USF football is back in the rankings, but what's up with James Madison?

USF football re-entered the national rankings, checking in at No. 25 after a blowout win Thursday over UTSA.

However, you could forgive Bulls fans if they're a little bit nervous about the team that is one spot ahead of them. That would be the James Madison Dukes of the Sun Belt Conference, who have emerged as a legitimate contender for the Group of 6 spot in the College Football Playoff.

Now, wait just a doggone minute here!

The timing of the Dukes' first appearance in the Top 25 seems a little strange. They may be 8-1, winners of seven straight, but they struggled to beat a 4-5 Marshall squad 35-23 on Saturday.

USF is No. 21 in the ESPN College Football Power Index, while the Dukes are 29th. ESPN rates their strength of schedule at No. 115. Their spotlight moment this season came when they were tied with Louisville after three quarters before losing 28-14.

While the Sun Belt has made significant improvement in recent years, the American Conference is still a better league.

How concerned should USF fans be about this development?

Well, maybe a little, but don't melt down yet.

For one thing, the Bulls have a tough game at Navy coming up on Saturday. If they win that, they'll have UAB and Rice left in the regular season, presumably followed by the American championship game. If USF doesn't run the table, all the playoff talk goes out the window.

As head coach Alex Golesh continually says, his team is where it is because the Bulls follow their daily process for getting better. That means they're thinking about Navy -- not James Madison.

After that, they'll think about UAB, and then it's on to Rice.

If the Bulls make it to the championship game, James Madison might as well be on the moon. If they're successful in those steps, then -- and only then -- will they be aware of the Dukes.

Right now, the rankings and playoffs are something to talk about.

That's about it, though.

There are more important things to focus on.