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So once again we were over at this delightful website we've discovered. They run simulations. A whole heaping helping of simulations - upwards of 50,000 - to try and predict what might happen this coming season. We already showed you what the predictions were for each conference's standings, but how about the overall rankings for our Group of Five teams? Let's start with the projected ten best programs:
Top Ten Group of Five Teams
38 UCF Knights
39 Marshall Herd
50 Utah Utes
62 Louisiana-Lafayette Cajuns
As you can see, we've got a nice little American Athletic Conference cluster at the top there, with everyone's darling teams showing as no surprise. But look a little bit lower - Navy and East Carolina are perhaps due more credit than I initially give them, with those Ragin' Cajuns nipping at their heels. Just missing this category were the Toledo Rockets (the highest ranked team from the MAC) and UTSA, of all teams. I guess I better not sleep on the Roadrunners this season.
Ten Worst Group of Five Programs
119 Army Knights
120 Hawaii Warriors
121 UAB Blazers
123 Miami (OH) Redhawks
124 UTEP Miners
126 Florida International Panthers
Not too many surprises here. Miami and EMU still have a long ways to go, grey turf or not, as does UMass and their new lockers. At least on the bright side for teams like Georgia State and New Mexico State, there's nowhere to go but up - though we've been saying that about the Aggies for a while now.