Hello and welcome back to the Group of 5 Top Ten for this week! We don’t need to dwell too much on the game Saturday night but there was some fun to be had in the Group of 5! Let’s dive into it; starting with this week’s top ten.

Also Considered: Air Force, Boise State, San Jose State, UAB, Ball State

Week 7 Recap

Headliners

The Sun Belt takes center stage this week as a pair of results add some uncertainty to the Sun Belt East race. First off, we have to start with the featured team last week, James Madison. In their first game as an AP ranked FBS program, the Dukes fell to Georgia Southern 45-38. Clay Helton and the Eagles adjusted to the Dukes defense in the second half after a 17-14 halftime deficit.

Buffalo transfer Kyle Vantrease set the tone immediately, with a 75 yard catch and run to Amare Jones. That was the first of three third quarter scoring drives, turning a 10 point deficit to a touchdown lead going into the fourth. The Dukes offense got the lead back with 2:30 left in the game. But Vantrease led his team down the field. His final throw of the game was a 22 yard TD throw to Derwin Burgess Jr. with 1:10 to play. An Eagles interception sealed the deal for the upset.

The other game of note in the Sun Belt happened in Conway. The Old Dominion Monarchs marched directly onto the teal turf and ran all over the Chants. ODU walked away with a 49-21 victory. Blake Watson led the way for Monarchs on the ground. His career high 256 yards was part of the Monarchs attack that averaged over 11 yards per rush and per dropback. Grayson McCall got his stats in, throwing for 350+ yards and the 3 TDs. However, he struggled to get the Chants offense showing. This seemed to be a catch up game for the Chants and now opens the door back open for the Sun Belt East.

Biggest Movers

For those who have read me for the last couple of years, I always try and put a MAC team into the top ten, and the team promptly turns around and loses their subsequent game. Toledo has had multiple chances to crack the top ten, but losses to Ohio State (understandable) and San Diego St (less so) the Rockets have shown the consistency to crack in. 

Toledo knocked off Kent State 52-32 in the Glass Bowl on Saturday. They now have firm control of the MAC West now. Their offense seems to be humming too. Notre Dame fans may remember the name DeQuan Finn. Now the full time starter, seems to have fully emerged to his potential in the Toledo offense, accounting for all seven touchdowns. His six passing touchdowns are tied for a school record. This wasn’t a complete effort, as the Golden Flashes were up 21-0 in this game, but Finn helped the offense overcome that deficit.

The other major result was late Saturday night. As the Utah-USC game wound down, the late night college football crew looked for a game. Most settled on Fresno State and San Jose State. The low scoring affair shone a light on some of the limitations of the Spartan offense. Fresno shut out the one loss team in the second half en route to their 17-10 win in Fresno. The Spartans offense struggled in the second half, punting on all of their possessions except for a missed field goal and the end of the game. The Mountain West seems to have both of their divisions up for grabs now, as Fresno looks to round into form after a slow start.

Other Notable Results

In other results of the weekend, UTSA continued to roll in Conference USA, knocking off Florida International 30-10. UCF is potentially looking like an American contender and a NY6 bowl spot with their 70-13 demolition of Temple. Air Force scored more points than UNLV (35) had offensive plays in the 42-7 game on Saturday. Finally, in the G5 game of the weekend, East Carolina outlasted Memphis in four OTs, winning 47-45.

Week 8 Preview

Top of the Marquee

This is another week that has one key game at the tippity top and a lot of potential great games on the list. The first game I want to feature is probably the game that decides the Sun Belt West. After finally knocking off Louisiana a couple weeks ago, South Alabama have a new challenger in the secretly good Troy team. The Trojans, a once consistently great G5 team, looks to come for the crown as well. Troy is one App Hail Mary attempt from making a true run at a potential spot in the NY6. It will be interesting to see if they can go on a short week, on the road, and make a true run towards the Sun Belt Championship Game.

The other game I decided to put here is a de facto elimination game for one of these C-USA teams. UAB makes a trip to Western Kentucky to take on the Hilltoppers. UAB has already lost once to Rice and a home game with the Roadrunners looming. Western Kentucky has already fallen short to UTSA this season, and needs this win to remain in the hunt for a spot in the Championship Game.

Conference Spotlight

American-UCF @ East Carolina

East Carolina has played in some crazy games this season so far, as I noted above. I am going to be looking towards this as a litmus test for UCF and how they can handle the Pirates in terms of potentially hitting the next gear and separating themselves into the upper echelon of the G5 once again.

C-USA-North Texas @ UTSA

This was the game that killed all of the Meep-mentum (Patent Pending) last season. The North Texas team is in a similar position where Seth Littrell needs a big victory to kickstart the Mean Green towards the stretch run of their season. With this being in the Alamodome, it’ll be interesting to see if this is a Big Crowd game for the Roadrunners, a la the Houston game this season and UAB last year.

MAC-Toledo @ Buffalo

If the season ended today, this would be your MAC Championship Game. This could still well be the Championship Game, as both of these teams are unbeaten in conference play. The Bulls have been under the radar all season. This could be a big result for the program that has struggled to find firm footing post Lance Leipold leaving for Kansas.

Mountain West-Boise State @ Air Force

Much like the South Alabama-Troy game, this game sets the tone for the rest of the season for the Mountain West Mountain Division. Boise has been quietly racking up wins after their loss to Oregon State last month. Air Force got their offense humming again in their game against UNLV. This is the late night game I will be firmly watching to see these two teams battle for supremacy.

Sun Belt-Georgia Southern @ Old Dominion

One team is still undefeated in the Sun Belt East Division; the Old Dominion Monarchs. This game is further interesting as both are coming off big wins and have letdown potential. I would think a Georgia Southern team that has Clay Helton as head coach and a revamped passing attack will travel well. A win for Ga Southern will further muddy up the most interesting division in all of college football (yes even more than the SEC East after UT’s win over Bama).

Also Playing

Here are some of the other games I got my eye on the rest of this weekend:

  • Cincinnati @ SMU
  • Memphis @ Tulane
  • BYU @ Liberty
  • Marshall @ James Madison

That’s all I have for you today! I hope you all enjoy the early week action!