Chase for the FIU Cup

Few teams in college football really get to play for anything these days. There's really only a handful of teams that have a shot at the national title every year. All the other teams are pretty much screwed. That is until now.

CFB 365 has given these teams a reason to play the games. I introduce to you the first annual FIU Cup. This prestigious award will be given out at the end of every season to the last remaining winless team. If there are multiple winless teams at the end of the season the award will be given to the team that most closely resembles the play of the vaunted Florida International Golden Panthers. If there are no winless teams the award will be given to a team with the worst record (or FIU by default).

Here are the teams that are still in the running for the Cup.


1. Virginia Cavaliers

Record 0-3

Losses - William & Mary, TCU, Southern Miss

The opening day loss to William & Mary pretty much seals the fate for Al Groh. He's don after this season. The Wahoos almost screwed everything up last week by going out and beating Southern Miss. Good thing for them, the Golden Eagles came storming back to eek out a victory.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 31 v. Duke. - Who knows. It's Halloween. Anything can happen.


2. Rice Owls

Record - 0-4

Losses - UAB, Texas Tech, Oklahoma St., Vanderbilt

The only loss that really looked bad was against UAB to start the season. However, the Blazers just went out and upset Southern Miss last night. That makes the Owls look a little bit better. Sadly to say it, but I don't like Rice's chances of staying in this chase.

Next best chance to win a game - Nov. 14 v. Tulane - Rice has some winnable ball games before this contest, but they're all on the road. Tulane at home should be a piece of cake.


3. Miami (OH) Red Hawks

Record - 0-4

Losses - Kentucky, Boise St., Western Michigan, Kent St.

Unfortunately for the Red Hawks, I think they have the worst chance out of the remaining MAC teams in the chase to win the FIU Cup. All of their losses have been to at least somewhat decent teams. Plus, they haven't looked entirely inept all season.

Next best chance for a win - Oct. 24 v. Northern Illinois - If Idaho can beat Northern Illinois, anybody can.


4. Eastern Michigan Eagles

Record - 0-3

Losses - Army, Northwestern, Michigan

Eastern Michigan has actually made significant strides under first year coach Ron English. They were in close ball games vs. Army and Northwestern before stumbling late, and they played Michigan tough for about a quarter. They've already accomplished more than they ever did under Jeff Genyk.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 3 v. Temple - I know Temple is coming off of a pretty big win against Buffalo last week, but the Owls are very inconsistent. I think the Eagles will be fired up by a rare occurrence: crowd noise at home.


5. Ball St. Cardinals

Record - 0-4

Losses - North Texas, New Hampshire, Army, Auburn

As of right now, the Ball St. Cardinals are the favorite to win the FIU Cup. They have easily played the worst schedule of the teams remaining in the chase and they have looked horrible in every game. I never knew how much this team would miss Nate Davis and Brady Hoke. Even when the administration made the unfortunate mistake of hiring Stan Parrish as the next head coach, I figured they could at least beat North Texas and New Hampshire. I was wrong.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 31 v. Ohio - This is a real big stretch. The Cardinals should be the underdog in every game they play this season. And for good reason.


6. New Mexico Lobos

Record - 0-4

Losses - Texas A&M, Tulsa, Air Force, New Mexico St.

The Lobos got rid of Rocky Long because they were sick of being average, How do you think they feel now that they are below average under Mike Locksley. The loss to New Mexico St. may set this program back for a long, long time.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 24 v. UNLV - Las Vegas is another team that has unexpectedly struggled this season. The Lobos should be able to man up at home and get the win.


7. Florida Atlantic Owls

Record - 0-3

Losses - Nebraska, South Carolina, Louisiana-Monroe

I'm a little surprised that FAU is still in the running for this award. I was sure they would have taken care of UL-Monroe last week. I guess when it comes to the FIU Cup, anything is possible. I don't think the Owls will be in the chase much longer.

Next best chance to get a win - Oct. 3 v. Wyoming - This is a definite win.


8. Florida International Golden Panthers

Record - 0-3

Losses - Alabama, Rutgers, Toledo

Of course the trophy's namesake will be in the running for the Cup. I think the Panthers will find a difficult time remaining on this list as they are actually quite talented this season. As you can tell, they have lost to some pretty decent teams.

