Week 6 College Football Rankings: Alabama, Missouri, Wisconsin Climb after Week 5

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A few of the best college football teams in 2026 were on a bye in Week 5, giving us a bit more of a limited slate to evaluate programs across the country. FOrtunately, this weekend’s action still included Alabama vs Mississippi State,Ohio State vs Iowa and Florida vs Missouri as showcases for some top teams.

Let’s dive into our Week 6 college football rankings, evaluating the top 25 teams after Saturday’s Week 5 action.

Related: Winners, Losers from College Football Week 5

1. Georgia Bulldogs (Previously: 2)

The Georgia Bulldogs might not have been dominant in Saturday’s win over a Vanderbilt team starting its backup quarterback, as evidenced by its rushing attack struggling in the first three quarters. So, Gunner Stockton put the offense on his back and the Bulldogs defense refocused after the first quarter. There are certainly plenty of things Kirby Smart will want to work on this week in practice before Georgia makes the trip to Tuscaloosa in Week 6.

2. Texas Longhorns (1)

The good news for the Texas Longhorns, who were on a bye, is that Week 5 provided another reminder that the best college football teams right now are all flawed. There isn’t a super roster that looks outright dominant, so the Longhorns’ quarter-to-quarter volatility offensively still has time to get ironed out. We know the Red River Rivalry can always be unpredictable, but the Longhorns defense should be able to handle its business at the Cotton Bowl and rattle John Mateer even if Arch Manning and the passing game go through lulls versus this Sooners defense.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback C.J. Carr took Bill Belichick’s defense to school in Week 5, scoring five total touchdowns with 234 yards through the air at North Carolina. Notre Dame needed it to because when this defense wasn’t generating big plays (2 interceptions and 4 tackles for loss), it was giving them up. The Fighting Irish defense will have another week to work things out with Stanford coming to town next Saturday, but the real focus is that matchup at BYU on Oct. 17.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (9)

What a performance from the Alabama Crimson Tide in Starkville on Saturday. It stands out even more because this team and coaching staff knew Georgia awaits next week, but they didn’t get caught overlooking Mississippi State. It started fast, with Alabama taking a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter thanks to a pair of takeaways. The Bulldogs answered at times, making it a 28-17 game before halftime, but the Tide always answered. Keelon Russell continues to look like an All-American quarterback, Alabama’s ground game can have both explosive plays and down-to-down success and this defense excels at creating takeaways. The Crimson Tide have every reason to feel confident for Georgia’s arrival.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (6)

It’s the Jeremiah Smith show. He makes this passing game look unstoppable, whether it’s torching corners deep or making catches in triple coverage and taking it the distance. The Ohio State Buckeyes also got some great work from running backs Ja’Kobi Johnson and Bo Jackson, who each averaged over 5 yards per carry against a stout Hawkeyes defense. We still do question if Julian Sayin can make the throws necessary for the Buckeyes to make a deep playoff run, but the rest of Ohio State’s talent is a treat to watch.

6. Indiana Hoosiers (5)

It feels safe to say that Turbo Richard is healthy. The Indiana Hoosiers running back turned on the jets with nearly every carry on Saturday, tearing through Rutgers defense for 166 scrimmage yards on his first 10 touches. Indiana’s offense really set the tone in this one, with Josh Hoover and Lee Beebe Jr. contributing to the team’s 500 total yards of offense in three quarters.

7. Miami Hurricanes (4)

It’s another Saturday of Darian Mensah putting up video-game-like numbers. The Miami Hurricanes quarterback was practically perfect in the first half at Clemson, completing 9-of-13 passes with 141 passing yards and two total touchdowns. It hasn’t mattered who the opponent is through five weeks, Mensah is picking defenses apart. Miami still doesn’t have a win over a ranked opponent this season, but Wake Forest (4-1) could be headed toward that territory before long. If the version of the Hurricanes we saw in the second half against Clemson shows up, there could be a little trouble in Miami.

8. BYU Cougars (7)

That was the very definition of an ugly win on Saturday night for the BYU Cougars. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier (11-of-24 for 62 passing yards) couldn’t get anything going on the ground, running back LJ Martin left in the first half with an injury and the Cougars offense mustered just 218 total yards. Kalani Sitake’s program still gets to go home with a 4-0 record. Now the hope is that this roster can get healthy, because it’s a short week with Iowa State coming to town on Friday night.

