Another weekend of college football, and more head-scratching upsets to shake up rankings. With one week left in the regular season, we have possible tiebreakers that could put a 5-2 team in a conference championship over 6-2 teams, and another where what was thought by many to possibly come down to the CFP rankings corrected to an average of four computer rankings instead. Alas, no one will be using a coin flip, as that is still left to the whims of the FCS for now. Here are this week’s rankings.
#1. Cincinnati Bearcats (Last Week: 2)
While the CFP poll confusingly placed UCF #22 in spite of the Knights losing to Navy, we think Cincy and Tulane are a virtual dead heat for the top spot going into their matchup this week. The Bearcat defense was once again superb in holding Temple to just 202 total yards and forcing four turnovers in Saturday’s 23-3 victory. The offense was decent, mixing in big plays like a 42-yard touchdown pass with Ben Bryant under center, and gaining yardage but having to settle for field goals when Evan Prater came on in relief and went 12-17 for 127 yards. Bryant’s status is unknown heading into Saturday’s matchup with the Green Wave after his foot injury against Temple. No matter who is under center for Cincinnati, though, if the defense plays like it did this week they have a good chance. Cincinnati is looking to secure a fourth straight bid to the AAC Championship Game with a win Friday and a third consecutive season of hosting the title fight. The matchup between the Bearcats and Green Wave will kick off at noon EST Friday in Nippert Stadium.
#2. Tulane Green Wave (3)
Tulane was completely dominant in a 59-24 thrashing of SMU last week to move one step closer to playing for their first AAC championship. The Green Wave only needed Michael Pratt to throw 14 times, nine of which he completed for 141 yards and three touchdowns, because they ran for 310 yards and had five scores on the ground, three of which were from Pratt. Tyjae Spears added 121 yards on 13 carries with the other two house calls and Tulane was on their way to victory. The Mustangs actually outgained the Green Wave, but committed five turnovers and had two failed fourth down attempts as Tulane took advantage of seemingly every mistake. Tulane is looking for its first trip to the AAC title game and will secure the rights to host the Championship Game with a win next week. The Green Wave head to Cincinnati for a matchup on Friday at noon EST.
#3. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (4)
Coastal Carolina did not play this week after their matchup with Virginia was canceled. Regardless of what happens with next week’s matchup at James Madison, the Chanticleers are heading to the Sun Belt Championship Game. Coastal was scheduled to host Louisiana in the title game in 2020, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 cases within the Chant’s program. With the cancelation of this week’s game at Virginia, Coastal has not played a Power 5 school this season, a large reason why they aren’t ranked in the latest CFP poll. The stunning nature of their 28-point home loss to Old Dominion doesn’t help their case either, and it seems at this point there is no likely outcome in which the winner of the AAC isn’t going to the Cotton Bowl, even if Coastal wins its final two games to get to 11-1. If the Chanticleers were to lose at James Madison this week, the Dukes would hold first place in the division but are ineligible for postseason play due to this being their transition year up from the FCS. Saturday’s matchup is therefore much more about pride and recruiting than anything else, with kickoff set for noon EST.
#4. Troy Trojans (5)
Troy easily handled UL Monroe Saturday 34-16 to move one win away from their first-ever trip to the Sun Belt Championship Game. Gunnar Watson was 10-17 for just 78 yards in the game, but the Trojans didn’t need much through the air when Kimani Vidal was rushing for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Antonio Showers’ 13-yard fumble return for a touchdown was also a helpful boost as Troy’s defense held the Warhawks to just 228 yards of total offense. The Trojans were in control throughout, with a 20-0 lead after Showers’ touchdown with 1:51 before halftime and a 34-10 lead late in the fourth quarter. ULM then pushed across a garbage-time bad-beat touchdown to hit the over of 48.5 on the game, but Troy still covered as 15-point favorites. The Trojans will secure their spot in the Sun Belt title game with a win over Arkansas State or a South Alabama loss. Saturday’s game at ASU kicks off at 3:30 p.m. EST.
#5. South Alabama Jaguars (6)
Regardless of this week’s results, the Sun Belt West will send a team other than Louisiana to the championship for the first time ever. South Alabama is the non-Troy option, and kept the race alive with a 27-20 win at Southern Miss this past Saturday. Carter Bradley was 15-22 for 238 yards and three touchdowns, though his pair of interceptions helped the Golden Eagles stay in the game. Braylon McReynolds ran for 100 yards and had 66 more receiving, though he didn’t find the end zone in the win. This game also featured a bad beat, as USA had scored to take a 10-point lead while the under was hanging on with 1:53 to play, and Southern Miss in desperation decided to kick a field goal after they had used the last of their timeouts with 0:13 left. This left them needing an onside kick and hail mary to tie, but it also meant they covered the 7.5-point spread and just nudged the game over the 45-point total that was projected by Vegas. Next week, South Alabama searches for 10 wins after entering this season without so much as a 7-win season in their history when they host Old Dominion. The game will kickoff at noon EST on Saturday.
#6. UTSA Roadrunners (7)
#7. UCF Knights (1)
#8. Boise State Broncos (9)
#9. Air Force Falcons (10)
#10. Ohio Bobcats (13)
#11. James Madison Dukes (14)
#12. Houston Cougars (NR)
#13. Fresno State Bulldogs (NR)
#14. Liberty Flames (8)
#15. Toledo Rockets (11)
Dropped Out
Wyoming (12), ECU (15)
On the Bubble
Wyoming, Marshall, BYU, San Diego State
Murphy's Field 
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