Boise State coughed up a halftime lead to fall at BYU. How did the Broncos loss impact the hierarchy in the Group of Five race for a New Year’s Six berth?
Entering Week 8, Boise State had a firm grip on the inside track to represent the Group of Five in a New Year’s Six bowl for the first time since the inaugural year of the College Football Playoff in 2014. The Broncos were beating teams by an average of more than 17 points per game, and the season-opening victory over Florida State provided a statement on the resume especially after the game was moved to Tallahassee from its original site in Jacksonville.
Then the Broncos went to Provo and encountered a determined BYU squad that was dealing with their own injury issues. After taking a 10-7 lead into halftime, Boise State collapsed in the third quarter. A late comeback bid fell short, and now only two undefeated teams remain in the Group of Five ranks.
That loss coincided with some big performances by American Athletic Conference teams as well as Appalachian State. As a result, the deck has once again been reshuffled in the Group of Five Power Rankings.
A familiar face takes back over at the top of the pecking order as we head into the final weekend of October. While the Broncos are by no means out of the race entirely — the 2014 team, after all, made it to the Fiesta Bowl as an 11-2 Mountain West champion — they will need some help around the country to get back to the top of the list of contenders.
Where does everyone fall in the mid-major hierarchy this week? We focus on the last nine teams standing in the hunt in this week’s Group of Five Power Rankings entering Week 9.