Tulane Headlines Top G5 Teams in Football Power Index Ahead of 2025 Season

Once again in 2025, the highest-ranked conference champion from the Group of Five at the end of the season will receive a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Recently, ESPN released their Football Power Index rankings and projections for the upcoming 2025 season. The FPI system is designed to be a predictive rating system that measures team strength based on past results and predicts future wins and losses.

Here are the top five ranked teams in the FPI ahead of the 2025 season.

Tulane Green Wave - No. 36

Projected Record: 9.4-3.3

Jon Sumrall found some success in his first year at Tulane, going 9-5 and reaching the AAC Championship game. The prospect of playing for Sumrall in New Orleans for a program that's been a strong representative of the G5 for the last three seasons has once again attracted a strong crop of transfer players. The biggest question mark for the Green Wave: the quarterback position. 2024 starter Darian Mensah transferred to Duke and the replacement, TJ Finley, has already left the program amid legal troubles.

Boise State Broncos - No. 40

Projected Record: 9.6-3.1

Boise State finished the 2024 season inside the AP's top ten for the fifth time in program history last year, earning a first-round bye in the CFP. Spencer Danielson once again has plenty of reason to be confident in his team that returns their starting quarterback and most of their other key players, save for NFL-bound Ashton Jeanty and Ahmed Hassanein. The Broncos should once again be the favorite to represent the Group of Five in the playoff.

UNLV Rebels - No. 42

Projected Record: 9.7-2.9

New head coach Dan Mullen and hopes to pick up where Barry Odom left off after leaving for the Purdue job. A host of former four and five-star recruits have transferred into Sin City to try and maximize their potential. After reaching the No. 24 spot in the final CFP rankings last season, it's truly a new era for the program and the university as a whole.

Memphis Tigers - No. 65

Projected Record: 7.9-4.4

Again, the Tigers do, and should have higher expectations for themselves in the coming season. Per the FPI, the Tigers have an 87% chance to reach bowl eligibility for the twelfth season in a row. Head coach Ryan Silverfield will have a lot of new faces, including former Colorado and Nevada starting quarterback Brendon Lewis.

South Florida Bulls - No. 68

Projected Record: 6.9-5.4

Alex Golesh's Bulls weren't the most consistent bunch last season, but finished 7-6 and won their second consecutive bowl game. If quarterback Byrum Brown is healthy for the full year, it could be the missing piece to push the Bulls even further and compete for the AAC crown. With 67% of their returning production back this year, USF will have plenty of chances to prove they belong in the conversation, including a season opener at home against Boise State.

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