Group of 5 power rankings: Cincinnati closing gap on Boise State

UCF falling to a fellow Group of 5 team leads to a shakeup in the top five, and what does an undefeated SMU team mean for the rest of the field?

After two undefeated regular seasons, UCF has now dropped two games in two weeks. Now that the Golden Knights’ run as the preeminent power in the Group of 5 is done, who will fill the void? Historical power Boise State looks to reclaim that role at the moment, but Memphis, Cincinnati, and SMU are all vying for a New Year’s Six bid.

10. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

The Rainbow Warriors stay at ten after a bye week. This Saturday they have a huge matchup with Boise State. If Cole McDonald and this Hawaii offense play at their absolute best, they could beat the Broncos in a shootout.  Don’t be surprised to see the Rainbow Warriors come out guns blazing, as they’re coming off a bye and have surely been preparing for this game for the last two weeks.

9. Navy Midshipmen

Welcome to the top ten, Navy! The Midshipmen almost gave a double-digit lead away to the Air Force Falcons last week but were able to rally. Malcolm Perry scored the game-winning touchdown with 23 seconds left in the game, and Navy took the first leg of the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy. This win was no fluke either. Navy has been quietly having a solid season, with their only loss coming to Memphis. The Midshipmen are ranked 6th in total defense and are going to look for that unit to lead them to a great season.

8. Utah State

How does Utah State only fall one spot after losing by 36 points? Well:

1. They played in Death Valley
2. They lost to a national championship contender in LSU, in Death Valley

At the end of the day, no one on this list has the talent to compete with blue blood SEC teams. So a 30-plus point loss isn’t cause to write them off completely. Just ask Cincinnati. Now if they want to move up in the rankings, Jordan Love is going to have to play much better. Through five games this season, he is averaging a yard and a half less per pass than last season and has thrown more interceptions (8) than he did all of last year.

7. UCF Knights

So UCF has lost to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh but beat Stanford, who just beat Washington. What do we do with the Knights? Well, to be honest, I gave them too much credit for beating a depleted Stanford team. The loss to the Bearcats was also the first time Dillon Gabriel truly looked like a freshman, throwing three interceptions. One was returned for a pick-six. The good news is they have a bye this week to evaluate themselves and try to get things back on track.

6. Tulane Green Wave

You know how I listed four teams vying for a New Year Six’s bowl bid? I left the Green Wave out of it, but make no mistake they are a dark horse. They boast a top ten rushing offense, have converted 100 percent of their trips to the red zone into points, put up 450 offensive yards a game and averaged 36 points a game. If the Green Wave can continue putting up great numbers on offense, they could run the table in the American.

5. Appalachian State Mountaineers

Another team with a bye week, the Mountaineers play on Wednesday Night this week. They are traveling to the Bayou to take on a solid 4-1 Rajin’ Cajuns team. This will be their first true test, and the math is not on their side. ESPN’s FPI only gives them a 35% chance to win the game. However, with a win over North Carolina under their belt and a full week to prepare, the Mountaineers must be feeling confident.

4. Memphis Tigers

If I had to put one undefeated team on upset alert this week, it is the Memphis Tigers. As Colin Wilson outlined this week on the Action Network, Memphis is not moving the ball consistently and are living by big plays. If there is one team in the Group of 5 equipped to limit explosive plays, its Temple. The Tigers will have to be careful going into Philadelphia this week.

3. SMU Mustangs

The SMU Mustangs won the game of the week in a 43-37 overtime thriller against Tulsa. The Mustangs rallied from a 21 point deficit to win their first game as a ranked team in 33 years! The last time the Mustangs were 6-0 was when Eric Dickerson and Craig James shared a backfield. The good news: they’re guaranteed to stay undefeated for another week as they do not play this weekend.

2. Cincinnati Bearcats

What a rise for Cincinnati! The Bearcats finally beat UCF and have become the favorites in a loaded American Conference. If you ignore the Ohio State game, (I’m really going to have to stop saying that soon) this defense has shut opponents down. The Bearcats need to avoid a big win hangover this week as they play in Houston.

1. Boise State Broncos

What do I have to say about Boise State? They took care of business against UNLV, and are favorites in every game here on out according to ESPN’s FPI. This week they play Hawaii and cannot be looking ahead to BYU. If Boise State’s defense doesn’t show up, the Rainbow Warriors have the offensive weapons and scheme to light them up. However, the Broncos should be able to take care of business the rest of the way and earn a New Year’s Six bowl bid.

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