Group of Five: Week 9 Access Bowl Power Rankings

Only one unbeaten Group of Five team remains in college football after Week 9 upsets. Do any other mid-majors still have a chance at the Access Bowl bid?

Mid-majors were not immune to the upset bug that took down teams across the country in Week 9, and it is likely to have a major impact on which teams remain in the hunt for the Access Bowl bid. The most obvious result of the attrition is that Western Michigan is now the only undefeated team outside the Power Five, by virtue of taking its bye week.

But Boise State’s loss in Laramie was hardly the only thing to affect the Access Bowl Power Rankings. Navy missed a prime opportunity to seal up the AAC West, while South Florida stayed within striking distance of Temple in the East. Memphis ceded its chance to stay in the hunt as well, setting up a showdown for the West in two weeks.

Can any of the contenders in the Mountain West, AAC, or even Conference USA or the Sun Belt manage to pass Western Michigan in the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee? Let’s dive into the Week 9 Group of Five Access Bowl Power Rankings to see who still has even a remote shot of catching the Broncos for the automatic bid into the Cotton Bowl.