Group of Five New Year’s Six Watch, Week 11: App State, SMU drop
By Dante Pryor
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. SMU Mustangs. 884. 8-1, 4-1. Last Week: 1. 5. player
The Mustangs fell at the hands of the Memphis Tigers 54-48 in Week 10. The Mustangs were game, but a third quarter in which they were out scored 17-7 sealed their fate.
However, it’s not over completely for the Mustangs. They’ll need to win out, and hope that Memphis loses two of their last three conference games to get a reprieve and play for the AAC championship. One of the games they have to win is against a newcomer to the watch: the Navy Midshipmen.
7-1, 5-1. Last Week: NR. Pick Analysis. Navy Midshipmen. 4. player. 944. Scouting Report
Navy has lurked around the watch, and we’ve had our eye on them for some time. The Midshipmen are experiencing quite the resurgence after a 3-9 campaign last year. Give head coach Ken Niumatalolo all the credit in the world. He did something so few coaches are willing to do when faced with adversity: he overhauled his staff, hiring new coaches on both sides of the ball.
The result? An offense that is 15 points better and a defense that is also 15 points better. They’ve added some run and shoot elements to their offense in addition to the traditional triple-option they run. Their game against the Mustangs is a must win, and they have to hope someone can defeat Memphis who owns the tie breaker against them.
Pick Analysis. 7-1, 4-0. 3. player. Scouting Report. Last Week: 5. Boise State Broncos. 895
Boise State has the clearest, yet most difficult path to the Cotton Bowl: win out. It won’t be easy sledding, however, for the Broncos. They have two tough games left on their schedule. They host the Wyoming Cowboys, and travel to Logan to play Utah State. However, if they can win out, they have a Power Five win in their back pocket, and they’ll have a win over a ranked team provided the San Diego State Aztecs find a way to win out on their way to the Mountain West title game.