College Football Outpost's All-G5 Team (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Team)

We are down to the final regular season game of the 2017 college football season. It has been a whirlwind of fantastic and surprising play. Starting on Monday, we will take a look at each conference and do a season in review, but today is all about the individuals.... starting with the CFO All-G5 team.

First Team:

Offense:

• Quarterback: McKenzie Milton, Central Florida
• Running Back: Rashaad Penny, San Diego State
• Running Back: Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic
• Wide Receiver: Anthony Miller, Memphis
• Wide Receiver: Michael Gallup, Colorado State
• Tight End: Adam Breneman, Massachusetts
• Offensive Line: Will Hernandez, UTEP
• Offensive Line: Chukwuma Okorafor, Western Michigan
• Offensive Line: Max Scharping, NIU
• Offensive Line: Jeremi Hall, South Florida
• Offensive Line: Dejon Allen, Hawaii

Defense:

• Defensive Line: Ed Oliver, Houston
• Defensive Line: Sutton Smith, NIU
• Defensive Line: Marcus Davenport, UTSA
• Defensive Line: Ja’Von Rolland-Jones, Arkansas State
• Linebacker: Shaquem Griffin, Central Florida
• Linebacker: Ulysees Gilbert, Akron
• Linebacker: Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State
• Defensive Back: Jeremy Reaves, South Alabama
• Defensive Back: Parry Nickerson, Tulane
• Defensive Back: Andrew Wingard, Wyoming
• Defensive Back: Delvon Randall, Temple

Special Teams:

• Return Specialist: Tony Pollard, Memphis
• Punter: Corey Bojorquez, New Mexico
• Kicker: Dominik Eberle, Utah State

Second Team:

Offense:

• Quarterback: Riley Ferguson, Memphis
• Running Back: D'Angelo Brewer, Tulsa
• Running Back: Diocemy Saint Juste, Hawaii
• Wide Receiver: Courtland Sutton, SMU
• Wide Receiver: Anthony Johnson, Buffalo
• Tight End: Jake Roh, Boise State
• Offensive Line: Gabe Kuhn, Memphis
• Offensive Line: Elijah Nkansah, Toledo
• Offensive Line: Steven Rowzee, Troy
• Offensive Line: Austin Corbett, Nevada
• Offensive Line: Antonyo Woods, Florida Atlantic

Defense:

• Defensive Line: Justin Lawler, SMU
• Defensive Line: Anthony Winbush, Ball State
• Defensive Line: Maxx Crosby, EMU
• Defensive Line: Oshane Ximines, Old Dominion
• Linebacker: Genard Avery, Memphis
• Linebacker: Frank Ginda, San José State
• Linebacker: Dalton Herrington, New Mexico State
• Defensive Back: Darius Phillips, WMU
• Defensive Back: Jalen Davis, Utah State
• Defensive Back: Clifton Duck, Appalachian State
• Defensive Back: Jalen Young, Florida Atlantic

Special Teams:

• Return Specialist: Darius Phillips, WMU
• Punter: Joe Davidson, BGSU
• Kicker: Emilio Nadelman, South Florida

Third Team:

Offense:

• Quarterback: Logan Woodside, Toledo
• Running Back: Terry Swanson, Toledo
• Running Back: Ito Smith, Southern Miss
• Wide Receiver: Cedrick Wilson, Boise State
• Wide Receiver: Diontae Johnson, Toledo
• Tight End: Ryan Yurechek, Marshall
• Offensive Line: Colby Gossett, Appalachian State
• Offensive Line: Jake Bennett, Colorado State
• Offensive Line: Brandon Ray, Western Kentucky
• Offensive Line: Aaron Evans, Central Florida
• Offensive Line: Lanard Bonner, Arkansas State

Defense:

• Defensive Line: Curtis Weaver, Boise State
• Defensive Line: Joe Ostman, CMU
• Defensive Line: Carl Granderson, Wyoming
• Defensive Line: Tee Sims, Appalachian State
• Linebacker: Auggie Sanchez, South Florida
• Linebacker: Khalil Hodge, Buffalo
• Linebacker: Tony Lashley, Idaho
• Defensive Back: Darious Williams, UAB
• Defensive Back: Mike Hughes, Central Florida
• Defensive Back: Amari Coleman, CMU
• Defensive Back: Kameron Kelly, San Diego State

Special Teams:

• Punter: Corliss Waitman, South Alabama
• Kicker: Wyatt Bryan, Colorado State
• Return Specialist: Rashaad Penny, San Diego State

Superlatives:

• Offensive Player of the Year: Rashaad Penny, San Diego State
• Defensive Player of the Year: Ed Oliver, Houston
• Coach of the Year: Lane Kiffin, Florida Atlantic
• Team of the Year: Central Florida
• Game of the Year: Central Florida 62, Memphis 55 (AAC title game)

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Conference breakdown:

• Mountain West: 19 (7 first team)
• American: 18 (8 first team).
• MAC: 17 (4 first team)
• Conference USA: 10 (3 first team)
• Sun Belt: 10 (2 first team)
• Independent: 1 (1 first team)

Week 11 Statistical Leaders

I know, I fell off the wagon and have not been up to date with the weekly stat leaders among the G5. I have found time to do so this week and passing was the name of the game. The fifth highest passing total was over 330 yards, making it the elite group to break into during week 11.

