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This Week in The American and Sun Belt – Oct. 4

October 4, 2018 | Nathan Blythe

This Week in The American and Sun Belt – Oct. 4

ORLANDO, Fla. (CureBowl.com) – A pair of national television contests on Thursday kicks off the sixth week of the college football season in the American Athletic Conference and Sun Belt Conference. The two match ups feature Tulsa heading to Houston on ESPN at 8 p.m. and Georgia State taking on Troy on ESPNU at 7:30 p.m.

Six contests line the docket on Saturday in The American, while the Sun Belt has a trio of league matches. The week concludes on Tuesday with a primetime meeting between Appalachian State and Arkansas State at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

The AutoNation Cure Bowl featuring teams from the American Athletic Conference and Sun Belt Conference is set for Dec. 15 at 1:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The bowl’s mission is to bring teams together to find a cure for cancer.

[dt_highlight color=”” text_color=”” bg_color=””]The American Matchups[/dt_highlight]

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TULSA (1-3) at HOUSTON (3-1)

Thursday, Oct. 4 • 8 p.m. ET • ESPN
TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas

  • This will be the 43rd meeting between these two teams making this the most-played rivalry.
  • Tulsa took a big win over Houston in last year’s 45-17 game.
  • Houston dominated Texas Southern, 70-14, in Week 4 followed by a bye week.

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TULANE (2-3) at CINCINNATI (5-0)

Saturday, Oct. 6 • Noon ET • ESPNU
Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Tulane took a 40-24 win over Memphis last week with 496 total offensive yards.
  • Cincinnati ranks 10th nationally in total defense (272.8 yards) and scoring defense (12.2 ppg).

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ECU (2-2) at TEMPLE (2-3)

Saturday, Oct. 6 • Noon ET • ESPNEWS
Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Temple has taken an 8-7 series lead with wins in the last 4 matchups.
  • ECU won a close, 37-35, game against Old Dominion and a, 41-19, win against North Carolina.
  • Temple has averaged 33.6 points in their last three games.

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NAVY (2-2) at AIR FORCE (1-3)

Saturday, Oct. 6 • 3:30 p.m. ET • CBSSN
Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, Colorado

  • Navy’s most recent win in the series came in a thrilling, 28-21, overtime win in 2012.
  • Navy is ranked first in the nation in rushing yards (355.8 yards per game).
  • Air Force ranks 12th in the nation in rushing yards (254.2 per game).

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USF (4-0) at MASSACHUSETTS (2-4)

Saturday, Oct. 6 • 3:30 p.m. ET • Eleven Network
McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, Massachusetts

  • This will be the first meeting between USF and UMass.
  • USF has a 25-4 record over the last three seasons.
  • USF has come back from a deficit or a tie score to win in the fourth quarter in the last three weeks.

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UCONN (1-4) at MEMPHIS (3-2)

Saturday, Oct. 6 • 7 p.m. ET • CBSSN
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, Tennessee

  • UCONN’s first five opponents had a combined record of 19-3, all unbeaten at the time of their matchups.
  • UCONN has averaged 383.2 offensive yards per game.
  • Memphis has averaged 44.4 points and 529.8 yards in this season’s games so far.

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SMU (2-3) at UCF (4-0)

Saturday, Oct. 6 • 7 p.m. ET • ESPNU
Spectrum Stadium • Orlando, Florida

  • UCF dominates the series with wins in seven of the eight games.
  • SMU looks to keep a winning streak going with a third straight win after a 62-27 win over Houston Baptist last weekend.
  • UCF holds the longest active winning streak in the nation to set a conference record with 17 wins.

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[dt_highlight color=”” text_color=”” bg_color=””]Sun Belt Matchups[/dt_highlight]

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GEORGIA STATE (2-3) at TROY (4-1)

Thursday, Oct. 4 • 7:30 p.m. ET • ESPNU
Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, Alabama

  • Troy hosts the fourth longest conference game winning streak with seven straight Sun Belt Conference wins.
  • Troy trails Arkansas State by three for the most wins (70) in league history after joining the conference only three years after the Red Wolves.
  • The Panthers set a school record with 308 rushing yards led by freshman Seth Paige.

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SOUTH ALABAMA (1-4) at GEORGIA SOUTHERN (3-1)

Saturday, Oct. 6 • 3:30 p.m. ET • ESPN3
Allen E. Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, Georgia

  • South Alabama has averaged 53.5 points per game in the last two matchups in Statesboro.
  • Georgia Southern is 27-8 on Homecoming, but has lost the most recent two.

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ULM (2-3) at OLE MISS (3-2)

Saturday, Oct. 6 • 4 p.m. ET • SEC Network
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field • Oxford, Mississippi

  • ULM’s junior quarterback, Caleb Evans, ranks second in the Sun Belt with an average of 238.4 passing yards per game.
  • Evans needs 106 passing yard against Ole Miss to become the eighth quarterback in ULM history to reach 5,000 passing yards.
  • This will be the fourth meeting between ULM and Ole Miss. ULM looking for their first win of the series.

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LOUISIANA (1-3) at TEXAS STATE (1-3)

Saturday, Oct. 6 • 7 p.m. ET • ESPN+
Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, Texas

  • Louisiana remains perfect in the red zone as they improve 12-for-12 in last week’s game at Alabama.
  • Louisiana is ranked 39th in the nation averaging 204.5 running yards per game.
  • Texas State looks to even it’s conference record 1-1 on Saturday.
  • The Bobcats have recovered six fumbles this season ranking them fifth in the nation.

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APPALACHIAN STATE (2-0) at ARKANSAS STATE (1-1)

Tuesday, Oct. 9 • 8 p.m. ET • ESPN2
Centennial Bank Stadium • Boone, North Carolina

  • App State is third in the nation in scoring offense with an average of 51.8 points per game.
  • App State ranks first in the Sun Belt in scoring defense(17.0), total defense (276.3), rushing defense, passing efficiency defense, and total offense (523.5).
  • Arkansas State has not lost back-to-back Sun Belt Conference games since 2014.

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