I already posted one free play for the opening week in college football, and I’ll add a second selection today.
153 CHARLOTTE @ 154 GEORGIA STATE
Take: CHARLOTTE +5
It’s the first game as an FBS member for Charlotte. The 49ers are in just their third year of football existence and figure to have a tough time getting wins in CUSA. But with a good freshman class enrolled and what appears to be a very sound foundation, don’t be surprised if this program makes some nice strides forward in the next few years.
Georgia State is also very new to college football’s main division and the learning curve has been steep for the Panthers. They are 0-15 since joining the Sun Belt and while this should be their best team to date, the Panthers still look to be a program right at the bottom of the FBS overall rankings.
I think Charlotte has a legit shot to win this football game, and at the very least, they should be able to compete. First off, they would appear to be much farther along than Georgia State was when moving up from the FCS level. This is a veteran 49ers team with a slew of returning starters and while talk is cheap, I don’t think what I’m hearing and reading is strictly air.
There are also a couple of injuries of note in play here, both on the Georgia State side. The Panthers are probably strongest at receiver, so they won’t be crushed by these guys being out, but they’re still significant. Donovan Harden tripped over someone’s foot in a non-contact drill and he will miss at least two games. Tight end Joel Ruiz is down right now with an injured knee and it’s currently unknown if he’ll be available for the opener.
As noted, the Panthers have good depth at receiver. But Harden and Ruiz are each pre-season first-team SBC choices, and it’s not like this team has many of those guys. I also have not seen either player listed on any of the various website injury reports, so perhaps this information is of some value to those trying to break down this particular game.
I’ve decided to take the points here. My power ratings show the game to be a coin flip, and while I’ll admit the Charlotte ranking I’ve assigned is speculative as there’s little to go on, I don’t think there’s much difference between these teams. The Georgia State receiver hits could be damaging and my reports are that the visiting 49ers really believe they’re good enough to win this game. Taking +5 with Charlotte means they just have to hang tough.