NCAA Re-Rank 1-130: Status quo at the top while Group of Five schools rise

The top 10 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports college football re-rank didn’t budge an inch. From No. 1 Alabama through No. 10 Washington State, it’s all status quo.

Then you get to No. 11 Utah State, which swapped spots with No. 12 LSU. It’s the start of a theme: This week’s re-rank is all about the rise of the Group of Five, which has seven teams in the new top 25. Once again leading the way is No. 6 Central Florida, which extended its winning streak by topping Navy.

The Knights and Aggies are followed by No. 17 Army, No. 19 Buffalo, No. 20 Boise State, No. 22 Fresno State and No. 24 Alabama-Birmingham. As Power Five teams such as Kentucky, Iowa and Oregon fall victims to a November swoon, these off-the-radar teams have earned the top-25 designation.

These Group of Five front-runners have been impossible to ignore. You know about UCF, which hasn’t lost since 2016. Utah State has been tearing through its schedule since opening the year with a close loss to Michigan State. Army and Buffalo are representing New York with pride – the two have combined for three losses.

Boise State moved into the top 25 after topping off Fresno State; the two are now 8-2 and perhaps headed for a rematch in the Mountain West championship game. And 9-1 UAB is simply one of the best stories in all of college football.

New to the top 25: No. 20 Boise State, No. 21 Utah, No. 23 Penn State, No. 24 UAB

Out of the top 25: No. 28 Kentucky, No. 31 Michigan State, No. 33 Oregon, No. 38 Auburn