College Football: Group of 5 Week 4 power rankings

The preseason favorites to win the American Athletic Conference and snatch the Group of Five bid into a New Year’s Six bowl are still in great shape. On Friday night, the Bulls returned to the field and stomped Illinois in a 47-23 home triumph. Quinton Flowers looked good against the Power Five defense, throwing for 280 yards and rushing for another 107 with five total touchdowns. It was a masterful display by the dual-threat veteran to take down the Illini in Tampa, the only blemish on the win a slew of penalties that could be costly if they become a habit.

South Florida falls a spot down this week’s Group of Five Power Rankings, then, less through any fault of their own than because of what happened around them. While they were sidelined for a week by Hurricane Irma, teams around them got the chance to make their own statements. But while Charlie Strong’s team comes in at second in this week’s list, they are still in striking range for both the conference crown and the major bowl bid.

Last year, Temple was the roadblock that thwarted USF from reaching the AAC title game. The Owls come to Tampa on Friday night far weaker than last year’s conference champs. As three-touchdown favorites against Temple, the Bulls will be happy just to escape with a win against their divisional rivals.