Weekly notes from the undercard.
Houston trashed Marshall Saturday, 63-28, arguably its best win to date en route to a 7-0 start that has the Cougars ranked in the top 20 of every major poll. Riding the record-breaking arm of quarterback Case Keenum, UH is leading the nation in passing offense, total offense and scoring offense, has scored at least 49 points in four consecutive games and is outscoring by an average margin of almost 26 points. Keenum now owns one major NCAA passing record and is closing in on a couple more. And yet, arguably more than any other team in the country, the jury remains out on its place in the national conversation.
Jeff Sagarin ranks Houston's schedule as the 117th-toughest in the nation, behind a handful of I-AA/FCS outfits like Gardner-Webb and South Dakota State.
Of the Cougars' first seven victims, one (UTEP, at 4-3) is currently sporting a winning record. Their next three opponents (Rice, UAB and Tulane) have combined to win five. By the time they hit season-ending dates against SMU and Tulsa in November, it's entirely possible they'll have ten wins to their name without a single .500 scalp among them. If they run the table to 13-0, including the Conference USA Championship Game in December, the most valuable win on their resum� will be against either SMU or Southern Miss, and the only one win will be over a team from a "Big Six" BCS conference: UCLA, which appears on the verge of firing its head coach. This team has "Hawaii 2007" written all over it.
Still, the cold reality of BCS arithmetic leaves the window at least cracked for the at-large BCS opportunity that Hawaii blew in spectacular fashion four years ago. At this point, we can be reasonably certain that three of the four at-large bids belong to Boise State (assuming the Broncos close out a manageable schedule as usual) and the second-best teams in the SEC and Big 12. We can be equally certain that there won't be an at-large bid for the ACC or Big East, or for Notre Dame. That leaves three options for slot no. 4: The runner-up in the Pac-12, the runner-up in the Big Ten and Houston.
There are a lot of 'ifs' in that scenario that break against the Cougars, beginning with the biggest: If they fail to run the table, the discussion is moot. But if the competition is between, say, a two-loss Oregon, a two-loss Wisconsin and an undefeated Houston, the latter may not be dismissed from that discussion so easily.
? THE CRIB SHEET. Elsewhere in mid-majordom?
? In Conference USA news, Southern Miss sits atop the East Division after a 27-3 rout of SMU. The Golden Eagles are now 6-1, bowl eligible for the 14th consecutive year, ranked No. 25 in the coaches poll and well on their way to their best record since winning 10 games in 1988. USM is the clear favorite to win the East Division, though it still has to play East Carolina, which is also 2-1 in conference play. Like Houston, though, all but one team remaining on the Golden Eagles' schedule ? UTEP ? has a losing record.
? The seventh annual Michigan MAC Football Championship (bet you didn't know there was such a thing) was won this weekend, shockingly, by Eastern Michigan, a 14-10 winner over Western Michigan over Western Michigan in Ypsilanti. The championship is a round-robin affair between the three MAC schools in Michigan ? Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Central Michigan ? . EMU will get to keep the championship's trophy for at least the next year.
? The fourth quarter woes for Utah State just won't go away. The Aggies led in the fourth quarter against Louisiana Tech, but allowed the Bulldogs to score 10 fourth quarter points and rally to a 24-17 win. It's the fifth game the Aggies have let slip away this season after leading in the fourth quarter.
? RUSH THE FIELD: Wins worthy of a bleacher-clearing celebration.
Western Kentucky is quickly becoming the hottest team in college football. OK, that's a bit of an overstatement, but the Hilltoppers have won three consecutive games, including last week's shocking upset of one-loss SBC frontrunner Louisiana-Lafayette, more than they won in their first two years as a I-A/FBS program combined.
"This is a great win for our guys, our University and our fans," said coach Wille Taggart. "I'm really proud of the way our entire team got themselves ready and took care of business."
The win was so thrilling that 15,000 fans on hand actually stormed the field ? possibly a first in Bowling Green, at least as a "major" program, and we have four minutes of video to prove it:
? GAME OF THE WEEK: UAB 26, Central Florida 24
In one of the more shocking upsets of the non-AQ season, UAB's Ty Long kicked a 40-yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining to give the Blazers their first win of the season over fast-fading UCF. The Knights actually got the ball past midfield with 14 seconds left, but UAB safety Chase Daniel intercepted a Blake Bortless pass at the goal line to seal the win.
What happened to Central Florida? The defending Conference USA champs have been in a tailspin, losing four of their last five games since a 2-0 start.
? YOUTUBE DEDICATION OF THE WEEK:
This week's YouTube dedication goes out to Tulsa's alternate helmets, which were definitely a fashion statement.
? PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Bobby Rainey, RB, Western Kentucky.
Rainey racked up 206 yards rushing ? 99 in the fourth quarter alone? and three touchdowns to lead the Hilltoppers' upset of Louisiana-Lafayette. Through seven games, he's topped 100 yards on the ground in every game but one and ranks third in the nation in rushing.
Honorable mention: East Carolina quarterback Dominique Davis set an NCAA record by completing his first 26 passes against in a 38-35 ECU win over Navy. ? Florida International linebacker Winston Fraser had a career-best 17 tackles in a loss to Arkansas State. ? Boise State linebacker Byron Hout had a career-best 18 tackles in the Broncos' win over Air Force. ? And Nevada running back Mike Ball rushed for a career-high 198 yards and a touchdown in a win against Fresno State. His runs of 35 and 41 yards were the longest by a Nevada player this season.
A SOMEWHAT ARBITRARY MID-MAJOR TOP 10
1. Boise State (7-0). The Broncos actually got a stiff test against Air Force's triple option, but survived to maintain their undefeated campaign.
2. Houston (7-0). Marshall talked a little smack heading into the game and Keenum and the Cougars made them pay with one of their most ruthlessly efficient games of the season.
3. Southern Miss (6-1). The Golden Eagles are off to their best start since 2000 season. After starting 6-1 that year, however, they went on to drop three of their next four.
4. TCU (4-2). Apparently the Horned Frogs put their bye week to good use as they destroyed New Mexico 69-0, their first shutout of the season.
5. BYU (6-2). The Cougars earned bowl eligibility by defeating Idaho State, their fifth consecutive win after a 1-2 start.
6. SMU (5-2). The Mustangs were crushed by Southern Miss, but remain the biggest threat to Houston in the West Division.
7. Arkansas State (5-2). The Red Wolves have quietly crept into the Sun Belt title picture, but still have a lot of tough competition remaining.
8. Louisiana-Lafayette (6-2). The Ragin' Cajuns perhaps got a little high with their surprising success over the first half of the season and overlooked Western Kentucky. They can still win the Sun Belt, but they'll have to regroup from a bad loss.
9. San Diego State (4-2). The Aztecs had the week off, but should have an easy time with Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado State before their showdown with Boise State.
10.Toledo (5-3). The Rockets are the only undefeated team in the MAC West, but Ball State, Eastern Michigan and NIU are all in the hunt.
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Honorable Mention: Temple (5-3), Eastern Michigan (5-2), Ohio (5-3), Bowling Green (4-4).
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Matt Hinton contributed to this post.
Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham.
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