Group of Five: Week 13 Access Bowl Power Rankings
By Zach Bigalke
As we approach Championship Weekend, two teams remain at the front of the race for the Access Bowl berth. Who is next in line if both teams stumble?
With the release of the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, two teams are clearly the frontrunners to earn the Group of Five’s guaranteed Access Bowl spot in the Cotton Bowl. 17th-ranked Western Michigan needs only to win the MAC championship game against Ohio to claim the invitation. If the Broncos stumble on Friday night, the door opens for 19th-ranked Navy to head to North Texas.
What we do know is that the two teams that have represented the Group of Five the past two years, Boise State and Houston, will not be in the running. Neither team managed to win their respective division despite both beating top Power Five opponents over the course of the season. This season illustrated that leagues such as the Mountain West and American Athletic Conference are deeper than they are often given credit.
Because the stipulations for the Access Bowl slot in a New Year’s Six bowl are based on whether or not a team is a conference champion, the preseason favorites are out of contention. We have two new favorites. But if both WMU and the Midshipmen fall over the final weekend before Selection Sunday, who might be next in line for the spot? Let’s go thorough and rate all the teams still in the running for a conference title in the final Access Bowl Power Rankings before the bowl season.