Week 2 Picks: Season Openers for No. 2 Clemson, No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 5 Notre Dame

September 8, 2020 by Staff

Three of the top 5 teams in the Congrove Computer Rankings hit the field for the first time this week, led by a visit to Wake Forest by No. 2 Clemson.

The ESPN College GameDay crew will be in Winston-Salem for the Clemson-Wake game, set up on the 50-yard line with cutouts of fans in the background and viewing parties arranged close to the stadium.

You know the entire Clemson team is chomping at the bit to get back on the field after last year's loss to LSU in the College Football Playoff Championship game, and the Demon Deacons shouldn't provide much, if any, roadblock. Wake's star QB last year, Jamie Newman, was expected to be the starter for Georgia's opener on September 26. But Newman then decided to sit-out the season and begin preparations for the 2021 NFL draft.

Newman isn't the only piece of the puzzle missing on offense at Wake as the Deacs will be without one of their top 2 rushers and their top 4 receivers after Sage Surratt opted-out for 2019.

While week 1 saw fans in the stands at many games, that won't be the case in Winston-Salem as the state of North Carolina has some of the strictest outside gathering limits in the nation.

Vegas has Clemson by 33 while the computer likely will get this one wrong ATS with the Tigers favored by 17.52.

Other games involving highly-ranked teams include No. 4 Oklahoma hosting FCS member Missouri State, and No. 5 Notre Dame entertaining Duke.

The 21-game schedule is two games lighter than originally scheduled as covid concerns put SMU-TCU on hold and pushed back the Tulsa-Oklahoma State game to next week.

This week's slate kicks off on Thursday when Miami (FLA) entertains UAB.

See: Weekly Picks.

FCS vs. FBS

The number of FBS vs. FCS games on the schedule increased by two when it was announced that Virginia had added a visit from Abilene Christian, and FIU set a home date with Jacksonville State. That brings the total number of FBS-FCS games 33 with 29 different FBS schools playing at least one such game. Army has 3 such games on its schedule.

There were 4 such games over the Labor Day weekend and FBS team went 4-0.

That makes the FBS teams 1,439-127 (.919) since we began tracking this in 2003..

Last year, FBS teams were 111-3 (.974) in such games.

These were the FCS wins vs. the FBS in the previous 2 seasons:

2019:
August 29: Central Arkansas 35, Western Kentucky 28
September 7: Southern Illinois 45, Massachusetts 20
September 14: The Citadel 27, Georgia Tech 24 (OT)

2018:
August 29: UC Davis 44, San Jose State 31
September 1: Villanova 19, Temple 17
September 1: Northern Arizona 30, UTEP 10
September 1: Nicholls State 26, Kansas 23 (OT)
September 2: North Carolina A&T 28, East Carolina 23
September 8: Maine 31, Western Kentucky 28
September 22: Illinois State 35, Colorado State 19

Streaks

CLEMSON - Over-all winning streak ends at 29 (was FBS longest). Won 29 straight regular season games (FBS longest) games. Won 21 straight conference games (FBS longest). Won 22 straight home games (FBS longest). Won 12 straight true road games (FBS longest).
Last: Lost 42-25 to LSU in the national championship in New Orleans on January 13, 2020.
Next: Season opener at Wake Forest on September 12.

LSU - 16-game over-all winning streak (FBS longest).
Last: Won 42-25 over Clemson in the national championship game in New Orleans on January 13.
Next: Season opener at home vs. Mississippi State on September 26.

ARKANSAS - Lost 19 straight conference games, 9 straight road games, and 9 straight overall. All of those streaks are the current FBS longest among teams playing this Fall season.
Last: Lost 24-14 at home to Missouri on November 29, 2019.
Next: Season opener at home vs. Georgia on September 26.

UTEP - Ended 11-game overall losing streak with a 24-14 opening win over FCS member Stephen F. Austin. That had been the FBS longest overall losing skid among those teams playing this fall season. UTEP still has a 14-game losing streak to FBS schools. The Miners opened the 2019 season with a win over FCS member Houston Baptist, then lost every game after that to finished 1-11.
Last: Won 24-14 at home over FCS member Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, September 5..
Next: At Texas on Saturday, September 12.

SOUTH ALABAMA - Ended 15-game road losing streak (was FBS longest).
Last: Won 32-21 at Southern Miss on Thursday night, September 3.
Next: Home vs. Tulane on Saturday, September 12.

Streaks (Involving teams NOT playing this fall, but longer than those above)

RUTGERS - Lost 21 straight conference games (FBS longest). Lost 13 straight road games (FBS longest)
Last: Lost 27-6 at Penn State on November 30, 2019.
Next: Rutgers, and all of the Big Ten, is sitting out the Fall season.

AKRON - Lost 17 straight overall (FBS longest). Lost 8 straight home games (FBS longest).
Last: Lost 52-3 at home to Ohio on November 26, 2019.
Next: Akron, and all of the MAC, is sitting out the fall season.

UCONN - Lost 19 straight conference games.
Last: Lost 49-17 at Temple on November 30, 2019.
Next: UConn, which left the American Conference at the end of last season and became an Independent, is sitting out the Fall season.