Group of 5 Power Rankings: Who’s on Top Entering Week 11?

Another crazy week in the Group of 5 leads to another shake-up in our power rankings as we head into Week 11. So, who makes the cut and what games should you be keeping an eye on this week? Let’s take a look.

*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 11

1.) James Madison Dukes (7-1)

• Last Week: 52-20 W at Texas State
• This Week: Saturday, Nov. 8 at Marshall (4-4)

The James Madison Dukes hold firm and stay at the No. 1 spot for Week 11 after a dominating victory in a midweek contest against Texas State in Week 10. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns, whiling adding 98 yards on the ground in the victory. The Dukes finally let an opponent gain more than 300 yards of total offense, but they still have arguably the best defense in the G5.

The Louisville loss looks better each week. If JMU’s offense continues to be explosive, not only should the rest of the Sun Belt be on the lookout, but so should the rest of the country. James Madison gets the benefit of a mini bye as they played a midweek game last week and will travel to West Virginia to take on a so-so Marshall Thundering Herd team in week 11.

2.) USF Bulls (6-2)

• Last Week: Bye
• This Week: Thursday, Nov. 6 vs UTSA (4-4)

The USF Bulls find themselves at the No. 2 position in this week’s rankings. They have arguably the most talent of any G5 team, and have a human joystick at quarterback in Byrum Brown. Their resume has taken a hit recently with the play of Florida and Boise State. And, the blowout loss to Miami certainly doesn’t look great anymore. However, when on their game, they have the physical traits, abilities, and talent to compete with anyone.

Their loss against Memphis in Week 9 was a game they should have won. Meanwhile, their 63-36 victory against North Texas in Week 7 is up there for G5 win of the season so far. The Bulls welcome UTSA to Tampa this week for a scary Thursday night game. The Roadrunners are coming off one of the more surprising victories this year, a 48-26 win over the formerly ranked No. 2 G5 team in Tulane. The Bulls need to keep stacking wins, and Thursday is another great opportunity for them.

3.) Memphis Tigers (8-1)

• Last Week: 38-14 W at Rice
• This Week: Friday, Nov. 7 Tulane (6-2)

The Memphis Tigers move up a spot after an all-around victory against the Rice Owls in Week 10. They have arguably the best G5 win so far this year over USF; however, their loss at UAB is an eyesore.

Quarterback Brendon Lewis is a supreme athlete and one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. They have a P4 victory over Arkansas, but still find themselves sitting behind USF due to overall resume, eye test, and the poor loss to UAB. The Tigers do, however, have an amazing opportunity on Friday. There, they face a Tulane team that most certainly will be fired up after getting embarrassed last week. If the Tigers can pull off a victory at home, they could see themselves overtake the Bulls in next week’s rankings.

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

• Last Week: 24-7 W vs. Wyoming
• This Week: Saturday, Nov. 8 at Hawaii (6-3)

The San Diego State Aztecs see themselves entering the top-5 for the first time all year in this week’s rankings, and are a team more people should be talking about. The Aztecs are led by up-and-coming coach Sean Lewis and are up there with James Madison for the best G5 defense.

Their defense is allowing an eye-popping 0.80 points per drive, and they are top-15 in the country with a -0.128 defensive EPA. They have a little bit of an eye-sore loss against Washington State. However, they followed that up with a 34-0 dominating victory over the Cal Bears. If their offense can continue to improve, they could sneak into the playoffs somewhat under the radar.

The Aztecs need to continue to stack quality wins while watching the teams above them struggle.  SDSU gets a chance to get one of those quality wins against a Hawaii team that is coming off an embarrassing loss of sorts to San Jose State on Saturday. Hawaii should be ready and focused, so it should be a great matchup for the Aztecs to see how good their defense really is against a high-powered Hawaii offense.

5.) North Texas Mean Green (8-1)

• Last Week: 31-17 W vs. Navy
• This Week: Bye

After an impressive victory against an undefeated Navy team on Saturday, the Mean Green find themselves at No. 5 this week.

North Texas is led by Drew Mestemaker, who has thrown for 2702 yards and 21 touchdowns this year, and has a great true freshman running back by his side in Caleb Hawkins. They have one of the most explosive offenses in the entire country and can score with the best of them. The defense can be an Achilles heel for them, which it was in their 63-36 loss against USF. However, their offense, coupled with their terrific coach in Eric Morris, is a recipe for success for the Mean Green. They picked up one of the best G5 wins all year on Saturday against the Midshipmen, and will have this week off to rest and recover before heading to UAB in Week 12.

Honorable Mentions

6.) Tulane (6-2)

• Last Week: 48-26 L at UTSA
• This Week: Friday, Nov. 7 at Memphis (8-1)

7.) East Carolina (5-3)

• Last Week: 45-14 W at Temple
• This Week: Saturday, Nov. 8 Charlotte (1-7)

8.) Navy (7-1)

• Last Week: 31-17 L at North Texas
• This Week: Saturday, Nov. 8 at Notre Dame (6-2)

9.) Southern Miss (6-2)

• Last Week: 49-21 W vs. UL-Monroe
• This Week: Bye

10.) Boise State (6-3)

• Last Week: 30-7 L vs. Fresno State
• This Week: Bye

Three G5 Games to Watch Week 11

Tulane at Memphis: Friday, Nov. 7

The G5 game of the week, and a potential playoff elimination game is happening Friday night in Memphis. Tulane is coming off a brutal loss to UTSA last week, while Memphis has built some momentum after its loss to UAB. It’s a fascinating matchup that any college football fan should be keeping an eye on Friday night. The key to this entire game is whether or not Tulane can rebound and get back to its form from earlier in the season; especially with Jon Sumrall’s name being on every school’s shortlist of potential coaches.

Navy at Notre Dame: Saturday, Nov. 8

Not a G5 versus G5 matchup, but a huge opportunity awaits Navy on Saturday. If the Midshipmen can rebound and knock off a top-10 team on the road, it will propel them back into the playoff conversation. The Midshipmen struggle to stop the air attack, and Notre Dame sports one of the best aerial attacks in the country. If Navy is able to hang in there on defense, this game could get very interesting, especially against an Irish team that is a little weak up the middle on defense.

San Diego State at Hawaii: Saturday, Nov. 8

San Diego State jumped up to No. 4 in this week’s rankings and has a fascinating matchup against Hawaii this week. Hawaii was a fringe top-10 team before their loss to San Jose State and sports an explosive offense. The Aztecs’ strength is their defense, so it presents an interesting matchup of strength vs strength in a late-night Saturday game.