10 Group of Five teams ready for rebound season ending in bowl

SMU Mustangs quarterback Ben Hicks.(Photo: Raymond Carlin III, USA TODAY Sports) Continuity reigns on the Power Five level. Oklahoma is a Big 12 Conference powerhouse, having captured seven of the past 11 league titles. Alabama owns the Southeastern Conference. Florida State and Clemson have been the undisputed leaders in the Atlantic Coast Conference for much of the decade. In comparison, it’s almost common — if at least not too surprising — to see a Group of Five program quickly rebuild itself with one key hire, or through impressive player development, or even with a fortuitous stroke of luck on the recruiting trail. Western Michigan provides the latest example. The Broncos won just a single game four seasons ago, in former coach P.J. Fleck’s debut; this past fall, WMU completed a perfect regular season, earning a spot in the Cotton Bowl and Fleck a major-conference gig at Minnesota. The Broncos weren’t…

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