The new Group of Five power rankings sees the Liberty Flames rising under the direction of head coach Hugh Freeze after an upset win over Virginia Tech.
This week in the Group of Five power rankings, the teams stay the same again. Chalk is holding, and the cream is rising to the top. Marshall has proven themselves to be the class of Conference USA. The Thundering Herd plays much like Cincinnati.
Marshall wants to play ball control ground and pound offense limiting possessions for their opponents and punishing defense. That style has been successful for the ‘Herd this season as they defeated UMass and stay undefeated. Coastal Carolina stayed undefeated beating South Alabama in a physical game 23-6. The Jaguars played tough but could not muster any points despite 243 yards passing.
BYU went to Alberston’s stadium’s blue field and blew the doors off of Bosie State 51-17. The Cougars racked up 573 yards of offense, and the defense forced two turnovers in a dominant performance from start to finish. The game of the week belongs to the Liberty Flames, who went on the road and defeated Virginia Tech 38-35.
It wasn’t only that it was another Power Five win for the Flames; Liberty never folded. There were times in that game where Virginia Tech tried to pull away, but the Flames never folded and found ways to come back and give themselves a chance at the end of the game.
The Bearcats continue to play their best football at the most critical time in their season. Cincy is rolling on offense and defense in the midst of the toughest games on their schedule. This weekend the Bearcats dominated the Houston Cougars 38-10. Cincinnati held the Cougars to just 282 yards of offense and held them scoreless for three-quarters of the game.
Group of Five Power Rankings entering Week 11
5. Marshall Thundering Herd
The ‘Herd continued their winning ways against the UMass Minutemen 51-10. It was a dominating performance from start to finish. UMass could not get anything going most of the game against Marshall with just 190 total yards. Marshall, on the other hand, scored on nearly every possession against the Minutemen. Grant Wells was spectacular, completing 70 percent of his passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Brenden Knox needed just 14 carries for his 118 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Marshall put pressure on UMass quarterbacks all game with four sacks. Marshall plays MTSU next week.
4. Coastal Carolina
South Alabama was game before falling to Coastal Carolina 23-6. After the Chanticleers scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, the Jaguars gave up just nine points. Coastal’s defense carried the load last weekend. The Chanticleers gave up just two field goals on route to their seventh consecutive win. The difference in the game was the Coastal Carolina pass rush. It seemed as if every time South Alabama would gain momentum in a drive, the Chants pass rush would get either a sack — Coastal had five sacks — or a key pressure of Jaguars quarterback Desmond Trotter to end a drive. The Chanticleers play Troy a week ahead of their showdown against Appalachian State on November 21.
3. Liberty Flames
The Liberty Flames played in the game of the week, upsetting the Virginia Tech Hokies on the road in Blacksburg 38-35 on a last-second 51-yard field goal. The win proved that the Flames ranking in the AP Top 25 was no fluke. The Flames found a way to overcome a 20-14 halftime deficit to give themselves a chance to win late. One of those reasons was quarterback Malik Willis. The junior from Atlanta led the Flames in both rushing and passing with 325 total yards and four touchdowns. Head coach Hugh Freeze did a masterful coaching job limiting Virginia Tech’s possessions and dominating the time of possession. The win gives the Flames their second win against an ACC team this year. The Flames play FCS Western Carolina before trying for their third ACC win of the season against NC State on November 21.
2. BYU
Head coach Kalani Sitake and the Cougars knew this was the opportunity to show the country how good they really are. With a big third quarter, the Cougars blew the doors off of Boise State 51-17. This was a close game at halftime. Whatever coach Sitake, Zach Wilson, or any of the leaders said at halftime, it worked. In the third quarter, BYU forced three punts and scored three touchdowns, turning a 16-3 game into a 38-3 game. Quarterback Zach Wilson had his usual accurate game completing 77.8 percent of his passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns. The defense held the Broncos to just 61 yards rushing and collected two turnovers. BYU plays North Alabama next week before ending their season against San Diego State.
1. Cincinnati
The Bearcats proved their dominance in the AAC once again with a 38-10 victory against the Houston Cougars. Cincinnati has responded by playing their best football at the crux of their season. Desmond Ridder turned in another solid performance with 265 total yards and four total touchdowns. Running back, Gerrid Doaks ran for a career-high 184 yards as the Bearcats rushed for 342 yards on the day. The defense was lights out again as well, limiting the Cougars to just 10 points and 282 total yards. Houston had just 93 yards rushing and was 5-15 on third downs. Houston could not move the ball consistently on the Bearcats defense. Cincinnati plays East Carolina next week before traveling to Orlando for a date with UCF.
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