Conference USA is home to 14 NCAA schools. The East division is home to Charlotte, FAU, FIU, Marshall, MTSU, Old Dominion, and WKU. The West division is home to UAB, LA Tech, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss, UTEP, and UTSA. Here is the break downs of each team’s 2018 season along with their accomplishments, as well as what they can improve on to have a successful 2019 season.

C-USA East Division:

University of North Carolina-Charlotte: Charlotte finished the season with a 4-4 conference record, going 5-7 overall. Although Charlotte had one of the least productive offenses and one of least efficient defenses in the 2018 season, fans can expect improvements on offense and defense as Charlotte will be under a new coaching staff for the 2019 season. Charlotte hired Head Coach Will Healy to take over for the 49ers. Healy has a record of 13-21 as a head coach at Austin Peay (0-11, 8-4, 5-6). Charlotte will return their starting Quarterback from the 2018 season, Chris Reynolds. Reynolds completed 100 passes out of 154 pass attempts, throwing for 1173 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. The 49ers will also return 11 other offensive players that had at least one reception or rushing attempt last season. For the 49ers to have a successful offensive year, their new offensive coordinator will truly need to evaluate his offensive players including the offensive line, and determine which type of offense will score Charlotte points. Last season, Charlotte only averaged 21.7 points per game which put their total scoring offense at 114th in the nation! While UNCC’s offense needs to find a way to score, their defense needs to find a way to prevent opponents from scoring. The 49ers defense gave up an average of 26.6 points per game. Fortunately for Charlotte, not only will they have 2 new defensive coordinators, but also they will be returning 13 defensive players that had 10 or more total tackles in 2018. For the team to have a successful defensive season, the new defensive coordinators will need to find the defensive scheme that works best for the 49ers. The defense also needs to improve their passing defense, as that is the defense that they struggled with for the majority of the season.

Roster: https://charlotte49ers.com/roster.aspx?roster=276&path=football

Schedule: https://charlotte49ers.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic finished the season with a 3-5 conference record, going 5-7 overall. In the 2018 season, the Owls had one of the more productive offenses in the NCAA, averaging 31.1 points per game which puts their offense at 45th in the nation. FAU will return starting Quarterback, Chris Robison, for the 2019 season. Last season, Robison completed 192 passes out of 304 attempts. He passed for 2540 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The Owls will return 11 other offensive players that had at least one reception or rushing attempt in the previous season. For FAU to have a successful offensive season, Robison will need to get his pass under control. He Threw as many interceptions as he did touchdowns, therefore if he doesn’t have to rush his pass, he could have an even higher pass completion rate. For Robison to not have to rush his pass, the offensive line needs to strengthen their protection. Doing this could also help enforce a more dominate rushing game. FAU’s main issue was their defense. They gave up an average of 31.8 points per game. The Owls will return 14 defensive players with 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. For FAU to have a successful defensive season, they will need to work on defending their passing defense, as they allowed over an average of 200 passing yards per game. As FAU will have a new defensive coordinator in the 2019 season, improvements/adjustments are very possible, and fans should look forward to what the defense will do under coach Glenn Spencer.

Roster: https://fausports.com/roster.aspx?roster=221&path=football

Schedule: https://fausports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Florida International University: Florida International capped off their season with a Bahamas Bowl victory over Toledo by a score of 35-32. FIU went 6-2 in conference, and 9-4 overall. In the 2018 season, the Golden Panthers had the 28th most efficient offenses in the NCAA, averaging 34.6 points per game. FIU will return starting Quarterback, James Morgan, for the 2019 season. In 2018, Morgan had a very successful season, completing 213 passes out of 326 pass attempts, throwing for 2727 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Morgan also scored 1 rushing touchdown in 2018. FIU will return 14 other offensive players with one or more reception or rushing attempt. For FIU to have a successful offensive season, they will need to get their turnovers under control. The offense will also need to find a way to convert on 3rd downs as their percentage is 46.8%. FIU’s defense gave up an average of 25.2 points per game, which puts their defense at 46th in the nation. FIU will return 15 players that had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. For FIU to have a successful defensive season, the main thing they will need to work on is their rushing defense, as that was their main struggle in 2018. If they can truly perfect this, then they should be okay.

Roster: https://fiusports.com/roster.aspx?roster=238&path=football

Schedule: https://fiusports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Marshall University: Marshall capped off their 2018 season with a Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl victory against South Florida by a score of 38-20. Last season, the Thundering Herd’s offense averaged only 28.2 points per game, putting their offense at 74th in the nation. For the 2019 season, Marshall will return starting Quarterback Isaiah Green. Last season, Green had 187 completions on 330 attempts. Green passed for 2459 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Marshall will return 10 offensive players who had at least one reception or rushing attempt. For Marshall to have a successful offensive season, the offensive line needs to protect Green so that his passes are not rushed, and so he doesn’t throw 10 interceptions. Marshall also needs to work on their red zone offense as they often had to settle for field goals, or failed 4th down conversions. Despite having of the least efficient offenses in 2018, Marshall had one of the most effective defenses. Marshall’s defense only gave up an average of 21.8 points per game, which puts their defense at 27th in the nation. Marshall will return 11 defensive players who ad 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. For Marshall to have a successful defensive season, they need to focus on their passing defense as they gave up an average of 230 yards passing per game in 2018! If they can dominate their passing defense, Marshall could have a lights-out defensive year.

Roster: https://herdzone.com/roster.aspx?path=football

Schedule: https://herdzone.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Middle Tennessee State University: Middle Tennessee ended their season with a loss in the New Orleans Bowl against Appalachian State by a score of 45-13. The Blue Raiders had a 7-1 conference record, going 8-6 overall. Last season, MTSU’s offense averaged 28 points per game, which put their offense at 77th in the nation. Because MTSU will not return their starting Quarterback from 2018, they will look for a starting Quarterback in Chase Cunningham, Asher O’Hara, or Ty Lee. The Blue Raiders will return 12 other offensive players with at least one reception or rushing attempt. For MTSU to have a successful offensive season, the Blue Raiders will need to improve their rushing offense as they only rushed for a little over 120 yards per game. They will also need to drastically improve their 3rd down offense as they only converted on 3rd down on 75 times on 200 attempts! Defensively, MTSU gave up an average of 26.1 points per game which puts their defense at 62nd in the nation. The Blue Raiders will return 15 defensive players that had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. For MTSU to have a successful defensive season, they will need to work on their rushing defense as that was the team’s greatest weakness in 2018.

Roster: https://goblueraiders.com/roster.aspx?roster=1301&path=

Schedule: https://goblueraiders.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Old Dominion University: Old Dominion finished the 2018 season with a 2-6 conference record, going 4-8 overall. The Monarchs averaged 30.8 points per game, putting their offense at 49th in the nation. As the Monarchs lost their starting Quarterback, they will probably name Steven Williams to be their starter in 2019. Williams completed 41 passes on 81 pass attempts. He threw for 507 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. The Monarchs will return 11 other offensive players who had at least one rushing attempt or reception in the 2018 season. For Old Dominion to have a successful offensive season, the younger offensive players are going to need to step up and find ways to score, as their more experience teammates from 2018 are no longer on the team. Although the Monarch’s offense is not their biggest problem, they will need to find a way to score more (passing or rushing) while the defense works out their issues. ODU’s defense allowed an averaged of 35.9 points per game in the 2018 season, which put their defense at 111th in the nation. They gave up an averaged of 471.4 yards per game, which their record reflect that. The Monarchs will return 11 defensive players that had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season, which shows that this ODU defensive unit will be coming into 2019 with a lot of experience. Another positive sign for the Monarchs is that they named a new defensive coordinator to the coaching staff, David Blackwell. For ODU to have a successful defensive season, they will need to definitely improve their passing defense as they allowed for opponents to pass for an average of over 250 yards per game! Hopefully David Blackwell will be able to figure out a defensive scheme for the Monarchs to stop their opponent more effectively, thus helping the team have a successful season all around.

Roster: http://www.odusports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31100&SPID=127313&SPSID=750428

Schedule: http://www.odusports.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=31100&SPID=127313&SPSID=750427

Western Kentucky University: Western Kentucky finished the 2018 season with a 2-6 conference record, going 3-9 overall. For the 2019 season, the Hilltoppers will be under a new coaching staff, lead by WKU’s new Head Coach Tyson Helton. In 2018, WKU had one of the least productive offenses in the nation, only averaging 21.1 points per game (118th in the nation). The Hilltoppers will look to start either Steven Duncan or Ty Storey for the 2018 season. WKU will return 12 other offensive players with one or more reception/rushing attempt from the previous season. For the Hilltoppers to have a successful offensive season, the new coaching staff’s offensive coordinators are going to have to do some evaluating on offense as they have a lot of work to do. They will need to especially work on their 3rd down offense because they only converted on 3rd down on 72 out of 185 attempts (38.9%). They also need to work on their red zone offense as they only scored a touchdown 25 out of 42 times that they were in the red zone. Although WKU’s majority problem was their offense, the defense still has work to do as well. WKU’s defense allowed an average of 27.8 points per game (76th in the nation). WKU will return 11 defenders will 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. For WKU to have a successful 2019 season, they will need to improve their passing defense overall as they gave up an average of 250 passing yards per game in 2018. Their defense also gave away 22 free first downs to their opponents because of penalties. This is something that the new coaching staff will be able to help with.

Roster: https://wkusports.com/roster.aspx?roster=78

Schedule: https://wkusports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

C-USA West Division:

University of Alabama at Birmingham: UAB capped off their season with a Boca Raton Bowl victory over Northern Illinois by a score of 37-13. The Blazers finished 2018 with a 7-1 conference record, and went 11-3 overall. The Blazers will start Quarterback Tyler Johnson III in the 2019 season. Last season, Johnson threw 80 completions on 140 attempts, throwing for 1323 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Johnson also had 4 rushing touchdowns on the year. UAB will return only 6 offensive players who had at least one reception or rushing attempt in 2018, which makes them one of the youngest offensive teams in the nation. For the Blazers to have a successful offensive season, obviously the younger players will have to step up and fill in where they are needed. These young players will need to make plays, and they will need to find a way to get the ball in the end-zone as winning games is now up to them. Defensively, the Blazers had one of the best years in the country! UAB’s defense gave up only an average of 17 points per game, which put their defense at 7th in the country. UAB will return only 8 defensive players with 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. For UAB to have a successful defensive season, the more experienced defenders are going to need to step up and lead the younger players so that they can maintain their dominate defense. The Blazers should have no problem fixing this!

Roster: https://uabsports.com/roster.aspx?roster=2255

Schedule: https://uabsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Louisiana Tech University: LA Tech capped off their 2018 season with a Hawaii Bowl victory over Hawaii by a score of 31-14. Despite having one of the worst offenses in the NCAA, the Bulldogs finished the season with a 5-3 conference record, going 8-5 overall. Louisiana Tech’s offense averaged 24.7 points per game (97th in the nation). LA Tech will return starting Quarterback J’Mar Smith. Smith threw 264 completions on 461 attempts. he threw for 3160 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. LA Tech will return 12 other offensive players who had at least one reception or rushing attempt in 2018. This is good news for Bulldog fans as this means they will have lots of offensive experience. However, for LA Tech to have a successful offensive season, they truly need to work on their red-zone offense as they only scored a touchdown 29 out of 48 times that they reached the red-zone. Defensively, the Bulldogs had one of the best seasons in the NCAA, only giving up an average of 23 points per game (39th in the nation). LA Tech will return 10 defenders who had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, their Defensive Line will be a huge part of their team that they will have to replace most of. However, if the younger players can step up and be just as successful, LA Tech will be fine. For the Bulldogs to have a successful defensive season, they will need to keep their 3rd down defense as tight as they did in 2018 (only allowed 65 conversions on 184 attempts). If they can continue to get 3 and outs, they will put the ball back in the offenses’ hands to try to let them score. The only other thing that we would suggest is for the defense to work on their red-zone defense, as they allowed the other teams to score a touchdown 24 out of 34 times they reached they red-zone.

