Week 5 of the College Football season brought chaos. Three matchups between unbeaten teams lived up to the hype, and left us with just 16 perfect teams.
A near-loss from Georgia and dominance from Alabama and Ohio State shook up this week’s rankings. So did the outcomes of the aforementioned battles between unbeatens.
Here are the top 10 remaining unbeaten teams in College Football.
Alabama showed something in their road win against the No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks. Despite their star QB and Heisman frontrunner (alongside a few other top QBs who will appear in these rankings) Bryce Young going down with an injury in the second quarter, the Crimson Tide proved why they’re one of the best teams in the country (if not the best).
Young was forced out of the game when Alabama led 14-0. At one point in the third quarter, Arkansas cut that lead to 28-23. But Bama showed up when it mattered most. They outscored the Razorbacks 21-3 in the 4th, leaning on their impressive run game, led by transfer RB Jahmyr Gibbs who enjoyed his breakout game of the season (206 yards). Their top-ranked defense held tough in the fourth quarter, ultimately propelling Alabama to the top of this list, and the AP Poll.
Led by their quarterback CJ Stroud, who at this point in the season is most likely the favorite to win the Heisman, the Ohio State offense has looked unstoppable. On the year, Stroud has thrown for over 1,300 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. But in their Week 5 beatdown over lowly Rutgers, it was the run game that truly shined.
Third-year RB Miyan Williams ran for 189 yards and five touchdowns in the game, bringing his two-week total to 290 yards and seven touchdowns. The Ohio State offense has proven they can win in just about any way, and their defense isn’t too bad either, ranking just outside the top 10 in scoring and yards allowed per game.
Georgia fell two spots on the list this week — and one spot in the AP Poll — for its near loss to unranked Missouri in Week 5. The Bulldogs needed a big fourth quarter to come back and beat the 2-2 Tigers, in what had the potential to be one of the biggest upsets of the season (Missouri was a +30.5 ‘dog going into the game).
Missouri’s defense did a great job of slowing down Georgia’s top-ranked offense, but in the end, due to a few solid drives in the final stanza, Georgia prevailed. Every team faces trap games, and this was clearly one of them for the Bulldogs. But they do have a tough stretch against three teams currently ranked in the top 25 in three straight weeks from Oct. 29 to Nov. 12. So that’ll be the real test of the season for the Bulldogs.
Michigan didn’t do anything to fall down the list, but Clemson definitely earned the right to move up a spot for its 30-20 complete victory over No. 10 NC State. QB DJ Uiagalelei continued his stellar season, throwing and rushing for a combined 282 yards and three touchdowns.
Clemson’s defense looked much better than it did the previous week against Wake Forest, and the Tigers showed signs of being the playoff team many people expected them to be when the season began. This was by far the toughest opponent on the schedule, so, by passing the early season test, Clemson finds itself in the No. 4 spot of these rankings.
QB JJ McCarthy played well for Michigan in Week 5 against Iowa, but RB Blake Corum continued to be the focal point of the offense. Corum followed up his 243-yard performance in Week 4 with another 133 yards and a touchdown, as Michigan marched to a 27-14 road victory.
Michigan’s defense continued to impress, as the Wolverines now enter Week 5 with a top-10 defense in terms of yards and points allowed. They have a road game with Indiana next week, before a matchup with the undefeated 10th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions at home the week after.
Tennessee is coming off a bye week, but USC didn’t show enough to take the No. 6 spot just yet. Tennessee will travel to LSU for a matchup with the Tigers, ranked No. 25, this week. Led by QB Hendon Hooker, the Vols enter Week 6 with the No. 1 scoring offense and No. 2 offense in terms of yards per game (tied with TCU). Two wins against ranked teams (Pittsburgh and Florida) keep Tennessee at the No. 6 spot for now.
USC followed up its gritty win against Oregon State with a dominant victory at home against Arizona State. The defense looked a little sloppy at times, but the offense continued to prove that it is virtually unstoppable. QB Caleb Williams, the third Heisman front runner at this point in the season, threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns, but did finally throw his first interception of the season (the team’s first turnover of the season, too).
The reigning Biletnikoff award winner Jordan Addison got back on track with his second 100-yard receiving game of the season. The defense only forced one turnover in the game, but did apply pressure with five sacks. They’ll be tested over the next couple of weeks with games against the No. 21 Washington Cougars (4-1) and the No. 11 Utah Utes (4-1).
Oklahoma State didn’t crack the top 10 last week because it had only played three games — none of which were against competitive opponents. But in Week 5, the Cowboys played their first competitive game, and showed why they deserved to be among the best teams in college football.
Oklahoma State traveled to Baylor for a matchup with the 16th-ranked Bears, and came away with a gritty victory, due in large part to strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys came up with two huge fourth-quarter interceptions, on their way to a 36-25 victory. The offense didn’t move the ball as easily as it had all year, but Oklahoma State still enters Week 6 with the fifth-best scoring offense in the country. The schedule doesn’t ease up in a good Big 12 conference, so the Cowboys will be tested just about every week on their quest to remain perfect.
Ole Miss passed its first real test of the season — but it wasn’t pretty. In a battle of two unbeaten teams, the Rebels got the best of No. 7 Kentucky, in a very tough, 22-19 win. QB Jaxson Dart hasn’t looked great in his first season with the team, but RB Quinshon Judkins continued to impress with his third 100-yard rushing game of the year (in the other two games he ran for 98 and 87). The offense continued to lean on him (106 yards, touchdown), but it was the defense that saved the day, forcing two turnovers in the final three minutes of the game. The Rebels slot into the No. 9 spot for now, but the jury is still out on whether or not they’re a force to be reckoned with in college football this season.
Penn State made a case for this spot, but it’s yet to play anyone of note, and struggled with a 1-3 Northwestern team. So UCLA, who upset No. 15 Washington in a battle of unbeatens, sneaks into the No. 10 spot on this list, despite sitting at No. 18 in the AP Poll.
Fifth-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson has impressed all season long. He’s thrown for over 1,200 yards, rushed for over 200 yards, and has 15 total touchdowns against just one interception. He’s had by far his best season so far in Chip Kelly’s offense. The team has also relied on fourth-year RB Zach Charbonnet, and he’s continued to prove that he’s one of the best running backs in College Football. He’s run for 124, 104, 111, and 78 yards in his four games, and has five touchdowns. UCLA will have another huge test this week as they welcome the 11th-ranked Utah Utes into the Rose Bowl.