|
|
Miami beat Bowling Green last night in what wound up being a very compelling game that I wished I’d turned on before the end of the 3rd quarter. With fog so thick that the players were near invisible when the camera pulled back for kickoffs and such, Bowling Green bounced back from a 25-yard third quarter and a 21-21 tie before Miami turned an interception (maybe.. this game was full of reviews and the fog played a huge factor there too) into a game winning field goal as time expired.
Miami improves to 5-1 in the league and is now bowl eligible. If Temple beats Ohio next Tuesday, and Miami survives dreadful Akron, then they’ll play for MAC East on November 23. If Ohio beats Temple, the East should be theirs and Miami-Temple is a second place game. Regardless, if Miami beats Akron then they should be all but guaranteed a bowl home somewhere, as priority will always go to 7-5 teams when at-large spots open up.
Meanwhile, Bowling Green drops to 2-8 on the season, on the back of four losses by 3 or less. Toledo and Western Michigan lie between them and a long Christmas break.
Weekend previews today & tomorrow, and a completely untelevised Thursday night game goes tonight. I’ll probably just include it with the C-USA preview.
The two top teams in the MAC got together last night, and like Boise-Hawaii and TCU-Utah… it wasn’t even close. NIU jumped all over Toledo, leading 28-0 at the half, then kept their foot on the gas on the way to a 65-30 victory and a clear path to the conference championship game. NIU improves to 8-2, and should be ready to join Nevada and UCF in the bottom of the Top 25 polls…if anybody remembers this one by Sunday morning.
The Huskies only have Ball State and Eastern Michigan standing between them and a 10-2, 8-0 season. Toledo probably should win out also (Bowling Green and CMU), and wrap it up at 8-4, 7-1, and play in the postseason.
We have more MAC action tonight, with Miami facing Bowling Green as they try to reach bowl eligibility and stay in the race for the conference championship. I may get a preview in, but if not then I’ll link you to a better one this afternoon. Otherwise, a quiet day is in store on the fringe before some weekend previews tomorrow and Friday.
Attempt #2 at guessing the bowl bids. I’m not even trying to do this weekly, because things don’t move that fast in the standings.
The bowls are listed by their selection order within the conference listed. Several bowls are “tied” in the selection order, and work together and/or with league offices to select teams.
BCS Bowl Games
I think there are powers that pull strings that have a lot of influence over the BCS bowls, hence getting Boise State in. The BCS doesn’t need the bad PR of excluding a team that hasn’t lost since 2008. They’ll fit Boise in somewhere. Hopefully the Rose, if Auburn loses to Alabama or in the SEC Championship and gets TCU in against Oregon.
Championship Game (#1 vs. #2)
Auburn vs. Oregon
Rose Bowl (Big 10 vs. Pac-10. Non-AQ gets first nod if one school lost to CG)
TCU vs. Michigan State
Sugar Bowl (SEC vs. BCS At-Large)
Boise State vs. LSU
Orange Bowl (ACC vs. BCS At-Large)
Virginia Tech vs. Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl (Big 12 vs. BCS At-Large)
Nebraska vs. Pittsburgh
Conference USA
The bowls have a preferred selection order, but the conference office has most of the say over who goes where, unlike most leagues.
Liberty Bowl (C-USA #1 vs. SEC 8/9)
UCF vs. Kentucky
Hawaii Bowl (C-USA #2 vs. Hawaii/WAC #3)
Tulsa vs. Hawaii
Armed Forces Fort Worth, TX (C-USA #3 vs. MWC 3/4. Army gets bid if either league short a team)
SMU vs. Army
St. Petersburg (C-USA #4 vs. Big East #6)
Southern Miss vs. USF
New Orleans (C-USA #5 vs. Sun Belt #1)
Houston vs. Troy
Eaglebank Washington, DC (C-USA #6 vs. ACC #8)
ECU vs. Clemson
New Mexico (via WAC #5, vs. MWC #5)
UTEP vs. BYU
MAC
The MAC bowls rotate selection order in conjunction with the league.
