By Way of Comparison: The Rest of the G5 Field

Tulane (7-1): SP+ rank: 42 | FEI rank: 45 | Sagarin rank: 52 | Strength-of-schedule rank (per Sagarin/Sports Reference): 96/96

Liberty (8-0): SP+ rank: 46 | FEI rank: 48 | Sagarin rank: 63 | Strength-of-schedule rank (per Sagarin/Sports Reference): 128/115

Toledo (7-1): SP+ rank: 53 | FEI rank: 81 | Sagarin rank: 65 | Strength-of-schedule rank (per Sagarin/Sports Reference): 121/129

SMU (6-2): SP+ rank: 40 | FEI rank: 33 | Sagarin rank: 27 | Strength-of-schedule rank (per Sagarin/Sports Reference): 129/120

Troy (6-2): SP+ rank: 45 | FEI rank: 39 | Sagarin rank: 50 | Strength-of-schedule rank (per Sagarin/Sports Reference): 95/68

James Madison (8-0): SP+ rank: 39 | FEI rank: 40 | Sagarin rank: 51 | Strength-of-schedule rank (per Sagarin/Sports Reference): 89/91

What are the big takeaways here?

You might have thought Tulane would take a step back after their epic Cotton Bowl win in 2022, but other than a road loss to Ole Miss, the Green Wave are back in the AAC’s driver’s seat with a win against 6-2 Memphis already in hand. Like Fresno State, however, Tulane has had a penchant for close calls with one-score wins over the Tigers, 3-5 North Texas, and 4-4 Rice in the last three games. Relative to the Bulldogs and Falcons, the Green Wave probably have a modest leg-up in overall resume to date, but they may need to do some more convincing down the stretch to prove they deserve a chance at back-to-back New Year’s Six appearances.

The Liberty Flames and new head coach Jamey Chadwell have certainly made Conference USA more interesting this fall, but how will the committee measure their conference wins against 7-2 Jacksonville State and 6-3 New Mexico State? Neither the Gamecocks nor Aggies have beaten anyone with a winning record, so it may be that Liberty coasts to the CUSA title game and gets the 2014 Marshall treatment along the way.

After losing a heartbreaker in their season opener against Illinois, Toledo has done plenty to affirm the notion that they’re the class of the MAC. The Rockets just concluded a three-game road swing with a key victory over 7-2 Miami of Ohio, but their resume is otherwise light on significant wins and may remain so if the Illini and San Jose State can’t play their way to bowl eligibility. If they can get a rematch in the conference championship with either the Redhawks or the Ohio Bobcats, who are currently 6-3, that will also help.

SMU has blasted the dregs of the AAC over the past month, winning their last four games by an average of 38 points, but the cold reality is that the Mustangs probably needed to beat either Oklahoma or TCU to be a part of the initial conversation since they currently have zero wins against opponents with a winning record. Their best (and maybe their only) chance to play their way in is to run the table and hope they get to topple Tulane in the conference championship game.

Outside of a blowout road loss to Kansas State in non-conference play, the Troy Trojans have leaned on a potent defense to string together a five-game winning streak and get the inside track in the Sun Belt’s West division. While their home loss to James Madison in Week 3 stings in retrospect, they’ve defeated 6-2 Georgia State and 5-3 Texas State and could sneak their way into stronger consideration should someone above them in the pecking order stumble between now and December. Don’t sleep on this team.

And then there is JMU, a team that many people believe is getting completely hosed by NCAA rules. There’s no doubt that, in a perfect world, the Dukes would easily secure a spot in the initial rankings if they were ruled eligible, though it seems like we’ll have to settle for a potential scenario in which the program claims the national championship after running the table.

Know Thy Enemy: Week 10 Schedule For G5 Competitors

Buffalo (3-5, 3-1 MAC) vs. Toledo – Tuesday, 10/31, 4:30 PM PT/5:30 PM MT, ESPN2

South Alabama (4-4, 2-2 Sun Belt) vs. Troy – Thursday, 11/2, 4:30 PM PT/5:30 PM MT, ESPN2

Tulane at East Carolina (1-7, 0-4 AAC) – Saturday, 11/4, 12:30 PM PT/1:30 MT, ESPNU

James Madison at Georgia State (6-2, 3-2 Sun Belt) – Saturday, 11/4, 12:30 PM PT/1:30 MT, ESPN2

Louisiana Tech (3-6, 2-3 Conference USA) vs. Liberty – Saturday, 11/4, 3:00 PM PT/4:00 PM MT, CBS Sports Network

SMU at Rice (4-4, 2-2 AAC) – Saturday, 11/4, 4:30 PM PT/5:30 PM MT, ESPNU

So what do I think the first top 25 will look like? Read on.