Florida International vs Louisiana Tech Preview: Did FIU Lose All its Talent in The Transfer Portal?
FIU's Going to Rebuild Some More in 2023
The Conference USA is giving us two conference games in Week 0. This is super rare, but it’s appreciated.
Florida International will face Louisiana Tech in the late game of the slate. Both teams went 2-6 in conference play last season in NCAA football standings, and neither came close to a bowl game last year.
While neither team will be high in the NCAA football rankings, the Bulldogs are probably farther along in their rebuild. They’ll be more competitive this year. Meanwhile, Florida International might struggle for another season.
Here’s a look at the Florida International vs Louisiana Tech preview for the final Week 0 game of the college football FBS slate.
Florida International vs. Louisiana Tech 
Location: Joe Aillet Stadium
Day/Time: Saturday, August 26th, 9:00 pm ET, 6:00 pm PT
Streaming: CBSSN
It’s Still a Rebuild for FIU
The Florida International Golden Panthers went 4-8 overall but just 2-6 in conference play last year.
The Panthers looked poised to make a bowl game earlier in the season. But everything fell apart in the second half.
On top of that, the Golden Panthers lost many players to the transfer portal, which will likely set them back even more this season.
Florida International will roll with Grayson James at quarterback. He had four different games last season with two interceptions.
In the final three games of last year’s season, the offense added 27 points against North Texas, Florida Atlantic, and UTEP.
James went 34-for-77 with just 247 passing yards. So while James might have experience, he might not be reliable, especially after Florida Atlantic lost Tyrese Chambers to Maryland and Rivaldo Fairweather to Auburn.
The Golden Panthers lost their last three games by a combined score of 144-27. Don’t bank on Florida International to be any better this season.
The second half of Florida International is likely what we’ll get throughout the entire season this year.
Meanwhile, defensively, the Golden Panthers allowed over 450 yards and 37 points per game. They’ve got experience coming back, but these are the same players who dominated last season.
The defense lost plenty of talent in the secondary to the transfer portal and watched Gaethan Bernadel to go Stanford from the linebacker core. The pass rush is likely the only area where Florida International will have any success defensively.
Have No Fear, Hank Bachmeier is Here!
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs could not figure out their passing game last season. The offensive line was destroyed, and the run block wasn’t much better.
The offense scored 27 or fewer points in seven games, and the Bulldogs lost all seven.
Therefore, the Bulldogs went after Hank Bachmeier, a highly regarded quarterback prospect, before choosing Boise State five years ago.
Bachmeier never figured it all out with Boise State. But he sure has the talent to dominate the Conference USA. Bachmeier began his career as a freshman with Boise State and added 1,879 yards. He’s thrown for over 6,000 yards at the FBS level and should help the Bulldogs’ offense this season.
Part of his struggles with Boise State was that he couldn’t stay healthy. But if he can remain in the field, he will do some big things.
Louisiana Tech added Ole Miss transfer Tre Harris and Smoke Harris, who has added over 200 catches and 9.4 yards per catch in college. Bachmeier has so many guys that can make big plays down the field, including Cyrus Allen, who added almost 23 yards per catch last season. Kyle Maxwell is another receiver that figures to have success.
Meanwhile, it sounds like starting running back Marquis Crosby won’t play in this game. However, Charvis Thornton added more than five yards per carry with more than 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns. Plus, more carries can go to Craig Williams, a former Baylor Bear, who averaged nearly six yards per run in the Big 12.
Florida International vs Louisiana Tech
It looks like Louisiana Tech is ahead of Florida International this season. They’ve added more significant talent and didn’t lose nearly as much as the Golden Panthers.
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games. Fortunately for Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs will be home for this matchup.
At this point, Louisiana Tech will likely provide more offense. Hank Bachmeier is much more accomplished than Grayson James.
Grayson James will also have to play behind a significantly depleted offensive line. The Golden Panthers lost Lyndell Hudson to Florida, Julius Pierce to Middle Tennessee, and Shamar Hobdy-Lee, who is still undecided.
The Golden Panthers are also onto their second running back. Lexington Joseph suffered a knee injury in the spring and will not play this season. Therefore, they’ll rely on South Dakota transfer Shomari Lawrence.
While the Bulldogs have also had some injuries with their running backs, I like the depth of the Bulldogs more at that position. I also think they’re better at quarterback and believe the offensive line will improve this year, with multiple guys back from last year.
Louisiana Tech was worse against the run last year. But that’s not a concern against Florida International’s offensive line. In this Florida International vs Louisiana Tech preview, it’s clear that Florida International will be in a major rebuild this season.
Take Louisiana Tech
After analyzing the Florida International vs Louisiana Tech preview, one team is much better on paper. The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs improved so much more than Florida International did. The Golden Panthers lost more talent than they brought in. Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech addressed its weaknesses and built a team that could at least contend for a bowl game this season.
It’s not just Bachmeier. Hugh Davis led the team in tackles last year at linebacker. He’ll be back for another season. They’ve also got Willie Roberts, who added four interceptions last year.
Therefore, we like Louisiana Tech at home. The college football betting lines favor Louisiana Tech, and so do we. They’ve played well at home and should be much more prepared for this game.
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