Week 5 College Football Rankings: Florida, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State Climb After Week 4
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The best college football teams in 2026 largely proved it on Saturday, as we saw the Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish deliver big wins. Outside of that? Chaos defined Week 4 and as you might expect, there’s been a ton of movement in our top 25.
Let’s dive into our Week 5 college football rankings, examining how the top 25 teams performed throughout Week 4.
Related: Winners, Losers from College Football Week 4
1. Texas Longhorns (Previously: 1)
The Texas Longhorns still have the most impressive win in college football this season and a pair of ranked victories to strengthen the resume of their 4-0 start. With that said, Saturday’s 20-17 victory at Tennessee renewed concerns about the inconsistency of the Longhorns offense, and we came away from Week 4 more alarmed by quarterback Arch Manning’s decision-making and ability to handle pressure. Texas clings to the No. 1 spot in our top 25 college football rankings, but it’s neck-and-neck with Georgia.
Related: Takeaways from Tennessee Volunteers vs Texas Longhorns
2. Georgia Bulldogs (2)
That’s how you make a statement on Saturday afternoon at home. The Oklahoma Sooners clearly aren’t a top-25 caliber team and the Georgia Bulldogs treated them exactly like that in Week 4. Kirby Smart’s defense put on a clinic, generating four takeaways in the first half and even scoring as many points as the Sooners’ offense (six) through three quarters. It might not have been a great day for the Bulldogs’ ground game and Gunner Stockton wasn’t perfect, but neither were necessary because the defense carried this one. Georgia (4-0) can beat Vanderbilt next week with its defense, too.
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4)
Call it a walk in the park on Saturday afternoon for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The very short trip to West Lafayette saw CJ Carr and Co. put up four times as many total yards (444) as miles traveled to face the Purdue Boilermakers. Fighting Irish running back Aneyas Williams (80 yards and 1 touchdown) looked good, and Notre Dame’s defense allowed just 3 points until its backups were in with a 46-point lead. The talent and coaching should be more than enough to humble Bill Belichick and the UNC Tar Heels next week in Chapel Hill.
4. Miami Hurricanes (6)
Week 4 felt like a double win for the Miami Hurricanes. Not only did they easily dispatch Central Michigan, again thanks to a passing clinic from Darian Mensah, but their victory just a week ago over Wake Forest looks even more impressive considering what the Demon Deacons (3-1) just did to Louisville. Miami should keep racking up the wins through October, and if you put them head-to-head right now against the defending champs, we’re pretty confident Miami would win by at least a touchdown.
5. Indiana Hoosiers (5)
The reigning national champions aren’t exactly inspiring confidence that they can repeat this season or even make a deep College Football Playoff run. After beating up on the likes of North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky to open the season, the Indiana Hoosiers hosted Northwestern on Friday. It was a two-point game twice in the fourth quarter and Northwestern came an onside kick away from a potential comeback. If Josh Hoover can’t lock in soon, the Hoosiers will lose at home on Oct. 17 to Ohio State.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (7)
That is more like it from Julian Sayin. The Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback hammered away at Illinois’ secondary with Jeremiah Smith, leading to the best wide receiver in program history tying an Ohio State single-game record for receiving touchdowns (four) all the while eclipsing the 200-yard mark for the first time in his career. This is precisely the kind of performance through the air you wanted to see from Sayin before he takes on Iowa’s defense next Saturday with the Hawkeyes coming off a huge win at Michigan.
Related: Heisman Trophy Rankings Entering Week 4
7. BYU Cougars (7)
It is not often a team on the bye jumps up multiple spots in the top 25 college football rankings, but there is nowhere to go but up for the BYU Cougars. Through the first three games, BYU’s offense ranked 17th in scoring (44 PPG), and that complemented a top-30 defense on the other side of the football. We also remain quite high on sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who should make a strong case in October for being one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12. As for BYU’s resume, it will get two great tests next month against Iowa State and then Notre Dame.
8. Florida Gators (21)
Is quarterback Aaron Philo anything better than a game manager? Maybe not. What matters is the Florida Gators look unstoppable on the ground and it’s not just Heisman Trophy candidate Jadan Baugh anymore. Baugh delivered his second consecutive performance with three touchdowns and 140-plus rushing yards, but it was his counterpart Duke Clark (126 yards) that turned this into a blowout. Some might view this as an overreaction, but Florida looked vastly superior to Ole Miss on Saturday in The Swamp and we’re not moving LSU over the Gators after what happened in Oxford.
