What We Are Watching In College Football: September 12, 2020 Weekend

Each week we will provide a preview of the upcoming college football weekend. This weekend the ACC and Big 12 will kickoff their seasons. There are a few story lines to keep an eye on so without further ado here is what we are focused on this weekend.

The Games We Will Focus On

UAB at Miami (Thu 8:00 PM, ACCN)

We believe Miami has made progress in the off-season and should improve on the disappointing 2019 season. UAB may not be a great team but it is still an early season test. If Miami has made the progress they need to, they will be able to separate from UAB Thursday night. If they struggle, this season could be more of the same for Miami.

Miami has added offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee from SMU in the hope of implementing the spread to jump start the offense. They also added transfer QB D’Eriq King from Houston to orchestrate that spread offense. King only played in four games for Houston last year but is a proven dual threat quarterback. We have King ranked #4 in our QB rankings and expect him to be an instant impact star in Coral Gables. King cannot do it alone, he will need the offensive line to show improvement from last season and young receivers will need to step up. Fortunately, he will have an excellent TE in Brevin Jordan (#4 TE) giving him a dangerous weapon in the passing game. The Miami offense needs to make major progress from 2019, we will be tuned in to see if that can start against UAB Thursday night.

Hurricanes defensive end Greg Rousseau was #1 in our rankings but has opted out this year. While this is a big blow to the Miami pass rush there is still plenty of potential and intrigue at defensive end heading into the 2020 season. Quincy Roche (#4 DE) was a star at Temple before transferring to Miami and will look to prove he can perform at the Power Five level. On the other end of the defensive line is another transfer, Jaelan Phillips, who will look to finally make his mark. Phillips was a five star recruit in the 2017 recruiting class who went to UCLA but dealt with injuries and a car accident before leaving the program, he transferred to Miami and is now healthy and ready to make an impact. Head Coach Manny Diaz is known for his pressure defenses and the defensive ends should be given the opportunity to get after the quarterback. Thursday will be our first look at Miami’s new defensive ends and our first chance to assess how much the Hurricanes will actually miss Rousseau in 2020.

The Hurricanes are looking to move up in the ACC and compete for a conference crown. They have brought in several high profile transfers over the past two seasons to aid in the quest, we will be tuning in to see just how good they are.

Louisiana at Iowa State (Sat 12:00 PM, ESPN)

Iowa State has been building the program up under Head Coach Matt Campbell and appears poised for a breakthrough season. Louisiana is coming off an 11 – 3 season and returns a lot of talent from last years team. This should be a good test for Iowa State right off the bat and give us a good look at the Cyclones football team.

The Cyclones are led by star quarterback Brock Purdy (#10 QB). Purdy is an experienced and poised leader who comes into the season with high expectations. He will have an excellent tight end to throw to in Charlie Kolar (#2 TE) who is as good as they come. To balance out the offense, Iowa State will return sophomore running back Breece Hall (#20 RB) who showed a lot of ability as a freshman in 2019. The trio will need help from the offensive line which will replace four starters from last year’s team, though they do return two players with starting experience including promising young guard Trevor Downing. If they can reload on the offensive line and protect Purdy and provide lanes for Hall this offense could be great in Ames.

On the defensive side of the ball, Iowa State returns star safety Greg Eisworth (#7 S) to lead a defense that has eight of it’s top ten tacklers back from a year ago. The 2019 defense finished third in the Big 12 in scoring defense and with all of the talent returning could be the best in the conference in 2020. The Cyclones are talented and have good young depth ready to step up. Louisiana will be the first test for the talented unit and make no mistake this is a legitimate test.

The Ragin’ Cajuns offense finished the season ranked 10th in scoring offense in 2019. They return quarterback Levi Lewis who averaged 8.1 yards per attempt and had an excellent 26 to 4 touchdown to interception ratio. He is joined in the backfield by star running back Elijah Mitchell who ran for 1,147 yards, 16 touchdowns and 5.8 yards per carry in 2019. In addition to the dynamic duo in the backfield Louisiana returns four of their top six receivers from a year ago. Louisiana returns three offensive line starters from last years turn but did lose two stars who were drafted in the second and fourth round. This is a talented offense that will challenge the Iowa State defense in the season opener.

Iowa State has high expectations coming into the 2020 season but they will open the season with a tough test against Louisiana, we will find out quickly if the Cyclones are ready to live up to those expectations.

Georgia Tech at Florida State (Sat 3:30 PM, ABC)

The Seminoles hired Mike Norvell from Memphis to turn the program around after the Willie Taggart era yielded little success on the field. Meanwhile, Geoff Collins is in the second year of his project to rebuild the Georgia Tech program. We will get to see where these two programs are in their respective rebuilds to start the season.

Norvell brings an exciting offense to Florida State, but does he have the personnel to execute it in Tallahassee yet? Florida State had one offensive player who made our Top 25 lists this offseason in WR Tamorrion Terry who we ranked the #9 receiver in the country. Quarterback James Blackman has been named the starter for Saturday’s game but has not had much success to date, perhaps the new offense will suit him better. He has a strong arm and the new system could be a welcome change. The offensive line was a weakness for the team in 2019 and the 2020 group collectively only has 23 starts worth of experience coming into the season. They will need to progress quickly to provide the play up front the offense needs to be successful. Outside of Terry, there is not much returning production in Tallahassee, this will be our first chance to see if the offense can be successful in year one.

The Florida State defense features the #1 DT in our rankings, Marvin Wilson, who is a joy to watch on the defensive front. The Seminoles were in the middle of the pack in scoring defense in 2019 and will need to show progress, especially if the offense is not ready to go right away. The defensive roster has talent, but the sum has not equaled the parts recently. Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller arrived with Norvell from Memphis and will be tasked with getting the defense to play at a high level. With a new coaching staff in place, the Seminoles are an unknown to start the season and we are excited to peel the curtain back and get our first look at the team.

On the other sideline, Geoff Collins took over at Georgia Tech last year and had to remake the roster to adjust from the triple option offense Paul Johnson ran, to a more conventional college football offense. The roster needed to be rebuilt with players that fit the new offensive system. The team won three games in 2019, but that was expected with the amount of turnover during the transitional season. In 2020, the program will need to show progress is being made and Collins and his team will show us our first look at the 2020 team on the road against Florida State.

Georgia Tech has had a quarterback competition ongoing this fall and has not yet announced a starter. Whoever wins the job will have a good group of running backs featuring Jordan Mason and Jamious Griffin. If you read our freshmen spotlight articles you know we are also excited to see what true freshman Jahmyr Gibbs adds to the backfield this season. The interior of the offensive line should get a boost from incoming transfer Ryan Johnson from Tennessee, who made 19 career starts for the Volunteers. It will be the second year in Geoff Collins system so the offensive line should improve with the added talent and experience. At receiver, Ahmareon Brown is primed for a big season and should test the Florida State secondary in the season opener.

The defense will finally have the services of talented pass rusher Antonneous Clayton who will be eligible after transferring and sitting out 2019. Clayton will provide a big test for the Florida State offensive line in the season opener. The pass rush was a major weakness in 2019 and improved play up front could serve as the catalyst for major improvement on the defensive side of the ball. Collins is recruiting better players to Georgia Tech and adding in quality transfers as well, the question remains are they ready to contribute on Saturday?

We expect Georgia Tech to show progress in 2020 and we are not quite sure what to expect from Florida State, especially to start the year. This game will be a glimpse into the future of both programs and we will be tuned in to see what is revealed.

Clemson at Wake Forest (Sat 7:30 PM ABC)

Clemson holds the top spot in the AP Poll to start the season. The Tigers return star quarterback Trevor Lawrence (#1 QB) and Travis Etienne (#2 RB) on offense but did lose star receiver Justyn Ross to injury this off-season. Dabo Swinney and his staff have recruited excellent talent to Clemson and have a stable of talented young receivers ready to make their mark. We don’t expect the offense to slow down much, despite losing the top two receivers from last years team. Lawrence and Etienne will lead the offense and it won’t be long until the younger receivers are making a name for themselves.

