Group of 5 power rankings, Week 12: Top five holds steady

SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 14: Brett Rypien #4 of the Boise State Broncos throws the ball against the San Diego State Aztecs in the first half at SDCCU Stadium on October 14, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 14: Brett Rypien #4 of the Boise State Broncos throws the ball against the San Diego State Aztecs in the first half at SDCCU Stadium on October 14, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /
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October 15, 2016: Troy Trojans running back Jordan Chunn (38) takes a handoff from Troy Trojans quarterback Brandon Silvers (12) duirng the game between the Georgia State Panthers and the Troy Trojans. Troy defeated Georgia State by the score of 31-21 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
October 15, 2016: Troy Trojans running back Jordan Chunn (38) takes a handoff from Troy Trojans quarterback Brandon Silvers (12) duirng the game between the Georgia State Panthers and the Troy Trojans. Troy defeated Georgia State by the score of 31-21 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
8

Troy Trojans

Last week: Def. Coastal Carolina 42-17
Last rank: 8

The Trojans rolled to their fourth straight victory over the weekend to move atop the Sun Belt standings for the first time this season.

After a competitive first quarter, Troy outscored FBS newcomer Coastal Carolina 28-7 over the final three frames for a 42-17 victory to move to 8-2 on the season. Coupled with an Arkansas State loss to South Alabama over the weekend, Troy is now in a share for the Sun Belt lead with Appalachian State after dropping their second game of conference play back in mid-October.

A 24-21 win at LSU remains the best victory by any Group of Five team this season, and Troy has also blown out fellow Sun Belt contender Georgia State on the road 34-10. The 24-13 defeat at Boise State to open the year doesn’t hurt at all, but the Trojans will continue to regret dropping a  19-8 home contest to South Alabama the week after the LSU game, likely costing them a perfect run through the Sun Belt.

Neal Brown has Troy headed for a second straight 10-win season thanks to a combination of a stingy defense and physical running game. Troy is allowing just 17.6 points per game to rank 12th in college football, while 6-1, 235-pound bruiser Jordan Chunn has led the way offensively with 845 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns.

As the Trojans and Mountaineers don’t play this year, Brown will be rooting hard for Georgia State to top Appalachian State in week 13. Meanwhile, Troy can at least clinch a share of the Sun Belt title by winning out, starting with a home matchup on Nov. 25 following a needed bye week.