Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
There are only a few more weeks remaining in this season and the races for divisional and conference championships are starting to become clearer. There are several close battles, which could go down to the wire.
Each week from here on out, we’re going to look at the races for each non-AQ conference and what each team needs to do to achieve their goals.
CONFERENCE USA
EAST
East Carolina (5-4, 4-1): The Pirates control their own destiny. If they win out, they will win Conference USA East for the second consecutive season.
Marshall (5-4, 3-2): The Thundering Herd lost a huge game against Central Florida to put themselves two games behind East Carolina since they already lost to the Pirates earlier this year.
Southern Miss (5-4, 3-2): The Golden Eagles still have games against Marshall and East Carolina, which could prove the difference in the standings. If they stay undefeated, they’ll win the East.
UCF (5-4, 3-2): The big win over Marshall put the Knights back in the hunt for the East title, but with losses to Southern Miss and East Carolina already this season, it will be an uphill battle.
UAB (5-4, 3-2): The Blazers are in the thick of the hunt for the C-USA East title, but need to win out and hope for a Marshall loss to make that a reality. The Blazers still have games against Memphis, East Carolina and UCF.
WEST
Houston (8-1, 4-1): The Cougars have been rolling since that UTEP loss and with a win over SMU, the closest challenger, the Cougars are in the driver’s seat.
SMU (5-4, 4-1): The Mustangs are off to their best conference start since 1986, but they’ll have to win out and hope for a Houston slip if they want to capture the C-USA West title.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
EAST
Temple (7-2, 5-0): The Owls have rattled off seven consecutive wins to lead the MAC East, but it has yet to play its two closest competitors in Ohio and Kent State. It wins out, it goes to the MAC Championship.
Ohio (6-3, 4-1): The Bobcats have struggled each of the last couple weeks, but could still win the MAC East if they win out. Those wins would include a game against Temple and if both teams finish with one loss, the Bobcats would own the tiebreaker.
WEST
Central Michigan (7-2, 5-0): The Chippewas have been in control of the MAC West from the get-go, but Northern Illinois is creeping. All CMU has to do is win out, but that includes beating NIU at the end of the year.
Northern Illinois (6-3, 4-1): Similar to CMU, NIU controls its own destiny with a game against the Chippewas at the end of the year. If NIU wins out, both it and CMU will have one loss and the Huskies will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
MOUNTAIN WEST
TCU (9-0, 5-0): The Horned Frogs would be the first to tell you that their primary goal is to win the Mountain West, which they haven’t done since 2005. That can be achieved by winning out, but Utah this weekend is the biggest remaining obstacle.
Utah (8-1, 5-0): The Utes are unbeaten in conference play and still have a chance to notch their second consecutive conference title. They need to beat TCU this weekend to make that happen.
BYU (7-2, 4-1): The Cougars aren’t out of the race yet, but with a loss to TCU, they need win out and get a Horned Frogs loss.
SUN BELT
Troy (7-2, 6-0): The Trojans have their fourth consecutive Sun Belt title all but sewn up. With one more conference victory the worst Troy could do is tie. It already has wins over Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe, the two closest teams in the standings.
WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Boise State (9-0, 4-0): The Broncos are poised to notch their seventh title in the past eight years, but they still have to face Nevada, a team that has been a thorn in the Broncos side for the past two seasons.
Nevada (6-3, 5-0): Despite a rough start, the Wolf Pack have surged in conference play and are in a position to win their first WAC title since 2005. It won’t be easy with games against Fresno State and Boise State remaining.
Fresno State (6-3, 5-1): The Bulldogs are a longshot for the conference title, but if they win out and Nevada defeats Boise State, the three teams could tie for the conference title.
There are only a few more weeks remaining in this season and the races for divisional and conference championships are starting to become clearer. There are several close battles, which could go down to the wire.
Each week from here on out, we’re going to look at the races for each non-AQ conference and what each team needs to do to achieve their goals.
CONFERENCE USA
EAST
East Carolina (5-4, 4-1): The Pirates control their own destiny. If they win out, they will win Conference USA East for the second consecutive season.
Marshall (5-4, 3-2): The Thundering Herd lost a huge game against Central Florida to put themselves two games behind East Carolina since they already lost to the Pirates earlier this year.