Passing:

1. Tyree Jackson, Buffalo: 23-37/406/3TD
2. Conner Manning, Georgia State: 26-40/368/2TD
3. Andrew Ford, UMass: 21-39/355/4TD
4. Cole Garvin, USA: 25-45/343/2TD
5. Mike White, WKU: 28-41/334/3TD

Rushing:

1. Malcolm Perry, Navy: 33/282/4TD
2. Alexander Mattison, Boise State: 23/242/3TD
3. Tavares Thomas, MTSU: 29/195/2TD
4. Jarvion Franklin, WMU: 22/191/1TD
5. Dontrell Hilliard, Tulane: 28/189/2TD

Receiving:

1. Anthony Johnson, Buffalo: 8/160/2TD
2. Korey Robertson, USM: 8/159/2TD
3. Andy Isabella, UMass: 8/152/3TD
4. Diontae Johnson, Toledo: 9/144/1TD
5. Courtland Sutton, SMU: 7/123/2TD

Tackles: 15+

1. Emmanuel Ellerbee, Rice: 17
2. Jaylin Minor, Cincinnati: 16
3. Houston Robert, Rice: 15
4. Joel Iyiegbuniwe, WKU: 15

TFL: 3.0+

1. Malik Reed, Nevada: 4.5
2. Roderic Teamer, Tulane: 4.0
3. Doug Costin, Miami: 3.0
4. Charles Harris, Buffalo: 3.0
5. Quentin Poling, Ohio: 3.0
6. Maxx Crosby, EMU: 3.0
7. Tobenna Okeke, Fresno State: 3.0
8. Easy Anyama, Texas State: 3.0

Interceptions:

1. Dameon Baber, Nevada: 3
2. Sean Bunting, CMU: 2
3. Marcus Jones, Troy: 2

Sacks: 2.0+

1. Roderic Teamer, Tulane: 4.0
2. Malik Reed, Nevada: 3.5
3. Doug Costin, Miami: 3.0
4. Quentin Poling, Ohio: 3.0
5. Maxx Crosby, EMU: 3.0
6. Tobenna Okeke, Fresno State: 3.0
7. Xavier Thigpen, USM: 2.0
8. Anthony Johnson, FIU: 2.0
9. Lakota Wills, Air Force: 2.0

Punting: 4+

1. Mac Loudermilk, UCF: 51.3 avg.
2. Blake Cusick, Fresno State: 49.8 avg.
3. Jake Julien, EMU: 48.0 avg.
4. Michael Carrizosa, SJSU: 48.0 avg.
5. Marcus Ripley, Texas State: 47.0 avg.

Kicking:

1. Brandon Wright, Georgia State: 4/4 FG, 3/3 XP, long of 48.
2. Parker Shaunfield, USM: 3/3 FG, 4/4 XP, long of 51.
3. Kaare Vedvik, Marshall: 3/3 FG, 3/3 XP, long of 44.
4. Nick Rice, ODU: 3/3 FG, 4/4 XP, long of 41.
5. Chandler Staton, Appalachian State: 2/2 FG, 3/3 XP, long of 53.

Offensive player of the week: Malcolm Perry, Navy.

Defensive player of the week: Malik Reed, Nevada.

Special Teams player of the week: Brandon Wright, Georgia State.

G5 Scoreboard (10/14/17)

American:

• #22 UCF 63, ECU 21 4th quarter
• South Florida 33, Cincinnati 3 4th quarter
• FIU 23, Tulane 10 Final
• Memphis 30, #25 Navy 27 Final
• Connecticut 28, Temple 24 Final
• Tulsa 45, Houston 17 Final

Conference USA:

• UAB 25, MTSU 23 Final 
• North Texas 29, UTSA 26 Final
• Southern Miss 24, UTEP 0 Final
• FIU 23, Tulane 10 Final
• Marshall 35, Old Dominion 3 Final
• WKU 45, Charlotte 14 Final

MAC:

• Akron at WMU: To be played on Sunday
• Army 28, EMU 27 Final
• Kent State 17, Miami 14 Final
• NIU 14, Buffalo 13 Final
• Ohio 48, BGSU 30 Final

Mountain West:

• New Mexico 0, Fresno State 0 1st quarter
• Nevada at Colorado State
• Boise State at #19 San Diego State
• San Jose State at Hawaii
• Air Force 34, UNLV 30 Final
• Wyoming 28, Utah State 23 Final

Sun Belt:

• Arkansas State 51, Coastal Carolina 17 4th quarter
• NMSU 35, Georgia Southern 27 Final
• Georgia State 47, ULM 37 Final
• Appalachian State 23, Idaho 20 Final
• South Alabama 19, Troy 8 Final

Independent:

• Army 28, EMU 27 Final

College Football Outpost's Guide To Week Seven

Can you believe that we are at this point in the season? We already have a team that is bowl eligible and many that could join San Diego State this weekend. Outside of the AAC and a few select teams in the MAC and Mountain West, it has not been the banner year everyone was hoping for months ago. Nevertheless, we are hitting Mid-October in stride with nearly every conference open for multiple teams to claim the crown.

Let’s take a look at this weekend’s games and the need to know information.

Five Week 7 Storylines:

• How does the Toledo offense look without Cody Thompson?
• Can North Texas defeat UTSA and take full control of the CUSA West?
• How early will Memphis/Navy hit the over of 71 at the Liberty Bowl?
• Boise State may be the final hurdle for #19 San Diego State?
• ULM is in "danger" of going 4-0 in Sun Belt play and only two games from bowl eligibility.

Biggest Line:

• East Carolina (-36) at UCF

Five Closest Lines:

• Navy At Memphis (-3.5)
• Utah State at Wyoming (-3)
• UTSA (-1.5) at North Texas
• Fresno State (-2) at New Mexico
• MTSU  (-5) at UAB

Biggest G5 Over P5 Favorite:

• None

Before I break into this week’s schedule, I am keeping my eye on Conference USA this week. CUSA has not been good as a whole for a majority of the season. WKU suddenly forgetting how to play offense, MTSU fighting key injuries, Old Dominion lacking a signal caller plus injuries, and Louisiana Tech not playing up to par are just a few of the serious problems this conference is facing at the moment.

