College Football Rankings Week 5: B/R's Official Top 25
No team is safe.
On a week where nearly every top school in college football trailed at some point during their games, some of them ultimately losing, the overall result was utter chaos to the Bleacher Report Top 25 poll. Hardly any teams remain in the same place they were a week ago, and the claim to the top spot is as muddied as any other place in the rankings.
How crazy is it? Four different schools garnered first-place votes after Week 4's action, and the difference between first and third place in the ranking was a mere nine points.
This week's Top 25 was voted on by 17 members of Bleacher Report's college football team: writers Keith Arnold, Phil Callihan, Michael Felder, Justin Ferguson, Kyle Kensing, David Kenyon, Ben Kercheval, Adam Kramer, Brian Leigh, Brian Pedersen, Barrett Sallee, Brad Shepard, Erin Sorensen and Marc Torrence, as well as editors Eric Bowman, Hunter Mandel and Max Rausch.
Each voter submits his or her ballot based on observations made during the just-completed week's games. Teams receive 25 points for a first-place vote, all the way down to one point for being ranked 25th. And then the top 25 vote-getters are ranked in order of their point totals.
Check out Bleacher Report's Week 4 poll, then give us your thoughts in the comments section.
Others Receiving Votes
1 of 26
Just lurking outside the Top 25 are a handful of teams that have managed to go undefeated so far without much fanfare. Duke is 4-0 for the second straight season, while Penn State is off to its best start since 2008.
Utah is also unbeaten, moving to 3-0 with a shocking 26-10 victory at Michigan that was delayed midway through the fourth quarter by lightning and flooding rains. Arizona also remained unbeaten, scoring 36 points in the fourth quarter to beat California 49-45 on a Hail Mary.
- Duke (27)
- Penn State (23)
- Kansas State (19)
- TCU (12)
- Utah (10)
- Washington (10)
- Iowa (4)
- Arizona (2)
- Marshall (2)
- Arkansas (1)
- Georgia Tech (1)
- North Dakota State (1)
25. Oklahoma State Cowboys
2 of 26
Week 4 result: Bye
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 25 vs. Texas Tech
Poll points: 30
Last week's ranking: 24th
The Cowboys (2-1) will open Big 12 play with a Thursday game, and it will be the first chance to see what Daxx Garman can do in conference play.
Garman threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns in place of injured J.W. Walsh last week against UTSA. In two games of action, he has 559 yards and no interceptions but is only completing 57.1 percent of his passes.
OSU's offense is gaining 440 yards and putting up 38 points per game. It now gets to face a Texas Tech team that had its defensive coordinator, Matt Wallerstedt, resign amid reports that he was under the influence of an unknown substance on campus.
Tech is allowing nearly 296 rushing yards per game, second worst in FBS.
24. Clemson Tigers
3 of 26
Week 4 result: Lost 23-17 at Florida State (OT)
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. North Carolina
Poll points: 33
Last week's ranking: 23rd
The Tigers (1-2, 0-1 ACC) took the defending national champions to the wire, coming up short in overtime after they were unable to gain less than a yard on fourth down in the extra session before allowing a game-winning score two plays later.
Clemson led 10-3 at halftime and was up 17-10 before FSU scored with six minutes left. Freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 266 yards off the bench in relief of Cole Stoudt, but the Tigers lost a critical fumble in FSU's red zone in the final minutes.
Clemson outgained the Seminoles 407-318.
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23. Ohio State Buckeyes
4 of 26
Week 4 result: Bye
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. Cincinnati
Poll points: 51
Last week's ranking: 22nd
The Buckeyes (2-1) had a bye after a walkover win against Kent State. That should enable them to be healthy to face a difficult Cincinnati team in their final nonconference tuneup. Ohio State hasn't lost a game to a team from its home state since falling to the Bearcats in 1910.
OSU got a record-setting game from quarterback J.T. Barrett last time out, as he threw for six touchdown passes after having two rough games to start the season. But it will be the Buckeyes defense that will need to do the most this next time out, as Cincinnati has looked explosive on offense.
22. East Carolina Pirates
5 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 70-41 vs. North Carolina
Week 5 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 62
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
The Pirates (3-1) dominated North Carolina for the second year in a row, amassing a school-record 789 yards and beating a power-conference opponent for the second straight week.
ECU, which won at Virginia Tech last week, got 438 passing yards and four touchdowns from Shane Carden, who also scored on a pair of rushing TDs. He was boosted by a dominant run game that gained 343 yards, with Breon Allen going for 211 yards and two scores on 18 carries.
