AAC with three teams in the Top 25?

[Planter's Punch]

Toledo seems to have gone up only because so many teams in front of them have gone down, but there is still a large point difference in the AP and Coaches between Toledo and Memphis. I wonder if Toledo has a close game to a poor MAC team if UH would get a bump above them.

[photopony]

http://bigstory.ap.org/urn:publicid:ap. ... 63deb47e14

[The PonyGrad]

And notice that we still have to play 2 more plus Navy

[CalallenStang]

Why is toledo rocketing up?

Well, they are the Rockets

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Why is toledo rocketing up? Beating eastern mich? They blow

Power 5 is scared of The American, and since they control the poll they want to try their best to keep an American team out of the access bowl.

[PonyTime]

"But the American has held its own against the Power Five this season, going 7-11 with wins against Penn State, Miami and Louisville. The Mountain West, Mid-American Conference, Sun Belt and Conference USA are a combined 9-73 against the Power Five teams."

[Planter's Punch]

"But the American has held its own against the Power Five this season, going 7-11 with wins against Penn State, Miami and Louisville. The Mountain West, Mid-American Conference, Sun Belt and Conference USA are a combined 9-73 against the Power Five teams."

If we go by the Big Ten's P5 definition do we get to add Navy beating Air Force? What about AAC inter-conference wins/loses to Navy, Cinci, and UConn?

[East Coast Mustang]

I realize how absurd this sounds, but if Temple beats ND in two weeks, and the winner of Memphis/Temple runs the table, do they get considered for the fourth playoff spot? My gut still says no, but they'd each have what looks like now to be a bonafide quality win (Ole Miss or ND) and a win over the other. If there were a lot of one-loss teams at the top of the rankings I think there would be a lot of media outcry to let one of them in

[mrydel]

No way a G5 gets in the playoff

[Charleston Pony]

agreed; can't compare an unbeaten G5 team (strength of schedule wise) to a one loss team from a P5 conference and there should be at least 4 of those at season's end

[mrydel]

Hypothetically, had we run the table this year with our schedule and all else being as it now is, we would probably get to 5 or 6, but they would not allow us in. AAC just is not strong enough competition to compete with the P5s.

[Charleston Pony]

SMU actually played a schedule that could have resulted in consideration for a playoff spot, but so many things would have had to transpire. 1st, I think we would have to be coming off a season where we won the AAC and had an impressive bowl win (resulting in a top 25 ranking to start the season). 2nd, after beating both Baylor and TCU, those two would have to go unbeaten except for their head-to-head game. 3rd; we would need everyone else on our schedule to win all their games against P5 opponents (Memphis beating Ole Miss was helpful but Navy needed to beat Notre Dame and Temple would need to do the same); JMU would need to be undefeated and well into the FCS playoffs at the time the final 4 FBS teams are selected). Even with all of that happening, we would need the P5 conferences to beat each other up and for every conference champ to have at least 1-2 losses. Bottom line is that it may not impossible for a team from the G5 group to get in, but the odds are certainly stacked against it ever happening simply because of the SOS argument that will be hard to overcome. Even if we handled the best the Big XII had to offer, the critics would still say "but how would they have done playing an ACC or SEC or Big 10 or PAC 12 schedule?

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

I do love seeing the Top 25 crawl on ESPN with three American games.

[Fresno Mustang]

I realize how absurd this sounds, but if Temple beats ND in two weeks, and the winner of Memphis/Temple runs the table, do they get considered for the fourth playoff spot? My gut still says no, but they'd each have what looks like now to be a bonafide quality win (Ole Miss or ND) and a win over the other. If there were a lot of one-loss teams at the top of the rankings I think there would be a lot of media outcry to let one of them in

The ESPN "power hour" college show was talking about that exact scenario last night. Said they like what the American is doing but it wasn't likely, you're not the only one thinking like that if they're discussing it on the air

[Stallion]

especially with that impressive Memphis victory over SEC West leader Ole Miss. If Ole Miss with 2 losses wins the SEC Title and Memphis goes undefeated you would have an argument