Group of Five: 2017 college football Week 3 power rankings

Another huge win over a Power Five school was there for the taking. Boise State had built up a 31-10 lead by the fourth quarter despite having to turn to backup quarterback Montell Cozart early in the game. All the Broncos had to do was kill some clock and get a few stops against the Cougars and they would have completed their fifth straight win over Pac-12 opponents.

Instead, things turned sour as Mike Leach’s team began working frantically downfield on offense. After also having to turn to their backup quarterback, the Cougars got 240 yards and three touchdowns from Tyler Hilinski. The sophomore completed 25 of his 33 attempts and ameliorated the loss of Washington State’s career passing leader, Luke Falk.

Once the game went to overtime, it was already effectively lost for the Broncos. But they can also make the Les Miles-style claim that they are undefeated in regulation. Step back in time a few decades, and this game would have ended in a tie at any point prior to 1996. So it is hard to fault Boise State too much.

They do, however, take a big fall down the Group of Five rankings after ceding leadership in the Mountain West to two-time defending champion San Diego State. Bryan Harsin’s team still has everything available to it this season, but for now they sit down the hierarchy of teams in the New Year’s Six race.