ECU moved into the American Athletic Conference this season, and these past two wins (and a 10-point loss at South Carolina) put it in position to be a top candidate for an at-large bid into the College Football Playoff.
21. Nebraska Cornhuskers
6 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 41-31 vs. Miami (Fla).
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. Illinois
Poll points: 79
Last week's ranking: 25th
The Cornhuskers (4-0) are off to their best start since 2011 behind Ameer Abdullah's dominant running and great composure by quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr.
Abdullah ran for 229 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries, along with a TD catch, while Armstrong completed nine of 13 passes for 113 yards and two TDs that included a 40-yard scoring strike to Kenny Bell in the first quarter.
Nebraska allowed 435 yards to Miami but also forced three turnovers. That included a 57-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery by Josh Mitchell.
20. Wisconsin Badgers
7 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 68-17 vs. Bowling Green
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. South Florida
Poll points: 102
Last week's ranking: 20th
The Badgers (2-1) returned to their old ways of dominant running, putting up 644 rushing yards against Bowling Green with three different players gaining more than 100 yards on the ground. Melvin Gordon was at the forefront of that attack, rushing for a career-high 253 yards and five touchdowns on just 13 carries.
Gordon scored on a 21-yard run just before halftime, then early in the third quarter broke off a 69-yard TD run.
Quarterback Tanner McEvoy added 158 rushing yards and a TD to go with 112 and a score through the air, while Corey Clement ran for 111 yards and two TDs.
Wisconsin had a school-record 756 yards, using a 27-point second quarter to turn a 14-10 edge into a blowout.
19. LSU Tigers
8 of 26
Week 4 result: Lost 34-29 vs. Mississippi State
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. New Mexico State
Poll points: 113
Last week's ranking: 8th
LSU's dominant defense was overwhelmed by the unlikeliest of opponents, losing to Mississippi State for the first time since 1999 and at home for the first time in 23 years.
The Tigers (3-1, 0-1 SEC) allowed 570 yards to the Bulldogs, including 302 on the ground. They trailed 17-10 early in the second half, but then allowed 17 straight points to turn the game into a runaway before making a valiant late effort behind backup quarterback Brandon Harris.
The true freshman completed six of nine passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns, the second coming with less than two minutes left after LSU recovered a fumble on a muffed shotgun snap that went over MSU quarterback Dak Prescott's head. LSU had the ball with a chance to win it, but Harris' Hail Mary throw from near midfield was intercepted as time expired.
LSU had not allowed a passing touchdown entering the game, and hadn't been scored on since the third quarter of its opening game, but MSU led 7-0 after the opening drive and never trailed.
18. USC Trojans
9 of 26
Week 4 result: Bye
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. Oregon State
Poll points: 115
Last week's ranking: 18th
The Trojans (2-1, 1-0 Pac-12) have had extra time to try to pick up the pieces from their upset loss at Boston College, where their rushing offense disappeared and their ability to stop the run was nonexistent. Now they return home to face an Oregon State team that seems to always cause trouble for USC.
Cody Kessler has been the most consistent part of USC's attack, with 846 passing yards and eight touchdowns through three games. Nelson Agholor has 23 receptions and three TDs, and the Trojans have gotten contributions from numerous receivers who have made it hard for teams to key on just one pass-catcher.
17. BYU Cougars
10 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 41-33 vs. Virginia
Week 5 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 125
Last week's ranking: 21st
The Cougars (4-0) held off a pesky Virginia team behind quarterback Taysom Hill's 259 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, giving BYU its best start since 2008.
Hill scored on a 15-yard run midway through the third quarter to give BYU a 20-16 lead, which he held for the rest of the afternoon. He hit Mitchell Juergens on a 50-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter for a 34-19 lead, and after Virginia scored a few minutes later, the Cougars sealed the win with a 99-yard kickoff-return TD by Adam Hine.
BYU won despite being outgained for the second straight game, allowing the Cavaliers to gain 519 yards to 332 for the Cougars.
16. Arizona State Sun Devils
11 of 26
Week 4 result: Bye
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 25 vs. UCLA
Poll points: 173
Last week's ranking: 14th
Arizona State (3-0) is preparing for possibly its biggest game of the season with a backup quarterback who has very little experience, but that's the reality for the Sun Devils after Taylor Kelly was injured in the second half of last week's win at Colorado.
