Group of Five: Week 12 Access Bowl Power Rankings

As Group of Five conference races wind down, we are beginning to get a better picture of who remains in the hunt for the Access Bowl bid in 2016.

With the approach of championship weekend in just a few weeks, it is more imperative than ever to look at the Access Bowl race from a critical eye for who might actually emerge as a conference winner. With the stipulation that the best Group of Five champion will receive an automatic bid into a New Year’s Six bowl game, there are currently some very good teams that might not even make it into the final pool for selection. One, despite rising phoenix-like from the ashes last weekend, has already been eliminated.

With that in mind, this week’s Group of Five Access Bowl Power Rankings are going to look a bit shaken up from recent editions. Setting aside past hierarchies, this week the goal was to focus mainly on those teams left in the conference races and rating where they stand in the Access Bowl pecking order. Some are listed in consort with other conference foes; others are listed in their own right. The key thing to note is the hierarchy as it currently stands. After Tuesday night action, things are clearing up rapidly in the conference races. So keeping that stipulation that only conference champs garner consideration at the forefront, let’s dive in and see where everyone stands in this week’s Access Bowl Power Rankings.