Group of Five: Week 5 Access Bowl Power Rankings
By Zach Bigalke
On Saturday Air Force moved to 4-0 with a two-touchdown win over fellow service academy Navy. The Falcons completely neutralized the vaunted Midshipmen option attack, holding Ken Niumatalolo’s team to just 57 yards rushing on 1.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile Nate Romine drove the Air Force attack masterfully, throwing for 257 yards and two scores. The ground game fared far better than Navy, amassing 173 rushing yards and a touchdown. The defense kept Navy one-dimensional on offense and was also able to generate three turnovers to seal victory.
The rest of October is devoted to a winnable series of MWC games, meaning Air Force should still be undefeated when they take on Army at West Point on November 5. Win that game and the Falcons will capture the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the second time in three years. It also looks like Troy Calhoun’s team is setting itself up for a showdown with major implications against Boise State. When the two conference rivals meet at the end of the year, they could be settling not just the division title but could ostensibly both be undefeated.