Around the Group of 5: Week 10
The college football playoff selection committee wasn’t too kind when ranking teams outside of the power five conferences on Tuesday.
Despite there being many undefeated teams in Group of Five conferences, many fell compared to their spots in the AP Polls behind one or two loss Power Five teams.
Starting out with the best of the bunch, the Cincinnati Bearcats dropped from No. 2 in the AP Polls to No. 6 in the playoff rankings despite holding an 8-0 record and a win over Notre Dame who sits at No. 10 in those same rankings.
What also hurts the Bearcats, at least right now, is that their biggest remaining game is against SMU who sits at No. 23 in the AP-Poll but was not ranked in Tuesday’s playoff polls.
The Mustangs sit at 7-1 on the season with their lone loss coming last week against Houston in a one-possession game.
Houston was able to record the victory in comeback fashion as it scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, with quarterback Clayton Tune leading the way throwing for 412 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns went to Nathaniel Dell.
Looking further down the college football playoff rankings, Fresno State was able to move up to No. 23 after being ranked No. 25 in the AP-Poll.
The Bulldogs hold a 7-2 record on the year with both losses coming against Pac-12 opponents Oregon and Hawaii.
Since then, Fresno State has found itself going on a three-game winning streak which includes their latest win over San Diego State. The Bulldogs defense forced three turnovers while running back Jordan Mims rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns in the 30-20 win.
That game was the first loss on the season for the San Diego State Aztecs who now sit with a 7-1 record and are one spot behind the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 24.
Like the Bulldogs, San Diego State also received a boost in Tuesday’s poll as the Aztecs were not ranked in this week's AP Poll.
Other Group of Five teams such as Coastal Carolina and Louisiana were in the AP Poll but not included in the playoff ranking, but the most shocking of them all was the snubbing of an undefeated UTSA squad.
The 8-0 Roadrunners are ranked No. 16 in the AP Polls, but despite putting up over 40 points in half of their games and opening up the season with a win over Big Ten opponent Illinois, were not ranked in Tuesday’s polls.
They will have four more games on their schedule all against Conference USA opponents starting off with a road battle against UTEP.
Logan Bourandas is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
