The expanded College Football Playoff provides an opportunity for Group of Five programs to make some noise and compete for a National Championship, and they're taking advantage early this season. Two smaller programs that have impressed so far this season are UNLV and Memphis, both of whom are off to 3-0 starts.
That success hasn't sprung the thought of making the playoff on those two schools, however. They have been eyeing the 12-team bracket since long before this season started, according to Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports.
“Anytime you sat down with a recruit, be it in January or spring or the summer, you could say, ‘Listen, if you come here, you have a true chance to go to the Playoff if we win this thing,’” Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield said, per Auerbach. “You couldn’t say that in the past.”
That is becoming a major selling point for coaches recruiting at these Group of Five schools that now have a chance to compete with the big boys year in and year out. UNLV coach Barry Odom also highlighted the margin for error that Group of Five teams have, especially with a difficult schedule. If they pick up a win or two over a big name and then win their conference, they have a great chance of getting in.
“If you do that, the way that things are set up, it presents an opportunity to be in the 12-team Playoff,” Odom said, per Auerbach. “Why not be the voice of it? We’re aligned in what we hear, say, think and do — and here are the reasons why we practice the way we do, here’s the outcome that we’re trying to achieve.”
Who will be batting for the Group of Five College Football Playoff bid?
Only one Group of Five team has ever made the College Football Playoff. The very talented 2021 Cincinnati Bearcats — led by Sauce Gardner, Desmond Ridder and Jerome Ford — were the first to make the big breakthrough. There is going to be a second team that joins them this year in the new 12-team format, and a few early contenders have emerged this season.
Memphis and UNLV are both off to ideal starts to be on a playoff track. Both teams are 3-0, with Memphis and Ryan Silverfield coming off of a big road win against Florida State and UNLV having knocked off two Big 12 foes — Houston and Kansas — already this year. Memphis fell just one spot outside of the AP top 25 in Week 4 and appears to clearly be the best team in the AAC this year, while UNLV tops the Mountain West in the early part of the season alongside Boise State. The Broncos are another contender for the final auto-bid to the playoff after nearly knocking off Oregon in Eugene.
The only Group of Five team that is currently ranked is No. 23 Northern Illinois, who took the college football world by storm when they upset Notre Dame on the road in Week 2. The Huskies should have the inside track towards the MAC title and a possible playoff berth.
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