Away from the five matchups of ranked teams in college football this weekend there is a compelling subplot. Two games have major implications in the race to be the best team from the so-called Group of Five conferences.
No. 21 Boise State faces its toughest remaining test of the season at Utah State on Friday night. On Saturday, Memphis hosts No. 13 Mississippi with a chance to score the most impressive victory for a team from outside the power conferences against a Power Five team.
The Group of Five champion ranked highest by the playoff committee at the end of the season gets a prized spot in one of the New Year’s Six bowls.
Boise State of the Mountain West was the preseason favorite to land that bid and the Broncos (5-1) would be undefeated if not for Tanner Mangum’s late touchdown pass for BYU last month. Boise State has outscored its opponents 204-24 since. If the Aggies can’t stop the Broncos in Logan, it seems doubtful any other Mountain West team will be able to do it.
Memphis (5-0) is one of three unbeaten teams in the American Athletic Conference, along with No. 24 Houston and Temple. The AAC has racked up some nice victories against Power Five teams. Houston has won at Louisville, Temple beat Penn State and Cincinnati has a win against Miami. A victory against Ole Miss not only gives Memphis a resume centerpiece, but it boosts the credibility of the conference as whole, which is important.