Little Caesars Detroit, MI (MAC vs. Big 10 #7)
Temple vs. Illinois
GoDaddy.com (formerly GMAC) Mobile, AL (MAC vs. Sun Belt #2)
Ohio vs. Arkansas State
Humanitarian Boise, ID (MAC vs. WAC #2)
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State
Kraft Fight Hunger San Francisco, CA (ACC #7 [projected vacant] vs. WAC #1)
Toledo vs. Nevada
Mountain West
Las Vegas (MWC #1 vs. Pac-10 #4/5)
Utah vs. UCLA
Poinsettia San Diego, CA (MWC #2 vs. Navy)
San Diego State vs. Navy
The Bowl has indicated they will not set an Air Force-Navy rematch.
Independence Shreveport, LA (MWC #3 vs. ACC #7)
Air Force vs. North Carolina
New Mexico Albuquerque, NM (MWC #4 vs. WAC #2)
BYU vs. UTEP
Sun Belt
New Orleans (Sun Belt #1 vs. C-USA #5)
Troy vs. Houston
GoDaddy.com Mobile, AL (Sun Belt #2 vs. MAC)
Arkansas State vs. Ohio
Birmingham (SEC #9 or Sun Belt vs. Big East #5)
ULM vs. Louisville
WAC
Kraft Fight Hunger San Francisco, CA (WAC #1 vs. ACC #7 [projected vacant])
Nevada vs. Toledo
Humanitarian Boise, ID (WAC #2 vs. MAC)
Fresno State vs. Northern Illinois
Hawaii (Hawaii/WAC #3 vs. C-USA #2)
Hawaii vs. Tulsa
|
School |
W |
L |
Last Week |
This Week |
BCS Rank |
| 1 |
Boise State |
8 |
0 |
d. Hawaii |
at Idaho |
4 |
|
It doesn’t matter what I think, but I think that Boise State would beat TCU if they played today. But unless it’s for the national title, I hope they don’t play until next season. |
|
| 2 |
TCU |
10 |
0 |
d. Utah |
TCU |
3 |
|
TCU is amazingly good, don’t get me wrong, and I’m rooting for them to get a spot in the championship game, since it’s looking like they’re going to finish ahead of Boise. |
|
| 3 |
Nevada |
8 |
1 |
d. Idaho |
Fresno State |
21 |
|
A Nevada-Utah game would be a good one, but it certainly looks like the Wolf Pack are in better form than the Utes right now. |
|
| 4 |
Utah |
8 |
1 |
loss to TCU |
at Notre Dame |
14 |
|
Utah’s loss wasn’t a surprise, but the way they got completely dominated was. Will they rebound against Notre Dame, or get lost in the disappointment? |
|
| 5 |
UCF |
7 |
2 |
d. Houston |
Southern Miss |
27 |
|
UCF has the nation’s 9th longest winning streak with 5 in a row, having mowed over most of C-USA so far. |
|
| 6 |
Northern Illinois |
7 |
2 |
idle |
Toledo (Tuesday) |
40 |
|
Next in a string of very good two-loss teams, NIU has their toughest test in the back half of the season tonight when Toledo comes to town. Both are 5-0 in the MAC. |
|
| 7 |
Temple |
8 |
2 |
d. Kent State |
Ohio (Nov 16) |
34 |
|
Temple hasn’t lost since playing NIU a few weeks back, but now they have a pair of games remaining that will determine the outcome of MAC East. |
|
| 8 |
Toledo |
6 |
3 |
idle |
at Northern Illinois (Tues) |
|
|
Toledo, too, is on a tear, unbeaten in MAC play and since losing to Boise in early October. Tonight’s game is one of the biggest of the year in the MAC. |
|
| 9 |
San Diego State |
7 |
2 |
d. Colorado State |
at TCU |
29 |
|
The Aztecs may have peaked as far as the polls & voters go, with TCU and Utah next, but this season has been an outstanding turnaround, and SDSU may finish third in the MWC. |
|
| 10 |
Hawaii |
7 |
3 |
loss to Boise State |
San Jose State |
42 |
|
If Utah stays high losing to a top-5 team, then so should Hawaii, but their high flying offense was definitely shut down by the Broncos. |
|
| 11 |
Fresno State |
6 |
2 |
d. Louisiana Tech |
at Nevada |
39 |
| 12 |
Air Force |
6 |
3 |
d. Army |
New Mexico |
44 |
| 13 |
Navy |
6 |
3 |
d. East Carolina |
Central Michigan |
41 |
| 14 |
Tulsa |
6 |
3 |
d. Rice |
at Houston |
45 |
| 15 |
Ohio |
7 |
3 |
d. Buffalo |
at Temple (Nov 16) |
|
|
