This week there was 3 games involving the AAC and the MAC. The AAC ended up going 3-0 in those games showing the country what they were made of in an attempt to position themselves for the G5 autobid.

Fantastic wins against amazing opponents. It sure makes you feel like the AAC is on the fast track to becoming the 6th power conference......

Memphis 44 Bowling Green 41
Temple 25 Massachusetts 22
Cincinnati 37 Miami 33

Meanwhile Toledo took care of business beating Iowa State at home. Northern Illinois played the defending national champion Ohio State within 7 points on the road. Ohio is 3-0 and is setting up for a showdown against Minnesota another 3-0 team next week.

The winner of the Toledo/NIU game is on pace to win the MAC so that will be another quality win there and setting up for a MAC title game against what could be another quality win against a 10 win Ohio squad.

Quote:Temple 25 Massachusetts 22
Cincinnati 37 Miami 33

These aren't something to brag about, given Temple's supposed to be having a breakout year & Cinci is supposed to as well. Both were supposed to be large-margin wins if MAC & AAC were equals. Heck, even if the MAC is/was a bit better overall.

Memphis over BGSU was Good, yes. That one was a "Ha!"

Looks like three touted AAC teams barely squeaked by some very mediocre MAC teams.

(09-20-2015 12:29 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  This week there was 3 games involving the AAC and the MAC. The AAC ended up going 3-0 in those games showing the country what they were made of in an attempt to position themselves for the G5 autobid.

Fantastic wins against amazing opponents. It sure makes you feel like the AAC is on the fast track to becoming the 6th power conference......

Memphis 44 Bowling Green 41
Temple 25 Massachusetts 22
Cincinnati 37 Miami 33

Meanwhile Toledo took care of business beating Iowa State at home. Northern Illinois played the defending national champion Ohio State within 7 points on the road. Ohio is 3-0 and is setting up for a showdown against Minnesota another 3-0 team next week.

The winner of the Toledo/NIU game is on pace to win the MAC so that will be another quality win there and setting up for a MAC title game against what could be another quality win against a 10 win Ohio squad.

Could not have said it better minus your sarcasm. But that's okay, people will learn that the AAC is thousands of miles ahead of those lesser conferences. It's not even in the same universe.

(09-20-2015 12:38 AM)toddjnsn Wrote:  These aren't something to brag about, ....

That's his point ... he's being sarcastic.

OTOH, it was three wins for the AAC, so as the season progress, whether or not the game was close will fade and they will mostly be another "+1" to the win column.

OKAY, makes more sense that it's kinda tongue-in-cheek.

It's kind of like the SEC saying "we're your boss" to the B1G if LSU beat Illinois by 4, Ole Miss beat Purdue by 3, and Alabama beat Michigan State in a shootout after being down by 10 at the half.

AAC 6-1 vs G5 teams 4-10 vs P5
CUSA 5-4 vs G5 teams 2-13 vs P5
MAC 5-5 vs G5 teams 3-13 vs P5
SBC 2-4 vs G5 teams 0-13 vs P5
MWC 0-4 vs G5 teams 2-16 vs P5

Minnesota lost to TCU earlier in the year, So they are 2-1.
I told you U. Mass. would be something to watch since they improved last year, and they could pull some wins this year.

Quote:I told you U. Mass. would be something to watch since they improved last year, and they could pull some wins this year.

I'm not convinced UMass is that great. They got Blown Out by Colorado, who lost to Hawaii (who has a nice D, but is not great), and hasn't ever been great for many years. UMass has played Colorado close before.

BUT, yeah, that's just one game. So is the game against Temple. I wouldn't be shocked if they're 5-7, but would Be Shocked if they hit 7-5.

I've decided to make a table of the true contenders for the G5 autobid.

To be in contention for the autobid, I'm only counting schools that meet ALL the following criteria.

1. Have at least 2 overall wins. Teams that started 1-2 aren't necessarily out of it but aren't at the forefront at this time.

2. Have at least 1 win against a P5 opponent. Schools that do not have a P5 aren't serious players in the discussion.

OR

2b. Had or will be having a ranked opponent on the schedule.

Boise State picked up the autobid last year with a P5 win (Virginia) and a loss to a ranked P5 team (Ole Miss). Marshall has a better record but played no P5 schools and that was the difference in the eyes of the committee.

American Athletic
Temple 3-0 (W 27-10 Penn State, 10/31 vs. #8 Notre Dame)
Memphis 3-0 (W 55-23 Kansas, 10/17 vs. #15 Mississippi)
Navy 2-0 (10/10 @ #8 Notre Dame)
Connecticut 2-1 (L 9-6 #22 Missouri)
Cincinnati 2-1 (10/16 @ #19 Brigham Young)

Mid American
Toledo 2-0 (W 16-12 #18 Arkansas, W 30-23 Iowa State)
Northern Illinois 2-1 (L 20-13 #1 Ohio State)
Ball State 2-1 (L 52-23 @ #16 TAMU, 9/26 @ #19 Northwestern)

Conference USA
Western Kentucky 2-1 (W 14-12 @ Vanderbilt, 10/24 @ #13 Louisiana State)
Middle Tennessee 2-1 (L 37-10 #2 Alabama)
Rice 2-1 (9/26 @ #5 Baylor)

Mountain West
Boise State 2-1 (W 16-13 Washington)
Hawaii 2-1 (L 38-0 #1 Ohio State, 9/26 @ #24 Wisconsin)
Air Force 2-1 (L 35-21 #4 Michigan State)

Sun Belt
Georgia Southern 2-1 (11/21 @ #7 Georiga)

All G5 conference leaders are playing roughly the same level of schedule, except the Sun Belt. To create a with a list of who is most likely for the autobid then I would start with the non-conference performance and work down from there.

