Group of Five Power Rankings, Week 10: Several favorites stumble

After what seemed like a surprise loss to Temple, Cincinnati has climbed right back up in the Group of Five Power Rankings. The Bearcats are right there in the AAC East hunt, with their head-to-head showdown against UCF looming on the penultimate weekend of November. But Cincinnati will need some help just to play for the conference crown, thanks to that head-to-head loss against the Owls.

Cincinnati has been smothering teams on defense, holding their opponents to an average of 14 points and 276 yards per game. Both rank the Bearcats among the top 10 defenses in the country. The secondary gives up fewer than 171 passing yards per game, while the front seven holds rushing attacks to 105 yards on the ground.

The Bearcats face a reeling South Florida team on a two-game losing streak at home in Week 11. Their real test comes the following week when Cincinnati squares off against undefeated UCF in Orlando. If the Bearcats knock off the Knights, and Temple loses once more, Luke Fickell’s team would represent the AAC East in the conference championship game this year.