One of the most entertaining aspects of the College Football Playoff show on ESPN is the insane overreaction by fans afterward.
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"My team is ranked too low, and how come that team is ranked so high?"
Let's all take a deep breath. These initial rankings always look incredibly different come December, and that includes Group of 5 schools vying for the coveted New Year's 6 slot.
Right now UCF is in the lead with Memphis hot on its heels, but there are a number of scenarios in which one of the following three squads could sneak into the top Group of 5 position.
South Florida
After the Bulls' surprising home loss last weekend to Houston, fans might've lost hope of playing in a New Year's 6 bowl game.
Au contraire, mon frère!
USF will play two of the worst teams in The American over the next two weeks (Connecticut and Tulsa) separated be a bye week.
Then the showdown: A trip to Central Florida with the East division potentially on the line. If the Bulls win and then knock off a higher-ranked Memphis squad in the conference championship game the following week, South Florida should be your Group of 5 representative in a major bowl game.
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Toledo
The Rockets are trying to follow the footprints in the sand left behind by conference-mates Western Michigan a year ago.
First Toledo needs chaos in The American. They need Memphis, UCF and South Florida to slip up against teams like SMU over the next few weeks.
Then UT must run the tables against a very difficult schedule that still includes Northern Illinois (6-2), Ohio (7-2), Western Michigan (5-4) and then potentially the Bobcats again in the MAC championship game.
The odds are long right now, but if things get silly in The American, Toledo is primed to make its move.
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Troy
What a shame Troy lost to South Alabama a week after pulling the biggest Group of 5 upset over a power conference school this season or else we might have our first legit Sun Belt contender for a New Year's 6 bowl game.
Still, the Trojans' massive upset of LSU in Death Valley could come into play if things go haywire in The American and if Toledo suffers another loss.