Roster: https://latechsports.com/roster.aspx?roster=147&path=football

Schedule: https://latechsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of North Texas: North Texas ended the season with a loss in the New Mexico Bowl to Utah State by a score of 52-13. The Mean Green went 5-3 in conference, and 9-4 overall. Looking at their bowl game score, you wouldn’t think that North Texas had one of the most productive offenses in 2018, but they did. North Texas averaged 34.6 points per game (28th in the nation). The Mean Green will return starting Quarterback Mason Fine for the 2019 season. Fine had a very productive year, completing 303 passes on 469 attempts. He threw for 3793 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions; he also had 2 rushing touchdowns on the year. For the Mean Green to have another successful offensive season, they will need to work on their 3rd down conversions, as that was the team’s biggest challenge in 2018 (66-177). Other than that, fans can prepare for another exciting offensive season. The part of the team that needs the most improvement is the defense, as they gave away an average of 24.2 points per game (43rd in the nation). For the Mean Green to have a successful defensive season, they will need to work on defending passing better, as they allowed an average of over 250 passing yards per game. North Texas’ defense also gave away 22 free first downs to opponents in the season because of penalties. If they can minimize this, the defense will shape up to have a good year.

Roster: https://meangreensports.com/roster.aspx?roster=148&path=football

Schedule: https://meangreensports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Rice University: Rice ended the 2018 with a 1-7 conference record, going 2-11 overall. As both their offense and defense almost finished last in both categories, it’s safe to say that there is a lot of things that the Owls will need to do to make improvements. Here are the main issues that need to be improved for the 2019 season to be more successful. Rice’s offense only averaged 18.9 points per game, which is 124th in the FBS. For Rice to have a successful offensive season, they will need to find a way to cut down their interceptions (16 in 2018). Another huge flaw in the Owls’ offense is their 3rd down conversion percentage, which is only 28.7%. They will need to find a way to be way more efficient on 3rd down if they ever want to make it to the red-zone, let alone the end-zone. Defensively, the Owls gave up an average of 36 points per game, which is 112th in the FBS. For the Owls to have a successful defensive year, they have to find a way to stop their opponent from reaching the red-zone, as their opponent puts points on the board 48 times out of 54 times that their opponent reached the end zone! Rice also needs to work on their defensive schems as they allowed 28 passing touchdowns, and 31 rushing touchdowns in the 2018 season.

Roster: https://riceowls.com/roster.aspx?roster=192&path=football

Schedule: https://riceowls.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Southern Mississippi: Southern Miss finished the 2018 season with a conference record of 5-3, and went 6-5 overall. The Golden Eagles largest area that needs improvement is their offense who averaged only 26.2 points per game (90th in the FBS). For Southern Miss to have a successful offensive season, they will need to protect the ball more as they had 23 turnovers in the 2018 season. Offensively, they will also need to strengthen the Offensive Line, as their Quarterback was sacked 22 times for a loss of 130 yards in the 2018 season. Southern Miss gave away an average of only 19.8 points per game last season (19th in FBS). For the Golden Eagles to have another successful defensive season, they will need to continue to strengthen their Defensive Line, as they had a total of 33 sacks for 255 yards. Their biggest defensive weakness was passing, however they only have away a total of 13 passing touchdowns in 2018. If Southern Miss can figure out their offense, fans can expect to have a successful season, and possibly a bowl game.

Roster: https://southernmiss.com/roster.aspx?roster=185&path=football

Schedule: https://southernmiss.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Texas at El Paso: UTEP finished the 2018 season with a 1-7 conference record, and went 1-11 overall. The Miners rankings of offense and defense will truly explain why their record was this way. UTEP’s offense only scored an average of 17.7 points per game, which put their offense at 127th in the FBS. For UTEP to have a successful offensive season, they will need to do a lot more protecting of the ball. In 2018, they had 19 interceptions, and 9 fumbles lost. The Miners also need to work on their red-zone offense as they only scored a touchdown 19 out of 32 times that they reached the red-zone. They also will need to strengthen their Offensive Line as they allowed 20 sacks for a loss of 125 yards. Defensively, UTEP gave away an average of 32.8 points per game, which was 99th in the FBS. For UTEP to have a successful defensive season, they will need to shut their opponent’s offense down, as they allowed their opponents to reach the red-zone 51 times in the 2018 season, and score touchdowns on 30 of those drives. They allowed 43 total touchdowns in the 2018 season (22 rushing, 21 passing). If the Miners want to win more games, both the offense and defense will need to change these things drastically.

Roster: https://utepminers.com/roster.aspx?path=football

Schedule: https://utepminers.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Texas at San Antonio: UTSA finished the season with a 2-6 conference record, and went 3-9 overall. The Roadrunners averaged only 14.2 points per game in 2018 (129th in the FBS), and their record was very reflective of that. UTSA can have a successful offensive season if they can truly just find a way to score! They only scored 15 offensive touchdowns in the 2018 season. They also lost 18 scoring opportunities to 18 turnovers! If UTSA could fix these small offensive errors, they could truly be a much better team, but these small mistakes have been killing them. Defensively, the Roadrunners gave up an average of 31.2 points per game (87th in the FBS). For UTSA to have a successful defensive season, they have to lock down on their red-zone defense, as their opponent scored a touchdown 67% of the time that they reached the red-zone, and at least added to their points on the board 91% of the time that they reached the red-zone. They allowed a total of 47 touchdowns in the 2018 season, and they are going to have to allow a lot less if they ever want to see a winning record, and a bowl game soon!

Roster: https://goutsa.com/roster.aspx?path=football

Schedule: https://goutsa.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

The Big 10 conference is home to 14 teams that are split into two divisions. The East Division is home to Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers. The West Division is home to Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin. At the end of the 2018 season, the Big 10 finished with 5 teams in the top 25 (3 Ohio State, 14 Michigan, 17 Penn State, 21 Northwestern, and 25 Iowa). Here is a look at what has changed for each team heading into the 2019 season, and what each team can do to make improvements.

Big 10 East Division:

Indiana University: Indiana went 2-7 in conference and 5-7 overall. The Hoosiers will return starting Quarterback Peyton Ramsey. Despite completing 295 out of 447 pass attempts and throwing for 19 touchdowns, Ramsey also threw 13 interceptions on the year, which makes his 66% pass completion rate look less impressive. Offensively, Indiana will return 15 players who ran at least one down or caught at least one pass reception. For Indiana to have a more productive year offensively, Ramsey will need to work on his passing game because of the fact that it is hard for an offense to be productive when several interceptions are thrown. The Hoosiers also need to work on their red zone offense as they only averaged 26.4 points per game, which places their offense at 88th in the NCAA. Indiana’s defense was the bigger problem for the team in the 2018 season, and could potentially be the problem for the team in the 2019 season. The Hoosiers gave up a total of 29.9 points per game, which is the 49th worst in the NCAA. Defensively the Hoosiers will return 17 players that had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. For the Hoosiers to have a successful 2019 season, they will need to concentrate on improving their rushing defense specifically.

Roster: https://iuhoosiers.com/roster.aspx?roster=520&path=football

Schedule: https://iuhoosiers.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Maryland: Maryland finished the 2018 season with a 3-6 in-conference record, and 5-7 overall record. The Terrapins are one of the two Big-10 schools that will be under a new coaching staff in the 2019 season. Maryland will be under the coaching staff of Mike Locksley, who is the former Alabama Offensive Coordinator. Locksley also was the interim Head Coach at Maryland in 2015. Maryland will look to name Josh Jackson the starting Quarterback for the Terrapins for the 2019 season. The Terrapins will also return 12 offensive players who had one or more carry/reception in the 2018 season. For Maryland to have a successful season offensively, they will need to work on being more aggressive in their rushing attack. They will also need to find a way to score more, as they only averaged 28.5 points per game which put their offense at 69th in the nation. With Maryland’s new coaching staff, the chance for offensive improvement is strong. Defensively, the Terrapins will return 13 players who had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. For Maryland to have a successful defensive season, they will need to work on defending pass offenses better, as they gave up an average of 206.5 yards passing per game. If Maryland’s new coaching staff can fix these issues, they will finish they 2019 season with a winning record.

Roster: https://umterps.com/roster.aspx?roster=309&path=football

Schedule: https://umterps.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Michigan: Despite losing the Peach Bowl to Florida by a score of 41-15, Michigan still finished the 2018 season ranked at 14 in the final poll. The Wolverines went 8-1 in conference (only loss to Ohio State) and 10-3 overall. Michigan will return starting Quarterback, Shea Patterson for the 2019 season. Patterson had a great season, completing 210 out of 325 pass completions for 2600 yards. He threw for 22 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions; Patterson also rushed for 2 touchdowns in the season. The Wolverines will also return 11 other offensive players who ran for at least one attempt or reception. For the Wolverines to have a successful offensive season, Patterson will need to have another dominating season as he set the tone for both the rushing and passing that the team accomplished. The team also hired a new offensive coordinator (Josh Gattis) to make even more improvements to the Wolverines’ offense. The Wolverines will return 13 defensive players that had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. That is huge for Michigan as they had the 16th most efficient defense last season, only giving up an average of 19.4 points per game. For Michigan to have a successful season as a team, they will need to beat Ohio State which is something they haven’t done since 2011.

Roster: https://mgoblue.com/roster.aspx?roster=3609&path=football

Schedule: https://mgoblue.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Michigan State University: Michigan State finished their season with a loss in the Redbox Bowl to Oregon by a score of 7-6. The Spartans had a 5-4 record in conference, and a 7-6 record overall. Despite the winning season, the Spartans had one of the worst offenses in the NCAA. In fact, only 4 teams score less total points than the Spartans. Starting Quarterback, Brian Lewerke will start again for the Spartans. Lewerke completed 184 passes out of 339 attempts for 2040 yards. He also threw more interceptions than touchdowns in the 2018 season (8 TD, 11 int). The Spartans will return all but 3 offensive players who had an attempt in the 2018 season. For the Spartans to have a successful season offensively, they will obviously need to find a way to score a lot more than they did in the past season. Averaging only 18.7 points per game will not win teams a lot of games. This past season, Michigan State had 6 games where they scored less than two times and lost 5 of those games. If it weren’t for Michigan State’s defense, Michigan State would have lost several more games. In fact, the Spartans had one of the top defenses in the 2018 season coming in at 8, only giving up an average of 17.2 points per game. Luckily, the Spartans will return 15 defensive players that had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. Unfortunately for the Spartans, their stellar defense will not matter much until the offense takes care of business. However, Michigan State recently made the move towards a better offense with the hire of a new offensive coordinator, Brad Salem.

Roster: https://msuspartans.com/roster.aspx?roster=284

Schedule: https://msuspartans.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Ohio State University: Ohio State capped off their season with a Rose Bowl victory over Washington by a score of 28-23. The Buckeyes had a 8-1 record in conference and a 13-1 record overall, with their only loss being to Purdue. Ohio State is the other school who will be under a new coaching staff in the 2019 season, following Urban Meyer’s retirement. Interim Head Coach, Ryan Day will take over for the Buckeyes in the upcoming season. Day finished out the season with OSU, and finished with a 3-0 record. As Ohio State lost both their starting and back up Quarterbacks in the offseason (NFL, transfer), the Buckeyes will look to name either Justin Fields or Gunner Hoak. The Buckeyes will return 13 offensive players who had a rushing attempt or reception. The Buckeyes don’t have much to worry about offensively, except for how their new Quarterback will perform. In the 2018 season, only 7 teams had a better offense than the Buckeyes, and fans should expect similar this season. Ohio State’s bigger concern should be their defense. Although their defense was decent for most of the season, there was a few games where they gave up way too many big plays (Purdue and Maryland for an example). If Ohio State’s new Quarterback can dominate on the field, and they can make small adjustments on defense, Ohio State could be looking at a potentially perfect season and a door to the college football playoffs.

Roster: https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/roster/

Schedule: https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/schedule/

Pennsylvania State University: Penn State finished the season with a loss in the Citrus Bowl to Kentucky by a score of 27-23. The Nittany Lions finished the 2018 season with a 6-3 record in conference, and an overall record of 9-4. Because Penn State will not be returning their 2018 starting Quarterback, they will look for a starting Quarterback in Sean Clifford who will probably get the role as he is the most experienced Quarterback on the team. Penn State will return 12 offensive player that had at least rushing attempt or one reception. For the Nittany Lions to have a successful offensive season, whoever is selected as the starting Quarterback will have to step up big time, as PSU’s former Quarterback also lead the team in rushing touchdowns. Also with several of Penn State’s top scorers not returning, players who had less of a role in 2018 will need to step up and dominate their positions, which is a given. Penn State had one of the top defenses in the 2018 season, however there is still plenty of room for improvement. PSU will return 16 defensive players who had 10+ total tackles in the 2018 season. Fortunately for Penn State, with that much defensive depth, making small adjustments to improve both their passing and rushing defense will not be hard. This is exactly what the Nittany Lions will need to do to have a successful season.

