College Football: Group of Five Week 6 power rankings

Houston missed its chance for a perfect season in Week 4 when they fell by a field goal against Texas Tech. They went on the road in Week 5 for a tough interdivisional showdown against defending American Athletic Conference champ Temple. But the Owls are nowhere near as good as last year’s squad, and the hosts fell 20-13 against the Cougars.

Though Kyle Allen was not hurt, he was benched in favor of Kyle Postma at quarterback. Postma delivered a solid performance, throwing for 226 yards and a touchdown on 25-of-36 passing. Unlike Allen, Postma also offered a running element to his game as he led the Cougars with 81 yards on 15 carries.

The defense, though, was the catalyst for Houston’s victory on the road. Logan Marchi finished under 50 percent passing for the Owls and threw three interceptions. Temple was held to negative yardage in the first half on the ground and finished with just 142 rushing yards all day. Houston scored 20 unanswered to start the game, but Temple still had a chance on the final drive after pulling within a touchdown. Marchi’s last-second heave, though, resulted in his third pick.

Houston sits behind several other AAC contenders in the Group of Five Power Rankings, but they will have a direct say in whether they overtake their conference rivals. A tough game against SMU at home next weekend will help set the tone for whether they are contenders or pretenders this season.