6. The Group of Five stars
Let’s begin by saying the quiet part out loud.
The Group of Five programs don’t have any real shot of getting into the College Football Playoff. And why? They don’t play enough great teams – aka Power Five programs – even if they have a great non-conference schedule.
A team from the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt would have to 1) go unbeaten, 2) dominate from start to finish, and 3) destroy at least two brand name Power Five teams.
Here are the 50-win star of stars among the Group of Fivers over the last seven years.
Georgia Southern (50 wins) – The Eagles entered the FBS level when the CFP era started, had a few down moments – going 2-10 in 2017 – but have been solid overall.
Arkansas State (51 wins) – Even with an awful 4-7 2020, the Red Wolves have won a whole lot of games in the CFP era.
Air Force (52 wins) – A bit underappreicated, the Falcons have been a steady rock. They’re here despite playing just six games – going 3-3 – last season.
Houston (52 wins) – This is why the pressure is on Dana Holgorsen. The Cougars have shown they can be in the thick of things.
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Louisiana (52 wins) – It was good before, but Billy Napier has taken the program to another level over the last few years.
Navy (53 wins) – Navy went 3-7 last season, but Ken Niumatalolo has been able to ramp up the wins over the last seven years.
Western Michigan (53 wins) – The big run was in 2016 when the PJ Fleck-led team went 13-1 on the way to the Cotton Bowl. The program, though, has been consistently terrific.
Cincinnati (54 wins) – 31 wins over the last three seasons have put the spotlight on the 2021 Bearcats to make a whole lot of noise.
BYU (55 wins) – Don’t tell BYU that it’s on a list of Group of Five programs, but with its independent status, even one loss is a CFP deal-breaker.
Louisiana Tech (56 wins) – The Bulldogs have never been close to the CFP discussion, but they’ve won a whole lot of games under Skip Holtz.
UCF (56 wins) -The 0-12 2015 season drags down the overall total, but also shows just how strong the program has been in the other years.
Marshall (58 wins) – The Thundering Herd haven’t beaten a whole lot of great teams to ever be seriously considered for the CFP, but they’ve won a whole lot of games.
Toledo (56 wins) – Even though the program should be more dominant in MAC play – it needs to win more championships – it’s been able to be a steady force.
San Diego State (60 wins) – Brady Hoke still has to prove the success can continue for a program that consistently rolled under Rocky Long.
Memphis (65 wins) – It made the NewYear’s Six in 2019 and came back with a strong eight-win 2020. It’s been a consistent AAC powerhouse.
Boise State (69 wins) – The program has won ten games or more 17 times in the last 22 years, and it didn’t get there last season only because it played just seven games.
Appalachian State (70 wins) – Nah, the Mountaineers didn’t even play for the 2020 Sun Belt title, but they’ve been amazing since moving up into the FCS world.