It was a relatively tame week of college football, with only three AP top 25 teams losing, all of them on the road and two against other ranked opponents. For the Group of 5, however, there was a good amount of mayhem with 11 of last week’s top 15 losing, including each of the teams ranked 4-11. After a pretty big shakeup, here are this week’s top 15 Group of 5 teams.
#1. Cincinnati Bearcats (Last Week: 3)
When in doubt, go with the team that played in the CFP last year. This year, the Group of 5 is already down to three undefeated teams in Tulane, Coastal Carolina and James Madison. Cincinnati, meanwhile, has a one-score loss on the road against a top-15 team and a pair of wins, most recently over rival Miami (OH) to take the all-time series lead and extend the Bearcats’ winning streak over the RedHawks to 16 games. In Saturday’s 38-17 win, Ben Bryant threw for over 300 yards and Charles McClelland ran for 101 and two touchdowns. Cincinnati allowed three turnovers and racked up 39 more penalty yards than Miami, but other than that was dominant. The Bearcats outgained Miami 478-183 in total yards and had 25 first downs to just 13 for the RedHawks. Cincy wraps up non-conference play next week hosting Indiana Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
#2. Appalachian State Mountaineers (2)
Appalachian State needed a miracle to beat Troy, and got it in the form of a 53-yard hail mary touchdown on the last play of the game. It was a mostly disappointing performance by the Mountaineers, but it goes down as a win and that’s all that matters at the end of the day. Christian Horn was on the receiving end of the hail mary, catching the pass after it was deflected out of a pile of bodies at around the 7-yard line with Kaedin Robinson in the right position to give him a block to seal his path to the end zone. Horn and Robinson were App State’s two leading receivers in the game, combining for nine catches for 166 yards and that last-second touchdown. A missed field goal by Troy in the third quarter and a safety in the final minute before the hail mary helped App State to the 32-28 win. The Mountaineers host James Madison next week, with Saturday’s kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
#3. BYU Cougars (1)
It was a disappointing effort from BYU in Oregon Saturday, losing 41-20 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score. The Cougars fell down 38-7 through the end of the third quarter before scoring two late touchdowns to make the game look like less of a blowout. The BYU defense had no answer for Ducks quarterback Bo Nix, who threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for three scores as well. BYU’s offense was far too one-dimensional, only managing 61 yards on the ground while relying on Jaren Hall to throw 41 passes, 29 of which he completed for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Ben Bywater had seven tackles and an interception to lead the defensive effort, but BYU will need much better performances later in the year with trips to Notre Dame, Liberty, Boise State and Stanford still on the schedule. Next week, the Cougars host Wyoming Saturday at 10:15 p.m. Eastern.
#4. Tulane Green Wave (NR)
Tulane is one of just three remaining undefeated Group of 5 schools and was one of two to defeat a Power 5 program this week, along with Eastern Michigan. The Green Wave defense stepped up in a huge way in Saturday’s 17-10 win over Kansas State, making three fourth-down stops in the second half. Tulane’s defense also kept KSU out of the end zone after an interception that gave the Wildcats the ball on Tulane’s 23-yard line late in the first half. Michael Pratt struggled, completing just 13 of 26 passes and throwing a pair of interceptions, but ran for 87 yards and connected with Tyrick James for a touchdown to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The Green Wave has allowed just 20 total points through three games this season and will look to continue that strong defense to surprise a lot of people in the American Conference, in which Tulane was picked to finish seventh in the preseason. Next week, Tulane hosts Southern Miss Saturday at 7 p..m. Eastern.
#5. Air Force Falcons (4)
After running for over 500 yards against Northern Iowa and over 400 yards against Colorado, Air Force was held to just 171 yards on the ground in a Friday night loss at Wyoming this week. The Cowboys pulled off the rare feat of outgaining an option offense in rushing yards, picking up 180 yards on the ground. Haaziq Daniels helped Air Force stay in the game in spite of the rushing trouble, throwing for 101 yards and two touchdowns, but the Falcons couldn’t overcome the 10-0 halftime deficit, ultimately falling 17-14. Trey Taylor had six tackles including one for loss and had an interception for the game’s only turnover to lead Air Force’s defensive effort. Air Force hosts a Nevada team next week that got out to a strong start to the season before losing to FCS Incarnate Word and suffering a 27-0 defeat to Iowa this week. Friday night’s game will kick off at 8 p.m. Eastern.
#6. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (12)
#7. Liberty Flames (10)
#8. Marshall Thundering Herd (5)
#9. UAB Blazers (NR)
#10. Toledo Rockets (9)
#11. ECU Pirates (15)
#12. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (8)
#13. UCF Knights (NR)
#14. SMU Mustangs (13)
#15. Fresno State Bulldogs (7)
Dropped Out
Houston (6), Georgia Southern (11), UTSA (14)
On the Bubble
Boise State, South Alabama, James Madison, Wyoming, Eastern Michigan, Houston
Murphy's Field 
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