A schedule against the top of the G5 (which would be concentrated in the AAC) wouldn't do as much as our 6 weakling P5s would have last season. That was the perfect schedule to get NY6, maybe even with 1 loss.
Covid has disguised this lesson. But it remains more true than ever: its p5 or bust. The committee, bowl selection, rankings, all depend on P5s. If you lose to a good G5 (CCU), even in a close short week game against a gimmick offense, and you get smashed in the rankings. Lose to a bad p5, you're relatively safe. Crush a good G5 (BSU), and it does very little for you. Crush a bad G5 (all of our games), and you get some respect but have a ceiling below the p5 teams.
So schedule as many bad p5s as possible, and schedule cream puff G5s. The risk reward chart makes it a very bad idea to play good G5s in indy.