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What a weekend at the Group of Five level! ‘Any Given Saturday’ was the mantra in many upsets over power-conference opponents in Week 5.
James Madison’s 70-50 win over North Carolina was the story of the weekend. JMU led 53-21 at halftime and continued to physically and psychologically dominate the Tar Heels in the second half. QB Alonza Barnett III scored seven total touchdowns (five passing, two rushing) and broke a Sun Belt record in the process. This upset was so bad that it has unequivocally altered the course of the Tar Heels under Mack Brown.
Interestingly enough for Group of Five teams, they’re learning even more about game magnitude in this new CFP format. We’re learning a lot about teams and how they can either handle stress and/or success. Take Northern Illinois, which suffered a huge loss against Buffalo one game after upsetting Notre Dame. Memphis, off its big win over Florida State, lost to Navy.
Yes, the Midshipmen not only upset Memphis, they looked dominant in doing so and are now 3-0 on the season. If both Navy and Army finish undefeated, which means that both would have to upset Notre Dame in the process, it could make for a unique an interesting last two weeks of the season for both squads. In that scenario, Army and Navy would play in the AAC Championship Game the week before playing in the Army-Navy game, which would not count towards the CFP or to the AAC standings.
Group of Five rankings remain important. Though these conferences get a significantly lower financial guarantee from the new 12-team CFP, they are on a more equitable field when it comes to…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/group-of-five-power-rankings-james-madison-vaults-into-top-three-after-historic-upset-of-north-carolina/
Author : Emory Hunt
Publish date : 2024-09-26 18:06:11
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