On defense, we are excited to see what five star recruit Brian Bresee can do in his first game. The talented defensive lineman was listed as a co-starter on the initial depth chart and should get a good amount of playing time. The defensive line is loaded with talent as has become the norm for Clemson, the group will be led by star defensive tackle Tyler Davis (#3 DT) who shined as a true freshmen in 2019. We expect Clemson’s defense to be strong, but they will have to make up for the loss of do-it-all star Isaiah Simmons who has moved on to the NFL.

Wake Forest will have a new QB, who is actually their old QB in Sam Hartman. He will be “replacing” Jamie Newman, who at one time replaced Hartman before transferring to Georgia this off-season. Hartman will have his work cut out for him, his top receiver Sage Surratt, opted out and will not play for Wake Forest in 2020. On defense, Carlos Basham Jr (#5 DE) is a disruptive force up front and will be asked to put pressure on Lawrence. The Demon Deacons are well coached and have some talented players, but it will be an uphill battle against Clemson.

We expect that Clemson will pull away on Saturday night, but we will be tuned in to see how sharp they look in the season opener. The #1 ranking comes with a target on your back and Clemson will be scrutinized every game. The Tigers open the season on the road, against a conference opponent, and the country will be tuned in to see if they are worthy of their #1 ranking.

In Game Match-ups To Watch

QB Sam Howell #7 (UNC) vs S Andre Cisco #7 (Syracuse)

Sam Howell had a strong freshman season and is the #3 ranked QB in our rankings. Howell is an excellent quarterback who has the arm strength and accuracy to beat the defense at every level. He is fairly mobile and will put pressure on the Syracuse defense throughout the game. North Carolina has two receivers ranked in our top 25, giving Howell weapons to get the ball to. If Syracuse is going to slow down Howell and the North Carolina passing game, star safety Andre Cisco will have to make big plays. The playmaking safety is ranked #5 in our rankings, and will be a key part of the game plan to slow down Howell. Cisco is a versatile safety who can impact the game in a variety of ways, he will need to provide help for the Syracuse corners and make some big plays on the ball to slow down Howell and the North Carolina passing attack.

DE Chris Rumph II #96 (Duke) vs OT Liam Eichenberg #74 and OT Robert Hainsey #72 (Notre Dame)

Chris Rumph (#16 DE) is a high quality pass rusher who had 13.5 tackles for loss in 2019. Despite being listed at only 235 lbs, Rumph is more than just a speed rusher. He does a good job of using his hands and technique to compliment his explosiveness when rushing the passer, and is better defending the run than one would expect looking at his size. A lot of times teams will move their best pass rusher around to avoid the best tackle on the opponents line, but that will prove difficult against Notre Dame who has two quality offensive tackles. Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey ranked #17 and 18 respectively in our rankings, and provide the Fighting Irish with bookend tackles. They are experienced players who are capable as pass blockers and can open up lanes in the run game. Rumph will have to matchup against one of them on each play, and we will be tuned in to see who wins these battles throughout the game.

DE Carlos Basham Jr #9 (Wake) vs OT Jackson Carman #79 (Clemson)

Jackson Carman is a star left tackle (#5 OT) for Clemson and is responsible for protecting Trevor Lawrence’s blind side. He is a powerful blocker with good feet and quickness for his size. Carlos Basham Jr is one of the best defensive ends in the country (#5 DE) who is a star pass rusher and against the run. He has good size, a quick first step and a relentless motor to pursue the football. It’s not every game in college that two players this good square off against one another. Wake Forest may try to move Basham around some but when these two square off it will be a great opportunity to see how good they both are. These showdowns between top players give us a good chance to see who the truly elite players in college football are.

Final Thoughts

The ACC and the Big 12 kickoff this week adding to the schedule and giving fans a little more variety this weekend. The college football landscape will begin to clear up as we see some of the top teams take the field this weekend. We will be back after the games have ended to recap the weekend that was.

For our recap of last week’s action click here.

For more content like this don’t forget to subscribe to our website.

For the latest content follow us on twitter @saturdayscfb & @cfbsaturdaysC or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CFBSaturday