Gloucestershire 131 for 5 beat Kent 125 for 8 (Bell-Drummond 62) by five wickets

Kent Spitfires suffered a jolt to their previously excellent Vitality Blast South Group campaign with a five-wicket defeat by Gloucestershire at the Bristol County Ground.

The visitors could post only 125 for 8 after losing the toss on a slow pitch, Daniel Bell-Drummond contributing almost half the runs with 62. There were two wickets each for David Payne, Chris Liddle and Andrew Tye.

In reply, Gloucestershire reached 131 for 5, winning with 7 balls to spare, Jack Taylor and Benny Howell seeing them home. Fred Klaassen claimed 2 for 15 and Hardus Viljoen 2 for 30.

"It was an important toss to win because Kent didn't know what a good score would be on that pitch and 125 wasn't enough," said Howell.

"It was tough to hit through the line on that wicket, but we knew that if we kept the required run-rate under control, which wasn't too difficult, we could reach our target."

Kent scored only 33 from their six-over powerplay, losing Zak Crawley for a first-ball duck, caught at midwicket off the fifth delivery of the match from Payne and Ollie Robinson, who holed out to deep midwicket in the fourth over, bowled by Liddle.

Several other balls in the air just eluded fielders as the Spitfires batsmen, Bell-Drummond apart, failed to come to terms with deliveries sticking in the pitch.

Gloucestershire employed their familiar tactics of taking pace off the ball in the middle overs through Benny Howell's bag of tricks and the left-arm spin of Tom Smith. Together they ensured the halfway point was reached with Kent becalmed on 51 for two.

Heino Kuhn broke the shackles with a swept six off Smith. But when he attempted to hit Howell over wide long-on he only found the safe hands of Tye and departed for 23.

Mohammad Nabi, on three, was next to loft a catch, Michael Klinger brilliantly accepting the chance off Liddle, running away from the pitch as the skied ball came over his shoulder at midwicket.

Gloucestershire's excellent fielding continued when Jack Taylor ran out Alex Blake for two with a direct hit sprinting in from deep cover as the batsmen attempted a second run.

Only Bell-Drummond showed the necessary degree of patience, moving to 50 off 48 balls, with four fours. But wickets continued to tumble at the other end and when he fell to Tye in the final over the Spitfires' total looked well below par.

Soon Gloucestershire's batsmen were having their own problems with the pitch, Miles Hammond and Klinger, who could make only five, falling attempting boundaries in the powerplay, which ended at 42 for 2.

There was no pressure to play big shots. But James Bracey perished to one, caught at cover for 22 off Nabi, who came on for the seventh over.

At 58 for 3 in the ninth over, Gloucestershire had to exercise a degree of caution. That became even more the case when Ian Cockbain, on 15, picked out cover with a mistimed shot off Fred Klaassen to make it 73 for four.

Ryan Higgins lofted only the game's second six over deep square off Hardus Viljoen and Taylor followed suit with a big hit over cow corner from Nabi's last ball, which saw him finish with one for 26.

Higgins then drove a catch to mid-off to give Viljoen his second wicket. But Kent simply did not have enough runs to defend and three Howell boundaries in succession off the 17th over, sent down by Milne, ended any doubt about the outcome.

Howell then ended the game with a six and claimed the man-of-the-match award.

Somerset 225 for 6 (Babar 56) beat Essex 111 (van der Merwe 5 for 32) by 114 runs

Babar Azam pumped his third fifty of the Vitality Blast as Somerset steamed back to form with a 114 run victory over Essex Eagles at Chelmsford.

After scores which have included 95 not out, 83 and 43, the Pakistan superstar collected 56, his first half-century away from Taunton.

Babar was accompanied with full-blooded contributions from Tom Banton, skipper Tom Abell and in-form hitter Eddie Byrom, 39, 54 and 44 respectively, as Somerset crashed their joint-sixth highest T20 total of 225 for 6.

In reply, Roelof van der Merwe snatched three wickets in an over to stunt the Eagles, on his way to his maiden format five-wicket haul, as they were eventually skittled for 111.

The result sees Somerset overtake Essex into sixth in the South Group of the Blast.

Somerset won the toss and let Banton and Babar loose on Essex's bowling attack - with the former destroying Aaron Beard's first over by taking 22 runs, including a trademark reverse-flick, off it.

The formidable opening pair put on 51 for the first wicket in 26 balls before Ravi Bopara entered the match after two games left in the dressing room.

Firstly, he found Banton scooping to fine leg before James Hildreth was caught thanks to an outrageous snaffle by Paul Walter at midwicket.

The two wickets slowed the run-rate down for around seven overs before Tom Abell scooped a six and 24 was taken off a Simon Harmer over.

Babar was quickly, but quietly, going about his business from the other end as he continued his impeccable Blast form with a 37-ball fifty, to go alongside scores of 95 not out, 83 and 43.

But the Pakistan superstar and Abell departed in bang-bang style following a 79-run stand, the former caught off Bopara - the only Essex bowler to come out the innings with creditable figures, 3 for 18.

With four overs to go, Somerset were on 156 for 4 and floundering in their bid to find the par 200, but Eddie Byrom saw Chelmsford's small boundaries and picked spots along the perimeter to blitz.

Having been dropped on 10, the Zimbabwean cracked three maximums off a Mohammad Amir over, which went for 18, then plonked Adam Zampa for 16 in three balls before picking out long-off.

Van der Merwe departed, but Craig Overton fired a further two sixes to take the visitors to 225 for 6 - the joint-fourth T20 score on the ground - after 96 had been mullered in the final 24 balls.

In reply, Essex openers Cameron Delport and Tom Westley kept at around the rate for four overs before both fell in consecutive - caught at cover and mid-on respectively.

After a limp start, Adam Wheater and Dan Lawrence compared six-hitting skills but fell to catches at midwicket.

Ryan ten Doeschate, Bopara and Walter all departed in a single van der Merwe over, and he ended with career-best figures of five for 32.

