Top 10 Non-AQ (November 23, 2011)

1. Houston (11-0)—The Cougars won yet again last week improving their record to 11-0 with a game versus Tulsa for all the Conference USA marbles. Case Keenum leads the #1 ranked passing offense and scoring offense in the nation. The Cougars have moved all the way up to #8 in the country (#7 in the coaches’ poll) this week. If the Cougars win this Friday, they will then have to beat Southern Miss in the title game and be destined for a BCS bowl. Previous: Defeated SMU 37-7, Next: At Tulsa.
2. Boise State (9-1)—Talk about letting some frustration out. The Broncos demolished San Diego State 52-35 in a game that was much worse than the final score indicated. Boise was up 45-14 going into the 4^th quarter. The #7 ranked Broncos have Wyoming and New Mexico left on the schedule before finding out if they can slip into a BCS bowl game which is looking more and more likely as the weeks go by. Previous: Defeated SDSU 52-35, Next: Wyoming.
3. TCU (9-2)—The Horned Frogs take their rightful spot near the top after taking care of business and winning over the Rams of Colorado State by the score of 34-10. The defense has gotten things under control and are now in the top 40 in scoring defenses in the country. With only a game versus UNLV left on the schedule, the Horned Frogs are on a roll in their last season as a Non-AQ. Previous: Defeated Colorado State 34-10, Next: UNLV.
4. Southern Miss (9-2)—Maybe looking ahead to the conference title game or just not respecting the opponent, the Golden Eagles were upset by bottom dweller UAB last week ending their 8 game winning streak that lasted nearly 3 full months. Southern Miss will have to regroup and defeat Memphis to win the division and play the winner of Houston and Tulsa in the Conference USA title game. Previous: Lost to UAB 34-31, Next: Memphis.
5. Tulsa (8-3)—The 4 and 5 spots could easily be a flip flop with the Golden Hurricanes at #4 but Tulsa will get their shot to move up with a huge matchup versus Houston on Friday. Tulsa is on a 7 game winning streak and only have losses to Boise State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. This week is Tulsa’s shot to shine on a national stage. Previous: Defeated UTEP 57-28, Next: Houston.
6. Arkansas State (9-2)—The Red Wolves will win at least a share of the Sun Belt crown no matter if they win or lose their season finale versus Troy on December 3^rd. The Red Wolves have already accepted a bowl bid to the Go Daddy Bowl. With a win over Troy, Arkansas State will be only the second team in Sun Belt history to win 10 games in a regular season. Previous: Defeated MTSU 45-19, Next: Troy.
7. Northern Illinois (8-3)—The Huskies are led by Chandler Harnish who is right in line to be the conference player of the year for a second consecutive year. A win over EMU will put the Huskies in the MAC title game versus Ohio. A loss to EMU would drop NIU to second in the division and send them to a much weaker bowl. Previous: Defeated Ball State 41-38, Next: EMU.
8. BYU (8-3)—A chance at 9 regular season wins and a 10^th in a bowl game has to have the Cougar faithful very excited as this season progresses. The Cougars have accepted a bid to the Armed Forces bowl in Fort Worth , Texas. With this being the 1^st season as an independent, BYU is having a very good season that could have been better with a couple different bounces of the ball. Previous: Defeated New Mexico State, Next: At Hawaii.
9. Toledo (7-4)—The Rockets were held to under 60 points for the first time in 3 weeks but still defeated CMU 44-17 last week to up their mark to 7-4. The Rockets have been right in the thick of things in every game except Boise and could easily be 10-1 or 9-2 rather than 7-4. This is a team that very few teams would want to see in a bowl matchup. Previous: Defeated CMU 44-17, Next: At Ball State.
10. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-3)—The Ragin’ Cajuns have accepted a bowl bid to the New Orleans Bowl with one game remaining on the schedule. ULL ends their regular season with a trip to Arizona to play the Wildcats who just recently hired a new head coach in Rich Rodriguez. This has been a magical season for the Ragin’ Cajuns who were not expected to make much of a splash this season.  Previous: Lost to Arkansas State 30-21, Next: At Arizona.

Others Receiving Votes: Ohio, Wyoming, Temple.