That does not mean there is no good to be seen. North Texas and UTSA have seen their stocks rise, along with Southern Miss making year one of the Hopson era look more like an aberration than the norm. In the east, the renaissance of Marshall from 2016 doormat to contender, along with FAU looking somewhat formidable under Kiffin is something to watch.

That being said, the only team in CUSA that is looking like a legitimate top 10 ranked team at this is Marshall with North Texas getting a shot to impress voters this week.  

Mid-season CUSA title game prediction: Marshall vs. North Texas

Week Seven Schedule:

10/11:

• South Alabama 19, Troy 8 Final

10/12:

• Texas State at Louisiana, ESPNU

10/14:

Morning:

• EMU at Army, 11:00 AM, CBSSN
• Connecticut at Temple, 11:00 AM ESPN News

The Eagles are coming off of a close loss to Toledo, while Army beat yet another CUSA opponent in dominating fashion. If EMU can slow down the option attack of Army and actually attack downfield versus an Army side that can be beaten for big plays, we could be in store for a good game. If you do not have CBSSN, well I guess it could be a fun game to see how many times the Owls defense sacks Bryant Shirreffs on Saturday.

Early Afternoon:

• UNLV at Air Force, 1:00 PM
• Old Dominion at Marshall, 1:30 PM, ESPN3
• Akron at WMU, 2:30 PM, CBSSN
• Miami at Kent State, 2:30 PM, ESPN3
• NIU at Buffalo, 2:30 PM, ESPN3
• Ohio at BGSU, 2:30 PM, ESPN3
• Toledo at CMU, 2:30 PM, ESPN3
• #25 Navy at Memphis, 2:45 PM, ESPNU
• Houston at Tulsa, 3:00 PM, ESPN News
• Charlotte at WKU, 3:30 PM
• Wyoming at Utah State, 3:30 PM

Apparently, the MAC has decided it is better to just start every game at the same time in conference play. It is an interesting philosophy and allows the MAC to dominate a time slot with five of the eleven games starting from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM. However, the fact that Navy-Memphis is during that same slot will make it hard to give too much attention to the MAC. Expect a few points to be scored in that crucial AAC matchup of the Midshipmen and Tigers.

Late Afternoon:

• Georgia State at ULM, 4:00 PM, ESPN3
• Appalachian State at Idaho, 4:00 PM, ESPN3
• NMSU at Georgia Southern, 5:00 PM, ESPN3
• MTSU at UAB, 5:30 PM

The wasteland of G5 football is again in the late afternoon with none of the four games available without some sort of computerized device. ULM could be fun to watch as they have thrown caution to the wind and go for a shootout on a weekly basis. That has resulted in a team that scores 39.2 per game, gives up 37.0 per game, and is sitting at 3-0 in the Sun Belt with a chance to get their fourth win of the season versus a Georgia State team that only has wins over Charlotte and Coastal Carolina. Is Idaho ready to make a run at a second straight bowl appearance? They might want to get going if that is to be a reality.

Primetime:

• ECU at #22 UCF, 6:00 PM CBSSN
• UTSA at North Texas, 6:00 PM, ESPN3
• UTEP at Southern Miss, 6:00 PM
• Tulane at FIU, 6:00 PM
• Coastal Carolina at Arkansas State, 6:00 PM, ESPN3
• Cincinnati at #18 South Florida, 6:30 PM, ESPNU

I have my eyes on Denton, Texas and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I admit that I make it seem like I thought Southern Miss was a trash team and made the entire CUSA look back in beating UTSA last week. That was not my intention at all. I am just not sold on the Golden Eagles, but taking care of business in a game they should dominate would help some. I mean they do have one of my favorite players in college football in Ito Smith. Otherwise, North Texas can put a stranglehold on the west if they beat the visiting Roadrunners. Many interested parties in Birmingham and Hattiesburg will be following this game closely.

Late Night:

• New Mexico at Fresno State, 9:00 PM
• Nevada at Colorado State, 9:15 PM, ESPN2
• Boise State at #19 San Diego State, 9:30 PM, CBSSN
• San Jose State at Hawaii, 10:59 PM

You just spent an entire day of watching college football and now you are relaxing with an adult beverage as the kids go to bed. Now is the time to power through and find CBSSN one more time to watch the #19 San Diego State Aztecs take on perennial power Boise State in late night Mountain West action. Can you call it a rivalry if they have only played four times? Well, I will. This may be the last major hurdle for the Aztecs before a trip to the conference title game to possibly face Boise State once again.

G5 Scoreboard (10/7/17)

AAC:

• #25 UCF 51, Cincinnati 23 Final
• Houston 35, SMU 22 Final
• Navy 48, Air Force 45 Final
• Memphis 70, UConn 31 Final
• Temple 34, ECU 10 Final
• Tulane 62, Tulsa 28 Final

CUSA

• WKU 15, UTEP 14 Final
• Southern Miss 31, UTSA 29 Final
• MTSU 37, FIU 17 Final
• UAB 23, Louisiana Tech 22 Final
• FAU 58, Old Dominion 28 Final
• Marshall 14, Charlotte 3 Final
• Army 49, Rice 12 Final

Independent:

• Army 49, 12 Final

MAC:

• BGSU 37, Miami 29 Final
• Akron 31, Ball State 3 Final
• NIU 24, Kent State 3 Final
• WMU 71, Buffalo 68 Final/7OT
• CMU 26, Ohio 23 Final
• Toledo 20, EMU 15 Final

MW:

• Fresno State 27, SJSU 10 Final
• Nevada 35, Hawaii 21 Final
• #19 SDSU 41, UNLV 10 Final
• Navy 48, Air Force 45 Final
• Colorado State 24, Utah State 14 Final
• Boise State 24, BYU 7 Final

Sun Belt:

• ULM 45, Texas State 27 Final
• Appalachian State 45, NMSU 31 Final
• ULL 21, Idaho 16 Final
• Georgia State 27, Coastal Carolina 21 Final
• Arkansas State 43, Georgia Southern 25 Final 

College Football Outpost's Week Five In Review

Another wild week in college football saw UCF dominate, Northern Illinois give the Aztecs everything they could handle, and a group of Trojans take down mighty LSU. For many teams, this was the last non-conference game until a random late season game versus a P5 program. Don’t forget, Funbelt Wednesdays start tomorrow.