Harmer, Beard and Amir also departed in tame style as Essex lost eight wickets in 31 balls to fall well short of the required runs.

Leicestershire 189 for 6 (Swindells 63, Hill 58) beat Birmingham Bears 134 (Hain 61, Ackermann 7 for 18) by 55 runs

Colin Ackermann went into this match with 31 wickets in 90 T20 matches, a few gathered now and then in England and South Africa. Now he can add the best bowling figures in the worldwide history of Twenty20 cricket to his record. On an astounding night at Grace Road, he returned 7 for 18 in four overs against Birmingham Bears, looking upon the gifts bestowed upon him with a growing sense of wonderment.

More than 30 bowlers have taken six wickets in a T20 tie but nobody had ever taken seven. When he came on six overs from the end to bowl his third over, with only one wicket to his name, nothing could have been further from his mind. But Birmingham, still 72 short with six wickets intact, capitulated in extraordinary fashion to lose by 55 runs.

Ackermann, Leicestershire's T20 captain, just planned to be a solid pro doing an intelligent job, but the naivety of a young Bears batting line-up was evident as he banged his off-breaks in short of a length in search of turn and bounce and reaped the benefit, taking three wickets in each of his last two overs. They failed to work him for singles; they flailed him to eager fielders in the deep. They could not have got it more wrong.

"I'd never have believed this in a million years - I count myself as a batting allrounder," Ackermann said. "It was the first time it has turned at Grace Road so I tried to use my height and get a bit of bounce. Even if it turns a couple of centimetres it's an advantage. I tried to get the batters to hit into the biggest part of the field into the wind and just mix my pace up a little."

Leicestershire deserved such a night. They are the T20 side that will not lie down. Rank outsiders at the start of the Blast season, they have no high-profile overseas players to lift expectations and one of the most tranquil crowds in the country is not about to gain a mention on an ECB PowerPoint presentation about the future of T20 cricket. Yet rouse themselves they have, with Birmingham Bears the third county to come a cropper against them this summer.

By the time Birmingham's innings crashed to a halt, they had moved from eighth to fourth in one night. Presumed to be no hopers at 6.30pm; in the quarter-final positions in the North Group less than three hours later. "I'm delighted because times are tough," said their indefatigable coach, Paul Nixon.

Worcestershire, last year's winners, Nottinghamshire and now Birmingham, all at sea as they faced Leicestershire's 189 for 6, have now fallen to the Blast's least-fancied side. Nixon experienced two Championships and three T20 triumphs within nine years as a player with Leicestershire and, even if the odds seemed more heavily stacked against them these days, such nights will fire his belief that anything is possible.

Ackermann's first wicket might never have materialised. Michael Burgess was splendidly caught at short extra cover by Harry Dearden, only for the fielder's obvious reluctance to claim the catch to cause the umpires to turn to TV replays with umpire David Millns even giving a soft signal of not out. Patently, the catch was clean and the first stage of a world-record night was reached.

Three wickets in Ackermann's third over then confirmed Leicestershire's victory after Birmingham had prepared the ground for an assault that never materialised with a third-wicket stand of 91 off 58 balls between Sam Hain and Adam Hose. Ackermann bowled Will Rhodes and Alex Thomson and held a return catch from Liam Banks, all of them attempting nothing more ambitious than trying to get Hain back on strike.

Then three more wickets in his final over: Hain's 61 from 44 balls was a forlorn cause by the time he was caught at long-on. Henry Brookes charged through his own red mist and was bowled. Jeetan Patel, knowing the game was up, swung the last ball of Ackermann's spell to long-on. Patel, a superior offspinner, who had bowled three overs for 42 on the same pitch, was gracious in his praise. "He asked the ball to do things," he said.

From the moment that Ackermann replaced Paul Horton as Leicestershire's one-day captain in May, Leicestershire's accent has been on youth. That reaped dividends against Birmingham with the bat as Harry Swindells and Lewis Hill made maiden T20 half-centuries. Swindells' 63 from 50 balls at the top of the innings was a spirited affair and Hill's assault in the second half was even more profitable as he whacked 58 from 28.

It is not often that Patel, so often Birmingham's matchwinner, fails to complete his spell, but that was the outcome as Hill dispatched him for 17 off four balls. He dealt well with Fidel Edwards' pace, too, taking 26 from 10. A short ball from Brookes silenced him as he hauled a short ball to midwicket.

When Brookes yorked Dearden with his next ball, he belied his tender years with a show of satisfaction that was all jutting jaw and angular, don't-mess-with-me strut. He had dropped Swindells on 37 at long off, off Rhodes, and every affronted delivery from then on sought retribution. He relied predominantly on a mix of short balls and yorkers and finished with 3 for 26.

Birmingham will need that spirit in the weeks ahead. They had suffered two injury blows on the day of the match, with England pace bowler Olly Stone ruled out with a recurrence of a back injury, quickly followed by confirmation that Australian spinner Ashton Agar would miss the remainder of the tournament after breaking an ankle at Headingley on Sunday.

Colin Kaepernick has made another statement that he is continuing to pursue an NFL job despite not having played in the league since 2016.

In a video posted to Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday, Kaepernick is shown working out in a gym, saying he has been doing so for the past three years and that he is "still ready."

5am. 5 days a week. For 3 years. Still Ready. pic.twitter.com/AGczejA1rM

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) August 7, 2019

The video starts with a counter saying he has been "denied work for 889 days." The total comes from the Twitter account @KapWatch, which has kept track of Kaepernick's ongoing free agency since he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in March 2017.

In October 2017, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL under the collective bargaining agreement, alleging collusion against signing him to a contract. Both his grievance and that of current Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid were settled in February, with the Wall Street Journal reporting they would receive less than $10 million total.

Kaepernick drew national attention in 2016 when he knelt during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality in the United States.

