The Sun Belt Conference club, coached by Howard Schnellenberger, opened last week at Florida. Saturday it’s at one of the Big Ten favorites in Michigan State. Then at Auburn, followed by two more road games. Why the five-game away stretch to start? FAU’s new on-campus stadium won’t be ready until mid-October. The Owls aren’t expected to put up much of a fight in East Lansing on Saturday as they opened as 32-point underdogs on Bodog’s NCAA football odds.

Florida Atlantic lost 41-3 at Florida last week. UF scored on its first four possessions and led 24-0 before FAU got a first down. The Owls finished with 137 yards, a rough start for Schnellenberger's retirement tour. He watched the game from an upstairs coaching box following a hospital trip Friday. But the coach should be on the sideline for this one.

No. 17 Michigan State wasn’t all that impressive in its opener, a 28-6 home win over FCS team Youngstown State. Heisman candidate Kirk Cousins completed 18 of 22 for 222 yards and WR B.J. Cunningham had nine catches for 130 yards and a TD. But the underdog Penguins held their own in the first half, controlling the ball for 19:36 thanks to a 14-8 advantage in first downs. The Spartans, who won a school-record 11 games in 2010, committed seven first-half penalties and looked shaky against a program coming off a 3-8 season.

These two teams played last year at Ford Field in Detroit. MSU star RB Edwin Baker rushed for a career-best 183 yards, including an 80-yard TD, in a 30-17 victory. Cunningham caught Cousins' only touchdown pass in the win.

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