A big week of top 25 matchups creates quite a shake up in this weeks rankings.
Rankings
#1 Ohio State (4-0) (+0) – W5: Washington 24-6 – W6: Minnesota
Ohio State wins on the road against undefeated Washington to keep the #1 spot. Minnesota shouldn’t offer much of a challenge either.
#2 Oregon (5-0) (+3) – W5: #3 Penn State 30-24 – W6: Bye
Oregon climbs to #2 after beating Penn State in double overtime. They have another tough test after the bye though against Indiana who’s been climbing up the rankings as well.
#3 Miami FL (4-0) (-1) – W5: Bye – W6: @#19 Florida State
Miami gets passed up while on bye this week. Their matchup with Florida State also lost a bit of luster based on the Seminoles performance this week, but still represents a ranked opportunity.
#4 Ole Miss (5-0) (+3) – W5: #4 LSU 24-19 – W6: Bye
Ole Miss proves me right and beats LSU to climb to #4. They get a nice break from a tough schedule this week with a bye, followed by facing Washington State in Week 7.
#5 Texas Tech (4-0) (+3) – W5: Bye – W6: @Houston
3 Teams above them lost, and Texas Tech climbs 3 while on a bye. This is much higher than consensus but I believe in what I’ve seen from the Red Raiders. They have to go on the road this week against a solid Houston team, but if they really are a top 5 team they should have no problems.
#6 Texas A&M (4-0) (+5) – W5: Auburn 16-10 – W6: Mississippi State
Auburn may not have been ranked, but I had them ranked and it represents a good win for A&M. I do wish they put on a more dominant performance to show they deserve this ranking, but at the end of the day someone has to go here and I think A&M is the best of the rest
#7 Oklahoma (4-0) (+4) – W5: Bye – W6: Kent State
Another team with a decent jump while on bye. I would say I’d be keeping an eye on their next game to see if they’re legit, but their next game is against Kent State, so maybe Week 7.
#8 Indiana (5-0) (+2) – W5: Iowa 20-15 – W6: Bye
As much as people joke about Iowa, going to play them in Iowa is no easy task, and Indiana got it done. They face their biggest test of the season thus far next, taking on the new #2 ranked Oregon Ducks, at Oregon in Week 7.
#9 Alabama (3-1) (+11) – W5: #5 Georgia 24-21 – W6: #22 Vanderbilt
Alabama isn’t being counted out anymore after a big win against Georgia. The Florida State loss looks worse after their own loss this week, but a Georgia win is a big boost.
#10 Georgia (3-1) (-7) – W5: #17 Alabama 21-24 – W6: Kentucky
I chose not to drop Georgia that far as they did come just 1 dropped pass from beating Alabama which would’ve kept them in my top 3. They get a recovery game this week against SEC bottomfeeder Kentucky.
#11 Penn State (3-1) (-7) – W5: #6 Oregon 30-24 – W6: @UCLA
Penn State drops 7 spots after losing to Oregon in double OT. The loss itself is not that bad, they brought a top tier team to 2OT and looked like a top tier team as well. The reason they fall so far and drop below a team like Georgia is due to their complete lack of a resume at this time. That won’t change this week as they play what may be the easiest road game in the power 4 at UCLA.
#12 Iowa State (5-0) (+7) – W5: Arizona 39-14 – W6: @Cincinnati
Iowa State makes a big jump after a decently impressive victory over Arizona. Indiana also showed that Iowa State isn’t the only team to be brought to the brink by Iowa. The close wins over Kansas State and Arkansas State aren’t the greatest things to have, but they haven’t lost yet. A road win over Cincinnati is an absolute must win to justify this ranking
#13 Tennessee (4-1) (+0) – W5: Mississippi State 41-34 – W6: Bye
A lot happened with Tennessee this week. First, they escaped Mississippi State with a win in OT, handing them their first loss but also helping prove Mississippi State as a solid team. They also watched their loss to Georgia get devalued at the hands of Alabama. I ultimately decided on no change this week though, as everything led me to feeling about the same on Tennessee.