Next best chance to get a win - Oct. 10 @ Western Kentucky - I went against the grain and picked a road game for the Panthers. They should be able to knock off the Hilltoppers away from home.


9. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Record - 0-4

Losses - Tennessee, South Florida, Central Arkansas, Navy

Western Kentucky maybe the biggest threat to Ball St.'s chances of winning this thing. The Hilltoppers are just plain awful. After looking somewhat competent against South Florida in week 2, WKU went out and lost to 1-aa Central Arkansas. That's sure to get you on this list.

Next best chance to get a win Oct. 17 v. Louisiana-Lafayette - This is a long shot, but it could kind of be considered a winnable game.


10. Nevada Wolfpack

Record - 0-3

Losses - Notre Dame, Colorado St., Missouri

Nevada is probably the best team on this list. They won't be here for long.

Next best chance to get a win - Oct. 3 v. UNLV - I still think Nevada will make a bowl game. Their turnaround starts this week.

Thursday Recap

A lot happened in the college football world last night. The only thing that seemed to be missing was actual good football. Every game was marred by turnovers and miscues. I guess you can't really ask for too much more on the first night of the season.

Here are my thoughts on what transpired.


Everyone is talking about the LaGarrette Blount punch today. People are forgetting that an actual game transpired before than incident. I can't really blame them. The game was boring. Either Chip Kelly is in for a long season at Oregon, or Boise St.'s defense is pretty damn good. For someone who is supposedly an offensive genius, it seemed Kelly couldn't pull his head out of his ass long enough to call a decent play. Is this really the team that everyone was expecting to challenge USC for the PAC-10 crown? I'm ashamed the Ducks cracked my top 25 poll.

As for the Blount incident, my take is simple. The Boise St. douche deserved to be punched square in the jaw. You don't run up on someone who you just beat and pound on his shoulder pads. Even if you were to be dumb enough to do that, you don't compound your mistake by yapping at the guy. I don't blame Blount at all for hitting him in the mouth. I would've done the same. Where Blount went wrong is how he acted after he went all Kermit Washington. Blount tried to fight his own teammates and run into the stands a la Ron Artest. Both of those are no nos. I don't think the guy should be kicked off the team but he definitely deserves a strong suspension. Maybe even suspend him for the season. Oregon can't do any worse without him than they did last night.

Speaking of shit fests, what the hell was that pile of crap that ESPN aired before the Blount Brawl? NC State and South Carolina put on a snooze fest that would make Sylvester Croom jealous. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised with the Wolfpack's performance. They seem to forget to play football until around November. One thing I did learn from this game: Eric Norwood is even better than I thought. I think he might have moved up my positional rankings with that performance.

Not too much else happened Thursday. Utah didn't look overly impressive against in-state "rival" Utah St.

Ball St. looks like it misses Nate Davis and Brady Hoke a lot more than they miss Muncie. Stan Parrish still can't coach.

Iowa St. and Indiana are slightly better than I thought they would be. But not by much.

ESPN continues to exploit Lou Holtz's willingness to do whatever corny ass segment they ask him too. Mark May is still horrible...

I took a hurting in my weekly picks last night. I mean, I was awful......

Highlight of the night:

Coaching Carousel

With most of the 20 open head coaching positions filled in college football, I decided now would be a good time to review some of the changes. Of course, there's still some schools out there that could be added to this list. I'll try to update this list as more new coaches are hired.

1. Army

• Out - Stan Brock
• In - ?

Army has begun a national search for their next head coach. I think Brock did about as good as possible at West Point. I'm not so sure the next coach here will have any more success.

2. Auburn

• Out- Tommy Tuberville
• In - Gene Chizik

I have no idea what Auburn is doing here. They whiffed one one former defensive coordinator, so they panicked and went after the crappier one.


3. Ball St.

• Out - Brady Hoke
• In - ?

The Cardinals lose Hoke to San Diego St. As Hoke enjoys the much nicer weather, Ball St. will begin the search for a new coach who will face impossible expectations in Muncie. I look for BSU to tap the 1-aa ranks for this position.


4. Bowling Green

• Out - Gregg Brandon
• In - Dave Clawson

I really think Bowling Green jumped the gun when they let Brandon go. Fortunately for mes, Brandon is a top choice to replace Dan Mullen as Florida's offensive coordinator. Clawson backs his way into this job after helping to get Phil Fulmer fired at Tennessee.


