BYU (6-2) and TCU (5-2), two former Mountain West Conference rivals, will meet tonight at Cowboy’s Stadium in Arlington, Texas (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET). TCU has won the last three games in the series by an average score of 33.67 to 5.67 and have allowed the Cougars to score only two touchdowns in their last three meetings.
TCU enters the game with the eighth-best scoring offense in the nation (43.57 ppg) after beating New Mexico 69-0 in its last outing. The 69 points is a school-record.
The Houston Cougars (7-0, 1-3) will be looking to match their best start in school history when they host crosstown rival Rice (2-5, 1-3) in the Bayou Bucket Series tonight (FSN, 8 p.m. ET). The Cougars last started 8-0 in 1990. Last season, Houston lost at Rice 34-31. The Cougars have won their last three home games against the Owls, while averaging 54.67 ppg.
Houston’s high-powered attack will pose a challenge for Rice. The Owls, who have lost four out of their last five games, have scored 30 or more points just once this season. Their defense is 115th in the nation in yards allowed (472.43 ypg).
In July, tonight’s Troy-Florida International game (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET) looked like it would serve as the de facto championship game for the Sun Belt Conference. Instead, the loser may leave Miami all but eliminated from the conference championship race. Both teams are among the four teams tied for fifth place with a 1-2 conference record.
Troy, who was won outright or shared the last five SBC titles, is 2-4 for the first time since 2006. The Trojans have lost consecutive SBC games for the second time since joining the conference in 2004 (2005 the other time).
Two schools that have not seen a lot of success recently on the gridiron are enjoying a renaissance of sorts this season. Eastern Michigan and Western Kentucky are in the thick of their conference races after being selected by most preseason prognosticators to finish last or near last.
After beating in state rival Western Michigan on Saturday, Eastern Michigan upped its record to 5-3. The Eagles are tied for second in the MAC West with a 3-1 record. The Eagles’ five wins are their most since finishing the 1995 season 6-5–their last winning season. Also to put this season in perspective, Eastern had won a total of five games in its previous three seasons. The Eagles went 0-12 in 2009–head coach Ron English’s first season. That was followed by a 2-10 campaign in 2010.
The top four teams continue to hold their ground in the weekly rankings. Boise State and Houston remain the top two teams, respectively, as both sport 7-0 records. BYU and Southern Mississippi maintain the third and fourth spots, respectively.
The biggest mover of the week is Toledo, who went from 10th to sixth after a win over Miami (Ohio). The newest addition to the rankings is Arkansas State, who remains undefeated in the Sun Belt Conference.
Temple dropped out of the rankings after a loss to Bowling Green.
This week’s rankings:
