My Power Rankings after Week 5 of the college football season.
Southland Conference
Nicholls
Southeastern La.
McNeese
Northwestern State
Analysis: This conference is near where the pundits predicted during the preseason. UIW and Nicholls remain the favorites to win the title and an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. Lamar continues to improve under Peter Rossomando and will present a challenge to each opponent. McNeese has won three in a row and will be a dangerous team if they get out of its way and stop committing unnecessary penalties. There’s no doubt that SFA is a better team than last year, but it needs to play consistently at a high level, which has been an issue at times early in the season. HCU might not compete for the conference title, but they won’t be an easy opponent to defeat.
Meanwhile, the Lions are improved and should be competitive in most SLC contests. Blaine McCorkle understood the long road facing NSU when he accepted the head coaching position, and the early season results have showcased their deficiencies at times. As far down as the Demons program was last year, McCorkle should be given plenty of time and patience before expecting on-field results.
Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division
Grambling
Alcorn State
Southern
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Analysis: This division will remain anyone’s for the taking this year, as evidenced by PVAMU beating Grambling in a five-overtime thriller at the State Fair Classic on Saturday. Alcorn and Southern will be in the mix to win the West, while UAPB will struggle. Texas Southern is a team that could find itself a threat in the division, which is a testament to the job Cris Dishman has done this year. PVAMU has the talent to compete for the title but must prevent mistakes in critical situations.
United Athletic Conference
Central Arkansas
Southern Utah
Eastern Kentucky
North Alabama
Austin Peay
West Georgia
Utah Tech
Analysis: There isn’t much that separates the top four to five teams in this conference, which could be to their detriment come playoff time. The difficulty of the conference could make it a one-bid league in the playoffs, which seems unfair. Whoever makes the playoffs this season must win a few games to gain enough national respect for the conference and earn two bids in the future.
Lone Star Conference
Central Washington
Eastern New Mexico
Western Oregon
Western New Mexico
Analysis: As a whole, the LSC isn’t as strong this season. Outside of CWU, there isn’t another team that would be considered a slam dunk to be in the top eight of the regional rankings. The LSC has struggled against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference this year, and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference has at least three or four teams that will likely be in the regional rankings at the end of the season. Simply put, the LSC might be a one-bid league this year, and that one team might not be located in Texas.
American Southwest Conference
Analysis: The Cowboys won't have an easy time defending the ASC title. UMHB and ETBU are improved from last season and will challenge for the automatic bid to the playoffs. HPU’s offense isn’t operating as efficiently as it has the previous three years and is leaving the defense on the field too long.
Southern Athletic Association
Berry
Hendrix
Centre
Millsaps
Rhodes
Sewanee
Analysis: Trinity has rebounded well from its shocking season-opening loss to Texas Lutheran, but the Tigers aren’t the juggernaut we became accustomed to in the last two years. The Pirates have been better than anticipated under Bill Kriesel this season and could surprise a few people.
Southern Collegiate Athletic Association
Centenary (La.)
Lyon
Analysis: The War Hawks will likely win the conference if they defeat TLU on the road at the end of October. However, this McMurry program is still adjusting to lofty preseason expectations and must realize they will receive every team’s best each week of the season. The ‘Roos continue to improve in Tony Joe White’s second season.
Sooner Athletic Conference
Ottawa (Ariz.)
Oklahoma Panhandle State
Louisiana Christian
Langston
Arkansas Baptist
Analysis: TxWes appears to be a level above the other teams in the conference, but we’ve said that for the last two years. The Rams still have work to make the program’s first NAIA playoff appearance. Jared Hudgins has the team formerly known as SAGU playing well, and the Lions could challenge for third in the SAC. WBU and Texas College are two teams that have improved the most in Texas non-FBS this season, as mentioned in the live blog this week.
Southwestern Junior College Football Conference
New Mexico Military Institute
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
Analysis: These could look completely different after next week. The Wranglers have proven to be a threat with wins over TVCC at home and on the road against Kilgore, while the Rangers missed some opportunities to close out Cisco on Saturday. Blinn probably feels disrespected after their wild comeback against Navarro. Still, the Buccaneers will rise if they defeat a TVCC team on the road who has had a bye week after consecutive road losses.
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