College Football Playoff: Evaluating Group of 5 race ahead of Week 13

With two weeks to go in the regular season, the race to the College Football Playoff is heating up. Multiple conference championship berths are on the line as teams look to secure bids – but two Group of 5 title games are going to be especially important.

The Mountain West and American Athletic Conference are at the forefront of the CFP discussion. Boise State came in as the projected Mountain West champion and, therefore, the No. 4 seed in the 12-team bracket following Tuesday’s rankings release. But Tulane and Army will square off in the AAC championship, and both teams were also in the Top 25 ahead of Week 13.

The Mountain West and AAC were well-represented in Tuesday’s rankings with two teams appearing from each league. Boise State ranked No. 12, Army was at No. 19, Tulane sat at No. 20 and UNLV rounded things out at No. 24. Those four teams are all leading the pack of Group of 5 teams hoping to make the College Football Playoff field.

Because Boise State was the fourth-highest ranked projected conference champion in Tuesday’s rankings – the Broncos were at No. 12 while BYU was the highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 14 – they would receive a bye in the bracket. BSU has been at the forefront of the G5 conversation, led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Ashton Jeanty, who had three touchdowns in last week’s win over San Jose State.

The Broncos are making an impression on the selection committee, chairman Warde Manuel said Tuesday night. With the one loss coming to No. 1 Oregon in the final seconds, they’re making a strong case for the 12-team field.

“They performed very well against the competition that they had,” Manuel said in a post-rankings reveal teleconference. “Started with a close loss at Oregon by three, and they’ve performed very well in their games and the competitions they’ve had since. For us, you look at what Ashton Jeanty has done leading the country in rushing, they really have been a great solid team in their performance, and the committee has been impressed by how they’ve played all year.”

American Athletic Conference title game set

Tulane and Army both ended up in the Top 25 rankings for the second straight week, showing the cases both teams have for the College Football Playoff. For the Black Knights, that road runs through Notre Dame – Saturday’s opponent at Yankee Stadium.

Army could get a marquee victory on its resume as it looks to move up the rankings. In the process, the Fighting Irish would likely see their CFP hopes vanish.

As for Tulane, the Green Wave have one final bye week before closing out the season next week against Memphis. A resounding 35-0 victory over Navy clinched their spot in the AAC Championship, and it also opened the door for Army to clinch, as well. The Black Knights needed a Midshipmen loss to do so.

At No. 19 and No. 20, respectively, Tulane and Army are hanging around the bottom half of the rankings. If Boise State stumbles, one of those teams could take a leap.

How UNLV fits in to the conversation

Boise State is one of two undefeated teams in Mountain West play. Colorado State is the other, and that could be the conference championship matchup if the Rams stay undefeated.

But CSU wasn’t ranked Tuesday. Instead, UNLV jumped into the Top 25 with an 8-2 overall record and a 5-1 mark in MWC action. That decision, Manuel said, was because of the Rebels’ resume – including a close road loss to Syracuse.

“Two close losses – overtime at Syracuse and the loss by five to Boise – impressive in what they have done,” Manuel said. “Their quarterback, [Hajj-Malik] Williams, has really performed both passing and rushing. I think he leads the team in both categories.

“They’ve just been impressive to us, and while they may not be in the top two in the league, we really look at the team’s performance overall throughout the season to determine how we rank them. But we’ve been impressed by UNLV.”

With two weeks to go in the regular season, the Group of 5 race is starting to get interesting. Boise State is in pole position, but there’s plenty of football left before we reach the finish line.