College Football: Group of Five Week 6 power rankings

Troy made the biggest leap in this week’s Group of Five Power Rankings, climbing all the way from an unranked position into the top five. The Trojans launched themselves past other New Year’s Six contenders on the strength of their 24-21 upset of then-No. 25 LSU on the road in Baton Rouge on Saturday. It was no fluke win, either.

Neal Brown‘s Trojans went into Death Valley and manhandled the Bayou Bengals, scoring a major win over their SEC opponent. Troy forced a fumble on LSU’s opening play of the game, and took a 10-0 lead into the locker room at the intermission. Coming out of the break, Troy kept right at it as they scored another touchdown on the opening drive of the third quarter.

Jordan Chunn was the catalyst for Troy’s victory, as the running back gashed the Tigers for 191 rushing yards and a touchdown to atone for two fumbles. Brandon Silvers threw for a modest 157 yards on 16-of-28 passing. And the Trojans defense forced four LSU turnovers, the last on the final Tigers drive of the game, to keep their hosts from mounting a successful comeback.

As a Sun Belt team, Troy is fighting against preconceived notions about the league as the doormat of the Group of Five. Only a close loss against Boise State in the season opener stands between the Trojans and a perfect record at this point of the year. If they manage to win the Sun Belt outright in 2017, the Trojans will force the College Football Playoff selection committee to think long and hard about their decision.