Group of Five Power Rankings, Week 10: Several favorites stumble

Houston is hanging on by a threat in the Group of Five Power Rankings after falling by two touchdowns against Lone Star rival SMU. The Cougars gave up 318 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air to Mustangs quarterback Ben Hicks, while SMU running back finished with 107 yards and a touchdown. It was a shocking turnaround for a team that had legitimate New Year’s Six aspirations.

D’Eriq King completed just 11 of his 22 passing attempts, throwing for only 175 yards and two touchdowns. King added only 54 yards and one score on the ground. That added up to two fewer total touchdowns than King normally accounts for per game, which proved the difference between the two rivals in the Battle for the Iron Skillet.

As the leader in the AAC West, Houston needs to win out against Tulane, Temple, and Memphis to shore up their spot in the AAC championship game. If they lose once, it opens the door for the Mustangs to go through thanks to their tiebreaker. (Even if the Green Wave are the ones to deal the Cougars a defeat in Week 12, a head-to-head loss against SMU gives the Dallas side the tiebreaker advantage all around.)