The Good
#5 Wisconsin (6-0) - Wisconsin has slipped as low as #10 but since then has steadily climbed up to #5 for week 8. Common opponents include: 59-10 vs Utah State
#24 LSU (5-2) - LSU has been inconsistent--dominating at times and other times not. A 30 point loss to Mississippi State and 3 point loss to Troy are head-scratchers. But in the past 2 weeks they have beaten ranked Florida and Auburn to put themselves back in the top #25. Common opponents include: 7-37 loss to Mississippi State.
Above Average
Mississippi State (4-2) - This is probably bordering on the wrong category for the Bulldogs. They score nearly 32 points per game despite a 3-31 loss to #11 Georgia and 10-49 loss to #13 Auburn. They did dominate a #12 ranked LSU 37-7. The one ranked team left on their schedule is #1 Alabama. Common opponents include: 37-7 vs LSU, 11/4 vs UMass.
Utah (4-2) - Utah's fast 4-win start to the season has deliciously taken a hit the past 2 weeks losing games by a total of 4 points. With ranked Washington and Washington State as well as Washington-beating Arizona State in upcoming weeks their schedule may prove a bit tougher than the first half. Common opponents include: 54-16 vs San Jose State.
Boise State (4-2) - Despite not being the team they once were, the Broncos are averaging 29 points a game and only allowing 12 if you don't count 2 40-something point explosions by their opponents in losses @ #20 Washington State (44-47) and vs Virginia (23-42). They just knocked off #19 SDSU in a dominating 3-score victory. The heights they can climb may be limited by the remaining conference schedule in which only about half their opponents have winning records. Common opponents include: 10/28 @ Utah State, 11/25 @ Fresno State.
Fresno State (4-2) - Fresno State was not on my radar as a team to watch out for before the season began. But their 2 losses come to #1 Alabama (10-41) and #6 Washington (16-48). They have dominated their MWC competition with wins by 20, 17, and 38. Common opponents include: 27-10 @ San Jose State, 10/28 vs UNLV, 11/11 @ Hawaii, 11/25 vs Boise State.
Below Average
Utah State (3-4) - Very inconsistently averaging almost 51 points in their 3 wins and just over 14 in their 4 losses. Only 2 teams on their remaining schedule are .500 or better. Common opponents include: 10-59 @ #9 Wisconsin, 61-10 @ San Jose State, 10/21 @ UNLV, 10/28 vs Boise State, 11/18 vs Hawaii.
Hawaii (3-4) - 3 of their 4 losses come on the mainland including the only P5 team on the schedule, UCLA. Their 2 FBS wins are against teams who are a combined 1-13 (UMass and SJSU). Common opponents include: 38-35 @ UMass, 37-26 vs San Jose State, 11/4 @ UNLV, 11/11 vs Fresno State, 11/18 @ Utah State.
UNLV (2-4) - All but 2 of the Rebels' games have been blowouts. Only losses 40-43 to FCS Howard and 30-34 @ Air Force have been close. 2 blowout wins @ Idaho and vs SJSU are countered by blowout losses to #10 Ohio State and SDSU. Common opponents include: 41-13 vs San Jose State, 10/21 vs Utah State, 10/28 @ Fresno State, 11/4 vs Hawaii.
The Bad
East Carolina (1-6) - Blowouts are the word here with only 2 results being within 20 points (14-34 loss to FCS James Madison and their only win 41-38 against UConn). They have lost to some good teams in West Virginia and ranked Virginia Tech, USF, and UCF. Their best shot at a win is a struggling BYU or Cincinnati (2-5). No common opponents this season.
San Jose State (1-7) - Defense is the weakness for the Spartans, who have given up an average of 45.4 points per game in their 7 losses including a season high 61 allowed to Utah State. Their one win came against 0-6 FCS Cal Poly. Common opponents include: 16-54 @ Utah, 10-61 vs Utah State, 13-41 @ UNLV, 10-27 vs Fresno State, 26-37 @ Hawaii.
UMass (0-6) - While their record is bad, they have been in every game with their worst loss being by 10 points twice (28-38 @ Coastal Carolina and 7-17 vs Old Dominion). They lost their other 4 games by a total of 23 points including a 13-17 loss to Tennessee. Their best shot at a win is against 0-5 Georgia Southern this week or Nov 11 vs FCS Maine. Common opponents include: 35-38 vs Hawaii, Nov 4 @ Mississippi State.
Portland State (0-6) - Their closest loss was 32-35 against Oregon State. Their best shot at a win will be against fellow 0-6 team Cal Poly. No common opponents this season.Statistics: Posted by Fido — Sun Oct 15, 2017 4:28 pm
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