Down the stretch we go. Just two weeks remain before conference championship games, and Toledo became the first team to clinch a spot in one last week. Over the weekend, the SEC title game and ACC title games were finalized, and Coastal Carolina wrapped up a spot in the Sun Belt title fight. Teams that only need a win to secure their spot in a championship game include UTSA, Fresno State and Boise State. With lots on the line this week, here is the current top 15 teams in the Group of 5.
#1. UCF Knights (Last Week: 3)
Our top two teams from last week both went down, with UCF toppling top team Tulane to take over the number one spot. The Knights built up a 17-point lead in the third quarter and had to hang on down the stretch as the Green Wave fought back in the 38-31 contest. John Rhys Plumlee was somewhat quiet through the air, throwing for just 132 yards on 30 pass attempts with one touchdown, but made up for it with 176 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. UCF had 336 yards on the ground and recovered all three fumbles in the game, two by Tulane, to help secure the victory. When the defense was starting to have some trouble in the second half, the offense churned out a 16-play, 8:07 touchdown drive to make it 38-24 with just 3:32 to play, and Tulane ran out of time in the comeback attempt. Next week, UCF hosts Navy in an early game on Saturday. Kickoff will be at 11 a.m. EST.
#2. Cincinnati Bearcats (4)
Cincinnati squaked out a 27-25 win over ECU Friday night to maintain control of their own path to the AAC title game. After falling behind 5-0 early, the Bearcats rattled off three touchdown drives and went into halftime up 24-12. The Pirates showed they had plenty left in the tank, however, with two third-quarter touchdowns to take a 25-24 lead but failed a two-point conversion attempt that could have made it a three-point game. After Cincy hit a field goal in the fourth, a late turnover on downs by ECU helped the Bearcats secure victory. Cincinnati was outgained by over 100 yards, 454-310, in the game but the special teams battle went their way. ECU had a missed field goal in the first half and Jadon Thompson had a kick return touchdown that gave the Bearcats their first points of the game. Next week, Cincinnati is heavy favorites on the road against Temple. Kickoff in Philadelphia will be at 4 p.m. EST Saturday.
#3. Tulane Green Wave (1)
Tulane fell 38-31 against UCF Saturday, and will now need either a win over Cincinnati to close out the season or for UCF to lose both of its last two games to make the AAC championship. The Green Wave offense moved the ball well throughout the game, with Michael Pratt throwing for 236 yards and three touchdowns while Tyjae Spears ran for 130 yards on just eight carries, but a pair of fumbles made life more difficult for Tulane. The defense struggled to contain the Knights’ high-powered attack, allowing season highs in total yards (468) and points (38). Tulane will look to recover on Senior Day next week against SMU, another team with an offense capable of putting up points in bunches. Thursday night’s kickoff from Yulman Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. EST.
#4. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (5)
Coastal Carolina moved to 5-0 in one-score games this season with a 26-23 win over Southern Miss Saturday. The Chanticleers have also secured a spot in the Sun Belt Championship Game thanks in part to James Madison not being eligible for postseason play this year. With Grayson McCall out for the rest of the regular season with a foot injury, the Chant’s offense still came out firing with 17 points in the first quarter, but the Golden Eagles fired back with 17 of their own in the second to take a tie game into halftime. The teams traded field goals until early in the fourth quarter when CJ Beasley broke off a 56-yard run, setting up Reese White for a two-yard touchdown run to put CCU on top. When Jarrett Guest’s inexperience at quarterback showed with his second interception, the defense responded with a strip-sack on fourth down to get the ball back and allow Coastal to just kneel out the clock. Coastal Carolina’s game for next week at Virginia has been canceled following the shooting deaths of three UVA football players over the weekend.
#5. Troy Trojans (6)
On the other side of the Sun Belt, there’s Troy, which switched divisions this year as the Sun Belt added teams and reshuffled a bit, sitting at 8-2 after a 10-9 win over Army Saturday. It was the second time this season that the Trojans have won while scoring just 10 points, with the first coming against South Alabama and currently serving as the tiebreaker for the Sun Belt West champion. This Saturday, Troy took advantage of the Black Knights’ miscues on special teams, a missed field goal and missed extra point, and finally got in the end zone in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback win. In the win, star linebacker Carlton Martial became the NCAA’s all-time tackles leader. Martial made 22 stops in the game to move his career total to 547, passing Tim McGarigle’s 547 tackles for Northwestern from 2002-05. Next week, Troy hosts UL Monroe for Senior Day on Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST.
#6. South Alabama Jaguars (7)
#7. UTSA Roadrunners (8)
#8. Liberty Flames (2)
#9. Boise State Broncos (11)
#10. Air Force Falcons (12)
#11. Toledo Rockets (13)
#12. Wyoming Cowboys (14)
#13. Ohio Bobcats (15)
#14. James Madison Dukes (On the Bubble)
#15. ECU Pirates (9)
Dropped Out
San José State (10)
On the Bubble
San José State, SMU, Fresno State, Western Kentucky
Murphy's Field 
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