2022 Group of 5 Football Preview

Story posted September 2, 2022 in Sports by Ethan Ellis

As the College football season gets underway, some of the biggest underdog conferences in football look to once again make some noise in the top 25 rankings this year. These five conferences, dubbed the Group of Five, include the Mountain West, Sun Belt, American Athletic, Conference USA and Mid-American conferences.

Mountain West Conference:

The Mountain West race looks to be one of the biggest toss-ups of the season. Many teams in the conference received votes to finish first in their division, including reigning-champ Utah State, as well as other programs like San Diego State, Air Force and Fresno State. One team that everyone will have their eyes on, however, is Boise State. The Broncos are currently going through a rough patch by their standards, as they had one of their worst records (7-5) in over two decades last year. This race will be a close one and will undoubtedly be fun to watch.

American Athletic Conference:

One of the most notable conferences in the Group of Five after having a team make the CFP last season looks to continue to see success. Of course, Cincinnati became the first Group of Five team to make the playoffs, but can the Bearcats continue their success? Cincy will be without two of its biggest stars after quarterback Desmond Ridder and cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner were both drafted. With these losses, Houston, which lost last year's championship game by 15 points, looks to overtake Cincinnati at the top. The Cougars can accomplish this with returning quarterback Clayton Tune, who many consider to be the best in the conference. This race may be one of the best two-team races in the Group of Five.

Sun Belt Conference:

The Sun Belt Conference is one of the hardest to predict after adding Marshall, Southern Miss, Old Dominion and James Madison to the conference. While Appalachian State and Louisiana are the favorites to win their divisions, one dark horse that could make some noise is James Madison. The Dukes, who are transitioning from FCS after dominating the sub-division for years, could struggle at first to find their footing. Even so, their past dominance could break through and lead them into a top three finishing position. The safest bets, however, are still with the teams that have already shown that they can dominate the conference.

Mid-American Conference:

Northern Illinois returns to action this season in the MAC as it tries to do something that hasn’t been done in a decade: win the MAC title back-to-back. The Huskies will face fierce competition this season for the West division title from teams like Toledo and Central Michigan. In the East division, many favor Miami (OH) to win the division over Kent State. Miami (OH) has a plethora of solid running backs and an experienced quarterback who could bring the heat this season.

Conference USA:

UTSA shocked everybody by rising to the top of the C-USA last year, but the Roadrunners will have plenty of challengers to their throne in 2022. Some of the top contenders in the conference will be UTSA, Western Kentucky, and UAB. UTSA has some work to do this year after losing key players like running back Sincere McCormick to the NFL. Look for this to be a competitive race, as several players could rise to the top in this single-division conference.

This college football season is shaping up to be one for the ages and action will be found in just about any conference, especially in the Group of Five conferences.

 

Ethan Ellis is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email ece5133@psu.edu.