Roster: https://gopsusports.com/roster.aspx?roster=323

Schedule: https://gopsusports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Rutgers University: Rutgers finished the season with a 0-9 record in conference, and an 1-11 record overall. Their record shows that the have a lot to work on. Here is the breakdown. Rutgers had the worst offense in the entire NCAA, only averaging 13.5 points per game. Luckily, Rutgers will be returning 10 offensive players who will have a lot to prove. Rutgers has a lot to improve on in their passing and rushing game, and the coaching staff has not made any moves to improve the offense. This is the first time since 2010 that Rutgers has kept the same offensive coordinator in consecutive seasons. Really all that Rutgers fans can hope for is that the returning players will be fired up and want to make a more positive statement, otherwise fans should expect a similar season in 2019. Rutgers also didn’t perform very well defensively either, as they gave up an average of 31.4 points per game. However, the improvement of the Scarlett Knights’ defense is something that fans can look forward to as Rutgers hired a new defensive coordinator in the 2019 offseason (Andy Buh). They will need to improve both their passing and rushing defense as both were in shambles in the 2018 season. If Rutgers can improve even slightly, I think fans would consider that a win.

Roster: https://scarletknights.com/roster.aspx?roster=2141&path=football

Schedule: https://scarletknights.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Big 10 West Division:

University of Illinois: Illinois finished they 2018 season with a 2-7 conference record and a 4-8 record overall. With Illinois’ offense and defense being one of the lowest in the nation in both categories, there is a lot that the Fighting Illini can work on to have a successful season. Illinois will look for a staring Quarterback in either Isaiah Williams or Brandon Peters. Fortunately, Illinois will return 17 offensive players who had at least one rushing attempt or at least one reception. For Illinois to have a successful 2019 season, they will definitely need to find a way to score more, perhaps by improving their passing game. Illinois’ starting Quarterback also threw more interceptions than touchdowns in 2018. For Illinois to have a successful 2019 season, they cannot let that happen again. Perhaps strengthening their offensive line will solve most of this problem. Illinois’ biggest problem is their defense. If a team’s offense cannot find a way to score, and your defense can’t find anyway to stop the opposing team from scoring, there is obviously going to be a problem. Illinois’ defense gave up an average of 39.4 points per game in 2018. The defense will return 20 players who and 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. For Illinois to improve their defense tremendously, they will need to work on rushing and passing defense, with special emphasis on passing defense. They almost gave up 100 more yards per game that Illinois was able to pass for on offense! Fix these issues and Illinois could have a successful season.

Roster: https://fightingillini.com/roster.aspx?path=football

Schedule: https://fightingillini.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Iowa: Iowa capped of their season with a Outback Bowl victory over Mississippi State by a score of 27-22. The Hawkeyes finished the season with a 5-4 conference record and 9-4 overall record. Iowa will return starting Quarterback Nate Stanley. Stanley played a huge role in the offense’s success as he completed 235 out of 396 pass attempts, throwing for 2852 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The Hawkeyes will also return 12 other offensive players who had a least one rushing attempt or reception in the 2018 season. For the Hawkeyes to have a successful offensive season, they will need to work on their offensive line, as they allowed enough pressure for their Quarterback to get picked off of 10 times. The Hawkeyes will also need to work on their rushing offense. Cleaning up their techniques will go a long way for Iowa. In the 2018 season, Iowa had one of the most efficient defenses in the FBS, only giving up an average of 17.8 points per game which is 11th in the nation. As Iowa is returning 14 defensive players who had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season, these players will know from experience on how to defend both passing and rushing defenses in an effective way. For Iowa to have another successful defensive season, they should just sharpen up on both defenses and adjust their techniques slightly.

Roster: https://hawkeyesports.com/roster.aspx?roster=319

Schedule: https://hawkeyesports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Minnesota: Minnesota capped off their 2018 season with a Quick Lane Bowl victory over Georgia Tech by a score of 34-10. The Golden Gophers had a 3-6 conference record, going 7-6 overall. Minnesota will be returning both Quarterbacks who player major rolls in the 2018 season for the team, Zack Annexstad and Tanner Morgan. The Gophers will also return 13 offensive players who had at least one rushing attempt or a reception. For Minnesota to have a successful 2019 season, they will need to strengthen their rushing game, while still keeping their passing game as strong as they did in 2018. Luckily for Minnesota, they will be returning all 4 receivers who scored passing touchdowns (Johnson, Bateman, Douglas, and Paulson). Defensively, the Gophers will return 13 defensive players who had 10 or more tackles on the year. For Minnesota to have a successful defensive season, they will need to shut down their opponent’s passing offense, as that is where the Gophers lost most of their points in games to. As the Gophers struggled on both offense and defense, having a large number or returning players will help Minnesota a lot.

Roster: https://gophersports.com/roster.aspx?roster=528

Schedule: https://gophersports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Nebraska: Nebraska went 3-6 in conference, and had a 4-8 season overall. Nebraska will return starting Quarterback Adrian Martinez. Martinez completed 224 out of 347 pass attempts, throwing for 2617 yards, 17 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also scored 8 rushing touchdowns in the season for the team. Other than Martinez, the team will return 13 offensive players who had a rushing attempt or a reception. For the Cornhuskers to have a successful season, and potentially have a winning record this season, the offense will need to focus on their red zone offense. As they averaged 30 points per game, that’s not awful but to win games against offense heavy teams, they will need to average/score more points per game. Defensively, Nebraska will return 17 defensive players who had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. This is fortunate for the Cornhuskers as these players will have already have faced a majority of the same offenses, thus being more prepared. However, Nebraska will need to work on both their rushing and passing offense techniques as they allowed almost, if not over 200 yards average in both categories per game.

Roster: http://www.huskers.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&SPID=22&SPSID=4

Schedule: http://www.huskers.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=22&SPSID=3&DB_OEM_ID=100

Northwestern University: Northwestern capped off their 2018 season with a Holiday Bowl victory over Utah by a score of 31-20. The Wildcats finished with a 8-1 in conference record and an 9-5 record overall. Northwestern had one of the least efficient offenses in the 2018 season, only averaging 24.2 points per game. For the 2019 season, the Wildcats will probably name their starting Quarterback to be Hunter Johnson. The Wildcats will return 11 other offensive players who had at least 1 rushing attempt or one reception. For Northwestern to have a more successful offensive season, the Wildcats’ new starting Quarterback will need to keep his passing game under control (Clayton Thorson threw 15 interceptions in 2018). The Wildcats will also need to improve in their rushing game, as they only averaged a little over 100 yards rushing per game. Defensively, Northwestern will return 14 players that had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. This is huge for the Wildcats because they only allowed an average of 23.2 points per game, which leaves plenty of room for returning and new players to make adjustments in their defense against rushing and passing defenses, resulting in a more productive/successful defense.

Roster: https://nusports.com/roster.aspx?roster=1267&path=football

Schedule: https://nusports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Purdue University: Despite Purdue’s huge upset over Ohio State, the Boilermakers lost their bowl game (Music City Bowl) to Auburn by a score of 63-14. Heading into training camp, the Boilermakers announced that Elijah Sindelar looks to be the starting Quarterback for the 2019 season. Sindelar completed 26 out of 44 pass attempts in the 2018 season. Purdue will only return 7 other offensive players who had a rushing attempt or a reception. For Purdue to have a successful offensive season, Sindelar will need to step up big time, as a majority of the players will be learning just as he is. The players with less experience will also need to step up and find ways to score. While Purdue’s offense was decent in the 2018 season, Purdue’s defense has a lot of work to do. Although Purdue had one of the least efficient defenses, they will return 12 players who had 10 or more total tackles. For Purdue to have a successful defensive season, the Boilermakers will truly need to improve their rushing defense, as they gave up an average of almost 170 yards rushing per game. They will also need to watch what they do on the field, as their defense added 70 yards in penalties to their offenses advantages.

Roster: https://purduesports.com/roster.aspx?roster=232

Schedule: https://purduesports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Wisconsin: Wisconsin capped off their season with a Pinstripe Bowl victory over Miami by a score of 35-3. The Badgers went 5-4 in conference and 8-5 overall. Wisconsin will look for a starting Quarterback in Jack Coan or Graham Mertz for the 2019 season. The Badgers will also return 11 offensive players who had a rushing attempt or reception in 2018. As Wisconsin’s offense is their ‘weak link’, to have a successful season, the named starting Quarterback will need to establish not only a rushing game, but a passing game as that is something that they failed to dominate in last season. The Badgers had one of the most efficient defenses in the 2018 season, only giving up an average of 22.6 points per game. The Badgers did a fantastic job defending rushing offenses in the 2018 season, however for a more successful season, they will need to improve their passing defense as they gave up an average of almost 200 passing yards per game. Luckily for Wisconsin, they will return 13 players who had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season which makes improving their defense a lot easier as these players have already faced the same offenses, and therefore becoming more experienced in what they’re facing/what to expect each game.

Roster: https://uwbadgers.com/roster.aspx?roster=240&path=football

Schedule: https://uwbadgers.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

• 

*In no particular order*

The Big-12 is home of 10 NCAA football teams. Three Big-12 teams finished inside the Top 25 at the end of the 2018 season; Oklahoma (4), Texas (9), and West Virginia (20). Here is a look at each team’s accomplishments from 2018, and the improvements that each team can make for a successful 2019-2020 season.

Baylor University: Baylor won the Texas Bowl over Vanderbilt by a score of 45-38. The Bears had a record of 4-5 in conference, and 7-6 overall. Baylor will be returning its starting Quarterback, Charlie Brewer. Brewer had a great year, completing 240 out of his 390 pass attempts, and throwing 9 touchdowns with only 9 interceptions. Brewer also lead the Bears in rushing touchdowns, with 7 on the year. Baylor is also returning all 5 Running Backs who scored touchdowns in the 2018 season. Together, they combined for 1557 yards on 296 attempts, scoring 14 touchdowns. The offense is also returning 5 out of 7 Wide Receivers who scored touchdowns in the 2018 season. They combined for 2027 yards on 146 receptions, scoring 15 touchdowns. As the Bears’ offense scored a total of 384 points total in the 2018 season (average of 29.5 points per game), it’s apparent that Baylor’s offense isn’t too big of a concern, as they are returning so many starters for their passing and rushing offense. The concern we have for the 2018 team is Baylor’s defense. Baylor’s defense gave up a total of 412 points in the 2018 season, which averages to (31.7 points per game). The Bears are returning 15 defensive players that had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. Baylor will need to buckle down on defense, specifically their rushing defense. The Bears lost several games because they could not stop their opponent’s offense. Fix these issues, and Baylor will have a successful 2019 season!

Roster: https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?roster=1206

Schedule: https://baylorbears.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Iowa State University: Iowa State lost the Alamo bowl to Washington State by a score of 28-26. The team went 6-3 in conference and 8-5 overall. The Cyclones will return their starting Quarterback, Brock Purdy, for the 2019 season. Purdy had a great season, completing 146 out of 220 pass attempts. He threw for 16 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions. Not only did Purdy get the job done through the air, but he also rushed for 308 yards on 100 attempts, scoring 5 rushing touchdowns for the Cyclones. Iowa State will need to worry about their rushing attack in the upcoming season because they are only returning 4 of their Running Backs who touched the ball in the 2018 season, and those 4 players only combined for 2 touchdowns. These guys will need to step up to have a successful season. Receiving wise, the Cyclones will return 6 players who saw the field in the 2018 season. However, 3 of these players had 10 or less receptions. For the Cyclones to have a successful season, they will need for the less experienced players to step up and make the big plays to make up for their losses on offense. The offense will also need to find more affective ways to score as they only averaged 26.8 points per game. They also lost 3 games in which the offense failed to score more than twice. Defensively, the Cyclones will be returning 15 players who had 10 or more total tackles. The defense did an overall well job in the 2018 season, as they only gave up an average of 22.9 points per game. Unfortunately for the defense, their job is even more important than it should be, as we predict that they Cyclones will have trouble scoring in the 2018 season, which means that the defense will need to buckle down a little more in the 2019 season. If not, there will definitely be more close-game losses for the Cyclones.

