College Football Top 25 Power Rankings: Week 5
The SEC returned this weekend, adding some much-needed madness to what was an insane Week 4. Two top-10 teams were knocked off Sunday, while several had to stave off serious upset bids.
Here are my updated power rankings factoring in all of the insanity:
Note: The Big Ten and PAC-12 conferences will be added into the rankings closer to their start dates.
View consensus odds from all major sportsbooks for Week 5 of College Football >>
1. Clemson Tigers (2-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 1
Next game: vs. Virginia
The Tigers did not play over the weekend but will host a Musketeers team that handled Duke easily in the second half.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 2
Last game: Defeated Missouri, 38-19
As someone who took Alabama -15.5 in the first half, I was pleased to see the Crimson Tide come out hot against the rebuilding Tigers. Jaylen Waddle caught eight balls for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and Alabama held Missouri to 69 rushing yards.
3. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 4
Last game: Defeated Arkansas, 37-10
Georgia dominated, but didn’t cover against Arkansas. Stetson Bennett led the way at quarterback, throwing for 211 yards and two touchdowns.
4. Florida Gators (1-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 7
Last game: Defeated Ole Miss, 51-35
The Gators offense looked fantastic, and Kyle Trask threw for 416 yards and six touchdowns. Florida’s defense could be a major concern after allowing 613 yards Saturday.
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 6
Next game: vs. Florida State, Oct. 10
The Irish were idle last weekend after their game against Wake Forest was canceled due to COVID-19. They move up to No. 5 by default thanks to a couple of teams we’ll get to a bit later. Next up for ND is a matchup against an awful Florida State team.
6. Miami Hurricanes (3-0, 2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 11
Last game: Defeated Florida State, 52-10
The Hurricanes avoided the letdown spot and appear to be for real. The Canes finally have a legitimate quarterback in D’Eriq King, who threw for 267 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for 67 yards. “The U†could seriously be back. Miami will get an extra week to prepare for a massive showdown with Clemson.
7. Auburn Tigers (1-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 9
Last game: Defeated Kentucky, 29-13
It certainly wasn’t pretty. But a win’s a win in the SEC. The Tigers followed up a messy first half by outscoring the Wildcats 21-6 in the final two quarters. Bo Nix threw for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns.
8. Texas Longhorns (2-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 8
Last game: Defeated Texas Tech 63-56, OT
It took a miraculous comeback for the Longhorns to knock off the Red Raiders on the road. Texas scored twice in the game’s final 3:13 to rally back from a 56-41 deficit. Then, Sam Ehlinger delivered the kill shot in overtime with a 12-yard touchdown pass. A resilient win, but one that doesn’t generate a ton of confidence.
9. Central Florida Knights (2-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 12
Last game: Defeated East Carolina, 51-28
I’m giving UCF some love by putting them in the top 10 before the Big Ten and PAC 12 return to action. UCF has a real star in quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who threw for 408 yards and 4 touchdowns.
10. Texas A&M Aggies (1-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 10
Last game: Defeated Vanderbilt, 17-12
I’m giving the Aggies the benefit of the doubt by keeping them in the top 10. But unless Vandy turns out to be a much sturdier test than we thought, Texas A&M was insanely unimpressive. Jimbo Fisher’s bunch will need to be a lot better next week at Alabama.
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-0, 0-0)
Last week’s ranking: 13
Last game: Defeated West Virginia, 27-13
With no Spencer Sanders, the Pokes relied heavily on their running game, and it worked. Chuba Hubbard and LD Brown combined to rush for 204 yards and two touchdowns in a solid win.
12. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 14
Next game: at Boston College, Oct. 3
The Tar Heels get back on the field this weekend against a Boston College team that needed a last-second field goal to fend off Texas State.
