Once again, this week’s Group of Five Power Poll is a day late because of #MACtion on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Since two of those games had a profound impact on the rankings, it was only appropriate to wait one day.
As always, remember that these rankings are fluid, and will change from week to week depending on what transpires on the gridiron. Given all of the upsets that occurred in week 11, this edition will look much different than the previous one.
With that disclaimer in mind, here’s this week’s poll, which is a much different from the official (see: completely useless) College Football Playoff rankings.
* Please note that BYU is not included in these rankings since the Cougars cannot capture this bid!
1. Houston (10-0) — I don’t care what anyone says, the Cougars are a top-10 team. Houston is 2-0 against Power 5 opponents this season, and is the only unbeaten team in a league that’s had four teams in the CFP rankings this year. While some experts will dismiss the win over Vanderbilt as insignificant, it’s worth noting the Cougars handed the Commodores their worst loss of the season exactly one week before VU nearly upset Florida in the Swamp. Regardless, UH picked up a huge come-from-behind victory over Memphis last week, with backup QB Kyle Postma playing an outstanding game in relief of injured starter Greg Ward, Jr. If that doesn’t speak volumes about how resilient this team is, I don’t know what will.
2. Navy (8-1) — You could certainly make an argument that the Midshipmen belong in the top spot. After all, Navy has played well against the tougher teams on its schedule, throttling Air Force 33-11 and destroying Memphis 45-20. Unfortunately, the Middies were demolished by Notre Dame, 41-24, which is just enough enough to keep them out of the top spot … for now. However, if — and it’s a big if — it has only one loss on November 28, Navy will be the favorite to capture the Group of Five. Wouldn’t it be a great to see the bowls have to wait an additional week to announce the pairings pending the results of the Army-Navy game?
3. Memphis (8-2) — No, I’m not moving the Tigers down, so go ahead and email me all of your Jimmy McMillan memes. Sure, people will argue that Memphis is still ranked too high, but the fact of the matter is that the Tigers played a great game against Houston last week, missing a game-winning field goal in the final minute. Even with the loss, the Tigers have an outstanding overall body of work, including a 2-0 mark against the Power 5 conferences and an amazing 4-0 record against teams that rank in the top 10 nationally in total offense. Sadly, Memphis plays in the same division as the other top two contenders, so it’s out of contention for a New Year’s Day bowl game.
4. Toledo (9-1) — The Rockets took care of business on Tuesday night, defeating archrival Bowling Green, 44-26. The victory was the latest in a string of impressive wins this season, including victories against Arkansas, Iowa State, and Sun Belt leader Arkansas State to open the 2015-’16 campaign. Unfortunately, Toledo’s chances to capture the Group of Five bid took a major hit on Wednesday night when Northern Illinois defeated Western Michigan. Unless the Huskies lose in the season finale against Ohio, the Rockets will miss the MAC Championship Game despite finishing the year with a 7-1 record in conference play.
5. Temple (8-2) — The Owls drop three spots in this week’s poll after losing on the road at South Florida. Yet, Temple is still very much alive for a New Year’s Day Bowl bid if it wins out. After all, if the Owls were to do that, they’d own victories over Penn State, Memphis, and the Houston-Navy winner. Those victories would give Temple a better overall resume than any other league champion on the list (remember, Toledo is all but eliminated from winning the MAC title). Even if it were close, the Selection Committee certainly won’t be able to forget the last impression the Owls made on the opening week of the season, when they limited Penn State to just 52 yards of total offense over the final three quarters.
6. Bowling Green (8-3) — Despite getting hammered by archrival Toledo, the Falcons move up one spot in the standings this week. Although Tuesday’s loss will sting, Bowling Green will still win the MAC East for the third straight year. While the Falcons’ chances look about as good as Lloyd Christmas’ at this point thanks to an early-season loss against Memphis, there’s still a possibility that they could get in. Remember, the Selection Committee is supposed to reward teams that play against tough competition. Given that BG played two games against the Big Ten (winning both), one game against the SEC, and one game against the AAC, it would qualify for this consideration. It’s not likely, but it could happen, especially if the committee wanted to send a message, which might not be a bad idea from a ratings standpoint.
7. Northern Illinois (8-3) — People have asked me all season, “Why aren’t the Huskies rated higher?” My answer is that they didn’t have a marquee win in non-conference play. Sure, the team looked pretty good against Ohio State, but the loss against 3-7 Boston College left a bad impression. Regardless, Northern Illinois is on this list now because it has taken care of business in conference play, defeating top contenders Toledo and Western Michigan to take a commanding lead in the MAC West. Given that the Huskies haven’t lost in November since 2009, it seems pretty safe to say that they’ll play Bowling Green in the conference championship game for the third straight season. With a big enough win in that contest, the Selection Committee might consider NIU, which played Florida State pretty close for three quarters in the 2013 Orange Bowl.
Others receiving consideration: Western Kentucky, Arkansas State, South Florida, Boise State, San Diego State, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Western Michigan