Oakland Raiders star receiver Antonio Brown's mysterious foot injury is the result of extreme frostbite caused by a cryotherapy machine, a source confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.

Brown was not wearing appropriate footwear when he entered the cryotherapy chamber last month in France and burned his feet, leaving them frostbitten, according to the source.

The cause of Brown's injury was first reported by ProFootballTalk.

Brown, 31, has missed a significant portion of his first training camp with the Raiders and has not practiced since July 30, when he left the team to visit a foot specialist.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio on Wednesday that Brown was "still collecting information" on the injury, and that the team would know more in the next few days.

"You know me, it is like waiting for Santa Claus," Gruden said of anticipating Brown's return. "I have been really excited to coach this man. I think he is a great player and he is a great competitor. We need his life in this offense and on this football team. We will just cross our fingers. I will make no speculation whatsoever. He has to get it evaluated. He has to get the information he needs, and when he does, he will be back."

A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter this past weekend that the injury is not believed to be long term.

Brown posted photo on Instagram last week that showed the soles of his feet blistering and peeling.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The memories for Tiger Woods at Liberty National are tainted with some tough moments, and he's not off to the greatest start this week for the beginning of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Woods spent most of the back nine of his pro-am round Wednesday just chipping and putting as he experienced stiffness and soreness during his early-morning warm-up session and did not want to take any chances prior to the start of the Northern Trust on Thursday.

"It's best to be smart about it,'' Woods said afterward. "This is kind how it is; some days I'm stiffer than others.''

And that continued a common refrain from Woods in his four tournament starts since winning the Masters in April.

He missed the cut at the PGA Championship, tied for ninth at the Memorial Tournament, tied for 21st at the U.S. Open and then missed the cut three weeks ago at The Open, where he never seemed to get on track in the cold weather.

Temperatures during the FedEx Cup playoffs will be considerably warmer, and that figures to help the 43-year-old Woods, who is nearly two full seasons into his comeback from spinal fusion surgery that rejuvenated his career and saw him capture his 80th PGA Tour title last September at the Tour Championship and his 15th major title at Augusta National.

But Woods has never looked completely right on a golf course since. All was fine during a nine-hole Tuesday practice round with Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Harold Varner. Woods then attended a dinner with players in the running to make the U.S. Presidents Cup team that he will captain in December.

"It was great,'' Woods said. "As I've said to you guys all year, this is how it is. Some days I'm stiffer than others. Yesterday I was out there hitting it great. Driving it out there with Brooksy and D.J. Today, I'm stiff. Hopefully I'm not that way [Thursday].''

A 7 a.m. pro-am time Wednesday was delayed 30 minutes by weather, and Woods didn't feel great warming up. He thought briefly about withdrawing from the pro-am, but he decided he was good enough to go and hit several good shots during the first nine holes before deciding to limit what he did over the back nine.

Woods finished second at Liberty National in 2009 at the tournament then known as the Barclays, missing a playoff by a shot. He was second to Adam Scott here in 2013, when he fell to the ground due to back pain after hitting a shot to the 13th hole during the final round.

That was one of the first instances of apparent back trouble for Woods, who less than a year later had the first of four back procedures that all but derailed his seasons from 2014 to '17. During that time, Woods played just 24 worldwide events, with four withdrawals and five missed cuts.

Then, two years ago, in one of his first public appearances following his back surgery in April 2017, Woods was an assistant captain for the U.S. Presidents Cup team at Liberty National and said in late September that he "did not know what my future holds'' as far as his golf career was concerned.

Woods returns to Liberty National this week ranked 28th in the standings for the FedEx Cup, which has been revamped this year with just three events. He is assured of playing in next week's BMW Championship, which is for the top 70 players. He likely needs one decent finish to assure himself a spot in the 30-player Tour Championship.

If he makes it to East Lake in Atlanta, it will be the first time he has played three straight tournaments since the playoff run last year in September. He has not played two straight events since he tied for 15th at the Genesis Open followed by a tie for 10th at the WGC-Mexico Championship in February.

"Yes, there is concern, hopefully because of the pressures I'm going to be facing, hopefully put myself in contention,'' he said. "That's why it gets difficult. If you're missing cuts, who cares. You're taking weekends off and a couple extra days of rest.

"But I'm trying to get myself where I'm in contention, where it takes a toll on you, and that's what I want to feel. I want to feel that type of tiredness, where I have a chance to win. That's a good feeling.''

Ever since winning the Masters, Woods seemed a lock to be a playing captain at the Presidents Cup in Australia, but hedged on that Wednesday, saying he is not a lock to pick himself.

The top eight in the points standings through next week's BMW Championship automatically qualify, with Woods getting four captain's picks that he will make on Nov. 4.

"I'm like all of them, all the guys in the room,'' Woods said, referring to the dinner with potential players on Tuesday. "Guys ... can still win these two events and hop into the top eight, or play well with the [fall] events that we have and get a pick.''

Woods begins the first round on Thursday with J.T. Poston, who won the Wydham Championship on Sunday, and Scott Piercy at 7:43 a.m.

A head coaching hire is terrifying. You can do all the research in the world, talk to tons of people, pay search firms hundreds of thousands of dollars, and you could still end up replacing a Steve Spurrier with a Ron Zook.

Of course, it's also an opportunity to replace a John Blake with a Bob Stoops. It all depends on circumstance and expectation.

For each of FBS's 27 new head coaches, there waits a different combination of factors and goals. Roughly speaking, each of the following fall into one of four categories:

* Those who need to make a strong run at the national title
* Those who need to make a strong run at a division title or more
* Those who either need to make a bowl to earn goodwill, or, in some cases, at least still be threatening to do so into November
* Those for whom 2019 is a Year Zero situation. In these situations, the rebuild is significant, and the short-term record doesn't matter. The goal is simply to put the pieces in the right places for 2020 and beyond and, hopefully, play better in November than September.

Let's dive into who fits where.