13. Virginia Tech Hokies (1-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: NR
Last game: Defeated N.C. State, 45-24
It was fair to wonder how the Hokies would look in its season opener against the Wolfpack, who had a game in hand. That question was answered immediately. Virginia Tech busted out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back. Next up is a road game against a Duke team that destroyed the Hokies 45-10 in Blacksburg a season ago. Revenge should be on their mind.
14. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-0, 2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 18
Last game: Defeated Louisville, 23-20
This Pitt defense is legit. The unit held Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham to 9-of-21 passing for 107 yards and forced three interceptions. The Panthers will try to keep the momentum going by grinding out another win at home against N.C. State this weekend.
15. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-0, 0-0)
Last week’s ranking:1 15
Last game: Defeated Army, 24-10
The Bearcats stopped the Army triple-option in its tracks, holding the Black Knights to an average of 4.2 yards per carry. Next up is its conference opener at home against South Florida.
16. Oklahoma Sooners (1-1, 0-1)
Last week’s ranking: 3
Last game: Lost to Kansas State, 38-35
Kansas State did it again. This time, the Wildcats overcame a 35-21 fourth-quarter deficit to shock the Sooners in Norman. The Sooners managed to make the College Football Playoff after losing to K-State last year. But they have absolutely no room for error.
17. Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: NR
Last game: Defeated LSU, 44-34
The Mike Leach era in Starkville is off to an unbelievable start. The Bulldogs walked into Tiger Stadium and knocked off the defending national champions rather handily. Watch out for K.J. Costello as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate. He threw for 623 yards and five touchdowns in the colossal win.
18. LSU Tigers (0-1, 0-1)
Last week’s ranking: 6
Last game: Lost to Mississippi State, 44-34
The Tigers experienced a crushing fall from earth Saturday. Myles Brennan was fine, but he’s a far cry from Joe Burrow. And the departure of so many starters from last year’s team clearly took its toll. LSU has a lot to fix on both sides of the ball in what could ultimately be a rebuilding year.
19. Memphis Tigers (1-0, 0-0)
Last week’s ranking: 17
Next game: at SMU, Oct. 3
Hopefully, the Tigers get back onto the field after a couple of postponements. Selfishly, I want to see Memphis and SMU’s Air Raid offense go toe-to-toe again.
20. Tennessee Volunteers (1-0, 1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 21
Last game: Defeated South Carolina, 31-27
Winning on the road in the SEC is never easy. After falling into a 7-0 hole early, the Vols quickly tied the game up and never trailed again. Tennessee will need to stay focused this week when they host Missouri, as a matchup in Athens with Georgia looms in two weeks.
21. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (3-0, 2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 19
Last game: Defeated Georgia Southern, 20-18
In a weekend filled with wild upsets and finishes, this might have been the craziest one of all.
Louisiana has some serious magic going. But for the second straight week, they struggled against a Sun Belt foe. Somehow, they keep finding ways to win.
22. BYU Cougars (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 24
Last game: Defeated Troy, 48-7
BYU dominated Troy and was kind enough to take knees in the final stretches to bring home the under. The Cougars have only one road game left on their schedule and very well could run the table.
23. SMU Mustangs (3-0, 0-0)
Last week’s ranking: NR
Last game: Defeated Stephen F. Austin, 50-7
SMU’s offense is such a blast to watch. The Mustangs have put up 146 points in their three non-conference games. The competition is about to go up a notch, however. SMU begins its conference schedule with a home game against Memphis.
24. Kentucky Wildcats (0-1, 0-1)
Last week’s ranking: 20
Last game: Lost to Auburn, 29-13
The Wildcats out-gained Auburn by 60 yards but were done in by three costly turnovers. Kentucky will have to rebound quickly for its home opener against Ole Miss.
25. Marshall Thundering Herd (2-0, 0-0)
Last week’s ranking: 25
Next game: at Western Kentucky, Oct. 10
Marshall hangs onto the 25th spot after an idle week. They likely won’t be in these rankings past this week, so enjoy it while it lasts!
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Matt Barbato is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Matt, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @RealMattBarbato.