AP Top 25 Breakdown: Week 5

With Week 5 in the books, I have decided to change the National College Football Report series to an AP Top 25 breakdown. I will still be talking about the action around the country, but with a bigger focus on the top teams and their previous matchups.

This will also allow me to incorporate the top teams around the Big Ten in my national college football article, with Andrew providing the “Around The Big Ten” conference breakdown to highlight all Big Ten action. I will also be adding a “Watch Guide,”

your guide to the best games in each timeslot, both in the Big Ten and around the country.

The top of the Big Ten has ruled the roost to start the season, with Miami and the top of the SEC right behind them. Here is my AP Top 25 breakdown after Week 5, recapping all the marquee games from Saturday’s loaded slate and more.

Poll Breakdown

1. Ohio State retained its top spot in the latest AP poll, staying where it has been since reclaiming #1 with its win over Texas. This week, the Buckeyes defeated Washington on the road 24-6, in a game where many saw the Huskies being a significant challenge because of their own talented roster and what was expected to be a big homefield advantage (that also was not the case). The defense led the way, holding the Huskies to just two field goals, while the offense took some time before pulling away in the second half. The Buckeyes received 46 first-place votes to lead the country by a significant margin.
2. Oregon moved up to the second spot in the poll after its impressive victory at formerly third-ranked Penn State in the whiteout game. The Ducks matched the Nittany Lions in a 3-3 slugfest before pulling away to go up 17-3 in the fourth quarter. Although Penn State roared back to force overtime at 17 apiece, the Ducks held on by answering the Lions’ first OT touchdown, scoring a second one, and sealing the win with Dillon Theineman’s interception of Drew Allar. Oregon also received 16 first-place votes, second in the country behind Ohio State’s 46.
3. Miami fell one spot to #3 during its bye week. This had much more to do with Oregon’s performance than its own week off, as the Hurricanes still received four first-place votes. Next week will be another big test for Mario Cristobal’s squad as they head up to Tallahassee to take on fellow ACC contender and in-state rival Florida State, which is coming off a surprising loss to previously unranked Virginia.
4. Ole Miss was this week’s biggest riser, moving up nine spots after taking down then #4 LSU. Backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss continues his rise to stardom, as this was the third consecutive week he had over 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards, the first SEC player to do so in 30 years. The Rebels are my Co-National Star Of The Week for their statement win that should put them in SEC and even national title contention.
5. Oklahoma went up two spots to #5 despite being off this week. The Sooners opened up conference play with a 24-17 victory over Auburn and host lowly Kent State next week. The soft scheduling comes at an opportune time for them, with John Mateer sidelined with an injury. The hope is that he gets back for the Red River Rivalry showdown with Texas, but the more likely return date will be at South Carolina.
6. Texas A&M is ranked at its season-high of #6 after its first 4-0 start since 2016. The Aggies defeated Auburn 16-10 to move up three spots and also boast a 41-40 win at Notre Dame. TAMU will host a 4-1 Mississippi State team that defeated last year’s Big 12 champion, Arizona State, and fell to a ranked Tennessee team 41-34 in overtime.
7. Penn State fell to #7 after their disheartening loss to Oregon in the highly anticipated whiteout showdown and rematch of last year’s Big Ten Championship game. However, unlike previous seasons, the Nittany Lions did not lie down in a big game, clawing their way back into the game and forcing overtime after falling behind 17-3. PSU will have opportunities to rebound at UCLA and home against Northwestern before a three-game stretch at Iowa, at Ohio State, and home against Indiana will determine the course of their season.
8. Indiana rose three spots after its narrow win over Iowa at Kinnick Stadium. This is their second consecutive 5-0 start, with the Hoosiers only having two prior such starts in program history. IU will face its toughest test of the season after its bye, with a trip to Eugene on the docket on October 11th.
9. Texas moved up one spot during its bye week, rebounding from its opening-week loss to the Buckeyes with three straight dominant wins over inferior competition. They will open up SEC play with a trip to Gainesville to battle the 1-3 Florida Gators on Saturday.
10. Alabama moved back into the top ten after falling out due to its opening loss to Florida State. However, all of its goals are back in front of them after defeating Georgia 24-21. The more things change, the more they stay the same, as the Crimson Tide has beaten the Bulldogs in 10 out of 11 of their previous matchups, with the lone loss coming in the 2022 national title game between the two SEC powers. Next up is a rematch with Vanderbilt, as the Tide will look to avenge its shocking loss to the Commodores last season.
11. Texas Tech remains the highest-ranked Big 12 team, moving up a spot to #11 on its first idle week. The Red Raiders are one of four remaining undefeated teams in the conference, with an in-state showdown at Houston destined to knock one of the two teams from the ranks of the unbeatens.
12. Georgia fell seven spots after losing at home to Alabama, its first loss of the season and first home loss since 2019. After a calm first couple of weeks, the Dawgs held off an upset bid by the Volunteers, but could not solve the Crimson Tide conundrum and fell to 3-1 on the season. Next up is a home game against a Kentucky team that fell 13-12 to Georgia last year in Lexington.
13. LSU dropped nine spots, swapping places with Ole Miss after dropping the game to the Rebels. After a 4-0 start with wins over Florida and Clemson, who are both 1-3 on the season, the Tigers failed their first true test of the year in Oxford. Next up is a bounce-back opportunity against South Carolina in Baton Rouge.
14. Iowa State improved to 5-0 after bludgeoning Arizona 39-14. They are the first Big 12 team to start 5-0 in consecutive years since Oklahoma State completed the feat in 2021. The Cyclones stayed at the same spot in the poll, with their closest win coming in the Cy-Hawk game over the Iowa Hawkeyes.
15. Tennessee held on to its own spot at #15, bouncing back from its tough loss to Georgia to defeat Mississippi State 41-34 in overtime. The Volunteers will next host a reeling Arkansas team, which has lost three straight games, before traveling to Alabama for the Third Saturday In October.
16. Vanderbilt is 5-0 on the season! The Commodores followed up last week’s 70-21 revenge win against Georgia State by defeating Utah State 55-35. Clark Lea’s team will resume SEC play with a huge test against #10 Alabama, as the ‘Dores will look to make it an improbable two in a row against the giants of the SEC.
17. Georgia Tech survived a scare from Wake Forest to improve to 5-0, rallying back from down 17-3 at halftime to top the Demon Deacons 30-29 in overtime. Haynes King posted his 13th game with a passing and rushing touchdown, which is the most by a Yellow Jackets player in 20 years. After their first bye, Georgia Tech will host Virginia Tech on October 11th; the Hokies have won their last two games since firing Brent Pry, which includes an ACC win over NC State.
18. Florida State fell back to Earth after its opening win over Alabama and two blowout wins over much lesser competition. In what was supposed to be an ACC warmup for a massive matchup against Miami, FSU was shocked by Virginia, which defeated FSU 46-38 in 2OT. Florida State will come into the Hurricanes game angry, which could be cause for another home upset over a top-ten opponent of their own.
19. Missouri moved up a spot from #20 after blowing out lowly UMass 42-6 at home. The Tigers are 5-0 for the second time in the past 12 seasons, which includes wins over Border War rival Kansas and South Carolina (with LaNorris Sellers back in the lineup). Missouri will come back from its first bye week with a major test against #10 Alabama at home the following Saturday.
20. Michigan swapped places with its fellow “Block M” school, as the Wolverines enjoyed some rest after their statement win over a rising Nebraska team. UM will resume action with the “Big Noon Kickoff” game against regional rival Wisconsin in Ann Arbor this Saturday.
21. Notre Dame is slowly regaining traction after its 0-2 start, improving to 2-2 after its second consecutive blowout victory, this time over Arkansas on the road by the score of 56-13. An intriguing matchup with Boise State awaits them on Saturday, as both teams made the College Football Playoff last season.
22. Illinois bounced back in major fashion this week, shaking off its 63-10 loss to the Hoosiers with a 34-32 win over USC at home. The Fighting Illini next head to Purdue before taking on #1 Ohio State the following Saturday in Champaign.
23. BYU improved two spots as they remained unbeaten with a 24-21 win over Colorado. The Cougars have started 4-0 in consecutive seasons and now return home following two straight road games to take on a reeling West Virginia team that has a loss to Ohio and two blowout losses in conference play this season.
24. Virginia enters the AP poll for the first time since 2019 after defeating the Seminoles 46-38 in two overtimes, which caused quite the field storm in Charlottesville. Their 46 points were also the most in program history over an AP top-ten team. The Cavaliers will look to keep their hot start to the season going when they travel to Kentucky to battle undefeated Louisville. UVA is my other Co-National Star Of The Week for pulling the improbable upset.
25. Arizona State found its way back into the AP poll with back-to-back wins over Big 12 opponents, both of which came by the same score of 27-24. The second win was over then-#24 TCU, which helped give the Sun Devils the final spot in the top 25 this week. Next up is a trip to Utah in a game between two 4-1 teams.

