Writing pithy comments about football games that already happened, with everything else going on in the world today just doesn’t seem right, so let’s get to it with an eye to the future instead of the past.
Group of Five Rankings
5. San Diego State Aztecs
Sorry, Tulsa, but SDSU is getting stronger and is winding their way toward a matchup for the ages in the MWC championship game. The team that wins that could benefit if WMU goes down at any point, and that means the Aztecs and their ass kicking RB Pumphrey still have a chance to play on New Years.
4. Troy Trojans
Troy scored 52 points on their way to beating UMass last weekend, and that keeps them with one loss and still sitting atop the Sun Belt conference. Their SOS will prevent them from getting in the top 25, but they probably deserve to be there. Enjoy your championship and bowl games, guys.
3. Navy Midshipmen or Houston Cougars
I made this a tie because both teams are freaking awesome, but not quite awesome enough. The AAC is the best group of five conference in the land all in, not just a talent heavy top three and a bunch of questionable teams like the MWC. However, their top cannot beat out the top two in the country.
2. Boise State Broncos
Boise did what they were supposed to do last weekend and won. They didn’t put together the complete game of Bronco Nation’s dreams to cement their place in the top 25, but even imperfect are a pretty damn solid team. The Mountain West champ game is gonna be lit.
1. Western Michigan Broncos
The boat is still undefeated, and rowing their way toward a MAC championship and a NYE appearance. This team executes very well, but they still have to get through the rest of their regular season unscathed and that’s damn difficult. The Broncos sure do seem up for the challenge, though.
Games To Watch in the Group of Five
How does a military fight a hurricane anyway? – Tulsa @ Navy, Saturday, 12:00p Eastern, CBSSN
Let’s find out just how good Tulsa is, shall we? Navy is a known quantity with their option attack and never say die attitude, but Tulsa is an enigma with one loss. Expect a decent amount of scoring here, and a possible shakeup in our rankings above.
Good football ain’t so hard to find – Appalachian State @ Troy, Saturday, 3:30p Eastern, ESPN3
This game is going to be intense. Both App State and Troy are pretty talented teams, and are sitting at the top of their conference standings. The Mountaineers only losses have come to Tennessee and Miami, where Troy has only lost to Clemson. This game is going to be fought like hell and probably be a lot of fun.
Island living – Boise State @ Hawaii, Saturday, 7:00p Eastern, CBSSN
Okay, look. Hawaii got blown the fuck out on the mainland last week by SDSU. Unless they’re unusually mad about it and Boise State forgets that this is a business trip, this game shouldn’t even be close. The reason it’s on the list: Touchdowns soothe the frazzled soul. Winding down on the Saturday after election day with some college football is nice, but even nicer when a team puts up 700 yards and 70 points.
