Vegas bookies apparently figure Robert Morris and Marshall have about the same chance.
The Thundering Herd and Colonials were both nearly 40-point underdogs as of Friday in their games on Saturday.
Picking the winners is easy enough. Georgia will beat the Thundering Herd when they meet at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Athens, Georgia. West Virginia will top the Patriots in their 2 p.m. game in Morgantown.
Will Marshall or WVU beat the spread? Let's have a look.
In Morgantown, Milan Puskar Stadium welcomes back Rich Rodriguez as coach. It'll be his first game with the Mountaineers since an infamous 13-9 loss to Pitt that spoiled WVU's hopes for a perfect season.
Robert Morris is near Pittsburgh but doesn't have near the firepower of the Panthers. That means the sloppiness Rodriguez has complained about much of the preseason likely won't matter in the game.
WVU's speed and physical play figure to be too much for the Patriots to handle. The Mountaineers can run the ball until the passing game gets up to speed under either Nicco Marchiol or Jaylen Henderson. WVU expects to run it well with Jahiem White leading the way after C.J. Donaldson's transfer to Ohio State. Expect White to carry until the game is out of hand and the reserves take the field.
The Mountaineers are 22-0 all-time against Division I FCS opponents, which Robert Morris is.Â
Zach Tanner, a junior, proved serviceable last season in limited action as the Patriots' quarterback. Whether Robert Morris' offensive line can block for him is the question. If the Patriots can't give Tanner time to throw and are inept in opening holes for the running game, Tanner and his team are in for a long day.
A long day it will be. The prediction: WVU 49, Robert Morris 3.
The question around Huntington is, "How good will Marshall be?" Nobody knows. With most of last year's Sun Belt Conference championship squad either lost to graduation or having transferred to Southern Mississippi, getting a handle on the Herd is like trying to corral a bouncing fumble.
Marshall, led by quarterback ... well, we don't know who the man under center will be. Coach Tony Gibson is making that a game-time announcement, although it's not likely a game-time decision. New players galore means who knows what? Most likely, some will be good, some won't and most will be somewhere in between.
There's little to no pressure on any of them, though. Few expect the Herd to beat the fifth-ranked Bulldogs, who are set on battling Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Clemson and a few others for a national championship. There's something to be said for being able to play loose and take risks.
On Sept. 18, 2004, the Herd ran out between the hedges at Sanford Stadium in front of 93,033 spectators and played Georgia tough, losing 13-3.
This time, it won't be that close. The prediction: Georgia 42, Marshall 14.
