College Football Rankings: Florida Falls Again, Northwestern Breaks In & More

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Week 5 gave the rankings some bruises. Florida looked like a rising team a week ago. Now the Gators are staring at a 45-17 loss to Missouri and a very different place in the rankings. On the other end, Northwestern just made a much louder case for inclusion, hammering Penn State 34-13 after already pushing Indiana to the edge. Here is how the AP Top 25 could shake out after the weekend.

AP Top 25 predictions after Week 5

1. Georgia Bulldogs (5-0)

Previous Rank: 1

Result: 38-14 win vs. Vanderbilt

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Georgia spent the first half looking mortal. The Bulldogs led Vanderbilt only 21-14 at halftime, despite entering the game as a 25.5-point favorite. Then the defense shut Vanderbilt out 17-0 after halftime and allowed only 59 yards following the break. The Commodores even put together a 10-play drive that lasted seven minutes, traveled only 35 yards, and still ended without points.

Gunner Stockton handled his end of the bargain with 295 passing yards and three touchdowns. Georgia moves to 5-0 and now gets the game everyone will be watching, which is Alabama.

2. Texas Longhorns (4-0)

Previous Rank: 2

Result: BYE

Texas did not have to do anything Saturday. That is not a bad thing when you already have wins over Ohio State and Tennessee sitting on the resume. Still, the offense has some cleanup work to do. Arch Manning has completed 63.5% of his passes for 862 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions.

The bigger concern came in the protection department. The QB was sacked 6 times against Tennessee, and Steve Sarkisian spent the open week working on protection calls and offensive execution. The bye is convenient as Oklahoma is waiting in Dallas.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-0)

Previous Rank: 3

Result: 37-26 win at North Carolina

For a while, Notre Dame looked like it might let North Carolina back into the game. The Irish had built a lead, only to watch a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown cut the margin to 21-20. Then CJ Carr took over, leading a 17-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and later helped his team bleed 9:10 from the fourth-quarter clock.

The Irish ran 13 straight rushing plays between the tackles during that stretch. Carr completed 21 of 29 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for another score while Notre Dame piled up 475 total yards.

4. Miami Hurricanes (5-0)

Previous Rank: 4

Result: 41-13 win at Clemson

Miami took the air out of Death Valley. The Hurricanes held Clemson to 55 rushing yards on 31 carries and spent much of the night making freshman QB Tait Reynolds uncomfortable.

Miami finished with six sacks and nine tackles for loss. Darian Mensah threw for 227 yards and a touchdown and added a 34-yard rushing score. Mark Fletcher Jr. carried 16 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Then freshman JJ Dunnigan picked off a fourth-down pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. That is how you finish a road statement.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0)

Previous Rank: 8

Result: 56-23 win at Mississippi State

Mississippi State hung around for about a half. But Alabama eventually ripped the game open by scoring touchdowns on five straight possessions. A 21-14 game turned into a 56-23 rout. Keelon Russell completed 16 of 22 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for another score.

The Alabama defense forced four turnovers, including two interceptions of Kamario Taylor, and added five sacks and nine tackles for loss. The Tide have now scored at least 45 points in all five games. And now they get the real test against Georgia.

6. Indiana Hoosiers (5-0)

Previous Rank: 5

Result: 47-15 win at Rutgers

Indiana may have slipped one spot despite winning by 32 points. The Hoosiers were brutal against Rutgers, piling up 329 rushing yards and nearly 600 total yards. Turbo Richard exploded for 204 rushing yards and a touchdown. Lee Beebe Jr. added 122 yards.

Josh Hoover threw for 251 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Rutgers did not score until the second half, by which point Indiana had already built a 37-0 lead. The Hoosiers are 5-0 and have won 21 straight against FBS opponents.

7. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-1)

Previous Rank: 6

Result: 31-14 win at Iowa

Iowa had the home crowd. But Ohio State had Jeremiah Smith, and that was enough. He caught 11 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, continuing what is becoming a record-breaking season for the Buckeyes’ star WR.

Julian Sayin was just as efficient, throwing for 324 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Ohio State also held Iowa to 238 total yards and forced two turnovers. The Buckeyes now have another road win to add to a remarkable recent record away from Columbus. Since 2019, Ryan Day’s team is 29-4 on the road.

8. BYU Cougars (4-0)

Previous Rank: 10

Result: 17-10 win at TCU

There was nothing pretty about BYU’s night in Fort Worth. Rain slowed the game down. LJ Martin left with an apparent lower-leg injury after only two carries. The Cougars finished with just 216 total yards. They won anyway, marking a win at TCU for the first time since 2006.

Bear Bachmeier carried the offense on his back, rushing for 68 yards and two touchdowns. His 21-yard touchdown run with 2:06 remaining capped a 10-play, 72-yard drive. Then the defense finished the job. TCU managed 259 yards, while Faletau Satuala’s interception and 59-yard return created one of the game’s biggest swings.

9. LSU Tigers (4-1)

Previous Rank: 11

Result: 63-14 win vs. McNeese

LSU piled up 731 yards and ran 101 offensive plays, a school record. The rushing attack produced 367 yards, with Harlem Berry and Stacy Gage both topping 100. Sam Leavitt completed 18 of 23 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns.

The game was never really in doubt, but the caveat is obvious. McNeese is not Georgia, Alabama, or Ole Miss. Still, after losing to Ole Miss earlier, LSU needed a game where everything clicked, and it got one.

