Group of Five Midseason Power Rankings

The race for the GO5 playoff spot is heating up as we reach the halfway mark of the regular season. Here are the midseason GO5 power rankings:

Just missed: Northern Illinois, Texas State, North Texas

10. University of Louisiana- Sun Belt

A closely contested loss to Tulane is the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Senior quarterback Ben Wooldridge has led Louisiana to a 5-1 start, including a win over ACC opponent Wake Forest.

Wooldridge threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns in that game and completed 69% of his passes for 1,412 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions on the year. He has also chipped in 122 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

Louisiana suffered an eight-point loss to fellow GO5 contenders Tulane in week four, and has struggled in recent weeks to put away Southern Miss and App State. Both teams are currently winless in Sun Belt competition, yet they both played the Ragin’ Cajuns to one-score games entering the fourth quarter.

Louisiana is in a great position in its conference, with DraftKings giving them +475 odds to win the Sun Belt, third-best in the conference. However, they will need a few more wins against quality opponents to compete with other top GO5 teams for the playoff spot.

Upcoming matchups at Coastal Carolina and at Texas State will give Louisiana that opportunity.

9. Liberty- Conference USA

Continuing off last year’s undefeated regular season, Liberty is one of three GO5 teams that can boast a perfect record at the midseason mark.

So why are the 5-0 Flames so low in the power rankings? The short answer is schedule.

Liberty’s strength of schedule is ranked 123rd out of 134 FBS teams, something the CFP committee pays attention to.

A team can only play whoever is on their schedule and can overcome a soft slate by defeating their opponents without much struggle. However, the Flames have not been doing so.

Liberty defeated FCS Campbell in Week 1 and had their matchup against Appalachian State canceled due to Hurricane Helene.

Aside from those teams, Liberty has played New Mexico State, UTEP, East Carolina and FIU. Those four teams have a combined overall record of 6-18. Not exactly a murderer's row of opponents.

Liberty hasn’t put up style points either, with New Mexico State and FIU playing the Flames to one-possession games.

Junior quarterback Kaidon Salter and star Senior running back Quinton Cooley led Liberty to the Fiesta Bowl last season as the highest-ranked GO5 team (the result of that game need not be discussed).

Despite their perfect record, the Flames will need better play from the duo to repeat last year’s feat.

8. James Madison- Sun Belt

The highlight at the midway point of the season for the Dukes was certainly a two-game stretch at the end of September where they put up 133 combined points. This includes a shellacking of ACC opponent UNC where they dropped 70 points, followed by a 63-7 win over Ball State.

The high for James Madison was short-lived, as they lost a slugfest against ULM the following week. With ULM’s unexpected success thus far, the loss does not look nearly as bad as expected (more on them later.)

James Madison rebounded nicely last weekend as they dominated a solid Coastal Carolina squad.

Sophomore quarterback Alonza Barnett III has been a star for the Dukes, throwing for 1,472 yards, 15 touchdowns and just one interception. His 15 passing touchdowns are currently top 10 in the nation. He’s also contributed 309 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

JMU joined the FBS ranks three years ago, and has been surprisingly competitive throughout the transition, boasting a 23-6 record since the 2022 season.

Despite losing their head coach and starting quarterback over the offseason, the Dukes have not missed a beat.

They’ll look ahead to next week's visit to a very strong Georgia Southern program.

7. Memphis- AAC

Like the aforementioned Dukes, Memphis suffered an early loss against a GO5 team that is much better than expected.

The Tigers lost a shootout against Navy in which the two teams combined for 100 points.

Aside from that, the preseason AAC favorites have been perfect.

Memphis already has a marquee win against an elite Power 4 team (OK, it was against Florida State,) and has won their other four games by an average of 24 points, most recently a 21-3 win at South Florida.

The Tigers are led by a suffocating defense. Despite Navy dropping 56 points, their defense allows just 15.8 points per game, good enough for second in their conference. Junior linebacker Chandler Martin leads the team with 42 tackles and four sacks.

Memphis has an experienced offense, led by four-year starting quarterback Seth Henigan. Henigan has thrown for 1,547 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions on the year.

One of the preseason favorites to earn the GO5 playoff spot, Memphis looks to keep that hope alive as they take on a fellow 5-1 team in North Texas.

6. University of Louisiana-Monroe- Sun Belt

In the program’s history, Louisiana-Monroe has never won more than eight games in a season. They have more seasons in which they won one game (or less) than seasons where they’ve qualified for a bowl game. They have not finished .500 or better since 2018.

So it would be an understatement to say what first-year head coach Bryant Vincent has done with this Warhawks program this season has been unexpected.

Their offense is built around a strong run game, with freshman running back Ahmad Hardy carrying the ball for 500 yards and six touchdowns.

Louisiana-Monroe’s passing game is a weakness, as three quarterbacks have combined to throw for just 741 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions through six games.

However, their defense is stingy, and, more importantly, the results of the games have gone in their favor.

Their five victories include a win over fellow Sun Belt contender JMU, and their only loss has come to No. 1 Texas. Not bad for a program that finished winless just five years ago.

The Warhawks don’t have as much star power as other teams on this list, and their lack of a passing game doesn’t bode well for games where they don’t jump out to a lead.

However, they currently top the West Division in the Sun Belt. Vincent will live with General Booty at quarterback as long as the wins keep piling up.

5. Tulane- AAC

The only two-loss team to be featured on this list, Tulane suffered early season defeats to Power 4 schools Kansas State and Oklahoma.

