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Group of Five Power Rankings: Houston clear choice for No. 1

By Tanner Sperry

Dec 31, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Tom Herman (C) poses with his players for a photo after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 38-24 during the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Tom Herman (C) poses with his players for a photo after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 38-24 during the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 31, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Greg Ward Jr. (1) throws the ball against the Florida State Seminoles in the fourth quarter in the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. The Cougars won 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Greg Ward Jr. (1) throws the ball against the Florida State Seminoles in the fourth quarter in the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. The Cougars won 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

The Houston Cougars leave no doubt about the top team from the Group of Five and tops the final Group of Five power rankings for the 2015 season.

Houston wasn’t really expected to finish in the Top 25, or even win their conference–better yet–their division. But the Cougars did just that and more. The Boise State Broncos were expected to be a prime contender for the New Years Six Bowl, but they fell short of their expectations in the 2015 season.

Other teams fell short of expectations, including UCF, Utah State, Cincinnati and ECU. The UCF Knights, who aren’t far removed from winning double-digit games, found themselves at the cellar of their conference and even in the nation.

Utah State had some high points in the season, including a key win against Boise State, but the Aggies ended up fizzing out as the season rolled along. Cincinnati and ECU quickly fell out of contention for the American Athletic Conference and ended up finishing around the middle of the pack.

Temple, San Diego State, New Mexico and Southern Miss all had surprising seasons this year. New Mexico made its first bowl game in years and just fell short against Arizona in their bowl game and finished 7-6. Southern Miss tripled its win total from last season, finishing 9-5.

Without further adieu, here are the final rankings for the Group of Five teams from the 2015-2016 season. Feel free to comment on which teams you think will be the top group of five contenders for the 2016 season.

Missed the cut: Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Bowling Green, Memphis, Western Michigan, Ohio

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