Group of Five Power Rankings 2019, Week 4: Temple makes leap

As the second half of September commences, the Group of Five field has simultaneously narrowed and widened. Two leagues dominate in Week 3.

In last week’s power rankings, we assessed where each mid-major league sat in relation to their performance against Power Five opponents. With another week in the books, the Mountain West continues to dominate the proceedings. But the American Athletic Conference is finally pushing its way up into the discussion again, leapfrogging the Sun Belt in Power Five winning percentage after a couple of huge results in Week 3.

At this point of the season, it is hard to imagine any of the other Group of Five champions from the MAC, Sun Belt, or Conference USA managing to surpass whichever team emerges atop the Mountain West and the AAC.

Though the MAC got its first win over a Power Five opponent this week, the league has no undefeated teams left in its ranks — and we are only halfway through the September portion of the schedule. Conference USA and the Sun Belt each have just one unbeaten team left in their respective loops, and each would need to remain perfect to have any shot at a New Year’s Six bid.

For comparison, five AAC and four Mountain West teams still maintain zeroes in the loss column at this point of the 2019 regular season. As conference play begins, those numbers will inevitably dwindle. But the top two Group of Five leagues are starting from a place of incredible strength relative to their ostensible peers.

But because there is still lots of time left in the season, we cannot discount any possibilities on the table. In that spirit, this week’s Group of Five power rankings expands to include every hopeful still alive in one form or another for a big showdown against a powerhouse opponent this postseason.