Group of Five power rankings: UAB, Marshall, Coastal rising in Week 2

Group of Five teams provided a ton of excitement in Week 1 of college football— which team is deserving of the top spot in our new power rankings?

What a week it was for college football fans in Week 1, especially for fans of teams in the American Athletic, Sun Belt, Conference USA, Mountain West, and the MAC.

Houston and UTSA look like they’re picking up right where they left off in 2021. Despite losing in Week 1, Cincinnati still looks like a force to be reckoned with in 2022.

We saw a number of exciting upsets, including Old Dominion knocking off Power Five foe Virginia Tech. We also saw a few teams come very close to pulling off upsets, including East Carolina, Appalachian State, and UTSA.

With such an eventful week of football, it’s time to make some adjustments to the Group of Five college football power rankings.

So, let’s dive in and check out the fresh batch of rankings.

20-16

A few Group of Five college football teams move into Top 20, despite Week 1 loss

Boise State lost to Oregon State 34-17

What is going on with the Broncos? Starting QB Hank Bachmeier gets benched after throwing 2 INTs, the team dug themselves into a  24-0 hole at halftime, and doubts are starting to creep in if Head Coach Andy Avalos is the guy to get Boise State back to double-digit win seasons.

Boise State experienced the biggest drop in my Group of Five college football power rankings, dropping 12 spots from last week.

Central Michigan lost to No. 12 Oklahoma State 58-44

Central Michigan was not ranked in my Week 1 Group of Five power rankings, but they showed some real fight against No. 12 Oklahoma State. They outscored the Cowboys 29-14 in the second half, but it was too little, too late for the Chippewas.

CMU QB Daniel Richardson was phenomenal in the game, completing 36 of his 49 passing attempts for 424 yards, 4 TD, and just 1 INT against the Big 12 opponent. Even though they lost, they had one of the best performances of any team from the Mid-American Conference in Week 1.

Western Kentucky defeated Hawaii 49-17

It took about five quarters of football, but the Hilltoppers are finally playing their brand of football. After a weird Week 0 game against Austin Peay, which wasn’t really decided until the fourth quarter, and falling behind 3-0 after one quarter at Hawaii, Western Kentucky went on a 49-14 run and coasted to a Week 1 win. They look to be hitting their stride heading into their third game of the season, set for a road contest against Big Ten foe Indiana.

Nevada defeated Texas State 38-14

Nevada has the rare distinction of being 2-0 after defeating Texas State in Week 1 and outlasting New Mexico State in Week 0.

They’ve used two quarterbacks in both games, but it’s their strong running game that’s set them apart from other teams. Led by RB Toa Taua and RB Devonte Lee, these two Wolfpack players have combined for 226 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns through Week 1.

East Carolina lost to No. 13 NC State 21-20

ECU is in a similar situation as CMU, having moved up in my power rankings despite a Week 1 loss. You can almost feel the hurt and the pain experienced by the Pirates, who had a chance to upset No. 13 NC State on a field goal as time expired. The attempt was no good and instead of coming out of Week 1 with a two-point win over a ranked, in-state rival, they have to find a way to put this really difficult loss behind them.

Despite losing, they absolutely held their own against NC State and showed me that they can play with just about anyone in college football.