Roster: https://cyclones.com/roster.aspx?roster=583&path=football

Schedule: https://cyclones.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Kansas: Kansas went 1-8 in conference, and 3-9 overall. As you are probably guessing, yes, Kansas will be under a new coaching staff in the 2019 season with former LSU head coach, Les Miles as their new head coach. Although we already know changes will be made being a new coaching staff is in office, let’s take a look at who is returning for the Jayhawks, and which major improvements need to be made. Because Kansas will not be returning their Quarterback who started in the 2018 season, the Jayhawks will look for a starter in Carter Stanley or Thomas MacVittie. As Kansas’ starting Quarterback has still not been named, we do know that Kansas will return 4 Running Backs who touched the ball in 2018, however for 4 of them only combined for 12 touchdowns. Not only should Kansas be concerned about their lack of experienced Running Backs, but they are also only returning 3 Wide Receivers who had 10 or more receptions. It’s safe to say that Kansas’ offense will need their experienced offensive players to not only step upon the field, but also to help the less experienced guys as they will see more playing time. Defensively, Kansas will be returning 9 players who had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. This gives less experienced players a chance to step up this season, and make plays. As the Jayhawks gave up an average of 30 points per game, the defense needs to improve both their passing and rushing defense as they gave up an average of 246.8 yards passing and 172.4 yards rushing per game.

Roster: https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/

Schedule: https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/schedule/

Kansas State University: Much like Kansas, Kansas State will be under new coaching staff in the 2019 season. The Wildcats went 3-6 in conference and 5-7 overall. Despite knowing about the coaching staff change, let’s take a look at what the Wildcats will be returning, and what improvements can be made on each side of the ball. Kansas State will be returning their starting Quarterback, Skylar Thompson. Thompson threw 122 completions on 208 attempts, throwing for 1391 yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Skylar also had 373 yards rushing on 105 attempts, scoring 5 rushing touchdowns. A major concern for the Wildcats is that they will not be returning any starting Running Backs from the 2018 season, so the younger and less experienced guys will need to step up big time and contribute to the team’s success. Although Kansas State will not be returning any starting Running Backs, they will return 5 players in their receiving corpsBecause these 5 players only combined for a total of 5 touchdowns, the Wildcats’ offense will need to find a way to score more passing touchdowns. With so many key players missing, this will give other players a chance to step up. Not only did Kansas State struggle offensively, but they also had some struggles on defense. Kansas State will return 15 defensive players who had 10 or more total tackles on the season. Although only giving up an average of 25.4 points per game isn’t awful, giving up that many points will inevitably create losses when your offense cannot find a way to score.

Roster: https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?roster=1249&path=football

Schedule: https://www.kstatesports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Oklahoma: Despite losing the Orange Bowl to Alabama by a score of 45-34, the Sooners had the most productive offense per game in the 2018 season, averaging 48.4 points scored a game. Because Oklahoma will not be returning their starting Quarterback, the Sooners will look for a starting Quarterback in Spencer Rattler, Jalen Hurts, or Tanner Mordecai. Oklahoma will be returning 4 of their Running Backs who had play time this season, and 8 players in their receiving corps. Offensively, Oklahoma does not have much to worry about, other than who will win the starting Quarter Back competition. Oklahoma’s main concern should be their defense. The Sooners gave up an average of 33.3 points per game in the 2018 season, which is the 29th most in the NCAA. For Oklahoma to return to the playoffs, and possibly win a National Championship, the Sooners will need to buckle down on defense, and stop their opponent from scoring as frequently as they do. Oklahoma will return 18 defensive players that had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. With the defense being led by these men, we know that the Sooners can make strong defensive improvements, and not leave the winning almost dependent on how much the offense is able to score.

Roster: http://www.soonersports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&SPID=127245&SPSID=750326&DB_OEM_ID=31000

Schedule: http://www.soonersports.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=127245&SPSID=750325&DB_OEM_ID=31000

Oklahoma State University: Oklahoma State won the Liberty bowl, beating Missouri by a score or 38-33. The Cowboys went 3-6 in conference, and 7-6 overall. As Oklahoma State’s 2018 starting Quarterback will not be returning, the Cowboys will look for a starting Quarterback in Spencer Sanders and Dru Brown. The Cowboys will return 7 offensive players that played one down or more in the 2018 season. Things will look different offensively for Oklahoma State as they have a new offensive coordinator in Coach Sean Gleeson. This was a great move for the Cowboys to make for improvements in the 2019 season. As the Cowboys had the 13th best offense in the 2018 season (averaged 38.4 points per game), bringing in a new offensive coordinator will create new schemes and create more of a diverse offense, thus creating more ways to score. Defensively, Oklahoma State will return 12 players who had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season. For Oklahoma State to win more games in the 2019 season, they will need to buckle down defensively. In the 2018 season, the Cowboys lost 4 high scoring games by two scores or less. In these high scoring games, the offense got their job done by putting the ball in the end zone, however the games could have become wins if the defense made one or two more 3 & outs. If the defense works on this, the Cowboys will have a better record in and out of conference.

Roster: https://okstate.com/roster.aspx?roster=1212&path=football

Schedule: https://okstate.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Texas Christian University: TCU won the Cheez-It Bowl against UCLA by a score of 10-7. The Horned Frogs went 4-5 in conference, and 7-6 overall. TCU will also not be returning their starting Quarterback. The Horned Frogs will look for a Quarterback in Alex Delton, Max Duggan, Justin Rogers, Mike Collins, or Matthew Downing. TCU will return 13 offensive players that ran one down or more. It’s safe to say that TCU’s offense if the team’s biggest problem as they only averaged 23.5 points per game, which means the Horned Frogs had one of the least productive offenses in the 2018 season. TCU will have a much better season if the offense can find a scheme that fits for them, and dominate it. Defensively, TCU allowed an average of 23.1 points per game, which obviously creates for some close games when the offense cannot find a way to score. The Horned Frogs will return 9 defensive players that had more than 10 tackles in the 2018 season. For TCU to have a dominate season, their defense will need to buckle down even more for the 2019 season while they are figuring things out offensively. If TCU can improve their offense, they will have a great 2019 season.

Roster: https://gofrogs.com/roster.aspx?roster=228&path=football

Schedule: https://gofrogs.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Texas: The Longhorns capped off their best season since 2009 with victory over UGA in the Sugar Bowl by a score of 28-21. The Longhorns had a record of 7-3 in conference and 10-4 overall. Texas will return starting Quarterback, Sam Ehlinger. Ehlinger had a very successful season, completing 275 out of 425 pass attempts, throwing for 3292 yards, 25 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Ehlinger also lead the team in rushing touchdowns, with 16 on the season. Also offensively, the Longhorns will return 9 players who ran for one down or more. For Texas to improve their offense for the 2019 season, Ehlinger will need to stay dominate in both rushing and passing. Other players will need to step up, and make clutch plays to win games as they did in the 2018 season. Because the Longhorns lost so many key pieces on offense, the success could be questionable, but fans should not worry as long as the Longhorns can improve their red zone offense. Defensively, Texas will return 11 players who had 10 or more total tackles in the 2018 season. To help Texas have another successful season, the Longhorns’ defense will need to work on defending rushing attacks, as that seemed to be the biggest difficulty for the team in 2018.

Roster: https://texassports.com/roster.aspx?roster=333

Schedule: https://texassports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Texas Tech University: Texas Tech finished the 2018 season with a 3-6 conference record and a 5-7 record overall, and the Red Raiders joined 3 other Big-12 teams on the coaching carousel at the end of the season. In the 2019 season, Texas Tech will be under the coaching staff of Matt Wells. The Red Raiders will return Quarterback Alan Bowman, who had a successful passing season. Bowman completed 227 out of 327 passes for 2638 yards, 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The Red Raiders will return 10 players who played one or more down in the 2018 season. Although the offense had a decent season, averaging 37.3 points per game, many losses came at the defense’s expense. Returning 9 players who had 10 or more tackles in the 2018 season, there is a good chance that things will improve defensively under the new coaching staff. If the new coaching staff makes the expected changes, Red Raider fans can expect a successful season.

Roster: https://texastech.com/roster.aspx?roster=183&path=football

Schedule: https://texastech.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

West Virginia University: Despite losing the Camping World Bowl to Syracuse by a score of 34-18, the Mountaineers had one of the most effective offensives in the FBS, averaging 40.2 points per game. West Virginia is one of the 4 schools who will be under a new coaching staff in the 2019 season, as Neal Brown (former Troy University head coach) was hired. In Brown’s time at Troy, he coached the team to an 35-16 record overall, with a 23-9 record in the Sun Belt Conference, as well as 3 bowl game victories in his 4 years at Troy. As West Virginia will not be returning their Quarterback from the 2018 season, the Mountaineers will look for a starting Quarterback in Austin Kendall or Jack Allison. The Mountaineers will also return 9 players who played one or more downs in the 2018 season, which shows that West Virginia will have another dominate offensive year, as long as their Quarterback can dominate on the field. The key to winning more games will not only depend on the offense resembling what they did in the 2018 season, but the defense will need to work on defending their rushing defense, as that seemed to be their weakness in the 2018 season. If Neal Brown’s coaching staff can fix these small things, Mountaineer fans will have another successful season.

Roster: https://wvusports.com/roster.aspx?roster=139&path=football

Schedule: https://wvusports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

• 

The ACC is home to the 2018 ACC and National Champions, the Clemson Tigers. In the 2018 season, two ACC teams finished in the top 25, Clemson (1) and Syracuse (15). Here are our predictions for the 14 ACC teams’ 2019 season:

The ACC Atlantic:

The ACC Atlantic division is home to Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, NC State, Syracuse, and Wake Forest. Below, you can find some of the team and individual statistics from each team, as well as what you can expect from them in the 2019 season.

Boston College: The Eagles finished the 2018 season with a 7-5 record, going 4-4 in the ACC. Scoring 384 points, BC’s offense averaged 16.3 completions on 28.1 attempts for 215.3 yards in the air, and 189.2 yards in 46.4 attempts per game in the 2018 season. On 285 attempts, quarterback Anthony Brown threw 158 completions for 20 touchdowns, 2121 yards, and 9 interceptions. Leading the team in receiving, Kobay White and Tommy Sweeney combined for 874 yards on 65 receptions, scoring 6 combined touchdowns. Boston College’s running back, AJ Dillon lead the team in rushing with 1108 yards on 227 attempts, scoring 10 touchdowns for the eagles, while Ben Glines rushed for 380 yards on 68 attempts, scoring 3 touchdowns. Surrendering 308 points in the 2018 season, it is obvious that the eagle’s defense needs some work. BC’s defense was able to force a total of 26 turnovers, 18 interceptions (Hamp Cheevers lead the team with 7, one lead to a pick six) and 8 fumble recoveries (William Harris and Zach Allen lead the team with 2). For Boston College to have a more successful 2019 season, the eagles will not only need to find a way to score more points, but a way to stop their opponent from scoring. BC’s offense only was able to score 76 more points total than the defense was able to prevent.

Roster: https://bceagles.com/roster.aspx?path=football

Schedule: https://bceagles.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Clemson University: With a perfect 15-0 season: The Cotton Bowl Champions (beat Notre Dame 30-3) and The 2018-2019 National Champions; defeating Alabama by a score of 44-16. Scoring a total of 664 points, it’s safe to say that the tigers had one of the most dominating and effective offenses in the 2018 season. Clemson attempted 33.9 passes per game, completing 21.8 of those passes for an average of 278.7 yards per game. In the Tigers’ rushing attack, they averaged 249.3 yards per game on 37.8 attempts. Clemson quarterback, Trevor Lawrence attempted 397 passes, completing 259 of those passes. Lawrence threw for 3280 yards, and only 4 interceptions during the 2018 season. Part of Clemson’s success on offense was how versatile they were able to be. As mentioned before, Clemson was able to dominate in both a rushing attack and well as in an air raid. Clemson was able to score 37 passing touchdowns. Wide receivers Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross combined for 105 receptions, catching for 1936 yards, scoring a total of 21 combined touchdowns for the tigers. Clemson also scored a total of 49 rushing touchdowns. Running backs Travis Etienne and Adam Choice combined for 2206 yards on 281 attempts, scoring 31 combined touchdowns. While Clemson’s offense scored a total of 664 points in the entire season, the tigers’ defense only allowed a total of 197 points. In 7 of Clemson’s 15 games, the tigers’ defense allowed their opponent to 1 or less score. Clemson’s defense also had 24 turnovers, 14 interceptions (AJ Terrell lead the team with 3) and 10 fumble recoveries (Christian Wilkins lead the team with 2). For Clemson to have another successful season and repeat as national champions, they need to be as dominate as they were on both offense and defense as the 2018 season. Our only concern is that Clemson has lost its 2nd string quarterback (Kelly Bryant) to the transfer portal, and we have not seen much from Clemson’s other quarterbacks. Otherwise, we see no reason to question the success that the Clemson team holds in the 2018 season. We believe that given the chance, Clemson’s young talent will be just as successful.

