Group of 5: Will Boise State steal New Year’s 6 bid from AAC?

Can Boise State get the New Year’s 6 bowl bid out of the Group of 5 or will it be Cincinnati or Memphis getting the Cotton Bowl bid?

All three teams have a legitimate claim to the coveted bowl. Boise State and Cincinnati have been without their starting quarterbacks towards the end of the season but get them back for the Conference Championship. Memphis has been dominating with an overpowering offense, while Cincinnati has relied on defense to win (ignore the Ohio State game).

Meanwhile, Boise State has been solid on both sides of the ball en route to a Mountain West Conference Championship appearance. No matter what happens, this will be a fun weekend of football for the Group of 5.

Boise State Broncos

The No., 19 Broncos come in with a solid resume, with only one loss to a tough BYU team. However, their best wins are against Air Force and Florida State. Air Force is a good team; Florida State? Not so much. Also in question: will the committee take into account the fact that the Broncos lost without true freshman starter Hank Bachmeier? It’s worth noting the Cougars started a backup quarterback in that matchup as well.

However, the Broncos have managed to win without him every game since their lone loss. Even with that information, I see only one path to the New Year’s six for Boise State. They have to blow the doors off Hawaii with Bachmeier under center, and Cincinnati has to beat Memphis in an absolutely awful game. I’ve got Boise State as the least likely to play in the New Year’s Six bowl game as I believe the winner of the American Conference will be playing. I think its a two-horse race between Cincinnati and Memphis.

Cincinnati Bearcats

The Bearcats have two losses, but their 42-0 embarrassment at the hands of THE Ohio State Buckeyes wouldn’t shame some Big 10 teams. Their big wins are against UCF and UCLA. The major question for them is how will the committee view the Ohio State loss? I don’t think it matters much as Ohio State has beaten four Big Ten teams by 40 points or more and blew Wisconsin out by 31 points. In addition, the Bearcats were without starting quarterback Desmond Ridder in their loss against Memphis. For Cincinnati to beat the Tigers, Ridder will have to play, and play extremely well. In addition, they’ll have to rely on their defense shutting down Memphis’ explosive attack. If The Bearcats win, they’re in.

Memphis Tigers

2019 has been the best season in the history of the Memphis football program. The Tigers won 11 games for the first time in school history and notched their 500th win last weekend against the Bearcats. The lone loss came against a scrappy Temple team. Memphis has relied on their offense all season long, ESPN has them ranked as their 10th-best offense (according to FPI). Another area the Tigers excel in? Special teams, where they are ranked second. If the Tigers win, they will earn a New Year’s Six bowl bid. I would love to see the high-powered Memphis offense against a Power 5 defense (Alabama, anyone?) I think the Tigers will win a close one against Cincinnati this weekend and secure the New Year’s Six Bowl Bid.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.