Group of Five football power rankings, Week 5: SMU, Boise State rise in Week 5
Three teams who were in last week’s Group of Five power rankings lost, so there’s plenty of room for movement for this week’s edition.
We saw strong showings from Conference USA and Mountain West, while the Mid-American and Sun Belt suffered heavy losses. The AAC had a solid week, led by SMU toppling Big 12 rival TCU in the Battle for the Iron Skillet.
Before we get into the rankings, let’s highlight a few teams who just missed the cut. These teams are on the edge of the rankings and could move up later in the season.
UAB (3-1), Eastern Michigan (3-1), Louisiana (3-1) each missed the cut this week to be ranked, mostly due to their big losses earlier in the season to Power Five teams.
The Group of Five has four teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll this week, with an additional eight teams receiving votes.
Let’s get into our rankings after a strong Week 4 of college football.
. 3-1. Previous: . Broncos . 20. team. 405
AP Top-25 Ranking: N/A
USA Today Coaches Poll Ranking: N/A
Week 4: Defeated San Jose State University 23-3
The Western Michigan Broncos are proving to be one of the best teams in the Mid-American Conference. They got a dominating win at home over SJSU this week and upset Pittsburgh on the road in Week 3. Things are starting to click for the Broncos. They face a difficult test this week when they take on conference foe Buffalo (2-2).
3-1. Previous: . Falcons . 19. team. 894.
AP Top-25 Ranking: N/A
USA Today Coaches Poll Ranking: N/A
Week 4: Defeated Florida Atlantic 31-7
The Air Force Falcons bounced back nicely after a Week 3 loss to Utah State, defeating FAU 31-7. The run-first Falcons play their brand of football well and do the small things better than most teams. Currently, they have two players with 300 or more total rushing yards this season and two more that have 150 or more total rushing yards. Next up for Air Force is a road test against New Mexico (2-2).
Previous: 8th. Aggies . 18. team. 875. . 3-1
AP Top-25 Ranking: N/A
USA Today Coaches Poll Ranking: N/A
Week 4: Lost to Boise State 3-27
Utah State had the biggest drop in our power rankings after getting blown out by Boise State at home. The Aggies could not get any traction against Boise State. They racked up yardage, but once they got within scoring range, they turned the ball over. Utah State committed three turnovers, stalling their usually potent offense. Utah State has a difficult game at home set for Oct. 1 at 9 p.m. EST against No. 13 BYU (4-0).
Previous: . Jaguars . 17. team. 2117. . 3-0
AP Top-25 Ranking: N/A
USA Today Coaches Poll Ranking: N/A
Week 4: Bye Week
South Alabama did not have a game this week, using this off-week to get healthy and prepare for the next game against an efficient Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (3-1) offense. The Jaguars will be game-planning a way to slow down Louisiana’s senior quarterback Levi Lewis who has thrown for 1,047 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
895. . 2-2. Previous: . Broncos . 16. team
AP Top-25 Ranking: N/A
USA Today Coaches Poll Ranking: N/A
Week 4: Defeated Utah State 27-3
Boise State is one of the best two-loss teams in the country right now. They lost to UCF and Oklahoma State by a combined six points. Boise State course-corrected at just the right time. Five of their next eight opponents are teams that appear in this Group of Five rankings. First up is a home contest against Nevada (2-1).