After correctly picking four of the five Group of 5 conference championship games, it’s time to rank the top Group of 5 teams headed into bowl games. The obvious history made in this year’s bowl selections was Cincinnati being the first Group of 5 team in the College Football Playoff, but some other history was made as the MAC had eight teams selected for bowl games for the first time ever. Here’s where the top of the Group of 5 stands going into Bowl Season:
#1. Cincinnati Bearcats (Last week: 1)
Cincinnati picked up a 35-20 win over Houston in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game to earn the first-ever College Football Playoff bid for a Group of 5 team. The Bearcats now get to square off with a powerhouse Alabama in a Capital One Orange Bowl game that no one thinks they have a chance in. Cincinnati’s defense has been difficult to crack all season, but Georgia also boasted a phenomenal defense before the Crimson Tide hung 41 points on them. Slowing down Heisman winner Bryce Young and the Alabama offense will be a big challenge, and Cincinnati hasn’t had to win a shootout yet this year.
#2. BYU Cougars (2)
BYU came up just short of earning a New Years Six bowl bid and instead has to settle for a matchup with UAB in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. UAB had just missed a spot in the Conference USA Championship Game and the Cougars will go into the game as a solid favorite. It will be interesting to see how Tyler Allgeier and the BYU rushing attack are able to do against a Blazers defense that allowed just 104.1 rushing yards per game this season.
#3. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (4)
Louisiana earned the school’s first outright Sun Belt title with a 24-16 win over Appalachian State in the championship game. The Ragin’ Cajuns won’t have to travel far for its bowl game, taking on Marshall in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The challenge for Louisiana will be slowing down Grant Wells and the Marshall passing game, but ULL allowed just under 200 passing yards per game, so that’s already a strength for this team. Marshall averaged 34 points per game this season but Louisiana gave up more than 27 points just once, in its season-opening loss to Texas.
#4. Houston Cougars (3)
Houston fell short of an upset of Cincinnati in the American Conference Championship Game and had to settle for a bid to the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl against Auburn instead of a likely New Years Six bowl had it knocked off the Bearcats. Auburn lost its last four games of the regular season and quarterback Bo Nix has entered the transfer portal, yet the Tigers are still slight favorites. Houston had a great run defense most of the year but surrendered 187 yards to Jerome Ford in the AAC championship, so it will be interesting to see if the Cougars can slow down Tank Bigsby and the Auburn rushing attack in the Birmingham Bowl.
#5. San Diego State Aztecs (5)
San Diego State fell to Utah State in the Mountain West Championship Game, the school’s first loss in the title game after wins in 2015 and ’16, and in turn accepted a bid to the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl against Conference-USA champ UTSA. SDSU has one of the best run defenses in the country allowing just 77.6 yards per game on the ground, but Utah State threw for 318 yards and four scores through the air to take down the Aztecs. The question will be in UTSA can have similar success, or if Sincere McCormick can break through that tough defensive front and still make a difference on the ground. The Aztec offense seemed to sputter out late in the year, failing to score 30 points in any of its final eight games after doing so four times in a row early in the season.
#6. UTSA Roadrunners (7)
Bowl game: Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl vs San Diego State
#7. Utah State Aggies (11)
Bowl game: Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel vs Oregon State
#8. Appalachian State Mountaineers (6)
Bowl game: RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl vs Western Kentucky
#9. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (8)
Bowl game: Tailgreeter Cure Bowl vs Northern Illinois
#10. Fresno State Bulldogs (9)
Bowl game: PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl vs UTEP
#11. Air Force Falcons (10)
Bowl game: SERVPRO First Responder Bowl vs Louisville
#12. Northern Illinois Huskies (14)
Bowl game: Tailgreeter Cure Bowl vs Coastal Carolina
#13. Nevada Wolfpack (13)
Bowl game: Quick Lane Bowl vs Western Michigan
#14. Central Michigan Chippewas (15)
Bowl game: Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl vs Boise State
#15. UCF Knights (On the Bubble)
Bowl game: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl vs Florida
Dropped Out
Army (12)
On the Bubble
SMU, UAB, Army, Boise State
Murphy's Field 
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