Wazzu's Poll Snub and Marshall's Meltdown

Mark Reynolds

Welcome to The Dynasty Report. We're at the midpoint of the 2027 College Football 27 season, and our three programs are in three very different places. Let's start at the top. Jack Fletcher's Washington State Cougars are six and one, four and oh in the Pac 12, and they are not ranked. Not in the Top 25. Emily, that has to bother you.

Emily Carter

It more than bothers me, Mark, it's ridiculous. Look at the Top 10. Memphis is five and oh and it's number 10. Wazzu is six and one, leading the conference, and it can't even get a number next to its name. Voters are punishing the Cougars for not being a brand name.

Mark Reynolds

I'll push on that. Six and one means they lost a game. The Cougars have scored 192 and allowed 121. That's plus 71, which is good, but allowing 121 points in seven games is about 17 a night. Is that a dominant team, or a very good team with a soft résumé?

Emily Carter

Plus 71 is not a soft résumé. And they're ahead of Colorado State, Utah State, and Boise State in the standings. They've won three straight. What more do you want from them?

David Mitchell

I think Mark has a point, Emily, but it's an argument for patience, not for ignoring them. Washington State is in first place in its league with no conference losses. Voters usually crack when a team keeps winning. The problem is the Cougars don't have a signature win that forces the issue.

Emily Carter

Then give them the chance. Win the Pac 12 and tell me they're not ranked.

Mark Reynolds

That I'll agree with. Our report card gives them an A, and they're our power rankings leader by a mile.

James Wilson

Now, Delaware. Jackson Harrison's Blue Hens are two and three, but one and one in Conference USA, second place behind Western Kentucky at two and oh. And here's what's funny. They've scored 69 and allowed 62. That's a plus 7 point differential on a losing record.

David Mitchell

Which tells you the defense is keeping this team alive. And it tells you the offense is the whole story, because Riley Trujillo has 941 passing yards, four touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 42 percent completion rate. Forty two. That's not a quarterback struggling, that's a quarterback who's lost the thread.

James Wilson

Careful, David. He does move the ball downfield at times. Nine hundred and forty one yards is not nothing. The question is whether you bench him in a conference race that's wide open. Delaware is one game behind Western Kentucky.

David Mitchell

That's exactly why I'd want a change. The race is open now. Keep throwing it to the wrong colored jerseys and it won't be open for long. Seven picks against four touchdowns is giving games away.

James Wilson

But you're asking Harrison to change his quarterback without telling me who replaces him. Is there a better option in the sources? I can't see one.

David Mitchell

Fair. I can't name one either. So I'd change the scheme. Shorter throws, easier completions, build his confidence. A 42 percent rate says the offense is asking too much of him.

James Wilson

I can live with that. Simplify, don't sack him. Give him a C for now, because the defense and the standings are doing the heavy lifting.

Mark Reynolds

Then there's Marshall, and I don't enjoy this segment. Ron Cherry's Thundering Herd are oh and five, oh and two in the Sun Belt, seventh place in the Sun Belt East. Our grade is an F, and I'm not sure anyone's arguing.

Emily Carter

I will, a little. Look at the results. Alabama, number four, 35 to 7, fine, that one's ugly. But Ohio, 17 to 10. Georgia State, 14 to 13. Old Dominion, ranked 25th, 20 to 14. Three losses by seven points or fewer. That's a team that's close.

Mark Reynolds

Close doesn't count, Emily. A one point loss to Georgia State is not a moral victory.

Emily Carter

I'm not calling it a victory. I'm saying the gap is small. A couple of plays flip this to two and three.

James Wilson

But which plays? That's the point. A.J. Fox has thrown 12 interceptions. Twelve, in five games, which is 2.4 a game. Those are the plays. The close losses aren't bad luck, they're the same mistake repeated.

Emily Carter

Okay, that's fair. He's also thrown five touchdowns and completed 54 percent for 735 yards. Some of this is the offense around him. Marquis Boston has 239 rushing yards and two touchdowns in five games. That's under 48 a game. Nobody's taking pressure off Fox.

David Mitchell

And I'd add that the defense is not the problem. Braydin Ward has three sacks and five tackles for loss. The defense keeps handing the offense chances in tight games. Then the offense hands the ball back.

Mark Reynolds

So is Cherry's seat hot?

David Mitchell

It's warm, and Bowling Green decides how warm. Lose and Marshall is oh and six, and bowl eligibility becomes a real long shot. Win and the season is at least alive.

James Wilson

I'd say hot. A winless team with a defense that competes and an offense that turns it over is a coaching problem. If Fox throws another two picks, you have to look at the quarterback spot.

Emily Carter

I'd stay patient one more week. Bowling Green is the first realistic win on the board. If it doesn't happen, then we talk.

Mark Reynolds

Let's zoom out. Tennessee is number one at five and oh. Miami, Oregon, LSU, and South Carolina are all unbeaten in the top six, and Memphis crashed in at number 10. Ohio State and Texas are outside the top 10 entirely.

Emily Carter

Which is why the poll snub stings. If Memphis can be number 10 at five and oh, a six and one Wazzu team with a four and oh league record belongs somewhere.

Mark Reynolds

Our power rankings stay the same. Washington State first, Delaware second, Marshall third. One team is chasing a title, one is fixing a quarterback, and one just wants a win. We'll see which of those changes next time on The Dynasty Report.