#14 LSU (4-1) (-8) – W5: Ole Miss 19-24 – W6: Bye
I wasn’t 100% sold on LSU coming into this week, and even though I’m higher on Ole Miss, LSU gets punished pretty hard for the loss. The Clemson and Florida wins aren’t as resume boosting as they may sound. They get South Carolina in Week 7 to try and add another underperforming team to their resume.
#15 Texas (3-1) (-1) – W5: Bye – W6: @Florida
I’m not trying to punish Texas harshly for their loss to #1 Ohio State in Week 1, but they’ve still given me nothing to work with. Their resume rests entirely on a close loss to Ohio State and the eye test, and I can’t put them any higher than this until I see them beat someone impressive. Going to Florida and getting a win would be a good start.
#16 Missouri (5-0) (+0) – W5: UMass 42-6 – W6: Bye
Missouri did what they needed to against UMass and keep themselves even here. They follow their cupcake with a bye week but then go on to face Alabama.
#17 Michigan (3-1) (+1) – W5: Bye – W6: Wisconsin
Michigan didn’t play this week and stays about the same, climbing just 1 spot. They face off against Wisconsin next week in what should be a relatively easy win.
#18 BYU (4-0) (-3) – W5: Colorado 24-21 – W6: West Virginia
BYU beat Colorado but falls 3 spots. I was a big believer of BYU and have decided to lower them a bit after they played Colorado a bit too close for comfort. I still believe in the Cougars though and expect them to beat West Virginia handedly.
#19 Florida State (3-1) (-10) – W5: Virginia 38-46 – W6: #3 Miami FL
Florida State had their win over Alabama look even better after Alabama’s big win over Georgia. All of that was counteracted though by their own loss to unranked Virginia. It was a short week for FSU and I still believe they are a good team, so they stay here. Ironically they are ranked below Alabama and above Virginia.
#20 Georgia Tech (5-0) (-3) – W5: Wake Forest 30-29 – W6: Bye
Georgia Tech survived Wake Forest in OT. The close call lowered them in the rankings, but they are still 5-0. They have a bye week this week before playing Virginia Tech.
#21 Notre Dame (2-2) (+1) – W5: Arkansas 56-13 – W6: Boise State
Notre Dame had a big win over Arkansas this week. Arkansas is not exactly a tough opponent, but Notre Dame’s offense has done enough over the last 2 weeks to make me believe in them.
#22 Vanderbilt (5-0) (-1) – W5: Utah State 55-35 – W6: @#10 Alabama
Vandy kept themselves undefeated but a top 25 team shouldn’t be giving up 35 points to Utah State. I dropped them 1 spot, but they likely need to get a win in Tuscaloosa this week to remain in the top 25.
#23 Illinois (4-1) (+1) – W5: #21 USC 34-32 – W6: @Purdue
Illinois bounced back from their blowout loss to Indiana by beating a USC team that shouldn’t have been ranked. Next they have to take care of business at Purdue.
#24 Memphis (5-0) (+1) – W5: Florida Atlantic 55-26 – W6: Tulsa
Memphis put 55 on FAU and continue to look like the #1 Group of 5 team. Tulsa at home is a game they need to win by a large margin to keep themselves in the drivers’ seat.
#25 Arizona State (4-1) (+2 NEW) – W5: #24 TCU 27-24 – W6: Bye
Arizona State jumps into the top 25 after beating TCU who was ranked last week. They were one of the Big 12 Preseason favorites but fell heavily after a loss to Mississippi State. That Mississippi State loss doesn’t look quite as bad now, which helps get them back into the rankings
Others in Consideration:
Utah
Virginia
Auburn
Louisville
Iowa
South Florida
Nebraska
James Madison
South Carolina
Mississippi State
TCU
USC
Tulane
Maryland
Others on Watch List:
Kansas
Baylor
SMU
Old Dominion
Houston
Cincinnati
Washington
North Texas
Louisiana Tech
UNLV
Navy
Ohio
Fresno State
Boise State
Washington State
Ohio
San Diego State
