Marshall, App State rule Week 3 Group of 5 college football rankings

Are the Toledo Rockets the best team in the MAC this season?

Coming in at No. 15, we have the East Carolina Pirates. They fended off the red-hot Old Dominion Monarchs, who were coming off a huge upset over Virginia Tech last week. ECU needed a 17-point fourth quarter to put away the Monarchs 39-21, so they don’t get much of a boost from last week’s spot.

At No. 14, I have my highest-rated team from the MAC: the Toledo Rockets. They’re the only team sitting at 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference and for good reasons, they can put up a ton of points. Their 92 points scored through Week 2 is a full 18 more points than the next-highest scoring team, Bowling Green. Perhaps more importantly, they’ve only given up 10 points all season. After playing an FCS team in Week 1 and UMass in Week 2, they have their biggest game of the season in Week 3 when they play No. 3 Ohio State— it’s time to see what the Rockets are really made of.

Sitting firmly at No. 13, I have the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. One of the most consistent teams from the Sun Belt continues its winning ways in 2022, off to a quick 2-0 start under new head coach Michael Desormeaux. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 35-5 in their last 40 games, dating back to the beginning of the 2019 season. Let the good times roll!

The UAB Blazers slip a few spots in this week’s rankings, to No. 12, after losing a chess match to Liberty on the road. The Blazers punched in a 31-yard touchdown run with 1:17 left in the first quarter and didn’t score again until there was about 3 minutes left in the game. This was a winnable game for UAB and could have used it to separate themselves in a very mediocre 2022 C-USA.

Remaining at No. 11, San Diego State did what they were supposed to do against FCS team Idaho State, winning 38-7. After getting blown out by Arizona in Week 1 38-20, they have a chance to get a little Pac-12 revenge when they travel to play No. 14 Utah in Week 3.