Junior Mike Bercovici will get the start against UCLA on Thursday night, an opportunity that comes about thanks to his decision not to transfer after losing out to Kelly for the starting job in 2012.
"This is the reason why I stayed, for an opportunity like this," he told Doug Haller of The Arizona Republic. "To take this team to a championship. Me and Taylor have such a great relationship. I feel I owe it to him to take it from where he left off and just kind of progress the season without any hiccups."
Bercovici won't have to do it alone, as he has a workhorse running back in D.J. Foster (510 rushing yards, five touchdowns) and a top-tier receiver in Jaelen Strong.
15. Stanford Cardinal
12 of 26
Week 4 result: Bye
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 at Washington
Poll points: 185
Last week's ranking: 16th
The Cardinal (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12) dropped an early league game to USC but still can contend for the North Division title. To stay in that race they will have to win at Washington, where they lost 17-13 two years ago for their only conference loss.
Stanford found a second big-play receiver last week in its 35-0 win over Army, as Devon Cajuste caught three touchdown passes. Paired with Ty Montgomery, who's also one of the country's best return men, the Cardinal have some great weapons for Kevin Hogan to throw to.
And despite the red-zone struggles that have occurred this season, Stanford's defense has been rock-solid. Through three games, the unit has allowed just 13 points, all in the loss to USC.
14. Mississippi State Bulldogs
13 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 34-29 at LSU
Week 5 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 195
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
The Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0 SEC) beat LSU for the first time in 15 years behind Dak Prescott's masterful performance. It was their first victory in Death Valley since 1991.
Prescott had 373 of Mississippi State's 570 yards of total offense, including 268 through the air with two passing touchdowns and 105 on the ground along with a score. Josh Robinson added 197 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Jameon Lewis caught five balls for 116 yards and a TD.
MSU led 34-10, thanks to a 17-0 run that started midway through the third quarter, only to see LSU score 19 unanswered and have a chance to win down the stretch. Instead, the Bulldogs won just their third game in 25 under coach Dan Mullen against ranked opponents.
13. South Carolina Gamecocks
14 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 48-34 at Vanderbilt
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. Missouri
Poll points: 200
Last week's ranking: 15th
The Gamecocks (3-1, 2-1 SEC) spotted Vanderbilt a 14-0 first-quarter lead before catching on, eventually claiming victory behind Dylan Thompson's passing and some big plays on defense.
Thompson threw three touchdown passes and also ran for a score, while Brison Williams returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown right before halftime to give South Carolina a 17-14 lead it would never relinquish.
Thompson completed 22 of 34 passes for 237 yards, part of 449 yards of total offense. Mike Davis ran for 82 yards, and South Carolina overcame a pair of kickoff-return TDs by Darrius Sims.
12. Georgia Bulldogs
15 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 66-0 vs. Troy
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. Tennessee
Poll points: 203
Last week's ranking: 13th
After the chaos and drama of last week's narrow loss at South Carolina, the Bulldogs (2-1) gave themselves a breezy nonconference breather in the form of a visit from winless Troy. The result was never in doubt, as Georgia gained 547 yards and posted its first shutout win since blanking Auburn in 2012.
Freshman running back Sony Michel had his coming-out party, rushing 10 times for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Michel got the opportunity with fellow freshman rusher Nick Chubb missing the game after having thumb surgery, and he made the most of it.
"We've seen enough in practice to know he is a special talent," Georgia coach Mark Richt told Logan Booker of Bulldawg Illustrated. "He showed that today."
Todd Gurley only got six carries for 73 yards, part of a 367-yard effort for the Bulldogs on the ground.
11. UCLA Bruins
16 of 26
Week 4 result: Bye
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 25 at Arizona State
Poll points: 204
Last week's ranking: 12th
It's been a week since UCLA's drama-filled win over Texas, with star quarterback Brett Hundley going down with an injury and Jerry Neuheisel coming in to rally the Bruins (3-0) to victory. Now comes a game that will go a long way toward determining the Pac-12's South Division title, and a lot will ride on whether Hundley can play.
Look for UCLA coach Jim Mora to update Hundley's status early this week, and if he can't go expect the Bruins to retool the playbook for Neuheisel, or whoever plays in his place, and with more of a dedication to the run game.
Paul Perkins rushed for most of his 126 yards after Hundley was hurt, and having him be able to eat up yards on the ground is essential against Arizona State's tough defense.
