It's college football playoff or bust for the five Group of Five champions. The highest ranked team will be playing one of the most meaningful games in program history, while the other four will be subjected to crap like SMU lining up on the same sideline as Boston College at Fenway Park on a frigid December day last year.
I am going to do a new ranking every Monday, but I'll get it started before tomorrow's games since Tulane isn't playing.
1) Boise State
Comment: The Broncos have the best player in the country, the best loss among these contenders (37-34 to Oregon) and a relatively strong conference in the Mountain West
2) Tulane
Comment: Tulane has two good losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma, a sneaky good win at ULL and the playmaking ability on both sides of the ball the selection committee favors historically
3) James Madison
Comment: Good thing this team lost to ULM on a night it dominated the statistics but made some key mistakes. The weak schedule will not help, but an undefeated team that hung 70 on North Carolina would have been hard to pass up.
4) Navy
Comment: I admit I have not watched the Middies for a single second, but I'm a secret option devotee and know what makes an elite QB in that system. Blake Horvath is that guy, and he's a good passer, too.
5) UNLV
Comment: I've seen this team play quite a bit, and it passes the eye test. It will be interesting to see if the committee values wins against Power 4 schools even if those schools stink (Houston and Kansas are a collective 3-9; Tulane's win over ULL is actually better at the moment).
6) Army
Comment: Have not seen Army play, either, but it, too, has an excellent QB for its system, although Bryson Daily is not as dynamic as Horvath.
7) Memphis
Comment: A road loss to Navy ended the (seemingly annual) excessive hype this team was receiving, but experienced QB Seth Henigan is surrounded by plenty of talent and the schedule is light the rest of the way. The Tigers still have a good chance to be playing Tulane for a spot in the title game on Thanksgiving.
8) Sam Houston State
Comment: Conference USA is garbage, but this is the latest former FCS power to prove it can be competent at the FBS level. I think Sam Houston State is flat-out better than Liberty this season. Neither team has any wins of consequence.
9) ULL
Comment: The Cajuns were a little better than I thought against Tulane. The Sun Belt is a pretty good league, though, and their schedule has plenty of potential landmines even though James Madison is not on it.
10) San Jose State
Comment: I could have put Liberty here, but that team keeps struggling to beat awful opponents. No one from CUSA should be eligible for the playoff spot, so I'm going with what looks to be the third-best team in the Mountain West. The Spartans' only loss was 54-52 to Washington State.
Also considered: Liberty, Western Kentucky, Toledo
I am going to do a new ranking every Monday, but I'll get it started before tomorrow's games since Tulane isn't playing.
1) Boise State
Comment: The Broncos have the best player in the country, the best loss among these contenders (37-34 to Oregon) and a relatively strong conference in the Mountain West
2) Tulane
Comment: Tulane has two good losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma, a sneaky good win at ULL and the playmaking ability on both sides of the ball the selection committee favors historically
3) James Madison
Comment: Good thing this team lost to ULM on a night it dominated the statistics but made some key mistakes. The weak schedule will not help, but an undefeated team that hung 70 on North Carolina would have been hard to pass up.
4) Navy
Comment: I admit I have not watched the Middies for a single second, but I'm a secret option devotee and know what makes an elite QB in that system. Blake Horvath is that guy, and he's a good passer, too.
5) UNLV
Comment: I've seen this team play quite a bit, and it passes the eye test. It will be interesting to see if the committee values wins against Power 4 schools even if those schools stink (Houston and Kansas are a collective 3-9; Tulane's win over ULL is actually better at the moment).
6) Army
Comment: Have not seen Army play, either, but it, too, has an excellent QB for its system, although Bryson Daily is not as dynamic as Horvath.
7) Memphis
Comment: A road loss to Navy ended the (seemingly annual) excessive hype this team was receiving, but experienced QB Seth Henigan is surrounded by plenty of talent and the schedule is light the rest of the way. The Tigers still have a good chance to be playing Tulane for a spot in the title game on Thanksgiving.
8) Sam Houston State
Comment: Conference USA is garbage, but this is the latest former FCS power to prove it can be competent at the FBS level. I think Sam Houston State is flat-out better than Liberty this season. Neither team has any wins of consequence.
9) ULL
Comment: The Cajuns were a little better than I thought against Tulane. The Sun Belt is a pretty good league, though, and their schedule has plenty of potential landmines even though James Madison is not on it.
10) San Jose State
Comment: I could have put Liberty here, but that team keeps struggling to beat awful opponents. No one from CUSA should be eligible for the playoff spot, so I'm going with what looks to be the third-best team in the Mountain West. The Spartans' only loss was 54-52 to Washington State.
Also considered: Liberty, Western Kentucky, Toledo
