Welcome back to the 18Stripes G5 Top 10. I have something today to dive into before we talk about the games, so let’s go into the rankings for the week.

Also Considered: Nevada, Liberty, UAB, Army

Week 11 Recap

So About The Ten Spot…

So, you can probably notice that there are two teams named #10 in this week’s rankings. That is not accidental on my part. I thought long and hard about trying to parse out the difference between SMU and Fresno State and struggled. Fresno has the best victory, knocking off UCLA in Los Angeles. However, Fresno has two pretty bad losses to Hawaii and Boise State. SMU, on the other hand, had to win close against Louisiana Tech, beat TCU, and two close losses to Houston (good) and Memphis (less good). 

They destroyed UCF on Saturday and looked impressive throughout their 55-28 win. Fresno, likewise, looked impressive in their 34-7 win at home against lowly New Mexico. I am putting them tied for tenth for the time being. The situation will easily resolve itself this weekend, but we’ll dive into that after looking at the rest of the past week’s action.

Movers and Shakers

The biggest game of the weekend delivered in its own way. Late Saturday night Nevada was forced into a battle of attrition with San Diego State. The Aztecs did a good job shutting down Carson Strong in the first half, with only one TD drive for the Wolfpack. Strong and the Nevada offense turned it around and made adjustments in the second half, finding luck in the Strong to Romeo Doubs connection. Doubs found the end zone, on a wide open 54 yard TD catch and run, giving Nevada a 21-20 lead. 

The star of the game, however, was Matt Araiza. The soon to be Ray Guy Winner also hit two FGs for the Aztecs, including one with 1:21 left to give the Aztecs the lead for good. Araiza’s punting exploits have been well covered by mainstream and more niche outlets over the past couple of weeks, but Araiza’s kicking has been important to the success of SDSU, and this showed how much value he adds to the team. Between his performance and the defense, they could ride this momentum all the way to a Mountain West championship.

The biggest upset was down in Conway, South Carolina as Georgia State knocked off the Chants 42-40. Coastal had a chance to tie it late in the game but Coastal RB Shermani Jones was stopped short, giving the Panthers the upset. Georgia State’s offense was led by Conway native Darren Grainger. The junior threw for 198 yards and 2 scores, including the one that put the Panthers up for good in the fourth quarter. Coastal now is essentially eliminated from Sun Belt contention with the loss, needing App State to lose out and Coastal to win out. 

Finally, we have to touch on the actual newcomer to the top ten. Utah State won its fifth straight game. They went into the buzzsaw of San Jose State and walked out with an easy 48-17 win. Logan Bonner has shined during their winning streak, finishing with 263 yards and 4 TDs on Saturday night. Utah State looks to be firmly in control of its own destiny, having fairly easy games against Wyoming and New Mexico left on their schedule. They appear to be the team waiting for San Diego State (or Fresno State) in the MWC Championship.

Top Teams Wraparound

Friday night (before getting bumped for futbol), Cincinnati tried to give itself style points in Tampa. They had varying degrees of success in their 45-28 win, but at least got some help in the Cincy Playoff Watch. The Oklahoma loss essentially puts one of Oklahoma State or the Sooners out during their (first of two?) matchups Thanksgiving Weekend. 

UTSA survived their first true clunker of conference play, pulling away late from lowly Southern Miss 27-17. The offense struggled, but the defense gave them two fumbles in the fourth to set up the final 10 points, and got an interception to put the game on ice. Louisiana kept Troy at arms length throughout their 35-21 victory over Troy. The Ragin Cajuns clinched the Sun Belt Championship played at home with the win. 

Elsewhere in the Sun Belt, App State continued to roll as the rematch with Louisiana seems more and more likely, winning 31-7 against South Alabama. Finally, Houston continued its run to the AAC Championship, knocking off Temple 38-8. They almost assuredly won’t have a chance to host the AAC Championship, but it’s nice to see them continue to win and potentially make things interesting against Cincinnati.

Week 12 Preview

Headliners

First, let’s talk about the Cincinnati Playoff Watch™. They host SMU on Saturday afternoon. This matchup could have been a bigger high profile matchup for the Bearcats if SMU hadn’t lost up until this point, but c’est la vie. The Mustangs’ AAC Championship (and potentially a NY6 bowl if things break completely in their direction) hopes begin with an upset win here. They need mass chaos, with Houston and Cincinnati both losing out to have a change. Even then, that might not be enough to get in the Championship. 

The other big matchup with conference ties lies with our #2 team. UTSA takes on their toughest test when they host the defending C-USA champs UAB. A win for the Roadrunners would clinch the C-USA West. UAB has looked great of late, recently knocking off Marshall in a game I personally had circled as a potential C-USA showcase game. However, this will be a great substitute. I also wish that this game was on literally any network instead of ESPN+, but at least it’s on a ESPN adjacent program and not buried on Stadium. 

Finally, as much as I don’t want to talk about this team, we have to talk about the Fighting Malik Willis’. They host Louisiana in one of the latest non-conference showdowns of the season. Louisiana has played better than what they had in the beginning of the season, and while this game may not be important for the Sun Belt, this will matter beyond. I think the Ragin Cajuns should (key word here) be ranked on Tuesday, and it would perfectly set them up for a potential NY6 bowl in the truest chaotic scenario.

Conference Highlights

Memphis @ Houston (American): Houston looks to continue its march with a game that should be good on paper, but Memphis has underachieved all season long. The Tigers need to win either this or the following week to become bowl eligible. 

Florida Atlantic @ Western Kentucky (C-USA): Western Kentucky, who started 1-4, control their destiny in the C-USA East, and can potentially clinch with a win over the Owls and a Marshall loss at Charlotte. Bailey Zappe is one of the most fun QBs that not a lot of people are talking about.

Northern Illinois @ Buffalo (MAC): A true twist of fate considering their 2020 selves. Buffalo needs this win to keep a bowl bid alive for the Bulls. A Northern Illinois win clinches the MAC West for the first time since 2018.

Air Force @ Nevada (Mountain West): Two totally different teams looking to battle it out to keep slim MWC Title hopes alive. Air Force has the better chance but needs more help. Nonetheless, this game could be really fun for the late night crowd.

App State @ Troy (Sun Belt): A win for the Mountaineers clinches a trip back to Lafayette for a chance to battle for the Sun Belt Championship, as the two schools did in 2018 and 2019. It will be an interesting measuring stick since the Cajuns played them this past Saturday.

Top Teams Roundup

Not as many games in the top teams roundup, so let’s hit these quickly. San Diego State looks to further move towards the Mountain West West Division crown by going to Vegas and take on the suddenly hot UNLV. BYU comes off of their bye with a trip east to Georgia Southern. Coastal Carolina tries to bounce back with a trip to Texas St. Finally, the newest member to the G5 Top Ten Utah State looks to defend that honor on their trip to Laramie, taking on Wyoming.

That’s all I have for you all today. Sound off below on your thoughts on the games from Saturday or the games ahead!