North Texas Mean Green at Ball State Cardinals

College Football: Thursday September 3, 2009, 7:30 PM EST (ESPNU)

The Line: Ball State -17 1/2

Most people are looking for Ball State to take a step back this season and I have to agree with them though I am looking at it from the perspective that they were 12-0 in the regular season and that is just a tough act to follow. Ball State lost a lot from last season's team and the biggest losses coming at offensive line, QB, and of course their Head Coach, Brady Hoke.

The good news for the Cardinals are that leading rusher Miquale Lewis returns and while he may be small in stature, he is big on the field and puts forth huge results. Nate Davis' replacement at QB, Kelly Page, also looks to be a force and personally I think he has all of the potential to be much better than Davis. Hoke's replacement is the ex-offensive coordinator Stan Parrish so things should be very familiar to those returning.

I personally believe most are underestimating Ball State and we'll see that right away in week one. Ball State wasn't a one year wonder by any means and they have been tangling with the big boys for years now. In the mean time they have attracted pretty good talent so while they may have lost some very good players, those returning are good as well.

Good isn't a word we would use to describe anything that has to do with the way North Texas played football last year, they were awful. In most instances they just weren't even competitive. It would be difficult for North Texas to be any worse other than losing them all.

I actually picked North Texas last year to beat Western Kentucky in a game they were getting double digit points last season. I don't think the Mean Green have a chance of duplicating that feat in this game.

While Ball State has some rebuilding to do, they are still at a better starting point that North Texas. Before I take North Texas with however many points they get against any kind of decent team they are going to have to show me that they have something more than they did last year.

Mitch's Pick: Ball State -17 1/2 (7 out of 10 confidence rating)