Group of Five Power Rankings: Boise State begins ascension to top

Every week CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli puts on his selection committee hat and tries to figure out which Group of Five teams are in the running for a New Year's Six bowl spot.

By Tom Fornelli

Sep 28, 2015 at 2:30 pm ET • 2 min read

As part of the new College Football Playoff, every season at least one school from the Group of Five conferences will be chosen by the CFP Selection Committee for a spot in one of the New Year's Six bowls (Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, Orange, Cotton, Peach). Every Monday here on CBS Sports, in our new Group of Five Power Rankings, I'll let you know how I would rank the best Group of Five teams if I were the selection committee.

I'll judge each team just like the committee will be, considering everything from their record to their resume, plus how they're playing at the time.

This week we see Boise State start to climb toward the top spot, and while they aren't ranked this week, we should keep an eye on Navy going forward.

RANK	TEAM
1		Memphis (4-0) -- American: It wasn't the prettiest performance, particularly on defense, but Memphis passed a major test last week. It beat Cincinnati, and did so on national television while it was the only college football game going on. So a lot of people were exposed to Memphis for the first time, and what they saw was an exciting victory. That can only be a good thing. Last Week: 1
2		Toledo (3-0) -- MAC: Toledo now owns the entire state of Arkansas. It's official. It followed up its 16-12 win over Arkansas earlier this season with a 37-7 win over Arkansas State this week. It's not exactly the kind of win that will really move the needle, but through three games this Rockets team has been strong. Last Week: 3
3		Boise State (3-1) -- Mountain West: Boise State has rebounded from that crazy loss to BYU quite nicely. After demolishing Idaho State last week, the Broncos went on the road with a freshman quarterback and crushed Virginia 56-14. The Broncos now have two wins over Power Five opponents this season, and that matters to the selection committee. If they roll through the Mountain West, they're just going to keep climbing. Last Week: 5
4		Temple (3-0) -- American: I'm sorry, Temple, but out of sight, out of mind. You had a bye this week, and other teams below you had impressive performances. That said, the wins over Penn State and Cincinnati hold weight, but it would have been much better for the Owls if Cincinnati could have beaten Memphis. Last Week: 2
5		Houston (3-0) - American: There was nothing wrong with Houston's 59-14 win over Texas State, it's just that as the weeks go by, Houston's resume looks less impressive. Right now, its biggest win is over Louisville, and the Cardinals are now 1-3, and their only win is against Samford. There's a good chance Navy will surpass the Cougars here next week if it can beat Air Force. Last Week: 4