Group of Five: Week 7 Access Bowl Power Rankings

Toledo fended off a comeback at home against Bowling Green on Saturday to remain undefeated in MAC play. The Rockets were up 27-14 after three quarters, but needed a late Kareem Hunt rushing touchdown in the final minute to beat the Falcons. Logan Woodside threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns. He was outdone statistically by his freshman counterpart James Morgan (335 yards, five touchdowns), but Woodside was more efficient as he completed over 75 percent of his attempts. Hunt rushed for 99 yards, while Bowling Green had no answer for Hunt’s backfield partner Terry Swanson. The junior running back finished with 112 yards and a score on just a dozen carries.

The Rockets sit right behind Western Michigan in the MAC West standings. Their November 25 matchup in Kalamazoo will probably decide which team wins the division. Working in Toledo’s favor in the Group of Five race, should they run the table and win the MAC, is that their only loss came in a wild 55-53 shootout at BYU. Boding well for the Rockets is the fact that the Woodside-led passing attacks ranks tenth nationally, while the offense is also in the top ten in scoring. The defense is doing its part, holding opponents under 24 points per game. Getting to the WMU game with a 10-1 record is no guarantee, given that Central Michigan, Ohio, Akron, NIU, and Ball State remain on the schedule, but they get to play four of those five games at home.