9. Utah Utes (10)

We remain higher on the Utah Utes than the AP top 25 rankings. It starts with the two-headed monster operating Kevin McGiven’s offense, as quarterback Devon Dampier (9-1 TD-INT, 81.2 ESPN QBR and 70.3% completion rate) and running back Wayshawn Parker (6.6 yards per carry, 5 touchdowns) are both capable of carrying the load. As you might expect, Utah’s defense (10.3 PPG allowed) is also playing excellent football right now. The Utes won’t face a ranked team until Oct. 24 (Houston), but they should be 6-0 by then.

10. Missouri Tigers (22)

Here’s where things get interesting. Just a week ago, the Missouri Tigers went into Starkville and blew a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose 31-24. Fast forward to Week 5, Mizzou stomps all over the Gators, who crushed Ole Miss 52-28 last week, in a 45-17 rout. Keep in mind that the Tigers did this without running back Ahmad Hardy and edge rushers Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen. If the 2026 college football season has taught us anything, it’s that the SEC is going to eat each other alive.

11. Florida Gators (8)

All of the feel-good vibes and excitement in The Swamp got drained in a few short hours. The Florida Gators traveled to Missouri on Saturday afternoon and everything that could go wrong did. Florida’s secondary was picked apart by Austin Simmons (340 passing yards and 11.3 yards per attempt) and running back Jamal Roberts also did whatever he wanted to the Gators on the ground. Florida couldn’t even turn this game into a shootout because Aaron Philo isn’t built for that and Jadan Baugh (13 yards on 12 carries) did absolutely nothing on the ground. Let’s see if the Gators can rebound next week back at home against South Carolina. If they don’t, Texas (Oct.17) and Georgia (Oct. 31) will make this a crushing October.

12. Ole Miss Rebels (11)

Losing before the Week 5 bye is never a good thing, but the timing of the Saturday off did provide running back Kewan Lacy with two weeks for his shoulder to heal. The expectation is that Lacy will rejoin Trinidad Chambliss and the Ole Miss Rebels offense next Saturday at Vanderbilt. That’s great for Mississippi’s ability to put up 30-plus points a game. What’s worrying, of course, is the other side of the ball with this unit’s inability to contain the run. It might not cost them in Week 6, but Missouri (Oct. 17), Texas (Oct. 24) and Georgia (Nov. 7) will take advantage of it if the problem isn’t fixed.

13. LSU Tigers (12)

There’s the version of Sam Leavitt the LSU Tigers signed up for. Granted, the passing clinic came against the McNeese Cowboys. Our top 25 college football rankings are probably the lowest on their Tigers, but their wins over Clemson and Texas A&M din’t look remotely as impressive weaks later. There’s also the fact that LSU lost to Ole Miss, who got crushed by Florida and then the Gators were ripped apart by Missouri Tigers.

14. Texas Tech Red Raiders (13)

It’s a night-and-day difference between the 2026 Texas Tech Red Raiders and the program we saw last year. On a night when the defense generated numerous takeaways, 10 tackles for loss and allowed just 7 points midway through the fourth quarter, it was still a one-score game. John Curry had to slam the dagger into Colorado, making a leaping interception grab in the end zone to make it a 22-7 game. Texas Tech’s offense is such a difficult watch and it has to catch up to this team at some point

15. Oklahoma State Cowboys (15)

We’re all-in on what head coach Eric Morris is doing with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The season-opening loss to Tulsa is still baffling, but the Cowboys responded by beating Oregon and then going into West Virginia and easily knocking out a then-undefeated Mountaineers program. It’s largely thanks to quarterback Drew Mestemaker (1,271 passing yards, 67.4% completion rate and 76.4 QBR) and this explosive passing game, but his former North Texas teammate Caleb Hawkins does have two 100-yard games. Oklahoma State shouldn’t have trouble with UCF next Saturday, which would put the Cowboys at 4-1 with a chance to deliver another statement win the following week in Houston.

16. Oregon Ducks (16)

The Oregon Ducks are in a very unique situation. Investing money into Dylan Raiola got them the win against USC and it means there is no rush to bring Dante Moore back. However, no one should be overlooking UCLA. The Bruins (4-0) have been excellent this season, led by Wayne Knight and a rushing attack that ranked fifth in the country (281.5 rush ypg) entering Week 5. That is going to be a problem for a Ducks defense that has allowed 4.1 yards per carry this season. Oregon should be favored, but it is well within the realm of possibilities that the Ducks lose their second game of the season before mid-October.