My Games Of The Week go to Penn State-Oregon, which turned from a snoozefest to a thriller, with long-standing narratives and conference supremacy hanging in the balance as the game was decided in 2OT. Alabama- Georgia also did not disappoint, with the Crimson Tide hanging on in the final minutes to defeat the Dawgs on the road.

Week 6 Watch Guide

With Rutgers being off this week, we will all have more time to dive into the action around the country. The weekend starts with a late game on Friday before intriguing games in the Big Ten and nationally take place in every timeslot on Saturday. This is complete with times and TV channels for each notable matchup, with all times being Eastern Standard Time.

Friday Night:

West Virginia at #23 BYU- 10:30 PM, ESPN

Saturday 12 PM (Noon)

Big Ten: Wisconsin at #20 Michigan (FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff game), #22 Illinois at Purdue (BTN)

Non-Big Ten: Kentucky at #12 Georgia (ABC), #14 Iowa State at Cincinnati (ESPN)

Saturday 3:30 PM (Afternoon)

Big Ten: #7 Penn State at UCLA (CBS), Washington at Maryland (BTN), Nebraska at Michigan State (FS1, 4:00)

Non-Big Ten: #24 Virginia at Louisville (ESPN2), #9 Texas at Florida (ESPN), #16 Vanderbilt at #10 Alabama (ABC), Boise State at #21 Notre Dame (NBC)

Saturday 7:30 PM (Evening)

Big Ten: Minnesota at #1 Ohio State (NBC)

Non-Big Ten: #11 Texas Tech at Houston (ESPN, 7:00), #3 Miami at #18 Florida State (ABC), Mississippi State at #6 Texas A&M (SEC Network), Colorado at TCU (FOX), Kansas at UCF (ESPN)

Saturday Late Evening/Night

Non-Big Ten: Tulsa at Memphis (8 PM, ESPNU), Duke at California (10:30 PM, ESPN), Nevada at Fresno State (10:30 PM, CBSSN)

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