One of the best stories so far this college football season has been ULM and coach Bryant Vincent. The former UAB offensive coordinator (and interim coach) has the Warhawks experiencing one of their best seasons in quite a while. ULM is 5-1 on the season, undefeated in Sun Belt play with a major upset of James Madison, and off to its best start since their 1987 national championship team as a member of the FCS.
But what has really made this season a special one is the way Vincent has not only galvanized a team, but an athletics program and community as well. The Warhawks have seen their home attendance jump each game, doubling from 11,145 in the home opener vs. Jackson State to 22,645 for homecoming against Southern Miss two weeks ago.
This weekend, they are betting underdogs at college football sportsbooks at South Alabama. For the rest of the season, the Warhawks have a chance to do something special with games still against Auburn and the red-hot Ragin' Cajuns in their annual rivalry game at the end of the season. If they are able to take care of business, the Warhawks could end up with their best season since 2012 when they finished 8-5 and earned a trip to the Independence Bowl.
There's still a lot of football left to be played, but for this week, the Warhawks have earned a spot in our Group of Five Power Rankings.
Group of Five rankings remain important. Though these conferences get a significantly lower financial guarantee from the new 12-team CFP, they are on a more equitable field when it comes to the competition: The four highest ranked conference champions get byes, and the five highest ranked champs get auto-bids, but nothing is to say that the supposed "Power Four" are guaranteed those four byes or four of those five spots; if a Group of Five team were to outrank, hypothetically, the Big 12 champion, it would get a bye and home game. And with those spots comes financial windfalls based on success in the tournament.
What are the season outlooks for the best Group of Five teams? Use Caesars promo code to view the latest odds and get in the game.
| 1 | |
| Black Knights were in control throughout their game against East Carolina and dominated the Pirates, taking a 38-7 lead into the fourth quarter before letting their foot off the gas later in the ball game. Based on the eye test, this is the best team amongst the Group of Five. (Last Week: 2) | |
| 2 | |
| Big-time matchup for Ashton Jeanty and his band of Broncos as they take on UNLV on the road. These are the types of marquee spotlight games that help flex the Group of Five muscle and further strengthen Heisman Trophy candidacies. (LW: 1) | |
| 3 | |
| The Midshipmen get first crack at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this week. Not to overstate the obvious, but this is a monumental game for both the Mids and the Group of Five as a whole. This could be a chance for Navy QB Blake Horvath to drop his anchor down into the Heisman race. (LW: 3) | |
| 4 | |
| Another opportunity for the Rebels to step up in a huge game. So far this season, they are 1-1 in these types of tests. We saw them lose to Syracuse earlier in this season and knock off Oregon State last weekend. (LW: 5) | |
| 5 | |
| Avoiding the upset last weekend vs. a solid North Texas team serves twofold for the Tigers. One, they continue to hold steady in the AAC race and they picked up a quality win in the process. (LW: 6) | |
| 6 | |
| The Green Wave got the job done against Rice, which turned out to be a tougher opponent than I expected. Now winners of four straight games, Tulane travels to Denton to take on North Texas. (LW: 9) | |
| 7 | |
| QB Ben Wooldridge is playing some of the best ball at the position in the country. What he does both athletically and situationally is a major reason why the Cajuns are never out of a game and come out on top more often than not. (LW: 8) | |
| 8 | |
| Can the Warhawks keep things going as they head to Mobile to take on South Alabama? Tough two-game stretch coming up for ULM, which travels to Marshall after the trip to Mobile. (LW: Not ranked) | |
| 9 | |
| The Flames have been flirting with their first loss all season long, which makes it only fitting that they lost to winless Kennesaw State. (LW: 4) | |
| 10 | |
| The Hilltoppers looked like -- and played like -- the better team in their road win vs. Sam Houston. Again, I came away more impressed with their defense than anything, which helps them be a more well-rounded team. Undefeated in conference play, WKU is still in contention for the Conference USA title. (LW: NR) | |
Dropped out: James Madison, Sam Houston