The Green Wave have responded nicely, defeating a strong Louisiana team, blowing out South Florida and, most recently, dropping 71 points on UAB.

Scoring 10 touchdowns in your most recent game is a pretty good way to get on this list.

Tulane’s offense has been outstanding, as they have averaged 42.5 points per game.

Star sophomore running back Makhi Hughes has 604 yards and seven touchdowns through six games.

Freshman quarterback Darian Mensah was issued a tall task in replacing Michael Pratt but has looked the part thus far. He has completed 66% of his passes for 1,256 yards, 10 touchdowns and two picks.

One could argue that Tulane’s two losses should have them lower on this list. However, Tulane has a recent track record as one of the most successful GO5 teams, finishing 2022 as the No. 9 team in the country and 2023 with 11 wins on the year.

That success and their recent dominance provide reason to overlook their two (competitive) losses to Power 4 opponents. As long as they continue to win, the Green Wave could very well steal the GO5 playoff bid with two losses.

4. No. 23 Army- AAC

Break up the triple option.

After finishing the last two seasons 6-6, head coach Jeff Monken decided to revamp his triple-option offense.

The result? A 6-0 start, an offense that averages 39.7 points per game and a quarterback ranked fourth in the nation in total QBR (quarterback rating.)

Senior Bryson Daily has run for 738 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 482 yards and six touchdowns through the air. Daily has yet to turn the ball over, or even take a sack.

Two other backs, Kanye Udoh and Noah Short, averaged over seven yards a rush on over 30 carries.

Army’s defense has also been exceptional, allowing less than 10 points per game. The only other school that can claim the same is No. 1 Texas. That’s pretty good company.

Army hasn’t exactly played the toughest schedule. However, unlike Liberty, they have taken care of business without much struggle against inferior opponents.

The Black Knights still have quite a few tests on their schedule, with matchups against North Texas and No. 12 Notre Dame upcoming, and that’s not even mentioning their annual battle against Navy (more on the Midshipmen later.)

Just as everyone predicted, DraftKings has Army listed at +170 odds to win the AAC, the second highest in the conference behind Tulane.

It has been a dream first half of the season for Army.

3. UNLV- Mountain West

Who predicted UNLV to be one of the main characters of the 2024 season?

The Rebels made early season headlines after starting quarterback Matthew Sluka left the program over NIL compensation that he attested he was owed but not given.

Sluka left the week after a nationally televised win against Kansas that got UNLV to 3-0 for the first time since 1984 and squarely in contention for the GO5 playoff bid.

So what does Senior quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams do the next week in relief of Sluka? Nothing too crazy. He only put up 301 combined passing and rushing yards with four touchdowns in a 59-14 romp over preseason Mountain West contender Fresno State.

After narrowly losing an overtime contest against Syracuse, UNLV rebounded with a win over Utah State last weekend.

In addition to Kansas, the Rebels have a second Power 4 win against Houston. No other GO5 program can add two wins against Power 4 opponents to their resume.

UNLV has a chance to further improve its resume with a matchup against the top team in these rankings in two weeks.

2. No. 25 Navy- AAC

The last time both Navy and Army were ranked, Sprite was just invented, the first stars to the Hollywood Walk of Fame were added and the song of the year was ‘Theme From a Summer Place’ by Percy Faith.

Needless to say, it’s been a while.

You know how Army averages just under 40 points per game? Navy averages 43.6, tops in their conference and good enough for fifth in the nation.

You know how Daily is fourth in the nation in total QBR? Navy’s Junior quarterback Blake Horvath ranks first.

You know how Army has played a weak schedule to get to 6-0? The Midshipmen already have a signature win against Memphis on their also-undefeated resume.

Essentially, everything Army has done this season, Navy has done better. Army has a statistically better defense, but Navy gave up 44 points to Memphis in their shootout win. Remove that total, and Navy’s defense has allowed just 14.3 points per game, which would be a top 10 total in the nation.

Navy still has matchups against No. 12 Notre Dame and Tulane to get through before their annual showdown against Army.

The December regular season battle might be the second time the two service academies play each other, as they are on track to face off in the AAC championship game with a potential playoff berth on the line.

What a game that would be.

1 . No. 15 Boise State- Mountain West

A GO5 team that scores an absurd 46.8 points per game (third in the nation,) whose only loss is to No. 2 Oregon by three points and who has the current odds-on favorite to win the Heisman is more than worthy of the top spot in these power rankings.

Running back Michael Myers (sorry, Junior Ashton Jeanty. The two get easily mixed up) has gashed opposing defenses for an astounding 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns. These would be impressive statistics for an entire season. Jeanty achieved this at the halfway point while sitting out two second-half blowouts.

He already has three 200+ yard performances and four games with at least three touchdowns. Wow.

Boise State landed former No. 1 overall recruit Malachi Nelson in the transfer portal, so many were perplexed when Sophomore Maddux Madsen was named the starting quarterback.

However, thanks to Jeanty’s dominance, Madsen hasn’t been asked to do much other than manage the game, a role in which he is thriving.

Madsen’s numbers don’t jump off the page at 1,273 yards on a 64% completion percentage, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. However, Madsen is excellent at avoiding the big mistakes and allowing Jeanty to carry the offense.

This has helped the Broncos score over 50 points on three different occasions, sporting an offense that is seemingly impossible to stop if they jump out to a lead.

The most difficult game remaining on the Broncos’ schedule is their next one, as they take on UNLV after a bye this upcoming weekend. Win that, and they will be in the driver’s seat for the GO5 playoff bid.

Alex Perez is a third-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email app5877@psu.edu.