Group of 5 Top 4: Week 3
RELATED ARTICLES: WEEK 3 RECAP, CFP TEAMS, GOPHERS UPDATE, W4 PREVIEW
A new #1 takes over in the Top 4, and for good reason. San Diego State has earned the top spot through the first three weeks, and have looked like a New Years bowl contender. Memphis pulled off the upset of the season so far against UCLA, while both USF and Toledo slid down despite wins. Plenty of shakeup, with more to come!
San Diego State has the best Pac 12 conference record right now, and will even after this week. The Aztecs defeated Arizona State and shocked Stanford in the last two weeks, which vaulted them up to the top ranking. Running back Rashaad Penny deserves more attention than he's getting as he's carried the offense for stretches of both of those games. Head coach Rocky Long is reloaded once again, and his team is now the favorite to win the conference.
Speaking of the Pac 12, they had a rough weekend. UCLA added to the loss column after being upset by Memphis. The Tigers flexed their offensive muscle, and their defense produced timely stops to complete the upset. Quarterback Riley Ferguson played as well as Bruins star Josh Rosen (maybe even better), and his weapons were open all day long. Receiver Anthony Miller added another monstrous day to his resume with nine catches for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
USF added its own Power 5 win by defeating Illinois, but another slow start limited their dominance. Still undefeated, the Bulls enter conference play this weekend when they host Temple. The Owls are struggling so far this season, but can't be overlooked. USF needs to figure out how to start faster in games, otherwise an undefeated season is out of the question.
Toledo found themselves down 28-7, but kicked things into gear to pull out the win on a late field goal. Quarterback Logan Woodside shook off an early interception, and appeared dialed in for the rest of the game. While the defense couldn't stop Tulsa's rushing attack, they made enough stops to give the offense a chance. They won't be so lucky this week, as travel to Miami to play the #14 Hurricanes. It should be a competitive game as long as the defense plays well, but that's no guarantee.
Boise State didn't let Week 2's meltdown cost them in Week 3, but it still wasn't pretty. The Broncos were without quarterback Brett Rypien, but found a way to beat New Mexico without him. Rypien is set to return this week after missing last week's game with an undisclosed injury. A big stretch of Virginia, at BYU, at San Diego State, and Wyoming awaits, and its time to giddy-up. Houston dominated Rice behind quarterback Kyle Allen's 31-for-33 passing performance, but also because of their defense. Excluding garbage time, the Cougars defense stifled the Owls offense, and it was the players you would expect leading the way. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver force another fumble, and linebacker Matthew Adams led the team with 11 tackles. Houston gears up for a big matchup against Texas Tech, and both the offense and defense will need to play their best games yet.
