College Football Outpost's G5 Top 10 Rankings (9/4/17)

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With a week of games in the books and nearly every G5 team stepping out on the playing field, we are starting to get an idea of just how off we were in our preseason predictions. Some teams have struggled, while others came out of the games on fire to start the 2017 season.

Let’s take a look at the CFO’s first regular season G5 top 10 rankings.

1. South Florida (2-0, 0-0 AAC): No one expected the Bulls to start the season quite like this. Yes, they have a perfect 2-0 record, but they have not looked good at all this season. As long as they keep winning, it will be hard to take them out of the top spot.
2. Western Kentucky (1-0, 0-0 CUSA): The Hilltoppers looked like a team with a new head coach and needing to replace several playmakers. They beat rival EKU and never really looked in trouble at any point, but they must improve if they are going to get by teams like Louisiana Tech and Vanderbilt this fall.
3. Toledo (1-0, 0-0 MAC): Playing on a Thursday night was a recipe for an ugly game. The Rockets obliged in the first half, leading only 13-7 at intermission. 21 points in the third quarter led to a blowout win, but they still have a lot of improvement to make as the season progresses.
4. Memphis (1-0, 0-0 AAC): Ugly weather, ugly play, ugly win. All that matters in the end is getting the W and Memphis relied upon an impressive run game to do so. With UCF and UCLA coming up in the next two weeks, it is time for the Tigers to turn the corner.
5. Boise State (1-0, 0-0 MWC): What was going on with the Broncos in their win over Troy? They looked poorly coached and the quarterback rotation was just erratic enough to keep either Rypien or Cozart get into a rhythm.
6. Houston (0-0, 0-0 AAC): Sometimes, the easiest way to move up the rankings is to not even play. Harvey kept the Cougars from starting their season versus UTSA. Up next is a trip to Tucson to face Rich Rod and the Arizona Wildcats.
7. Louisiana Tech (1-0, 0-0 CUSA): The Bulldogs, just like so many teams in the top 10, did just enough to get the W. It was ugly at times and the defense looks a bit suspect like last season, but the offensive talent is there to keep them in the top 10 at this point.
8. San Diego State (1-0, 0-0 MWC): The Aztecs won a sleeper in week one, but have back to back games versus Pac 12 opponents coming up. If they are able to get by Arizona State and Stanford, they will give USF a run for the top spot. That’s a big if.
9. Appalachian State (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt): A disappointing effort from the Mountaineers with everyone watching. Many expected Georgia to struggle with the App. State run game, but only Lamb was able to give the SEC program fits at times.
10. Arkansas State (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt): This is the time of the season when the Red Wolves usually look like trash. Instead of getting blown out as was expected, they came out and gave Nebraska everything they could handle in the loss.

Others teams on the cusp: Western Michigan, Navy, UCF, Old Dominion, Troy, Army, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado State, Ohio.