5. Clemson

• Out - Tommy Bowden
• In - Dabo Swinney

The Tigers have already improved tremendously under Swinney. Their second half performance this season earned Swinney the job. We'll see how well he recruits and coaches for an entire season.


6. Eastern Michigan

• Out - Jeff Genyk
• In - ?

Wouldn't this be a good spot for Ty Willingham? I know he went winless last season, but if Chizik can get a job in the SEC, Willingham should be able to get a job anywhere.


7. Iowa st.

• Out - Gene Chizik
• In - ?

Auburn really did Iowa St. a favor. Not only do they get rid of an under producing coach, but they don't have to pay him any money. Look for a coordinator from another Big XII team to take this job. Kevin Wilson, maybe?


8. Kansas St.

• Out - Ron Prince
• In - Bill Snyder

I believe Prince should have been given at least one more year at K-State. However, Snyder did build this program into a national power way back when. He might be too old to do the same again. I guess we'll find out.


9. Miami(OH)

• Out - Shane Montgomery
• In - ?

I don't really know who the Redhawks will target for this job. Perhaps a 1-aa coach or even a Big Eleven assistant. Whoever they tabbed, he's got his work cut out for him.


10. Mississippi St.

• Out - Sylvester Croom
• In - Dan Mullen

I wish Dan Mullen nothing but the best in Starkville. However, I must say he really screwed us with the timing of this announcement. Damn him and Mississippi St.!


11. New Mexico

• Out - Rocky Long
• In - Mike Locksley

Locksley might be one of the better game planners in the nation right now. New Mexico does have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball. So this seems like a good fit.


12. New Mexico St.

• Out - Hal Mumme
• In - ?

The Aggies are going to be awful next season. Both Chris Jackson and Chase Holbrook will be gone. I feel sorry for whoever gets this job. It may be the worst job available this season.


13. Purdue

• Out - Joe Tiller
• In - Danny Hope

Hope is replacing a legend at Purdue. Fortunately this decision was made at the beginning of the offseason. That should relieve a little bit of the pressure. Just a little.


14. San Diego St.

• Out - Chuck Long
• In - Brady Hoke

The Aztecs were quite possibly the worst team in division 1 football this season. Kudos to them for going out and getting one of the hottest coaching prospects this off season in Brady Hoke. Hoke should find the weather and scenery much more to his liking in San Diego.


15. Syracuse

• Out - Greg Robinson
• In - Doug Marrone

This is a switch that should have been made last season in my opinion. I think the Orange whiffed on Robinson's replacement though. Turner Gill or Skip Holtz would have been better options than Marrone.


16. Tennessee

• Out - Phil Fulmer
• In - Lane Kiffin

Is it just me, or did the SEC coaching ranks get a lot worse this offseason?


17. Toledo

• Out - Tom Amstutz
• In - Tim Beckman

Beckman put up some pretty impressive numbers for Oklahoma St. over the past few seasons. At least he's taking over a team that managed to beat Michigan in the Big House last season.


18. Utah St.

• Out - Brent Guy
• In - Gary Andersen

Andersen remains in the same state as he leaves the Utes to take over a horrible Utah St. football program. Andersen may very well be the guy that can finally turn things around for the Aggies.


19.Washington

• Out - Tyrone Willingham
• In - Steve Sarkisian

I think the Trojans' defensive coordinator would be a better coaching candidate than Sarkisian. However, this is a good move for Sarkisian. He's taking over a Washington football team with little expectations, that I believe will be a lot better next season.


20. Wyoming

• Out - Joe Glenn
• In - Dave Christensen

Christensen is another top flight Big XII coordinator leaving to take on a head coaching challenge. The Cowboys were competitive towards the end of the season, including beating Tennessee in Knoxville. However, word was getting around that Glenn wasn't even recruiting anymore. That's a big no-no in college football.

Weekly Picks

Last Week - 37-13

What can I say? I'm a beast when it comes to these here picks! If I didn't love college football, I would be on the first flight to Vegas to place my bets right now. The only upset pick I missed last week was Michigan over Northwestern. I guess that's what I get for going with Lil' Blue.

