Group of Five: 2017 college football Week 3 power rankings

Navy moved quietly to 2-0 on Saturday as they took down Tulane 23-21 at home. The Midshipmen are not quite as dynamic as last year’s AAC West champions, but they could still overtake teams like Memphis and Houston in head-to-head showdowns this season. Ken Niumatalolo‘s team features another strong running game with their triple-option offense.

The schedule has not been that impressive yet, with Navy taking down Florida Atlantic 42-19 in Week 1 and Tulane last week. But they did also play two FBS schools, whereas many Group of Five contenders faced FCS programs in one of their first two weeks. And the Midshipmen have the advantage of back-loading their shot at a Power Five statement with their trip to Notre Dame in November.

Zach Abey has looked decent in his first full season as the starting quarterback for Navy. Abey ran for 235 yards and two scores against Florida Atlantic, then turned around and added another 108 rushing yards against the Green Wave. He has gone just 7-of-22 passing, but he is also averaging 11 yards per attempt in the air. Navy will never be a pass-heavy team under Niumatalolo, but Abey has shown the ability to hit receivers downfield when necessary.

At this point, the season is wide open for Navy. While Memphis and Houston remain the favorites in the AAC West, the Midshipmen cannot be discounted. They have a bye week before closing out the month with games against Cincinnati and Tulsa, two teams that provide legitimate tests for where the Middies are at moving forward.