The top three teams remained in position after Week 9 action. The rest of the college football Group of Five Power Rankings shuffled around after several big upsets.
Now in its fifth season of existence, the College Football Playoff continues to be something of a paradox for Group of Five teams. Once it came online in 2014, the College Football Playoff at once opened new doors for mid-major programs even as it further restricted access to the ultimate prize of a shot at the national championship.
While the top champion from one of the five smaller FBS leagues is guaranteed a spot in one of the New Year’s Six bowl games each season, that serves merely as a palliative. As much a distraction as a reward, that increased access is in part intended to quiet discussion that swirled around BCS Busters like Boise State, Utah, and TCU as to whether they merited a shot at the crystal pigskin awarded to the BCS champ.
We have yet to learn just what it might take for a Group of Five team to actually earn one of the four semifinal bids into the College Football Playoff. At the very least, though, we can track the Group of Five Power Rankings to see who is likeliest to land a guaranteed spot in a major bowl rather than wondering if a team has the credentials to bust into an uncertain BCS at-large berth.
The three teams at the top of this week’s Group of Five Power Rankings remain the same from last week. Below that triumvirate, every other team shuffled around once a trio of contenders fell down the ladder after tough losses on the road. Keep reading to see where your favorite small-school powerhouse falls in the pecking order as we head into November.