Group of Five: Week 4 Access Bowl Power Rankings

Only eight undefeated teams remain among the Group of Five schools. Where do they all fit in the Access Bowl pecking order?

After knocking off Oklahoma State in Week 2, Central Michigan couldn’t pull off the feat again against another Power Five school when they traveled to Virginia on Saturday. South Florida failed to keep pace with Florida State at home. And in a Group of Five showdown, Western Michigan bested Georgia Southern at home. As a result, only eight teams remain undefeated among the mid-majors.

For the most part non-conference seasons are over. There are still a few statement opportunities for Group of Five schools, but for the most part attention shifts to league competition. A prerequisite for claiming the Access Bowl bid into a New Year’s Six bowl game is a conference championship. Now comes the time to winnow down the field to a final five.

With every team having passed the quarter-pole of the regular season, a better picture of the race is starting to emerge. The contender are starting to separate themselves from the pretenders. Realizing that, let’s look at this week’s Group of Five power rankings in the race for the Access Bowl bid.