Roster: https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/

Schedule: https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/schedule/

Florida State University: The Seminoles finished the season with a 5-7 record, going 3-5 in conference. Florida State’s offense only scored a total of 263 points in the entire season. That’s an average of only 21.9 points per game. FSU’s offense averaged 21.6 pass completions on 37.9 attempts, for 269.1 yards per game. The Seminole’s quarterback, Deondre Francois, threw 227 completions on 396 attempts, throwing for 2731 yards. Francois threw 12 interceptions in the 2018 season. Florida State wide receivers Tamorrion Terry and Nyqwan Murray combined for 1488 yards on 89 receptions, for 11 combined touchdowns. In FSU’s air raid, they were only able to score 20 touchdowns, and in their rushing attack, they were only able to score 11 touchdowns. As you can tell, the Seminole’s rushing attack was not too impressive either. FSU averaged only 90.9 yards on 32.6 attempts, which means they only averaged about 2.8 yards per carry. Running back Cam Akers and quarterback Deondre Francois lead the team in rushing. Akers rushed for 706 yards on 161 attempts, scoring 6 rushing touchdowns. Francois rushed for 16 yards on 78 attempts (yes, you read that correctly), scoring 3 touchdowns. Florida State’s defense gave up 378 points in the 2018 season (average of 31.5 points per game), which is 115 points more than their offense was able to score. Although Florida State’s defense gave up a ton of points, their defense also was able to force 15 turnovers. The team had 12 interceptions, and 1 pick-six (Stanford Samuels III lead the team with 4 int.), and only 3 fumble recoveries. For Florida State to have a more successful 2019 season, the Seminoles will need to obviously find a way to gel on offense. You can’t expect to win many games when you score 115 points less than your defense allows. However, Seminole fans should be able to see a more enjoyable season, as their new head coach and coaching staff have been allowed more time to gel, and work more on their positions with their players. Florida State’s quarterbacks and wide receivers will also need to work on their routes, as you can not expect to win games when you throw 14 interceptions (averaging 1.16 int a game).

Roster: https://seminoles.com/sports/football/roster/

Schedule: https://seminoles.com/sports/football/schedule/

University of Louisville: Going 0-8 in conference and 2-10 overall, it’s safe to say that things can’t get much worse for the Cardinals. As Louisville fired head coach, Bobby Petrino after going 2-8, interim head coach Lorenzo Ward stepped in for the final 2 games of the season. After Louisville’s season was over, the search began for a new head coach, and the search came to a stop when Louisville hired Appalachian State’s head coach, Scott Satterfield (9-2 2018 regular season record at Appalachian State). In their 2018 season, Louisville’s offense only scored 237 points which averages to be only 19.8 points per game. The Cardinal’s offense averaged 17.5 pass completions on 32.8 attempts, for 211.1 yards per game. Quarterback Jawon Pass completed 162 out of 300 pass attempts, throwing for 1960 yards. Pass also threw more interceptions than touchdown passes in the 2018 season (8 TD, 12 Int). Louisville was only able to score 10 passing touchdowns, and wide receivers Dez Fitzpatrick and Chatarius Atwell combined for half of those. Fitzpatrick and Atwell combined for 826 yards on 55 receptions, scoring 5 touchdowns. Rushing wise, the Cardinals averaged 142.4 yards on 33.5 attempts per game in 2018. The offense was able to score 18 touchdowns, lead by Malik Cunningham and Trey Smith. Cunningham and Smith combined for 760 yards on 129 attempts, scoring half of the teams touchdowns (9 combined). Another reason for Louisville’s poor season is their defense. The Cardinal’s defense gave up a total of 529 points in the 2018 season, which averages a total of 44.1 points a game. The Cardinals only forced 13 turnovers; 6 interceptions (CJ Avery lead the team with 2) and 7 fumble recoveries. For 2019 to hold a much better season for the Cardinals, major changes have to be made on both the offense and the defense. Giving up over 500 points per season, and only averaging 14 points per game will not win a team many games. We believe that the coaching staff that Scott Satterfield is bringing in will be able to do this for the Cardinals.

Roster: https://gocards.com/roster.aspx?roster=303&path=

Schedule: https://gocards.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

NC State University: NCSU ended the season with a 5-3 record in conference, going 9-4 overall. In the 2018 season, the Wolfpack’s offense scored 440 points total, averaging 33.8 points per game. NCSU’s offense averaged 25.7 completions on 38.2 attempts, averaging 313.2 yards per game. Quarterback Ryan Finley threw 326 completions on 484 attempts, throwing for 3928 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Kelvin Harmon and Emeka Emezie lead the team in receiving. The two receivers combined for 1802 yards on 134 receptions, scoring 12 touchdowns. Rushing wise, NCSU averaged 143.1 yards on 37.2 attempts per game. Running backs Reggie Gallaspy II and Ricky Person Jr. lead the Wolfpack in rushing. Gallaspy II and Person Jr. combined for 1562 yards on 320 attempts, scoring 20 touchdowns. NCSU’s defense gave up a total of 324 points in the 2018 season, averaging 24.9 surrendered per game. The defense had 9 fumble recoveries and 10 interceptions (Jarius Morehead lead the team with 3). For NCSU to have a more successful season, their offense will need to continue to put up positive numbers, doing more in each category than the defense gives up. Although NCSU lost their starting quarterback, fans should be confident in quarterback Matt McKay, has he completed 7 out of 8 passes that he attempted last season. For the Wolfpack’s defense, they need to work more on shutting down their opponent’s rushing attack, because the gave up an average of 261.1 yards per game in the 2018 season.

Roster: https://gopack.com/roster.aspx?roster=229&path=football

Schedule: https://gopack.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Syracuse University: Finishing 15th in the final AP poll, Syracuse went 6-2 in conference and 10-3 overall. Syracuse’s offense averaged 20.8 completions on 35.6 for 264.7 yards per game. Quarterback Eric Dungey completed 226 out of 371 pass attempts for 2868 yards in the 2018 season. Dungey threw 18 passing touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Syracuse wide receivers Jamal Custis and Nykeim Johnson lead the team in receiving in the 2018 season. Combined, they had 1471 yards on 92 receptions, scoring a total of 10 combined touchdowns. Syracuse’s offense also averaged 202.1 yards on 45.6 attempts per game in the 2018 season. Quarterback Eric Dungey and running back Moe Neal lead the team in rushing. Dungey had 754 yards rushing on 184 attempts, scoring 15 touchdowns. Neal had 869 yards on 155 attempts, scoring only 5 touchdowns. Syracuse’s defense surrendered 351 points, while forcing 30 turnovers. With 18 interceptions (Andre Cisco lead the team with 7) and 12 fumble recoveries. For Syracuse to have a more successful 2019 season, the defense has work to do. Although giving up a total of 351 points in the entire season (average of 27 ppg), it is clear that Syracuse’s dominate offense is the reason that the Orange had 10 wins, and ended the season ranked #15 (523 points in the 2018 season). The defense needs to work on defending dominate passing offense, as they gave up an average of 264.1 yards per game. As long as Syracuse has been working on this during camp and their practices in the offseason, the Orange can expect another successful season.

Roster: https://cuse.com/roster.aspx?roster=1497&path=

Schedule: https://cuse.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Wake Forest University: The Demon Deacons went 3-5 in conference play and 7-6 overall. Wake Forest’s offense scored 427 points in the 2018 season (averaging 32.8 points per game). WF averaged 19.1 completions on 34.2 attempts, for 235.2 yards per game. Quarterback Sam Hartman completed 161 out of 291 pass attempts, throwing for 1984 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in the 2018 season. Greg Dortch and Alex Bachman lead the team in receiving in 2018. Dortch had 89 receptions for 1078 yards, scoring 8 touchdowns. Bachman had 37 receptions for 541 yards, scoring 6 touchdowns. In Wake Forest’s rushing attack, they averaged 216.7 yards on 48.2 attempts per game. Running backs Cade Carney and Matt Colburn lead the team in rushing. Carney had 1005 yards rushing on 188 attempts, scoring 8 touchdowns. Colburn had 775 yards on 159 attempts, scoring 5 touchdowns. Wake Forest’s defense gave up a total of 433 points in the 2018 season (average of 33.3 points per game). Although that is only 6 more points than the offense was able to score, it still makes a difference. The defense was able to force 16 turnovers (10 fumble recoveries, 6 interceptions). For the Demon Deacons to have a more successful 2019 season, they will need to work on defending passing offenses, as they allowed an average of 30 more yards than the offense was able to pass for. Giving up over 400 points in a season is a lot, therefore Wake Forest needs to find a way to stop their opponent from scoring.

Roster: https://godeacs.com/roster.aspx?roster=197

Schedule: https://godeacs.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

The ACC Coastal:

Duke University: The Blue Devils went 3-5 in conference and 8-5 overall. Duke’s offense scored a total of 382 points in the 2018 season, averaging 29.4 points per game. In each game, Duke averaged 21.4 pass completions on 36.6 attempts for 246.1 yards. Quarterback Daniel Jones completed 237 out of 392 pass attempts, throwing for 2674 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Receivers TJ Rahming and Davis Koppenhaver lead the team in receiving touchdowns in the 2018 season. Rahming had 75 receptions for 811 yards, scoring 8 touchdowns. Koppenhaver had 14 receptions for 115 yards, scoring 7 touchdowns. The Blue Devils averaged 159.6 yards rushing on 36.9 attempts in the 2018 season. Running backs Deon Jackson and Quentin Harris lead the team in rushing. Jackson rushed for 847 yards on 161 attempts, scoring 7 rushing touchdowns. Harris rushed for 195 yards on 46 attempts, scoring 5 touchdowns. Duke’s defense gave up a total of 356 points in the 2018 season, averaging 27.4 given up per game. Their defense was able to force a total of 11 turnovers (4 interceptions, 7 fumble recoveries). For Duke forest to have a successful 2019 season, major improvements should be made on both offense and defense. Duke’s defense gave up almost 50 yards more than the offense was able to rush for per game, and also caused an average of 52.8 yards lost in penalties per game. Duke’s offense needs to work on their red-zone offense, as they put up good numbers both rushing and passing wise, but fail to get into the end-zone most of the time.

Roster: http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1843&SPSID=22667

Schedule: http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1843&SPSID=22666

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets finished the 2018 season with an overall record of 7-6, and a conference record of 5-3. GT’s offense scored a total of 437 points in the 2018 season, averaging 33.6 points per game. Lead by quarterback TaQuon Marshall, the Yellow Jackets averaged 4.3 completions on 9.7 attempts for 44.4 yards per game. Marshall completed 48 on 109 attempts, throwing for 900 yards, 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. It’s no secret that Georgia Tech’s passing game isn’t that great because Paul Johnson ran the triple option a majority of the time, in fact, the Yellow Jackets only scored 7 passing touchdowns in the 2018 season. Receivers Brad Stewart and Clinton Lynch combined for 477 yards on 22 receptions, scoring 5 touchdowns. Now, let’s take a look at how much more Georgia Tech ran the ball than throwing it. The Yellow Jackets averaged 325.1 yards on 57.3 attempts per game. Tech also scored 46 rushing touchdowns. Running back Tobias Oliver and quarterback TaQuon Marshall lead the team in rushing. Oliver had 876 yards rushing on 152 attempts, scoring 12 touchdowns. Marshall had 971 yards on 216 attempts, scoring 11 touchdowns. Tech’s defense gave up a total of 381 points in the 2018 season, averaging 29.3 points per game. Tech was able to force 25 turnovers (12 interceptions, 13 fumble recoveries). For Georgia Tech to have a more successful 2019 season, their defense will need to work on their pass defense, as they gave up an average of 211.3 yards per game. It will also be interesting to see how Georgia Tech does with its new coaching staff, as Paul Johnson retired after the 2018 season. Taking all things into account, Yellow Jacket fans can expect to have a similar season as 2018 because of all the new adjustments that GT’s new coaching staff is making.

