Group of Five power rankings: Does UCF have a playoff argument?

UCF romps against East Carolina, Cincinnati rolls Army, and the Ragin’ Cajuns survive and advance once again this week as the Group of Five power rankings are strong after Week 4. 

The Group of Five race continues to stay hot with a plethora of undefeated teams. Though most teams won’t have enough schedule, it is good to see struggling teams show improvement and move in the right direction.

Coastal Carolina –who made the list last week– were off this week. They are 2-0 to start their season, and with Appalachian State with one loss, the Chanticleers have an opportunity to make some noise in the Sun Belt.

The UTSA Roadrunners are 3-0 after a two-point win against the struggling MTSU Blue Raiders. A win against UAB this weekend, and the Roadrunners match their win total from all of last season. Staying in Texas, it is worth mentioning the UTEP Miners are 3-1. The Miners have won more games this season than they have in three years.

It is encouraging to see perennial doormats improve this season. Speaking of this unpredictable season, could an American team have a case for the Playoff even with the Pac-12 and Big Ten starting their seasons in October?

The UCF Knights think so.

Group of Five power rankings entering Week 5

5. Louisiana (3-0)

The Cajuns have been in surviving and advance mode since their upset of Iowa State earlier in the year. Billy Napier’s squad needs to be careful, however. There are teams in the Sun Belt who can beat them this season. Their 20-18 win against Georgia Southern is a prime example.

The Eagles played their kind of game, but the surprise is the 255 passing yards by quarterback Shai Werts. Georgia Southern is not known for its passing attack but averaged 14 yards per pass attempt. Maybe the Cajuns were peeking ahead a bit.

This next run of games is the meat and potatoes of their schedule. The Cajuns begin a stretch that includes Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, UAB, and an improved Texas State team. If Louisiana wants to go undefeated through that stretch, they have to play better.

4. SMU (3-0)

In the American, Memphis, Cincinnati and UCF get all of the publicity. No one is talking about SMU. All the Mustangs have done this season is average 48 points per game this season and rack up over 50 points their last two games. SMU was not impressive against Texas State, but the fighting Jake Spavitals is better than advertised.

Not only is the Sonny Dykes Air-Raid humming along, but the defense has also been solid as well. SMU gave up 35 points to North Texas, but those were mainly garbage time points. By the time the Mean Green realized they were in a football game, the Mustangs were up 34-7. What makes SMU dangerous in the American is they have enough offense to win a shootout against UCF and can score against Cincinnati’s defense.

The Mustangs play Memphis this weekend in what is essentially an elimination game in the American. A win against the Tigers makes them part of the conversation.

3. Cincinnati (2-0)

The Bearcats defeated a tough Army team last weekend, 24-10. The defense looked good, slowing the Army triple-option attack. It was not pretty, but beating the Army Corps is rarely pretty. There are some things from the game head coach Luke Fickell, and the Bearcats need to clean up before they get into the meat of their schedule.

Army neutralized the Bearcats running game. Cincinnati is a better offense when they can run the football effectively; 69 yards on 35 carries is not going to get it done against the elite teams of the American. Fickell and his offensive staff cannot be happy with seven penalties and two turnovers either. The Black Knights are always a tough out, but the Bearcats know they have to play better to win the American.

Cincinnati has two weeks to get better. They get a rebuilding South Florida and a marginal Tulsa squad before an October 24th showdown against SMU.

2. BYU (2-0)

Though BYU has had to deal with some game cancellations this season, when they’ve played, the Cougars have looked good. Their season was initially cut short after the Mountain West canceled their season. The Cougars regrouped and made a “barnstorming” schedule playing all over the country. Then their game against Army was canceled.

BYU finally got back on the field this past weekend against Troy and looked as good as they did against Navy, routing the Trojans 48-7. The offense, led by quarterback Zach Wilson’s four total touchdowns, had 666 yards of offense. The defense was dominant in their second outing of the season, allowing just 19 rushing yards. Unfortunately for the Cougars, a lack of a Power 5 win could cost them a New Year’s Six Bowl bid.

1. UCF (2-0)

If you blink, you miss a UCF touchdown. Their bombs away approach to offense is fun to watch. Head coach Josh Heupel and quarterback Dylan Gabriel are not shy about throwing the ball down the field a lot during a game. The Knights are a high risk, high reward passing attack. The irony of their offensive philosophy is they have three running backs with at least 20 carries this season.

The running game, however, is what allows Gabriel and his receivers to get deep. Their game against ECU is a perfect example. The Knights racked up 224 yards rushing, allowing the play-action game to explode against the Pirates. The safeties crept up, and it was game over.

The Knights have their Power 5 win in their back pocket and play two ranked teams in the American this season. If the Knights put 50 on everyone they play and chaos abounds in the Power 5, could the Knights sneak into the National Semifinal? Maybe.

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