Contend for a national title

Ohio State (Ryan Day)
2018 record: 13-1
Projected 2019 wins: 8.7 (FPI) to 9.8 (S&P+)
Odds of winning conference (per FPI): 8%

Day's first head coaching gig comes at a school that has finished sixth or better in the AP poll for 13 of the past 17 years, hasn't lost more than two games in a season since 2011, and has lost only once to its chief rival since 2003. FPI projects his first team to lose three games, including one to said rival. No pressure whatsoever!

Ohio State is one of the few programs for which every loss is an all-caps BREAKING NEWS story. It is always going to be a high-upside, high-stress job, and in following in Urban Meyer's footsteps, Day takes the job at maybe its highest stress and highest upside. Only two or three teams can match the top-to-bottom talent level in Columbus, and if blue-chip transfer Justin Fields is ready to play like the QB he's supposed to be -- and if he stays healthy -- the sky remains the limit.

Make a run at a division or conference title

Appalachian State (Eliah Drinkwitz)
2018 record: 11-2
Projected 2019 wins: 9.0 (FPI) to 10.7 (S&P+)
Odds of winning conference (per FPI): 42%

The teams in this batch either won enough games to lose their coach to another program or, in a couple of instances, hold high standards they haven't met in a while.

For Appalachian State, it's very much the former. Scott Satterfield left for Louisville after winning 46 of his last 57 games (including last fall's inaugural Sun Belt Championship Game), and he leaves Drinkwitz with a roster loaded with impact juniors. App has all the experience and upside required for another conference title run, and Mountaineer fans know it. Drinkwitz was a worthy hire -- a branch on the Gus Malzahn coaching tree, he was an offensive co-coordinator by age 29 and spent the past three years crafting a fun, pass-first offense at NC State, three hours east. But any slippage this fall will be pinned to him; that makes things awfully tricky.

Houston (Dana Holgorsen)
2018 record: 8-5
Projected 2019 wins: 5.8 (FPI) to 6.3 (S&P+)
Odds of winning conference: 3%

Credit where it's due: Houston kept its word. Two years after the school president said, "We'll fire coaches at 8-4," Major Applewhite went 8-4 and got fired. For a school that has topped eight wins only five times in the past 28 years, the Cougars are playing a tricky expectations game, but they're also spending like a power conference team. That'll help.

They also got themselves a power conference coach. They pulled Holgorsen away from a stale marriage in West Virginia, they shelled out for his assistant coaches, and they're handing him one of the most thrilling quarterbacks (D'Eriq King), and one of the more experienced offenses, in college football. The schedule is rough, though. It features Oklahoma, Washington State and North Texas in non-conference, plus UCF and Cincinnati in AAC cross-division play. Going 8-4 might be a bit of an accomplishment, whether or not it's viewed as such.

Miami (Manny Diaz)
2018 record: 7-6
Projected 2019 wins: 8.3 (FPI) to 8.8 (S&P+)
Odds of winning conference: 3%

Speaking of schools with "expectations vs. reality" issues. ...

Diaz is the latest coach asked to restore The U to its former glory. Out of the gate, expectations seem high but manageable. No one expects the Hurricanes to win the ACC -- not with Clemson still Clemsoning all over the place. (FPI gives the Tigers an 88% chance of winning the league crown; Miami's 3% odds are second best.) They are, however, expected to win the Coastal Division and maybe not get quite as embarrassed by Clemson as they did in 2017. Beating in-state rivals Florida and/or Florida State wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

If Diaz and offensive coordinator Dan Enos can produce solid quarterback play, they'll have a decent shot at meeting expectations. Is Ohio State transfer Tate Martell the answer? Can the offense occasionally create good field position for a defense that should be strong again?

Northern Illinois (Thomas Hammock)
2018 record: 8-6
Projected 2019 wins: 5.2 (FPI) to 6.8 (S&P+)
Odds of winning conference: 4%

Rod Carey left behind an odd set of expectations when he took the Temple job. On one hand, NIU has reached the MAC title game in seven of the past nine seasons; on the other, the Huskies have regressed at least slightly, per S&P+, for five of the past six years. Last year's MAC title win was a defense-heavy magic trick.

Instead of aiming for coaching continuity as they did when Dave Doeren left for NC State in 2013 -- Carey was Doeren's offensive coordinator -- the Huskies are starting anew. A former NIU running back and assistant, Hammock spent the past five seasons as a position coach with the Baltimore Ravens. He hasn't coached in college since 2013 and hasn't coached in the MAC since 2006. Will he need a reset year to figure things out? And how long will NIU boosters give him if he does?

Temple (Rod Carey)
2018 record: 8-5
Projected 2019 wins: 6.7 (FPI) to 7.5 (S&P+)
Odds of winning conference: 1%

Temple has become a finishing school of sorts for big-time coaches. The previous five men hired by the school have been hired away by power-conference programs, and one didn't even coach a game there! Manny Diaz was the first choice to replace Geoff Collins back in December, but when Miami pulled Diaz away a couple of weeks later, Temple went to Plan B: NIU's Carey.

Carey's Huskies regressed most of the years he was in DeKalb, but they did one thing that Temple enjoys: play excellent defense. They were 23rd in defensive S&P+, and Carey and defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles should figure out fun things to do with a dynamic and experienced front seven. Offense helps, too, and it's hard to know what to expect there. But with eight projected one-possession games (per S&P+), just a little overachievement could produce a dark horse division-title run.

Troy (Chip Lindsey)
2018 record: 10-3
Projected 2019 wins: 6.6 (S&P+) to 6.8 (FPI)
Odds of winning conference: 7%

Troy made just two head coaching hires between 1989 and 2018 and nailed them both. First, Larry Blakeney won 178 games while overseeing the rise from Division II to FCS to FBS; then, when Blakeney's success trailed off at the end, Neal Brown took over and rejuvenated things.

