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After weeks of back and forth between two programs at the top of our Underdog Top 10, we finally have a unanimous No. 1 this week.
The Boise State Broncos have taken sole control of the top spot after being one vote short last week. The Broncos are the frontrunners to represent the Group of Five in a New Years Six Bowl as they have the potential to run the table this season.
UCF or Boise State has held down first and second place all season long, but for the first time in over two years, the Knights have dipped significantly in the rankings. The Knights dropping in the poll was expected after a loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats this week.
That’s where things get interesting as our panel of voters are not only all over place with where to rank UCF, but also who is now the second and third best teams in the Group of Five. Below are the results following Week 6.
Underdog Top 10 - Week 6
| Rank (LW) | Team | Points | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank (LW) | Team | Points | Conference |
| 1 (1) | Boise State | 140 (14) | Mountain West |
| 2 (10) | Cincinnati | 118 | American |
| 3 (3) | SMU | 108 | American |
| 4 (4) | Memphis | 96 | American |
| 5 (2) | UCF | 68 | American |
| 6 (6) | Tulane | 66 | American |
| 7 (5) | App State | 62 | Sun Belt |
| 8 (9) | Hawaii | 58 | Mountain West |
| 9 (7) | Utah State | 13 | Mountain West |
| 10 (8) | Army | 11 | Independent |
*Numbers in parentheses are the number of first place votes*
Biggest jump: Cincinnati Bearcats
Largest fall: UCF Knights
It is no surprise that UCF and Cincinnati moved significantly, but the Bearcats shooting up from 10th to the No. 2 in our rankings was a bit surprising as SMU and Memphis are both ranked ahead of them in the national polls. Cincy received the most second place votes after their win over the Knights and SMU was the only other team to garner any votes for that second spot.
While we are talking about teams from the American Athletic Conference, they continue to dominante the poll. Five AAC teams made the list and they are all ranked in the top six spots. With Temple and Navy also receiving votes, seven of the 12 (soon to be 11) AAC programs were represented.
In addition to Boise State, Hawaii and Utah State also hail from the Mountain West Conference. San Diego State and Air Force also got some votes, and could move up in the rankings with quality opponents on deck this weekend.
App State is the lone Sun Belt team in the rankings, with Louisiana also getting a few points. Toledo is the lone Mid-American team to receive votes, and for the second straight week, Conference USA teams did not garner any votes.
We have a couple tiers in these rankings. Boise State is in a class of their own at this point, while Cincinnati, SMU and Memphis make up the second tier. Then, it gets interesting as the middle of the pack is muddled with No. 5 through No. 8 only separated by 10 votes. After that, it’s a major drop off as we go from 58 votes for the eighth spot to just 13 for No. 9 Utah State.
The potential for a shakeup next week is certainly in the cards. No. 8 Hawaii will take on No. 1 Boise State, and an upset by the Rainbow Warriors would make next week’s rankings fascinating. App State and Louisiana meet in a critical matchup in the Sun Belt, while Cincinnati and Memphis are both on the road against quality conference opponents.