Here's this week's edition of my dominance.



Northern Illinois @ Kent St.
Ball St. @ Central Michigan
Miami(FL) @ Georgia Tech
Buffalo @ Bowling Green
Miami(OH) @ Toledo
Fresno St. @ San Jose St.
Michigan @ Ohio St.
NC State @ North Carolina
West Virginia @ Louisville
Army @ Rutgers
Clemson @ Virginia
Indiana @ Purdue
Tennessee @ Vanderbilt
Eastern Michigan @ Temple
Citadel @ Florida
UCF @ Memphis
Colorado St. @ Wyoming
Syracuse @ Notre Dame
Arkansas @ Mississippi St.
Tulane @ Tulsa
Washington @ Washington St.
Florida Atlantic @ Arkansas St.
Michigan St. @ Penn St.
Air Force @ TCU
Ole Miss @ LSU
Stanford @ California
Illinois @ Northwestern
Boston College @ Wake Forest
Akron @ Ohio
Marshall @ Rice
UTEP @ Houston
Cal Poly @ Wisconsin
North Texas @ Middle Tennessee
Iowa St. @ Kansas St.
Louisiana Tech @ New Mexico St.
Boise St. @ Nevada
Duke @ Virginia Tech
BYU @ Utah
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
Oregon St. @ Arizona
East Carolina @ UAB
Iowa @ Minnesota
UL-Monroe @ FIU
UL-Lafayette @ Troy
Florida St. @ Maryland
Texas Tech @ Oklahoma
UNLV @ San Diego St.
Idaho @ Hawaii
Connecticut @ South Florida



Upset Alerts

Central Michigan over Ball St. - The Chippewas are the two-time MAC champions. Something tells me they aren't going to just give that title away.

Florida St. over Maryland - Maryland is the truest definition of a helter skelter team. I think the 'Noles take it to them this week.

Arizona over Oregon St. - I really want the Beavers to win just so they can keep the Trojans away from the PAC-10 title. However, Arizona is a very dangerous team, especially at home. I think Tuitama goes off this week.

BYU over Utah - One thing I've learned from watching college football all my life; Always go with the underdog in the Holy War!

Random Thoughts for the Upcoming Week

There are a handful of teams looking to remain undefeated this week. Some are almost guaranteed to win, while others are dacing more difficult opponents.

Here's what the unblemished squads will be facing:

Boise St. will travel to Northern Mexico to play the San Jose St. Spartans. This might just be the last chance for the Broncos to lose. That's bad news for some teams on the BCS bubble. If it came down to an undefeated Boise St. team and a perfect Utah team, I'd have to think the nod would go to the Broncos. Maybe...

Mike Leach takes his Texas Tech squad to Lawrence to take on the Fighting Manginos. I think this game will be extremely close. Kansas hung tough with Oklahoma last week until Sam Bradford lost his freaking mind. Kansas will have to avoid letting Graham Harrell do the same thing if they want to pull off the upset.

Ball St. will host Eastern Michigan this week. Ball St. will win. That's all I got.

Oklahoma St. and Texas will battle it out in the only game featuring two unbeatens. If the Longhorns play lik they did against Missouri last week, there's no chance for the Cowboys. If Dez Bryant continues to produce like he's the best receiver in the nation outside of Jarrett Dillard, Mike Gundy's men could be walking out of Austin with a win. I've already picked Texas to win this one.

Alabama takes on Tennessee in the god awful city of Knoxville. If Bama can get past all the hillbillies shouting the dreadful lyrics to Rocky Top every 10 seconds, they should do just fine. God I wish someone would line up all the Vols fans so I can kick them in the nuts.

In what the World Wide Leader has deemed the game of the week, Penn St. traves to the Shoe to take on the Terrelle Pryors. I have actually picked OSU to win this one. As much as I should be rooting for Penn St. to lose, I just don't know if I can cheer for the Buckeyes.