Three performances to remember:

• UCF: Another week and another dominant win for the Knights. This time, they hosted a good Memphis team and absolutely destroyed them 40-13. Scott Frost and company are on a roll and could be on track to a battle of the undefeated versus South Florida on Black Friday.    
• Troy: It was close but no cigar on other occasions versus LSU, but Neal Brown and company were victors in a game they dominated from the opening snap. We started to see Troy turn a corner last season and this season could see them finally earn a Sun Belt title for the first time since the Sun Belt ran through Troy.   
• North Texas: Playing at Southern Miss was a measuring stick game for the Mean Green and boy did they pass the test. They took punch after punch from the Golden Eagles but proved to be the better team in the fourth quarter in winning the second half 26-7 and the game 43-28. Mason Fine threw for 366 yards (211 to Jalen Guyton) while Jeffery Wilson scored three times in route to a 148-yard day.

MACTION game of the week:

• ULM 51, Coastal Carolina 43: What is it about the Louisiana Sun Belt teams and high-scoring games? This time, ULM and Coastal combined for 94 points, 37 first downs, 785 yards, and four lead changes. We had an 82-yard kickoff return TD, 86 yard touchdown pass, 56-yard touchdown run, and a defensive touchdown on the final play of the game. That’s definitely MACtion.

Three biggest disappointments:

• Memphis: For those expecting a battle between Tigers and Knights, all we got was a one-sided blowout. The beat up Memphis defense was no match in giving up over 600 yards while Riley Ferguson did his team no favors in throwing three picks. Four different trips inside UCF territory came back with no points, including two trips inside the 10.
• UTEP: We could talk about the Miners actually looking decent at times versus Army, but the administration failed the day. Head coach Sean Kugler resigned and Mike Price ?!!?!?! was named as interim head coach. How did the players find out? Via Twitter, of course. Come on man.
• Air Force: I was among the many that thought Air Force was a top three MWC team this year. Saturday’s contest changed my view as New Mexico broke the 500 yard plateau in route to scoring 42 points in a 56-38 win. This was a disappointing performance for the Falcons and they could be looking at 1-4 with an undefeated Navy team next on the schedule.  

Barely saved face:

• Houston 20, Temple 13
• Florida International 30, Charlotte 29
• Ohio 58, UMass 50
• ULM 51, Coastal Carolina 43

Five Worst G5 teams in the nation:

1. Charlotte
2. Coastal Carolina
3. Georgia Southern
4. UTEP
5. UConn

National stat leaders (only if leading alone, no ties):

• Tyler Hall, Wyoming: 44.0 kickoff return average.
• Frank Ginda, SJSU: 87 tackles, 14.5 per game.
• Anthony Winbush, Ball State: 7.5 sacks.

Current Conference Rankings: 

1. American
2. Mountain West
3. MAC
4. Conference USA
5. Sun Belt

Week Two Scoreboard:

• #18 South Florida 61, East Carolina 31
• Houston 20, Temple 13
• Navy 31, Tulsa 21
• SMU 49, UConn 28
• Marshall 38, Cincinnati 21
• UCF 40, Memphis 13
• Pitt 42, Rice 10
• Army 35, UTEP 21
• FIU 30, Charlotte 29
• FAU 38, MTSU 20
• Louisiana Tech 34, South Alabama 16
• North Texas 43, Southern Miss 28
• Utah State 40, BYU 24
• #22 Notre Dame 52, Miami 17
• Ohio 58, UMass 50
• #19 San Diego State 34, Northern Illinois 28
• Boston College 26, CMU 8
• Buffalo 27, Kent State 13
• Kentucky 24, EMU 20
• Akron 34, BGSU 23
• WMU 55, Ball State 3
• Wyoming 45, Texas State 10
• New Mexico 56, Air Force 38
• Fresno State 41, Nevada 21
• UNLV 41, SJSU 13
• Colorado State 51, Hawaii 21
• Troy 24, #25 LSU 21
• Arkansas 42, NMSU 24
• ULM 51, Coastal Carolina 43

Players of the week:

• Offense: Jordan Chunn, Troy: 30 carries for 191 yards and a touchdown in a 24-21 win over LSU.
• Defense: Tariq Thompson, San Diego State: 6 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 defensive touchdown in a 34-28 win over NIU.
• Special Teams: Tyler Hall, Wyoming: 1 kickoff return for a 95-yard touchdown in a 45-10 win over Texas State. He now leads the nation in kickoff return average at 44.0 per return.  

College Football Outpost's Guide To Week Five

Hey guys, we made it through another week and are rewarded with another weekend of football. This week has two quality matchups that even then blue bloods have to give attention. UCF and Memphis square off in Orlando, while San Diego State and Northern Illinois face off for a late night tilt in California.

Let’s take a look at this weekend’s games and the need to know information.

