College football teams from the Group of 5 dominated headlines from Week 2, setting up a dramatic shift in this week’s power rankings
What a wild week it was for college football teams from the Group of 5, especially the Sun Belt. The SBC bested not one, not two, but three Power 5 teams in spectacular fashion.
A couple of teams from the American Athletic Conference lost close games to Power 5 opponents (UCF, Houston).
But it was the Mountain West who had an absolutely brutal week. Excluding the inter-conference matchup between Boise State and New Mexico, teams from the MWC went 3-7 in Week 2 against non-conference opponents.
All of the upsets and losses mean there’s a ton of movement in this week’s G5 power rankings.
Here’s how each Group of 5 college football conference is represented in my updated power rankings:
- Sun Belt: 7 teams
- American: 6 teams
- Mountain West: 4 teams
- C-USA: 2
- MAC: 1
Let’s dive into my Top 20 Group of 5 college football teams heading into Week 3.
At No. 20, I have the James Madison Dukes, a team that has played just two games since graduating from the FCS to the FBS’ Sun Belt Conference. They played Middle Tennessee State (from C-USA) and Norfolk State (from the MEAC) in their first two games, so I have to be careful not to overreact too much. But, James Madison has outscored their opponents by a blistering 107-14. This sets up a fascinating Week 4 matchup at App State when their conference slate begins.
The Tulane Green Wave come in at No. 19 this week after being unranked last week. Tulane, like James Madison above them, has scored 94 points this season and given up just 10. The Green Wave have cause for celebration, they’re off to their first 2-0 start since 2002.
At No. 18, the South Alabama Panthers jump into the Group of 5 Top 20 after a solid showing over Central Michigan from the MAC. USA held Chippewa’s QB Daniel Richardson to just 267 passing yards and a 47.8 completion percentage after he lit up No. 12 Oklahoma State in Week 1 for 424 passing yards and completed 73.5% of his passes. A great defensive effort from the Panthers.
Coming in at No. 17, I have the Boise State Broncos. This team shook off their Week 1 thumping to Oregon State (17-point loss) and reversed their fortune to earn a 17-point win over New Mexico thanks to QB Hank Bachmeier’s three passing touchdowns.
At No. 16, the Georgia Southern Eagles, catapult themselves into the Group of 5 power rankings after upsetting Nebraska on the road in spectacular fashion. It was a total team effort as the Eagles got 400+ passing yards from QB Kyle Vantrease, 100+ rushing yards from RB Gerald Green, and 100+ receiving yards from WR Derwin Burgess Jr.