Group of 5 Power Rankings: Who are the Elite G5 teams entering Week 9?

Group of 5 play is more important than ever after the College Football Playoff expanded from four teams to 12 back in 2024. With that in mind, it’s worth highlighting which G5 teams have stood out so far, and who has the best chance of getting the auto-bid to the playoff. These power rankings will break down the top teams in the Group of 5. And, we’ll look at some under-the-radar teams to keep an eye on.

Group of 5 Power Rankings: Week 9

1.) USF Bulls (6-1)

• Last Week: 48-13 W vs FAU
• This Week: Saturday, Oct. 25 @ Memphis (6-1)

The USF Bulls come in at No. 1 in the rankings as the best G5 team so far this year. South Florida easily has the best resume, and their only loss came to Miami on the road. They traveled into the swamp and beat Florida, which is incredibly hard to do (just ask Texas). They also beat a great Boise State team in Week 1. And, they went on the road Week 7 and beat North Texas in one of the most highly anticipated G5 games to date.

The Bulls are physical and have speed all over the field, led by a great quarterback in Byrum Brown. There one loss came against a good Miami team on the road, in a downpour where USF failed to capitalize on drives and on defense. The Bulls took care of a quality Florida Atlantic team last week and will travel to Memphis this week for a highly anticipated G5 matchup.

2.) James Madison Dukes (6-1)

• Last Week: 63-27 W vs Old Dominion
• This Week: Bye

Head coach Bob Chesney and the James Madison Dukes come in at No. 2 in this week’s rankings. James Madison got a resume boost last week after obliterating a Old Dominion by 36 points in a game where they had 624 total yards. The Dukes sport a good defense and have a quarterback in Alonza Barnett III who gives them a chance to win every week. If there offense can continue to improve and play like they did against ODU, watch out.

James Madison’s only loss came against a now-ranked Louisville team, 28-14, in a game where they had multiple leads. Coach Chesney is one of the best young minds in college football, and has the Dukes prepared every week. James Madison gets the benefit of a bye this week, before going on the road week 10 to face Texas State.

3.) Tulane Green Wave (6-1)

• Last Week: 24-17 W vs Army
• This Week: Bye

Coming in at No. 3 is Tulane, led by BYU transfer Jake Retzlaff. Tulane hit the jackpot landing Retzlaff, who has thrown for 1428 yards with 450 added on the ground. Tulane has two of the most impressive wins from the G5, beating both Northwestern and Duke at home this year. However, there is one blemish on Tulane’s resume: getting blown out 45-10 in Week 4 against Ole Miss.

However, they rebounded well the following weeks, beating Tulsa and another good team in East Carolina. Last week, Tulane defeated a tough Army team with one of the craziest game-winning touchdowns catches you’ll ever see.

The Wave goes on 🌊#UptownFootball pic.twitter.com/DJ7rhxLMrm

— Tulane Football (@GreenWaveFB) October 18, 2025

Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall is never satisfied and will have the Green Wave improving every week. Tulane has a bye this week as well and will travel to San Antonio week 10 to play UTSA.

4.) Navy Midshipmen (6-0)

• Last Week: Bye
• This Week: Saturday, Oct. 25 vs FAU (3-4)

The undefeated Navy Midshipmen come in at No. 4 in this week’s rankings. Quarterback Blake Horvath mans the incredibly hard to stop Hybrid Wing T Offense coordinated by Drew Cronic. Horvath’s ability to run and throw makes Navy incredibly hard to beat, and he has a go-to receiver in Eli Heidenreich on the outside. Navy has struggled defensively at times this year and their lack of quality wins puts them in the fourth spot. Navy was off last week and has the chance to pick up a win against FAU in Week 9.

5.) Boise State Broncos (5-2)

• Last Week: 56-31 W vs UNLV
• This Week: Friday, Oct. 24 @ Nevada (1-6)

Boise State rounds out this week’s top 5, after dismantling an undefeated UNLV team this past weekend. The Broncos have dominated everyone not named Notre Dame and USF, and are averaging close to 50 PPG in their wins. Quarterback Maddux Madsen has taken control of the team, and even without Ashton Jeanty the Broncos still have a solid running back room with Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines.

The two losses to Notre Dame and USF hurt their resume and their CFP case. However, Spencer Danielson has another quality football team this year. This week the Broncos travel to Reno to take on a struggling 1-6 Nevada team, a game they should dominate start to finish.

Honorable Mentions

6.) North Texas Mean Green (6-1)

• Last Week: 55-17 W vs UTSA
• This Week: Friday, Oct. 24 @ Charlotte (1-6)

7.) San Diego State Aztecs (5-1)

• Last Week: Bye
• This Week: Saturday, Oct. 25 @ Fresno State (5-2)

8.) Memphis Tigers (6-1)

• Last Week: 31-24 L @ UAB
• This Week: Saturday, Oct. 25 vs USF (6-1)

9.) East Carolina Pirates (4-3)

• Last Week: 41-27 W vs Tulsa
• This Week: Bye

10.) UNLV Rebels (6-1)

• Last Week: 56-31 L @ Boise State
• This Week: Bye

Three G5 Games to Watch Week 9

1.) USF @ Memphis: Saturday, Oct. 25

The obvious pick for game of the week in the G5 is USF at Memphis. If Memphis didn’t suffer a embarrassing loss to UAB last week, this game on Saturday could have potentially been the most anticipated G5 game ever. Even with the Memphis loss, we still have No. 1 vs. No. 8 in our Group of 5 power rankings, and both teams still control their own destiny in the American Conference. The team that wins the American has a great chance to make the playoff. So, whoever comes out on top on Saturday will take a major towards their goal.

2.) San Diego State @ Fresno State: Saturday, Oct. 25

San Diego State is a team on the rise, and a win at Fresno State will continue their ascent. Fresno State is a hard team to figure out with a lot of up and down play, with a puzzling loss to Colorado State and a great win at Hawaii. This is an intriguing back and forth matchup on Saturday that has a lot of impact on the G5, and is an underrated game across college football.

3.) Navy vs FAU: Saturday, Oct. 25

Another intriguing matchup on Saturday is Navy and FAU. Navy is undefeated and coming off a bye, slated to play an up and down FAU team. When clicking, FAU can score with the best of them and can create a lot of stress on an opposing defense. It will be interesting to see how well NAVY can contain quarterback Caden Veltkamp and the air raid offense. If Navy escapes with a win, they could sneak up the G5 rankings.