Five more teams that have been on good runs and are all flirting with the top 25. Tulsa gets bonus recognition for knocking of Notre Dame two weeks ago. |
|
| 16 |
Southern Miss |
6 |
3 |
d. Tulane |
at UCF |
47 |
| 17 |
Houston |
5 |
4 |
loss to UCF |
Tulsa |
|
| 18 |
East Carolina |
5 |
4 |
loss to Navy |
at UAB (Thurs) |
|
| 19 |
UTEP |
6 |
4 |
d. SMU |
at Arkansas |
|
| 20 |
Troy |
5 |
3 |
d. North Texas |
FIU |
|
|
Teams in this batch have seen good starts begin to crumble- ECU is falling apart, Southern Miss lost to UAB and needed late scores to beat Tulane, and Houston has lost 2 of 3. Troy & UTEP both 1-1 last two weeks. |
|
| 21 |
SMU |
5 |
5 |
loss to UTEP |
idle |
|
| 22 |
Miami |
5 |
4 |
idle |
at Bowling Green (Weds) |
|
| 23 |
Army |
5 |
4 |
loss to Air Force |
at Kent State |
|
| 24 |
BYU |
4 |
5 |
d. UNLV |
at Colorado State |
|
| 25 |
Arkansas State |
4 |
5 |
d. Middle Tennessee |
Western Kentucky |
|
|
SMU and Army take a couple losses to wind up in the last five, while Miami has taken up residence here with a nearly one-for-one win-loss pattern. Meanwhile, BYU and A-State have suddenly inserted themselves into the bowl picture with late season surges. |
|
The big time matchup that we were supposed to have turned into another Boise rout, while the rest of the WAC is starting to sort itself out.
Utah State 27, New Mexico State 22- The battle of the Aggies goes to the northern ones, as NMSU isn’t able to hold a 4th quarter lead to find it’s second win in a row. Next Week: Utah State at San Diego State, Louisiana Tech at New Mexico State
Boise State 42, Hawaii 7- The Bronco defense absolutely shut down the usually high flying Warrior offense, while the offense ran roughshod. Nevada is the only team left on the schedule that could reasonably challenge Boise at this point. Next Week: Boise State at Idaho (Friday), Hawaii idle.
Fresno State 40, Louisiana Tech 34- Fresno opened up a back & forth game in the fourth quarter with three straight scores, then survived a rally from the other Bulldogs to become bowl eligible. Next Week: Nevada at Fresno State, Louisiana Tech at New Mexico State
Nevada 63, Idaho 17- Idaho’s defensive struggles haunted them as Nevada racked up 844 yards of offense in the blowout. Idaho will probably have to win out, including a date with Fresno State, to get bowl eligible after the Boise State game. Next Week: Nevada at Fresno State, Boise State at Idaho (Friday)
WAC Standings
|
Conference |
Overall |
| Boise State |
4 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
| Hawaii |
5 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
| Fresno State |
4 |
1 |
6 |
2 |
| Nevada |
3 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
| Louisiana Tech |
2 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
| Idaho |
1 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| Utah State |
1 |
4 |
3 |
6 |
| New Mexico State |
1 |
4 |
2 |
7 |
| San Jose State |
0 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
Conference Championship Picture
Forget, for a moment, that Boise State is straight up murdering everybody. There. In that case, the conference is still wide open, as Boise has two of the league’s best still to come. However, only Boise State actually controls it’s own destiny at this point. Fresno State and Nevada both need Hawaii to lose one more, even if either of them beats Boise State. Hawaii needs Boise to lose twice to win the league outright. If Fresno or Nevada do beat Boise State and win out, then Hawaii wins out, then we have a 3 way tie at 8-1. The WAC would declare them all co-champions and be done with it.