1.Toledo 2-0 (W 16-12 #18 Arkansas, W 30-23 Iowa State)
2.Temple 3-0 (W 27-10 Penn State, 10/31 vs. #8 Notre Dame)
3.Western Kentucky 2-1 (W 14-12 @ Vanderbilt, 10/24 @ #13 Louisiana State)
4.Memphis 3-0 (W 55-23 Kansas, 10/17 vs. #15 Mississippi)
5.Northern Illinois 2-1 (L 20-13 #1 Ohio State)

Toledo has the best body of non-conference work. I will give Temple, WKU and MTSU some credit because they have P5 wins and will face a ranked team in the future. Beyond that there is NIU which only lost by 7 to the #1 team in the country.

Boise State plays no ranked teams in the future putting them at a huge disadvantage in the autobid conversation.

Temple and Memphis have non-conference opportunities but don't have the tradition of finishing with double digit wins. The same applies for Western Kentucky.

Northern Illinois has Boston College coming up and could drop that game, finish 10-2 and win the MAC Championship and be in a very similar position as Boise State was last year, IMO.

(09-20-2015 01:06 AM)stever20 Wrote:  AAC 6-1 vs G5 teams 4-10 vs P5
CUSA 5-4 vs G5 teams 2-13 vs P5
MAC 5-5 vs G5 teams 3-13 vs P5
SBC 2-4 vs G5 teams 0-13 vs P5
MWC 0-4 vs G5 teams 2-16 vs P5

The MWC is having a horrible year. Boise has no ranked schools remaining on the schedule.

The SBC is showing better than the MWC here but they have no P5 wins and only Georiga Southern has an upcoming ranked team on the schedule.

CUSA & MAC are interchangeable but the MAC has Toledo with the resume and NIU with the tradition and a close loss to the #1 team.

The AAC I will say might have a slight edge overall in strength this year. Will it be enough for a 3 loss AAC team to pass a 2 loss Toledo or NIU for the autobid I doubt it.

What its really down to is Toledo/NIU a more reliable tandem for chasing an autobid than Temple/Memphis? The W/L records in the last 5-10 years lean toward Toledo/NIU.

the difference though is the AAC has way more than just Temple and Memphis. Got Navy and Houston as well. odds real good west champ is going to have only 1-2 losses. East champ might be Temple or Cincy.

(09-20-2015 12:40 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  Looks like three touted AAC teams barely squeaked by some very mediocre MAC teams.

AAC teams were rated far higher in the Sagarins.

31 Memphis
69 Bowling Green

51 Temple
158 Massachusetts

63 Cincinnati
163 Miami-Ohio

Every school in the MAC out preformed its Sagarin prediction this week. All except Eastern Michigan who was -4 hosting Ball State but lost by 11.

(09-20-2015 02:06 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  I've decided to make a table of the true contenders for the G5 autobid.

To be in contention for the autobid, I'm only counting schools that meet ALL the following criteria.

1. Have at least 2 overall wins. Teams that started 1-2 aren't necessarily out of it but aren't at the forefront at this time.

2. Have at least 1 win against a P5 opponent. Schools that do not have a P5 aren't serious players in the discussion.

OR

2b. Had or will be having a ranked opponent on the schedule.

Boise State picked up the autobid last year with a P5 win (Virginia) and a loss to a ranked P5 team (Ole Miss). Marshall has a better record but played no P5 schools and that was the difference in the eyes of the committee.

American Athletic
Temple 3-0 (W 27-10 Penn State, 10/31 vs. #8 Notre Dame)
Memphis 3-0 (W 55-23 Kansas, 10/17 vs. #15 Mississippi)
Navy 2-0 (10/10 @ #8 Notre Dame)
Connecticut 2-1 (L 9-6 #22 Missouri)
Cincinnati 2-1 (10/16 @ #19 Brigham Young)

Mid American
Toledo 2-0 (W 16-12 #18 Arkansas, W 30-23 Iowa State)
Northern Illinois 2-1 (L 20-13 #1 Ohio State)
Ball State 2-1 (L 52-23 @ #16 TAMU, 9/26 @ #19 Northwestern)

Conference USA
Western Kentucky 2-1 (W 14-12 @ Vanderbilt, 10/24 @ #13 Louisiana State)
Middle Tennessee 2-1 (L 37-10 #2 Alabama)
Rice 2-1 (9/26 @ #5 Baylor)

Mountain West
Boise State 2-1 (W 16-13 Washington)
Hawaii 2-1 (L 38-0 #1 Ohio State, 9/26 @ #24 Wisconsin)
Air Force 2-1 (L 35-21 #4 Michigan State)

Sun Belt
Georgia Southern 2-1 (11/21 @ #7 Georiga)

All G5 conference leaders are playing roughly the same level of schedule, except the Sun Belt. To create a with a list of who is most likely for the autobid then I would start with the non-conference performance and work down from there.