Southern Miss (5-4, 3-2): The Golden Eagles still have games against Marshall and East Carolina, which could prove the difference in the standings. If they stay undefeated, they’ll win the East.
UCF (5-4, 3-2): The big win over Marshall put the Knights back in the hunt for the East title, but with losses to Southern Miss and East Carolina already this season, it will be an uphill battle.
UAB (5-4, 3-2): The Blazers are in the thick of the hunt for the C-USA East title, but need to win out and hope for a Marshall loss to make that a reality. The Blazers still have games against Memphis, East Carolina and UCF.
WEST
Houston (8-1, 4-1): The Cougars have been rolling since that UTEP loss and with a win over SMU, the closest challenger, the Cougars are in the driver’s seat.
SMU (5-4, 4-1): The Mustangs are off to their best conference start since 1986, but they’ll have to win out and hope for a Houston slip if they want to capture the C-USA West title.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
EAST
Temple (7-2, 5-0): The Owls have rattled off seven consecutive wins to lead the MAC East, but it has yet to play its two closest competitors in Ohio and Kent State. It wins out, it goes to the MAC Championship.
Ohio (6-3, 4-1): The Bobcats have struggled each of the last couple weeks, but could still win the MAC East if they win out. Those wins would include a game against Temple and if both teams finish with one loss, the Bobcats would own the tiebreaker.
WEST
Central Michigan (7-2, 5-0): The Chippewas have been in control of the MAC West from the get-go, but Northern Illinois is creeping. All CMU has to do is win out, but that includes beating NIU at the end of the year.
Northern Illinois (6-3, 4-1): Similar to CMU, NIU controls its own destiny with a game against the Chippewas at the end of the year. If NIU wins out, both it and CMU will have one loss and the Huskies will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
MOUNTAIN WEST
TCU (9-0, 5-0): The Horned Frogs would be the first to tell you that their primary goal is to win the Mountain West, which they haven’t done since 2005. That can be achieved by winning out, but Utah this weekend is the biggest remaining obstacle.
Utah (8-1, 5-0): The Utes are unbeaten in conference play and still have a chance to notch their second consecutive conference title. They need to beat TCU this weekend to make that happen.
BYU (7-2, 4-1): The Cougars aren’t out of the race yet, but with a loss to TCU, they need win out and get a Horned Frogs loss.
SUN BELT
Troy (7-2, 6-0): The Trojans have their fourth consecutive Sun Belt title all but sewn up. With one more conference victory the worst Troy could do is tie. It already has wins over Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe, the two closest teams in the standings.
WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Boise State (9-0, 4-0): The Broncos are poised to notch their seventh title in the past eight years, but they still have to face Nevada, a team that has been a thorn in the Broncos side for the past two seasons.
Nevada (6-3, 5-0): Despite a rough start, the Wolf Pack have surged in conference play and are in a position to win their first WAC title since 2005. It won’t be easy with games against Fresno State and Boise State remaining.
Fresno State (6-3, 5-1): The Bulldogs are a longshot for the conference title, but if they win out and Nevada defeats Boise State, the three teams could tie for the conference title.
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TOP 25 SCOREBOARD
Thursday, 11/19
Final Colorado 28 12 Oklahoma State 31
Friday, 11/20
Saturday, 11/21
Final Florida International 3 1 Florida 62 Final Chattanooga 0 2 Alabama 45 Final Kansas 20 3 Texas 51 Final 4 TCU 45 Wyoming 10 Final 8 LSU 23 Mississippi 25 Final 10 Ohio State 21 Michigan 10 Final/2OT 11 Oregon 44 Arizona 41 Final Minnesota 0 13 Iowa 12 Final 14 Penn State 42 Michigan State 14 Final North Carolina State 10 15 Virginia Tech 38 Final 16 Wisconsin 31 Northwestern 33 Final 25 California 34 17 Stanford 28 Final 19 Oregon State 42 Washington State 10 Final Duke 16 20 Miami (FL) 34 Final San Diego State 7 21 Utah 38 Final Air Force 21 22 Brigham Young 38 Final Virginia 21 23 Clemson 34 Final Memphis 14 24 Houston 55 Final 25 Rutgers 13 Syracuse 31
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- vs MEM | Final
- S. Vereen California - RB
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- F. Barnes Bowling Green - WR
- 12 rec, 197 yds, 2 tds
- vs AKR | Final