Week 10 Power Rankings
These are pretty close to the standings, obviously. Nevada gets back ahead of Hawaii, despite the head to head, based on Hawaii’s implosion on the blue turf.
- Boise State
- Nevada
- Hawaii
- Fresno State
- Louisiana Tech
- Idaho
- Utah State
- New Mexico State
- San Jose State
Much like the matching game happening on the blue turf, the big showdown in the Mountain West became a dud when TCU blew the doors off of Utah. Elsewhere, the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy returns to Colorado Springs, and New Mexico won a game.
Air Force 42, Army 22- Things started slow in West Point, with Army leading 6-0 after a quarter. Air Force turned things around quickly, and dominated the remaining 45 minutes to claim military academy supremacy for the first time in eight years. Next Week: Army at Kent State, New Mexico at Air Force
BYU 55, UNLV 7- BYU suddenly has a very good chance to become bowl eligible, with CSU and New Mexico ahead. Meanwhile, UNLV can only hope for a better season next year. Next Week: BYU at Colorado State, Wyoming at UNLV
TCU 47, Utah 7- There isn’t much to say about this game that hasn’t been said, but TCU made an emphatic statement about their place in the national picture, and now become the biggest Alabama fans in the country. Next Week: San Diego State at TCU, Utah at Notre Dame
New Mexico 34, Wyoming 31- The Lobos broke the losing streak (leaving Akron alone with the longest) with a final-seconds field goal, which may leave Wyoming as this year’s trivia answer. Next Week: Wyoming at UNLV, New Mexico at Air Force
San Diego State 24, Colorado State 19- No winning streak for the Rams, as San Diego State wins their fourth in a row. The fun stops there for the Aztecs, staring down consecutive games with TCU and Utah. Next Week: BYU at Colorado State, SDSU at TCU
Mountain West Standings
|
Conference |
Overall |
| TCU |
6 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
| Utah |
5 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
| San Diego State |
4 |
1 |
7 |
2 |
| BYU |
3 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
| Air Force |
3 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
| Colorado State |
2 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
| UNLV |
1 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
| New Mexico |
1 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
| Wyoming |
0 |
6 |
2 |
8 |
Conference Championship Picture
Football on the Fringe is boldly projecting TCU to be your 2010 Conference Champions. San Diego State could actually say something about all that, but we don’t see that as being very likely. A win this weekend seals the deal for TCU, while Utah still has a chance if both SDSU and New Mexico were to stop the Frogs. All other teams are mathematically eliminated.
Mountain West Power Rankings
Utah may have been beaten badly Saturday, but there’s little to suggest that any of the other 7 deserve the #2 spot yet. SDSU will get their shot in a couple weeks, but unless the Utes get annihilated by Notre Dame, they’re the second best team in the league.
- TCU
- Utah
- San Diego State
- Air Force
- BYU
- Colorado State
- UNLV
- New Mexico
- Wyoming
C-USA had a busy week, with 7 games going on and only 1 of the league’s ‘Big 4′ getting through unscathed. UCF, meanwhile, has earned its first Top 25 rankings in school history, sitting 23rd in the coaches and 25th in the AP and Harris polls.
