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