What a season it’s been for college football. This year has had many who follow the sport wondering if this was the wildest year the FBS has seen since 2007, when things went so off the rails that the Kansas-Missouri game was a top-3 matchup in the final week of the regular season. This week’s rankings will look a bit different, as we’ll simply state what bowl game each team is headed for, and do conference championship game recaps after the rankings. Here is where the top Group of 5 teams sit headed into bowl games.
#1. Tulane Green Wave (Last Week: 1)
Bowl game: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic vs USC, Jan. 2, 1 p.m. EST.
#2. Troy Trojans (2)
Bowl game: Duluth Trading Cure Bowl vs UTSA, Dec. 16, 3 p.m. EST.
#3. UTSA Roadrunners (3)
Bowl game: Duluth Trading Cure Bowl vs Troy, Dec. 16, 3 p.m. EST.
#4. South Alabama Jaguars (4)
Bowl game: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl vs Western Kentucky, Dec. 21, 9 p.m. EST.
#5. UCF Knights (5)
Bowl game: Military Bowl Presented by Peraton vs Duke, Dec. 28, 2 p.m. EST.
#6. Cincinnati Bearcats (6)
Bowl game: Wasabi Fenway Bowl vs Louisville, Dec. 17, 11 a.m. EST.
#7. Fresno State Bulldogs (12)
Bowl game: Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel vs Washington State, Dec. 17, 3:30 p.m. EST.
#8. Air Force Falcons (8)
Bowl game: Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs Baylor, Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m. EST.
#9. Boise State Broncos (7)
Bowl game: Frisco Bowl Presented by SERVPRO vs North Texas, Dec. 17, 9:15 p.m. EST.
#10. James Madison Dukes (11)
No bowl game, ineligible in transition to FBS year.
#11. Ohio Bobcats (10)
Bowl game: Arizona Bowl vs Wyoming, Dec. 30, 4:30 p.m. EST.
#12. Marshall Thundering Herd (13)
Bowl game: Myrtle Beach Bowl vs UConn, Dec. 19, 2:30 p.m. EST.
#13. BYU Cougars (14)
Bowl game: New Mexico Bowl vs SMU, Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m. EST.
#14. Toledo Rockets (On the Bubble)
Bowl game: RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl vs Liberty, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. EST.
#15. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (9)
Bowl game: TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl vs ECU, Dec. 27, 6:45 p.m. EST.
Dropped Out
San José State (15)
On the Bubble
San José State, SMU, Western Kentucky, Eastern Michigan
Conference Championship Recaps
American Athletic Conference
Final Score: Tulane 45, UCF 28
Murphy’s Field Prediction: Tulane 34, UCF 28
First of all, congratulations to Tulane on turning around a 2-10 season in 2021 to an 11-2 performance this season, its first-ever AAC Championship, and a bid to the Cotton Bowl. Now, about the game, I wasn’t surprised that Tulane won, but it was a great shock that they put up over 600 yards of total offense. Michael Pratt had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 394 yards and four touchdowns, while Tyjae Spears ran for 199 yards and one score. The Green Wave’s three turnovers were all that kept UCF in the game, as it was a dominant effort throughout the game. Tulane’s defense came up with six sacks and kept the Knights to just a 50% completion rate on their passes.
Conference-USA
Final Score: UTSA 48, North Texas 27
Murphy’s Field Prediction: UTSA 35, North Texas 24
UTSA was thoroughly dominant in this one, outgaining North Texas by over 200 yards and holding a 2-0 advantage in turnovers. Frank Harris was a machine for the Roadrunners, completing 32 of 37 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns, adding 49 yards and a score on the ground. Kevorian Barnes ran for 175 yards and a touchdown as well, as UTSA’s offense was unrelenting in its performance throughout the game. It’s the second consecutive CUSA title for the Roadrunners, who hadn’t won more than eight games in a season for their first nine years as an FBS program but now have a chance for back-to-back 12-win seasons with a bowl victory.
Mid-American Conference
Final Score: Toledo 17, Ohio 7
Murphy’s Field Prediction: Ohio 21, Toledo 17
I thought it was going to be a defensive battle, and it was, but Ohio’s offensive gameplan was too disrupted by the loss of MAC Offensive Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke to get anything going. Toledo’s defense keyed in on Sieh Bangura and held him below three yards per carry for the first time this season, and his 56 yards were the fewest in a game with at least 10 carries this year as well. Dequan Finn was instrumental in leading the Rocket offense, going 16-25 for 154 yards and a touchdown, adding 86 rushing yards and vitally not turning the ball over. Jacquez Stuart ran for 93 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries, and that was all the offense Toledo needed with a dominant defensive performance.
Mountain West Conference
Final Score: Fresno State 28, Boise State 16
Murphy’s Field Prediction: Boise State 40, Fresno State 37
Ouch. I was super wrong on this one. A game I said was going to be an offensive battle was tied 0-0 after the first quarter and was a 14-9 game going into the fourth. Fresno State’s defense was incredible, forcing Taylen Green to go just 17-38 passing, grabbing two interceptions, both by Cam Lockridge, and not allowing a touchdown until they had built a 28-9 lead with less than six minutes to play. Nikko Remigio also helped out the Bulldogs’ struggling offense with a punt return touchdown to get Fresno’s scoring started in the second quarter. Fresno State was also able to capitalize on both interceptions, turning them into touchdown drives of 17 and 34 yards. That allowed the Bulldogs to score 28 points in spite of having less than 250 yards of total offense in the game. It was the fourth time the Mountain West Championship Game had been Fresno-Boise in Boise, and the teams are now 2-2 in those matchups.
Sun Belt Conference
Final Score: Troy 45, Coastal Carolina 26
Murphy’s Field Prediction: Troy 24, Coastal Carolina 16
I thought Troy would win this one, but I was very wrong about how they would do it. I predicted a defensive contest that Troy’s incredible defense would seal late in the game, and instead, it was 31-7 by halftime and 45-13 going into the fourth quarter. It was a complete rout, as Gunnar Watson needed just 17 pass attempts to rack up 318 yards and three passing touchdowns. The Trojans were much less successful on the ground, but DK Billingsly got into the end zone three times on just nine carries as Troy beat the brakes off of Coastal Carolina. With rumors flying about CCU head coach Jamey Chadwell leaving the school to become Liberty’s next head coach, the Chant’s never mustered much resistance to Troy’s attack until it was too late.
Murphy's Field 
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