Odds and Ends 9/9/2020

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 Welcome Back!


Here at Odds and Ends, I plan to look at some stats, trends, storylines, etc. as they play out.  I will also give my opinion on some issues, but you can take that for what it's worth.

LIR

Let's start with the Last Interception Race (LIR).  In this space, I will be chronicling who has the most attempts without an interception.  After week 1, here are the top 5:

1. Jack Abraham, USM- 32
2. Grant Wells, Marshall- 23
3. Layne Hatcher, Ark St- 20
4. Austin Aune, N Texas- 11
5. Chase Cunningham, Mid Tenn- 10

I think this will be a fun race to watch!  I wonder how far we will get into the season until everyone has an interception?  This will also be an odd race to watch, as not everyone is starting the season at the same time, and not everyone is playing the same number of games.

Conference Standings

I will also be keeping up with how the conferences are faring in non-conference games.  So far, there have been 9 such games.  Here is where we stand:

1) Independents 2-0 1.000
T2) CUSA 4-2 .667
T2) AAC 2-1 .667
4) Sun Belt 1-2 .333

And now, let's break down some of these numbers.

The Independents are off to a great start, beating an AAC and a CUSA team by a combined 97-3!

CUSA looks great, until you realize that they are 4-0 against the FCS, and 0-1 each against the Sun Belt and Independents.

The AAC went 2-0 against the Sun Belt, with their loss Monday night to BYU.

The SBC played well in their 2 losses, and pulled an upset with S Alabama's win over Southern Miss.

Which Division is Best?

So far, there have been no conference games played

Update on Paul's Playoff Picks:

My four picks are still on track!  Which is not a surprise since none of them have played yet...

Conference Trends

As promised, I am going to go over how each team in the conference has done over the last 3, 5, and 10 year periods.  I will cover one conference each week, starting with the G5 conferences. These will cover only conference games, not overall records.

Sun Belt Conference

Last 10 Years
1. Appalachian State 41-7 .854 (6 years)
2. Arkansas State 60-19 .759 
3. Georgia Southern 31-17 .6458 (6 years)
4. Louisiana 51-28 .6456
5. Troy 44-35 .557
6. ULM 36-43 .456
7. South Alabama 21-42 .333 (7 years)
8. Georgia State 17-38 .309 (7 years)
9. Texas State 13-42 .236 (6 years)

Last 5 Years
1. Appalachian State 35-5 .875
2. Arkansas State 31-9 .775 
3. Troy 26-14 .650
4. Louisiana 24-16 .600
5. Georgia Southern 23-17 .575
6. Georgia State 17-23 .425
7. ULM 16-24 .400
8. South Alabama 11-29 .275
9. Texas State 6-34 .150

Last 3 Years
1. Appalachian State 21-3 .875
2. Troy 17-7 .708
T3. Arkansas State 16-8 .667 
T3. Louisiana 16-8 .667
5. Georgia Southern 13-11 .542
6. ULM 12-12 .500
7. Georgia State 10-14 .417
8. South Alabama 6-18 .250
9. Coastal Carolina 6-18 .250
10. Texas State 4-20 .167


Games I'm excited about this weekend:

Syracuse @ North Carolina- UNC seems to be everyone's trendy pick this year, but then again, they seem to be the trendy pick almost every year.  The Orange seemed to have a breakthrough year in 2018, but then fell back to 5-7 for their 5th losing season in the last 6 years.  The question is, which season is the aberration? Can the Tar Heels live up to expectations?

Louisiana @ Iowa State- The Ragin' Cajuns had a breakthrough last year, finishing 11-3, but was that a 1-year fluke? Are they really good enough to challenge the Cyclones?  Will ISU overlook UL?

Georgia Tech @ FSU- Both of these teams have fallen on hard times lately; which team will turn the corner first? Can the Yellow Jackets get the upset victory on the road?

Clemson @ Wake Forest- The Tigers have won their last 22 conference games, and 42 of their last 44.  The Demon Deacons lost 4 of their last 5 games to close out 2019, but have had fast starts in 3 of the last 4 years.  Can they pull the upset?

Coastal Carolina @ Kansas- The Jayhawks laid an egg in Conway, SC last year; can they exact revenge at home?  Can the Chanticleers beat KU 2 years in a row?

That's all for now.  Tomorrow, I will have my picks for Week 2.  Feel free to leave a comment and to follow me on Twitter: @pbanderson. 

Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!

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