10. Ole Miss Rebels (3-1)

Previous Rank: 15

Result: BYE

Ole Miss had nothing to fix on the scoreboard Saturday because it did not play. The Rebels entered the bye still carrying the resume of a team that beat LSU but got hammered 52-28 by Florida. Trinidad Chambliss remains one of the SEC’s most productive QBs, entering the week with 1,222 passing yards and 12 total touchdowns.

The defensive numbers remain uncomfortable. Ole Miss is allowing 194.8 rushing yards per game, with the 302-yard performance against Florida doing plenty of damage. The bye came at a useful time as the Rebels need to prove Gainesville was an aberration.

11. Utah Utes (4-0)

Previous Rank: 12

Result: BYE

Utah watched everyone else play. The Utes are still unbeaten and have a relatively manageable stretch ahead with Kansas and Colorado before the schedule gets challenging. Houston, Cincinnati, and BYU are waiting after that. Devon Dampier has also taken a step forward as a passer, improving his completion percentage from 63.5% to 70.3% while raising his yards per attempt from 7.5 to 8.9.

12. Missouri Tigers (4-1)

Previous Rank: 23

Result: 45-17 win vs. Florida

This is the move everyone will be talking about. Missouri was No. 25. Florida was No. 8. But the Tigers did not care. Jamal Roberts ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns, while Missouri’s defense restricted the Gators’ running game to just 42 rushing yards. That is especially jarring because Jon Sumrall’s offense had just run for 302 yards against Ole Miss.

13. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-0)

Previous Rank: 13

Result: 29-7 win at Colorado

Texas Tech did not win the yardage battle, but it didn’t matter. Colorado actually finished with more total yards, but the Red Raiders forced four turnovers and picked off Isaac Wilson three times in his first start. A pick-six helped ignite a 17-point fourth quarter. Texas Tech’s offense converted only three of 12 third downs, so there is plenty to clean up.

14. Florida Gators (4-1)

Previous Rank: 7

Result: 17-45 loss at Missouri

This is free fall. One week after Florida destroyed Ole Miss, Missouri dominated the Gators. The rushing attack disappeared. Baugh managed 13 yards. Florida had only 42 rushing yards all night. The Gators had just climbed into the national conversation. Now they have to explain how they went from a 52-28 statement win to a 45-17 loss in seven days.

15. Tennessee Volunteers (4-1)

Previous Rank: 18

Result: 24-14 win vs. Auburn

Tennessee’s offense was stuck again. Then George MacIntyre entered. The backup QB completed eight of 10 passes for 86 yards, but DeSean Bishop was the real difference-maker. He carried 34 times for 220 yards and three second-half touchdowns and later admitted the game was personal.

16. Duke Blue Devils (4-0)

Previous Rank: 16

Result: BYE

Duke is 4-0 despite losing Darian Mensah to Miami through the transfer portal. Nate Shepard has been doing plenty of heavy lifting, rushing 91 times for 644 yards and six touchdowns through four games. The Blue Devils have outscored opponents 145-44. The first ranked opponent does not arrive until a Nov. 4 trip to Miami.

17. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-1)

Previous Rank: 9

Result: 23-56 loss vs. Alabama

Mississippi State’s rushing game was almost nonexistent, producing only 18 yards on 30 carries. That left Kamario Taylor trying to win the game through the air against Alabama’s defense, but it was too much to ask. He threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns, but two interceptions and a lost fumble helped turn a competitive game into a blowout.

18. UCLA Bruins (4-0)

Previous Rank: 19

Result: BYE

UCLA has beaten Cal, San Diego State, Purdue and Maryland without a true signature victory, but the rushing numbers are hard to ignore. The Bruins average 281.5 rushing yards per game. The next test is Oregon. If UCLA survives that one, they have a real case.

19. USC Trojans (5-1)

Previous Rank: 20

Result: 25-21 win vs. Washington

USC’s offense never really found its rhythm, but the defense did enough. Washington converted just once on 12 third downs, while six punts kept the Trojans alive.

20. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-0)

Previous Rank: Unranked

Result: 48-23 win vs. Maryland

Nebraska stayed unbeaten by finishing with 20 unanswered fourth-quarter points. Anthony Colandrea accounted for 346 total yards and three touchdowns as the Cornhuskers reached 5-0.

21. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1)

Previous Rank: 21

Result: BYE

Oklahoma State rested after an impressive turnaround. Drew Mestemaker leads the Big 12 in passing yards and touchdowns, though eight turnovers remain a concern.

22. Pittsburgh Panthers (5-0)

Previous Rank: Unranked

Result: 35-33 win at Virginia Tech

Pitt survived a wild finish after Virginia Tech missed a field goal. Four turnovers helped the Panthers, but losing Mason Heintschel adds uncertainty.

23. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1)

Previous Rank: 14

Result: 14-31 loss vs. Ohio State

Iowa’s defense finally cracked against Ohio State, surrendering 484 total yards. Jeremiah Smith led the Buckeyes with 206 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

24. Oregon Ducks (3-1)

Previous Rank: 22

Result: BYE

Oregon’s bye arrives at a useful moment, with Dante Moore’s status uncertain after his injury against USC. Dylan Raiola could face UCLA if the starting QB cannot return.

25. Northwestern Wildcats (3-1)

Previous Rank: Unranked

Result: 34-13 win vs. Penn State

Northwestern made its strongest ranking argument yet, crushing Penn State with 506 total yards. The Wildcats also pushed Indiana to the wire earlier this season.

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