Five Upset Opportunities:

• Marshall at Cincinnati (-3.5)
• Memphis at UCF (-4)
• Central Michigan at Boston College (-7.5)
• Northern Illinois at San Diego State (-11)
• Navy (-8) at Tulsa

Biggest Line:

• UTEP (+23.5) at Army

Five Closest Lines:

• Marshall at Cincinnati (-3.5)
• MTSU at FAU (-3)
• BYU (-1.5) at Utah State
• Akron (-3) at Bowling Green
• Air Force (-2.5) at New Mexico

Biggest G5 Over P5 Favorite:

• None

Five Storylines to watch:

• Rashaad Penny versus the NIU defense.
• Everything UCF/Memphis
• Troy’s Defense versus LSU.
• Brent Stockstill’s health.
• The rush totals in Air Force/New Mexico.

Week Five Schedule:

9/29:

• BYU at Utah State, CBSSN, 7:00 PM

9/30:

Morning:

• USF at East Carolina, CBSSN, 11:00 AM
• Houston at Temple, ESPNU, 11:00 AM
• NMSU at Arkansas, SECN, 11:00 AM
• Rice at Pitt, ACCN, 11:00 AM
• Central Michigan at Boston College, AACN, 12:00 PM

Well, this isn’t the most ideal slate of games to start the day. South Florida and Houston should roll to easy conference wins, while New Mexico State and Rice should get pummeled. The Aggies could stay close to Arkansas, but they do not have the depth to go a full 60 minutes. The only interesting game of this bunch is CMU at BC with the Chippewas actually looking like a live underdog pick.

Afternoon:

• Ohio at UMass, 2:30 PM
• UTEP at Army, CBSSN, 2:30 PM
• Navy at Tulsa, ESPNU, 2:30 PM
• Buffalo at Kent State, ESPN3, 2:30 PM
• Texas State at Wyoming, 3:00 PM
• UConn at SMU, ESPN News, 3:00 PM
• EMU at Kentucky, SECN, 3:00 PM

Ok, today is not looking like a great day to watch quality games. By far, the Navy/Tulsa game has the potential to be the most watchable with Tulsa needing this win to avoid a 1-4 start to the season. Otherwise, we have some of the worst G5 teams in the nation playing during this window and an Eastern Michigan team that will have a tough time going to Lexington and getting a win.

Late Afternoon:

• Miami at Notre Dame, NBCSN, 4:00 PM
• Akron at BGSU, ESPN3, 5:00 PM

Let’s just pretend this section of the day never existed and move on.

Primetime:

• Troy at LSU, ESPNU, 6:00 PM
• Charlotte at FIU, 6:00 PM
• MTSU at FAU, 6:00 PM
• South Alabama at Louisiana Tech, ESPN3, 6:00 PM
• Marshall at Cincinnati, ESPN3, 6:00 PM
• North Texas at Southern Miss, 6:00 PM
• Ball State at WMU, ESPN3, 6:00 PM
• Coastal Carolina at ULM, ESPN3, 6:00 PM
• Air Force at New Mexico, CBSSN, 6:00 PM
• Memphis at UCF, ESPN2, 6:00 PM

Here is the golden portion of the night. In this window, we have Marshall/Cincy, UNT/USM, Air Force/New Mexico, and Memphis/UCF. Of these games, it is the AAC matchup that everyone will be watching. ESPN respected this game enough to give it the ESPN2 slot in the coveted 6 CST/7EST start time. I believe that Memphis is the better team as a whole, but few teams are playing as well as the Knights. The Ferguson/Miller combination will decide this game.

Late Night:

• Nevada at Fresno State, 9:00 PM
• Northern Illinois at San Diego State, CBSSN, 9:30 PM
• SJSU at UNLV, ESPNU, 9:30 PM
• Colorado State at Hawaii, 10:59 PM

Stay up late and watch some late night MWC. The Nevada/Fresno and SJSU/UNLV games are a bit of trash to keep on in the background if you do not have CBSSN. Luckily, I do and I will be watching the Aztecs host a MAC program for a 9:30 CST kickoff. That time is key as NIU is going to be playing much later in this game than any other game this season. It will alter their routine and take them out of their comfort zone. The test of a good team is adjusting to a situation like this and coming out on top. If they can manage the starting time, all they have to do is stop arguably the hottest running back in the nation in Rashaad Penny. It is not insurmountable, but that is asking a lot out of Northern Illinois.

How Has The G5 Done So Far In Non-Conference Play?

It hardly seems like we should already be at the quarter pole of the college football season, but here we sit. A majority of the G5 has played four games with some wild exceptions like Central Florida due to weather issues. We have been able to see multiple non-conference matchups, a few interesting conference games, and just about anything you can think of in between.

I would love to say that this is a banner year for the G5 and we are going to see multiple teams crash the gates of the Power Five party. Sadly, that is not the case. While the top of the G5 is strong, there are too many middling teams that have yet to show that spark that gets them national interest.

First, let’s look at the G5 versus P5 yearly battle and how the little guys have fared so far by conference. Also, a look at a few of the biggest G5 wins so far.

• AAC: 4-9 (.308)
• MAC: 4-14 (.222)
• MWC: 3-16 (.158)
• CUSA: 2-15 (.118)
• Sun Belt: 0-9 (.000)
• Independents: 0-2 (.000)
• Overall: 13-65 (.167)

Wins of Note: San Diego State over Stanford, NIU over Nebraska, MTSU over Syracuse, EMU over Rutgers, CMU over Kansas, UTSA over Baylor, San Diego State over Arizona State, Memphis over UCLA, UCF over Maryland.

Next, the non-conference G5 versus G5 matchups by conferences.

• AAC: 11-2 (.846)
• MWC: 4-3 (.571)
• CUSA: 8-9 (.471)
• MAC: 6-7 (.462)
• Sun Belt: 5-9 (.357)
• Independents: 1-5 (.167)
• Overall: 35-35 (.500)

Games of Note: Toledo over Tulsa, UNLV over Idaho, NMSU over New Mexico, New Mexico over Tulsa.

