Here are your Conference USA Power Rankings going into Week 8 of the college football season.
For reference, here is last week's rankings. I have listed each team's record, conference record, result, and last week's position in brackets.
Sound off in the comments or to @fearthewaveblog on Twitter.
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Week 8 Power Rankings:
14. Southern Mississippi (0-6 Record // 0-1 in Conference // Bye) [14th]
13. Florida International (1-5 Record // 1-1 in Conference // L to UAB) [13th]
Notes: Florida International didn't show a sign of life this week against UAB, another Conference USA bottom feeder this year. That dropped their in-conference record to 1-1, and they likely will continue to fall going into the tougher conference matchups.
12. UTEP (1-5 Record // 0-3 in Conference // L to Tulsa) [12th]
11. Florida Atlantic (2-5 Record // 1-4 in Conference // L against Marshall) [10th]
Notes: You have to hand it to Florida Atlantic. They have a drubbing next week when they head to #24 Auburn, and the early season has not been good to FAU. That said, they almost slipped by a much stronger Marshall team in a 24-23 loss this weekend. FAU is ahead of the bottom of the pack, but not by much. They have already dug themselves into a deep conference hole, and the squad is effectively eliminated from contending this year.
10. UAB (2-4 Record // 1-1 in Conference // W against FIU) [11th]
Notes: UAB picked up a Conference USA victory against Florida International, but that won't do enough to move the Dragons in front of the the middle of the conference pack. They will continue to lag toward the bottom unless the team picks up the pace in the late season.
9. UT San Antonio (2-4 Record // 1-1 in Conference // L against Rice) [9th]
8. Middle Tennessee State (3-4 Record // 1-2 in Conference // L against UNT) [5th]
Notes: In a week without a lot of movement, MTSU is the biggest stock dropping. They were slammed last weekend on a road trip to Denton, TX. A UNT team reeling from a Tulane loss took care of business. MTSU has not competed against any solid competition and continues to falter against the middle and bottom of the conference.
7. Louisiana Tech (2-4 Record // 1-1 in Conference // W against UTEP) [8th]
6. Tulsa (2-4 Record // 1-1 in Conference // Bye) [7th]
5. North Texas (3-3 Record // 1-1 in Conference // W against MTSU) [6th]
Notes: UNT came back from a loss to Tulane in the fourth quarter by taking care of business against MTSU. The bad news is that Rice and Tulane are both undefeated in conference, so the Mean Green cannot afford another loss.
4. East Carolina (4-2 Record // 1-1 in Conference // L against Tulane) [2nd]
Notes: ECU has churned out conference championship-level competition over the years, but a triple overtime thriller pushed the Pirates a game back in their division. Marshall is the key barrier for ECU to return to the conference title game. Fortunately, they will have a matchup with bottom dweller USM next week to recover from their New Orleans trip.
3. Rice (4-2 Record // 3-0 in Conference // W against UTSA) [3rd]
Notes: Rice is 3-0 and tied for the division of Tulane. Comparing their schedules, the final game of the regular season could very well determine the division champion when the Owls face off against the Green Wave. That game will be in Houston this season.
2. Tulane (5-2 Record // 3-0 in Conference // W against ECU) [4th]
Notes: Coach Curtis Johnson picked up his first signature win on Saturday when Tulane held on to win an enormous game in three overtimes. The game was the longest in Green Wave history, and it was highlighted by Lou Groza award-winner Cairo Santos' five field goals (including the game winner). Tulane heads into the bye week in the driver's seat for their division.
1. Marshall (4-2 Record // 2-0 in Conference // W against FAU) [1st]
Notes: The Thundering Herd retain their top spot after sneaking past a much weaker Florida Atlantic team. That said, they have taken care of business so far in the conference. More importantly, they have the strongest-looking game on the schedule, having taken ranked Virginia Tech to three overtimes before ultimately losing. Marshall has ability, and, thanks to Tulane, a one game lead over perennial power ECU.
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