10. Ole Miss Rebels
17 of 26
Week 4 result: Bye
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. Memphis
Poll points: 216
Last week's ranking: 11th
Ole Miss (3-0) will look for its first 4-0 start since 1984. The Rebels should get there if they continue to move the ball effectively and play the kind of shutdown defense that has held opponents to 31 points in three games.
The Rebels will get tested by Memphis, which took UCLA to the wire a few weeks back, but they're really their own toughest opponent heading into October. Bo Wallace has thrown nine touchdown passes and is completing 75.5 percent of his passes, but he has been intercepted four times. Ole Miss has also allowed 22 tackles for loss.
But the defense has been solid throughout, with eight picks itself. Senquez Golson has three of those, including one of the Rebels' two interceptions returned for touchdowns.
9. Michigan State Spartans
18 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 73-14 vs. Eastern Michigan
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. Wyoming
Poll points: 275
Last week's ranking: 10th
The Spartans (2-1) had little trouble obliterating their in-state opponent, jumping out to a 49-0 halftime lead en route to their most points in 25 years.
Connor Cook was done early in the second quarter, after he'd thrown two touchdown passes to Tony Lippett and ran for a score. Jeremy Langford had a first-quarter TD run, while backup Delton Williams had three rushing scores and 103 yards on 10 carries.
Michigan State held Eastern Michigan to 135 yards, only 20 on the ground, and five first downs.
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
19 of 26
Week 4 result: Bye
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse (at East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Poll points: 279
Last week's ranking: 9th
The Fighting Irish (3-0) continue their road trip of neutral-site games, after beating Purdue in Indianapolis last week, by visiting the New York City market to face the Orange. Notre Dame last played in the region in December, knocking off Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl in the Bronx.
Notre Dame has gotten far better play out of quarterback Everett Golson than it could have ever expected. After missing a season while sitting out with an academic suspension, Golson has thrown for 780 yards and seven touchdowns along with four rushing touchdowns.
7. Baylor Bears
20 of 26
Week 4 result: Bye
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 at Iowa State
Poll points: 306
Last week's ranking: 7th
Baylor (3-0) gave its unstoppable offense a week off to cool its heels and prepare for Big 12 play, after thoroughly dominating its nonconference opponents to the tune of 178-27 on the scoreboard. Even with Bryce Petty missing a game because of cracked vertebrae, the Bears haven't been slowed down.
But now comes back-to-back road games, first at an Iowa State team that's coming off a win over rival Iowa and nearly knocked off Kansas State earlier, then to Texas. The Bears have lost their last two trips to Ames, falling 35-21 there in 2012.
Baylor's road to the conference title and a playoff spot will be determined away from home, with other Big 12 games at West Virginia and Oklahoma.
6. Texas A&M Aggies
21 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 58-6 at SMU
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. Arkansas (at Arlington, Texas)
Poll points: 317
Last week's ranking: 6th
The Aggies (4-0) dominated on both sides of the ball to achieve their best start to a season since 2006, getting plenty of backups in after halftime in a runover win against listless SMU.
A&M gained 663 yards, with quarterback Kenny Hill accounting for 322 of that. Hill threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-22 passing, including a 70-yard TD pass to Josh Reynolds just before halftime for a 38-3 lead. A&M also ran for 268 yards.
Defensively, the Aggies sacked SMU quarterbacks eight times and held the Mustangs to 241 yards.
5. Auburn Tigers
22 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 20-14 at Kansas State
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 vs. Louisiana Tech
Poll points: 336
Last week's ranking: 5th
The mark of good teams is being able to find ways to win when things don't go as planned. Auburn (3-0) did that, overcoming a tough offensive night by having senior quarterback Nick Marshall and junior receiver D'haquille Williams come through with big plays at big times.
Marshall threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns, including a nine-yard pass to Williams (eight catches, 110 yards) that gave Auburn a 17-7 second-half lead that held up. It was the Tigers' first road win over a ranked nonconference opponent since 1984, and it came with the fewest total yards (359) they've gained since Gus Malzahn became head coach last season.
The Tigers ran for 128 yards, the second fewest under Malzahn, and that took 45 carries. It put more pressure on Marshall, who—despite some overthrows on open deep balls as well as a few big drops by his receivers—had his best game in terms of yardage since last season's win at Texas A&M.
"Nick Marshall loves the big moments, and he proved once again why many still consider him a threat to win the Heisman Trophy this season with his bounce-back performance in the second half," wrote Brandon Marcello of AL.com.
