Group of 5 Power Rankings After Wild Black Friday Shakeup
By Michael Luciano
A birth in a New Year's Six Bowl, more specifically the Cotton Bowl, is on the line for the best Group of 5 team in the country, and Mike Norvell leading Memphis to a win over Cincinnati Friday caused a major shakeup in the hierarchy amongst the mid-majors. Conference championship weekend will assuredly cause even more turmoil amid the best in Group of 5 conferences, but these four have themselves positioned for a shot at one of the best Power-5 teams in the country.
4. Appalachian State
Former NC State offensive coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz has done a masterful job replacing Scott Satterfield in Boone, as quarterback Zac Thomas has the Mountaineers as the betting favorites to take home another Sun Belt title. A win over South Carolina proved that App State isn't just inflating their record by beating up creampuffs, but a loss to Georgia Southern could loom large if they run the table and they don't have a shot at a NY6 game. Big bowl game or not, the Mountaineers have established themselves as one of the best Group of 5 teams in the country.
3. Cincinnati
Cincinnati came into their game against Memphis with just one loss, and it was a 42-0 drubbing at the hands of Ohio State that no one will fault them for. They had a golden opportunity to plant their flag and cement their case as the best Group of 5 team in the country, but a loss against Memphis ahead of an eventual rematch in the conference championship game has Luke Fickell's Bearcats on the outside looking in. Taking down the Tigers in the AAC championship could make for an interesting conundrum for the selection committee.
2. Boise State
The Broncos have started three separate quarterbacks this season in Hank Bachmeier, Chase Cord, and senior Jaylon Henderson, but the Broncos are once again 11-1 and dominated the Mountain West this season. Henderson has led Bryan Harsin's bunch to wins in three straight, and that late push earned them a birth in the conference championship game against Hawaii. The Broncos need Cincinnati to beat Memphis and hand them their second loss on the season, as they would be the best one-loss Group of 5 team in the country, giving them an inside track on a big bowl game.
1. Memphis
Behind solid days from quarterback Brady White and one of the best freshmen at any position in the country in the aptly-named running back Kenneth Gainwell, Mike Norvell's Tigers are positioned to finally take home an AAC championship after beating Cincinnati. Given their plethora of weapons and an evil genius in Norvell at the controls, the Tigers would probably be the best challenger for a Power 5 team. Memphis just needs to beat Cincinnati one more time, which would all but lock the Tigers into a Cotton Bowl appearance.