UCF 40, Houston 33- UCF survived a shootout with the Cougars, in the second straight game where UCF has given up over 30 but scored over 40. Luckily for Houston, they got some help on Saturday to keep control of the West, which means this game is very likely a conference championship preview. Next Week: Tulsa at Houston, Southern Miss at UCF
Tulsa 64, Rice 27- Tulsa is storming through the second half of their schedule, setting up a very big game with Tulsa this weekend, as Rice fades into the background. Next Week: Tulsa at Houston, Rice at Tulane
Navy 76, East Carolina 35- Three straight turnovers in their own territory turned into points for Navy, and turned a shootout into a disaster for the Pirates. Next Week: East Carolina at UAB, Thursday night
Southern Miss 46, Tulane 30- Two touchdowns and a safety broke a 30-30 tie in the 4th quarter for Southern Miss as they keep their conference hopes alive, especially with ECU staggering and a big game with UCF this week. Next Week: Rice at Tulane, Southern Miss at UCF
Marshall 31, UAB 17- A mildly surprising result from two teams that have been up and down all year, but UAB had shown signs of life lately. Next Week: East Carolina at UAB, Thursday, Memphis at Marshall
Tennessee 50, Memphis 14- There’s nothing worse than getting a game against a BCS rival when you’re in a down year. Next Week: Memphis at Marshall
UTEP 28, SMU 14- UTEP gets bowl eligible by knocking SMU off their perch atop the West, which lasted less than 24 hours after Houston handed it to them. UTEP never trailed in this one. Next Week: UTEP at Arkansas, SMU idle.
Conference USA Standings
|
Conference |
Overall |
|
W |
L |
W |
L |
|
|
East |
|
| UCF |
5 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
| East Carolina |
4 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
| Southern Miss |
3 |
2 |
6 |
3 |
| Marshall |
2 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
| UAB |
2 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
| Memphis |
0 |
5 |
1 |
8 |
|
|
West |
|
| Houston |
4 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
| SMU |
4 |
2 |
5 |
5 |
| Tulsa |
3 |
2 |
6 |
3 |
| UTEP |
3 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
| Tulane |
1 |
4 |
3 |
6 |
| Rice |
1 |
4 |
2 |
7 |
Conference Championship Picture
East
UCF is in control, needing to win two of the last three games. If ECU loses Thursday and UCF wins Saturday, UCF will clinch the East.
East Carolina must go unbeaten and needs two UCF losses to capture the division. Southern Miss also must win out, including beating UCF Saturday, and have UCF lose one other game to win or create a three-way tie, depending on ECU’s results.
UCF can clinch home field advantage for the championship game by winning the next two games.
West
Houston currently controls its own destiny ahead of this week’s game with Tulsa.
SMU needs a Houston loss to take control of its own destiny.
Tulsa needs to beat Houston, win out, and have SMU find another loss to win the division.
Week 10 Power Rankings
Things are very fluid, both in the top half and the bottom half, with so many contenders taking a loss this weekend.
- UCF
- Tulsa
- Houston
- SMU
- East Carolina
- Southern Miss
- UTEP
- Marshall
- UAB
- Tulane
- Rice
- Memphis
The MAC is into it’s completely insane November schedule, but since I didn’t write last week, I’ll cover the weeknight games we missed here as well as the games from Saturday.
Ohio 34, Buffalo 17- Thursday’s game held no great surprise, as Ohio keeps itself in the chase by handling Buffalo comfortably. Next Game: Ball State at Buffalo, November 12; Ohio at Temple, November 16
Central Michigan 26, Western Michigan 22- Central Michigan rallied in the fourth quarter Friday night to win and sweep the Michigan MAC group, a nice highlight in a down year for the Chips. Next Game: Central Michigan at Navy, Saturday; Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan, Saturday
Ball State 37, Akron 30- Ball State edges Akron to confirm that Akron is probably the worst team in the MAC. Next Game: Ball State at Buffalo, November 12; Miami at Akron, November 17
Temple 28, Kent State 10- Temple extinguishes any hopes KSU might have had of hanging around for the conference championship and is now full steam ahead toward Ohio next week. Next Game: Army at Kent State, Saturday; Ohio at Temple, November 16
MAC Standings
|
Conference |
Overall |
|
W |
L |
W |
L |
|
|
East |
|
| Temple |
5 |
1 |
8 |
2 |
| Ohio |
5 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
| Miami |
4 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
| Kent State |
3 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| Buffalo |
1 |
4 |
2 |
7 |
| Bowling Green |
1 |
4 |
2 |
7 |
| Akron |
0 |
6 |
0 |
10 |
|
|
West |
|
| Northern Illinois |
5 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
| Toledo |
5 |
0 |
6 |
3 |
| Western Michigan |
2 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
| Ball State |
2 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
| Central Michigan |
2 |
5 |
3 |
7 |
| Eastern Michigan |
1 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
MAC Championship Picture
East
Nothing changed at the top- Ohio and Temple control their own destiny, and they’ll face off on November 16. If Temple wins that one, and Miami keeps winning, then you get a division championship game between them on November 23. If Ohio wins, only Kent State stands between them and another trip to Detroit. Kent State, Buffalo, Bowling Green and of course Akron are all eliminated from the division race (Kent State cannot finish better than 5-3, while the winner of Ohio-Temple will have six wins).
