College football G6 rankings: Oregon State might be the team to beat

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College football G6 rankings: Oregon State might be the team to beat

Oregon State receiver Jesse Legree | Al Sermeno/ISI Photos/GettyImages

Wynston Wilcox

Thu, October 22, 2026 at 1:20 PM UTC ·

6 min read

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Oregon State has college football in a chokehold this season. Not because they're one of the top ranked teams, but because they could very well be the best Group of 6 team this season. Boise State has been dominant, beating every top G6 team they've played. The Broncos have Oregon State at the end of the year and it will probably determine which team will get into the College Football Playoff as the G6 representative.

Before the season started, the Beavers were unranked, unknown and dormant. Now they're inside the top five with a shot to make their College Football Playoff debut. Here's the latest FanSided G6 rankings ahead of Week 8 in the college football season.

G6 poll: Oregon State, James Madison closing the gap on Boise State

RANK	TEAM	POINTS	RECORD	LAST WEEK
1	Boise State Broncos	57	5-1	1
2	James Madison Dukes	52	7-0	2
3	Oregon State Beavers	47	5-2	4
4	New Mexico Lobos	46	5-1	3
5	UTSA Roadrunners	34	6-1	6
6	North Dakota State Bison	33	6-1	7
7	Air Force Falcons	20	5-1	--
8	Memphis Tigers	14	5-2	5
9	Western Michigan Broncos	14	5-2	--
10	Ohio Bobcats	6	5-2	--

Dropped out : UNLV, Fresno State, Florida Atlantic

Others receiving votes : Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5), North Texas Mean Green (1), Toledo Rockets (1)

Memphis hanging on by a thread after loss to Tulane

Memphis' head coach Charles Huff | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Avg. rank this week: 8.2
Highest rank this week: 6
Lowest rank this week: unranked

Memphis was already in danger of missing the College Football Playoff as a one-loss team. After the loss to Tulane, the Tigers are pretty much out of the race at this point. They're also hanging on in the G6 rankings by a thread. After being in the top 5 for much of the season, the Tigers are now ranked No. 8. They're still a really good team, but this year's Cinderella run looks like it will come up short in the CFP race. Don't let that diminish Charles Huff's first season. That said, this season is a reminder this is still the same ol' Memphis team that comes up just short of their expectations.

Air Force makes G6 rankings debut

Avg. rank this week: 7.7
Highest rank this week: 7
Lowest rank this week: 8

Air Force is ranked in this week's G6 poll and it really shouldn't be a surprise. The Falcons' only loss this season is to North Dakota State and with all the movement at the bottom of the poll, new teams were bound to drop in. The Falcons have to play New Mexico as well at the end of the season. The service academies always get the short end of the stick when it comes to the CFP race, but Air Force makes an argument for consideration if they manage to win out the rest of the year and win a Mountain West conference championship.

Mid-American Conference getting consideration as bottom half shuffles

Ohio Bobcats quarterback Nick Poulos | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Ohio Bobcats and Western Michigan Broncos are in this week's poll and the Toledo Rockets received votes after dropping out of the poll earlier this year. Ohio is the only team of the three that hasn't been ranked with Toledo being ranked once at No. 8 a couple of weeks ago and Western Michigan being ranked as high as No. 3 after the first month of the season.

Ohio (5-2) makes its debut after knocking off Sacramento State. The Bobcats went toe-to-toe with Nebraska before getting blown out in the fourth quarter and suffered a frustrating loss to South Alabama after losing their starting quarterback. If they win the MAC and defeat Western Michigan, it might not be enough to get into the CFP, but enough to prove they're one of the best G6 teams this season.

Western Michigan has dipped a bit from its hot start, but has landed back in the rankings. They have a big matchup against Toledo that could ultimately determine their standing with the G6 voters moving forward.

Notable G6 matchups this week

UTSA Roadrunners at Tulane Green Wave

UTSA Roadrunners quarterback Owen McCown | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is a trap game for UTSA. The Roadrunners have just one loss on the season and Tulane just knocked off American heavyweight Memphis last week at home. It's not easy playing in New Orleans, but UTSA could save their CFP hopes with a win. Owen McCown is playing at a really high level right now for UTSA, which could pose a big problem for Tulane. That said, if the Green Wave's defense plays even half as good as it did against Memphis, the Roadrunners might get stunned.

Western Michigan Broncos at Toledo Rockets

Western Michigan needs a win to remain one of the top teams and Toledo needs to regain respect with voters. That's the magnitude of this game. The MAC is good this year and this game will either prove how good it is or that it's not quite there. Good teams have to figure out how to win against good teams. Western Michigan fell off after a hot start. This is a great bounce back game for them. The winner of this game probably won't get into the CFP, but they can prove maybe they're a fringe top 5 G6 team.

North Dakota State Bison at New Mexico Lobos

North Dakota State Bison wide receiver Jeremiah Patterson | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Simply put, New Mexico has to win this game. The Lobos are right on the cusp of getting into the College Football Playoff and a loss at this point would end that hope. They've been one of the strongest G6 teams this season rising from No. 5 all the way to No. 3. Of course, NDSU losing to UNLV helped, which is exactly why they need a win this week. The Bison are in their first full season as an FBS member and look exactly like we expected them to. The loss to UNLV wasn't ideal, but it doesn't end their season. A win over New Mexico and a Mountain West title in year one could keep their miracle run alive.

More college football rankings news and analysis

This article was originally published on www.fansided.com as College football G6 rankings: Oregon State might be the team to beat .

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