Finally, the dreaded G5 versus FCS matchups by conference.

• Independents: 1-0 (1.000)
• MAC: 10-1 (.909)
• CUSA: 9-1 (.900)
• AAC: 7-1 (.875)
• MWC: 9-2 (.818)
• Sun Belt: 7-3 (.700)            
• Overall: 42-8 (.840)

Losses of Note: Tennessee State over Georgia State, James Madison over East Carolina, New Hampshire over Georgia Southern, South Dakota over BGSU, Howard over UNLV.

What have we learned?

Clearly, the AAC is the best bet for upsetting the P5, tying for the most wins while doing so in five fewer games. That shows just how good the top of the ACC is this season. Conference USA gets the bad luck award in getting only two wins in 17 chances. Despite that ugly number, they had multiple chances to upset P5 programs (i.e. Louisiana Tech versus South Carolina).

Again, the AAC rules when it comes to G5/G5 games. The only losses they suffered came with Tulsa on the field versus New Mexico and Toledo. Both games came down to the final moments of the game. The MWC has played only seven games versus other G5 competition. It is not surprising due to a conference schedule that starts so early in the season. In contrast, multiple teams in the MAC have completed their non-conference slate with the MAC playing a G5-high 17 matchups of this caliber.

In what is becoming a less and less rare occurrence, every G5 conference has at least one blemish versus the FCS. The Sun Belt with Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, and Georgia State have the most losses to FCS competition, but the pair of losses by Charlotte (NC A&T) and Nevada (Idaho State) may be the worst. Just remember, the Idaho State team that dominated Nevada lost 51-13 to Utah State in the previous week.

Upcoming non-conference games:

September 29:

• BYU at Utah State

September 30

• Marshall at Cincinnati
• Rice at Pitt
• UTEP at Army
• South Alabama at Louisiana Tech
• CMU at Boston College
• Miami at Notre Dame
• Ohio at UMass
• EMU at Kentucky
• NIU at San Diego State
• Texas State at Wyoming
• NMSU at Arkansas
• Troy at LSU

October 6:

• Boise State at BYU

October 7:

• Army at Rice
• Air Force at Navy

October 14:

• Tulane at FIU
• EMU at Army

October 21:

• BYU at East Carolina
• Temple at Army
• Idaho at Missouri
• Georgia Southern at UMass

October 28:

• Austin Peay at UCF
• Missouri at UConn
• SJSU at BYU
• Appalachian State at UMass

November 4:

• Southern Miss at Tennessee
• WKU at Vanderbilt
• BYU at Fresno State
• Army at Air Force
• UMass at Mississippi State

November 10:

• BYU at UNLV

November 11:

• New Mexico at Texas A&M
• ULL at Ole Miss
• Duke at Army
• Maine at UMass

November 18:

• Navy at Notre Dame
• Boston College at UConn
• Army at North Texas
• UAB at Florida
• ULM at Auburn
• UMass at BYU

November 25:

• BYU at Hawaii 

December 2:

• UMass at FIU

December 9:

• Army vs. Navy

College Football Outpost's Week Four In Review

Week four was a bit of a kick in the teeth for the G5. With multiple chances to show the nation they were for real, teams like Appalachian State, Houston, Toledo, Boise State, and Louisiana Tech let games slip through their hands. On the other hand, UCF made the entire G5 nation proud with a dominant win over Big Ten foe Maryland.

One thing that stood out more than anything was the sheer number of one-score games. From Idaho/USA and Ohio/EMU going double OT to UMass getting a chance at the end to beat Tennessee, we saw so many games that could have gone either way.

Three best performances of week three:

• UCF: Maryland looked like the darlings of the Big Ten after two games and expected to have trouble but beat UCF. Instead, this was a beatdown of epic proportions with Scott Frost and company dominating the entire day. The Knights were especially dominant on defense in holding the Terrapins to 197 yards on the day while forcing two turnovers.   
• Miami: The RedHawks are one of the better 2-2 G5 teams in the nation. Instead of struggling to put a game CMU team away, they rolled early to a 28-14 lead and threw a second-half shutout. The only thing keeping them from a 4-0 record is special teams in week one and a terrible decision at the end of the Cincinnati game.   
• UTSA: Facing a game versus a “rival” and trying not to look a week ahead to Southern Miss, the Roadrunners proved they are very good in boat-racing Texas State. The offense will get most of the credit, but UTSA’s defense held the Bobcats under 200 yards and allowed only 1.2 yards per carry. That effort included 11 tackles for loss.  

MACTION game of the week:

• ULM 56, ULL 50 (2 OT): Heading into this game, the Ragin’ Cajuns defense had given up 53 points per game in route to a 1-2 record. No much changed as they gave up another 56 points to the Rival Warhawks in one of the wildest games one can imagine. Some stats from the game: 106 points, 59 first downs, 1,119 yards, and 0 turnovers.

Three biggest disappointments of week three:

• Boise State: A team with high hopes heading into the season, the Broncos are sitting at 2-2 after an embarrassing loss to Virginia. The defense played its worst game of the season and the offense struggled to put anything together on a consistent basis. We may have to accept that Boise State is average at best this season.
• Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane were hosting a New Mexico team using a quarterback well down the depth chart and should have cruised to a win. Instead, the Tulsa offense never got rolling and they lost 16-13 on a walk-off field goal. This drops Tulsa to 1-3 with Navy, an improved Tulane, and Houston coming up next. Winning at least two of these games may be mandatory if they want to go bowling this season.
• Charlotte: A week after losing to NC A&T, the 49ers were dominated by a Georgia State team that was 0-2 with an FCS loss of their own, This game was never really that close and saw them face a 4^th and goal at the 27-yard line at one point. Charlotte is now 0-4 and may officially be the worst team at the FBS level.

