Group of 5 Power Rankings: Who’s on Top Entering Week 10?

Week 9 of the college football season was an interesting one for the Group of 5, and a shakeup in the top-10 ensued. Memphis upset USF, while Boise State struggled a bit against Nevada. Navy picked up a win against FAU, San Diego State looked impressive against Fresno State, and the list goes on. So with all that in mind, let’s take a look at our power rankings for the Group of 5 heading into Week 10.

*Disclaimer: These are power rankings with a lot of different factors involved, including strength of schedule, head-to-head, metrics, overall resume, and who would win on a neutral field.*

Group of 5 Power Rankings: Week 10

1.) James Madison (6-1)

• Last Week: Bye
• This Week: Tuesday, Oct. 28 @ Texas State (3-4)

James Madison jumps to No. 1 this week after USF’s loss to Memphis. The Dukes held a good Old Dominion team to one total yard in the second half in Week 8, and have yet to have an opposing offense gain more than 300 yards all season. They have arguably the best defense in the G5 and have an emerging offense with quarterback Alonza Barnett III under center.

Their one loss to Louisville was a hard-fought battle where they held Miller Moss to 151 passing yards, and it was honestly a game they could have won. James Madison doesn’t have as good a resume as some others. However, they are a fierce and violent football team and have a great chance Tuesday night against Texas State to prove how good they actually are.

2.) Tulane (6-1)

• Last Week: Bye
• This Week: Thursday, Oct. 30 @UTSA (3-4)

After a bye week, Tulane sees itself come in at No. 2 in this week’s rankings. They have two Power 4 wins, more than anyone else in the G5, and have a winner in Jake Retzlaff behind center. The reason for being slotted behind James Madison is that James Madison has a better defense, and Tulane has been slightly unimpressive the past few weeks. Nonetheless, the Green Wave is extremely well coached and has an opportunity to overtake James Madison with an impressive showing on Thursday against UTSA.

3.) USF (6-2)

• Last Week: 34-31 L @ Memphis
• This Week: Bye

After the loss at Memphis on Saturday, the USF Bulls dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 in this week’s rankings. USF has three great wins over Boise State, Florida, and North Texas, and has the most talent of anyone in the G5. Yes, they did lose to Memphis. However, USF should have won on Saturday, and in my opinion, USF was the better team. Some bad decisions by Alex Golesh and some poor play in the fourth quarter clouded the dominating performance that USF was having on Saturday.

Head-to-head does matter. However, eye test, and overall resume matter just as much. Byrum Brown is still a good quarterback and is a human highlight reel. USF has arguably the best G5 resume and will have a chance to rest and recoup this week, as they have a bye. USF will welcome UTSA to Tampa on November 6^, where they will have another chance to show the type of team they are.

4.) Memphis (7-1)

• Last Week: 34-31 W vs USF
• This Week: Friday, Oct. 31 @ Rice (4-4)

Memphis flies up the rankings from No. 8 to number No. 4 after their big win against USF. The Tigers add the USF win to their resume that already sported a 32-21 W against Arkansas. Quarterback Brendon Lewis deserves some credit for his performance on Saturday after finishing 27-of-44 for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 35 yards on the ground, which was tied for the team-lead with Sutton Smith.

The one extreme eye sore on Memphis’s resume is their loss to UAB in Week 8. UAB was (2-4) fresh off firing head coach Trent Dilfer, and really controlled Memphis all day until it got interesting at the end. If Memphis ended up winning that matchup, they would find themselves No. 1 in this week’s rankings. However, that loss, coupled with USF having the better overall resume and having a better overall team, has them slotted in at No. 4.

Memphis has a scary game this week against an up-and-down Rice team. The Tigers can’t afford to have a big win hangover on Friday, or they could be in some trouble. The last thing to add to the USF versus Memphis debate is: If LSU had beaten Texas A&M on Saturday, would LSU have moved ahead of A&M? If your answer was no, then USF should stay ahead of Memphis.

5.) Navy (7-0)

• Last Week: 42-32 W vs FAU
• This Week: Saturday, Nov. 1 @ North Texas (7-1)

Navy rounds out the top-5 of the Group of 5 Power Rankings this week after a 42-32 win against FAU on Saturday. The Midshipmen are one of six undefeated teams left in the FBS this year. However, their weaker resume has them ending up at No. 5. Navy’s best win was a 32-31 win at Temple, which looks better and better as the season goes on due to Temple’s recent success. However, their schedule overall has been very weak.

The Midshipmen will forever be dominant on the ground, leading the nation with 318 rushing yards per game, and have a great quarterback in Blake Horvath. This Navy team is very good and has a fantastic opportunity on Saturday against a top-10 G5 team in Drew Mestemaker and North Texas.

Honorable Mentions

6.) San Diego State (6-1)

• Last Week: 23-0 W @ Fresno State
• This Week: Saturday, Nov. 1 vs Wyoming (4-4)

7.) Boise State (6-2)

• Last Week: 24-3 W @ Nevada
• This Week: Saturday, Nov. 1 vs Fresno State (5-3)

8.) North Texas (7-1)

• Last Week: 54-20 W @ Charlotte
• This Week: Saturday, Nov. 1 vs Navy

9.) East Carolina (4-3)

• Last Week: Bye
• This Week: Saturday, Nov. 1 @ Temple (5-3)

10.) UNLV (6-1)

• Last Week: Bye
• This Week: Saturday, Nov. 1 vs New Mexico (5-3)

Three G5 Games to Watch Week 10

1.) Navy @ North Texas: Saturday, Nov. 1

The game of the week in the G5 features our No. 5 in Navy, against No. 8 in North Texas. A battle of different offensive attacks, Navy with their ball control Hybrid Wing T offense, and North Texas with their spread-it-out and sling-it offense with Drew Mestemaker. Can Navy contain Mestemaker, who threw for 608 yards last week? Can North Texas stop the dominant Navy rushing attack, an area the Mean Green struggles with defensively?

A lot of intrigue in this game, and it should be a fun environment in Denton, Texas, on Saturday afternoon. Both teams, especially Navy, need a high-quality win to boost their resume, and Saturday is a great opportunity for both teams.

2.) East Carolina @ Temple: Saturday, Nov. 1

The American is easily the best non-P4 conference in college football, and on Saturday, we have a matchup of two 1-loss teams in the conference in East Carolina and Temple. Both programs are battling to be considered in the upper echelon of the American Conference.

Temple can score with the best of them, averaging nearly 37 points per game. The Owls are a team playing with confidence, with their only loss in conference to undefeated Navy, 32-31. On the other side, East Carolina is a team that found themselves in a tie game late fourth quarter against Tulane a couple of weeks ago. East Carolina finds themselves at No. 9 in this week’s rankings, and it will be interesting to see if their good defense can contain the Owls on Saturday.

3.) Hawaii @ San Jose State: Saturday, Nov. 1

Hawaii is flying under the radar and quietly having a great year. They are just on the outside looking in of the top-10; if they have a good performance on Saturday, they very well may sneak in.

Both teams in this game sport the Run and Shoot offense, meaning it should be a fun game to watch offensively. If Hawaii can come out with a dominant win, they could find themselves in the top-10 next week.

Honorable Mention: James Madison @ Texas State: Tuesday, Oct. 28

James Madison at Texas State is a great watch on a Tuesday night. How does No. 1 James Madison perform against a Texas State team that can be very streaky? When rolling, Texas State has one of the best G5 offenses, but also sports a terrible defense. James Madison’s strength is their defense, but they can struggle offensively at times. It will be interesting to watch how the Dukes play after the bye week and how their defense plays against a good Texas State offense.