Navy @ Houston preview

Navy at Houston

There's a lot riding on No. 15 Navy's visit to No. 21 Houston on Friday. The winner will not only host the American Athletic Conference championship as the West Division champ, but will also keep its New Year's Six bowl hopes alive.

The highest-ranked conference champion from the Group of 5 - AAC, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt - gets that spot. The Midshipmen, led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Keenan Reynolds, are No. 15 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings but need to win out to remain eligible. Houston's loss to Connecticut dropped them from the CFP rankings, but wins against Navy and either Temple or USF in the title game could propel them back into contention. The teams, each of which boasts a strong rushing attack and defense, have not met since Houston's win in a 1980 bowl game.

TV: Noon ET, ABC. LINE: None.

ABOUT NAVY (9-1, 7-0 AAC): Navy's triple-option offense ranks second nationally with an average of 348.4 rushing yards after back-to-back 400-yard games, and is led by Reynolds' 1,009 yard and 18 touchdowns. Reynolds, slotback DeBrandon Sanders (308 yards) and fullbacks Chris Swain (820 yards, eight TDs) and Quentin Ezell (303 yards, six TDs) all average at least 5 yards per carry. The Midshipmen, who have won five straight games by double digits, lead the AAC in scoring defense (18.7 points) and are second in total defense (350.9 yards).

ABOUT HOUSTON (10-1, 6-1): Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. (2,194 passing yards, 13 TDS and 810 rushing yards, 16 TDs) is "closer to 100 percent but not quite there yet" from an ankle injury that limited his time the past two weeks, coach Tom Herman told the media Monday. Leading rusher Kenneth Farrow (949 yards, 12 TDs) is day-to-day with an ankle injury, which could hurt the Cougars' 242.1-yard average on the ground. The Cougars are allowing a league-best 114.8 yards on the ground, giving up more than 160 yards once.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Navy's six turnovers are the fewest in the nation while Houston is tied for second nationally with 27 takeaways.

2. Navy is 9-1 for first time since 1963, when QB Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy.

3. Reynolds, who already owns the FBS record for career rushing touchdowns with 82, is nearing the Division I record for rushing TDs (84, held by Georgia Southern's Adrian Peterson and Towson's Terrance West) and Montee Ball's FBS record of 83 total TDs.

PREDICTION: Navy 31, Houston 28