Barely saved face:

• Troy 22, Akron 17
• North Texas 46, UAB 43
• Memphis 44, SIU 31

Five Worst G5 teams in the nation:

• Charlotte
• Georgia Southern
• UTEP
• Coastal Carolina
• UConn

National stat leaders (only if leading alone, no ties):

• Anthony Winbush: 3 forced fumbles.
• Demetrius Monday, Kent State: 4 interceptions.
• Frank Ginda, SJSU: 73 tackles, 14.6 per game.
• Anthony Winbush, Ball State: 7.5 sacks.

Week Two Scoreboard:

• #21 South Florida 43, Temple 7
• Virginia 42, Boise State 23
• #10 Ohio State 54, UNLV 21
• #13 Virginia Tech 38, Old Dominion 0
• #14 Miami 52, Toledo 30
• #18 Washington State 45, Nevada 7
• #19 Louisville 42, Kent State 3
• #22 San Diego State 28, Air Force 24
• Texas Tech 27, Houston 24
• Tulane 21, Army 17
• Tennessee 17, UMass 13
• New Mexico 16, Tulsa 13
• Idaho 29, South Alabama 23 2OT
• Ohio 27, Eastern Michigan 20 2OT
• Central Florida 38, Maryland 10
• Indiana 52, Georgia Southern 17
• Wake Forest 20, Appalachian State 19
• South Carolina 17, Louisiana Tech 16
• Miami 31, Central Michigan 14
• Navy 42, Cincinnati 32
• ULM 56, ULL 50 2OT
• Troy 22, Akron 17
• Georgia State 28, Charlotte 0
• Western Illinois 52, Coastal Carolina 10
• North Texas 46, UAB 43
• Western Kentucky 33, Ball State 21
• Buffalo 34, FAU 31
• MTSU 24, BGSU 13
• SMU 44, Arkansas State 21
• Western Michigan 49, Wagner 14
• FIU 13, Rice 7
• Utah State 61, San Jose State 10
• UTSA 44, Texas State 14
• New Mexico State 41, UTEP 14
• Memphis 44, SIU 31
• Wyoming 28, Hawaii 21 OT

Players of the week:

• Offense: Davon Grayson, East Carolina: 11 catches for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 41-38 win over Connecticut.
• Defense:  Deatrick Nichols, South Florida: 3 tackles, 2 passes defended, 2 interceptions in a 43-7 win over Temple.
• Special Teams: Jason Sanders, New Mexico: 3-3 FG, 1/1 XP, including a 53-yard game winner as time expired in a 16-13 win over Tulsa.

College Football Outpost's G5 Top 10 Rankings (9/18/17): Post Week Three

Well, that was a productive week for the G5. Two national wins over top 25 opponents from the G5 and one of the best and wildest games of the season between Tulsa and Toledo highlighted this week. As it is early in the season, the rankings are all over the place from week to week as teams attempt to prove their worth to the nation.

1. South Florida (3-0): Hey Coach Strong. The Bulls finally looked like that team everyone expected heading into the year. Quinton Flowers was dominant, the defense looked solid to good and they easily took care of an Illinois team that easily dispatched WKU last week. The Bulls are back. Up Next: Temple.
2. San Diego State (3-0): There is no team in the G5 that has a better set of back to back wins than the Aztecs. Sure, Arizona State isn’t that good, but going on the road and winning that game followed by a home win over Stanford is damn impressive. Up Next: At Air Force.
3. Memphis (2-0): Pump the brakes a bit on the hype train for the Tigers. Sure, they beat UCLA and have arguably the most impressive wide receiver in the G5 at this moment (sorry, Richie James), but an undefeated season is a long stroll into the future. Just win the games you should and the nation will be paying attention to that September 30 matchup with UCF. Up Next: Southern Illinois.
4. Toledo (3-0): It’s slightly unfair to the Rockets to drop them from second to fourth after winning. Alas, Memphis and San Diego State are also undefeated and deserve the early praise. Don’t worry about the Rockets as they seriously have a chance to go undefeated and make an NY6 Bowl if they can make a statement and beat Miami on the road. Up Next: Miami.
5. Boise State (2-1): It was clear in the 28-14 win over New Mexico that the Broncos need a good Brett Rypien to get through the next month. They have Virginia, BYU, San Diego State, and Wyoming with only one bye week. That is a make or break portion of the schedule. Up Next: Virginia.
6. Houston (2-0): In case anyone forgot about the third team in the AAC, Houston is again among the elite. It was nice of Applewhite and company to call the horses off of a terrible Rice team when they could have put up 60 or more. If they can get by Texas Tech, we could see a battle of the unbeaten when Memphis comes to town in late October. Up Next: Texas Tech.
7. UTSA (2-0): The Roadrunners just keep moving up the list. They are now #7 and the highest ranked team in Conference USA. Their remaining schedule is not that great, save Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech, but UTSA could actually start seeing votes for the top 25 with a few more wins. Up Next: At Texas State.
8. Arkansas State (1-1): I did it. I made the jump and put the Red Wolves over the Mountaineers. I like the way they are playing and think the schedule sets them up for at least nine regular season wins. It would be nice to see them pick up a 12^th game after missing out on a chance to face Miami. Up Next: SMU.  
9. Appalachian State (2-1): I am starting to worry about the Mountaineers after watching them slip by Texas State by a single yard. The running game has been disappointing and Taylor Lamb must pick up his play. Saturday’s matchup is not easy as they host a Wake Forest team that is 3-0 for the second straight year. Up Next: Wake Forest.
10. Louisiana Tech (2-1): I want to like this team, but I am wary. They looked good for a while versus Mississippi State and then fell apart. They played an uneven game and beat a disappointing WKU squad. They haven’t played at all up to their ability. This week will show us just how close the Bulldogs are to the elite of the G5. Up Next: At South Carolina.