1.Toledo 2-0 (W 16-12 #18 Arkansas, W 30-23 Iowa State)
2.Temple 3-0 (W 27-10 Penn State, 10/31 vs. #8 Notre Dame)
3.Western Kentucky 2-1 (W 14-12 @ Vanderbilt, 10/24 @ #13 Louisiana State)
4.Memphis 3-0 (W 55-23 Kansas, 10/17 vs. #15 Mississippi)
5.Northern Illinois 2-1 (L 20-13 #1 Ohio State)

Toledo has the best body of non-conference work. I will give Temple, WKU and MTSU some credit because they have P5 wins and will face a ranked team in the future. Beyond that there is NIU which only lost by 7 to the #1 team in the country.

Boise State plays no ranked teams in the future putting them at a huge disadvantage in the autobid conversation.

Temple and Memphis have non-conference opportunities but don't have the tradition of finishing with double digit wins. The same applies for Western Kentucky.

Northern Illinois has Boston College coming up and could drop that game, finish 10-2 and win the MAC Championship and be in a very similar position as Boise State was last year, IMO.

Houston also fits your criteria, meaning half the AAC is in contention. That SOS just might give the AAC champ the inside track down the road.

Yep I missed Houston somehow.

They don't have a future ranked team on the schedule so like Boise State this season they appear to be SOL.

(09-20-2015 02:19 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(09-20-2015 01:06 AM)stever20 Wrote:  AAC 6-1 vs G5 teams 4-10 vs P5
CUSA 5-4 vs G5 teams 2-13 vs P5
MAC 5-5 vs G5 teams 3-13 vs P5
SBC 2-4 vs G5 teams 0-13 vs P5
MWC 0-4 vs G5 teams 2-16 vs P5

The MWC is having a horrible year. Boise has no ranked schools remaining on the schedule.

The SBC is showing better than the MWC here but they have no P5 wins and only Georiga Southern has an upcoming ranked team on the schedule.

CUSA & MAC are interchangeable but the MAC has Toledo with the resume and NIU with the tradition and a close loss to the #1 team.

The AAC I will say might have a slight edge overall in strength this year. Will it be enough for a 3 loss AAC team to pass a 2 loss Toledo or NIU for the autobid I doubt it.

What its really down to is Toledo/NIU a more reliable tandem for chasing an autobid than Temple/Memphis? The W/L records in the last 5-10 years lean toward Toledo/NIU.

Boise State could be challenged by Air Force, Colorado State, Utah State for the east champs and Hawaii and Nevada could win the west to challenged the west.

Colorado State 1-2, but so close to be 3-0 on the season.

Utah State lost to both Washington and Utah close. So, I am not discounted the MWC are having a down year. Just so many close games against P5 opponents. They are actually better than the Sun Belt on stats. You do not have a team in the MWC that loses to a P5 team like Georgia State losing to Oregon 61-21. The horrible loses to P5 schools belong to the Sun Belt, Idaho, Georgia State or New Mexico State.

Wow. I know I'm impressed. BTW, I make the AAC 3-10 vs Power 5 while MWC is 2-16. The gap continues to widen.

Three teams from the American went on the road to beat MAC teams.

(09-20-2015 12:29 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  This week there was 3 games involving the AAC and the MAC. The AAC ended up going 3-0 in those games showing the country what they were made of in an attempt to position themselves for the G5 autobid.

Fantastic wins against amazing opponents. It sure makes you feel like the AAC is on the fast track to becoming the 6th power conference......

Memphis 44 Bowling Green 41
Temple 25 Massachusetts 22
Cincinnati 37 Miami 33

Don't kid yourself. If it comes down to Toledo vs the American champ for the G5 bid, the committee will look at the fact the American went 3-0 against the MAC, all three games in MAC stadiums.

The American has lost 12 games this year. 10 of those are against P5 schools. Eight of those were on the road. Six of those teams were ranked.

No other conference is even close.

The American West division in particular is head and shoulders better than any G5 division.

Memphis, Navy and Houston are undefeated.

SMU gave Baylor and TCU fits. Tulsa already has two wins and gave OU fits.

The division is 11-5 to start the year and is favored to go 4-0 this week. Tulane appears to be the only easy out.

(09-20-2015 02:39 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  Yep I missed Houston somehow.

They don't have a future ranked team on the schedule so like Boise State this season they appear to be SOL.

True, but it's possible Memphis (or another AAC opponent) might be ranked by the time they play Houston. Most of Houston's games against the top of the AAC occur later in the season---so there is time for an AAC school to work its way into the top 25.