Related: Winners, Losers from Ole Miss Rebels vs Florida Gators
9. Alabama Crimson Tide (11)
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell now has consecutive games with at least four total touchdowns and 200-plus passing yards against Power 4 defenses. This time, he did it in a single half against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. Bama fans are also starting to see more glimpses of the Ryan Coleman-Williams of old (two first-half touchdowns) with Kalen DeBoer’s offense finally firing on all cylinders. We’ve been waiting to see it all come together for Alabama before moving them into our top 10; Saturday’s performance was everything we wanted to see.
10. Utah Utes (15)
The Utah Utes came out fast on Saturday, taking an early 17-0 lead against Iowa State and entering halftime with a 24-3 advantage. Utah’s defense then imploded a bit, allowing a pair of 80-yard touchdown drives to suddenly make it a one-score game. Fortunately for Utah, running back Wayshawn Parker (239 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns) saved the day. It’s a 4-0 start for the Utes and they should feel pretty comfortable coming out of the Week 5 bye with matchups against Kansas (Oct. 10) and Colorado (Oct. 17).
11. Ole Miss Rebels (3)
The Ole Miss Rebels certainly missed Kewan Lacy on Saturday, but he has nothing to do with this abysmal run defense. Mississippi’s inability to stop the run had been pretty apparent this month, and they went into The Swamp in Week 4 and saw what happened when you face an opponent that is committed to crushing your will and imposing its dominance on the ground. The likes of Vanderbilt and Missouri might not be able to do that and contain the Rebels’ offense, but Texas (Oct. 24) and Georgia (Nov. 7) can.
12. LSU Tigers (10)
Are the LSU Tigers better than Ole Miss on a neutral field? Possibly. The head-to-head loss still has to matter as does the fact that BYU and Utah are undefeated right now. Were also a bit worried about Sam Leavitt’s healthy moving forward and whether or not he’ll be anything close to 100 percent for the tougher portion of the Tigers schedule. As it stands, LSU (3-1) has a loss against a ranked opponent with wins over two programs (Clemson and Texas A&M) that won’t be anywhere near the top 25 in October.
13. Texas Tech Raiders Raiders (10)
At least the Texas Tech Red Raiders defense is still making plays. Saturday’s 49-14 home win over Sam Houston saw senior linebacker Austin Romaine score as many touchdowns as Red Raiders quarterback Will Hammond (two). Speaking of Hammond, he was picked off twice in this one as part of a four-turnover day from the Texas Tech offense. The Red Raiders will likely keep piling up the wins next Saturday against Colorado, but they should be thankful they do not face any more ranked opponents because this team is very flawed.
14. Mississippi State Bulldogs (22)
There’s the big win the Mississippi State Bulldogs‘ resume was missing. Kamario Taylor might not have been perfect on Saturday night, but he was close to it with 360 yards through the air and three total touchdowns while completing over 70 percent of his passes. What stood out most was Taylor and this Bulldogs’ offense in the fourth quarter, responding to a 24-17 deficit with 14 unanswered points to improve to 4-0. We’re not ruling out an upset against Alabama at Davis Wade Stadium next week. For now, fans can just celebrate Taylor delivering Mississippi State its first ranked win in 12 years.
15. Oklahoma State Cowboys (Unranked)
The season-opening loss at Tulsa (24-10) now looks more like a bit of a fluke for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Drew Mestemaker stunned the Oregon Ducks in Week 2 and he just added to his legacy on campus with 389 passing yards and 3 touchdowns at West Virginia on Saturday night. We’re all in on this Cowboys offense, especially after seeing what Caleb Hawkins (180 rushing yards) and Wyatt Young (192 receiving yards) can do. Up next, a well-earned bye for Oklahoma State.
16. Oregon Ducks (18)
Bringing in Dylan Raiola might’ve saved the Oregon Ducks‘ College Football Playoff hopes tonight. With Dante Moore knocked out of the game and needing to be taken to the hospital, Raiola stepped up with a great showing off the bench to lead Oregon to the two-score win at the coliseum against USC. It’s a nice rebound performance from this Ducks offense and Dan Lanning has to at least feel a little better about that one loss given how Oklahoma State looks right now.