Others considered: Navy, Central Florida, WKU, MTSU, Army, CMU, EMU, Ohio, NIU, Troy, Air Force, Colorado State.

College Football Outpost's Week Three In Review

By redlegsfan21 - Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38042692

Welcome to the big time Memphis and San Diego State. The highly respected G5 programs hosted top 25 P5 programs and pulled out season-changing wins. Anthony Miller and Rashaad Penny made their names known to the nation in two of the most impressive individual performances of the young season.

Otherwise, we found out that WKU may not be that good, Appalachian State has some work to do, and East Carolina can turn a 17-7 lead into a 57-0 run by the other team.

Three best performances of week three:

• Memphis: The Tigers stood toe to toe with UCLA and beat the Bruins in a shootout. Memphis fought through adversity (some made on their own) and just kept demolishing the Pac-12 defense. Hopefully, everyone knows Anthony Miller’s name now.  
• South Florida: Now this is the Bulls squad that we were expecting this season. They absolutely crushed an Illinois squad that held WKU to 7 points last week. Flowers threw for 280 and rushed for 106 in route to leading an offense that put up 680 yards and 38 first downs.
• San Diego State: We can finally give the top spot in the MWC back to the Aztecs. Riding a dominant performance by Penny in the backfield, they pulled a second straight Pac-12 win in beating Stanford. Statistically, they dominated the Cardinal with a 99 yard lead in total offense, +3 in turnovers, 13 more first downs, and a 41:14 to 18:46 win in time of possession.

MACTION game of the week:

• Toledo 54, Tulsa 51: Of course the Golden Hurricane makes an appearance once again. This game featured 105 points, 58 first downs, 1,227 yards of offense, 24 penalties, a defensive PAT score, and Toledo coming back from a 28-7 deficit. Oh yeah, Logan Woodside passed for 458 and 6 TD with 9 catches, 178 yards, and 3 TD coming from Cody Thompson.

Three biggest disappointment of week three:

• Charlotte: It wasn’t as much the fact that they lost to an FCS program as much as being dominated for virtually the entire game. It was an embarrassing performance for a team that I thought could turn the corner a bit this season. Now, it’s about wondering when they will get their first win of the season.
• Nevada: When you lose to an FCS team, you make the list. The Wolfpack looked terrible and were beaten by an Idaho State team that lost to Utah State by 38 last week. Nevada is officially the worst team in the MWC by a long shot.
• Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers faithful had to think that things would fall into place versus a below average Louisiana Tech defense. Instead, they struggled to score the 22 points they put up and couldn’t get a first down to ice the game. That missed first down opportunity resulted in a game-winning drive by the Bulldogs and a possible shift of power in Conference USA.

Barely saved face:

• Marshall 21, Kent State 0 (much closer than final score)
• Ball State 28, Tennessee Tech 13
• Southern Miss 28, ULM 17

Five Worst G5 teams in the nation:

• East Carolina
• Charlotte
• Georgia Southern
• UTEP
• Nevada

National stat leaders (only if leading alone, no ties):

• Rashaad Penny, SDSU: 588 yards rushing.
• Darius Phillips, WMU: 43.6 yards per kickoff return.
• Frank Ginda, SJSU: 57 tackles.
• Anthony Winbush: 6.5 sacks.
• Anthony Winbush: 3 forced fumbles.

Week Two Scoreboard:

• #22 South Florida 47, Illinois 23
• Temple 29, UMass 21
• #2 Oklahoma 56, Tulane 14
• #16 Virginia Tech 64, East Carolina 17
• #20 TCU 56, SMU 36
• Memphis 48, #25 UCLA 45
• Virginia 38, UConn 18
• Toledo 54, Tulsa 51
• Houston 38, Rice 3
• Cincinnati 21, Miami 17
• Arizona 63, UTEP 16
• UAB 30, Coastal Carolina 23
• Iowa 31, North Texas 14
• Minnesota 34, MTSU 3
• North Carolina 53, Old Dominion 23
• North Carolina A&T 35, Charlotte 31
• FAU 45, Bethune-Cookman 0
• Marshall 21, Kent State 0
• UTSA 51, Southern 17
• Southern Miss 28, ULM 17
• Louisiana Tech 23, WKU 22
• Ohio State 38, Army 7
• Ohio 42, Kansas 30
• Iowa State 41, Akron 14
• Northern Illinois 21, Nebraska 17
• Ball State 28, Tennessee Tech 13
• Syracuse 41, CMU 17
• Buffalo 33, Colgate 10
• WMU 37, Idaho 28
• Northwestern 49, BGSU 7
• Boise State 28, New Mexico 14
• #1 Alabama 41, Colorado State 23
• #6 Washington 48, Fresno State 16
• #7 Michigan 29, Air Force 23
• San Diego State 20, #19 Stanford 17
• Wake Forest 46, Utah State 10
• Idaho State 30, Nevada 28
• Oregon 49, Wyoming 13
• Utah 54, SJSU 16
• #5 Penn State 56, Georgia State 0
• Texas A&M 45, Louisiana 21
• Appalachian State 30, Texas State 13
• Arkansas State 48, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3
• South Alabama 45, Alabama A&M 0
• Troy 27, NMSU 24

Players of the week:

• Offense: Rashaad Penny, San Diego State: 32 carries for 175 yards and 1 TD. 5 catches for 31 yards in win over Stanford.
• Defense: William Davis, FAU: 4 tackles, 4 sacks versus Bethune-Cookman.
• Special Teams: Jonathan Barnes, La. Tech: 3-3 FG, 2-2 XP. Game-winning 21-yards FG versus WKU.