week begins Thursday night with the Battle for the Wagon Wheel when BYU (3-1) hosts a struggling Utah State (1-3) team. And Friday delivers a five-pack of games, including Washington at UCLA in a collision of 4-0 PAC-12 teams.

The list of Saturday's games to watch is quite long and includes the first installment of the round-robin competition for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy as Air Force hosts Navy.

We also get Oklahoma State at Baylor in a key Big 12 showdown and a rematch of last year's conference title game which was captured by the Bears.

Wake Forest visits Florida State as the Demon Deacons look to rebound from this past Saturday's double-OT loss to Clemson. The Seminoles are just a 0.98-point pick to defend home turf and open 5-0 for the first time since 2015.

Georgia Tech will play its first game under interim coach Brent Key after Geoff Collins was fired on Sunday. The Jackets travel to Pitt as a 31.19-point computer underdog.

Kansas will try to keep its perfect season going when the Jayhawks host Iowa State as a slim 1.49-point computer choice.

James Madison is favored to run its record to 4-0 in its debut season at the FBS level. The Dukes have a 9.81-point computer edge at home over Texas State while the sportsbooks like JMU by 20-1/2.

Texas Tech at Kansas State poses an interesting matchup. Both are coming off of huge wins after the Red Raiders beat the Longhorns in Lubbock and the 'Cats down Oklahoma in Norman.

Texas A&M goes on the road and finds itself as an 8.39-point computer underdog at Mississippi Stage.

And finally, Oregon State's near-miss on taking down USC gets rewarded with a trip to Utah.

FCS vs. FBS

There will be 118 FBS vs. FCS matchups this season with App State, Army and Marshall each playing two such games, and 115 other FBS schools playing one apiece.

There are six FBS-FCS games this week and the FBS school is no less than a 20-point favorite in any of them. Only 8 such games will remain to be played for the rest of the season. The FBS is 96-8 vs. the FCS this year, and 1,670-148 (.919) since we began tracking this in 2003.

Here are the FCS wins in 2022:
September 2: William & Mary 41, Charlotte 24
September 3: Delaware14, Navy 7
September 10: Weber State 35, Utah State 7
September 10: Incarnate Word 55, Nevada 41
September 10: Holy Cross 37, Buffalo 31
September 10: Eastern Kentucky 59, Bowling Green 57 (7 OT's)
September 17: Southern Illinois 31, Northwestern 24
September 24: Sacramento State 41, Colorado State 10

Streaks

CLEMSON - Won 10 straight over-all (FBS longest); Won 36 straight home games (FBS longest).
Last: Won 51-45 in 2OT at Wake Forest on Saturday, September 24.
Next: Hosts NC State on Saturday, October 1.

CINCINNATI: Won 16 straight conference games (FBS longest).
Last: Won 45-24 vs. Indiana on Saturday, September 24.
Next: Visits Tulsa on Saturday, October 1.

GEORGIA - Won 8 straight true road games (FBS longest).
Last: Won 39-22 vs. Kent State on Saturday, September 24.
Next: Visits Missouri on Saturday, October 1.

COLORADO STATE - Lost 10 straight over-all (FBS longest).
Last: Lost 41-10 vs. FCS member Sacramento State on Saturday, September 24.
Next: Visits Nevada on Friday, October 7.

FIU - Lost 18 straight games to FBS schools (FBS longest)
Last: Lost 73-0 at Western Kentucky on Saturday, September 24.
Next: Visits New Mexico State on Saturday, October 1.

VANDERBILT - Lost 22 straight conference games (FBS longest).
Last: Lost 55-3 at Alabama on Saturday, February 24.
Next: Hosts Mississippi on Saturday, October 8.

NEW MEXICO STATE - Lost 21 straight road games (FBS longest).
Last: Won 45-26 vs. Hawaii on Saturday, February 24.
Next: Hosts Florida International on Saturday, October 1.