College Football: Group of Five Week 6 power rankings

Coming off dealing Eastern Michigan its first defeat of the season, Ohio struggled in Week 5 to put away independent UMass. But the defending MAC East champion moved to 4-1 on the season with a tougher-than-expected win on the road, eventually taking down the Minutemen 58-50 in a game despite being outgained on offense by their hosts.

Nathan Rourke was just 13-of-24 passing the ball for the Bobcats, but he threw two touchdown passes without an interception to spark the win. Rourke and running back A.J. Ouellette both finished over 100 rushing yards, on a day when Ohio had five total rushing touchdowns and nearly 300 yards on the ground.

Frank Solich‘s defense gave up 390 passing yards and five touchdowns to UMass quarterback Andrew Ford, and it was nearly enough to derail their chances in the Group of Five race. The game was tied 27-27 at halftime, but the Bobcats surged out of the intermission. Time ran out of Massachusetts as they mounted a comeback bid, and Ohio returned to Oxford with their fourth win of the season.

The Bobcats hope to return to Detroit for the second straight year, and they have the advantage of playing in the weaker of the two MAC divisions. Strength of schedule could be Ohio’s biggest impediment in the Group of Five race if they manage to win the conference, but a New Year’s Six bowl is still entirely possible for Solich’s crew.