Group of Five Football Power Rankings, Week 12: ECU, WKU making late-season surge
It looked like SMU hit the proverbial wall of the 2021 college football season, losing to Houston one week and then Memphis the following week. However, the Mustangs course-corrected and had a huge blow-out win against UCF. The Mustangs have been waiting all season for this next matchup: a date with Cincinnati. It’s a road game for SMU, but they’ll be firing on all cylinders to try and spoil conference Cincinnati’s chances at sneaking into the College Football Playoffs.
Fresno State followed up a blow-out loss to Boise State with a blow-out win against New Mexico. The Bulldogs will have the week off before playing in their final game of the season Nov. 25 against San Jose State on the road. Regardless of what happens, the Bulldogs are going bowling for the first time since 2018.
Utah State has been playing great football during the second half of the season, winners of five straight. The final two games of the season are against teams who are 1-5 in conference play each (Wyoming and New Mexico), so it’s very possible this team could end up 10-2 on the season. The Aggies have only had 10 or more wins in a season three times in the team’s 107-year history according to College Football Reference. Head Coach Blake Anderson has a chance to make history in his first season as the team’s coach.
Previous: . Mountaineers . 7. team. 2393. . (8-2)
Appalachian State is playing out-of-this-world as of late. They’ve won their last three games by 20+ points. QB Chase Brice accounted for 8 total touchdowns and was only sacked once during the short span. Two very winnable games (Troy and Georgia State) remain, giving the Mountaineers a decent chance at their fifth season of 10 or more wins since 2015. Appalachian State has also booked their tickets to a seventh-consecutive bowl game.
San Diego State escaped with a two-point win at home against Nevada, keeping their record nearly unblemished this season. The lone loss of the season was a 10-point defeat against Fresno State on Halloween. The Aztec defense was tested against Nevada gunslinger Carson Strong. The Wolf Pack posted 21 points on SDSU, tied for the second-most of any team this season. The Aztecs have two games left, with the final contest circled against Group of Five football powerhouse Boise State.