Group of Five Power Rankings, Week 10: Appalachian State dominates

9. UAB Blazers (6-1/C-USA)

• LAST WEEK’S RANK: 9th
• WEEK 9 RESULT: idle in Week 9
• WEEK 10 MATCHUP: Nov. 2 at Tennessee

UAB didn’t play in Week 9, and thus they didn’t move out of the No. 9 spot in the Group of Five Power Rankings. Without any further data to parse where the Blazers stand, they remain the lowest-ranked among the seven Group of Five contenders with only one loss. That comes down the number of games played and the nature of their one loss.

Because the Blazers have taken both of their byes for the 2019 regular season, they have played one fewer game than their C-USA counterpart in the race for a longshot bid at the New Year’s Six. So Louisiana Tech has seven wins where UAB only has six. But it is still that one loss that hangs over the Blazers in a way that doesn’t haunt the Bulldogs.

That is because UAB’s loss came in conference at Western Kentucky back on September 28. Because they still have the opportunity for a head-to-head matchup with Louisiana Tech, the Blazers can still make their way to the C-USA championship game. But this year, with the MAC obliterating itself out of Group of Five contention, C-USA is firmly entrenched as the fourth-best conference fighting for the one New Year’s Six berth.