Group of Five Power Rankings, Week 14: Championship week hierarchy

One of the risks of conference championship games is the fact that they often pit teams that have already played in a given season. Frequently, we have seen teams end up playing in consecutive weeks, first in the regular-season finale and then against one another a second time for the league crown. We are about to see that happen this year in the Conference USA title game.

Middle Tennessee took down UAB 27-3 at home on Thanksgiving weekend, earning themselves the right to host the C-USA championship game in Murfreesboro this Saturday. Brent Stockstill carved up the Blazers secondary for 261 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 22-of-29 passing. Zack Dobson added a 45-yard touchdown run, picking up more than a third of the 133 total rushing yards the Blue Raiders picked up against UAB in the win.

Now they have to do it a second week in a row against the Blazers. Even though the setting will be the same, though, and the two teams will be the same, the result is hardly guaranteed to finish as it did in the last game of November. Holding UAB to 89 total yards of offense will be difficult to pull off on consecutive weekends.