This week is a put-up-or-shut-up weekend for a few teams in the Group of Five.
I've banging the drum for all season long for No. 18 Army, and this weekend the Black Knights take on No. 6 Notre Dame team in historic Yankee Stadium. Also on the slate, things can get clearer in Conference USA with a matchup between Sam Houston and Jacksonville State -- both of which are still neophytes to the FBS landscape, having jumped up to the subdivision last season. Both teams are playing for a spot in the Conference USA Championship Game.
Elsewhere in the Group of Five landscape, teams are trying to stack wins and maybe earn some style points along the way.
Last week, we saw a few teams like Washington State, Louisiana and Western Kentucky take losses, which just hammers the point home that it is hard to win games in college football no matter the conference.
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 college football sportsbooks and betting apps saying about Week 13 games involving Group of Five teams? Use Caesars promo code to view the latest odds and get in the game.
| 1 | |
| An undefeated record. National spotlight game. Iconic Notre Dame. Yankee Stadium. Playoff implications on the line. There is nothing more than the Black Knights could ask for in Week 13. Now it is time to go out and prove it. (Last Week: 1) | |
| 2 | |
| After a slow start, the Broncos came roaring back from a two-touchdown deficit to double up on San Jose State, 42-21. (LW: 2) | |
| 3 | |
| The Green Wave blanked Navy 35-0 last weekend for an eighth straight victory. One can only think how high the Green Wave would be ranked if they would've just split their early season games vs. Kansas State and Oklahoma. (LW: 4) | |
| 4 | |
| UNLV is a perfect 5-0 on the road this season and take their Go-Go offense on the road this week vs San Jose State. (LW: 7) | |
| 5 | |
| Another tightly contested victory last weekend for the Gamecocks. This week, they take on Sam Houston in a game that could decide one of the Conference USA title game spots. (LW: 8) | |
| 6 | |
| Winners of three straight games, the Bearkats will need to bring a little bit more offense in this monumental matchup vs. Jacksonville State this week. (LW: 9) | |
| 7 | |
| The Huskies are showing that you can build a winner if you build it upon a solid foundation. I absolutely love what coach Jim L. Mora is doing with this team. (LW: 10) | |
| 8 | |
| I've been keeping an eye on the Rams and their progress since the first month of the season. Their defense has gotten better, and now they are now playing good complementary football. (LW: Not ranked) | |
| 9 | |
| The Cougars had no answers for New Mexico's run game in their Week 12 loss. (Here's why Washington State is ranked among Group of Five teams.) (LW: 3) | |
| 10 | |
| Unfortunate to see QB Ben Wooldridge go down with an injury, which definitely changes things offensively for the Cajuns. Defensively, however, things have to tighten up as they close out the season vs Troy and ULM. (LW: 5) | |
No longer ranked: Western Kentucky