Auburn's defense stole the show, though, holding K-State to 285 yards and just 40 on the ground. The Tigers also got some luck, as the Wildcats missed three field goals and had a surefire TD catch turn into an interception.
4. Oklahoma Sooners
23 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 45-33 at West Virginia
Week 5 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 357 (one first-place vote)
Last week's ranking: 3rd
The Sooners (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) turned a first-half shootout into a comfortable win, making defensive adjustments and becoming dominant on the ground to win their conference opener.
The game was tied at 24 at halftime, but then freshman running back Samaje Perine scored three of his four rushing touchdowns to go with 242 rushing yards on 34 carries. Getting more touches with Keith Ford missing the game because of injury, Perine was unstoppable.
Oklahoma ran for 301 yards, finishing with 510 yards overall, and also got a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown from Alex Ross just before halftime to tie the game up. The Sooners defense locked down in the final two quarters, and though they allowed 513 yards, little of that came in the second half.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
24 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 42-21 vs. Florida
Week 5 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 374 (four first-place votes)
Last week's ranking: 4th
If there were any doubts that Blake Sims is the man for the job as Alabama's quarterback, the senior (hopefully) dispelled those with Saturday's near-record performance.
Sims threw for 445 yards and four touchdowns on 23-of-33 passing, hitting Kenyan Drake for an 87-yard TD pass on the first offensive snap for Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC). Later that quarter, Sims hit Amari Cooper for a 79-yard TD, and he ended up 39 yards shy of the single-game school record for passing yards.
"People have to respect him as a passer," Alabama coach Nick Saban said, per ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough. "He’s made too many good throws."
Cooper himself had another monster game, with 201 yards and three TDs on 10 receptions. And with T.J. Yeldon having an off day with 59 rushing yards on 18 carries (along with a 37-yard reception), Derrick Henry paced Alabama's run game with 111 yards and a score on 20 rushes.
Alabama's early mistakes kept Florida in the game, as four turnovers led to all three of the Gators' touchdowns. But the Tide defense was masterful, holding Florida to 200 yards, with Jeff Driskel completing only nine of 28 passes for 93 yards with two interceptions.
2. Florida State Seminoles
25 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 23-17 vs. Clemson (OT)
Week 5 matchup: Sept. 27 at North Carolina State
Poll points: 375 (five first-place votes)
Last week's ranking: 1st
No one said defending a national championship would be easy, as Florida State (3-0, 1-0 ACC) proved with its turmoil-filled comeback victory to extend its winning streak to 19 games.
The Seminoles were without Jameis Winston, suspended for the game for his obscene statement made in public earlier in the week, and backup Sean Maguire struggled for much of the contest. They also had no semblance of a rushing game, managing only 13 yards on 27 carries.
Maguire threw for 305 yards and a TD on 21-of-39 passing, but he was intercepted twice and struggled to avoid Clemson's pressure all night.
But despite trailing 10-3 at halftime and 17-10 midway through the fourth quarter, FSU found a way to win and remain firmly in the discussion for the College Football Playoff.
A 74-yard touchdown pass from Maguire to Rashad Greene (aided by a Clemson defensive back falling down while the ball was in the air) with 6:04 left tied the game at 17. After Maguire was picked off late in the fourth, Clemson fumbled the ball away in FSU's red zone.
The Seminoles then made their biggest defensive stand of the game in OT, stuffing Clemson on 4th-and-inches, and two plays later Karlos Williams scored on a 12-yard run to win it.
1. Oregon Ducks
26 of 26
Week 4 result: Won 38-31 at Washington State
Week 5 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 383 (six first-place votes)
Last week's ranking: 2nd
Like all the other top teams, the Ducks (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) were challenged heavily in Week 4. But Oregon was doing so on the road, in its Pac-12 opener, yet found a way down the stretch to hold off a team it scored 62 points against last season.
Oregon trailed at the end of the first quarter, and the game was tied at 21 at halftime, with quarterback Marcus Mariota getting terrorized all night by WSU's defensive front. Mariota was sacked seven times and only attempted 10 passes in the first half before catching fire after halftime.
Mariota finished with 329 passing yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winning six-yard score to Keanon Lowe with 5:33 left. Mariota completed 21 of 25 passes and added 58 rushing yards, outdueling WSU quarterback Connor Halliday (43-of-63, 436 yards, four TDs).
It was Oregon's eighth straight win over the Cougars.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