West
The West is a two-team show, as everyone else has 3 losses already. NIU and Toledo play tomorrow night in the MAC game of the week/month/year? Neither team has a winning team left on the schedule after Tuesday, so the path to Detroit is pretty clear. Western Michigan, Ball State, Central and Eastern Michigan are all eliminated.
Week 10 Power Ranking
- Northern Illinois
- Toledo
- Temple
- Ohio
- Miami
- Kent State
- Central Michigan
- Western Michigan
- Ball State
- Buffalo
- Bowling Green
- Eastern Michigan
- Akron
Real Life wrecked the Fringe last week, many apologies if you were looking forward to my WAC wrapup of week 9 or my always mediocre picks for week 10. But for now, we’ll pretend like everything is normal and get right on with our looks back at Week 10. Bowl projections and maybe some commentary tomorrow.
Arkansas State 51, Middle Tennessee 24- A-State led most of the way in this one, then turned it into a blowout in the second quarter. Middle Tennessee’s season just gets darker and darker, while Arkansas State is still alive in the hunt for a bowl game. Next Week: Western Kentucky at Arkansas State, North Texas at Middle Tennessee
Florida Atlantic 17, Western Kentucky 16- FAU took the lead early in the 4th, and all WKU needed to do was find a field goal after that, but never got closer than the FAU 40, where an interception ended that drive. Next Week: Western Kentucky at Arkansas State, Louisiana at Florida Atlantic
Mississippi 42, Louisiana 21- A 24-7 first quarter effectively ended this one, although the Rajin’ Cajuns did get the score as close as 27-21, but managed no points in the second half as Ole Miss pulled away. Next Week: Louisiana at Florida Atlantic
Troy 41, North Texas 35- Troy bounces back from a loss with a narrow win over a North Texas team that has started to turn around after dismissing their coach. Next Week: FIU at Troy, North Texas at Middle Tennessee
FIU 42, ULM 35- It took two overtimes, but FIU clings to its hopes of a conference title with a shootout win over the Warhawks. Next Week: FIU at Troy, ULM at LSU
Sun Belt Standings
|
Conference |
Overall |
| Troy |
4 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
| FIU |
3 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
| Arkansas State |
4 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
| Middle Tennessee |
2 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
| ULM |
3 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| Florida Atlantic |
2 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
| Louisiana |
2 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
| North Texas |
2 |
4 |
2 |
7 |
| Western Kentucky |
1 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
Conference Championship Race
Troy and FIU face off Saturday in Alabama for the lead in the conference, and are the only two teams left that control their own destinies.
Arkansas State needs Troy to lose all 3 of their remaining games to have a chance to win the league.
Middle Tennessee State needs Troy to lose all 3 remaining games, and have Arkansas State lose again. Both MTSU and Arkansas State have opportunities to beat FIU later this season. A Troy win Saturday eliminates both schools.
ULM could still come back into the picture, but would need Troy to lose twice and FIU to lose all of its remaining games. An FIU win Saturday eliminates ULM.
Florida Atlantic could re-enter the scene if FIU loses at least two more, and Troy loses at least once before facing FAU. However, if that happens, there is a distinct possibility of a multi-way tie at 5-3, which would be a huge mess.
Week 10 Power Rankings
Some of the head-to-head results from a couple weeks ago are fading away as the conference championship race sorts itself out.
- Troy
- Arkansas State
- FIU
- ULM
- Middle Tennessee
- FAU
- Louisiana
- North Texas
- Western Kentucky
The weekend was a good one for Conference USA. Despite a lack of national TV coverage, the UCF-ECU game lived up to the hype, Tulsa knocked off a big opponent on a national stage, and two other games came down to the wire.
