Group of Five: UCF, Boise State headline 2018 preseason power rankings

Houston is a few years removed from its most recent appearance in a major bowl game. Three years ago, the Cougars broke through in Tom Herman’s first season at the helm. An inexplicable loss at a UConn team that was 5-5 at the time prevented the Cougars from challenging the College Football Playoff head-on. Nevertheless, the 12-1 AAC champions earned the Peach Bowl bid and toppled Florida State 38-24 to cap a strong season.

The following year, it seemed all the pieces were in place to really challenge the College Football Playoff selectors. Houston knocked off Oklahoma by 10 points to start the year. They climbed all the way to No. 6 in the polls. Then Navy toppled the Cougars in Annapolis, ending their dream of a top-four spot. Even though they took down Louisville and Heisman winner Lamar Jackson later that season, it wasn’t enough to climb back up after losing two more conference games.

Last year the wheels didn’t completely come off, but the transition from Herman to Major Applewhite was sometimes rocky. Houston’s opener against UTSA was canceled due to Hurricane Harvey. Though they took down Arizona in the new season opener, the Cougars lost to Texas Tech and again failed to claim the AAC West title.

This year the Cougars will be a dark-horse in the division. They get another chance against both Arizona and Texas Tech to make statements against Power Five opponents. Memphis and Navy still look in the division, but with Ed Oliver back for his senior year the Cougars have a legitimate shot to once again claim the title of top Group of Five team in the country.