Roster: https://ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/roster/

Schedule: https://ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/schedule/

University of Miami: The Hurricanes went 7-6 overall and 4-4 in conference in the 2018 season. Scoring a total of 374 points in the 2018 season (averaging 28.8 points per game) and giving up 253 points (averaging 19.5 points per game), you can tell that Miami struggled on both sides of the ball in 2018. Miami’s offense averaged 14 completions on 27.4 attempts for 167.3 yards per game. Quarterback N’Kosi Perry completed 97 out of 191 pass attempts, throwing for 1091 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. Receivers Lawrence Cager and Brevin Jordan lead the team in receiving. Cager had 21 receptions for 374 yards, scoring 6 touchdowns. Jordan had 32 receptions for 287 yards, scoring 4 touchdowns. The Hurricane’s offense also averaged 191.5 yards per game on 36.8 attempts. Running backs Deejay Dallas and Malik Rosier lead the team in rushing touchdowns in the 2018 season. Dallas rushed for 617 yards on 109 attempts, scoring 6 touchdowns. Rosier rushed for 300 yards on 57 attempts, also scoring 6 touchdowns. As mentioned before, Miami’s defense only gave up a total of 253 points, which is not too bad. However, if you look at Miami’s 2018 schedule you can see where they blew key plays that would have won them several games. Miami was able to get 16 interceptions and 9 fumble recoveries. For Miami to have a successful 2018 season, the transitions between coaching staffs will need to be successful (obviously) but Miami’s offense needs to find a way to mix up their scoring. They took several losses because of their inability to score. In fact they lost 3 games by 1 score or less.

Roster: https://hurricanesports.com/roster.aspx?roster=1390

Schedule: https://hurricanesports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of North Carolina: The Tar Heels went 2-9 overall and 1-7 in conference. Their offense scored a total of 301 points in the 2018 season, averaging 27.4 points per game. The Tar Heels offense averaged 22.2 completions on 37.6 attempts for 249.1 yards per game. UNC’s quarterback, Nathan Elliott, completed 201 out of 325 pass attempts for 2169 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Five of North Carolina’s wide receivers had 2 touchdowns on the season (2 is the most by all receivers for the Tar Heels). UNC’s offense also averaged 193 yards on 36.5 attempts per game in the 2018 season. Running backs Antonio Williams and Javonte Williams combined for 728 yards on 134 attempts, scoring 10 touchdowns. The Tar Heels’ defense gave up 380 points in the 2018 season, which averages 34.5 points per game. They had 16 forced turnovers in the season (9 fumble recoveries, 7 interceptions). For the Tar Heels to have a more successful season, they will need to adjust to a new coaching staff, as Larry Fedora was fired in the 2018 season. UNC will also need to adjust their defense, as they surrendered several more points than were scored in the 2018 season. North Carolina’s offense also needs to improve its offense, as their starting quarterback only threw for 2 more touchdowns, than interceptions. Hopefully North Carolina’s new coaching staff will be able to fix these issues, and the team will have a more competitive season.

Roster: https://www.tarheeltimes.com/rosterfootball-2019.aspx

Schedule: https://www.tarheeltimes.com/schedulefootball-2019.aspx

University of Pittsburgh: The Panthers went 7-7 overall, and 6-2 in conference. Pitt scored 359 points (average of 25.6 ppg) in the 2018 season, while giving up a total of 389 points (average of 27.8 ppg). The Panthers completed 13 passes on 22.6 attempts for 141.8 yards per game in the 2018 season while rushing for an average of 227.9 yards per game on 40.8 attempts per game. Pitt quarterback, Kenny Pickett, completed 180 passes on 310 attempts, passing for 1969 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. Running backs Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall lead the team in rushing. Ollison had 1213 yards on 194 attempts, scoring 11 touchdowns. Hall had 1144 yards on 153 attempts, scoring 10 touchdowns. Receivers Maurice Ffrench and Rafael Araujo-Lopes lead the team in receiving. Ffrench had 35 receptions for 515 yards, scoring 6 touchdowns. Araujo-Lopes had 37 receptions for 380 yards, scoring 4 touchdowns. It’s no secret that Pitt’s defense needs some work, as they almost gave up 400 points in the 2018 season. In fact, Pitt’s defense gave up 67.5 more yards passing than Pitt’s offense was able to produce. Although there is room for major improvements, Pitt’s defense forced 18 turnovers (9 fumble recoveries and 9 interceptions). For Pitt to have a successful 2019 season, and return to the ACC championship as in 2018, the mentioned issues on defense will need to be improved. It would also help the Panthers if their offense found a way to dominate more in the running game.

Roster: https://pittsburghpanthers.com/roster.aspx?roster=1220&path=football

Schedule: https://pittsburghpanthers.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Virginia: The Cavaliers went 8-5 overall and 4-4 in conference. Virginia’s offense scored 370 points in the 2018 season, averaging 28.5 points per game. Their defense surrendered 261 points during the season, averaging 20.1 points given up per game. The Cavaliers averaged 17.5 completions on 27.5 attempts for 211.6 yards per game. In their rushing game, they averaged 172.9 yards on 38.4 attempts per game. Quarterback Bryce Perkins completed 225 passes out of 349 attempts, throwing for 2680 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Receivers Olamide Zaccheaus and Joe Reed led the team in receiving in the 2018 season. They combined for 1523 yards on 118 receptions, scoring 16 combined touchdowns. Running back Jordan Ellis and Quarterback Bryce Perkins lead the team in rushing. The two combined for 1949 yards on 427 attempts, scoring 19 touchdowns. Virginia also had 16 interceptions, and 4 fumble recoveries. For the Cavaliers to have a successful 2019 season, they will need to dominate on offense again, however as suggested for many teams, they will need to figure out a way to score when their opponent’s defense is shutting them down. In regards to Virginia’s defense, they will also need to find a way to shut their opponent down, and to not give up so much momentum.

Roster: https://virginiasports.com/roster.aspx?roster=1137&path=football

Schedule: https://virginiasports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Virginia Tech: The Hokies went 4-4 in conference and 6-7 overall. VT’s offense scored a total of 388 points in the season, averaging 29.8 points per game. Their defense gave up 403 points in the 2018 season, averaging 31 points per game. The Hokies averages 19.2 completions on 33 attempts for 253.8 yards per game. In their rushing attack, they averaged 174.3 yards on 39.8 attempts per game. Hokie quarterback, Ryan Willis, completed 213 passes out of 364 attempts, throwing for 2716 yards, 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Damon Hazelton Jr. and Eric Kumah lead the team in receiving. Hazelton Jr. had 51 receptions for 802 yards and 8 touchdowns, while Kumah had 42 receptions for 559 yards and 7 touchdowns. Running back Steven Peoples and quarterback Ryan Willis lead the team in rushing. Peoples had 786 yards on 158 attempts for 6 touchdowns, while Willis had 354 yards on 113 attempts for 4 touchdowns. The Hokies had 7 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries in the 2018 season. For the Hokies to have a more successful 2019 season, the Hokies’ defense needs to strongly improve their defense, especially their defense against strong rushing teams. It would also be a strong plus for the Hokies to improve their passing game, as they only scored 10 total passing touchdowns in the 2018 season.

Roster: https://hokiesports.com/roster.aspx?roster=288&path=football

Schedule: https://hokiesports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

As NFL teams have been reporting to camp, it’s that time of year that the NFL’s preseason games begin. Although you may not be able to catch your team’s biggest stars in action, preseason football can suffice for those who are having football withdraws, and it serves as a last chance for players to make the 53 man roster for the regular season. As each team plays 4 preseason games before their regular season begins, here is a look at the match ups in each week (Broncos and Falcons to play 5 preseason games).

Week 1

(08/01):

Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos (Canton, OH) @ 8 p.m. (NBC)

(08/08) :

Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills @ 7 p.m. (WKBW, WXIN)

New York Jets at New York Giants @ 7 p.m. (NFL Network, WNBC)

Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens @ 7:30 p.m. (WBAL, WJAX)

Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns @ 7:30 p.m. (WRC, WEWS)

New England Patriots at Detroit Lions @ 7:30 p.m. (WJBK, WBZ)

Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins @ 7:30 p.m. (WFOR, WUPA)

Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles @ 7:30 p.m. (WKRN, WCAU)

Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears @ 8 p.m. (WSOC, WFLD)

Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers @ 8 p.m. (WTMJ, KTRK)

Los Angeles Chargers at Arizona Cardinals @ 10 p.m. (NFL Network, KPNX, KABC)

Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks @ 10 p.m. (KING, KTVD)

(08/09):

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers @ 7:30 p.m. (NFL Network, KDKA, WTSP, WTFV)

Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints @ 8 p.m. (KMSP, WVUE)

(08/10):

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs @ 8 p.m. (WKRC, KCTV)

Los Angeles Rams at Oakland Raiders @ 9 p.m. (KTVU, KCBS)

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers @ 9 p.m. (NFL Network, KPIX, KTVT)

Week 2

(08/15):

Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars @ 7 p.m. (WJAX, WCAU)

New York Jets at Atlanta Falcons @ 7:30 p.m. (WCBS, WUPA)

Green Bay Packers at Baltimore Ravens @ 7:30 p.m. (WBAL, WTMJ)

Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins @ 7:30 p.m. (WKRC, WRC)

Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals @ 8 p.m. (ESPN)

(08/16):

Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers @ 7 p.m. (WKBW, WSOC)

Chicago Bears at New York Giants @ 7:30 p.m. (NFL Network, WNBC, WFLD)

Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 7:30 p.m. (WFOR, WTSP, WFTV)

(08/17):

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts @ 4 p.m. (NFL Network, WEWS)

New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans @ 7 p.m. (WBZ, WKRN)

Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers @ 7:30 p.m. (NFL Network, KCTV, KDKA)

Detroit Lions at Houston Texans @ 8 p.m. (WJBK, KTRK)

Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Rams (Honolulu, HI) @ 10 p.m. (NFL Network, KTVT, KCBS)

(08/18):

New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers @ 4 p.m. ( CBS)

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings @ 8 p.m. (Fox)

San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos @ 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Week 3

(08/22):

New York Giants at Cincinnati Bengals @ 7 p.m. (WKRC, WNBC)

Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons @ 7:30 p.m. (WRC, WUPA)

Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots @ 7:30 p.m. (WBZ, WSOC)

Baltimore Ravens at Philadelphia Eagles @ 7:30 p.m. (WBAL, WCAU)

Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins @ 8 p.m. (Fox)

Green Bay Packers vs. Oakland Raiders (Winnipeg) @ 8 p.m. (KTVU, WTMJ)

(08/23):

Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 7:30 p.m. (WEWS, WTSP, WFTV)

Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions @ 8 p.m. (CBS)

(08/24):

Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings @ 1 p.m. (NFL Network, KPNX)

Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys @ 7 p.m. (NFL Network, KTVT, KTRK)

Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts @ 7 p.m. (WXIN, WFLD)

New Orleans Saints at New York Jets @ 7:30 p.m. (WVUE, WCBS)

San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs @ 8 p.m. (KPIX, KCTV)

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Rams @ 9 p.m. (KTVD, KCBS)

Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Chargers @ 10 p.m. (NFL Network, KABC)

(08/25):

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans @ 8 p.m. (NBC)

Week 4

(08/29):

Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills @ 7 p.m. (WKBW, KMSP)

Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers @ 7 p.m. (KCKA, WSOC)

Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals @ 7 p.m. (WXIN, WKRC)

Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars @ 7 p.m. (WJAX, WUPA)

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets @ 7 p.m. (NFL Network, WCBS, WCAU)

Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns @ 7:30 p.m. (WEWS, WJBK)

New York Giants at New England Patriots @ 7:30 p.m. (WNBC, WBZ)

Baltimore Ravens at Washington Redskins @ 7:30 p.m. (WBAL, WRC)

Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears @ 8 p.m. (WFLD, WKRN)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys @ 8 p.m. (KTVT, WTSP, WFTV)

Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers @ 8 p.m. (WTMJ, KCTV)

Los Angeles Rams at Houston Texans @ 8 p.m. (KCBS, KTRK)

Miami Dolphins at New Orleans Saints @ 8 p.m. (WVUE, WFOR)

Arizona Cardinals at Denver Broncos @ 9 p.m. (KTVD, KPNX)

Los Angeles Chargers at San Francisco 49ers @ 10 p.m. (NFL Network, KPIX, KABC)

Oakland Raiders at Seattle Seahawks @ 10 p.m. (KING, KTVU)

There is no doubt that the 2018 AAC Champions, the University of Central Florida, has one of the most powerful Group of 5 teams since their turn around from going 0-12 in 2015, to 12-0 in 2017. Although UCF has been very dominate in the past two seasons, we cannot count any of the other teams in the conference out. Here is the break down of the East and the West in the AAC:

The AAC East:

The AAC East is home to Central Florida, Temple, Cincinnati, South Florida, Eastern Carolina, and Connecticut. Here are their statistics from the 2018 season, and what you can expect this season from each team.