17. Tennessee Volunteers (18)

Things get a bit interesting for the Tennessee Volunteers coming out of Week 5. It’s clear that this team can win games with the offense being carried by DeSean Bishop (216 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns) and Jim Knowles’ defense (3 takeaways, 35.7% third-down conversion rate allowed to Auburn). What’s less clear is who is the Volunteers starting QB moving forward? Faizon Brandon was either benched or pulled himself after starting 3-of-8 with 0 passing yards and an interception, with George MacIntyre (8-for-10, 86 yards) playing fine as the replacement. Regardless of who is under center, Bishop and Tennessee’s defense should improve this program to 5-1 after facing Arkansas next week.

18. Houston Cougars (19)

The Houston Cougars found themselves in trouble early on Saturday afternoon at home, trailing UCF 17-0 early in the third quarter. Conner Weigman provided some momentum with a pair of third-quarter touchdown runs, but he wasn’t done. Weigman punched it in from a yard out for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter and Houston’s defense pitching a shutout after the six-minute mark in the third quarter was enough for the Cougars to escape with a 27-17 victory.

19. Mississippi State Bulldogs (14)

Saturday’s game certainly left no doubt regarding who the better college football team was. With that said, Kamario Taylor and the Mississippi State Bulldogs will rightfully feel like they gave too many things away when it could’ve been a closer matchup. Unfortunately for Mississippi State, it has to travel to Death Valley in two weeks and we didn’t see much defensively from the Bulldogs that would suggest they can contain the LSU Tigers. A second consecutive loss feels imminent.

20. UCLA Bruins (Unranked)

The UCLA Bruins entered Week 5 ranked 24th in ESPN’s SP+ ranks and top-30 in FPI. In their last two games before the bye, the Bruins offense combined for 107 points with running back Wayne Knight (277 rushing yards) leading the way for a ground attack that put up 635 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. UCLA coach Bob Chesney has this program humming and the Bruins’ strengths might be just what they need to stun the Ducks in Eugene this coming Saturday.

21. Iowa Hawkeyes (17)

So the Iowa Hawkeyes aren’t on the same tier as one of the 10 best college football teams in 2026. Everyone knew that. It was a close game for a little while, but then the future NFL star (Jeremiah Smith) showed why he already should be playing on Sundays. Iowa (4-1) can recover from this, beating a woeful Washington Huskies team next week. After that, it’s got a few weeks to prepare for a tough Minnesota squad.

22 Duke Blue Devils (21)

The Duke Blue Devils (4-0) got to enjoy a Week 5 bye, giving running back Nate Sheppard (714 scrimmage yards and 9 touchdowns) time to rest up after carrying this offense in September. We also have to highlight a Blue Devils defense that allowed the sixth-fewest points per game (11.0) and ranked 25th in yards per play allowed (4.6) entering October. Duke clearly has both the talent and the coaching to maintain this win streak, especially with how Georgia Tech (Oct. 10) has looked this season.

23. Wisconsin Badgers (Unranked)

So much for Luke Fickell being on the hot seat. A year after this team went 4-8, the Wisconsin Badgers are now riding a four-game win streak into their Week 6 bye. Quarterback Colton Joseph got to be the standout this time, leading the team in rushing (141 yards) while adding 145 yards through the air and scoring four total touchdowns in a 31-3 decimation of Michigan State. It’s not what we expected going into the season, but Wisconsin at UCLA on Oct. 17 will be a ranked-versus-ranked matchup with a top-10 spot at stake.

24. Pittsburgh Panthers (Unranked)

Unfortunately for the Pitt Panthers, this appearance in the top 25 college football rankings might be short-lived. Pat Narduzzi’s program came out on top of the battle of undefeated teams, winning 35-33 at Virginia Tech, but it came at a devastating cost. Quarterback Mason Heintschel, who had a 14-1 TD-INT ratio this season, suffered an ACL tear in the victory. It’s Holden Geriner’s job moving forward and that spells trouble for Pitt.

25. SMU Mustangs (Unranked)

We’re not particularly high on the SMU Mustangs and Saturday’s win against Boston College served as a reminder of why. The Eagles (2-3) took an early 10-3 lead in this one and it was a one-score game until the Mustangs returned a fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter. SMU’s passing game is just too volatile with Kevin Jennings and there’s no run game to speak of. More losses are coming for this team, potentially in two weeks at home against Virginia.

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