College Football: Group of Five Week 7 power rankings

Now that UTSA has fallen in the West, Marshall takes over as the Conference USA team with the best chance of challenging the Group of Five leaders for a major bowl berth this year. The Thundering Herd moved to 4-1 over the past weekend after taking down Charlotte on the road. It wasn’t the prettiest of victories, but it was enough to keep the Herd perfect in conference play.

Marshall’s defense came up huge on the road, holding the 49ers to 212 total yards of offense and forcing a Hasaan Klugh interception. The Thundering Herd, though, coughed up two fumbles that allowed Charlotte to last in the game far longer than expected.

The difference in the contest proved to be the quarterback-receiver combo of Chase Litton and Tyre Brady. Litton went a modest 19-of-28 for 192 yards and two touchdowns through the air, with Brady hauling six of those passes for 88 yards and both scores. The connection proved enough to take down the 49ers on the day, and the duo will continue to wreak havoc on C-USA defenses.

Home games against Old Dominion and Florida International are sandwiched around a Friday-night road trip to Middle Tennessee over the rest of the October schedule. Things really ramp up for Doc Holliday’s team once the calendar flips to November. Marshall faces Western Kentucky, UTSA, and Southern Miss to close out the regular season.