University of Central Florida: Despite losing their first game in two seasons in the Fiesta Bowl (LSU 40-32), UCF Finished 11th in the final AP poll of the 2018 season. The team averaged 17.2 pass completions on 30.2 attempts per game, with starting quarterback McKenzie Milton finishing the season with 171 pass completions on 289 attempts. Milton finished the season with 2663 passing yards, while quarterback Darriel Mack Jr. had 51 completions on 100 attempts for 619 yards during the 2018 season. During the season, the team 45.6 rushing attempts for 266.1 yards. Leading rusher, Adrian Killins had 147 attempts for 715, scoring 4 touchdowns (Killins also had 19 receptions for 377 yards, scoring 4 touchdowns). Greg McCrae had 133 attempts for 1182 yards, scoring 10 touchdowns (McCrae had 8 receptions for 116 yards, scoring 1 touchdown). Not only was UCF a solid rushing attack, but they proved that they could get things done in a passing attack too. Receivers Gabriel Davis and Dredrick Snelson combined for 96 receptions for 1503 yards, scoring 12 touchdowns. The offense was not the only highlight for the knights, but the team’s defense combined for 14 interceptions (Richie Grant lead the team with 6), and 14 fumble recoveries (Nate Evans lead the team with 2). The team also combined for 106 tackles for loss, and 4 pick sixes. With the Knights returning more than half of their starters, along with their young core, we can expect to see identical production on both sides of the field.

Roster: http://ucfknights.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=34100&SPID=181613&SPSID=1115429

Schedule: http://ucfknights.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=34100&SPID=181613&SPSID=1115428

University of Cincinnati: Cincinnati finished the 2018 season with an 11-2 record, and ending the season as number 24 in the final AP poll. Cincinnati had one of the most productive offenses in the AAC during the 2018 season, averaging 17.5 completions on 28.8 attempts per game. Quarterback Desmond Ridder had 194 completions on 311 attempts for 2445 yards, followed by Hayden Moore who had 27 completions on 51 attempts for 327 yards. For Cincinnati’s rushing attack, they averaged 239.5 yards per game on 46.2 attempts. Leading rusher Michael Warren II had 1329 yards in 244 attempts for 19 touchdowns (Warren II also had 25 receptions for 232 yards and 1 touchdown). Not too far behind Michael, Quarterback Desmond Ridder rushed for 583 yards on 149 attempts for 5 touchdowns. Although Cincinatti’s rushing attack was more dominate than their passing attack, their receivers still put up some pretty impressive numbers. Kahlil Lewis and Josiah Deguara combined for 94 receptions for 1250 yards, and 14 touchdowns. Cincinnati’s defense had 12 interceptions (James Wiggins lead the team with 4), and they had 8 fumble recoveries (Cameron Jefferies lead the team with 2). Cincinnati had 5 touchdowns off of these turnovers. The team’s defense also had 79 tackles for loss. The 2019 season looks promising for Cincinnati as they are returning their dominate starters on both the offense and defense. If both sides of the ball can stay consistent, and tight at their positions, Cincinnati could make a case to win the AAC East.

Roster: https://gobearcats.com/roster.aspx?roster=1198&path=football

Schedule: https://gobearcats.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Temple University: Temple finished the 2018 season with an 8-5 record. In their 13 games, Temple’s offense averaged 19.4 complete passes per 34 attempts in each game. Quarterback Anthony Russo had 198 completions on 345 attempts for 2563 yards. Second string Quarterback had 42 completions on 75 attempts for 585 yards. Leading receivers Ventell Bryant and Branden Mack combined for 95 receptions for 1291 yards and 8 touchdowns. Temple’s rushing attack averaged 157.8 yards on on 37.5 attempts, only averaging 4.2 yards a play. Although Temple’s rushing attack wasn’t as impressive as it could have been with the talent they have, star player, Ryquell Armstead, still found a way to show out. Ryquell Armstead had 1098 yards in 210 attempts for 13 touchdowns. Temple’s defense had 18 interceptions in the 2018 season (Delvon Randall lead the team with 4) and 11 fumble recoveries (Chapelle Russell lead the team with 4). If Temple can find a way to be more effective on offense, they should be able to score more in crucial and close games. Last season Temple lost 2 games by 1 score or less, and 2 games by 2 or less scores.

Roster: https://owlsports.com/roster.aspx?roster=361&path=football

Schedule: https://owlsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of South Florida: South Florida went 7-6 in the 2018 season, only winning 3 of their 8 conference games. Although their offense seemed to be more productive than other teams in the AAC, their red-zone offense was a killer. South Florida averaged 19.4 completions on 33.2 attempts per game. Quarterback Blake Barnett had 214 completed passes over 350 attempts for 2705 yards in the 2018 season. Leading receivers Tyree McCants and Mitchell Wilcox combined for 102 receptions for 1157 yards, but only 5 touchdowns. South Florida’s offense averaged 195.9 yards on 39.7 attempts in their rushing attack in each game in 2018. Lead rusher Jordan Cronkrite had 1121 yards on 184 attempts, scoring 9 touchdowns, while Johnny Ford had 787 yards on 115 attempts, scoring 8 touchdowns. South Florida’s defense had a total of 11 interceptions (Nick Roberts lead the team with 3) and 10 fumble recoveries in the 2018 season (Josh Black and Juwuan Brown lead the team with 2). To win their division this season, South Florida needs to get in an offensive rhythm, and stay in that consistency. As the leaders on this team are mostly seniors, this will be their final chance to prove themselves at USF, and will hopefully be able to find a rhythm offensively and defensively.

Roster: https://gousfbulls.com/roster.aspx?roster=2344&path=football

Schedule: https://gousfbulls.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

East Carolina University: ECU finished the 2018 season with a 3-9 record. The pirates averaged 23.8 completions per 47.3 attempts. Quarterback Reid Herring had 154 completed passed on 288 attempts, throwing for 1607 yards and 10 interceptions. The pirates other Quarterback, Holton Ahlers threw 127 completions on 263 attempts, throwing for 1785 yards and 3 interceptions. Trevon Brown and Deondre Farrier combined for 104 receptions for 1,495‬ yards, scoring 11 touchdowns. In the pirate’s rushing attack, they averaged 129.7 yards over 35.6 attempts in each game. Quarterback Holton Ahlers had 592 yards on 119 attempts for 6 touchdowns, while Anthony Scott had 405 yards on 103 attempts for 3 touchdowns. East Carolina’s defense had 4 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries (Michael Witherspoon lead the team with 2) in the 2018 season. The pirates had 102.5 tackles for loss, with Nate Harvey leading the team with 24.5 TFL. To even being close to contending for the east division in the AAC, the pirates need to find an offensive rhythm, much like USF, and the Quarterbacks need to work on controlling the ball. To put the ball in the end zone more, the pirates need to work on their rushing attack, and perfecting their air raid.

Roster: https://ecupirates.com/roster.aspx?roster=1253&path=football

Schedule: https://ecupirates.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Connecticut: UConn finished the 2018 season with a 1-11 record, only beating Rhode Island. The huskies averaged 16.6 completions over 29.2 attempts. The huskies Quarterback, David Pindell, had 186 completions over 314 attempts for 1962 yards, but threw 13 interceptions in the 2018 season. Leading receivers Hergy Mayala and Kyle Buss combined for 72 receptions for 843 yards, scoring only 8 touchdowns. The huskies averaged 199.6 rushing yards on 41.6 attempts per game in the 2018 season. Kevin Mensah had 1045 yards over 255 attempts in the 2018 season for 6 touchdowns, while Quarterback David Pindell had 1139 yards rushing over 212 attempts for 10 touchdowns. The huskies only had 4 interceptions (Oneil Robinson lead the team with 2) and only 6 fumble recoveries (Omar Fortt lead the team with 2). It’s no secret that UConn has a lot to improve on before they will be contenders to win the AAC conference. It is critical that the huskies form a more dominant offense, whether that be through the air, or on the ground. The huskies defense needs to be more aggressive towards getting the ball back into their possession, and the quarterbacks need to work on ball control. Although we believe the huskies will eventually fix these issues, I still expect them to finish at 5 or 6 in the AAC East division.

Roster: https://uconnhuskies.com/roster.aspx?roster=383

Schedule: https://uconnhuskies.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=1698

The AAC West:

The AAC West is home to Memphis, Houston, Tulane, Southern Methodist, Navy, and Tulsa. Here are their statistics from the 2018 season, and what you can expect this season from each team.

University of Memphis: Memphis went 8-6 in the 2018 season, and lost the AAC Championship to UCF by a score of 56-41. Memphis had one of the most efficient offenses, both passing and rushing. In Memphis’ air raid, they averaged 18.3 completions in 29.5 attempts per game. Memphis Quarterback, Brady White had 246 completions over 392 attempts for 3296 yards. Leading receivers Damonte Coxie and Tony Pollard combined for 111 receptions for 1632 yards, scoring 10 touchdowns. Memphis’ offense averaged 279.9 yards on 43.9 attempts per game in the 2018 season. Darrell Henderson had 1909 yards on 214 attempts, scoring a team high 22 touchdowns. Not too far behind him is Patrick Taylor Jr. with 1122 yards on 208 attempts, scoring 16 touchdowns. Although Memphis’ offense is the star of the show, the tiger’s defense had 9 interceptions (Tito Windham and Terrell Carter lead the team with 2) and 12 fumble recoveries (Austin Hall lead the team with 2). There’s no doubt that the tiger’s defense will continue to improve with the returning talent, and young talent that will be playing for the team. However, the defense needs to work on locking down during games. In the 2018 season, they gave up an average of 31.7 points per game, which turned out to be crucial in the 3 games that they lost by one score or less. If Memphis has improved the defense, and can find the same offensive rhythm that they found themselves in during 2018, they will find themselves back in the AAC conference championship.

Roster: https://gotigersgo.com/roster.aspx?path=football

Schedule: https://gotigersgo.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Houston: Houston finished the 2018 season with an 8-5 record. Houston also had one of the most productive offenses in the AAC. Averaging 21.8 completions over 36.5 attempts, Houston had a completion percentage of 59.9%. Quarterback D’Eriq King had 219 completions on 345, throwing for 2982 yards. Houston’s leading receivers, Marquez Stevenson and Keith Corbin, combined for 115 receptions for 1710 yards, scoring 19 touchdowns. Houston’s air raid is pretty impressive, but let’s not forget about their rush attack. Houston’s offense averaged 216.5 rushing yards per game on an average of 41.2 attempts. Patrick Carr had 868 yards rushing on 152 yards, scoring 5 touchdowns, while quarterback D’Eriq King had 674 yards rushing on 111 attempts, scoring 14 touchdowns. Houston’s defense had a total of 14 interceptions (Gleson Sprewell lead the team with 3), and 10 fumble recoveries (Emeke Egbule lead the team with 4). For Houston to win the AAC conference this season, they will need to adjust to the changes in their coaching staff, as their head coach was fired following their 70-14 loss to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl. Houston, much like other AAC teams, also needs to find a way to lock down on defense, especially in the red zone. Fix these problems, and Houston could be the AAC champion in no time.

Roster: https://uhcougars.com/roster.aspx?roster=168&path=football

Schedule: https://uhcougars.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Tulane University: Tulane finished the 2018 season with a 7-6 record. Winning 5 out of 8 conference games, there is no doubt that things are looking up in the future for Tulane. Tulane’s offense averaged 11.7 completions on 23.1 attempts per game in 2018. Quarterback Justin McMillan threw for 79 completions on 154 attempts, throwing for 1304 yards. Tulane’s other quarterback, Jonathan Banks, threw 72 completions on 139 attempts, throwing for 1074 yards in the 2018 season. Tulane’s leading receivers, Darnell Mooney and Terren Encalade, combined for 92 receptions for 1720 yards, scoring 13 touchdowns. Tulane’s offense averaged 218.7 yards in 46.2 attempts per game. Leading rusher, Darius Bradwell lead the team with 1134 yards on 201 attempts, scoring 11 touchdowns for the green wave. Corey Dauphine had 785 yards on 124 attempts, scoring 7 touchdowns. Tulane’s defense had 12 interceptions (Donnie Lewis lead the team with 3) and 6 fumble recoveries. With the green wave returning an already established quarterback, as well as key players from both sides of the ball, Tulane fans can expect a similar season to 2018. For Tulane to finish higher in the AAC, they need to work on red zone offense, as well as possibly tweaking their defensive approach.