UAB 50, Southern Miss 49- Since getting shelled at UCF a few weeks ago, UAB is 2-1 and nearly beat a ranked Mississippi State team. Southern Miss had to rally from 14 down in the 4th quarter to send the game to overtime, where the teams traded touchdowns until UAB opted for a 2 point conversion which won the game for them in OT2. Next Week: Southern Miss at Tulane, Marshall at UAB
Tulsa 28, Notre Dame 27- Tulsa took the lead with 3 minutes to go in this one after a back and forth battle all afternoon, then intercepted Notre Dame’s backup quarterback on the final drive to seal the victory. Notre Dame had never lost to a C-USA team, and hasn’t lost to a current member since SMU in 1984, back in the SWC days. Next Week: Rice at Tulsa
Marshall 16, UTEP 12- UTEP’s collapse is in full swing, and it could cost Mike Price his job if it doesn’t stop and stop soon. UTEP took the lead in the fourth quarter, but a 2 point conversion attempt was intercepted for a safety, which turned what should have been 13 or 14 to 7 lead into a 12-9 game, but Marshall took the win outright with a touchdown instead of a tying field goal late in the game. Next Week: SMU at UTEP, Marshall at UAB
UCF 49, East Carolina 35- The UCF offense has not been stopped, except by the clock running out, on a first half drive in two games. Against ECU, UCF scored touchdowns on 7 of 8 drives that didn’t involve kneeling down. ECU was nearly as explosive on offense, but UCF made just a few stops, particularly in the first half, that provided the difference in the game. Next Week: UCF at Houston (Friday night), Navy at East Carolina
SMU 31, Tulane 17- SMU gets things back on track against the Green Wave, but they had to rally back from a 17-3 deficit late in the third quarter. Four straight touchdowns put the game away for the Mustangs. Next Week: Southern Miss at Tulane, SMU at UTEP
Houston 56, Memphis 17- A 28 point second quarter removed all doubt in this one, while 14 of Memphis’ points came in the 4th quarter with the outcome long since decided. Next Week: UCF at Houston (Friday night), Tennessee at Memphis
Conference USA Standings
|
Conference |
Overall |
|
W |
L |
W |
L |
|
|
East |
|
| UCF |
4 |
0 |
6 |
2 |
| East Carolina |
4 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
| UAB |
2 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
| Southern Miss |
2 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
| Marshall |
1 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
| Memphis |
0 |
5 |
1 |
7 |
|
|
West |
|
| Houston |
4 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
| SMU |
4 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
| Tulsa |
2 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
| UTEP |
2 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
| Tulane |
1 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
| Rice |
1 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
Conference Championship Races
East
UCF is now in charge of the East, with a two game lead over Southern Mississippi and East Carolina (with the tiebreaker). East Carolina needs to win out and see UCF lose twice, while Southern Miss needs to beat UCF in two weeks, win out, and have ECU lose two more. UAB needs a complete collapse from UCF to vault all the way into the title game.
West
Houston is still in the driver’s seat, but they still have UCF, Tulsa and Southern Miss ahead. SMU needs just one Houston loss if they can get past UTEP, Marshall and East Carolina. Tulsa is still hanging around, but needs two more SMU losses which is looking increasingly unlikely.
Conference Championship Game Home Field
Home field goes to the team with the best conference record, which means that this week’s UCF-Houston game could be decisive- if Houston wins and both teams then win out, both sides will be 7-1 meaning the game will happen in Texas. If UCF wins, SMU takes charge of the west and will have to see if UCF drops one of their final games. If they do, then the tiebreaker would become BCS ranking since SMU and UCF will not play this year.
Week 9 Power Rankings
Things are starting to sort themselves out, but C-USA is consistently mayhem in November, so nothing is set in stone just yet.
- UCF
- East Carolina
- Houston
- SMU
- Tulsa
- UAB
- Southern Miss
- Marshall
- Tulane
- UTEP
- Rice
- Memphis
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