The schedule helps the Bulldogs more than anything else here. Tech's bye came on September 26, so Cumbie's staff gets 2 full weeks to prepare for an offense that defensive coordinators hate getting a normal week for. Army comes in off a 21-17 win at Temple on September 25, which gives it 8 days between games. That is enough rest, but it isn't a bye.
The South Florida game is the one Army should worry about. The Black Knights led 24-21 and gave up a 38-yard touchdown pass with 23 seconds left. That is the risk with a ball-control team. It shortens the game and keeps its defense fresh, but it also leaves little room to recover from a single breakdown in coverage. Winning at Temple by 4 means Army has lost or won one-score games in 2 straight weeks.
The forecast for Ruston is mild, with a temperature of 69 and light wind, but it also has a rain chance close to a coin flip. That's worth watching this far out. A wet field doesn't bother an option offense much, but it can hurt a team that needs to throw to keep up. Neither of these offenses is built to win a shootout.
Army hosts Tulane the next week, and the American Conference schedule is waiting after that, so this is a nonconference stop at a bad point in the calendar. For Louisiana Tech, it's a chance to beat a well-known program at home after a September spent mostly on the road. The team that controls the line of scrimmage should win it, and the Bulldogs have had 2 weeks to plan for exactly that.