Conference USA Power Rankings Week 2: Scramble in the middle
The top three and bottom four teams in the second week of the C-USA bloggers’ power rankings remain the same, but there were some movers in the middle. Let’s get right to it!
| Team | Rank | Previous Rank | Record |
| 1 | 1 | 2-0 | |
| 2 | 2 | 1-1 | |
| 3 | 3 | 1-1 | |
| 4 | 5 | 1-1 | |
| 5 | 9 | 1-1 | |
| 6 | 4 | 1-1 | |
| 7 | 6 | 1-0 | |
| 8 | 7 | 1-1 | |
| 9 | 8 | 1-1 | |
| 10 | 10 | 1-1 | |
| 11 | 11 | 0-2 | |
| 12 | 12 | 0-2 | |
| 13 | 13 | 1-1 |
It goes without saying, the poor second half kept the Tops from moving up, and they actually didn’t receive a first place vote, but they stand firm at three, which honestly isn’t an awful spot.
Here is how Wave the Red Towel submitted, plus a short explanation as to why.
| Team | Rank | Previous Rank | Record | The Story So Far |
| 1 | 3 | 1-1 | The Roadrunners brought in the Arizona Wildcats, and nearly pulled off the upset in a back and forth ballgame. But, a key interception thrown by Tucker Carter with under 1:30 to play all but sealed the deal. Still, what an effort. | |
| 2 | 4 | 2-0 | Marshall defeated Rhode Island in the Rams’ first game of the season. It’s Rhode Island, but it was convincing. (48-7) | |
| 3 | 9 | 2-0 | Louisiana Tech trounced the Cajuns, which is always a great thing. | |
| 4 | 6 | 1-1 | UTEP found themselves in a close game with a Big 12 school as well, but a 16-point Red Raider second quarter would prove to be big as the Miners only scored in single digits each quarter and lost by four. | |
| 5 | 8 | 2-0 | Another instance where a team defeated their opponent exactly in the way they should have defeated them. Mean Green stomp SMU 43-6. | |
| 6 | 1 | 1-1 | They almost did it. Poor second half play rears it’s ugly head for the third season in a row, and two crucial Brandon Doughty fourth quarter turnovers sealed the Illini win. | |
| 7 | 5 | 1-1 | The Minnesota Gophers got out to a 28-0 halftime lead, but the Raiders didn’t quit, putting up 24 in the second half. | |
| 8 | 2 | 0-2 | You might think to yourself “wow, from #2 to #8? That’s an awful big drop.” Yes, it is. But, there were some impressive wins and valiant efforts, and while the Blazers took it to Mississippi State pretty well, they still fell short. It’ll be fun to play these guys come October. | |
| 9 | 7 | 0-2 | The Monarchs kept it close with NC State, and actually took an eight point lead into the locker room at half, but back-to-back Pack quarters of 14 points made the upset threat disappear. | |
| 10 | 10 | 0-1 | Rice didn’t win, nor lose. So no reason to reward or punish. | |
| 11 | N/A | 1-1 | The Golden Eagles won by six against Alcorn State. I’ll let that speak for itself. | |
| 12 | 13 | 1-1 | FIU won a game against an FCS team! | |
| 13 | 12 | 0-2 | The Panthers had almost no choice, and mother nature agreed, as lightning in Tuscaloosa shortened the 41-0 loss. |
How do you feel our rankings, or the rankings of the group were? Who would you move? Where and why? Let us know below or on twitter at @WaveTheRedTowel with the hashtag “#CUSARank.”