On Sunday, Tulsa plays UCF. David Johnson should have another huge game for the Golden Hurricane. It's unfortunate how bad the formely Golden Knights have become.
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On the other end of the spectrum, Washington and North Texas will both be looking for their first wins. I picked Washington to upset Notre Dame at home this weekend. Mostly due to my hatred for the Irish, the team and the people. North Texas is gonna lose in a game that no one will even know about. As bad as the Mean Green are this year, I wouldn't expect them to stay down for too long. They have a plethora of talent on the offensive side of the ball. It's just too bad Hayden Fry isn't available to coach.
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5 Stories to follow:

1. How many coaches will Syracuse contact this weekend about their coaching job? Randy Edsall down. Next up, Al Golden.
2. How many dumb ass new segments will CFB Live do? How about trying to see who can mention Hitler's name more often when talking about bad coaches?
3. Will USC choke against another inferior PAC-10 team?
4. How many more Florida St. violations will the NCAA uncover?
5. Will Jim Grobe slip in the puddle of tears from Randy Shannon's constant crying?

The top 25 players: MAC

The MAC has always had some quality talent within their ranks. Ben Roethlisberger, Chester Taylor, Byron Leftwich, Chad Pennington, Randy Moss, Dwight Smith and Charlie Frye are just a few of the recent MAC players to get drafted into the NFL.

Here is my list of the top 25 players in the MAC this season. Don't be surprised if some of these players end up playing on Sundays.

1. Dan LeFevour - Central Michigan QB - LeFevour is the best dual threat QB in America outside of Tim Tebow. Some people are even calling LeFevour a dark horse candidate for the Heisman trophy this season.

2. Eugene Jarvis - Kent St. RB - Jarvis is the leading returning rusher in the nation. The Golden Flashes run the ball more than anyone else in the nation. That just means Jarvis will have ample opportunities to add onto his total this season.

3. Nate Davis - Ball St. QB - LeFevour might get all of the attention at CMU, but Nate Davis is probably the next great MAC QB to make it in the NFL. This guy is big and he has a big time arm.

4. Bryan Anderson - Central Michigan WR - When LeFevour doesn't run the ball, he often throws it to this guy. Anderson really had a breakout season last year. Anderson is helped out greatly by a tremendous Chippewa running game.

5. Dante Love - Ball St. WR - Love might actually end up with a better statistical season than Anderson at Central Michigan. That's because the Cardinals throw the ball early and often under Brady Hoke.

6. Larry English - Northern Illinois DL - The Huskies have fallen on tough time as of late. New HC Jerry Kill is hoping to infuse this team with some energy. One player he doesn't have to worry about is Larry English. English has a constant motor and is always making plays in the opponent's backfield.

7. Clayton Mullins - Miami(OH) LB - Mullins is an All-MAC LB at Miami. He leads a very stout Red Hawk defense that will need to carry the offense this season.

8. Darius Hill - Ball ST. TE - When QB Nate Davis isn't looking for Dante Love, his next option is usually Darius Hill. Hill is a big time target that has an NFL future.

9. Jamarko Simmons - Western Michigan WR - I remember watching Simmons shred the Florida St. defense 2 year ago. The Seminoles will be relieved to know that he does that to everybody.

10. Justin Anderson - Northern Illinois RB - Anderson is the latest in a long line of talented Husky RB's. Jerry Kill will look to use him more often than last season.

The rest:

11. Daniel Holtzclaw Eastern Michigan LB

12. Londen Fryar Western Michigan DB

13. Dave DiFranco Miami(OH) OL

14. Jeff Niedermier Buffalo OL

15. Barry Church Toledo DB

16. Robert Brewster Ball St. OL

17. John Haneline Bowling Green LB

18. Alex Derenthal Temple OL

19. Andre Neblett Temple DL

20. Davonte Shannon Buffalo DB

21. Almondo Sewell Akron DL

22. Andre Jones Akron WR

23. Ontario Sneed Central Michigan RB

24. Chris Miller Ball St. P

25. Jacob Richardson Miami(OH) P

Countdown: 86 Days!

86 Days

Ball St. will enjoy one of the better pass/catch duos this season with the return of QB Nate Davis and WR Dante Love. Last year's International Bowl berth could provide a stepping stone for an elusive MAC title this season.

On the come up

I am a pretty big optimists. I usually feel that every team has a good chance to improve upon the previous year's performance. Of course this is total bullshit. We all know there will be teams that will blow like they always do.



To stop myself from giving you a huge list of teams I feel will be improving this year, I figured I would break it down by conference.



So here are the teams that will improve the most by conference.



ACC



North Carolina- The Tar Heels already showed signs of improving last season. With a full season at the helm, Butch Davis will have a much better grasp on his team than he did going into last year. Hakeem Nicks is one of the best wideouts in the nation and he will have a talented T.J. Yates to get the ball to him. Anthony Elzy and Greg Little form a powerful duo in the backfield as well.





Big XII



Texas Tech- I know Tech had a great year last season, but I expect them to have an even better one this year. Graham Harrell is already a record holder for a school that does nothing but produce record breaking QB's, and he will once again be throwing to receiver of the year Michael Crabtree. Ruffin McNeil already has the defense headed in the right direction. If the D improves, the Red Raiders could be in the hunt for a conference crown.





Big East



Pittsburgh- The Panthers ended last season on a high note by defeating rival West Virginia and knocking them out of the NC picture. Dave Wannstedt is returning his best team sine he's been at the helm. LeSean McCoy is one of the best running backs in the nation. Derek Kinder and Oderick Turner are back at WR, and Pat Bostick and Bill Stull are both capable QB's that are available to start.





Big Ten



Michigan St.- The Spartans will definitely be the best team in their state this season. They will also have a shot at being one of the better teams in the Big Eleven. Javon Ringer is one of the better players in the conference at any position. What could make or break this season for MSU will be their defense. I expect them to field one of the better defenses in the Big Eleven, which should help them rise through the ranks.





C-USA



Memphis- Memphis started off very slow last year. Couple that with low expectations and you can see why fans started to turn on Tommy West and his team. However, the Tigers turned it around and improved drastically as the season went on. Earning a New Orleans Bowl berth. Unfortunately Memphis was throttled by Sun Belt champ Florida Atlantic. Memphis returns Duke Calhoun at the receiver position as well as a stout defense. I bowl better than the New Orleans Bowl should be in store for the Tigers.





MAC



Ball St.- Nate Davis and Dante Love form one of the better aerial duos in the nation. This alone makes them one of the favorites to win the pass-happy MAC. Unfortunately the Cardinals are stuck in the MAC West with Central Michigan. It should come down to those two, and with Davis running the show, I wouldn't count Ball St. out.





Mountain West



Utah- BYU should breeze through the Mountain West this season up until the Holy War against the Utes. I would not be surprised if Utah would pull that one out. You never know what will happen in rivalry games. Brian Johnson is back at QB to lead the offense with his arm and his feet. The Utes defense will be tough once again with defensive-minded Kyle Wittingham at head coach.





PAC-10



Washington- The Huskies have been inching toward respectability since Tyrone Willigham took over. The Huskies were in the game against both Ohio St. and USC last season until they folded down the stretch. This figures to be a make or break year for the coach so the Huskies will have extra incentive. If QB Jake Locker can remain healthy, Washington's chances at a bowl are vastly improved.




SEC

Ole Miss- The Rebels were horrible under Ed Orgeron. Fortunately for new coach Houston Nutt, Orgeron was an excellent recruiter. There is ample talent in Oxford(and for once I'm not talking about the ladies.) Nutt is a great coach, and he will get this thing turned around quicker than most people think. Texas transfer Jevan Snead is the new QB and he will have some talented receiver to throw to, including Mike Wallace and Marshay Green.


Sun Belt

Louisiana-Monroe- Florida Atlantic is still too tough for anyone to unseat them as kings of the conference no one cares about, but the War Hawks have a shot to unseat Troy as number two in the Sun Belt. Monroe was a totally different team at the end of last year compared to the beginning. They ended the season with tremendous momentum thanks to the stunning win at Alabama. Veteran coach Charlie Weatherbie called the win the biggest of his career. The War Hawks do lose starting tailback Calvin Dawson, but they also return All-WAC caliber Kinsmon Lancaster at QB. Lancaster is a playmaker with bot his arm and legs.


WAC

Louisiana Tech- All the focus in the WAC this year is on Fresno St. and Boise St., as it should be. Watch out for these Bulldogs though. Derek Dooley is a tough-minded coach that has finally gotten his players to buy into his approach. Georgia Tech transfer Taylor Bennett is immediately available to start the season. That should help the pain of losing Zac Champion at QB. I expect Louisiana Tech to make a bowl game this season. That is a big turnaround from previous seasons.