Lindsey, an Alabama lifer and one-time Blakeney assistant, takes over the program at nearly its highest ebb. That's an almost guaranteed way to fall short of expectations. The Trojans went 31-8 in Brown's last three seasons, beating LSU and Nebraska along the way, and there's almost nowhere to go but down. Lindsey does inherit an excellent senior quarterback (Kaleb Barker), a strong running back corps, and a defense that has ranked in the top 50 in defensive S&P+ for three consecutive years. With Arkansas State, Georgia Southern and Appalachian State all visiting Troy, Lindsey will have a chance to make some noise.

Utah State (Gary Andersen)
2018 record: 11-2
Projected 2019 wins: 5.5 (FPI) to 7.4 (S&P+)
Odds of winning conference: 3%

Utah State might have simultaneously made the most logical and befuddling hire of the coaching cycle.

Logical: Andersen was the architect of the Aggies' rebuild, inheriting a program that had won six games in three years, winning seven games by his third year and 11 by his fourth. And he hasn't been gone that long.

Befuddling: Since leaving Logan, Andersen has been unmoored. He left for Wisconsin but bailed after two years; he landed at Oregon State, where he bailed after just two and a half. Utah State, meanwhile, proved it could win without him.

Andersen has outstanding quarterback Jordan Love at his disposal, but the Aggies have huge holes to fill on the depth chart at receiver, OL, linebacker and safety. The school gave Matt Wells time to find himself, and it paid off handsomely, but does Andersen have the patience to rebuild again if year one doesn't go as planned?

Make a run at 6-6

Charlotte (Will Healy)
2018 record: 5-7
Projected 2019 wins: 4.5 (FPI) to 4.6 (S&P+)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 24%

Brad Lambert couldn't quite get Charlotte over the hump -- the 49ers finished 5-7 after losing two one-score games (both of which involved the opponent returning a fumble for a touchdown) in conference play. Win either game, and he probably saves his job, even though Charlotte wasn't particularly good.

Healy earned headlines for resurrecting the moribund Austin Peay program a couple of years ago, so we know he won't panic if things don't come together in the short term. Still, while the 49ers are projected just 117th in S&P+ and 121st in FPI, they will have an outside shot of bowling if he can complement an experienced defense (which improved to 98th in defensive S&P+ last season) with anything, absolutely anything, offensively. Running back Benny LeMay and sophomore receivers Victor Tucker and Rico Arnold give him at least a little something to work with.

Coastal Carolina (Jamey Chadwell)
2018 record: 5-7
Projected 2019 wins: 4.2 (S&P+) to 5.0 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 17%

Chadwell only sort of qualifies as a first-year coach. He led the Chanticleers as an interim in 2017, when head coach Joe Moglia stepped away to deal with health issues. Moglia returned for 2018, then retired for good. Chadwell was the obvious successor.

Despite a dreadful defense, Coastal came within a 31-28 loss to South Alabama of reaching bowl eligibility last season. An exciting offense now has to replace quarterback Kilton Anderson, but two freshmen saw quite a bit of playing time, and with running back CJ Marable and an experienced offensive line, the Chants' run-heavy attack should remain dangerous. But without massive defensive improvement, another run at six wins could be difficult. Coastal is a projected favorite in only three to four games and will be a constant underdog over the back half of the schedule. Win early, get to 4-8 or 5-7, and start building long-term.

Colorado (Mel Tucker)
2018 record: 5-7
Projected 2019 wins: 3.9 (FPI) to 4.5 (S&P+)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 25%

In each of the two years since their 2016 Pac-12 South title run, the Buffaloes finished just 5-7. They started 3-0 in 2017 and 5-0 in 2018, then fell apart from there. That sets a pretty natural bar at .500 for Tucker, a former NFL (and Georgia) defensive coordinator and first-time head coach. So does the urge to not waste what is likely receiver Laviska Shenault Jr.'s last season in Boulder.

Clearing that bar will be difficult, though. Quarterback Steven Montez and a solid secondary return, but a dreadful run game might not improve, and the defensive front seven will be incredibly green. And while the schedule doesn't feature many sure losses, it has even fewer sure wins. Expectations and reality haven't played nicely in Boulder for a while now, and 2019 might not be any different, even if Tucker eventually turns out to be a strong hire.

East Carolina (Mike Houston)
2018 record: 3-9
Projected 2019 wins: 5.1 (S&P+) to 5.5 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 37%

ECU was, for a while, the portrait of steady quality. From 2006-14, the Pirates averaged eight wins per year and bowled eight of nine times. But they fell to 5-7 in 2015 and, in an attempt to keep up with the young-coach-hiring Joneses in the AAC, fired Ruffin McNeill in favor of Scottie Montgomery. Three years and only nine wins later, they were in the market again.

Mike Houston was an obvious upgrade on paper, and he'll have a chance to start strong. The former James Madison head coach and 2016 FCS national champ nearly took the Charlotte job but landed in Greenville instead, and he'll have a chance to immediately boost ECU back to at least its 2015 levels. He inherits from Montgomery a high-profile sophomore quarterback (Holton Ahlers), an experienced two-deep, and five or six winnable games, most of which come at the beginning of the season.

Kansas State (Chris Klieman)
2018 record: 5-7
Projected 2019 wins: 4.9 (S&P+) to 5.3 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 33%

Bill Snyder did his successor a favor by trailing off at the end. He averaged only seven wins per year over his final four seasons, and last fall he failed to make a bowl for the first time in nine years. Klieman, the immensely successful former North Dakota State head coach, knows what it takes to succeed a legend, but the bar isn't as high in Manhattan as it was in Fargo.

Still, the KSU football program has been a plane only Snyder could fly, and it would help to assuage concerns if Klieman won a few of the many projected close games on the schedule and at least matched last year's win total. There's a slight chance of a "no one can win with Snyder's recruits but him" situation, and a resulting Year Zero, but with quarterback Skylar Thompson and a veteran-heavy two-deep, Klieman's got some tools in the tool box.

