Three of the 10 most sensible school soccer groups in the country will begin their season this Saturday. These 3 groups were ranked high in the AP Top 25 preparatory survey.
No. 1 Clemson (in Wake Forest), No. 5 Oklahoma (vs. Missouri State) and No. 10 Notre Dame (vs. Duke) will be in action as ACC and Big 12 groups kick off their campaigns this Weekend. These are some of the first Power Five schools to play this year, as the SEC may not start its season until September 26.
There will be six qualifying groups betting on Saturday, however other groups will likely enter the AP Top 25 ballot soon as the next edition will not feature convention groups that are not playing; the Big Ten and Pac-12 groups will not. the fall will not be in action.
Here’s a look at the full schedule for week 2, followed by predictions for various matchups with the more sensitive teams.
Week 2 program
Thursday September 10
UAB in Miami, p. m. ET Network, ACC
Saturday September 12
Syracuse at 18 North Carolina, noon ET, ACC Network
Louisiana in Iowa State No. 23, Noon ET, ESPN
Charlotte at Appalachian State, noon ET, ESPN2
Eastern Kentucky to West Virginia, noon ET, FS1
Louisiana Tech at Baylor, noon ET, Fox
UL Monroe in the Army, 1:30 p. m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Duke at 10 Notre Dame, 2:30 p. m. ET, NBC
Georgia Tech in Florida, 3:30 p. m. ET, ABC
UTSA in the state of Texas, 3:30 p. m. ET, ESPN2
Campbell at Georgia Southern, 3:30 p. m. ET, ESPNU
State of Arkansas to State of Kansas, 3:30 p. m. ET, FS1
Austin Peay in Pittsburgh, p. m. ET, ACC Network
State of Missouri at number five Oklahoma, 7 p. m. ET
The Citadel of South Florida, 7 p. m. ET, ESPN +
No. 1 Clemson at Wake Forest, 7:30 p. m. ET, ABC
Tulane in South Alabama, 7:30 p. m. ET, ESPN2
UTEP at # 14 Texas, p. m. ET, Longhorn Network
Western Kentucky in Louisville, p. m. ET Network, ACC
Houston Baptist at Texas Tech, p. m. ET, ESPN +
Carolina Coast at Kansas, 10 p. m. ET, FS1
Predictions for week 2
Clemson opens with defeat on the road
Trevor Lawrence led Clemson to the National Championship as a true rookie in the 2018 season. He and the Tigers arrived here last season, wasting LSU in the national championship game of school football playoffs. Now if you need to win the national title, then 2020 will probably be your last chance.
Possibly the most level-headed pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence is set to have a smart season for the Tigers. It may just be a contender for the Heisman Trophy, and it will most likely lead Clemson to his sixth straight school football playoff appearance.
This quest begins Saturday when the Tigers take on ACC rival Wake Forest. Last season, Clemson defeated Wake Forest 52-3 on November 16, 2019.
In addition to Lawrence, the Tigers return to running back Travis Etienne, who also plays an important role as one of the most productive groups in the country.
Although Clemson has a soft ACC schedule, he will have a tough game on November 7, when he takes on No. 10 Notre Dame. Previously independent, the Fighting Irish joined the ACC during the season as their previous schedule was converting due to cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This gives Clemson less room for error in his first seven games of the year. That’s why it will have a wonderful functionality to defeat Wake Forest and open the season with a resounding victory.
Rattler empowers Oklahoma in debut
Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray were rookie quarterbacks for Oklahoma in 2017 and 2018, respectively, each winning the Heisman Trophy and making the first pick in the NFL Draft. Last year, Jalen Hurts led the Sooners offense, and he was a finalist for the Heisman.
Now it’s Spencer Rattler’s turn to lead Oklahoma, as he named his starting quarterback after betting on red last season, his first in the school’s ranks. He has only made an impression in 3 games, posting a record of 7 of 11 for 81 yards and a touchdown, his sole purpose was in his debut on September 7, 2019 against South Dakota.
Rattler, a former 5-star rookie from Pinnacle High School (Phoenix, Arizona), is ready to follow in the footsteps of tough quarterbacks to go beyond him and make big numbers for the Sooners. He will make his first outing Saturday at home against Missouri State, which will be a big win for Oklahoma.
It will also be a clever opportunity for Rattler to revel in the early game as opposed to a weaker opponent before taking on the warring parts of the Big 12 (such as the No. 14 from Texas, the No. 15 from L ‘Oklahoma and the 23 Iowa). Expect wonderful functionality from the red jersey freshman quarterback to lead the Sooners into a season opener.
Notre Dame participates in its first as a member of ACC 2020
Notre Dame was hoping to have a pretty tough schedule for 2020. They had opposite matchups scheduled for No. 1 Clemson, No. 12 Wisconsin and No. 17 USC, along with other strong opponents. because it planned to be an independent school.
Later, Big Ten and Pac-12 canceled their seasons, leaving holes in the Fighting Irish schedule. They have chosen to sign up for the ACC for the 2020 campaign, and while that helps keep their home game opposite Clemson on the board, they will face a much lighter festival for most of the year.
In the past, Notre Dame was scheduled to face Duke, but will now open the season at the home opposite the Blue Devils on Saturday. This is the time in a row those two groups have clashed after Notre Dame won 38-7 on November 9, 2019.
The Fighting Irish are expected to defeat the Blue Devils. Quarterback Ian Book is back in his final college season to lead the Notre Dame offense after scoring big numbers (3,034 yards, 34 touchdowns and six interceptions) in the air last season. It may be one of the main reasons the Fighting Irish may be candidates for the PSC this fall.
And Book also led Notre Dame to a 1-0 start. Expect him to flaunt his opposition to Duke and give the Fighting Irish their first victory as a transitional member of the ACC.