Group of Five Power Rankings, Week 8: Another unbeaten falls

Cincinnati stumbled in overtime at Temple. The Bearcats still managed to stay in the Top 10 of the Group of Five Power Rankings this week despite the loss.

More: Complete bowl projections after Week 8

Given that the last three undefeated Group of Five teams all resided in the same division of the American Athletic Conference, it was only a matter of time until at least two of those teams lost. But rather than knocking one another out, the first fell in a minor surprise against a division opponent that is coming on strong.

Cincinnati can no longer boast a goose-egg in the loss column. But given where the Bearcats have been so far this season and the totality of their record, they remain precariously in the Group of Five Power Rankings this week.

North Texas wasn’t quite as lucky, as they stumbled 29-21 in Birmingham against UAB. The Mean Green are the only team to fall out of the Group of Five Power Rankings after Week 8 action, as the loss dropped them to second in the C-USA West standings. In their place vaults the new front-runner in the division.

While only one team dropped out, though, there was still a lot of movement in the rankings as some teams put up disappointing performances even in victory. The deck shuffles once again, so let’s dive in and take a deeper look at the top 10 teams in the race for the Group of Five’s berth in a New Year’s Six bowl before wrapping up by previewing the lone Power Five statement opportunity on the schedule in Week 9.