Bulldogs represented in first CFP rankings. Here’s how they stack up against nation

Fresno State linebacker George Helmuth said he wouldn’t be in front of the television on Tuesday when the first College Football Playoff rankings were revealed.

He would be watching film of UNLV, which at this point makes perfect sense. “It’s exciting,” Helmuth said. “But if you lose to UNLV it really doesn’t matter.”

But while Helmuth was watching the Rebels and an offense that is putting up 31.6 points per game, the CFP Committee made it clear if the Bulldogs have a lot to play for in the race for a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game as the highest ranked champion from a Group of Five conference.

Fresno State in the first round of rankings came in at No. 23.

The top-ranked Group of Five program is Central Florida at No. 12., the highest a Group of Five program has been in the first release of the rankings.

Fresno State is the only other Group of Five team in the rankings. Boise State, Utah State, San Diego State, Houston, South Florida and Cincinnati, also considered contenders through the final five weeks of the season, were not ranked.

The Top Four are Alabama, Clemson, Louisiana State and Notre Dame.

But it is a long way to Dec. 2 when the final rankings are announced, and the Bulldogs do have some upward mobility playing in the Mountain West Conference.

Group of Five history

A year ago, Central Florida and Memphis were the only Group of Five programs to hold a spot in the first round of the CFP rankings at Nos. 18 and 23.

The Knights kept winning, made it to No. 12 and ended their season with a victory over Auburn in the Peach Bowl on New Years Day.

Memphis made it as high as No. 20, Boise State made an appearance in Week 12 and 13 at No. 25 and No. 23, fell out of the CFP rankings after losing to Fresno State to end the regular season and was back in at No. 25 after championship weekend.

The Bulldogs were at No. 25 in Week 14, but no team made much of a run at UCF.

In 2016, Western Michigan started at No. 23, one spot ahead of Boise State.

Boise State moved ahead and to No. 20 in Week 12, but ended up losing to Air Force at the end of the regular season. Houston entered the rankings that week at No. 20, a 9-2 team ahead of an 11-0 Western Michigan.

But Western Michigan won its conference championship game, hitting No. 15 in the CFP, and ended up losing to Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl.

In 2015, Houston started at No. 25 and behind Memphis at No. 13, Temple at No. 22 and Toledo at No. 24. The Cougars fell out of the rankings after a loss at Connecticut, but they were back in at No. 19 one week later and ended up No. 18 and in the Peach Bowl, where they beat Florida State 38-24.

And in 2014, East Carolina was No. 23 in the first set of rankings and gone the following week. Boise State wasn’t ranked by the committee until Week 14, but ended up playing in the Fiesta Bowl where it beat Arizona 38-20.

Bulldogs’ boosters

Fresno State will have opportunities to bolster its resume with games at Boise State on Nov. 9 and against San Diego State on Nov. 17 at Bulldog Stadium.

The Mountain West championship also figures to match up two contenders for that New Year’s Six bowl slot, with the Bulldogs and San Diego State the top contenders in the West Division and Utah State and Boise State in the Mountain Division.

Central Florida, which is 7-0 and 4-0 in the American Athletic Conference, has won 20 games in a row including a perfect 13-0 season a year ago.

The knock on the Knights has been their strength of schedule. UCF has a victory over 4-4 Pittsburgh and a 31-30 victory at Memphis, but its FBS opponents have a combined record of 17-30. None of the teams at this point have a winning record.

The Knights, averaging 44.4 points a game while allowing just 18.1, have games against 7-1 Cincinnati and at 7-1 South Florida to end the regular season.

This story was originally published October 30, 2018 at 4:26 PM.