Roster: https://tulanegreenwave.com/roster.aspx?roster=1228

Schedule: https://tulanegreenwave.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Southern Methodist University: SMU finished the 2018 season with a 5-7 record, going 4-4 in conference. With a decent passing offense, SMU averaged 22.3 completions on 39 attempts. Quarterback Ben Hicks threw 208 completions over 372 attempts, throwing for 2582 yards. SMU’s leading receivers, James Proche and Reggie Robertson Jr., combined for 145 receptions for 2001 yards. Combined, they scored 18 touchdowns. As far as the mustang’s rushing attack, the team averaged 115.6 yards in 33.3 attempts per game in the 2018 season. Braeden West lead the team in rushing yards with 589 yards on 138 attempts, scoring 6 touchdowns. Also scoring 6 rushing touchdowns on the season, running back Ke’Mon Freeman rushed for 339 yards on 75 attempts. Giving up an average of 35.25 points per game, the mustang’s defense had 12 interceptions (Patrick Nelson and Kevin Johnson lead the team with 2) and 10 fumble recoveries (Jake Hall lead the team with 3). To finish the 2019 season with a winning record, SMU will have to make the adjustments for a new starting quarterback. As SMU is returning their top 2 receivers and one of their leading running backs, the mustang’s will need to find the same offensive rhythm that they were able to find in the 2018 season. Although SMU is returning most of their key players, they will need to prepare more for the types of offense that they will be facing.

Roster: https://smumustangs.com/roster.aspx?roster=3242&path=football

Schedule: https://smumustangs.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Naval Academy: Navy finished the season with a 3-10 record. It’s no secret that Navy’s football team has been on the decline since 2015, when they finished 18th in the final AP poll (11-2 record). Finishing 9-5 in 2016, and 7-6 in 2017, fans wonder what has lead to the decline of the midshipmen. As not much has changed for Navy in their coaching staff, we can look at the stats to see what has changed for the team. In 2018, Navy averaged 4.2 completions on 9.9 attempts per game (41.9%). In 2015, Navy averaged 4.9 completions on 9.4 attempts (52.5%). In 2018, starting quarterback Garret Lewis threw 33 completions on 74 attempts (44.6%) whereas in 2015, quarterback Keenan Reynolds threw 61 completions on 115 attempts (53%). In the 2018 season, Navy’s lead receiver had 13 receptions for 222 yards, but only 1 touchdown. In 2015, Navy’s lead receiver had 29 receptions for 597 yards, scoring 5 touchdowns. As most people know, Navy runs the triple-option, so they don’t rely on a passing offense as much, however to be able to be more successful, Navy needs to be able to pass successfully as well because running the ball is not going to work against every team. In 2018, Navy averaged 276.6 yards on 56.1 attempts per game. In 2015, they averaged 326.7 yards on 57.5. IN the 2018 season, running back Malcolm Perry had 1087 yards on 172 attempts, scoring 7 rushing touchdowns. Teammate Zach Abbey had 306 yards on 125 attempts, scoring 14 touchdowns. The Midshipmen’s defense had 9 interceptions (Jarid Ryan lead the team with 3) and 11 fumble recoveries in the 2018 season. In 2015, they had 12 interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries. For the Midshipmen to have a turn-around season, and end up in a place like they did in 2015, they will need to have more variation in the plays that they choose. Yes, the triple-option is a Navy tradition, but as mentioned before, some teams are going to shut the option down, and Navy’s offense will need to find a way to adjust and find a way to score. As for Navy’s defense, the young talent needs to step up, and keep pressure on their opponents.

Roster: https://navysports.com/roster.aspx?roster=416

Schedule: https://navysports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

University of Tulsa: Tulsa finished the 2018 season with a 3-9 record. The Golden Hurricanes averaged 14.3 completions on 26.4 attempts. Tulsa quarterback, Seth Boomer, threw 101 completions on 198 attempts, throwing for 1378 yards in the 2018 season. Leading receivers Keylon Stokes and Justin Hobbs combined for 1055 yards on 80 receptions, scoring only 5 combined touchdowns. Tulsa’s rushing attack wasn’t too impressive either, only averaging 201.8 yards on 48.2 attempts. Tulsa running backs, Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor II, combined for 1813 yards on 407 attempts, scoring 18 touchdowns combined. The Golden Hurricane defense had 9 interceptions (Cooper Edmiston lead the team with 4) and 10 fumble recoveries (Cooper Edmiston lead the team with 3). For Tulsa to finish with a better record in the 2019 season, Tulsa needs to keep their versatile offense, however they need to improve more on their red-zone offense. Tulsa’s defense surrendered a total of 300 points in the 2018 season, which means that they gave up an average of 25 points a game. To win more than 3 games, Tulsa will need to lock down on defense, and find a way to score a lot more. As the Golden Hurricanes are returning most of their defense, their key players are expected to put on a similar show, with senior Cooper Edmiston leading the team in turnovers again.

Roster: https://tulsahurricane.com/roster.aspx?roster=1272

Schedule: https://tulsahurricane.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

As the second half of the MLB season is underway, we are assessing each division and are determining who we think will be playing baseball in October. Looking at each team’s individual and team statistics, it’s fair to assume that the race for each division will become very interesting in the coming weeks. Here is the break down of each division:

American League Central Division: (Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins)

In the beginning of this season, the AL Central race seemed as if the winner was already determined, as the Minnesota Twins had a 12.5 game lead over the Cleveland Indians. Before the All-Star Break, Cleveland managed to cut Minnesota’s lead to only 5.5 games. However, to make this lead only a 3.0 game lead, in their last 12 games, the Indians have gone 9-3 while the Twins have gone 6-6, making the AL Central race very interesting. Although the rest of the division is at least 15 games behind, fans from these teams have a lot of young talent to look forward to in years coming. Young talent such as Francisco Lindor, Tim Anderson, Harold Castro, and Max Kepler will all keep the AL Central fun to watch despite records.

Current Leader: Minnesota Twins

Predicted Winner: Cleveland Indians; With plenty of baseball left in the season, we believe that the Indians will eventually catch up to the Twins, and be able to win the Central Division. With things looking up for Cleveland offensively and defensively, there is no doubt that their race with the Twins will be close and exciting to watch.

American League East Division: (Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays)

As the New York Yankees look to be one of the most dominate teams in the MLB this season with a record of 64-34, they lead the East Division by 9 games. As the second place team in the East (Tampa Bay Rays) have a 4 game losing streak, things are looking positive for the Yankees to keep dominating their division. The East Division is also home to the defending World Series Champions who are sitting at 11 games behind first place, with a 53-46 record. The Red Sox are 8 losses away from having as many losses as they did in the entire 2018 season. On the other hand, the Orioles are only 16 wins away from having the amount of total of wins as they did in the 2018 season, 47 wins. Young talent from the East Division is also something to be very excited about, especially as seen in the 2019 Home Run Derby by Blue Jays third baseman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Current Leader: New York Yankees

Predicted Winner: New York Yankees; As the Yankees have shown clear domination in their division, it’s almost safe to say that that the Yankees domination will continue over the rest of the season. The consistency of the Yankees offense from players like Gio Urshela and DJ LeMahieu will lead the Yankees over the rest of their division.

American League West Division: (Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers)

As the Astros have a 6.5 game lead over the Wild Card contender, Oakland A’s, the Astros look to continue their domination over the West Division. As Houston has won their division two years in a row, it looks as if they will stay consistent to finish the season. However, the West Division race could get interesting as the Astros still have 11 games left against the Athletics this season. If the Athletics can continue to win, the series that they have left against Houston will be an opportunity to catch Houston, and possibly win the West Division. Key players like Alex Bregman, Matt Chapman, Jose Altuve, and Ramon Laureano will make the race for the West Division interesting to watch as the second half is underway.

Current Leader: Houston Astros

Predicted Winner: Houston Astros; As stated before, the Astros have won the West Division for the past two years, thanks to their consistency at bat and on the field. The same thing seems to be true for the 2019 Houston Astros. We believe that the division race will be close, but that the Astros will come out on top.

October Baseball

There’s no doubt that October baseball is the best and most exciting baseball that you will watch all year. Here is how we think that the road to the World Series will go this year.

Wild Card Battle:

The top two teams in the AL Wild Card race will be the Minnesota Twins and the Oakland A’s. The Twins will get the Wild Card spot to continue in the post-season.

American League Champion:

The New York Yankees will win the 2019 American League Pennant. Because of their consistency offensively and defensively, the New York Yankees will not only win the East Division, but win the American League Pennant, and play in the World Series.

Anyone who watched the Women’s FIFA World Cup knew that this year’s championship was one for the books. The roster is made up of 23 powerful female athletes, including team captains Alex Morgan, Becky Sauerbrunn, Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe. During their games leading up to their victory in the FIFA World Cup, these 23 women and Head Coach Jill Ellis would go on to do things that no other national team has done in a World Cup before.

In the opening round of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, The USWNT face Thailand. With 5 goals by Alex Morgan (12′, 53′, 74′, 81′, 87′), 2 goals by Rose Lavelle (20′, 56′), a goal by Lindsey Horan (32′), 2 goals by Sam Mewis (50′, 54′), a goal by Megan Rapinoe (79′), a goal by Mallory Pugh (84′), and two goals by Carli Lloyd (90′, 92′), the USA would go on to be victorious by a score of 13-0. In their FIFA Women’s World Cup debut, Horan, Lavelle, Mewis, and Pugh were all able find the net. This was a historic win for the USWNT as it is the largest margin of victory in a FIFA Women’s World Cup. This victory also gave the USA a +13 goal differential to begin Group F play. This game was also historic for team captain, Alex Morgan as she joined Michelle Akers as the only two players from any nation to score 5 goals in a single FIFA Women’s World Cup match.

Woman of the Match: Alex Morgan

In their next Group F match up, the USWNT would take on Chile. With 2 goals by Carli Lloyd (11′, 35′) and one goal by Julie Ertz (26′), the USA would again be victorious by a score of 3-0. This was a historic match for Carli Lloyd and for Julie Ertz. Lloyd set a FIFA Women’s World Cup record by scoring in 6 consecutive games, and Ertz scored her first career World Cup goal. After this match, the USWNT had a +16 goal differential, which kept them in first place of Group F.

Woman of the Match: Carli Lloyd

In their last Group F game, the USWNT would face Sweden, an opponent that the national team has faced 6 times in a World Cup. With a goal by Lindsey Horan (3′) and an error by Sweden defender Jonna Andersson (50′), the USWNT would go on to win 2-0. The team also made history in this match by being the first team to have a goal differential of +18 in group stage play.

Woman of the Match: Tobin Heath

In the first round of knockouts, the round of 16, the USWNT would face Spain. Both USA goals on the day were score on penalty kicks by Megan Rapinoe (7′, 76′). The first goal scored on the USWNT was scored by Jennifer Hermoso (7′). The USWNT would go on to survive the first round of knockouts, 2-1, thanks to the penalty kicks by Rapinoe.

Woman of the Match: Megan Rapinoe

In the quarterfinals, the USWNT would face France. With 2 goals by Megan Rapinoe (5′, 65′), and a goal surrendered by the USWNT (Wendie Renard, 81′), the USWNT would advance to the semifinals by a score of 2-1.

Woman of the Match: Megan Rapinoe

In the USWNT’s eighth straight semifinals appearance, they would face England. With 2 USA goals scored by Christen Press (10′) and Alex Morgan (31′), and one goal surrendered (Ellen White 19′), the USWNT would go on to the finals by defeating England 2-1.

Woman of the Match: Alex Morgan

In the FIFA Women’s World Cup final, the USWNT would go on to face the Women’s national team from the Netherlands in attempt to earn a fourth star (World Cup Championship). . The game was action-packed but scoreless at the half, which made it the first game in the World Cup that the USWNT did not score in the first 12 minutes of the match. The first goal of the final was scored off of a penalty kick that Megan Rapinoe was able to convert (61′). This goal makes Rapinoe the oldest Women’s national player to score a goal in a FIFA cup final. Shortly after the converted penalty kick, another USA goal was scored by Rose Lavelle (69′). The United States’ Women’s National Team would go on to become World Champions by defeating the Netherlands by a score of 2-0. Megan Rapinoe would go on to win both the 2019 FIFA Golden Ball, and then Golden Boot. Other awards were given to Alex Morgan (Silver Boot) and Rose Lavelle (Bronze Ball).

Woman of the Match: Megan Rapinoe

After this victory, the USWNT would go on to earn their fourth star (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019). Congratulations ladies, and thank you for setting an example for the young female athletes who look up to each and every one of you on the field. 23 strong females, 1 strong country. Go USA!