Liberty (Hugh Freeze)
2018 record: 6-6
Projected 2019 wins: 5.6 (FPI) to 5.7 (S&P+)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 54%

Ole Miss' former head coach takes over, and predecessor Turner Gill did not leave him a bare cupboard ... or a tricky schedule. The Flames return a 3,000-yard passer (Stephen Calvert), a 1,000-yard rusher (Frankie Hickson), a 1,000-yard receiver (Antonio Gandy-Golden), and a veteran-heavy defense. Granted, next year's team could be starting over from an experience standpoint, but Freeze has the opportunity to hit the ground running.

Liberty could be favored in six or seven games, and S&P+ gives the team a better than 50% shot of reaching bowl eligibility. That makes it both a symbolic and realistic goal. Granted, that doesn't assure that the Flames will make a bowl -- they have a secondary Cure Bowl tie-in that calls on them if the Sun Belt and/or AAC aren't able to fill their allotted slot there -- but if you get to six wins, you've done your part.

Maryland (Mike Locksley)
2018 record: 5-7
Projected 2019 wins: 4.1 (FPI) to 4.7 (S&P+)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 29%

As I wrote in my Big Ten East preview, Locksley received something rare this offseason: a shot at head coaching redemption. He was a ghastly 2-26 at New Mexico nearly a decade ago, and he perhaps faces more burden of proof than most of the men on this list. And with a top-20 schedule that features not only the typical Big Ten East heavyweights but also Minnesota and Nebraska from the West and non-conference battles with Syracuse and Temple, proving himself might be difficult in year one.

He'll have a shot, though. His first Terps squad will feature a veteran QB (most likely, Virginia Tech transfer Josh Jackson) and a skill corps loaded with explosive sophomores like running back Anthony McFarland and receivers Dontay Demus and Jeshaun Jones. And a defense that ranked 51st in defensive S&P+ last year both returns some veterans and added a few transfers.

North Carolina (Mack Brown)
2018 record: 2-9
Projected 2019 wins: 4.5 (S&P+) to 5.4 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 25%

Brown inherits a program that is caught somewhere in between a rebuild and a potential rebound. On one hand, the Tar Heels have won five games in two years and will be starting either a true or redshirt freshman at quarterback. That's a Year Zero situation if ever one existed.

On the other hand, you don't hire a 67-year-old head coach with the idea of taking on a long-term rebuild. Plus, UNC is experienced virtually everywhere besides quarterback and could boast both a tremendous run game -- quite the QB protector -- and a stellar pass defense.

An early upset win over either South Carolina (which couldn't defend the run last year) or Miami (which couldn't pass) could trigger a 3-1 start and make a bowl run a possibility into November. Even if it falls short, that would likely create enough buzz for Brown to keep recruiting well.

Texas State (Jake Spavital)
2018 record: 3-9
Projected 2019 wins: 5.2 (FPI) to 5.5 (S&P+)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 50%

Spavital served as Dana Holgorsen's offensive coordinator at West Virginia for the past two seasons, and they both moved back to Texas in the offseason. Holgo is at Houston, while Spav is two-and-a-half hours away in San Marcos, taking on one of the most befuddling jobs in FBS. Texas State is perfectly placed from a recruiting perspective, but a flaky and unreliable administration made Everett Withers' job harder than it could have been, and he went just 7-28 in three seasons.

Thanks to heavy returning production and an exciting defense, however, the Bobcats would have been projected to take a nice step forward had Withers received a fourth year. But his loss could be Spavital's gain: If he and offensive coordinator Bob Stitt -- of Colorado School of Mines and Montana fame -- provide any sort of offensive bump, Texas State could threaten bowl eligibility against a pretty manageable schedule.

Texas Tech (Matt Wells)
2018 record: 5-7
Projected 2019 wins: 6.4 (S&P+) to 6.7 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 73%

Kliff Kingsbury really was close to making things work in Lubbock. Granted, things worked out pretty well for him -- he somehow managed to jump from fired college head coach to newly hired NFL head coach this past winter -- but he had finally managed to oversee some defensive improvement last fall (to 81st in defensive S&P+), and Tech was averaging 45.9 points per game with freshman Alan Bowman at quarterback. But Bowman got hurt, Tech averaged 20.3 points without him, and the Red Raiders went from 5-2 to 5-7.

Wells therefore inherits maybe the most friendly situation of any new coach: Tech has finished with a winning record only once in the past five seasons but almost certainly would have last year if not for Bowman's injury. So if Wells can simply fulfill last season's promise with Bowman and a lineup loaded with upperclassmen, then he's a Year 1 success.

West Virginia (Neal Brown)
2018 record: 8-4
Projected 2019 wins: 4.6 (FPI) to 6.0 (S&P+)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 60%

West Virginia is one of 2019's biggest mysteries, as evidenced by the distance between FPI's and S&P+'s respective projections. The Mountaineers have to replace starting quarterback Will Grier, four of last year's top five receivers, three of last year's top four defensive linemen, and half the two-deep in the secondary. That, combined with a potential culture change, could result in at least a temporary setback in Morgantown.

There's a pretty clear path to something decent, though. Brown was phenomenal at Troy -- after a first-year reset, granted -- and inherits just enough that he'll have a chance at first-year success. WVU boasts quite a few intriguing QB and WR candidates, the run game could be dynamite and, well, the Mountaineers' defensive front was already pretty bad last year. It's not likely to get all that much worse. And while the schedule is tricky, it could allow for a fast start.

Western Kentucky (Tyson Helton)
2018 record: 3-9
Projected 2019 wins: 5.1 (S&P+) to 6.2 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 39%

Mike Sanford's pain could be Helton's gain. Sanford was fired after just two seasons and a 9-16 record, but last year's Hilltoppers squad was super young -- freshman and sophomore QBs, freshman RBs, sophomore OLs and a defense for which only three of the top 14 tacklers were seniors. When you've fallen from 11 wins to three in just two seasons, that seems to set up like a Year Zero situation. But in Bowling Green, it might not be.

