Group of Five: 2017 college football Week 3 power rankings
By Zach Bigalke
Joining Boise State on the bottom end of the Group of Five Power Rankings this week is Colorado State. The Rams began the season with a resounding win over Oregon State in Week 0, building up hype for Nick Stevens in the process. Then Colorado State fell flat in their follow-up game, the annual Rocky Mountain Showdown against Pac-12 rival Colorado at Mile High Stadium in Denver.
After falling to 1-1 in the season standings, many jumped off the Rams bandwagon. But the Buffaloes loss doesn’t erase the fact that Colorado State already has one win over a Power Five opponent. Once they pulled back above .500, it became tougher to continue penalizing the Rams for their neutral-site defeat against the defending Pac-12 South champions.
The most recent win helped restore confidence in Fort Collins. Stevens threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns against FCS Abilene Christian, while Izzy Matthews and Dalyn Dawkins combined for 172 yards on the ground. Wildcats quarterback Dallas Sealey was able to complete two-thirds of his passes for 258 yards, but the Rams prevented any touchdown throws and nabbed an interception.
The Rams now have a huge opportunity ahead of them. Colorado State heads to Tuscaloosa to face No. 1 Alabama this week. If they can take down Nick Saban’s powerhouse Crimson Tide squad, Colorado State would vault up the Group of Five Power Rankings. They could still stay in the top 10 even if they lose, if they can manage a strong showing in defeat.