17. Iowa Hawkeyes (19)
Fate came back to find Michigan on Saturday in Ann Arbor, with the Wolverines this time being on the losing end of a game-winning touchdown pass as time expired and there weren’t even any shenanigans with the clock. It’s a good win for the Iowa Hawkeyes, though; the case will be made it came against a Michigan program that should be 2-2. What matters is that Iowa is 4-0, so that’s something to celebrate before the Buckeyes come to town next Saturday.
18. Tennessee Volunteers (14)
Here is the good news for the Tennessee Volunteers. They lost by 3 points to the No. 1 team in the country on a day when the offensive line was horrendous (12 tackles for loss and 10 sacks allowed) and true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon looked like a rattled 18-year-old against a top SEC defense. Plus, the Volunteers defense looked outstanding and Saturday’s loss looks far better than what happened to Penn State, Michigan and Louisville.
19. Houston Cougars (25)
The Houston Cougars went out to Georgia Southern on Saturday and had to sweat things out early, allowing 14 points in the second quarter to make it a tie game. So, feeling a bit of pressure, Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman responded with three touchdown drives to really put this one out of reach. The lone knock on Houston’s resume is the 28-26 loss at Texas Tech and that certainly looks a lot better than losing to the likes of Wisconsin (Penn State) or Wake Forest (Louisville). The Cougars’ offense should keep rolling at home next week against UCF.
20. USC Trojans (14)
There’s the version of Lincoln Riley teams we’re used to seeing. Even with dante Moore forced out of the game early, the USC Trojans defense let Dylan Raiola come in and carve them up for nearly 300 passing yards with Jamari Johnson and Dierre Hill Jr each torching them for over 100 yards apiece. There’s still enough talent on the Trojans roster to take down Washington (Week 5) and potentially Penn State, but Ohio State and Jeremiah Smith will have its way with USC’s defense on Oct. 31.
21. Duke Blue Devils (Unranked)
Just another great showing from this Duke Blue Devils offense. Nate Sheppard did his thing (124 scrimmage yards and 1 touchdown on 10 touches), but it was actually quarterbacks Dan Mahan (126 yards and 3 touchdowns on six completions) and Walker Eget (16-for-22, 182 yards and 2 touchdowns) who stole the show in Week 4. Granted, the competition was William & Mary. Still, if Saturday taught us anything, it is that Manny Diaz’s team deserves credit for being 4-0 heading into October.
22. Missouri Tigers (20)
We can’t wait to see this Missouri Tigers offense whenever Ahmad Hardy returns. After struggling last week against Troy, Austin Simmons came roaring back with three touchdowns and his connection with Cayden Lee (11-156-2) was on point. It’s heartbreaking for Mizzou to fall just short at Mississippi State, especially with Florida coming to town next Saturday, but this absolutely looked like a top-25 team on Saturday night.
23. Penn State Nittany Lions (12)
How? The Penn State Nittany Lions led 20-10 over Wisconsin with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter and Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph having thrown 3 interceptions while completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes. Somehow, Matt Campbell’s team found a way to rip defeat from the jaws of victory. Penn State didn’t have a signature win on its resume to begin with, so if this is an indication of the caliber of program we’ll be watching in October, the Nittany Lions could lose their next three games.
24. Washington Huskes (Unranked)
The best thing that might’ve happened to the Washington Huskies in September is having a late Week 4 game (11 PM ET kickoff). With multiple undefeated teams going down, Washington gets a spot back inside the top 25 college football rankings. Will it last? Almost certainly not, given the Huskies offense has looked dreadful this season (29.3 PPG) thanks to a non-existent ground game. Washington should be able to take down Minnesota, but that might be followed by consecutive losses against USC and Iowa.
25. Kentucky Wildcats (Unranked)
The Kentucky Wildcats played with their food a bit on Saturday, allowing South Alabama to score 21 points in the second quarter to make it a three-point game at halftime. First-year coach Will Stein had the team locked in after that, with CJ Baxter (149 yards), Jason Patterson (137 yards and 3 touchdowns) and Jovantae Barnes (100 yards) spearheading a 390-yard performance on the ground from this Wildcats offense. Up next, another opportunity for Stein’s offense to go nuclear only this time at South Carolina
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