Helton was Jeff Brohm's offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky in 2014-15, so he knows the landscape and perhaps a few of the upperclassmen. His first-year success will come in his ability to develop what was a young and truly awful offense last fall. The Hilltoppers were 120th in offensive S&P+ and had topped 28 points only once in their first 10 games before breaking out for 70 in the final two.

Year Zero

Akron (Tom Arth)
2018 record: 4-8
Projected 2019 wins: 3.5 (S&P+) to 4.1 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility (per S&P+): 9%

Terry Bowden had his moments at Akron -- an 8-5 record and No. 81 S&P+ ranking in 2015, an improbable MAC East title in 2017, an equally improbable upset of Northwestern in early-2018. But after back-to-back finishes in the 120s in S&P+, Bowden was fired and replaced by just about the most Northeastern Ohio coach imaginable.

Arth attended Cleveland's Saint Ignatius High and went to college at nearby John Carroll. He became head coach at his alma mater by age 32, moved up to FCS Chattanooga at 36, and got an FBS call-up, back in NE Ohio, at 38. He inherits a team that was horrible on offense (but returns seven starters) and compelling on defense (but returns only four starters). The Zips are obvious favorites in zero games, but a handful of tossup games should mean at least a small handful of wins.

Bowling Green (Scot Loeffler)
2018 record: 3-9
Projected 2019 wins: 3.0 (S&P+) to 4.3 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 3%

The last time Bowling Green made a coaching hire, the athletic director basically Googled "good offense," then hired the first person he could afford from the team that played good offense.

By comparison, the process that led to the hire of Loeffler -- a 44-year-old former offensive coordinator at Temple, Auburn, Virginia Tech and BC who, unlike predecessor Mike Jinks, had actually entertained thoughts of becoming a head coach -- was downright logical. It still produced an odd conclusion, though.

Per S&P+, Loeffler was never the coordinator for a top-50 offense, and in three seasons at BC, he basically had one good month, late in 2017. His coordinators (Terry Malone on offense, Brian VanGorder on defense) are veterans with shaky track records, too. And now, he'll presumably try to install a more physical philosophy onto personnel designed for spread and speed. Even if it eventually works, it probably won't in 2019.

Central Michigan (Jim McElwain)
2018 record: 1-11
Projected 2019 wins: 3.4 (S&P+) to 4.6 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 7%

Before he became head coach at Colorado State and Florida, McElwain had a solid track record as an offensive coordinator at Montana State, Fresno State and Alabama. We'll see how long it takes him to do some damage with a CMU team that conspicuously forgot how to move the football last season. The Chippewas were dead last in offensive S&P+, averaging just 15 points per game (third-worst in FBS) and 3.8 yards per play (worst). Transfers such as former Tennessee quarterback Quentin Dormady and former Virginia Tech receiver Kalil Pimpleton could aid with general competence, but this offense has a mountain to climb just to get back to mediocrity.

Oh yeah, and the Chips have to replace almost their entire starting front seven from a decent defense, too. The secondary could be downright good, but that probably won't matter until CMU can actually score points again.

Georgia Tech (Geoff Collins)
2018 record: 7-6
Projected 2019 wins: 3.7 (FPI) to 4.2 (S&P+)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 18%

Safe to say, Collins has the energy to withstand a reset year. The Waffle House-loving, coffee-powered former SEC defensive coordinator and Temple head coach waited a while to get this opportunity, and his first Yellow Jackets squad is going to require all sorts of perseverance.

First, he has to transition his offensive personnel from Paul Johnson's spread option to something a little more standard. Whether he has the quarterback, receivers or offensive line to do so remains to be seen. Second, he has to figure out how to turn around a defense that ranked 100th in defensive S&P+ and must replace both its top four overall tacklers and its top four linemen. This is going to be a crazy-young team, and though Collins' early recruiting returns are intriguing (he's brought in a wave of transfers), this is probably too much newness to provide wins any time soon.

Kansas (Les Miles)
2018 record: 3-9
Projected 2019 wins: 2.7 (FPI) to 2.8 (S&P+)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 2%

A coach no one seemed to want took a job no one wanted to take. That could be the first line from what ends up being an incredible redemption tale. It could also provide confirmation as to why both parties were seemingly unwanted.

Miles last coached in 2016. He should be able to upgrade the infrastructure in Lawrence over the next few years, and he might be able to recruit to a more physical identity. But in the short term, he inherits a roster that has basically one player sure to have made his two-deep at LSU: running back Pooka Williams. There's size on the offensive line and experience in the secondary, but in a Big 12 with an enormous middle class, the Jayhawks have so much ground to make up to hope for much more than a couple of cupcake wins and a conference upset in 2019.

Louisville (Scott Satterfield)
2018 record: 2-10
Projected 2019 wins: 4.2 (S&P+) to 4.4 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 17%

Satterfield saw incredible success at Appalachian State, where he had previously played quarterback and spent more than a decade as an assistant. He took over for legendary head coach Jerry Moore, and after an initial stumble (he lost 13 of his first 18 games), he finished 46-11 in Boone.

How much of that success was due to the App State culture and his familiarity with it? How much will translate at a school that just witnessed one of the most rapid-fire collapses you'll ever see? Bobby Petrino left smoking wreckage behind in Louisville, and Satterfield's first starting lineup could feature as few as six to eight seniors. The QB group lost all confidence last fall. There are certainly some exciting young athletes -- QB Malik Cunningham, WR TuTu Atwell, CB Anthony Johnson, DE Jarrett Jackson, etc. -- but Satterfield has to build a new culture from scratch. That's not usually an overnight task.

