Welcome back to the 18Stripes G5 Top 10. This might have been a slow week by last week’s standards, but we still saw some G5 hold their own, including one big jumper into the top three.
Also Considered: Louisiana, UAB, San Jose State, Memphis, Marshall
Week 2 Recap
Movers and Shakers
The first game we have on our docket was the only major upset of the day. While everyone was either sleeping or dunking on Florida State, BYU was taking control of a rivalry for the first time in a decade and a half. BYU beat Utah in Provo 26-17. Jaren Hall led the way for the Cougars offense, finishing 18-30 for 149 yards and 3 TDs. The Cougars defense was the true star of the evening. They forced two turnovers and forced two turnovers on downs.
The first of those drives was a goal line stand, keeping a 10-7 BYU lead. The Cougars then marched down the field and scored a TD with four seconds left in the first half. That proved to be a back breaking drive for the Cougars, who now have two consecutive Pac-12 wins. I think they are a force to be reckoned with, despite losing Zach Wilson. They jumped up to 3 with the weight of two P5 wins and their predictive numbers backing up the results. They may be favorites in every game from here until their final game against USC. If the Cougars can repeat the success of last season, they may find themselves in a NY6 spot.
On top of the BYU win, we almost had two more major upsets over power teams. We all watched Peacock to see Toledo almost give Irish nation a collective heart attack aneurysm combination. 18S has covered this game extensively, but for Toledo the outcome seemed to be positive. Despite poor clock management on their final drive, the Rockets held steady with the Irish, maintaining their spot in the top ten with their performance.
The other near upset was down in Coral Gables. App State dropped their chances at an upset with a 25-23 loss to Miami. The Mountaineers held D’eriq King to only 200 yards passing and no TDs. The run game was the success for both teams, as Camerun Peeples rushed for 95 yards and a first quarter TD. The Mountaineers, with a chance to kick a field goal to win the game, had three Chase Brice passes dropped, stalling out upset chances. App State still looks like a very good team and has a chance to further prove themselves against Marshall in two weeks.
Close Calls and Roundup
Some other schools had some close calls this weekend, but against fellow Group of 5 teams. Army kicked off the afternoon for the service academies by having an interesting day with Western Kentucky. Army almost blew a 35-14 fourth quarter lead, holding on to win 38-35. Memphis, lurking in the AAC, held off Arkansas State after holding a 18 point fourth quarter lead. Malik Willis and Liberty were fought hard by Troy, before Willis had a rushing TD in the fourth for the game winner.
Louisiana, who dropped off for BYU’s inclusion, were played tight by Nicholls. THe Cajuns won 27-24 despite being outgained 511-394. The one turnover for the FCS squad was the difference. In the best offensive play for UL in the second half, Kris Moncrief stepped in front of a pass and took it 67 yards to the house. I think this team could be back in the top ten soon, but I need to see a more dominant performance to reconsider putting them back where they were in the pre-season.
In the game of the afternoon, Wyoming almost blew a 42-16 lead over Northern Illinois. Rocky Lombardi drove back the Huskies to pull ahead 43-42 with under five minutes to go, finishing a 28-0 unanswered run in a 15 minute stretch. Wyoming QB Sean Chambers scrambled into the end zone and threw the ensuing two point conversion to put the Cowboys ahead for good. I think Wyoming could be a dark horse for the Mountain West, but these types of performances aren’t going to cut it against the Boises or Nevadas of the world. I also expect NIU to trip up someone on their MAC schedule, as a true agent of chaos.
Now we’ve reached the wrap around. Coastal, after a quarter and a half of competence from KU, put away Kansas 49-22. Boise State rebounded by knocking of UTEP on the blue turf, 54-13. Marshall, UCF, UTSA, and Nevada all took care of their FCS opponents with ease. Cincinnati, on the other hand, let Murray State hang for a half, before putting their foot on the gas and winning by 42-7.
Week 3 Preview
Headliners
This week has some true killer matchups in terms of Group of 5 teams continuing to establish themselves and build some quality wins to their seasons. At the top of that list is Cincinnati vs Indiana. While the trip to Bloomington may not be as potentially big for the Bearcats, this is a game where they can prove their mettle before the Irish. Indiana made quick work of Idaho after being blown off the field against Iowa. However, since this appears to be a Good Iowa Year, this loss may not speak to the quality of IU. Cincinnati needs to win this to continue their climb to break the G5 Glass Ceiling in the CFP.
The other matchup involves our team out in Provo. BYU hosts yet another ranked Pac-12 South team, taking on Arizona State. It’s weird to say this sentence but it feels to be true. Arizona State probably needs to win this game more than BYU. However, with the potential for Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina dropping games in their schedules, every Power 5 game for the Cougars is important. Like I mentioned earlier, this game may be the last one where BYU isn’t favored until Thanksgiving, so they need to make this game count.
Interesting Power 5 Games
Elsewhere we have some compelling G5 vs P5 matchups in the last major week of these matchups. Boise State hosts a very inconsistent Oklahoma State squad. The Pokes are coming off a close win over Tulsa at home, so Boise should be an interesting matchup for them. UCF goes into the former Pizza Palace in Louisville. Louisville seemed to let Ole Miss get whatever they wanted on Labor Day, so I expect Dillion Gabriel to do something similar.
Fresno State now looks more intriguing as they go into the Rose Bowl and take on UCLA. I think UCLA having a week off will make them properly prepared for the Bulldogs, but it’s something to keep an eye on during the course of your Saturday. Nevada looks to continue its march towards Mountain West play by going to the Little Apple. K-State boat raced Stanford in Week 1 but struggled at times against Southern Illinois, so this could be an interesting matchup. Finally, Memphis looks to get a SEC win over the tumultuous Miss State squad.
Top Teams Roundup
We have two interesting MAC matchups with other Group of 5 teams. Ball State takes a trip out west to take on Wyoming. The winner of that game will probably be in constant consideration for the Top Ten, as both teams are on the cusp of making it at this moment. Coastal turns around and has to travel up north to take on Buffalo. The Bulls struggled with Nebraska on Saturday, but it could be interesting to see the Chants take on a similar skilled team on the road before they kick off their conference slate. UTSA and SJSU also kick off their conference schedules; The Roadrunners taking on MTSU, and SJSU going on island for the late kickoff against Hawaii.
That’s all I have for you all today. Sound off below on your thoughts on BYU, the near upsets, or any of the games this week!
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Illinois has a couple hurdles left to go 1-11 with their sole win being over Nebraska, which would be incredibly funny, but if they can pull off the loss against Maryland this week I’ll be keeping an even closer eye on Charlotte.
This looks like a fun G5 vs P5 week before G5 conference play really gets going. On the plus side it means more weekday football, but it’s not as fun as when they’re pursuing all-time program wins.