It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to unveil this week’s Group of Five Power Poll. Thanks to a few upsets, the top seven looks much different than it did last Wednesday.
Please remember that the rankings are fluid and can (and often will) change from week to week.
With that disclaimer out of the way, here’s the latest edition of the poll.
* Please note that BYU is not included in these rankings since the Cougars cannot capture this bid!
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1. Houston (2-0) — The Cougars remain in the top spot because they have the most impressive win by a Gang of Five team. Sure, critics will point out that the victory over Louisville shouldn’t carry much weight because the Cardinals are 0-3. However, Houston beat UL by the same margin as Clemson did, which is a huge positive given that the Selection Committee factors in head-to-head results against common opponents when making its decision. That’s why I’ve got the Cougars at No. 1… for now.
2. Toledo (2-0) — You could make the argument that Rockets have the best resume of any “mid-major” team at this point in the season. Toledo followed up its upset over Arkansas with a 30-23 2 OT victory over Iowa State, giving it two “W’s” against Power 5 conference opponents. While the Rockets didn’t necessarily control the game in these contests — which by the way is a completely meaningless metric — they’ll get the benefit of the doubt if it’s close, especially if Arkansas turns things around.
3. Temple (3-0) — Let’s be honest: in a tight race, style points matter. That’s why the Owls drop one spot this week. Yes, Temple beat UMass, but the Minutemen actually had the lead with less than 90 seconds to play. Had it not been for the heroics of quarterback P.J. Walker – who went 6 of 9 on the game-winning drive – TU might lost the contest and dropped out of this poll altogether. Since they didn’t, the Owls will remain in the top three based on their victories over Penn State and Cincinnati.
4. Boise State (2-1) — Sorry, Bronco fans, this is where the team belongs right now. Sure, the loss against BYU was close, but the bottom line is that it was still a loss, which will ultimately damage Boise’s overall profile. In order to move up in the rankings, the Broncos need more quality wins. While the victory over Washington is impressive, the teams listed above have either a better quality win or more quality wins than Boise does. Of course, that could easily change on Friday if the Broncos beat Virginia.
5. Memphis (3-0) — Last week, several readers wrote in to ask me why I didn’t have the Tigers in this poll even though they had the third longest winning streak in college football. I answered by saying that Memphis had to break in eight new starters on defense, which made me pessimistic about the team’s chances this fall. However, after watching the Tigers in action against Bowling Green last week, I’m no longer worried. The Memphis offense — which ranks 8th nationally in total offense with a whopping 570.3 yards per contest — is potent enough to win a shootout against anybody.
6. Navy (2-0) — The Midshipmen move into the six slot after an impressive win over East Carolina. Led by Keenan Reynolds (24 carries for 142 yards and 5 TDs), the Navy offense looked unstoppable at times, rushing for 415 yards against a clearly overmatched Pirate defense. The Middies have an excellent chance to move to the top of this poll in the next three weeks with games against Connecticut, Air Force, and Notre Dame.
7. Northern Illinois (2-1) — Although the Huskies lost to Ohio State this weekend, I’ve moved them into top 7 because of how well they played against the defending national champions. While the offense struggled all afternoon (190 yards, 2.6 yards per play), the defense showed that it’s a championship caliber unit. The NIU D did a great job of disrupting Ohio State’s vaunted spread attack, limiting the Buckeyes to 298 yards and a paltry 2 of 13 on third down conversions. Given that defense wins championships, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win the MAC Championship again and finish the year at the top of this list.
Others receiving consideration: Air Force, Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Colorado State, Connecticut, Georgia Southern, Ohio, Western Kentucky, Tulsa
