College Football: Group of Five Week 5 power rankings
By Zach Bigalke
Northern Illinois sat out Week 4, and it might have been a great choice of bye week for the Huskies. They watched from home as several MAC West contenders fell over the weekend, as both Toledo and Eastern Michigan sustained their first losses of the 2017 season. Now the Rockets sport the same record as NIU, while the Eagles are a game behind in the division race after losing their first conference game in overtime to Ohio.
The first BCS Buster to reach a major bowl game without a perfect record, Northern Illinois has a chance to make more noise this season. They lost the season opener at Boston College by only a field goal, then turned around and took down Nebraska on the road in their second chance against a Power Five opponent. NIU isn’t going away easily this year.
They take to the road for one more non-conference game before the start of MAC play. That contest, against No. 22 San Diego State at Qualcomm Stadium, offers another statement opportunity against a ranked opponent. It will also help provide a chance to get more separation in the Group of Five race for both teams. If NIU wins on the road in southern California, they will be the team to beat this year in the MAC race.