UMass (Walt Bell)
2018 record: 4-8
Projected 2019 wins: 3.5 (S&P+) to 3.6 (FPI)
Odds of bowl eligibility: 8%

The good news: Mark Whipple came close. The now-former UMass head coach went 4-8 in both 2017 and 2018, fielding a prolific offense in both years. Four one-possession losses prevented the Minutemen from being bowl eligible in 2017, and the presence of guys like All-American receiver Andy Isabella proved that you can attract, or at least develop, high-end talent in Amherst.

The bad news: Only one side of the ball had talent. Whipple's Minutemen only once cracked the overall S&P+ top 100 (99th in 2015), and his defense ranked 124th last year. Now the offense has to replace Isabella, nearly every running back, three line starters and both primary quarterbacks. The 35-year-old Bell already has five years of offensive coordinator experience at Arkansas State, Maryland and Florida State, but the Minutemen are starting over on both sides of the ball. This is probably going to be a slow build.

Kevin Durant, in his first interview since rupturing his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the Finals in June, says he does not hold the Golden State Warriors accountable for the injury.

"Hell, no. How can you blame [the Warriors]? Hell, no," Durant told Yahoo Sports, speaking at a house in Los Angeles. "I heard the Warriors pressured me into getting back. Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back. It was only me and [trainer] Rick [Celebrini] working out every day.

"Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5. Hell, nah. It just happened. It's basketball. S--- happens. Nobody was responsible for it. It was just the game. We just need to move on from that s--- because I'm going to be back playing."

Durant, who turns 31 in September, agreed to a four-year contract worth up to $164 million to play for the Brooklyn Nets after spending the past three seasons with the Warriors, winning two titles and being named NBA Finals MVP twice.

He jokingly chided Warriors fans, telling Yahoo Sports through a smirk that this past season would likely be their final Finals appearance.

"It will probably be the last time they will be in the Finals," Durant said.

Durant's injury came after he became the first player in NBA history to average 30 points per game on 50-40-90 shooting in a single postseason (minimum five games).

Durant told Yahoo Sports he watched most of the rest of Game 5 from his hotel room after struggling with his emotions when he first tuned in.

"Yeah, I still think about that night," Durant said. "Every experience I've been through in the league is obviously always ingrained in my mind, but that one is definitely always going to be a huge part of my career because it's the biggest stage and the type of injury I had. But now I look at it as me just going out there playing basketball, and I happened to get hurt. And now I'm just waiting to get back. I know it's a huge deal to everybody else, but I just try to take it on the chin and keep it moving."

Milwaukee Brewers star outfielder Christian Yelich said he is day to day after potentially aggravating his nagging back injury.

Yelich was not in the lineup for the second straight game Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The reigning National League MVP told reporters that he felt something in his back during Monday's game, when he hit his major league-leading 38th and 39th home runs.

Yelich also told reporters Wednesday that his current injury is similar to the issues that have sidelined him at various points throughout the season. He said he won't be back in Milwaukee's lineup until his back improves.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters Tuesday that he was "just being careful" by keeping Yelich out of the lineup.

Also out Wednesday for the Brewers is outfielder Lorenzo Cain, who suffered a knee injury in Tuesday's victory.

HOUSTON -- Yuli Gurriel drove in a team record-tying eight runs, Gerrit Cole won his 10th straight decision and the Houston Astros routed the Colorado Rockies 14-3 Wednesday for their sixth victory in a row.

A day after hitting two home runs, Gurriel again teed off for the AL West leading Astros. He hit a three-run homer in the first inning, a sacrifice fly in the third, a three-run double in the fourth and an RBI grounder in the sixth.

Gurriel tied Houston's RBI record set by J.R. Towles in 2007 against St. Louis.

Cole (14-5) struck out 10 in six innings. Undefeated in his last 14 starts, he allowed three hits and two runs to make Houston's starters 16-1 in their last 19 starts.

This is the longest winning streak of Cole's career and is the best active streak in the majors. Cole, who hasn't lost since May 22, leads the majors with 226 strikeouts and his 2.87 ERA ranks third in the AL.

The Astros swept the four-game interleague season series from Colorado. Trevor Story hit his 26th homer and Nolan Arenado added his 25th for the Rockies, who lost for the fifth time in seven games.

The Astros jumped on Colorado starter Peter Lambert (2-3) for seven hits and a career-high nine runs in three-plus innings. Jose Altuve homered on Lambert's first pitch of the game.

Story homered for the fourth time in five games, connecting in the first.

Altuve quickly tied it and Gurriel connected with two outs for his 23rd home run, including 18 since June 23. He has homered in five straight games against the Rockies dating to last year.

Cole had retired 10 straight, with seven strikeouts, when Arenado homered in the fourth. That hit gave Arenado 26 RBI in interleague play this season, tied with Frank Thomas for most since interleague play began in 1997.

The Astros loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth on a single and two walks before Michael Brantley drove in a run with a single to chase Lambert. He was replaced by Jesus Tinoco, who walked Alex Bregman on four pitches to send another run home and make it 7-2.

He struck out Yordan Alvarez and Carlos Correa before Gurriel cleared the bases with double to left field to push the lead to 10-2.

Bregman had a two-run double in Houston's three-run seventh to extend the lead to 14-2.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: RHP Ryan Pressly (sore right knee) returned to Houston on Wednesday after pitching one inning in a rehabilitation game for Double-A Round Rock on Tuesday night. Manager AJ Hinch said he felt good after the outing and that he would be evaluated and likely come off the injured list in the next day or two. ... RHP Brad Peacock (sore right shoulder) will make a rehabilitation appearance for Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday night.

UP NEXT

Rockies: RHP Jon Gray (10-7, 4.03 ERA) will start for Colorado in the opener of a four-game series at San Diego on Thursday night. Gray gave up nine hits and four runs in four innings of a 6-5 loss to San Francisco in his last outing but did not factor in the decision.

Astros: Houston is off on Thursday before LHP Wade Miley (10-4, 3.05) starts in the first of three games at Baltimore on Friday night. Miley allowed three hits and two runs in six innings to win is fourth straight decision in Houston's 10-2 victory over Seattle in his last outing.